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Graylyn's Promise To You

"We promise to create an environment that enriches the soul, stimulates your senses and awakens a feeling of home.”

Graylyn is undeniably an amazing facility with many features that will augment and enhance our guests' stay. That is our promise to you.

We are hopeful that this 2 ½ minute video will give you the sense of our passion, depth of our commitment and the PROMISE we make to each of you!

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Graylyn Named In "The Elite 50" By ConventionSouth Magazine

Graylyn International Conference Center has been selected as one of “The Elite 50 Conference Centers in the South” by the editors of ConventionSouth magazine.  Out of hundreds of conference centers in the South and Caribbean, only 50 were selected for being among the “coolest” and “most meetings friendly.              

ConventionSouth magazine, a national multimedia resource for planning events that are held within the South and Caribbean Seas region, extensively researched to find the top 50 conference centers in the South. Conference facilities were assessed based on various factors such as meetings technology and amenities; facility aesthetics, décor and appearance; and meeting planner reviews and recommendations. From there, editors asked a list of 80 to fill out a detailed qualification form, noting their offerings and best attributes such as videoconferencing capabilities, ergonomic seating, catering, recreation options and outdoor gathering areas. After a careful review of the forms, editors hand-selected 50 elite conference centers to place on the list be featured in its June issue.

Graylyn and the 49 other elite meeting and event sites will be featured in the June issue of ConventionSouth. A full list of “The Elite 50 Conference Centers in the South” can be found at: http://www.conventionsouth.com/conferencecenters.htm and on Pinterest at http://www.pinterest.com/conventionsouth/50-elite-conference-centers-in-the-south

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10 Tips For Building Client Relationships During Outings

You never get a second chance to make a first impression! When taking a client or business associate out for a meal, you should always have proper etiquette on your mind. Etiquette, along with professionalism, will build a strong relationship with your client and may even aid in your sales with their company.

 Here are some tips to make sure your client outing is successful and professional:

- Always make a reservation – use both your name and your company name, as you do not know which name your guest will ask for at the reception desk.

- Plan to arrive 15 minutes early, so you are there to greet them.

- If there is more than one guest, do not sit between them or it will be like a tennis match during the meal, with you looking right, then left, then right.A

- Always stand when a new guest arrives.

- Turn off your cell phone.

- Bring writing materials – using a scrap of paper or a napkin is tacky and indicates you did not expect to do business.  And it is tacky to ask for a pen.

- Use proper posture at the table and do not lean on your elbows.

- Do not point, it is considered rude.  Especially the one finger point.

- If you drop your napkin on the floor, it should be left there and a new napkin requested from your server.  If you drop a utensil, you can pick it up if it is within reach, but request a new one from your server.

- Place your napkin back on the table only when everyone is leaving. The napkin should not be left on the chair.

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Ditch Those Dull Desks!

It's usually the same old scenario. You're at a meeting with your company at a typical hotel and conference center. You've been sitting in a meeting room listening to non-stop lectures from eight in the morning until your lecturer finally gets long-winded and dismisses the attendees at around five o'clock or so.

But when the meeting is over you know the work is not over, whether it's checking emails that you missed from being at your office or working on a presentation for the next day. But do you really want to go right upstairs to your room and sit at a cold desk and do work?

A new trend in hotels and conference centers is ditching those dulling hotel room desks. By adding ambience throughout the vicinity, hotel guests and meeting attendees alike can enjoy spending time in a cozy atmosphere outside of their hotel room.

Graylyn takes pride in treating its guests as members of the family - the Gray family, that is. As it was once the spacious home of Bowman Gray, the first president and CEO of RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company, and his wife Nathalie, Graylyn maintains its timeless and homey feeling guest rooms without the desks and internet hook ups! Although the guest rooms are quite beautiful and unique, the ambience around the estate is enough to keep you away to relax and efficiently do work.

Want to cozy up to the fire in the library while checking those never-ending emails? Graylyn also has WIFI throughout the estate, another perk for meeting attendees.

Comfort and efficiency are two very important roles in conducting meetings. It only makes since to keep those dull desks out of the guest rooms. What are your thoughts on this new trend?

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From Candy Bars To Coffee Bars: Keep Your Meeting Attendees Alert!

In honor of National Coffee Day on Sunday, September 29th, we decided to have a blog post all about coffee...and meetings, of course!

The smell of coffee is one of the most inviting sensory details you can provide at meetings. Not only will a smiling barista, high-quality brewed coffee, and espresso drinks like lattes and cappuccinos elevate your meeting to exceptional, it is becoming so widely popular at wedding receptions, business events, and parties alike.

