Meeting & Event Services
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Conference To-Do List Plan A
Plan B
Arrange your event on your own
Utilize Meeting & Event Services
Create a budget and submit it for approval l Select conference site l Negotiate rates for rooms and services l Review contracts l Set up online registration l Choose food and beverages l Arrange for audio/visual support l Plan entertainment and any off-site activities l Arrange air and ground transportation l Develop review/measurement processes l PRAY THAT NOTHING GOES WRONG! l Reconcile final bills l Spend two months catching up
l
l
Contact Meeting & Event Services l Outline your goals, needs and expectations l Go back to doing your regular job l Enjoy the conference
Our experts will do the job for free and save you money.
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Table of Contents Overview of Services Business Meetings & Conferences Business Events Group Travel Incentives Green Meetings Meet the Professionals Client Testimonials Department Mission & Vision Contact Information C ON TAC T M E E T I N G & E V E N T S E RV I CE S
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Overview of Services Meeting & Event Services (MES) is the designated internal meeting, event and group incentive planning department for all Cox companies and subsidiaries nationwide. It is composed of highly experienced professionals with extensive knowledge and training in the meetings and incentives industry. We partner with internal meeting organizers/hosts to make sure that each event is a success.
OUR SERVICES ARE FREE! Benefits to you: • Save Time
- MES planners can manage all your meeting logistics so you can focus on strategy and meeting content. - Our online registration tools simplify planning. Attendees can sign up for an event, request rooms, enroll in classes and activities, and make their own air reservations.
• Save Money
- MES charges NO FEES or markups, as it is an internal service department of Cox Enterprises. Outside agencies charge for their services, even if such charges are embedded in lump-sum pricing. Typical agency markups are 30% to 60%! - We leverage our established vendor relationships and the buying power of all Cox companies to get you the best pricing. Our planners are experts at negotiating hospitality industry contracts – we make sure there are no surprises!
• Achieve Goals - Our industry professionals can pull from their strong track records of success to assist you in achieving a return on your objectives. - MES team members learn the latest trends in how to make events successful by attending continuing education training throughout the year.
Please take the time to learn more about our wide range of services on the following pages.
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Business Meetings and Conferences Meeting & Event Services offers assistance with all sizes and types of meetings, from a one-day, catering-only training session for 10 people to a multi-day sales conference for 1,000 people. We also manage executive outings and board meetings.
MES provides a complete spectrum of strategic and logistical services to choose from:
• Budgeting and cost analysis • Site selection (guest-room blocks, meeting and event space) • Contract negotiation • State-of-the-art online registration tools • Food and beverage consultation • Audio/visual, meeting room set up, décor, entertainment • Air and ground transportation • Off-site activities/dinners • Leisure offerings such as spa and golf • Theme development, measurement • Final billing reconciliation and payment
We have successfully handled meetings such as:
• Manheim Leadership Conference • Diversity Training • AutoTrader Publishing Florida Regional Sales Meeting Did you know a recent survey found that senior sales and marketing executives believe event marketing produces the greatest ROI (Return on Investment) of all marketing disciplines? Source: 2004 Global Event Trends Survey conducted by The George P. Johnson Company (a leading experience marketing agency) and the MPI (Meeting Professionals International) Foundation
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Business Events Bring your message to life with a business event!
MES offers valuable assistance with:
• Developing an event concept that is on message and on budget • Sourcing a unique, memorable venue • Themes and décor • Entertainment • Audio/visual equipment and production • Food and beverage • Final billing
Past events have included:
• Annual Cox Headquarters Employee Family Day • The Manheim Client Advisory Board Reception and Dinner • AutoMart.com Mission, Vision, Values Kickoff in Norfolk, VA • Cox Cares Block Party • Cox Communications Vision Awards
Did you know a recent study revealed that employees believe live experiences provide more information than other forms of employee communication, and that events are more likely to influence employee performance? Source: 2006 global study by Jack Morton Worldwide, a leading experiential marketing agency
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Group Travel Incentives Reward top employees and customers and motivate future performance with a “once-in-a-lifetime” group travel experience.
