This topic (translation: Copying/Printing/Binding/Producing On-Site Materials) has few questions on the CMP exam, but is important when managing a meeting. j When producing on-site materials, keep in mind: budget, production schedule, printing and binding, and editing. The first step in the process of producing materials is to determine your budget. This is the only instance in which determining/reviewing goals and objectives is not the first step - likely because the objective is, in fact, to produce materials within the budget!

Step 1: Determine all required items that need to be produced, including: on-site program book, session handouts, tickets, addenda, evaluation forms, registration bag inserts, other printed/copied materials.

 Step 2: Develop comprehensive written specifications for all items that need to be produced, including: timeline for proofing and production, number of each piece required, special production instructions (paper type, collation required, binding). The location of the meeting and the required delivery date of materials to the venue should also be part of the specifications.

Step 3: Solicit at least three bids from printers. New technologies for designing and collecting materials have reduced the expense and time required for printing much of the required on-site materials. Speakers can submit handouts electronically, meeting managers can design "camera ready" tickets and programs for printing more easily and less expensively than prior to the desktop publishing era.

The timeline/production schedule should include dates for proofing all pieces prior to printing. Use a style sheet if someone else (such as a speaker) is writing copy to ensure consistency in all materials. Make sure that the company printing the materials, the person or people preparing the materials for printing, and those proofing the materials are all using the same correct terminology. This can impact the budget as well. Establish who is responsible for paying for corrections, depending on whose error required the corrections.

Understand the pros and cons of different binding methods: spiral binding, perfect binding, and saddle stitching, and choose the binding that meets your budget, achieves the overall look you want, and works best for the user (e.g., if attendees need to be able to have the handout book open flat to take notes, then perfect binding and saddle stitching will not work). The production schedule is key. Determine critical dates backwards from when materials must be on site; ensure the printer adheres to/guarantees the schedule.

Last-Minute, On-Site Copy Jobs … Oh, the Horror!

On-site business centers are convenient and important, but they're very expensive. Keep all materials that need to be printed/copied on site (last-minute changes, corrections, addenda, reprints of something that was printed wrong the first time) to a minimum. The best managed budgets can get thrown out of line if there are too many on-site copy jobs. Limit the number of people who have the authority to charge business center jobs to the master account to control costs. Meet with the in-house business center manager to outline what types of jobs may be required and lead times. Ask for a discount since you are a group meeting in the facility. Say that you'd like to handle the on-site requirements with the in-house business center for convenience, but if the price is too high, you will be forced to take them off site to a nearby copy center (not optimal for either party). If a discount from the on-site business center gets costs within reach or close to the price at the off-site copy center, it will make more sense to handle those last-minute requirements on site.

° Vicky Betzig, CMP, is president/owner of Meetings Industry Consulting and has more than 20 years of experience in managing meetings, conferences, conventions, trade shows, and events. She has extensive experience in the development, production, and facilitation of CMP study programs and is a nationally recognized trainer, presenter, and author (the co-recipient of PCMA's 2004 Author of the Year Achievement Award) on a variety of meeting management topics. She can be contacted at vabetzig@mindspring.com.

The Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation, the foremost certification program of today's meetings, conventions, and expositions industry, recognizes those who have achieved the industry's highest standards of professionalism. Established in 1985 by the Convention Industry Council (CIC), the CMP credential was developed to increase the proficiency of meeting professionals in any component or sector of the industry.