By: Tiffany Blair

I am an IUPUI student in the Purdue Consumer and Family Science transfer program in the field of Dietetics, Fitness, Nutrition and Health. I’m almost halfway through my schooling as semester after semester rolls by but am experiencing that agonizing burnout that many feel at the halfway point.

I have been questioning whether this is the right field for me. Questioning the motives and ultimately the extent of my career goals seems, well...you know “Blaaah”. However, I am currently taking a RHIT class on organization and management instructed by Jim Bennett. This course is really giving me a broader view on the principles of planning, organizing and management skills. On October 12, Mark Prince, Regional Vice President of White Lodging Services, came and spoke to the class about his experiences in the field of management. My statement of “Blaaah” was replaced with a zeal for the reason I chose this career path. The most remarkable statement Mark made was, “If you hate your job quit! Your attitude of hating your job will be evident in your day-to-day work. Life is too short to not enjoy your job.” He stressed three important skills that create a great manager: leadership, organization, and accountability. Leadership is ethically using the people skills to redirect peoples’ behavior and persuade them to get things done. Organizing is learning to prioritize and work “smart” within all fields. Accountability is self-accountability and self-discipline to keep yourself in check.

Those who have preceded me into the management field understand this statement on attitude. Those who follow will come to know and appreciate what it takes to be a great manager, not just a great employee. As students working and going to school day after day, and maybe feeling like we are “chasing after our own tails”, we often forget what makes us great individuals. Our attitudes along with our skills, whether good or bad, are seen by our fellow students. Our career attitude, skills, and ambitions are all in our hands. I am not relaying something you have never heard; this is just a reminder of what can make or break our careers.

PESO and THS Student Activities

PESO (Physical Education Student Organization) placed second in the Bucket Brigade competition at Chili for Charity Day on 10/12. The event is a campus fundraiser for United Way. The team worked to beat the time of local firefighters in moving 50 gallons of water from one tank by buckets to another tank.

Elections for PESO officers and a canned food drive are scheduled for November.

THS (Tourism Hospitality Student Organization) is taking a trip to St. Louis on November 20-21, to visit some of the city’s tourism attractions.

The annual Thanksgiving fundraiser, turkey and trimmings; lunch is planned for November 22, between 11:30 am - 1:00 pm in ET2OI.

Taking the ~Mystery~ Out of Site Inspections
By Carol S. Dunham

One of the first steps in preparing for a meeting or convention is to choose a facility. After determining the geographic location, there are several ways to find a suitable facility in the area. One way is to contact the convention and visitors bureau (CVB) in the city that you have chosen. A CVB can not only help you find a facility, but help you with nearly all aspects of your planning needs from transportation, exhibit management, display setup, entertainment, registrations, right down to attendee packets.

Another way to view prospective properties is on the Internet. Computer technology is becoming a standard tool for the planner in today’s market. Most large properties have a website and an Email address to contact the sales office in the hotel or resort for additional information or to book the site.

You may opt to contact a member of your organization who lives in the chosen city, and ask for suggestions, but your best bet, especially if the meeting is an important one, is an onsite inspection of the property. Nothing would be more of a disaster than to arrive at the property and find that it did not meet your needs or standards.

The following items are things to look for during a site inspection. These things would be considered after the basics: easy traveling access, appearance, size of facility, room inspection. Some may seem insignificant, until you read the purpose of the inquiry.

Always visually check the height of ceilings in general session rooms and exhibit areas. Low ceilings give a closed in feeling to attendees, and are a hindrance if you have a long, narrow room and the ceiling height allows for only a small AV screen. Those in the rear will have a difficult time seeing what is projected on the small screen and a large screen may not fit either. Exhibit booth displays can be quite tall - check for minimum height requirements and number of booths you can fit in the exhibit area. Standard booth areas are 8 ft deep by 10 ft wide with enough walking area for attendees. [Tip: To calculate space needed for your exhibitors using the standard size booth, multiply 8 x 10 x 1.5. This wilt give you approximate area for each booth. (8ft X 10 ft = 80 ft x 1.5 = 120 ft). Then simply multiply that by the number of exhibit booths and you have the approximate square feet needed for your exhibits and walking area.]

Patterns on floors and walls make a difference if they are bright or busy designs. They will distract attendees who may not be able to concentrate on the speaker due to the patterns or colors.

Parking may be more of an issue if you have older attendees or disabled attendees. Having parking at the facility is a must, and can be a problem if the city is very large with parking garages off property.

The number of bellmen on duty during the arrival day of attendees may be a concern also. If you have 25 VIP’s arriving on the same evening, there may be lengthy delays in getting the VIP’s speakers and attendees, and their luggage to their rooms.

Disabled attendees also may need special accommodations. It would be to your advantage to check the facility to see if they have enough rooms for those attendees before their arrival.

Restrooms can also be a problem. Say you have 250 attendees, and only a 15 minute break. Five stalls in each of two restrooms will not accommodate all those attendees in that short amount of time. You will need to extend the breaks for double the time you originally allotted or have some very disgruntled people. When on a site inspection, always check out the restrooms.

Make sure that catering is able to prepare any special needs meals such as diabetic diets or vegetarian, as well as prepare for ethnic or religious requirements such as kosher meals (no pork), or Catholic (no meat during Fridays in Lent). You might also ask about special theme meals such as Western or International themes. Are they able to carry your theme into the lunch or dinner?

If the property is on a beach or near water, could they arrange a beach party, or evening dinner cruise?
If this meeting is to have family affairs, check to see if the property has a “Kid’s Club” that has organized play or field trips for children of attendees. With luck, the “Club” also has babysitting for small children, so parents will be able to attend receptions and formal dinners without worry of leaving young children in their rooms or just not attending because of parental duties.

A small thing to remember to ask would be nearest location of the local churches. Many members over a weekend will want to attend church services on Sunday morning.

In house AV company is a great advantage at a property. If anything should go wrong with the equipment, a technician will be there in minutes to solve the problem so your meeting can continue. (Be sure and ask about any additional restrictions if you contract with an outside AV company).

The property should be able to give you a list of area attractions for attendees’ free time and spouse tours such as: amusement or theme parks, shopping malls, theaters, concerts, historic area tours, antique shops, boat tours or day at the beach (near water), golfing, tennis, swimming (at a resort), outdoor hiking (wilderness or mountain areas), mountain or cross country skiing (in colder regions), or even a simple tour and luncheon at the local gardens during the warmer months.

Even though you may see a picture of the facility in a brochure, or “see” the property on a virtual tour on the Internet, remember that nothing takes the place of a personal visit by site inspection. Onsite visits let you see the quality of service, the cleanliness, the overall property appearance, quality of food, and you will find firsthand answers to questions your organization will want to know.

So, don’t put your job on the line by believing printed words on a brochure or viewing a picture on a website. If at all possible, visit the property, learn the answers to your questions, and take the “mystery” out of those site inspections.