Event Architects To Know in 2024 - Nicole Chattin, Critical Start
Nicole Chattin, of Critical Start, discusses how she builds and plans meetings and events in the evolving hospitality landscape of 2024.
Luke Whalin
Jun 19, 2024
Welcome to the HopSkip Planner Spotlight Series, where we highlight event professionals making waves across the events industry to share lessons learned and raise awareness of their invaluable contributions.
Name: Nicole Chattin
Company Name: Critical Start
Job Title: Strategic Corporate Events Manager
Can you briefly tell us about your background in event planning and how you got started in the industry?
My professional career in the meetings and event industry started 20 years ago in San Diego. While obtaining my masters in Spanish at San Diego State University, I was a server for a catering company. When I completed my master's, I continued in the events industry, working for a third-party planner planning events for large corporates like McAfee, Interwoven, and FedEx Office. After the 09 layoffs, I worked at an event venue for a short stint. Wanting to continue to diversify my career, my mentors recommended getting hotel experience. I got my foot in the door with Omni Hotels, working as a travel industry coordinator planning high-touch events in New York. When a position for a corporate event planner at the corporate office in Dallas opened up, I decided to move to Dallas, Texas.
I worked for Omni for over five years, planning corporate events, such as annual incentive trips, sales training, general manager and director conferences, HR conferences, F&B conferences, and more. I wanted to utilize more of my Spanish-speaking skills, so I worked for Brightspot as a third-party planner for over 6 years. I have numerous clients with Spanish-speaking attendees, and I have planned large conferences, meetings, and incentive trips all over the world. COVID hit, and I was ready to be back in a corporate environment, so I worked for a healthcare tech company, leading a team to plan a 3000-client conference. I now work for a cybersecurity company as their Strategic Corporate Events Manager, planning sales kickoffs, incentive trips, customer advisory board meetings, and sales meetings, and supporting industry tradeshows, such as Black Hat, RSAC, Gardner, and more. My experience working at a catering company, third-party logistics agencies, hotel corporate offices, and organizations in different industries has given me a diverse background to tackle any challenge, meet business goals, and curate memorable attendee experiences.
How do you go about selecting the perfect hotel or venue? What factors weigh most heavily in your decision?
There are several factors that contribute to selecting the perfect hotel or venue. Location is key! Determine whether the venue is located near desired attractions, business centers, close to an airport, or walkable. Another factor is budget and finding an option that fits within it. Considering room rates, fees, taxes, and any included amenities or services. Speaking of amenities, when a hotel or venue provides wireless internet, parking, fitness or pool facilities, and excellent dining options, that may sway selection. The types of rooms or meeting spaces are important, as well as how updated they are, how large they are, and what the view is. Is the venue rated highly online, and do other planners recommend it? As a planner, customer service with the planning team on site is important; how easy or difficult will they be to work with? Safety and security can also be important, as well as brand reputation.
What does the initial planning phase of securing a venue look like for you? Could you walk us through your initial steps?
What common financial challenges often arise when organizing an event, what strategies do you use to mitigate them, and how do you avoid them?
I follow a systematic approach while sourcing a venue. First, I build a robust RFP and define my program's requirements, including date, attendees, location, budget, amenities, etc. Next, I conduct thorough research to identify potential venues that meet the requirements. Sometimes, I leverage a sourcing tool; sometimes, I go direct with my hotels or CVBs I have established relationships with to expedite the process. Based on the proposals received and research conducted, I narrowed down a shortlist of candidates. I evaluate the proposals, negotiate, conduct site visits, present options to stakeholders, and finalize my decision.
Some common financial challenges that arise when organizing an event include a limited budget, which can restrict choices for venues, vendors, and services. I mitigate a limited budget by prioritizing expenses based on their importance to the event's objectives, negotiating with suppliers for discounts, and trimming unnecessary expenses. Another challenge is unexpected costs which can arise during the planning process or onsite during the event. I mitigate by building a contingency fund within the budget, conducting ample research and obtaining detailed quotes to anticipate potential costs, and tracking expenses in in a detailed line item budget to identify and address any deviations. Finally, fluctuating costs are a current challenge with inflation and rising food costs. Again, locking in contractual pricing early in the planning process can help mitigate this risk, along with adjusting the budget to accommodate price changes.
