Hospitality Suites

An alternative to the booth at a convention is the hospitality suite, per­haps adjacent to the exhibition hall, but more likely in a meeting room nearby.

The trend is toward use of the hospitality suite as an alternative to the booth in the noisy hall where traffic and other exhibitors create constant distractions. Those invited to the hospitality suite for coffee and cookies usually have been identified as those with a special inter­est in your organization, not just "schmoozers" who will stop and talk with anybody. These are the people you want to get a commitment from to join your cause, buy your company's product, or use your services.

More than a century ago, companies began to open exhibits at their headquarters buildings or big city office buildings to display inven­tions and innovations for which they could take credit.

Henry Ford spurred the development of the Dearborn Museum, near the spot where his first assembly line once stood, to show succeeding generations not only the Model T and other Ford innovations, but every­thing else mechanical and manufactured that was the result of American genius. On the occasion in 1929 of the fiftieth anniversary of Thomas Edison's invention of the light bulb, Ford—with the help of public reations man Edward Bernays—got Edison, President Herbert Hoover, Luther Burbank, Harvey Firestone, and hundreds of other American businessmen and government leaders together at the Dearborn Museum to open a new exhibit that featured the actual laboratory in which Edison accomplished his feat. After decades of distrust, "Light's Golden Jubilee" marked the day when Americans' attitudes toward the contributions of "big business" became more positive.

The corporate museum in America has evolved from the historical archive that merely shows off the company's products through the years to an important marketing device that helps the visitor to appreciate the firm's contribution to society, and thus encourages the public to value and trust the company.

Inviting someone in to look around, have a cup of coffee, and talk is as important for a large organization as it is for neighbors on any block. That's why most companies, government agencies, and nonprofit orga­nizations that depend on public support regularly open their doors for tours. Visitors to tiny Aruba in the Caribbean are surprised to find that one of the serene island's most interesting attractions is the two-hour tour of Exxon's refining plant, which processes and transships much of the oil from Venezuela. After a slide show and talk in the Esso Club, the tourists ride buses through the huge refinery and watch supertankers being drained of their precious cargo. At the end of the tour, they enjoy light refreshments and have an opportunity to ask questions about the mammoth furnaces and storage tanks they have seen.

Visits to a facility by outsiders are considerably more complicated than when a neighbor drops in for coffee. Safety and security are considerations: Will guests have to wear hard hats? Will they be covered by the company's insurance? Will it be necessary to erect a tent or bring in trailers to provide protection from the elements? What measures will be taken to prevent unauthorized observation of manufacturing methods that must be kept secret? Will the tour or open house disrupt production or violate the rights of personnel? The labor unions may have to be consulted.

• Timing. The facility must be ready and must look its best. Interesting activities should be taking place. The program must be long enough to make the trip worthwhile, but not so long as to be boring or redundant. An alternate date should be selected in case of inclement weather or emergency.

• Invitations. Send them out two weeks in advance. Make sure that if one politician, one academic, one subcontractor is invited, then all politicians, all other dignitaries in the area are invited. In other words, carefully work out a policy so that no one is of­fended. Whenever possible, involve employers and their families. Keep careful track of RSVP cards so that you know exactly who and how many are coming.

• Transportation and parking. Be assured that there is bus transportation to remote locations, and that there is adequate parking, clearly marked for visitors. For a large event, get the cooperation of local police in directing traffic.

• Comfort and services. Provide adequate rest rooms, a checkroom for coats and parcels, public telephones, nursery areas for small children, and sufficient hosts and hostesses to guide guests and help out in case of emergencies.

• Greeting. Assure that everyone is met by an official representative of the organization. VIPs should be met by persons of importance in the organization. Make certain that high-ranked officers of the organization make an appearance and participate in the program. Maps and printed programs should be provided to orient the visitor.

• Gifts. A package of company products or some token gift im­printed with the company name is a gesture of goodwill that most visitors appreciate. Such a memento has lasting promo­tional value.

• Publicity. Press kits should be prepared for every member of the media. A photographer should be hired to document the event Media that do not send a representative should receive news re­leases and photos by mail or messenger to enable them to provide coverage. A press center should be set up to provide reporters with typewriters and telephones. A member of the PR department should be assigned to assist television crews with special needs for power and for specially arranged interviews.

• Refreshments. Food and drink must be appropriate to the occa­sion. Liquor may be expected by a group of press or business individuals, while cookies and soft drinks are more appropriate for families. If the location is remote and the event is of more than a few hours in duration, a box lunch should be provided.

Any incorporated organization must, according to its bylaws and the rules of the state in which it was incorporated, hold an annual meeting for the purpose of electing the board of directors and approving the financial report. The meeting must be announced in advance, and stockholders in attendance may speak and cast their votes. In practice, most votes are tal­lied through a proxy system. And the speakers often are perennial "gadflies" who berate the officers for not making sufficient profits, pol­luting the atmosphere, or otherwise mismanaging the company.

Nonetheless, most organizations believe that the annual meeting is a worthwhile ritual, because it affords the organization an opportunity to hear from its publics and, in turn, to speak directly to those who have a vested interest in the organization.

Does your organization have an auditorium or hall large enough to handle the expected turnout? Or should you rent space at a nearby the­ater, hotel, or other public facility? It may even be possible to use closed-circuit television to link the main meeting room with satellite rooms around the country, in order to get more people involved.

In fact, many organizations combine the annual meeting with a plant tour, social hour, or entertainment event

Proxy materials and announcements in company publications are sufficient notice of the meeting place. However, special invitations should be sent to employees, members of the financial community, elected officials, dignitaries, and other special guests.

The annual meeting usually features speeches by one or two top officers. Because (public-interest groups are concerned about) pollution, energy, discrimination, and other issues have become increasingly vocal at an­nual meetings, PR departments today are called upon to draw up rea­sonable but firm rules regarding who may speak and for how long. It is also useful to use video tape to train company officers how to handle hostile questions.

Finally, PR may prepare a shopping bag full of printed materials and inexpensive souvenirs for all in attendance. This "bundle of good­ies" is all it takes to satisfy many stockholders.

The annual report, which is distributed to stockholders at about the same time the annual meeting is held.

Anniversaries, whether the twenty-fifth, fiftieth, or one-hundredth, give your organization a good reason to point with pride to its history and accomplishments. For nonprofit groups, it's an opportunity for special development and fundraising. For commercial organizations it's an opportunity to build employee pride and loyalty, and also to strengthen the reputation of the company and its products.

When Coca-Cola celebrated its centennial, facilities in the home city of Atlanta and in other major media cities were reserved as many is five years in advance. Actual planning of the events started in detail two years early. Even with the advance preparation, Coca-Cola felt that more planning and coordination would have made the events even better.