Inviting attendees to bring along companions has upsides, boosting not only attendance, but also enthusiasm, as people who are away from home too much or lack the time or money for a leisure getaway enjoy the benefits of “bleisure” — the blending of business and leisure. Including tagalongs can also make a conference more fun for everyone, especially when the destination is appealing. Arm-twisting isn’t usually required to get someone to come along to a conference in the Colorado mountains or on the beaches of South Florida. Here are a few ways to make your conference inviting to plus-ones or the entire family.
Make guests feel special from the start
Companions will want to know what’s happening at the conference and how they fit into the picture. Make it easy through communication created especially for them, like a dedicated section for tagalongs on the conference website or app. What info should you share? Tell companions which conference events are open to them and, if there is a charge, how much it is and how payment should be made. If tours or trips are planned, supply details like departure time, length of the tour, cost and departure point. Include recommendations for clothing that fits the destination and various events. And let special guests know about complimentary options at the hotel so they can take advantage of them in their free time. At one conference in Arizona, special guests were provided with dates and times for the resort’s free yoga and tai chi classes and its guided hikes.
Create a clubhouse
Companions will feel royally welcomed if you create a dedicated space for them, like a hospitality room or welcome center where they can pop in for coffee and snacks, learn about activities, meet other tagalongs, or grab maps and brochures to explore on their own. At a conference in Long Beach, spouses and other guests gathered in the Beacon Rotunda at the headquarters hotel, the Hyatt Regency Long Beach. The room itself was a treat, with walls of windows and views of the waterfront. That conference made the welcome even warmer by hosting a breakfast for attendees’ companions in the rotunda to kick off the day. Not only did companions meet or reunite with other guests, but they also heard about what there was to see and do in Long Beach from a representative of the Long Beach CVB.
Tap into the bureau’s brainpower
Most convention and visitors bureaus will send volunteers or staff to conferences to supply information about things to do and see in their area and hand out coupons and goodie bags, but CVBs will also typically help meeting planners come up with special tours or outings for companions. They can also connect planners to local suppliers like tour guides or transportation companies. In Traverse City, Michigan, for example, the CVB might recommend tours of the wineries along the Leelanau or Old Mission peninsulas and connect conference planners to companies that will do the driving, like Scenic Wine & Brew Tours, Grand Traverse Tours or Wonderland Tours. The CVB could also provide maps and recommended stops for an afternoon of exploring shops, galleries and sidewalk cafes in downtown Traverse City.
Minimize cost, maximize fun
Religious and association conferences are known for encouraging people to bring the family along. Adding kids to the mix can be a chance to give a conference a more casual — and sometimes less pricey — vibe by turning a formal dinner into a family picnic or cookout, or making a networking reception into a movie night, with kids enjoying popcorn and a Pixar film as parents enjoy appetizers and drinks. Pool or dance parties can also work, depending on the crowd. For kid-friendly outings, investigate public parks; many midsize cities have impressive ones. At Bonnet Springs Park in Lakeland, Florida, kids can seek the shade of a 200-year-old oak after a workout at the park’s popular playground. At the 308-acre Dorothea Dix Park in Raleigh, North Carolina, there’s room to run among sunflower fields. In Lexington, Kentucky, Gatton Park on the Town Branch, which opened in August next to the city’s convention center, has a flowing stream to splash in, an elaborate children’s play area and trails to traipse.
Resort to a resort
An easy way to make sure there’s plenty for tagalongs to do, without having to plan a lot of special events and outings, is to meet at a full-service resort. There are a lot of options, from five-star luxury retreats and kid-oriented complexes to state park resorts where nature provides inexpensive and enjoyable entertainment. Kids will be fascinated by the colossal Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, New York, a castle-like hotel that clings to craggy cliffs where a children’s program lets kids be kids by challenging them to catch frogs and climb over rocks.
At Dunton Hot Springs, an all-inclusive resort in Colorado, kids can traipse through a ghost town, try to fly fish or raft down a river. And in Oklahoma City, the new 404-room Okana Resort & Indoor Waterpark covers a lot of interests and age groups with indoor and outdoor water parks, a spa and a 27,000-square-foot conference center.
