There seems to be a common misconception out there that says you need to be a huge conference center or multi-million dollar resort to host Corporate Meetings, but I’m here to tell you… nothing could be further from the truth. You see, the world has changed a lot since 2020. Once upon a time, the huge meeting and convention centers would gobble up much of the corporate retreat business. I mean, why wouldn’t they? They have a ton of capital, hundreds of rooms, and a bunch of staff on hand. How possibly could a small business compete with that?

The good news is, there has never been a better time than now to get into the Corporate Meetings and Events pool! Since 2020, more work has gone remote than ever before. Companies have waived the commute for the computer and in doing so have lost a little of that “Family Feel”. In an effort to “keep the kids together” many managers have turned to hosting smaller, more intimate retreats. Further more, according to multiple business journals, small to medium sized business travel is on the rise.

With that being said, if you aren’t on board yet or haven’t decided how to get started, BeesNest Web Design has a plan to get you on your feet, and get those meetings in the door! We call it “NO FUSS” Corporate Meetings.

Everybody loves a good acronym, so why not use one here. NO FUSS stands for:

• Nourishment
• Originality
• Flexibility
• Utility
• Space
• Staff

If you can provide all of the above, you’re 90% of the way there to hosting Corporate Meetings. The other 10% is simply knowing how to put it all together.

Nourishment

So let’s start with the first item on the list Nourishment. Pretty easy concept right? It’s simple. If you don’t have food, you don’t have a Corporate Program. I know I’ve worked with some people in the past that got really hangry right around lunch time, and unless you can keep those tummy monsters quiet, no businesses will come knocking at your door.

Now, it doesn’t mean that you need to have a 4 star restaurant, but it does mean you need to be able to offer 2 things: Lunch and Meeting Breaks.

Meeting Breaks

Let’s start with the Meeting Breaks, because they are so simple to pull off. A successful meeting break needs 3 components:

• Coffee/Tea
• Water
• Snacks

That’s it. No I mean really… that’s it. If you can adequately provide those 3 things, you’ve got meeting breaks covered. Honestly, you don’t need to do anything fancy either. Go down to the grocery store, buy a few pounds of coffee, coffee filters, milk or cream, sugar, tea bags, paper cups, and stirrers and your coffee station is covered. You can even use your own Mr. Coffee pot to brew it (but be sure you routinely check it to make sure you never run out).

Ok, water. There are 2 ways you can do this, bottled or not. I caution you here, if you wouldn’t drink from your tap, don’t make your guests drink from it either. Go out and spend $4 on a 36-pack of Nestle water bottles and put it in a bin of ice to keep it cold. If you’ve got tasty tap water, find a nice serving vessel, fill it with ice and put out some of those clear solo cups you drink eggnog out of during the holidays.

Lastly, the snacks. Fruit, granola bars, and the occasional chip. All you need is a large bowl for the fruit (apples and oranges have a long shelf life and are readily available) and a serving dish for your snack. Nutrigrain bars or Quaker Chewy bars are a great choice and as I said earlier, if you want to change up the morning and afternoon break, throw some chips out there after 1pm.

That’s it. That’s all you need. I worked for a multi-million dollar resort for 17 years and most of our breaks were just like that. Now, you can always offer custom packages and unique themed breaks, but we’re just getting started, so let’s keep this simple.

Lunch

When it comes to lunch, it’s either something you already can do, or don’t do it at all. If you’re already offering meals, you don’t need me to tell you how to do your thing. I would however encourage you to look into offering “working lunches” and buffets.

If you don’t do it at all, find a local restaurant that caters and that you trust. Come up with 2 or 3 lunch options, agree on a price and let the professionals handle it. We can talk about taking this idea further once you have a few notches in your belt, but for now, let them do the food, you just get the orders.

Originality

Typically, I would save my thoughts on this one for last, but since it would throw off the acronym, we’ll talk about it now. The main reason I mention Originality is because you need to find what it is that makes your business unique and convey that to your customer. As I told you earlier with the meeting breaks, every resort or hotel you go to will have some variation of the above mentioned “accoutrements”.

What is it that makes you special? Do you have a great property with beautiful views in a serene and private setting? Maybe you are in the hub of outdoor activities and you can offer once in a lifetime team building activities within a small radius? Whatever it is, you need to do some soul searching and find it. Once you’ve figured it out, own it. It becomes part of your identity and it makes you special, and that is what these Corporate Meeting Planners are trying to find. A special place that everybody will remember and ask, “How did you find this place!?”

