An Independent HelmsBriscoe Associate | 636-678-7661 | jstone@helmsbriscoe.com

Jill Stone

Your Meeting Matchmaker Fairy Godmother

Save Money on Meetings

in: Event Planning Advice Meeting Planning Economics

save money

Keeping an eye on the budget and spending wisely is a consistent concern for meeting managers. As gas prices rise and affect air travel costs, as the world continues to open creating demand for meeting space, and the myriad of other changes going on at this time, budgets are a top of mind subject. Here are some ways to keep your budget from spinning out of control!

  • Retain the mission and goals of the meeting during the entire planning process. Stay on track to save money in the long run. This is especially important for team members that tend to become distracted with “shiny objects”.
  • Go generic when it comes to event branding. This strategy allows for banners, swag, design aspects and more to remain consistent from event to event saving on waste and extending usability.
  • Stay local when it comes to hiring event staff, vendors, speakers and entertainment to cut down on travel costs.
  • Be as paperless as possible. Look at all items typically printed up for an event and everything that makes it into snail mail and go digital with as much as is possible. For example, PDFs can be created for registration, meeting schedules and more than emailed and/or texted to attendees. 
  • In Kind Sponsorship is another way to cut costs. Some vendors or collaborators may be willing to sponsor a lunch, dinner or happy hour in exchange for other benefits and exposure.
  • Consult with local universities and schools to find students willing to take on event work; graphic design, admin/marketing services, social media, swag bag stuffers, registration and more.
  • Call me at 636-678-7661. This one phone call has the AMAZING POTENTIAL to save you a lot of money, not to mention the time savings (and time is money, right?!). Here is how I can help:
    • Rebates from the hotel – I am a master at negotiating rebates from the hotel to the master account.
    • Concessions – this could be my middle name! I negotiate LOTS of concessions such as suite upgrades, discounts on F&B, discounts on A/V and so much more.
    • Buying power – HelmsBriscoe remains the largest buyer of hotel rooms in the world. By working through me, you automatically gain access to the cost savings of your dreams (yes, it’s that impressive!).

Plus, I am a wealth of information. I oversee and work with many meetings managers and am, therefore, privy to some of the best hints, tips and practices out there, all of which I am happy to share with you. Let’s plan your meeting and stay in, maybe even under, budget.

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