Preparing for a coffee bar at your next meeting isn’t complicated-follow these tips to get started:

FINDING A COFFEE BAR
If you're at a venue like Graylyn, with a designated conference coordinator and hands-on chefs working to make your meeting a success, a personalized coffee break will be a piece of cake. However, some venues do not provide their customers with food and beverages, they must be catered. You may be able to locate a coffee caterer by doing a Google search for your area. It’s likely, though, that many professional baristas won’t have a website. Word-of-mouth is still the best way to find one; stop in at a coffee shop or two and ask for information on coffee caterers. You might luck out and get a bid on the spot!

TYPICAL OFFERINGS
Coffee bars vary in their offerings; the basic service usually consists of brewed coffee in regular and decaf and espresso-based drinks. Syrup flavors are often limited to chocolate, caramel, and vanilla. Cold drinks and frappe-like drinks may not be available, unless caterers are equipped with an ice bin and a blender. The more creative the coffee break, the happier your meeting attendees will be. And did I mention the caffeine surge that will keep them alert and full of ideas?!

COFFEE BAR REQUIREMENTS
You’ll need to ask the caterer for his or her requirements. Some coffee caterers will have a portable cart and may need nothing but a power outlet. Others may need a table, access to water, and at least two outlets. Graylyn's coffee break sets are large areas with plenty of space for those flavored syrups and creamers. Talking with your experienced conference coordinator will ensure that your barista-style break will be a success.

SETUP
One exceptional way to set the bar up is to place it where guests will be queuing-this smooths out the waiting process. Beware, though; you might have guests rejoin the line for seconds!

So amp up your next meeting with a fantastic coffee break. You'll be doing yourself and your attendees a f(l)avor!

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How Meeting Planners Can Use Foursquare to Promote Meetings

Foursquare, a location-based social network that allows users with smartphones to “check in” at venues, is one of the most up-and-coming social media sites on web. It is perfect for increasing engagement because it combines the fun of social media with incentives and viral messaging.

Users “check in” at venues using a mobile website, text messaging or a device-specific application. They are then awarded points and in some cases, “badges” for certain activities.

If social networking sites connect people to people, then Foursquare should be thought of as connecting people to places making it the perfect social media tool to promote your next meeting:

1. Drive attendance.
Many of the already existing badges for Foursquare can be leveraged for this purpose. Foursquare has two badges that are rewarded based on a crowd of users checking in.

If 50 people check in, a “Swarm Badge” is unlocked, and if 250 people all check in the same venue and time period, a “Super Swarm Badge” is unlocked.

When promoting an event where there is a possibility to get this badge, people will usually promote this to all their peers in the attempt to gain more people to check in to ensure the badge is awarded.

2. Post tips and information in real time.
Foursquare has a “Shout” or “Ping” function that allows you to send a mass message out to friends and users. This tool can be leveraged to make announcements, which can be received  via mobile applications. There is also a function to post tips or instructions on the venue’s Foursquare page.

3. Gather demographic and business data.
As a venue owner or manager, or as the agent promoting that event/venue, you can “claim” the ownership, and then Foursquare allows you to utilize and view the robust back-end analytic package connected with each site.

Here you can find out such things as who is checked in, the frequency they have done so, their Twitter username (if public), whether they are male or female, and any tips or suggestions they have made about the site.

Once the meeting is over, make sure to go back and track your Foursquare page. See who checked in, how many tips were left on the venue page, and how many people took advantage of the check-in promotion. These results will help your social media marketing for the next meeting; what worked and what didn't.

So broaden your horizons from solely Facebook and Twitter. The age of social media is everchanging, and it is your job (as well as many others) as a meeting planner to stay on top of it. It not only increases awareness for your meetings and venues but also allows the attendees to market your event for you.

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Networking For Meeting Attendees

Many companies are bigger than we think. There's no way all of the employees know each other or have even met. We all know that one of the big reasons to hold meetings or corporate retreats is to bring employees together and figure out ways to better the company through teamwork. They want to find people with shared interests to do business with and they want to home in on the people who will be the most helpful for them in their endeavors. But, especially at larger meetings, people find networking to be uncomfortable, overwhelming and downright ineffective. Here are a few things you can do as their event planner to make the experience more fun.

Name badges with a twist
Instead of first and last name, find some ways to give the name badges more dimension. Try color coding by interest or specialty (and remember to give your attendees the key!) or ask your attendees to list their three favorite things. Have them say "Ask me about...". It's a great way to get the conversation started and help your attendees figure out who might be a good fit for them.

There's an app for that...

There are some pretty cool networking apps out there that allow your attendees to check in at your event and find a list of all the other people who are there, along with their social networks.