Flexibility

Ok, now we get to what may be one of the easier topics for your given situation, or it may be the hardest thing for you to pull off. I can’t tell you without sitting down and assessing your particular circumstances, but I do know that corporate groups need flexibility.

Meetings run long. Flights get delayed. Plans change. If you can’t roll with the punches and handle those changes, you may not want to be in this business. You need to be flexible and work with the group. Just think about how hard it is to get your kids out of the house for school in the morning, or to rally the troops and get them to a family event. This is exactly what a corporate meeting planner is doing, but with full grown adults. Give them some grace. If they feel like you’ve got their back, they will most certainly be returning and may even tell some of their meeting planner friends about your business.

If you’re doing this during slow midweeks, I’m guessing this is rather easy for you to do. However, if you’re trying to squeeze a group in around multiple other events like dinner service, you may need to adjust your schedule to accommodate. In the end, it will be worth the audibles, but it can take a little trial and error to get the flow just right.

Utility

So when we talk utility, think as in your house utilities. These are things your “house” (business) must have to be able to host a corporate retreat. If you’re missing ANY of these you MUST obtain them or provide a reasonable replacement.

• Tables (Tablecloths may not be a necessity, but HIGHLY ENCOURAGED)
• Chairs
• Flip Chart or White Board with Markers
• Pads and Pens (for attendees to take notes)
• Projector and Screen / LARGE HDTV
• Sound System (portable is fine)
• Microphone (preferably at least 2)
• Podium
• Laptop (backup in case speaker forgets theirs or has an issue)
• All necessary hookup cables (HDMI, Extension Cords, Power Strips, Audio Cables, “Clicker”, etc.)

As long as you have enough tables and chairs to accommodate the size of the group, this list will cover 80% of all meetings that will walk through your door.

Space

Now we get to the one you’re never going to have enough of… and that is space. So I told you, the point of this NO FUSS Corporate Meetings is to get you up and running so you can perfect your own unique system. Unfortunately though, if you don’t have a space to host a meeting in, you cannot pull off a Corporate Meeting. Even if you planned on doing an outdoor meeting, you need a rain plan, so some sort of indoor space that is climate controlled will be needed.

This part of the acronym is where I see the most hesitation in taking the first step towards hosting corporate meetings. I mean, you either have a space or you don’t, right? Well maybe not so fast. Finding space is all about being creative. For instance, let’s say you have a Bed & Breakfast. Well, your meeting space may be the living room. Move some furniture around, host the meeting breaks and coffee in the kitchen, and have a catered working lunch. Heck, I’ve even hosted teambuilding activities in houses. I’ve done countless Karaokes, DJ Parties, Minute To Win It events, and even cooking competitions in guest homes and houses, all with great success. All you need is a little creativity and you’d be surprised how easily you can make it work.

If all you have is your main dining room, that’s fine! A working lunch buffet is a great option for you. Set the food up in your lobby, send some staff in to bus the tables, and have a nice collection of baked goods on your meeting break table for dessert!

You see, all you need is to think through the hurdles and then they don’t seem so tall.

Staff

Ok, so the last letter and second ‘S‘ represents staff. Your greatest asset. They are the friendly face and interaction with your customers. They are the real time ears and eyes of your establishment. You need to keep them happy, because happy staff make very happy guests!

It is our recommendation that if you want to go down this Corporate Meeting avenue, you should have at least one employee you deem as your Meeting Coordinator. They specialize in selling, planning, and implementing all needs of the incoming corporate groups, and can double as a front desk clerk or one of the various other positions that Hospitality has to offer when no groups are in house. One of the best things you can provide your clients is a sense of follow through. Planners love to put a face with a name. It brings a sense of family and understanding. I mean, they may have been planning this and stressing over the event for months, and seeing someone that has already established trust and rapport brings a Zen-like calm to their faces.

The most important thing for these groups is they need to feel like you’ve got them. There are many establishments that may have more resources, bigger rooms, fancier menus, and more amusements than you have, but what you can deliver is a sense of caring and attention to detail that those bigger places simply cannot match. In this way, being smaller works tremendously in your favor and allows you to have your own unique slice of the corporate retreat pie.

Let’s Get Started

So there you have it, a little sample of what you can do to get started on your Corporate Meetings and Retreats program. With smaller executive retreats on the rise, and an increase in demand to convene in person due to emerging remote work, now is a great time to start offering Corporate Meetings. If you follow the skeleton above, hosting corporate retreats can be done with NO FUSS and should give no reason NOT to pursue this great avenue.

---