7/25 CMP Course

Requirements to take the CMP

● 36 months of industry-specific position
● 25 hours of continuing education

165 questions on the exam

Why taking CMP? To advance my career

To hopefully land a more advanced role
To live a life with less financial stress

My planning experience:
● Current role
○ Nonprofit & local media/news
○ Large community events, private donor, board, or membership events,
○ Usually small budgets $1,500 - $5,000 (with the exception of a few)

Access practice exam from the EIC

Can take it in a testing center or remote proctoring

Formulas:
B = numbers of booths

2 types of budgeting styles

● Incremental (using history of budgets and changing things incrementally)
● Zero-based budget (no data history, it’s new, using research to help identify budget)

Meeting & Event Design

Five principles of meeting design

● Assessment/evaluation
● Meaningful engagement
● Distributed learning
● Collaboration
● Experience (what do you want them to walk away feeling)

Management process: IDEA (Identify, Design, Execute, Assess)

Develop the program

● breakout/concurrent
 ● Debate
● Buzz sessions
● Keynote
● Interview
● Workshop seminar

Program flow
● Event specifications guide
● Detailed agenda
● Scripts
● Attendee agenda

When searching for speakers/performers, provide them a one-sheet with details on what your
audience will likely consist of

Speakers & Performers

Speaker types
● Professional
● moderator/facilitator
● Industry expert
● Academic
● Live event host
● Virtual host
● Performers

Content
Material that will be meaningful to your attendees including spoken, handouts, digital, etc

Delivery
Can the speaker match your needed style for your audience?

The find the right speaker

● Seek input from stakeholders
● Document your selection criteria (create a rubrik?)
● Use the selection criteria to choose the right speakers
Speaker considerations
● Consider budget, objectives, content & type of speaker desired before searching
● Can utilize speaker bureaus
● Consider audience demographics, political environment, culture, diversity, attendee
abilities

Next steps for hiring speakers

 ● Distribute call for proposals
● Contracts
● CFP;s - judged by a committee
● Contracts - indemnification clause
● Virtual/hybrid events may require a host and/or broadcast producer
● Create a speakers manual
○ Event info
○ Audience demographics
○ Timeline
○ Forms
○ Site information

Consider music licensing

ASCAP and DMI?

Coordinate food & beverage services

Outline goals & objectives & schedule

Considerations
● Dietary needs, food safety, attendee profile
● Guidelines for acquiring products and services
● Date, time, location
● Quantity calculations (including staff, volunteers, vendors)
● Supplies and equipment
● Setup and operations
● Staff and volunteer schedules
● Religious needs
● Onsite requests

Sustainability
● Fresh, local, seasonal food
● Sustainable seafood
● Food waste management
● Limiting individually packaged items
● Avoiding single use plastics & recycling
● Vegetarian options

Budgeting for food

● Tax rates, gratuity, fees
● Number of attendees
● Attendance percentages
● Facility percent overset
○ Standard lead time on guarantee headcount typically 48 to 72 hours
 ○ Venue will charge guaranteed or covers served, whichever is higher
○ Overset is typically 5-10% (additional seating, not additional food).
○ Caterers will prepare 5% above the guaranteed food.

Service Types & Ratios

● Butler - trays of bite size

● Plated ( 1:16-20)
● Buffet (1:4 tables) (1 buffet to 75-100 diners)
● Stations
● Concessions
● Bar (1:50)

Alcohol options
● Determine whether you should or shouldn’t serve alcohol
● What to serve
● Open bar v cash bar
● Hourly fees, by consumption or by bottle

Alcohol controls
● Age limit
● License requirements
● Duration
● Training & monitoring

Public health laws

● Time food is out on buffet & temperature until service
● Temperatues meat /seafood must reach when cooked
● Temperatures for equipment
● Handwashings citations
● Surfaces and types of permissible materials
● Ground faults for electrical outlet
● Mats and surfaces for solace
● Sanitation practices for food waste

Design environment
Identify the goal of room setup and level of engagement desired

