Anatomy of a Great Meeting

The Urbana Country Club is perfectly equipped to assist any company or business in providing a premium experience for its clients, partners, prospects and employees. Most of all, the Club recognizes the need for comfort in conducting any type of business. Whether you’d prefer your boardroom feature a lush expanse of grass and 18 holes, a nice meal on our patio or a private room and a grand wood table, at UCC you’ll be doing business surrounded by others who are striving for success and in a place that always feels like home. Check out some of the tips from our pros to make your next business meeting at the Club a successful one.

Communicate Your Goal

Make sure both your event venue and your attendees know the goal of the meeting. Is the focus of the meeting a day-long presentation where attendees will be listening more than talking and taking a lot of notes? Is the goal to create networking opportunities and getting a group of people talking and connecting? Communicating this ahead of time helps set your meeting up for success from two perspectives:

• The Club puts a lot of thought into setting up a room for your event and, if you communicate what the goal is, the Club will ensure the proper environment is created. From where tables are placed to the number of seats at each table to the timing of breaks, all of this plays a behind-the-scenes role in setting your meeting up for success.

• Make sure your attendees know what to expect and, if possible, provide an agenda. If a long presentation is planned, make sure to provide ways for attendees to take notes, or ask them to bring plenty of paper and a pen. If the goal is networking, make sure to give them a reminder to pack plenty of business cards and anticipate moving around and speaking with many people.

Comfort is Key

Think ahead about your attendees and if there are any special needs that need to be accommodated. From accessibility to a nursing space for new mothers to any food allergies, knowing these needs ahead of time will prevent any unexpected hiccups during the meeting. Your comfort and the comfort of your guests is key, and the Club can help accommodate most special requests. When people are comfortable, it helps keep the focus on the meeting agenda.

Timing is Everything

Send your final headcounts, special centerpieces or handouts ahead of time so that the Club can ensure the room is set to your specifications. Arrive early if you’d like to run through your presentation or AV setup in the actual meeting space before attendees arrive.

The best meetings also stick to the timetable and agenda as much as possible. Some organizers use a “parking lot” method to manage any off topic questions to be discussed at a later date, and sometimes they even have someone dedicated to managing the clock to ensure everything stays on track.

Overall, the Club wants you to experience amazing service so you can focus on what only you can do: run an amazing meeting, presentation or retreat. Staff at the Club always runs through service expectations before events. For instance, would you like service during a presentation, or would you prefer no interruptions? How often would you like us to check on you? No matter the questions, the goal is for service to happen seamlessly behind-the-scenes in whatever way necessary for a successful meeting.