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Planning a meeting or event is all about gathering the pieces and coordinating all the separate components involved in creating the right environment. This means selecting a facility, coordinating speakers and entertainment, evaluating your audio/visual needs, and accessing all the individual needs of your attendees. 

Basics   Venue  Attendees   Accessibility  Banquet Services   Speakers & Entertainment   Audio/Visual   Florists/Decor   Air Travel/Transportation   Lodging Meeting Planning FAQ's The Basics What is involved in planning an event?  A whole lot more than you probably think.  Planning an event can involve everything from venue searches and site inspections to contract negotiations, registration and RSVP management, entertainment or speaker searches, menu selection, budget management, invoicing, and guest tour coordination.  To name only a few.  Where are events held?  Everywhere.  Hotels and convention centers are obvious choices, but many other properties have meeting facilities: restaurants, theme parks, museums, cruise lines & yacht charters, movie theaters, schools & training centers, etc. etc. etc.  Use your imagination!  For a complete list of meeting facilities at the Lake, click here. Is the Lake of the Ozarks a good place to meet?  Most definitely.  If you're planning anything from a family reunion to a large conference or convention, the Lake has many properties to choose from.  The beautiful scenery, dining, shopping, and recreational activities offered are an added bonus that is sure to make your meeting at the Lake a huge success.   How do I know where to hold my event?  That all depends on how much you have to spend and where the attendees are coming from.  Should you need to do a site inspection to "scope the place out", remember the money you spend on your trip will most likely be included in the event's budget. Consider the size of your group when looking for a location.  A slick way to find out how much space you need is by using a room size calculation tool, which tells you how much square footage is required for your guests depending on how you plan to set the room (theatre-style, conference, school room, or other).  If you don't have one, go to this handy on-line room size calculator. How much time does it take to put together a meeting? The more complicated the meeting, the more time it will take to put together.  A simple conference with less than 10 people can be thrown together in just a few minutes the day prior, depending on availability of space.  As a rule, you should hold space as soon as you know when and where your event will be held. Having the venue contracted for your group allows you to start putting the other pieces together, like catering, transportation, etc.                                                                                                                  [Top] Venue Is a site visit necessary?  Logistically speaking, it's a good idea to know where everything is and what it looks like.  However, you can obtain room measurements and pictures of properties at the Lake and a site visit is generally not necessary.  Your Lake of the Ozarks CVB Sales Directors can assist you in retrieving all the information you need to become familiar with the location and services offered at each of the facilities at the Lake.  How often should I contact the venue prior to my event?  Consider the amount of information you need to share back and forth with your vendors and suppliers, and contact them whenever you receive information that should be passed along.  Use your judgment, though, and be careful not to call them every few minutes with every event change.  Sometimes you may need to gather several changes together and pass them along in bunches, such as lodging changes, or changing audio/visual needs.  Depending on the amount of time left prior to your event date, you should certainly check-in with your suppliers from time to time just to keep them updated. What do I look for in a venue?  Think carefully about your group's requirements, and look for factors affecting the needs of the group.  Do you need VIP rooms?  What should the rooms look like and what amenities will they need?  Do any of your guests require special accommodations for lodging or dining or transportation?  Do you require vaulted ceilings or views of the area or pillar-less rooms?  Have a firm handle of the size and specifications of your group before you select a venue or head out on a site visit.  You'll be more likely to have a smooth event if your location meets your needs.                                                                                                                  [Top] Attendees How do I know how many people will attend?  If you're lucky, you have historical information for similar events.  If not, it's mostly your best guess. Consider the type of event, the location, conflicting events, accessibility, and the likelihood that everyone invited will attend.  To improve your odds of guessing the correct attendance, use pre-registrations, invitations, or some other type of feedback materials requiring attendees to alert you of their expected attendance, and go from there. How will I know if they have special needs?  For larger groups, include questions in pre-registration materials and require those materials be returned by a specified date.  Be prepared for anything, regardless of the information you receive through pre-registration, because you may not receive everything from everyone.  Have a plan of action for several situations, including dietary or religious requirements, as well as accessibility issues for attendees that are physically challenged.  Your Lake of the Ozarks CVB Sales Directors can help you best to find facilities that accommodate the special needs of any of your attendees.                                                                                                                  [Top] Accessibility Which facilities at the Lake are accessible to attendees with disabilities?   Tan-Tara-A Resort, Golf Club & Spa, The Lodge of Four Seasons, The Resort at Port Arrowhead, The Inn at Grand Glaize, Country Club Hotel & Spa, Baymont Inn & Suites, Dogwood Hills Golf Club & Resort Inn, Sleep Inn - Inn & Suites, Southwood Shores Condominiums, Quails Nest Resort, and Town & Country Motel. Which facilities have considerate accessibility for wheelchairs?  