Consider:
● What will attendees be doing?
● Set stage on the long side of the room when reasonable
● Think about attendee needs in the room
● Avoid center aisles and straight-row seating. Be creative!
● Minimize the need to flip rooms but do so when necessary
 ● When possible, provide standing and seated options

Know the difference

● Lectern - slant-topped reading stands, tabletop or freestanding
● Podium - raised speaker platform; freestanding lecterns are placed ON podiums
● Dais - raised platform for head table
● Platform - AKA risers, usually 4ftx8ft or 6ftx8ft and come in varieties of heights

Signage materials (don’t use paper outdoors)

● Showcard stock
● Corrugated plastic
● Foam board
● Sail Cloth
● Vinyl
● Closed-cell polyvinyl
● Chloride sheet

Sign sustainability measures

● Digital signage
● Sustainable materials
● Sustainable inks
● Reusable signs (generic)
● Donations

Rows:
Best to have to aisles than 1 middle aisle

Technical Production
Leave space for staging, a/v, pillars, head tables, refreshments

Staging considerations
● Room capacity charts
● Ceiling heights
● Power availability
● Room lighting & control (confirm what they control before use during event)
● Loading dock
● House sounds
● Walls (Consider sounds between rooms)

Audio terms to know

● Input source
● Mixer
● Amplifier
● Equalizer
 ● Subwoofer
● Monitor speakers
Screens & projectors
● Screens - at least 5’ off floor
● Projector distance - min 1.5 times the width of the screen (front throw primarily)
● Project platform - 90 degrees to the screen (perpendicular)
● Firstrow no closer than 2x the height of the screen
● Back row no further than 8x the height of the screen

Staging & considerations

● Budget
● Component measures
● Room setup
● Number of attendees
● speaker / entertainment requirements
● Loadin set up times
● Rehearsals (who needs to attende)
● Wifi requirements (determine details ahead of time - encore has a good tool for
determining what speed you will need)
● Riggingg - who will and when
● Structural and easels
● Exterior guidelines
● Responsibilities

Lighting & visual

● Pink lighting
● Ellipsoidal / Leko
● Par (wash)
● Fresnel (softer, focused beam)
● Virtual - CCC: Capturing

Develop plan for managing movement of attendees

Admittance credential system & admittance verification system

A room block will almost always require deposit

Registration considerations
● Pre-registration
● Multiple registrations from one company
● Refunds
● Part-time attendance (separate days or partial day options)
● Function tickets
Crowd management
● Identify entrance and exits
● Well defined floor plans
● Ingress and egress
● Screening systems
● Site plans
● Additional signage
● staff/volunteers
● Staggered breaks

Accommodations
● Resorts (5 star)
● Convention centers
● Meeting properties (4 star)
● Hotels (3 & 2 star)
● Cruise ships
● College & universities

Reservation procedure
● Rooming list
● Individual reservations
● Combination
● 1 more i missed

Coordinate transportation
Air travel
● Motor coach & mini coach
● Trains
● Shuttle services
● Private car
● More?

Prepare your attendees

Build comprehensive know before you go with all info

If traveling abroad, remind them of entry requirements, and how to find more info on this
Use a site visit to help plan communications

Select site
Conduct needs assessments
RFP then site inspections based on needs
Considerations
● Goals and objectives
● Expected activities
● Physical requirements
● Historical data
● Finances
● Preferred geographic location
● Attendee preferences
● Preferred dates
● Service availability
● Sustainability

Resources
● DMO/CVB
● Publications
● Trade Shows
● Associates
● PCOs and DMCs (professional conference organization, destination management
company)

Design site layout

Determine what’s a requirement vs desires
Review site plan with stakeholders

Considerations
● Attendee profile
● Average age
● Gender
● Economic levels
● Travel familiarity
● Religious needs
● Event preferences
● Time Zones
● Event design
● Cultural meal differences
● Allergies and medical conditions

Accessibility considerations
● Ramps & elevators
● Easy to open doors
● Access routes (well lit) - curb cuts, handrails, audible signs
● Availability, size, location of restrooms
● Egress routes
● Meeting room and function layouts
 ● Designated parking
● Availability of accommodations of dining
● Grass areas for service animals
● Transportation
● Sign language interpreters

