City Discussion Groups

City Discussion Group
Step-By-Step Guide

Version 1h - April 2004

Contents

How to Use this Guide

This City Discussion Group Step-By-Step Guide is designed to assist volunteers across the U.S. and Canada in organizing APEX (Accepted Practices Exchange) City Discussion Groups (CDGs). It is by no means all encompassing, as each CDG will operate differently as every group will have different local dynamics, different participants, and different viewpoints. Rather, this Guide provides some direction on how to get started with your CDG and how to report your input to the Convention Industry Council (CIC) and the APEX Panels.

The biggest factor in your success as a CDG Leader will be the use of your experience and imagination, expanding upon the information contained in this Guide. The establishment of accepted practices for an industry is no small task. It will take the creativity and energy of the entire industry. Therefore, approach this with the reassurance that you may go about your discussions in a manner that best suits the style of your group. The only true “musts” of this process are the City Discussion Group Rules of Engagement:

Each participant must be informed and participate!
Each participant must introduce him or herself before making statements.
No one should dominate the floor, but spark conversation while expressing opinions.
Comments must be constructive, including a rationale and suggested solution.
Everyone must remember that the APEX initiative is designed to promote and enhance the entire meetings industry. It is not a forum for advertising or promoting a participant’s business.

The general idea is to focus on what is good for the industry, not one particular segment of it.

Good luck and thank you for being an integral part of the APEX initiative.

APEX Overview

APEX (Accepted Practices Exchange) is an initiative spearheaded by the Convention Industry Council (CIC). APEX is uniting the entire meetings, conventions and exhibitions industry in the development and eventual implementation of voluntary standards, which will be called accepted practices.

The mission of APEX is “To spearhead an industry-wide initiative that brings together all stakeholders in the development and implementation of industry-wide accepted practices which create and enhance efficiencies throughout the meeting, convention, and exhibition industry.”

When the approved accepted practices are implemented, the industry will:

Experience eased communication and sharing of data with suppliers and customers.
Enhance the quality of service provided to customers.
Have clear terms for relationships with suppliers and customers.
Use streamlined systems and processes that significantly reduce duplication of efforts, increase efficiencies of operations, and result in cost-savings.
Have acknowledged measures of comparison and evaluation for improved decision-making.
Produce better educated, more professional employees.

In short, it will make the industry more efficient, freeing up valuable time to devote collaborative energies to broader, more pressing industry issues.

Seven industry panels each composed of approximately 25 members representing a wide-range of industry functions concentrate on seven key topic areas:

Terminology
History/Post Event Reports
Requests for Proposals (RFPs)
Resumes and Work Orders
Meeting and Site Profiles
Housing and Registration
Contracts

As the panels work to develop their recommended accepted practices, the industry is asked to respond and comment along the way. City Discussion Groups are a vital part of this feedback process.

What is a City Discussion Group?

City Discussion Groups (CDGs) are events akin to town hall meetings. CDGs will be a vital part of the development of accepted industry practices for the meetings, conventions, and exhibitions industry, providing an open forum through which industry members on the local level can participate and be heard.

These CDGs can be comprised of existing local chapters and members of CIC member organizations as well as any interested industry member who would like to participate. CDGs should meet regularly to review and comment upon the recommendations of the seven industry panels; each designed to address one of the priority areas for accepted practices development.

Important Note: A CDG can be held in lieu of an organization chapter meeting; however, it must be open to ALL industry professionals! A chapter meeting cannot be held prior to or following the CDG. It must be clear that all industry stakeholders are welcomed. The value of these meetings is in the variety of opinions that will interact and the resulting suggestions and compromises of that interaction. For example, bring an association planner, corporate planner, government planner, and independent planner together for discussion, and the outcomes will be much different from a meeting of only independent planners.

The goals of these meetings are to provide a sounding board and “reality check” for the seven industry panels. For example, the Terminology Panel needs to ensure that its recommended word usages are realistic and appropriate for all sectors of the industry.

CDGs also offer industry members an opportunity to participate publicly in dialogue and action that will bring accepted practices to life, illuminating the initiative’s meaning to their own companies and jobs. They will allow industry members to keep informed, engage each other, and help shape the industry’s agenda.

The agendas will be guided by the outputs of the working panels and the leaders are encouraged to hold their meetings in venues that allow for maximum participation. A CDG could be a breakfast meeting, a “Brown Bag Lunch” discussion group or a “Happy Hour” discussion group. Each group will reflect the individual personality of its city and its participants.

