1 and Event Planner and General Discussions and Women's Retreat
Amenities, berrien county, catering, center, chicago, event, Event Planner, facilities, family camp, family retreat, family reunion, food, guide, leadership seminar, location, marriage retreat, mens group, mens seminar, Michigan, nature trail, planner, relationship building, retreat, Retreat Center, retreat location, scrapbook, scrapbooking, seminar, service, small group, southwest michigan, sports field, team building, training, training seminar, travel, womens encounter, womens group, womens seminar, worship, youth camp, youth encounter, youth group, youth retreat Hardy Rueb
8:37 am
Hi all,
One of the main goals of an event planner is to find the right location for the right price. Budgets are tight and finding the right Retreat Center is more critical today than ever before. Here are a few tips to help find the right location for a better price.
1. If the Retreat Center in question has a calendar that shows availability, check for the months with the least bookings. Of course you need to be flexible in when your event can take place. Many Retreat Centers are wanting to fill slow times and will lower their price to get the business. This website has a calendar for 2009 and 2010. (Bethel Park Retreat Center Web Site)
2. Bring more guests. There are power in numbers. Retreat Centers crave for booking larger events. If your group isn’t that large, ask if the Retreat Center can book your group along with another. Chances are if the Retreat Center can accommodate multiple groups, the second and third group may get a better price.
3. Stay longer. The longer your event, the more the Retreat Center will want to work with you. Obviously you don’t want to stretch your event longer than is needed, but the dollar per guest will become more favorable the longer you stay. Just a thought.
I hope these ideas help in finding the right place for the right price.
The Blog Staff
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Event Planner and General Discussions
Amenities, chicago, event, Event Planner, facilities, family camp, family reunion, guide, leadership seminar, location, marriage retreat, mens group, mens seminar, Michigan, nature trail, relationship building, Retreat Center, scrapbook, scrapbooking, service, small group, southwest michigan, sports field, team building, training, womens encounter, womens group, womens seminar, youth retreat Hardy Rueb
8:49 am
Hi all,
Recently the question was asked, “Is this Retreat Center a good value?” The response isn’t as easy as one thinks.
Most people think value is determined by the amount paid for the services rendered. In today’s economy, price paid is now more of an indicator than even services rendered, the amenities, the local area, etc.. With that said, what should a Retreat Center Event Planner be focusing on? Here are a few things to keep in mind:
1. Can the potential Retreat Center meet the demands of our group.
2. Can the Retreat Center adequately handle our group size and future expansion of our group size?
3. For my group; is what I am paying for worth that price?
4. Ask for Testimonials. Here is an incredible testimony from a past client of a Retreat Center. This is a place that meets the needs of their clients.
These are some simple questions to ask and if the answer is ‘yes’ so far, then your moving closer to finding the right Retreat Center.
A few things you may NOT want to focus on due to the fact they typically don’t affect the outcome of your event.
1. Are the roads and parking lots hard surfaced? If the answer is ‘no’, then you are still ok. Most attendees from larger cities are surrounded by cement everywhere. It is a pleasant break from their normal environment.
2. The exterior of the buildings don’t look brand new. Again, make sure to check the interior rooms. How well maintained are they? How clean is everything? How is the lighting for safety at nights? These are better indicators of how well a Retreat Center is run.
3. I don’t see a gymnasium or swimming pool? While having on-site amenities are nice, that does not mean they are not nearby or readily available to that Retreat Center. Often costs can be controlled by using other businesses amenities.
The question will return again and again, for what I am paying, am I getting that value in return? If the answer is ‘yes’, then you are one step further to finding the right Retreat Center.
The Blog Staff
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Event Planner and General Discussions
Amenities, berrien county, center, chicago, devotions, event, Event Planner, facilities, family camp, family retreat, guide, leadership seminar, location, mi, Michigan, planner, relationship building, retreat, Retreat Center, retreat location, scrapbook, scrapbooking, service, southwest michigan, womens seminar, youth encounter Hardy Rueb
8:37 am
We hear all the time that this year’s event was a success but next year we want to achieve even more. There are a few ways to start planning for a better retreat next year.
1. While this past Retreat is fresh in your attendee’s memory, ask them for feedback. Praising the event, the location, the food, the atmosphere, the theme, the Retreat Center staff, all creates excitement for the following year. Those that did not make it to this years event, will surely be motivated that next year will be the same or better.
