Education 

  
Although subject to change, below is the APM education agenda for Breakouts, Round Tables and General Sessions. Please check the mobile app for final information and room assignments. 
 

Pre-APM Training Meetings

9:00am-12:00pm on Sunday, 3/26

Sourcing Associate Meeting: In this Sourcing Associate Training Meeting we will take a deep dive into Best Practices for Hotel Sourcing. Topics to be covered include:

  • Building RFPs
  • Sourcing Process
  • Contract Negotiation
  • Post-Contract Support

Conference Management Associate Meeting: In the Conference Management Associate Meeting we will focus on CM business trends and best practice sharing. The session will also feature round table discussions on the following hot topics:

  • Creating and managing RFP’s and selling additional services
  • Estimating hours & tracking time
  • Overview of AV equipment & labor necessary to run GS & BO’s
  • New Business Development

General Sessions

General Session topics will include a celebration of ConferenceDirect’s 25th Anniversary, explore the next 25 years for our business, and discuss industry trends.

  • Sunday, March 26: 4:00pm-5:45pm
    • 25 Year Reflection & Celebration; Business Updates (Associates Only)
  • Tuesday, March 28: 4:15pm-5:45pm, Joint Associate/Partner General Session
    • Keynote:  Reggie Aggarwal, CEO & Founder, CVENT
  • Wednesday, March 29: 3:30pm-4:30pm
    • Hotel Executive Panel (Associates Only)

Breakout Sessions

Topics will focus on running and growing your business, account support, contract negotiations and a conference management specific track.

Breakout Session Dates/Times:

  • Monday, March 27
    • 9:00am-9:45am
      • Partnering with Associates On Accounts
      • Incorporating Sustainability into Meetings/Events
      • Full-Service Selling
      • Accounting Commission Reconciliation Report, and History/ Pick-up Process Best Practices
    • 9:55am-10:35am
      • Acquiring New Accounts from Existing Customers Relationships
      • Experience Design
      • Time Management Best Practices 2.0
      • Applying SMMP Concepts to All Customer Segments​​​​​​​
  • Tuesday, March 28
    • 9:00am-9:40am
      • ​​​​​​​Estate Planning for Independent Contractors
      • Best Practices on Sales Presentations
      • Accounting Commission Reconciliation Report, and History/ Pick-up Process Best Practices
      • Hotel Contracting Best Practices and Trends
    • 9:50am-10:30am
      • ​​​​​​​Estate Planning for Independent Contractors
      • Why the Client Portal? Leveraging to Your Benefit!
      • Back-to-Basics Sales
    • 10:40am-11:10am – Joint Associate/Partner session
      • ​​​​​​​Contract Negotiations Panel
      • RFP Best Practices Panel
      • Diversity Panel
    • 11:20am-11:50am – Joint Associate/Partner session
      • ​​​​​​​Citywide Business Panel
      • Site Inspection Panel
      • Sustainability in Meetings

Round Tables

Round table sessions will be a small group discussion format (10 people per table). They will focus on Industry Hot Topics with Discussion Leaders to help facilitate the conversation, peer-to-peer collaboration and sharing of best practices. Come prepared ready to actively participate in the conversation and listen to feedback from other attendees.

Round Table Dates/Times:

Associates Only - Monday, March 27: Round 1 - 10:45am-11:05am, Round 2 - 11:10am-11:30am 

  1. Accounting Commission Reconciliation Report (new) and Other Commission Tracking Best Practices
  2. Administrative Support Best Practices
  3. Room Block Audits / Room Rate Audits / Pick-up Reports
  4. Managing Non-Housing Group Room Blocks
  5. Site Visit Planning/Customer Profiles/Utilizing your CVB for Sourcing Support
  6. RFP Sourcing Strategies and Approaches
  7. Building Strong Customer Relationships
  8. Post Hotel Contract Servicing Checklist and Process
  9. Industry Organization Involvement/Networking at Events
  10. Independent Contractor Goal Setting (weekly/monthly/yearly)
  11. Low Hanging Social Media Best Practices
  12. The Value of aRes!
  13. O’Design for A/V Sourcing
  14. Return to Meetings: Onsite Technology
  15. Work Life Balance / Wellness
  16. Negotiating Attrition
  17. Negotiating Rooms outside the Block and Audits
  18. Managing Customer Expectations
  19. Niche Segments​​​​​​​

Joint Associate/Partner Discussions - Tuesday, March 28: Round 1 -10:45am-11:10am, Round 2 - 11:20am-11:45am 

  1. DMC/Vendor Sourcing
  2. Wellness and Work/Life Balance
  3. Social Media Best Practices
  4. Negotiating Attrition
  5. Negotiating Rooms Outside the Block and Room Block Audits
  6. Networking at Events
  7. Building Win-Win Relationships
  8. Effective Time Management/Goal Setting
  9. Managing Customer Expectations
  10. Developing Effective RFP Criteria
  11. Sourcing Trends
  12. CVB Support in the Sales and Event Phases
  13. Diversity
  14. Supporting the Fight Against Human Trafficking
  15. Sustainable Meetings
  16. Pricing & Service Alignment: Ensuring Services Match the Price
  17. Negotiating AV and Internet in the Hotel Contract Phase
  18. Industry Organization Involvement
  19. Problem Resolution Best Practices