What Makes a Meeting a Must?

Published: July 01, 2001, By by Yolanda Simonsis Associate Publisher/Editor

I can imagine a planning meeting that sounds more like a novice chef concocting an exotic new recipe with a little of this and a pinch of that and a measure of some unknown ingredient thrown in to make the recipe seem mysterious and…worth trying.

What does it take to host a successful technical seminar? What makes it a “must attend” event? I'm not entirely sure. I can tell you, however, that whatever it takes, the Converting Equipment Mfrs. Assn. (CEMA) had it on April 22-23, just prior to the opening of CMM Intl. in Chicago.

Surely the subject matter as defined by a catchy title has something to do with drawing a curious crowd, right? Well, maybe not. I've attended many a conference with a cleverly worded title, yet the conference organizers have drawn disappointingly low attendance numbers.

The recent CEMA meeting kicked off its first day on a Sunday morning with the seemingly lackluster title of “Coating & Laminating Seminar for Converters.” Despite that, it drew a full and attentive house at the Embassy Suites Hotel that stayed until the close of the program at 4 P.M. Sunday afternoon. Then, bright and early at 8 A.M. on Monday morning, the audience eagerly reconvened to finish the tightly scheduled program by 2:30 P.M. — still with enough time to attack the more than 400,000-sq-ft CMM show floor at McCormick Place.

What accounts for such success? It could have something to do with CEMA's good name, earned for staging similarly successful events in the past (not unlike other organizations in our industry). Once an organization makes a good first impression, future successes become a matter of consistency.

There are many conferences being promoted in the converting industry today — catchy titles and all — that seem to exist simply to make money for their backers. There's nothing wrong with wanting to make money, but I have to wonder at the “shot in the dark” approach of some of these events. I can imagine a planning meeting that sounds more like a novice chef concocting an exotic new recipe with a little of this and a pinch of that and a measure of some unknown ingredient thrown in to make the recipe seem mysterious and, hopefully, worth trying.

In these budget-conscious days, the two factors more likely to lead to a successful conference are (1) a fair-value registration fee and (2) a running length that does not keep attendees out of their offices for too long.

Another organization meeting the needs of its converter members with targeted programs is TAPPI's Polymers, Laminations & Coatings Div. (See “the PLACE” in every issue of PFFC, this month starting on p. 62.) Come August 26-30, PLC will stage its annual conference at the Sheraton in San Diego, CA, adding yet another desirable dimension to a successful conference: location!

For more information on the converting industry beyond this issue's contents, be sure to visit www.pffc-online.com.

Once there, be sure to e-mail your feedback to me.