These events also unite long-time leaders in the industry with the new generation of meeting professionals – a gathering of old and new voices designed to create a powerful and lasting collaboration. CDGs attract local and national media coverage to APEX, and help to showcase the value and power of the meeting, convention & exhibition industry. They provide an opportunity for people in all parts of the country to act together — in person — to achieve progress on important industry goals and objectives.

What is a City Discussion Group Leader?

City Discussion Group Leaders are the key to bringing industry members together to guide meaningful discussions. CDG Leaders have two primary goals:

Develop local input for the APEX panels
Engage local industry members in APEX and the local meetings, conventions and exhibitions industry!

A CDG Leader is expected to:

Be a professional representative of the Convention Industry Council, APEX, his or her employer, and the meetings industry. All communications, written and verbal, should be clear and consise.
Be an unbiased facilitator. Professional and personal experiences are important to bring to the position, and CDG Leaders must remain neutral to ensure all sides of an issue are heard.
Coordinate at least two formal discussion meetings of the group per year.
Engage others locally in the process. Remember, as the CDG Leader you are the primary link from the Convention Industry Council to your CDG. That does not mean that you have to do all of the planning and implementation. Utilize subcommittees of volunteers to plan programs, secure meeting venues, facilitate different topic, etc.
Keep the excitement and energy going between meetings. Coordinate an APEX fundraiser, send an email update of latest happenings, etc.
Invite all potential participants. Look to local chapters of national meeting, convention, and exhibition organizations. Work with the CIC Staff to access a list of CIC member organizations’ in your area.
Put together an agenda or program to kick-start the discussions.
Ensure that minutes of the meetings are kept and submit them to CIC for review by APEX Commissioners, panel members, and other CDG volunteers.

Step 1: Engage Local Industry Members

Form a small committee (four to five volunteers) to assist with in planning and implementation.
Contact the President and/or program director of each local industry association chapter. Ask for their support in promoting the event. See www.conventionindustry.org for a listing of organizations and their contacts. Request volunteers from each organization to assist in planning and implementation.
Contact your local convention and visitors bureau. Ask for their support in promoting the event.

Step 2: Set a date, time, & place

Consult the CIC Industry Calendar (www.conventionindustry.org/resources/cal.asp) as well as your local industry calendar of events to select a date that has the fewest conflicts. You may hold CDGs in conjunction with previously scheduled industry meetings (a chapter meeting for instance).
You know your city best, so pick a time that works well in your area.
Make sure to choose a location that is convenient for a large number of potential attendees. Easy and inexpensive parking is always appreciated.
This is a great function to move around town. Perhaps local hotels will sponsor the space on a rotating basis.
As soon as you know the date, time & place, notify Juli Jones, Vice President at jjones@conventionindustry.org or (703) 610-0273. At this time, your name and email address will be posted online on the APEX CDG Calendar.

Step 3: Invitations and Participants

Develop your initial invitation list. Invite personal contacts, clients, vendors, local CVB personnel, local association chapter members, etc.
Once you have established the date, time, and place of your City Discussion Group, send an invitation. Encourage everyone that you invite to bring a friend in the industry, or pass the invitation along to others who may not be on your initial list. Make sure to include Juli Jones, Vice President (jjones@conventionindustry.org) on your distribution list.
An email invitation is the simplest and most cost efficient method. Consider using an on-line registration service, such as cvent or an online discussion board, to help track RSVPs. A sample invitation is:

EMAIL SUBJECT LINE: Industry City Discussion Group Invitation - Please RSVP

Please forward this invitation to others in the local meeting, convention and exhibition industry.

You Are Cordially Invited to the CITY NAME City Discussion Group

Join members of the local meeting, convention, & exhibition industry to discuss and influence the development of accepted practices. APEX* needs your participation and experience to develop the best possible solutions for the industry.

<--WHO-->
…all members of the local meeting, convention, & exhibition industry

<--WHY-->
…to participate locally in APEX (& have a little fun with some local friends)

<--WHEN-->
Day, Month Date, Year
Start Time - End Time

<--WHERE-->
Meeting Place Name
City, State

Please RSVP by Month Date, Year to
email address
telephone number

*The Accepted Practices Exchange is an Initiative of the Convention Industry Council

Make sure to send this invitation to Juli Jones, Vice Presidnet (jjones@conventionindustry.org) who will also send it to a database of industry members who have asked to be notified of such events.
Send a notice or Press Release to your local newspaper’s calendar section, and to the local chapters of professional associations in your area.