Manage meeting or event site

Use logistics action plan (under event specifications guide)

ESG
Use for every activity at the event
Description of all activities
Logical progression (staff arrivals, a/v, vendors)
Floor plans
Room set-up information
Exhibit floor plan
Personnel list (checklists for different parties/stakeholders, plus list of contributors)
Sustainability commitment
Objectives and safety procedures
Set up, load in, load out
Meals/breaks
Speakers and lengths of presentations
Rehearsals
Union rules
Security

Review useful terms for freight (most refer to the movement of items across international
borders)

Manage on-site communication (communication matrix)

Define the communication matric as wel as the types of messages to use
Matrix is a key for who can and should communicate what information throughout the event,
leading up to the event, and during emergencies. Could include internal and external to
attendees.

Establish a communication hierarchy

What does the event need?
What type of equipment should be producers? And who gets it?

Determine the communication plan

Use briefing and debriefing meetings each day

Marketing
Every communication should have a goal/objective
Identify the goal of marketing materials
Encourage same look and feel to create strong brand awareness for the event (unify all
marketing for same event) - should be complementary to the company brand
Use different language for your identifies target audiences
Remember your event is part of a larger brand so follow those guidelines

Telling the story

● Collect & analyze data (utilizing techniques)
● Understand marketing mix
● Understand the goal and “why” of the event to help marketing sell the event
● How to use mission/goals/objectives

Supporting the story

● Historical data
● Meeting & event features
● Assess target markets and identify new
● Define needs and expectations
● Develop and summarize situation analysis

Define your listeners

● Create attendee profiles - match to features/products/services
● Define geographic reach

Share the story

● Use different platforms & channels
Work to distribute to achieve market penetration

Mediums for marketing

● Brochures, programs, tickets
● Print or electronic media
● Social media
● Web based platforms

Merchandise
Determine if this should be utilized at events (appropriate or not)

Utilize to help build brand, increase loyalty, attract new customers, celebrate event (keep in
mind sustainability)

Merchandise & theme

 ● Include theme/branding/key messaging
● Research customer needs/interests (market survey)
● Evaluate competition
● Identify new approaches & platforms
● Integrating product concepts with other activities

Cross promotional activities

Talking with partners, sponsors, donors
Coordinate launch dates of activities
Use non-competing events to highlight

Develop contests
Registration prizes, traffic builders, chapter challenges
Highlight “players”
Don’t forget to budget for “prizes”

Coordinate hospitality
Partner with local CVBs

Public relations
Understanding PR strategy
Communications plan (see risk management)
PR plan creation/distribution
Develop/manage emergency and risk response plans
Participate in the implementation of the sustainability plan and highlight what the meeting
accomplishes (be accurate and dont “green wash)

Manage meeting-related sales activities

Marketing & sales alignment

Identifying legal, regulatory, and ethical reuirements for sales
Specifying revenue sources
Setting sales and objectives for all evnet products

Marketing & sales integration

Priducrement plan and process
Integrate sales tastics with promotional & advertising
Setting dates for product delivery

Financial management
Identify sponsors (make sure they’re a match for the event/audience)
● Previous/repeat
● Current suppliers or exhibitors
● Stakeholders
● Research and referrals

Sponsor prospectus
● Provides your potential sponsors and exhibitors with all the information they need to
make purchasing decisions with you (sponsor sheet?)

Models and other support

● Tiered model
● Credit model
● In-kind
● Subvention (international)
● Grants

ASP vs full-service registration

Secure digital certificate (protecting payment information through transaction system)
Registration should be available in print, download, and interactive website
Forms should be simple, concise, no open-ended questions (if you need more info, then send
out separate survey)
Multiple ways to divide registration

Registration software should provide:

Mail lists (for future communications)
Confirmation and responses
Badges, including barcodes/ QR code for easy scanning
Ticketing and special invites
Secure payment portal

Registration management should provide:

Amount of each transaction
Method of payment
Type of registration and number of registrations
Tracking discounts & comps