Bump: Bump isn't only used for swapping info with the mystery gentleman at the bar. Feel free to bump contacts at networking events and even in the workplace. Who's to say that fleeting connections won't materialize into bigger and better prospects down the line?

WhosHere: It's time to meet your match. Find other people in your proximity who also use the service and talk to them! It's as simple as that. You can also review the profiles of those nearest to you and hold out on an introduction until you find a subject with similar interests. Great for down-time at conferences. 

Take your shoes off and relax (but not in the meeting, of course!)
So often, we're focused on great event content, but we forget about down time. Down time is really important - not only for our brains, but for connecting with our fellow event attendees. What we'd love to see is more time left to be created by your attendees - time for them to create content, share ideas and network. You will find that your attendees see this as some of the most valuable time they have.

Networking can play a huge role in the success of your corporate life. Whether attending a meeting with 75 different companies involved, or your own company's meeting where you just may not know anyone, networking builds relationships and a strong foundation for teamwork.

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Finding The Perfect Meeting Planner

We all know that behind every successful meeting is an exceptionally talented meeting planner. Also known as the backbone of planning a meeting, the planner has too many duties to even list. From budgeting, to venue selection, to menus and cocktail receptions, the planner is always there to keep things in check. You are entrusting the outcome of your event to this individual and should set the bar high.

So what makes an exceptional meeting planner...


1. They're always prepared.No matter how compact the bag, if you need something, a meeting planner can reach into a "Mary Poppins" bag and produce it in a matter of seconds.

2. They know how to be composed. While others scramble if things don't go according to plan, meeting planners never let you see them sweat. They're armed with a Plan B... and a Plan C, D, E and F, too.

3. They're wired for possibilities.Where others see obstacles, meeting planners see potential. They can take the biggest hurdle and turn it into something positive in a matter of minutes.

4. They're masters of the palate.Even on a shoestring budget, they can whip up a banquet feast that's delicious and healthy, too!

5. They're destination divas.Wondering where to go on that next vacation? Go find a meeting planner and you'll have destination suggestions to fuel vacation choices for the next decade.

6. They act as protectors of the planet. Meeting planners always have a keen eye for protecting the environment, taking the green path at every opportunity. They waste not, yet manage to do so with great flair.

7. They serve as people connectors.If you have a meeting planner in your circle of friends, you're just three degrees from anyone in the world. They know people who know people and they take great delight in helping others make meaningful connections.

8. They have generous hearts.Meeting planners are go-givers. They're always looking out for others, even the quietest sheep in the flock. They see the unseen and they will do whatever it takes to help others in need.

9. They always go the extra mile.Do you need to get something done? If a meeting planner commits to do something, there's no need for reminders. It will get done, on time (or ahead of time) and in the best possible way.

10. They're friendly and fun. 
Meeting planners aren't just experts at creating delightful experiences for others. They are natural born party people, smiling and finding fun even in the least likely places.

Use these tips when searching for your next meeting planner and you'll be sure to find a great fit. And as always, Happy Meeting Planning!

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Meeting Planners, Are You Thinking Green?

So you have decided to plan a green meeting. What does this mean? Where should you start? How do you reconcile the desire to be green with the need to save some green?

We are in an age where there is more concern about the well-being of our environment and how we can prevent pollution and ozone depletion. As the number one contributors to pollution, we have a responsibility to respond to these concerns and there is no better place to start than in the hospitality industry.

As a meeting planner, there are more and more ways to aid in the sustainability movement. Although it seems that planning an entirely green and cost efficient meeting might me be more trouble than it is worth, let's look at 10 ways to go green while planning your meeting. 

• Select hotels and suppliers with green policies and practices
• Host all multi-session meetings at a central location to limit transportation needs
• Minimize paper with web based invites, online event registration and electronic follow-up
• Utilize double-sided printing for all collateral and meeting related materials
• Give recycled materials precedence when making meeting supply purchases
• Decrease the usage of paper and plastic by using real china for all food and beverages
• Select buffet style menus and donate leftovers to eliminate waste
• Coordinate with venues to use bulk dispensers for all food and beverage
• Encourage speakers to use electronic means of presentation
• Choose a venue with an in-house recycling program and encourage recycling

While this list may seem daunting, if you keep it in the back of your mind you will successfully be creating completely sustainable meetings without the stress or worries. 

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Selecting The Right Technology For Your Meeting

You have just been given the daunting task of planning the next big corporate meeting for your company. But before you even have a chance to ask what the proposed date is, questions and ideas start flooding your head. What is the budget? How many people will be attending? 200 people? Which conference center will hold that many people?

