[LisaOlsen]

With the economy in the dumps, many companies are doing away with professional event coordinators and turning to their administrative professionals to organize management retreats. In this two part series, we'll look at how to effectively plan and execute such an event.

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[Robin Holtson]

In addition to a site visit, I recommend asking for 3-4 referrals of companies who have held similar events at the property.

Plan to arrive 2-3 days before your management team or Board members. Go over every detail with the appropriate staff member. Introduce yourself to the business center personnel, make sure you know where the closest office supply store, grocery, liquor store, same day dry cleaner and pharmacy are located.

If there's a microphone on the podium - make sure it is turned on! Trust me. This was one of the biggest mistakes of my EA career.