How do you leverage technology to boost efficiency during the planning, execution, and post-event stages? What does your “event tech stack” look like? (For example, using Survey Monkey for surveying attendees post-event)
Leveraging technology is crucial to streamline processes during event planning. During the pre-event planning process, I typically use an event registration system. With limited budgets, sometimes I use Marketo or Microsoft Forms. To project manage, I use Asana to stay organized and collaborate with cross-functional teams. I use the Microsoft Suite to stay organized with budgets in Excel, attendee agendas in Word, etc. Pre-event, we leverage Salesforce, propensity, and Marketo for prospect attendee outreach. During an event, using a mobile app technology like Cvent keeps onsite communication a breeze, or for internal events via Teams. For virtual or hybrid events, I use Cvent, Bizzabo, or Goldcast. For post-event, I send surveys via Cvent, Stove, Microsoft Forms, or SurveyMonkey. We collaborate with teams to demonstrate ROI via Salesforce, Marketo, Power BI, DreamData, and more. By incorporating an event tech stack tailored to specific event needs, I am able to streamline processes, enhance attendee experiences, and contribute to the overall event success.
Do you use frameworks, templates, or other tools/documents to help you stay organized and manage the event planning process?
Frameworks, templates, and other tools are essential for staying organized and managing the event planning process efficiently. I utilize a robust event planning checklist within Asana. It outlines the steps needed to take for each phase of the planning process, from working with the hotel, AV partner, communications, menu planning, and more. Asana also allows for a calendar or timeline view in order to see the high-level timing of the planning process and stay on track with deadlines. I utilize a detailed line item budget template in Excel to track expenses and ensure I stay under budget. I create a comprehensive Event Specifications Guide, which details all the event components and details in one document, which is shared with the hotel and necessary partners. It may also be referenced on-site with the staff running the event. For each vendor, there is a contractual agreement outlining all services outlined for the event ensuring the commitment by the vendor. Another framework I utilize is a marketing plan and templates that outline the strategies for promoting the event and communicating with attendees. Templates can include email campaigns, social media posts, and promotional materials. Finally, a tool I use to stay organized is the attendee registration form, which collects pertinent information from the attendee for planning purposes, such as name, stay details, dietary needs, and special accommodations. The data can be exported, formatted, and shared with necessary parties.
Do you have any specific strategies or insights for enhancing the attendee experience at your events?
Enhancing the attendee experience is crucial for the success of events as it leads to increased engagement, satisfaction, and loyalty among participants. Some strategies may include personalization, personalized content, networking opportunities, and gifts based on attendee profile. Interactive elements or activations like live polling, live Q&A sessions, hands-on workshops, incorporating AI, etc. Unique networking opportunities such as icebreaker activities, roundtable discussions, think tanks, and social events where attendees can connect, share experiences, and build relationships. Creating engaging content definitely enhances events, ensuring the interests, needs, and challenges of the attendees are taken into account. Incorporate a diverse mix of keynote speakers, panel discussions, workshops, and interactive sessions featuring thought leaders and industry experts. Collecting attendee feedback and surveys during and after the event will be important to honing the attendee experience. Finally, continuous engagement with attendees will keep them connected on their event journey.
Effective communication is crucial in any planning process. How do you ensure you and your event stakeholders are always on the same page?
Effective communication is paramount to ensuring alignment and collaboration among event stakeholders. Some strategies include outlining a DACI framework, who is your Driver (event planner), who is your Approver (executive sponsor/decision maker), who are the Contributors (consulting, expertise), and who needs to be Informed (no direct involvement, resource allocation). From there, you establish clear and accessible communication channels for sharing information, updates, and feedback among all stakeholders. Securing stakeholder buy-in for the event is crucial. Setting up a regular cadence of touch point calls to review deadlines/deliverables and hold teams accountable for their contributions and keep everyone engaged and on the same page is required.
Communication via email and Teams where appropriate is beneficial. Maintain a centralized documentation and shared resource repository via Microsoft Teams/SharePoint, where collaboration and historical documents will be stored. Ensure lines of communication are open and stakeholders feel comfortable contributing and providing feedback. If any issues arise, address them promptly by listening to stakeholder concerns, seeking resolutions together, and communicating any adjustments. Continuing to provide regular updates and feedback will be extremely helpful to the success of the event. A post-event debrief is important to assess what went where, what areas of opportunity there are, and what ways to improve in future events.