The stress of meeting planning can be all too overwhelming, but thankfully there are tons and tons of meeting planning technology products that can perform nearly every job in planning that successful meeting. The problem is not every product is "one size fits all." The right meetings technology solution can bring a huge benefit in cost, time savings and customer service. The wrong choice can be far more costly than just the price of the software and implementation.

So how do you choose which ones will be beneficial for you and your company? This article will help decide on the most efficient technology products for your meeting and eliminate the ones that may be insignificant.

Inventory your office. 
First before anything else, examine your current office environment. Determine what is currently being used and what could use modification. Here are some questions that need to be posed:

• What meetings processes are being managed via paper?  Do you maintain a large file cabinet of meeting facility information? Do you send your RFPs via fax? Are you accepting registration via the mail or fax? Do you use paper surveys? Do you draw and update your exhibit plan by hand? Do you schedule your rooms manually? A piece of paper is a white flag of inefficiency. Often these should be the first targets to be considered for technology upgrades.
• What over-the-counter software (Excel, Word, Access, etc.) are you using? If you are relying on these (especially word processing files) for your meeting planning processes, this should be a warning.  Flat files (i.e. word documents) are highly inefficient in terms of managing data from meeting to meeting. 
• What meeting planning software and other technology tools do you currently use? What works well and what doesn't?  Are there newer versions that will work more efficiently?
• What is the budget and time frame to change?

Determine which types of solutions are needed.
After inventory has been completed, examine the issues found. The next step is to determine which solutions will be needed to solve these technology problems. As stated earlier, there are tons of technology tools that can assist in meeting planning. Here are some areas where technology can help:

• Attendee matchmaking and networking
• Budgeting
• Badge making
• Customer Relations Management (CRM)
• Event web sites and portal management
• Exhibit sales and floor plan management
• Groupware and online collaboration
• Housing and room block management
• Incentive tracking
• Lead retrieval
• Marketing, communication and attendance building
• Meeting specification
• Meetings consolidation, procurement and request for proposal (RFP) management
• Onsite technology (registration, cyber cafes, product directories, internet access)
• Registration
• Scheduling
• Site selection
• Surveys
• Travel and ground transportation management

Decide on specific features needed.
Once you have narrowed down what you need, the next step is to develop a list of specific features required. Brainstorm a feature list of specific features desired in the “ideal” system. 

Once the list is compiled, it should grouped by feature area and ranked (must have, good to have, nice to have but not necessary). Delete the ones that, upon further review, are not deemed important.

Evaluation and selection 

Now you are ready to to start looking at technology vendors. Here are some steps that will help the vendor evaluation and selection process:

1. Determine the list of technology vendors providing the desired technology tools or services. 
2. Narrow down your choices to a select few (3-5 choices)
3. Set up full product demonstrations. Depending on the size of the sale and the elaborateness of the products, these can either be in person or via web demo. Software companies often have a demo version.
4. Make the final selection from the information gathered.
5. Set up a full implementation and evaluation timeline.

Implementation

The final steps are to implement the solution, train the staff, and set up measurable criteria and goals for successful deployment.  These goals should be centered on measurable decreases in meeting management costs, fast meeting turnaround, and/or improvement of customer services – often all three. With the successful addition of these technology products your meeting planning will become easier and more efficient. 

These technology product guidelines are accredited to Corbin Ball, CMP. Ball is a consultant, writer and speaker focusing on events and meetings technology. With 20 years of experience running international citywide technology meetings, he now helps clients worldwide use technology to save time and improve productivity. He has been named by MeetingNews Magazine for 4 years as one of the “25 Most Influential People in the Meetings Industry. He is also MPI’s 2002 International Supplier of the Year. He can be contacted at his extensive web site: www.corbinball.com.

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5 Ways to Keep Business Travel Stress-Free

Those of us that don't take business trips weekly may envy the people that travel weekly to the Golden Gate, the Big Apple, or the Sunshine State for their job. It's a win-win situation, right? Attend a meeting for a few hours in the morning, then it's off to play and explore the city, eating local cuisine or catching some rays.

Well most times it's not all that glamorous. In reality, traveling for business purposes is a lot more stressful. Planning those never-ending itineraries, booking already booked flights and packing a week's worth of suits and shoes into one rather small carry-on are just a few of the hassles associated with business trips.

We have comprised a list of five ways to make sure your next business trip is efficient and as stress free as possible.

1. Always keep a packed bag

If you are a frequent business traveler there is no better way to jump start your stress-free trip than with an already packed bag. This saves time packing, keeps everything organized, and you are always ready to go. Keep the essentials in there - your passport, extra money, toiletries, and a spare phone charger - so when you are planning the trip the night before all you have to do is throw some work (and play) clothes in there and you're set and ready to go. 