Step 4: Handouts and Preparation

Prior to the meeting, direct participants to the Convention Industry Council website (www.conventionindustry.org) to review the information that will be discussed at the CDG meeting. Also, outline the format of the meeting and encourage participants to come prepared with feedback and suggestions.
Appoint volunteers as “facilitators of discussion” at each table. Make sure to review the Guidelines for Effective Facilitation prior to the meeting.
Make copies of the “Rules of Engagement.” Place one on each table, or post them around the meeting room.
Review the APEX and CDG portions of the Convention Industry Council website to review the latest information and to download any handouts pertinent to the topic you will be discussing.
Contact your assigned APEX Commissioner if you have any questions or would like clarification on any issue. See APEX Commissioner Contacts.

Step 5: The Meeting Agenda

Have everyone sign in. Use the CDG sign-in form , or create your own.
Introduce yourself and your planning committee.
Review the mission of APEX and what the industry is hoping to accomplish through this initiative. (Both can be found in the APEX Business Plan, and on the CIC website).
Introduce and explain the role of your “facilitators,” which is to assist the group in discussing the meeting’s topic (this will vary from meeting to meeting). Make sure the participants know that this role is to keep the group on task.
Ask a participant to act as the scribe for the final wrap-up. Explain that the notes are an important product of the meeting as they will be shared with the industry panels as they work to develop their final recommendations. (Notes can be taken on a laptop or flip chart).
Introduce the “Rules of Engagement” and reiterate their importance for a productive discussion.
Ask each participant to introduce him/herself. Just name and company should do.
Review the purpose of the meeting (this will vary from meeting to meeting, but will always result in feedback on some aspect of APEX being transmitted to the industry panels) and explain that it will be highly interactive.
Divide participants into small teams. Each group will discuss the meeting topic, and report out to the larger group later. Each small group should have its own scribe.
See the Sample Agenda from the Washington, D.C. CDG.

Step 6: Facilitating Discussion

After an appropriate period of time, reconvene and ask each small group to report out. Encourage “Us Toos” if other groups had similar thoughts as that presenting.

In the reconvened group, your role as the leader is to facilitate the discussion, ensuring that the volunteer “scribe” is capturing the important discussion items. Some keys to successful facilitating are:

Always start meetings on time and stick to the agenda or program.
Keep a low profile while taking charge of the direction of the meeting. You preside in order to ensure that a good meeting takes place.
Keep the meeting moving; interest lags when action lags. Get as much participation as possible. Keep responses short; get members to make their point. Do not allow an individual(s) to dominate discussion. Ask those who have not contributed to do so.
Insist on order. Do not permit anyone to make irresponsible statements. Comment immediately as may be appropriate. Reiterate the “Rules of Engagement,” particularly Comments must be constructive, including a rationale and suggested solution.
Talk to the group, not to individuals.
Have each participant introduce himself before making statements.
Make sure that each individual taking the floor speaks clearly.
Check at the end of the meeting to see if members feel that all relevant subjects have been adequately covered.
When small groups are meeting, give a 5-minute warning when it is almost time to wrap up and come back together.
Remember that the APEX initiative is designed to promote and enhance the entire meetings industry. It is not a forum for advertising or promoting a particular person’s business.

Step 7: Recording & Submitting Minutes

Have participants use Comment Cards to record all comments, including those that might be discussed at the meeting.
Use the CDG Minutes Format to submit the CDG meeting’s notes, comments, and recommendations. Preferably, minutes should be submitted via email to jjones@conventionindustry.org.
If a significant issue arises, poll the participants to determine whether that issue is primarily a supplier concern or a planner concern.

Step 8: Following-up with Attendees

Soon after the event, send an email thanking participants for their time and feedback.

Conduct a short questionnaire asking for feedback and interest in future meetings. See the CDG Sample Questionnaire .
If business cards are collected, create a roster of attendees to share with participants vie email.
Send a brief email 3 months after the event to let participants know the latest APEX news.

Spice Up Your CDG Meetings

There are lots of ways you can add value and interest to your City Discussion Group. If these are to be successful, long-term groups of local individuals, variety and intermittent social activities will keep people coming back.

Some ideas for keeping things interesting are:

Secure a sponsor for a door prize. Collect all attendee’s business cards for a drawing at the meeting’s end (Let people know they must be present to win!).
Hold a fundraiser to benefit APEX.
Hold a joint-CDG with a group in a neighboring city.
Create a local CDG committee to focus on public relations and education regarding APEX and the industry. This could be a terrific opportunity to create a local industry coalition.

Extra Materials

Sign-In Sheet (Word Format)
The Rules of Engagement (Word Format)
CDG Comment Card Template (Word Format)
CDG Minutes Format (Word Format)
Press Release Template (Word Format)
Guidelines for Effective Facilitation (Word Format)
Sample Agenda (Word Format)
Sample Questionnaire (Word Format)
APEX Commissioner Contacts (Word Format)

City Discussion Sites & Dates