How do you facilitate networking opportunities among attendees? Are there any specific tactics or strategies that you recommend?
What's your go-to plan for handling emergencies or unexpected situations during an event?
Can you share an example of a significant challenge you faced while planning an event conference and how you overcame it?
For networking among attendees, I recommend icebreaker activities to kick off an event and let attendees get to know each other. Designated networking sessions or mixers will allow attendees to mingle and engage in meaningful conversations. Speed networking is another unique way to arrange one-on-one brief meetings between participants. Think tanks or topic-based discussions at small roundtables encourage attendees to connect in a more intimate setting by guiding them with a topic. Attendees can connect digitally via an event mobile app with messaging or an appointment setting. Teambuilding activities promote teamwork, communication and camaraderie among attendees. Finally, attendees can network at hosted receptions or social events like cocktail parties where they can unwind and connect in a relaxed and informal setting.
I have encountered numerous emergencies and unexpected situations during events and the key is to prepare in advance. Establish an emergency response team, designating those involved in responding to an emergency, such as the planner, HR, hotel security, and medical representative. Develop an emergency response plan, outlining policies and procedures for different types of emergencies and situations, like natural disasters, security threats, and more. Create an emergency communication plan and distribute it to the team and attendees so it is clear who should be notified in case of an emergency. As event planners, we have a duty of care to check with hotels and venues to ensure they have security procedures in place and outline the closest hospital, dentist, doctor, etc. If an emergency or situation arises, fill out an incident response form and share it with HR and the emergency response team. The safety of attendees is tantamount to hosting an in-person meeting.
One significant challenge I faced while planning a large 3000-client conference, which was originally planned as a hybrid event, was a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases three weeks before the event date. In response to the evolving situation, we made the decision to pivot the entire conference to a fully virtual format to prioritize the health and safety of attendees.
To overcome this challenge, our team swiftly convened to assess the situation and devise a plan of action. We held a series of meetings to create a transition document outlining the changes needed for the virtual format, including adjustments to the agenda, technology requirements, and communication strategies. Each task was assigned to a specific team member with clear deadlines, and we implemented daily stand-up meetings to track progress and address any issues or concerns.
Through effective communication, collaboration, and proactive problem-solving, we successfully executed the transition to a virtual conference within a tight timeframe. Despite the unexpected circumstances, the event was well-received by attendees, and we were able to deliver a valuable and engaging experience while prioritizing the safety and well-being of all participants.
What are the typical steps you take in the post-event phase?
The post-event phase is important for evaluating the success of an event, capturing feedback, and wrapping up any tasks. Typically, I set up an internal debrief with the stakeholders to review what went well, any challenges, and notes for future events. I analyze data and metrics collected during the event, such as attendee numbers, session attendance, social media engagement, and lead generation. I identify trends and patterns to inform future decision-making. I analyzed the attendee post-event survey to understand the experience from their eyes and make notes for the next event. I complete a financial reconciliation, collect all expenses, update the budget, and analyze total investment and ROI. I also archive all documents, photos, and feedback for future reference. Finally, I celebrate the completion of another event!
What key performance indicators (KPIs) do you use to evaluate the success of an event?
Evaluating the success of an event involves measuring various KPIs across different aspects of the event. Some KPIs I typically use would include attendance metrics (total attendance, attendance rate), engagement metrics (session attendance, participation), satisfaction metrics (attendee satisfaction, NPS), content performance (content ratings and relevance), lead generation (qualified leads, conversation rate, pipeline generation), return on investment (revenue generated, cost per attendee), social media and online engagement (social media outreach, online engagement), and finally, brand awareness and exposure (brand mentions, media impressions). By tracking these key performance indicators, I gain valuable insights into the effectiveness, impact, and success of my events.
What advice would you offer someone just starting their career in the meetings and events industry?
For someone just starting their career in meeting and event planning, I'd advise gaining hands-on experience through internships, volunteer opportunities, or entry-level positions to build practical skills and industry knowledge. Network with professionals in the field, join relevant associations or organizations and seek mentorship to learn from experienced practitioners and expand your professional network. Stay organized, detail-oriented, and adaptable, and always strive to exceed expectations and deliver exceptional experiences for clients and attendees. Event planning is the 5th most stressful job, so you have to LOVE it and be passionate about it!