[ Conferon Perspective: Guarantees Measure of Control ]Banquet Ticket Exchange Guarantees Measure of Control

by Brad Weaber
The closing night banquet serves function many purposes, not the least of which is to hold attendees until the final day. But that's easier said than done. Many people, pressed for time in their workaday worlds, plan an abbreviated stay from the beginning, while others become unanticipated "early departures" as an event unfolds.

The result: A substantial amount of revenue is literally "wasted" on ill-judged guarantees caused by the fluctuations between total registrants and the actual number attending the dosing banquet (or, for that matter, any formal function.)

For your next seated banquet, try this simple reservation process – which many associations already use – to take the angst out of meal guarantees.

Announce a Ticket Exchange
Announce in your registration materials that there will be a ticket exchange and reserved seating for the final banquet. Indicate the hours that attendees will be able to reserve their seats while on site. Set a reservation deadline that is during your meeting but still meets the hotel's guarantee policy. (You may want to reopen the registration desk for a short time the day of the function to accommodate last-minute changes.)

Estimate the Number of Tables
Based on past history of the function and current registration for the event, estimate the number of tables you think you will need. Work with the hotel to create a diagram that includes the location of the dance floor and stage. Then have it enlarged so it can be displayed on an easel in the area with reserved seating. Make sure each table is numbered and never change the numbering once the final diagram is drawn. Use "peel-off dots" for tables that have been reserved for special guests and VIPs.

Reinventing the
"Infamous" Head Table

The head table is an association tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation. It is also one, most people agree, that has outlived its usefulness.

While it is true that association leaders work hard and dedicate their time to earn a deserving "moment in the sun," head tables have some serious downsides:

The audience feels like it's "beneath" the dignitaries.

Those seated at the head table feel self-conscious eating in front of an audience.

If there's a dance floor, the audience is even further removed from on-stage activities.

The International Parking Institute has replaced its head table with what might better be described as a "foot table." While still on a riser, it's positioned at the rear of the room!

The riser can be made as large as space permits. Special guests sit at long oval tables perpendicular to the stage in a configuration similar to Las Vegas showrooms. For all the other guests, it opens up more seating closer to the stage and dance floor, creating a more intimate event.
Exchange Coupons for Tickets
When a guest reserves a seat, exchange the banquet coupon for an actual ticket. Write on it the guest's name and table number (in ink). Add a "dot" on the diagram each time a table is closed out. Also, make certain to enter every assignment in a computer notebook that lists every table in order. This document will become your "bible" for the event.

Make a Master List
After reservations are closed, create a document that lists all attendees in alphabetical order. This will quickly pinpoint duplications. (You will already have a list organized by table numbers to answer the inevitable question: "Who else is at my table?") Provide copies of these lists to association and hotel staff. This will help with the seating of those who "forget" to bring their tickets.

While the main benefit of a ticket exchange is cost-savings, attendees actually prefer the system because they can select their dinner companions in advance instead of having to stampede into a ballroom as the doors open to reserve a table. A true win/win, a banquet ticket exchange gives both sponsors and attendees a greater measure of control.
Brad Weaber is senior account executive in the Washington, D.C. area office (Arlington, Va.) of Conferon, the nation's largest independent planning company meeting planning company.

First published in: Convene Magazine, December 1996