Los Angeles Hotel Worker Protection Law

• Last year, Los Angeles passed a Hotel Worker Protection law requiring hotel employees working in guest rooms or bathrooms to have a device to alert security to emergencies. 
• Additionally, they raised the minimum wage and must offer annual security training. 
• Hotels are creating an additional surcharge for their guests to pay for these changes.
• Surrounding communities are beginning to adopt the law, which could expand to other states. 
• Make sure to read your contracts carefully and include clauses that prohibit surprise charges or fee increases.

Source: MEETINGSNET

Attendee Needs

• Consider how your event goals align with your attendee needs.
• Send out questionnaires to learn what types of experiences, locations, or hotel chains your attendees prefer.
• Think about how you might change up your program to appeal to a broader audience.
• Be aware of any travel restrictions for your attendees.

Budget

• Think about your event’s requirements and your attendees’ expectations when budgeting.
• Be aware of the high and low seasons of potential locations. Booking during the low season could make a higher-end venue possible within your budget.
• Negotiating strategically, particularly with concessions, can also help you stay within or below budget.

Location

• Partnering with the local Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) can help you take advantage of everything your city offers. Your CVB can also assist with your RFP process for venue selection. 
• Political and social issues matter. Ensure your location aligns with the organization's values and that no conflicting state or local policies exist.

Venue

• Most venues will only hold space briefly, so decide promptly if possible.
• Consider insurance. COVID-19 taught us that anything can happen, so purchasing insurance can help minimize future risks.
• Include solid cancellation, rebooking, and Force Majeure clauses in your contracts.
• Ensure your venue is accessible to all attendees, including those with disabilities. 
• Do an in-person site visit in advance. Make sure that everything you envision will come to life at your event. 

• Attendee badges are likely already a staple at your events. Adding a label to nonmember badges can be a great way to help you identify them. 
• Create opportunities for members to engage with nonmembers. Peer-to-peer connections increase the value of the conversation. Staff approaching them may feel too sales-y.
• Get email addresses so members can follow up about becoming a member.
• Use questionnaires to help identify the reasons nonmembers are reluctant to become members. Understanding this audience will go a long way in knowing what they want, which makes it easier to turn them into members. 
• Thank them for coming to your event! If budget permits, consider giving them a small branded giveaway to leave with. Even if they do not become members, providing an exceptional experience will keep them returning to your event. 

During her four years at Rutgers Business School in New Brunswick, Katie interned for the Student Affairs department, where she helped to plan large-scale events for the students at Rutgers. These events included concerts, convocations, graduation ceremonies, fall festivals, and more.

After graduation, Katie joined IEEE as the Program Specialist for Young Professionals (YPs) in Member and Geographic Activities (MGA). While there, she loved planning the YP events and wanted to continue down this path. She eventually moved to MCE, where she became a planner and had the privilege of planning meetings alongside her previous YP colleagues, as well as many new clients. Katie has developed close relationships with many IEEE employees and volunteers in just one year in this position.

In addition to planning meetings for OUs and the IEEE Meeting Series, she has also teamed up with other planners to assist with and attend large-scale conferences worldwide, including ICRA, IROS, and IEEE Sections Congress.

Katie's favorite part of this position includes working directly with clients to help them understand and feel comfortable with the event planning process. She attempts to simplify the process as much as possible so they don't feel overwhelmed and can learn to love event planning as much as she does.

In her free time, Katie uses her planning and marketing knowledge to assist in running a non-profit that provides funding, transportation, food, and additional necessary resources for women in Kenya to attend secondary boarding school (high school).

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