Meeting and Event Services has expertise in the following areas: • Budgeting • Selecting the best destination/cruise for your group • Attendee online registration • Air transportation (scheduled or charter) • Ground transportation • On-site events • Meeting space (if needed) • Guest amenity selection and purchase • Individual activities (spa, sightseeing tours and excursions, etc.) • Golf tournaments • Team building events (such as rope pulls, etc.) • Complete program reconciliation at the end of the event
Past incentives have included: • Cox Communications Winners’ Circle • Cox Media Client Incentive Cruise • Cox Radio Long Island 1st Quarter Incentive Trip • Cox Kansas/Arkansas “Up the Ante” Trip Did you know that, according to a recent study, 80% of current users of incentives believe that non-cash incentives like travel are more compelling than cash itself? Source: A Study Conducted Among Current Users of Merchandise and Travel Items For Motivation/Incentive Applications (2005) by the Incentive Federation
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Green Meetings As part of Cox’s commitment to the environment through the Cox Conserves initiative, Meeting & Event Services is a leader in the “Green Meeting” movement. Contact us today to learn how we can help make your next meeting “greener” by having less net environmental impact.
Here are a few suggestions: • Do not distribute a conference bag (or if you do, make sure it is made out of recycled materials). • Create signage that can be used at future events. • Collect name badges and lanyards to be recycled. • Limit speaker handouts; send them out electronically. • Give a water bottle as a conference gift and provide water in pitchers or large dispensers. • Donate left-over consumable items to a local food bank. • Select meeting venues known for their environmental programs. • Confirm that your hotel has a paperless check-in and check-out system.
Did you know that serving condiments in bulk is not only more environmentally friendly but also less expensive than individual serving packages? For example, bulk cream is 62% cheaper and bulk sugar is 50% cheaper. Source: Green Meeting Industry Council
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Department Overview Our team members have diverse backgrounds in meeting planning and such relevant fields as hotel management, catering, convention services, event marketing, trade show management, travel and technology.
The MES planners keep up with the latest trends and practices of the meetings industry through participation in professional organizations, continuing education, and attendance at industry events. These include: • MPI (Meeting Professionals International) • CIC (Convention Industry Council) and its CMP (Certified Meeting Professional) accreditation program • Atlanta Green Meetings Council • MEC (Meetings Exploration Conference) • ITME (Incentive Travel and Merchandise Expo) • NBTA (National Business Travel Association) Expo
Who We Are MES consists of a team of eight full-time meeting and event planners, all Cox employees, and hundreds of contractors, who are called upon as needed to work VIP, complex and/or larger events. Because MES is part of Cox, its professionals have extensive first-hand knowledge of the company, its officers, employees, businesses, needs and goals. The department exists as a free service to all of Cox and its subsidiaries nationwide, with the mission of making sure that every aspect of a business event exceeds the organizers’ expectations.
Did you know that Meeting & Event Services assists with more than 750 external corporate events annually?
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Client Testimonials
“We have used the Cox Meeting and Events department for several client incentive promotions/trips, as well as internal meetings and events. Most recently we used the
“Travel Channel Media recently joined the Cox family. Changes were occurring rapidly and amidst all the chaos we were also planning a team offsite. While we’ve used
department to partner with us in planning the Manheim Leadership Conference, which was a five-day event for
meeting planners in the past, I must say that the meeting planner from the Cox Meeting & Events department went
roughly 650 people. When you are putting together such a large event, you need a team that you can trust, will go above and beyond, is dedicated to your cause, problemsolvers, is efficient, organized and timely—and the team we worked with was all of these things and more. They were wonderful to work with and were a large part of our conference’s success. We would highly recommend using the Cox Meeting and Events department for your next event.”
above and beyond in making our first offsite as part of the Cox team an overwhelming success. Our meeting planner kept the offsite costs in line with our budget, took care of even the smallest detail. If this is a representation of how things are done at Cox, all I can say is, I am happy to be a part of the Cox family.”
Claudette Allen, Travel Channel
Lindsay Price, Manheim Customer Strategies C ON TAC T M E E T I N G & E V E N T S E RV I CE S
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Our Mission To promote the highest standards of customer service and provide cost effective, full-service, group event management to Cox Enterprises, Inc. and its divisions, utilizing industry expertise and cutting edge technology. We commit to reducing our environmental impact, as well as promoting environmentally responsible solutions for our meeting hosts and engaging our supplier partners who share this commitment.
Our Vision
To be the Cox meetings and events solution.
Meeting & Event Services
C ON TAC T M E E T I N G & E V E N T S E RV I CE S
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Contact Information
For additional information, or for assistance with your next meeting, event or group incentive, please contact Meeting & Event Services at: Call: (678) 645-0199 Email: meetings.events@cox.com Visit our web page on Coxâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s InSite Intranet at: http://insite.coxenterprises.com/meetingsandevents Book a meeting or event online at: http://portlet.coxenterprises.com/Gadgets/CEI/Custom/InSite/InSiteInsideHQ/BookAMeeting/onvantage.aspx
C O NTA C T M E E T I N G & E V E N T S ERV I C E S
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