Days Inn, The Harbour Resort & Marina, Holiday Inn Express, and Kirkwood Lodge. There are a multitude of other facilities that are accessible to those with disabilities, but the individual may encounter some kind of difficulty.  In a lot of situations at the Lake, it's the slope of the hill one has to go up or down in order to get to the facility.  The best thing to do is to consult with your Lake of the Ozarks Sales Director to get information about the logistics and particular barriers involved for the physically challenged individual at the facility.                                                                                                                     [Top] Banquet Services/Catering Do I need to serve food?  Water should always be available, regardless of meeting length, whether on the table in pitchers, or bottled water on ice, or simply a nearby drinking fountain.  Food, on the other hand, depends on meeting length and budget constraints.  If your group is meeting for more than 2 or 3 hours, you may consider providing a small beverage selection and possibly a snack.  Continental breakfasts are popular for early morning meetings and do not need to be extravagant or expensive.  All-day functions should have a lunch break, but providing lunch is optional.  There are plenty of local restaurants at the Lake that are nearby to meeting facilities and are capable of handling a crowd.  Dinners can be quite expensive, but you should offer your attendees something if their attendance is required during the evening.  Consider food & beverage options carefully:  imagine what your attendees will need, then do what you can to satisfy those needs. What facilities at the Lake offer banquet services?  If you are planning a convention or conference, a facility with banquet services will be necessary. The following properties cater to events of this kind:  Tan-Tar-A Resort, Golf Club & Spa, The Lodge of Four Seasons, The Resort at Port Arrowhead , The Inn at Grand Glaize, Country Club Hotel & Spa, Dogwood Hills Golf Club & Resort Inn, Old Kinderhook Golf & Marina Community, Alhonna Resort, and Millstone Lodge. What facilities at the Lake have restaurants?  Several Lake area facilities have restaurants on the property.  Some of them offer other services such as a continental breakfast or a snack bar to take care of attendees between meetings.  Facilities of this kind include:  Alhonna Resort, Baymont Inn & Suites, The Harbour Restaurant & Marina, Millstone Lodge, Runaway II Resort, Tan-Tar-A Resort, Golf Club & Spa, The Lodge of Four Seasons, The Resort at Port Arrowhead , The Inn at Grand Glaize, Country Club Hotel & Spa, Dogwood Hills Golf Club & Resort Inn, and Old Kinderhook Golf & Marina Community.  There are several catering companies at the Lake, look in our services section for a complete listing. Is "buffet" better than "plated"?  Where cost is concerned, buffet is most often cheaper, especially for larger groups, however plated is certainly a good way to make your guests feel pampered.  Buffets are usually purchased "per person" but can be ordered "per piece" or "per serving size", possibly lowering cost.  For large groups, buffets can be set up in a two-sided serving line, eliminating the wait time that often accompanies plated service.  Plated, or served, meals can upgrade the atmosphere of your food function, but be sure you have adequate serving staff to best serve your guests, and keep in mind that a plated dinner will take more time than a buffet.  Before you choose, compare the costs of buffet verses plated, and see what's best for your particular situation.                                                                                                                                                                                                     [Top] Speakers/Entertainment Where do I find a speaker or entertainer?  If you don't have someone in mind, contact speaker bureaus or entertainment management companies. Your Lake of the Ozarks Sales Directors can assist you in finding a company. Also, consider using someone from within your group or company.  Executive staff, department heads, committee chairpersons, and other visible staff can be excellent speakers.  Or consider a "talent search" and allow staff members to showcase their talents.  How do I know the speaker/entertainer is any good?  Unless it's impossible, go see them perform.  Like a site visit, watching a band or speaker you're considering for an event allows you to determine beforehand if they're what you're looking for.  Everyone can come up with a good reference, so there's no substitute for seeing for yourself.  However, if you can't do that, ask people you trust who have firsthand experience, or have the speaker/entertainment company provide critiques of their performance(s). Videos, cd's, or cassettes are often available.  Remember a professional speaker will "perform" better than someone who's not used to standing in front of a crowd.  Use your judgment, and get references wherever you can. Is entertainment expensive?  It can be, but it doesn't have to be.  Big names can cost thousands of dollars (and more) for a single performance, but local talent can often be just as entertaining and effective and cost much less. Be open-minded and flexible.  Instead of a famous (and costly) motivational speaker, have the sales staff tell success stories, or ask the boss to share his success story.  Ask the group for input on favorite local talent, such as musicians, comics, theatrical performers, magicians, or street performers.                                                                                                                    [Top]