Exhibitors
First determine if you need them to achieve goal
Research how your attendees meet the needs of your exhibitors
Set prices based on past and comparable events, types of booths and other event costs
Determine the benefits that an exhibitor receives (tell exhibitors who will be attending and how
it provides value to them)
Create exhibitor prospectus/manual

Misc funding
Advertising
Merchandise
Commissions
Royalties

Manage budget

Develop budget
Identify revenue opportunities and expenses
Estimate quantities
Research costs
Set prices to meet financial goals (make money, break even, loses money)

Costs & accounting

Fixed, variable (change by # of attendees, etc) & indirect costs (storage space leading up to
event, etc.)
Cash vs. accrual accounting (most using accrual for events)
Daily review of master account
Determine tax-exempt status/process
Determine cash flow
Cash onsite paid to venue directly
Income statement (P&L)
Balance sheet
Cash flow & billing timetable

International funds
All fees in local currency
Daily exchange rate
Consider accepting intl. Funds
Inform attendees about restrictions or fees

Financial objectives: Make money, break even, lose money

Zero based budgeting (not basing this on previous data, using zero previous data)
Incremental budgeting (based on previous trends)
Sensitivity analysis (identify what to do if making a lot more or less than planned)
Budget handbook
Preparing a budget
# of attendees, revenue, expenses
Event history
Attendee demographics
Review proposed program
Consider economic/current trends

Budget documentation
Past financial reports
Financial objectives
dates/flexibility
locations/venues
# of attendees
Multiple estimates
F&B/special event types
Registration/exhibit fees
Attendee costs
Anticipated sponsorship
Economic trends

Strategic planning

Business value
Strategic planning is a dev process for long-range POA

Two roles- development & implementation

Strategic planning involves discovery, analysis and planning

Create SMART Goals

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-based

Ethical
Recorded

Meeting feasibility
Internal (typically can control)
History
Financial feasibility
Event role in organization finances
Human resources availability (event staff & supporting staff)
Commitment from the organization to keep event going
Marketing and brand communication support needed to succeed

External (typically cannot control)

Audience
Industry
Economic context
Legislation and regulations
Economic and social impact
Risks
Financial summary

Tracking success of strategic plan

Identify important KPIs your meeting or event supports
Examples include budget actual, waste diversion rates, education satisfaction scores,
community impact, etc

Terms:
Economic activity, environmental responsibility and social progress
Food sustainability
Ganging (menu’s, single daily menu to utilize, basically ganging menus together to purchase
food more efficiently)
4R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle, rethink)
Shipping by ground

Sustainability plan

Vision
Principles
Important issues
Objectives
Actions & initiatives
Measurement & reporting

PLan includes:
Guidelines
Internal communications
Negotiated sustainable practices (could provide a sheet to vendors that must abide by
sustainability rules)
Attendee communications
Onsite verification
Promotion (share all successful sustainability practices)

Benefits:
Economic savings
Reduction of risk to brand/positive PR
Positive legacies
Brand position as thought leader
Participant and worker health

Develop business continuity or long term viability plan

Business continuity vs contingency planning
Evaluation plan looks at how success is defined
A survey not questionnaire, but a questionnaire is used to build a survey

Survey design best practices

Only relevant information

Short & easy
Specific questions
No jargon (no acronyms)
Time-consuming questions last
Don’t request names, but ask for contact information
Filter questions
Make results available to audience and include which decisions were made based on attendee
feedback

If the venue changes, don’t ask specific questions about the venue (temperature..)
If the question includes “and” or “or”, make them two different questions

Project Management

Def: Application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet
requirements

Project scope
Work that must be delivered to deliver result with specified features

Event constraints
Cost
Time
Performance
5 event management phases
Initiation
Planning
Implementation
Event
Closure

Terms:
Project plan
Project status reports
Template
Gantt chart (visual rep of process of plan)
Theme
Procurement plan
Supplier classifications (who you’re working with)
Quality planning
Quality control (product created/event)
Quality assurance (process of being created)

Prior to vendor contracting

Check:
History & longevity
Mission/value alignment
Financial stability
Insurances, licenses, bonding
Staff expertise/credentials
Equipment reliability

