'Doing the Right Thing' at the MEET Conference

On Thursday, September 10^th I attended the MEET Conference at the Marriott Wardman Hotel in Woodley Park. Attendees at the MEET conference consisted of a mix of suppliers (hotels, CVBs, service vendors etc.) and meeting planners (mix of planners from associations and government mostly). The schedule of the MEET conference on Thursday was as follows:

• Keynote Speaker and Breakfast
• Educational Sessions
• Refreshment Break
• Education Sessions
• Networking Lunch
• Supplier Showcase (Exhibits)

I was unable to attend the keynote speaker/breakfast due to a work obligation in the morning but arrived in time for the first series of educational sessions. I attended the session titled “Doing the Right Thing When No One Is Looking’ presented by Garland Preddy of the Society of Government Meeting Professionals (SGMP). During this hour session, Garland posed several real and theoretical dilemmas to the audience regarding ethics in the field of event and meeting planning.  For example: A supplier (let’s assume a hotel) informs a meeting planner, that if she books their venue for her organization’s upcoming event by the end of the current month, the hotel will give her 50,000 personal reward points. What should she do? What if the hotel is a valid option for the organization’s event venue, and it was somewhat likely that the meeting planner would select it anyway? It’s also probable that no one at the meeting planner’s organization would need or have to know about the personal hotel points. No one would get hurt and all parties would walk away happy. Garland argued that yes, it does matter and crosses the ethical line.  If the organization were to somehow find out about the personal points the meeting planner could be fired.

She also asked us to think about ‘perceptions’ when making ethical decisions in the meeting and event planning workplace. Perceptions are reality, and if you are perceived as guilty... For example: the government scandal known as ‘muffingate’. A few years ago, the media got information about a government breakfast meeting at a DC hotel in which they paid $16 for a muffin. This caused a lot of uproar and led to the implementation of a more stringent policy for government meeting budgets. It later was revealed that the $16 was not just for a single muffin but for a whole breakfast package, but still to this day many don’t know that it was proven false. Garland’s overall takeaways were:

• Be familiar with your organizations code of ethics.
• Disclose offers of gifts and incentives.
• Don’t be afraid to decline an offer of gifts or trips.
• Educate your supplier to avoid embarrassing situations.

I found this session to be the highlight of my experience at the MEET conference and have been able to apply the takeaways to my current meeting planning position.

Oh! One last note: In the afternoon, I did some networking at the supplier showcase and talked with several vendors including:

• Meeting Planner International (MPI): A professional association for meeting and event planners. I ended up joining as a student member then next day (and my job paid for it!). 
• Visit Denver (My organization is working with them on our Annual Conference which takes place at the Denver Convention Center in May). I’m also from Denver J
• Montego Bay Convention Center (Jamaica): I learned the center is on the smaller side compared to the convention centers my organization uses for our annual conference.
• Unique venues: a cool website that helps link meeting planners to alternative meeting/event venues (outside of the typical hotel).
• A MTA alumnus! – I met Marina Soden, a 2011 MTA grad, who was nice enough to share some stories and tips about the program. She currently works as a meeting planner for a government/military organization here in DC.