Audio/Visual How do I know what equipment to order?  This depends on the size of your group and the size of the room, as well as the needs of the person(s) addressing the group. Your best bet is to start by asking the speaker/entertainer what they need.  If your speaker intends to display slides, you'll obviously need a slide projector and screen.  If the expected attendance exceeds 100 people, you may need a microphone and public address (or P.A.) system, as well as additional monitors for better viewing by people in the rear of the room.  Discuss A/V needs with your presenters, as well as with your A/V supplier. Be sure to discuss options, and have a back-up plan should any of your high-tech equipment fail.  Remember to have dedicated phone lines installed for presentations that require internet access or teleconferencing. Where do I find A/V equipment?  As with caterers, most hotels and conference/convention centers will have in-house or contracted A/V suppliers. Check with your contact at the facility you've chosen to find out what companies they use, or contact several A/V companies at the Lake using the Yellow Pages or lists requested from your Lake of the Ozarks Sales Directors. How early should I order A/V equipment?  Most low-tech items (flip charts, overhead projectors and screens, slide projectors) are readily available and can be delivered with little lead time.  Hi-tech equipment (teleconferencing, computer projection devices) can sometimes require advance reservations for delivery and may take a day or two to set-up.  Check with your A/V supplier as to the availability of required equipment, and ask how much lead time is required.                                                                                                                   [Top] Florists/Decor Are floral arrangements really necessary? Floral arrangements can certainly brighten up a room or fill empty spaces, but are not really necessary and often quite expensive.  Other items can be used for decoration, such as candles or themed materials, and centerpieces on tables can be made from almost anything from glass objects to baskets to hub caps to pieces of fruit.  Use your imagination. If my event has a theme, where do I find materials?  For a themed event, nothing substitutes for imagination.  Visit a few party or craft stores for ideas, or look through magazines, and ask several people for input.  When you're ready, you'll probably find everything you need at those same party supply stores you visited.  When should I order decor materials?  Determine how soon you can get into the facility to set-up, and allow yourself plenty of time to receive the materials before that date.  If your materials are not perishable, you can order them anytime, given you have a place to store them. Perishable materials, however, should be ordered in advance and delivered, if possible, to the facility the day of the event.  Check with your vendors to determine the amount of lead time necessary.                                                                                                                   [Top] Air Travel and Ground Transportation Who is responsible for booking air travel for attendees?  Attendees should be responsible for booking their own air travel.   Suggestions can be offered to them as to which airline or agency to book through, especially if your group is able to take advantage of special rates, but booking air travel sometimes requires personal information, and  too many variables are taken into consideration.  Unless you know the personal schedules and air travel preferences of each of your attendees, suggest they book themselves. Are there any airports at the Lake of the Ozarks?  Yes, there are several. Lee C. Fine Airport, Lake Ozark State Park, (573) 348-5251, Grand-Glaize Osage Beach Airport, (573) 348-4469, Eldon Airport, (573) 392-8874, Camdenton Airport, (573) 346-0300, and Wing Air Airport in Versailles, (573) 378-9901.  Which airports at the Lake have car rentals?  Lee C. Fine in Osage Beach, Grand-Glaize Osage Beach Airport, and the Camdenton Airport. How will attendees get from the airport to their hotel (and back)?  Several of the larger hotels at the Lake offer complimentary shuttle service to and from nearby airports, but they need advance notice of arrivals and departures.  Taxi cabs are also an option, as are limousine and bus services, or car rental agencies.  You may also offer suggestions to attendees and require they arrange their own transportation.  There are several shuttle services around the Lake such as Lake Shuttle and USA Express.  Look at our services section for further information about car rental and shuttle services.                                                                                                                   [Top] Lodging Who is responsible for booking hotel rooms?  This is definitely a topic to be discussed early on in the planning stages of your event.  You may be able to negotiate substantially lower rates than a hotel's advertised rate, depending on the size of your group, but the actual booking may be contracted as "individual call-in" or "rooming list".  If you can handle managing rooms for your group's size, consider submitting a rooming list to the hotel.  If you don't have the time or the expertise, require your attendees make their own reservations, or for extremely large groups, you may want to look into contracting a housing company to manage your needs.  Regardless of who makes reservations, be sure to keep track of the rooms being booked; you may have special requirements written into your hotel contract, and you'll want to monitor attendance. How many rooms do I hold?  This will depend on expected attendance and availability of rooms at the time of your event.  If plenty of rooms are expected to be available at the time of your meeting, underestimating attendance (and rooms) may not be a problem.  Similarly, in cases where hotel rooms are scarce, overestimating may mean the difference between having a room and NOT having a room, be beware of attrition charges... What are "attrition" charges?  If you book 50 rooms and 40 people show up, you'll pay for 50 rooms.  Attrition charges are the fees hotels charge for the rooms you booked but didn't use.  You may not pay full price for the empty rooms, but most hotels will charge you "something". How do I avoid attrition charges?  Book only the rooms you anticipate using, and read your contracts carefully.  Some hotels at the Lake will allow a specified decrease of rooms without penalty, but everything beyond that is chargeable.  If the contract doesn't allow you enough breathing space, write an acceptable attrition clause and ask the hotel to add it to the contract. Negotiate the best deal for you. Is it true that hotels offer free rooms for large groups?  Yes, but not every hotel and not every time.  Sometimes complimentary (or "comp") rooms can be negotiated in a contract, based on the size of your group or the needs of the hotel.  An example comp room clause may read, "1 complimentary room for every 50 rooms purchased per night" - but be sure you understand the terms and conditions of the clause.  Before signing any contract, check with the hotel on their comp room policy.                                                                                                                   [Top]