Meeting Management

Note:  For the purposes of this document, the terms:

• “TPS” means the required form of payment per the contracted Travel Payment Services provider.
•  “MTG” means Corporate Meeting Card / Corporate Meeting Account.
• “Facility” can mean hotel, convention center, fairground, community center, and the like.
• “Meeting” can mean a conference, convention, event, seminar, presentation, training, workshop, examination, forum, award program, ceremony, job fair, trade show, public hearing, board meeting, and the like.

1.   What is a meeting planner?
A person authorized to arrange meetings for their department.

2.   How do I pay for meetings?
Per State Administrative Manual (SAM) section 4117.5, the contracted Travel Payment Services (TPS) Corporate Meeting Card (MTG) must be used to pay for all state-conducted meeting-related expenses. The MTG card payment option is currently offered through our contracted TPS provider. To establish an account for your department, contact the Statewide Travel Program at StatewideTravelProgram@dgs.ca.gov.

3.   What is the MTG card?
The MTG card is a centrally-billed, plastic card used as a payment method for meetings, conferences, and events. Discuss your specific needs with your department’s Program Administrator (note: your Program Administrator may be in your accounting, travel, contracts or business services office).

4.   Where do I obtain my department’s MTG card?
Contact your department’s Program Administrator.

5.   Can I use one MTG card for all meetings?
Yes.  However, the TPS provider can provide multiple supplemental numbers for individual planners, meetings or divisions.  If you have multiple meetings, discuss the available options with your department’s Program Administrator.

6.   What if the facility wants an actual card to charge for guest rooms and meeting space?
As part of your contract with the facility, you will include the Payment Process letter advising that payment will be made using a billing number.  If the facility has any questions regarding the use of the payment process, they should contact your department’s Program Administrator.

7.   Do I need a formal written contract for meeting space?
You should have a formal written contract for all meeting space to insure a common understanding between the parties.  It is important to refer to your department’s contract policies prior to executing any contract. 

8.   Can a facility invoice be faxed, scanned or emailed from the facility to the meeting planner for review and signature approval and, in turn, faxed back to the facility to complete the process?
Yes.  Faxed, scanned, and emailed signatures are acceptable.  The meeting planner must review the invoice and resolve all discrepancies prior to approval.  Once approved, the facility can submit the charge to the TPS provider in a single transaction.  Refer to the instructions in the Payment Process letter.

9. Should all transactions be on one invoice?
Yes.  The final invoice should include all charges related to that meeting, per the instructions of the Payment Process letter.

10. Can I charge guest rooms & tax on the MTG card?
Yes.  The guest room rate and applicable taxes are allowable charges to the MTG card, but not advisable.  If the MTG card is used, incidentals charges must always be placed on a personal card which is presented upon check in.  For further guidance, contact your department’s Program Administrator.

11. What if my bank statement reflects an incorrect charge for my meeting?
The bank statement must be paid in full by the next billing cycle to avoid a suspended account.  If your statement and your approved invoice do not match, contact your facility meeting representative immediately. If the bill has already been paid by the facility, then the facility must credit the account as requested.  Refer to the “Disputed Charges” section of the Payment Process letter.  If you are unable to resolve the billing discrepancy, contact your department’s Program Administrator.

12. What will happen if my account goes past due?
Any payments past due 90+ days will automatically suspend the MTG account until the full past due payment amount has been applied.

13. How soon can facilities expect payment once the folio invoice has been approved?
After the event and the invoice have been approved, your department will release the complete MTG card via the Payment Process letter.  At that point, the facility is immediately authorized to charge the approved amount.  This is a significant benefit to the facility since they do not have to “carry” your account and will generally receive full payment within three days of the charge transaction.

14. Are reports available to our department providing our overall charges on our MTG card?
Yes.  Various reports are available by contacting your department’s Program Administrator, which are accessible through the TPS reporting portal.

15. Does the MTG card have an expiration date for the facility to key in when requesting authorization?
For purposes of facility authorization, the MTG card has a valid expiration date.  However, the MTG card is valid for the length of the TPS contract.

16. Where can I locate facility listings for meetings?
The Statewide Travel “Resources” webpage lists potential facility resources and locations, i.e., state-owned conference rooms, conventions and visitors’ bureaus.  In addition, a listing of hotels for state employee travel is located via the following sites:

Concur, maintains a database of over 85,000 hotels that lists all the hotel amenities, accessibility requirements, restaurant establishments, and shuttle information. Concur allows you to find hotels offering state government rates within a requested mile radius by sorting the list of hotels by airport, destination address, business location, or reference point/zip code. To access Concur, you must be enrolled. Contact your department’s Travel Program Coordinator for guidance.

