the meeting planner

Andrea Dorsey
Teamwork is critical!
Winter 2010-11

ANDREA DORSEY is the supervisor, meeting services for Springdale, Arkansas-based Tyson Foods, Inc. Andrea was nominated to serve as the MPG* meeting planner interview for this issue by the sales and marketing team at the Embassy Suites Northwest Arkansas, a John Q. Hammons Hotel, in Rogers, Arkansas, because of her superior meeting planning skills and her great sense of teamwork.

MPG :   Tell us about yourself and your position with Tyson.

andrea:  I am currently in my 7th year at Tyson Foods. Prior to Tyson I worked in sales and catering at a local convention center hotel for 2 years. It is so rewarding to have a job that I love. What attracted me most to this profession is the ability to provide a service to others. I also thoroughly enjoy being creative and collaborating with others.

What types of meetings (sales, executive, incentive, training, etc) do you plan for Tyson?

We most often plan departmental, customer, trainings and national sales meetings. We also host two incentives a year. We have seen an increase in the number of meetings this past year and our team has planned around 170 meetings during fiscal year 2010.

Regarding relationships and teamwork.  Do you prefer holding meetings in properties where you have an established relationship with staff members?

It certainly helps to host a meeting at a property where the staff is familiar with our needs and has had previous experience working with Tyson.  The majority of our meetings are held in Northwest Arkansas, and we have excellent hotel partners in our area.  In addition to our meeting hotels, we have around 400 preferred hotels for our domestic and international business travel needs.

What is the best way for a hotel sales person to begin a business relationship with you?

Email introduction with property information is usually the best form of contact.  We receive a lot of phone calls, so the best way to receive information is in email format.  It’s also nice to have pictures and a business reason for the contact, such as if the property is located around a Tyson facility, office, or customer location we travel to often.

Please describe your favorite hotel sales and services contacts.

One of the best qualities of a preferred hotel sales contact is one that makes great suggestions and offers opportunities for enhancement.  The hotelier knows their space best and understands the capabilities of their staff, so it’s great when a hotelier has recommendations based on our meeting objectives. 

Teamwork is important for success in sports.  In your opinion, is it also important for success in meeting planning?

Teamwork is critical to success in meeting planning!  I am so fortunate to be part of a strong team at Tyson in the Travel & Meetings Department.  We help each other out, and our work styles complement each other.  Also, I would like to recognize the teamwork of our often-used preferred hotels who help us accomplish our goals for ultimate customer service. They notify us of any concerns and help us determine the best way to handle an issue.

What skills are required to be a great meeting planner?

I believe one of the most important skills for a meeting planner is the ability to ask the right questions.  Listen to your client, find out what goal they are trying to accomplish and what tone they want to set.  This will help you anticipate their needs and become the professional they will want to turn to every time.  Time management and the ability to prioritize is also essential.  Sometimes a client will think everything is urgent and important, but determining the priority is a very important skill. 

What advice would you like to share with people new to planning that might help them be successful?

Keep learning!  There are so many educational resources within the industry and colleagues who are willing to provide advice when help is needed.

Do you see a time when “face-to-face” meetings may be replaced with online meetings?

Technology has certainly changed the way we do meetings, but I don’t believe face-to-face meetings will ever be replaced, nor should they be.  You can really learn a lot from a person’s body language, tone, and inflection of voice.  Meeting in person allows you to have someone’s full attention and it’s easier to avoid distractions.  I think communicating in person provides successful outcomes and could even drive faster results.   

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