2. Create a web page for your retreat event. Post as many pictures as you can. Bring up any positive topics that will draw people’s attention. If the Retreat Center creates a web page for you, then supply the needed information to them. We found that Bethel Park Retreat Center creates a simple webpage for it’s clients after the event is finished. Here is an example of one.
3. Take as many pictures as you can. Pictures are worth a 1000 words. This is not an exaggeration. Nothing will entice potential attendees more than seeing what had happened at your events.
4. Begin promoting your next event as soon as possible. Give everyone ample time to fit your scheduled date in their calendars.
More to follow on this topic in the future.
The Blog Staff
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Event Planner and General Discussions and Men's Retreat and Women's Retreat
Amenities, berrien county, catering, center, chicago, decision guide, devotions, event, Event Planner, facilities, facility, family camp, family retreat, family reunion, food, guide, leadership seminar, location, marriage retreat, marriage seminar, men’s encounter, men’s retreat, mens group, mens seminar, Michigan, nature trail, planner, planning tool, relationship building, retreat, Retreat Center, retreat location, scrapbook, scrapbooking, seminar, service, small group, southwest michigan, sports field, team building, training, training seminar, travel, women’s retreat, womens encounter, womens group, womens seminar, worship, youth camp, youth encounter, youth group, youth retreat, youth seminar Hardy Rueb
2:12 pm
Hi all,
One of the most common questions that we hear is, “How soon should we start looking for a location?” While the simple answer is, “sooner than later”, it isn’t always that easy. Here are a few things you will need to consider.
1. Is your organization serious about doing this Retreat or just inquiring? While I have never heard any Retreat Center push inquiries aside because of a lack of commitment, I don’t know if you want to invest hours of your time until you are certain the Retreat will materialize at some point.
2. What comes first, the speaker or the location? The age old “chicken before the egg” question comes to mind. If you have a speaker in mind whose schedule is ‘light’ and is flexible, then you have more leverage finding the right location. If you have a speaker in mind and time is critical, then starting at least 12 to 16 months prior to your event will give you ample time to find a location which fits the speakers schedule. At times, places like churches or places of worship have full calendars and need an event on a specific date, then start earlier, as in 12 months prior.
3. How far are you willing to travel? Distance is always a factor in how late can you start to look for a Retreat Center. If you don’t mind traveling 100+ miles, then you can start as late as 5 to 6 months. You will find an opening somewhere.
4. Along that same line, there are two lines of thought; the later I start the more a camp that has room is willing to fit me in and give me a better price, or, the later you start the more expensive it will become. I have seen both occur. If your event is considered off peak time, such as December to May, you will have more leverage negotiating. If you are looking for a prime summer month or major holiday, then expect to pay more.
To have some things to think about when searching for an event, check here for a list of items to consider when inquiring about a Retreat Center.
The Blog Staff
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Event Planner and General Discussions
Amenities, berrien county, catering, center, chicago, devotions, event, Event Planner, facilities, facility, family camp, family retreat, family reunion, food, guide, leadership seminar, location, marriage retreat, marriage seminar, men’s encounter, men’s retreat, mens group, mens seminar, Michigan, nature trail, planner, relationship building, retreat, Retreat Center, retreat location, scrapbook, scrapbooking, seminar, service, small group, southwest michigan, sports field, team building, training, training seminar, travel, women’s retreat, womens encounter, womens group, womens seminar, worship, youth camp, youth encounter, youth group, youth retreat, youth seminar Hardy Rueb
5:11 pm
While searching the web you come across many useful resources. Here is a short list of questions which an event planners must think about. 1.) Where to hold the retreat? Is the location within acceptable travel distances? 2.) Does the location have the proper facilites to ensure a successful event? 3.) Are there enough things to do? What kinds of amenities do they have? Food – Can this location meet our needs in the food service area?
We have found a useful document, called the “Decision Guide” . What this place did was ask and answer all the questions that they have come across over the decades. They provide the answers to the questions as it corresponds to them and give you space to compare your answers to other locations. This tool has helped many event planners to find suitable locations for their event. We hope it helps you.
The Blog Staff
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Retreat Center Event Planners 