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Top 4 Meeting Planner Challenges
Our expert ProMeetings Team consistently works hand-in-hand with the best planners in the business to ensure every meeting and event hosted at Kiawah Island Golf Resort is pulled off flawlessly. Of course, these successes don’t happen without hard work—or without challenges.
So our team identified the top four meeting planner challenges—and solutions to overcome them so your next group gathering is set up for success, right from the start:
1. Delivering Experiences
Challenge: A meeting is no longer “just a meeting.” Like leisure travelers, meeting attendees expect experiences—and savvy planners and executives that want to engage and retain employees need to deliver them. The IACC “Meeting Room of The Future” report supports the importance of creating experiences for attendees.
Solution: Research prospective destinations and venues very early in your planning cycle to ensure there are an abundance of offerings beyond meeting spaces and accommodations. Kiawah Island Golf Resort specializes in unique team-building exercises, bucket list golf on our five championship courses plus a nearly endless variety of recreational activities and nature programming to engage your attendees.
2. Sticking to a Budget
Challenge: You have a budget that you’re held accountable for and you worry that it won’t cover everything you need for your meeting—including a desirable destination and a variety of accommodations.
Solution: Make sure the venue you choose doesn’t force you into a one-size-fits-all meetings package. By carefully selecting accommodations, food and beverage options and activities, you can save money in some areas and splurge on others that deliver the most value for your group.
Kiawah Island Golf Resort offers accommodations that range from budget-conscious Resort Villas to luxurious guest rooms and suites in the 5-Star, 255-room Sanctuary Hotel. Off-peak-season dates also provide extraordinary values to help you stretch your dollar even further. The ProMeetings and Culinary Teams at Kiawah Island Golf Resort can also work with you one-on-one to plan dates, arrange accommodations, and craft menus that fit within your meeting budget.
3. Technology That Can Keep Up
Challenge: Attendees come to your meetings with laptops, tablets and smartphones for professional and personal use and they expect a 24/7 connection to the outside world. Not to mention the multi-media equipment needed to run your presentations.
Solution: When you speak with representatives from potential meeting venues, make sure to ask the hard questions and be clear about your technological needs in advance. Kiawah Island Golf Resort is proud to offer high-speed wifi throughout all its meeting spaces—including a signal that reaches all the way out to the beach from The Sanctuary Hotel. For your audio-visual planning and management, the resort partners with an industry expert—J&S Audio Visual—so you have all the equipment and support needed for smooth and seamless presentations.
4. Accommodating Special Diets
Challenge: With food allergies and sensitivities on the rise, it’s critical to ensure safe dining options for all attendees. Plus, in this age of personalization, attendees expect a variety of offerings that complement their diet and lifestyle.
Solution: Ensure the meeting venue you select offers allergy-friendly, gluten-free, kosher, vegan and vegetarian choices for your attendees. Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s experienced culinary team can tailor menus and provide special meals to accommodate any attendee’s individual needs—just be sure to discuss these details in the planning phase to ensure all preparations are made before your group arrives.
The ProMeetings Team delivers these solutions and more, in addition to a portfolio of 38,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting spaces. Beginning fall 2019, you’ll also have a new option to consider when we open the doors to our brand-new West Beach Conference Center. This facility will deliver 23,000 square feet of flexible pre-event and meeting space—including a 10,000-square-foot ballroom—with state-of-the-art technology.
Contact Marty Couch at 800.576.1585 or marty_couch@kiawahresort.com to find available dates, take advantage of attractive pricing and learn more about how the ProMeetings team can make your next group gathering a tremendous success.