2.  Spend time planning your itinerary

There is nothing more stressful than not knowing exactly what you are doing and when. Spend extra time the day before your trip planning your flight, transportation, lodging and learning where the business meeting will be held. Keep a notebook or a document on your iPad with contact information for everyone attending the meeting. If your flight gets delayed or you are stuck in traffic you want to be sure you can contact someone and let them know you are running behind. After planning for business you can then plan for pleasure. Pick out a restaurant you'd like to try, a monument to visit or a museum. 

3. Avoid red eye flights

I repeat, avoid red eye flights. Although sometimes it seems like you can run on "e" most of the time, business trips should not be one of those instances. Get some sleep and take a morning flight, you'll be rested when you get to your meeting and much more alert. Your colleagues, and body, will thank you!

4. Stick to a routine

Jet lag is one of those pesky business trip downers, so make sure you stick to your daily routine to ensure that it doesn't get the best of you. If you typically wake up at 6 A.M. to make an 8 A.M. meeting do the same while on your business trip. Traveling disrupts the body clock, so if you stick to your routine you will remain fresh and focused.

 5. Save some time for play!

After a long grueling week of business meetings and seminars, treat yourself to some play time. Walk around the city, shop, eat the local fare and enjoy the perks of getting to work in a new city for the week. Even the most busy business person should take some me-time.

Traveling can be made into a dreaded venture. Don't let the stress of a trip ruin the discovery of a new and exciting place. Embrace the conflicts and keep an positive attitude and your trip will be a breeze!

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Tech Tuesday: QR Codes In The Meeting Industry

We've started seeing them everywhere. Listed at the bottom of a business card, under a signature on an email or even screen printed on a T-shirt, these QR codes are popping up everywhere and are taking futuristic steps from physical to virtual reality. But what exactly are these codes, and why are they so important for tech savvy people in the meeting industry?

QR codes, or Quick Response codes, are two-dimensional bar codes that contain all sorts of information that can be read by a bar code reader, or more importantly, a smartphone. In the age of fast paced and ever-changing technology, it is the job of a meeting planner to stay up-to-date on the trends. And while QR codes just recently became a staple for businesses in the past few years, meeting planners have a great advantage in utilizing these codes to benefit their company.

As common knowledge goes, no one can go anywhere without their phone these days, which is what makes QR codes ideal. The ability of taking your smartphone phone out of your pocket and scanning one of these codes is what makes this new technology so practical.

Small and compact, QR codes can pack a lot of information allowing creative planners to use them in as many ways as they can think of. Since they can be printed onto virtually anything, takeaways at trade shows are being seen with these little black and white bar codes all over them - mugs, canvas bags, the booths themselves, etc.

So how do you get started on creating QR codes for your company? Well it's quite simple, actually. There are many free websites that will convert a URL, video, or just plain old text to a fancy, technology forward QR code.

An example site that will generate QR codes is qrcode.kaywa.com. This website actually has a QR code reader app that you can download from your smartphone, making it a one-stop-shop for getting into the QR code frenzy.

But, as stated earlier, the field of technology is highly fast paced and ever-changing. So for today we have QR codes, but we never know what new and improved innovation might come out tomorrow. Meeting planners, it is your job to stay on top of current technology. It will benefit you and your company in the long run!

Be sure to follow us on Facebook. Scan the QR code below!

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Graylyn Goes to Durham for MPI Meeting

The Carolina's chapter of Meeting Professionals International held a meeting and tradeshow yesterday for meeting planners and suppliers to attend and connect with others in the industry at the Marriott Durham City Center in Durham. MPI is a global association that believes that meeting and event planners are critical in the success of a business.

The theme for this year's trade show was "Tricks of the Trade," so we put on our thinking caps and tried to figure out the best way to make our trade show booth stand out above all others.

We wanted to incorporate a little Graylyn history in our booth to remind everyone that Graylyn is a historical estate, and finally it hit us - the Grays had two beloved Scottish Terriers, named ever so cleverly Butter and Scotch, and what do dogs do (especially those that love treats)? TRICKS!

Upon spending hours and hours on the Internet searching for battery-powered flipping dogs, we were able to locate two look-alike Scotties to be the main attraction to the Graylyn booth.

Also at our booth were stuffed Scottie dogs and butterscotch candies to play up the Butter and Scotch theme even more!

After a very productive meeting and trade show, Graylyn was chosen by the MPI committee as the best booth at show because of the flipping trick dogs.

Overall, Graylyn had a very successful time at the meeting and trade show, and we look forward to hosting the MPI meeting in January!

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