17. Am I authorized to pay for food or beverages for meetings?
Only if certain conditions are met.  Review your department’s policies with your accounting, travel, contracts or business services office and discuss the funding source as well as the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) Travel Rules for Represented Employees or DPA Travel Rules for Excluded Employees.  For represented employees, always refer to the bargaining unit contracts.

18. What if the facility does not accept the method of payment?

Complete the OFAM 101 Justification for Non-Compliance with State Administrative Manual (SAM) 4117.6 form and follow directions for submission.

Here are recommended steps in securing meeting space:

1. Check the availability of your department’s meeting rooms
2. Check out the Department of General Services State-Owned Building Conference Room Directory for free to low cost meeting rooms 
3. If you are unable to secure State space:
   1. Contact your department’s contracting unit first to find out their contracting process because each agency has their own system.
   2. Meeting space is exempt from the bid process. Click on the State Contracting Manual - Volume 1 - Chapter 5 and go to Contracts Exempt from Advertising in the CSCR and Competitive Bidding 5.80. However, it is recommended to go out to bid to receive the best overall value for the State.
      1. Info to provide when going out to bid for a meeting space:
         1. Room block
            1. Check in/out date
            2. Number of guest rooms requested each day
            3. Request Short-Term Lodging Reimbursement Rates for the area: CalHR Travel Reimbursements page 
            4. Request disclosure of all other taxes and local fees
               1. Occupancy tax (TOT)
               2. Tourism Assessment Fee
               3. Resort fee
               4. Other fees
         2. Meeting date
            1. Meeting start/end date
            2. Meeting start/end time
         3. Meeting room set-up
            1. Number of attendees
            2. Room set-up (Classroom (6x30 or 6x18 tables)), Theater, Chevron, etc. Provide a room diagram if possible. Click on the SpaceCalculator to assist with room planning.                     
               1. Registration tables
               2. Material tables
               3. Water station
               4. Breakout space
                  1. Storage rooms
                  2. Meeting office
         4. Audio visual equipment
            1. Common equipment needed:
               1. Lectern (standing or tabletop)
               2. Screen package (screen, cart, cables, extension cord, and tape)
               3. Microphones (tabletop, wireless handheld, lavaliere, etc.)
               4. Channel mixer for multiple microphones
               5. LCD data projector
               6. VGA cable
               7. House sound vs. free standing speakers
               8. Flip chart package (easel, paper, and pens)
               9. Request for multiple day discounts
         5. Misc.
            1. Request the cost of daily and overnight parking.
            2. Request the name of the nearest airport and how many miles it is from the airport to the hotel.
            3. Request if the hotel has an airport shuttle and if there is a fee.
            4. Request for complimentary concessions
               1. Break service (coffee)
   3. It is recommended to contact the Convention Visitors Bureau (CVB) in the city the meeting will be held in. Check out the Convention Visitor Bureaus & Tourism Directory since 1998 link.
   1. Keep the hotel up- to-date on the status of the contracting process.
   1. Once the State contract is signed by the hotel. Request the following reservation info from the hotel to provide to the attendees:
      1. Group name
      2. Group reservation code
      3. Hotel URL to book reservations online
      4. Hotel’s website
      5. Reservation phone number
      6. Guest room cutoff date
      7. Check in/out time
      8. Individual guest room cancellation policy
      9. Early departure policy
   2. Request a guest room pick up list weekly to ensure attendees are making their reservations.
   3. A week or two from the meeting date, the hotel will provide Banquet Event Orders (BEO). BEO details the meeting by date and by meeting room. Make sure everything that was contracted for is on the BEO. The BEO will have the following info:
      1. Post as (title of the meeting you would like posted outside of the meeting room and on the hotel’s daily information board)
      2. Contact person (name, phone number, and fax number)
      3. On-site meeting contact (name and phone number)
      4. Event date
      5. Event time (start/end)
      6. Room name
      7. Set-up needs
      8. Number of attendees
      9. Room rental fee
      10. Food and beverage detail and charges
      11. Audio visual equipment detail and charges
   4. Once you have confirmed everything is correct on the BEO, sign, date, and return to the hotel.
   5. Provide a copy of the BEO to whoever is going to be onsite.
   6. You may want to schedule a pre-conference meeting at the hotel to assure everyone is on the same page for the meeting. The pre-conference meeting is typically scheduled the day before and the hotel Sales Manager, Catering Manager, and Audio Visual representative attend.
   7. Once the meeting has concluded, the hotel will provide an invoice. Review the invoice to assure nothing is charged that was not authorized. If something was charged that was not authorized, work with the hotel to remove the charge, and provide the final invoice to accounting to process for payment.