Work breakdown structure

Determine tasks & milestones
Estimate resources

Common terms
Critical path
Communication matrix
Evaluation process
Evaluation = transparency
Audit = accountability
Execution plan
ESG creates BEO

Communication plan
Goals & objectives
Audience profile
Stakeholder communications
Tools & tactics
Evaluation methods

Essentails for audits & evaluations

Project statement
Scope statement
Project and i
Tech
Sponsorship programs
Agenda
Etc…

Risk management
Risk processes and plans
4 steps: assessment, analysis, crisis planning, and response

Risk stakeholders
Meeting manager
Internal department
Suppliers
Local authorities
Insurance providers

Two ways to be proactive about risk:

Reduce risk
Negotiate contract terms
Provide security, create waivers
On-site medical equipment
Third-party suppliers

Transfer risk
Insurance policies with indemnity plans
Contracts w/ indemnification clauses
Third-party suppliers

Risk response best practices

Group response plans by response type
Responses no more than 10 steps (recommend 5)
Focus should be on contacting first responders, then mitigating attendee harm

Risk plan best practices

Include:
Decision makers
Emergency control procedures
Spokesperson
Strategies for safety inspections, incident reports, contingencies

Communication best practices

Effectives, clear communication
Immediate communication
Direct extensions for key staff
Mobile numbers, email, social media
Emergency response #’s
Hand-held radio channels
Emergency outgoing messages

Insurance types
Commercial general liability/public liability
Umbrella policies
Medical
Indpendent contractor liability
Valuable papers and records
Onsite office
Exhibits
Employers liability
Travel
Non-appearance
Cancellation
Enforced reduced attendance
Property damage
Money insurance
Third party losses

Human resources
Creating a team
Staffing analysis
Determine current staffing
Discover if needed
Fill gaps
Workforce action plan
Staffing needs
Recruitment/outsourcing strategies
Training
Tech enhancement

Provide orientation - overview of mission, goals, event, and organization

Know what their limits and responsibilities are
Clearly review job descriptions

Provide training
Supervise staff
Manage teams (recognize & reward)

Stakeholder management
Stakeholder analysis
HOW - order of precedence (introducing people in order of their titles, then by age, then woman
first)
Meet expectation = goals/objectives
Varied programs
Communication plan
Staff & volunteer training
Follow local laws/use resources

Resources:

https://www.transtats.bts.gov/AverageFare/
Practice questions:

What percentage of your budget should be a contingency fund to allow for unexpected
expenses?
C. 10%

Where on a survey should you put difficult or time-consuming questions?

A. At the end of the survey

A banquet round of 60 in (152 cm) in diameter can hold how many people comfortably?
A. 8

What are the phases of Design Thinking?

D. Inspiration, Ideation, Implementation

How far in advance of an event do you post for job openings for volunteers and staff?
C. 2 months

What type of budget should be utilized if there is no financial history in relation to the event or
meeting?
B. Zero-based budget

What is the correct slope of a ramp per ADA regulations (how much rise per run)?
D. 1 inch of rise for every 12 inches

The starting point for successful meeting planning is determining which of the following?
C. Goals and objectives

What is the first step you should take in selecting a speaker?

C. Look first at the educational objectives of the event

If exhibitors have any questions about rules and regulations, what should they consult?
A. The exhibitor manual

What is the minimum number of travelers ordinarily needed to win a discounted group airfare?
D. 10
How far off the floor must a screen be at a minimum?
C. 5’

How many cocktail servers are recommended for an event?

B. 1 for every 50 attendees

Food and beverage attrition is:

C. Not required to have a binding contract

Which of the following best describes a podium?

A. A raised platform where a speaker stands when delivering his or her remarks

Typically, exhibitors who are offering food and beverage samples:

C. Must have prior approval and must not exceed a certain sample size

Event attendance has the greatest impact on which budgeted expenses?

Variable costs

A gathering of all conference attendees in a single room is called?

Plenary session

Establishing registration fees is accomplished by completing which of the following?

Break even analysis

What are the APEX/ASTM, ISO 20121 and GRI IOSS?

Acronyms for major sustainable event standards and protocols