Contracting and negotiation are crucial—yet complex—roles for meeting professionals and understanding legal terminology and common contract clauses (and the liabilities they protect against) allows meeting professionals to negotiate from a position of strength. Even if you know what to look for, contracting is dynamic, and negotiation strategies change with market conditions, competition and the economy. Solid knowledge of contract law and negotiation tactics enables meeting professionals to protect the interests of their organizations.

Negotiating contracts involves managing financial and liability risks and protecting your business, particularly when considering the performance clauses (attrition and cancellation) that are standard in most venue contracts. No contracts are the same; words and phrasing vary and need to be carefully reviewed and edited. Sometimes, additional clauses must to be added to balance the risk and liability between parties.

It’s said the only right answer in the law is “it depends.” This certificate program will illustrate legal principles with examples from the news, the instructor and your peers. Bring success and horror stories to share with other participants, enhance your legal knowledge and fulfill on your role to negotiate contracts that protect your organization from the financial and liability risks associated with your meetings and events.

You’ll Be Able To:

• Explain the purpose of the primary contract clauses found in venue contracts.
• Give examples of how contract language may result in financial or liability risk.
• Prioritize issues for negotiation, determining “hot buttons” based on your meeting specifications.
• Distinguish between contract language that is merely unfavorable and that which puts a party at significant financial or liability risk.
• Negotiate key performance and liability clauses in at least three different ways so that the result is multiple options and not just a win-lose scenario.
• Modify venue contracts based on knowledge of meetings contracts, meeting specifications, market conditions and knowledge of venue.

You will also receive:

• Contract Negotiation & Management Certificate
• 6 clock hours in CMP-IS Domain B: Project Management

Click here to register for a Pre-Conference Session without attending WEC Grapevine.

Already registered for WEC Grapevine and want to add a Pre-Conference Session? Select 'Already Registered' on the top-right of the screen and login with your confirmation number and email. Once logged in, select 'Modify' and then scroll down and select 'Next' until you get to the 'Item Selection' page and add the pre-cons you are interested in.

Women play key roles in the hospitality and meeting industries, but many find it challenging to move into leadership positions. In fact, recent studies show that women are 28% less likely to get an executive-level position even if they possess the skills that make other job applicants attractive candidates for CEO, COO, CMO and CFO positions. What are the skills necessary to be considered for these types of high-level leadership roles, and how do they translate to the level of leadership you seek for your current and future career?

Learn about the key roles women play in the hospitality and meeting industries and how to overcome career obstacles to executive-level positions—or the right-fit leadership level for you. Review and learn from real-life case studies of women who have overcome adversity to excel in the meetings space, while maintaining the right balance for their personal and professional lives. Examine what skills they possess, the decisions they made and what actions they took to enable their industry leadership.

Analyze your own personal leadership skills using a Clifton StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment to discover the areas you excel, and where you can fill gaps with future training and advancement. Think about where you want your career and leadership to grow in the next three to five years and create an action and development plan that advances your career, your leadership and your influence.

You’ll Be Able To:

• Identify the skills that help women ascend to executive leadership roles in the meeting and event industry, and self-evaluate where you excel and where you can improve
• Utilize best-practice methods for overcoming common challenges women face in obtaining leadership opportunities
• Follow your personal action plan for leadership success and career development and find success in right-fit leadership roles
• Locate additional resources available to women seeking leadership roles in the meeting and event industry

Participants Also Receive:

• Women in Leadership: Executive Leadership Skills certificate
• 4 clock hours in CMP-IS Strategic Domain E: Human Resources or Domain F: Stakeholder Management
• Access code for Clifton StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment
• Individual Development Plan
• Peer-to-peer mentoring

Click here to register for a Pre-Conference Session without attending WEC Grapevine.

Already registered for WEC Grapevine and want to add a Pre-Conference Session? Select 'Already Registered' on the top-right of the screen and login with your confirmation number and email. Once logged in, select 'Modify' and then scroll down and select 'Next' until you get to the 'Item Selection' page and add the pre-cons you are interested in.