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PLANNERS YOU SHOULD KNOW - CHASE BRUNSON, AFFINIPAY

Luke Whalin

Interviews
December 21, 2022
Reading time: 5 min
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This post is part of the HopSkip Planner Spotlight Series where HopSkip
spotlights planners across the industry to bring awareness of how they adapted
to COVID-19, communicating and lessons learned and sharing how they are viewing
the meetings and events industry in a post-pandemic world. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Name: Chase Brunson, CMP

Company Name: Affinipay

Job Title: Internal Events Manager

Years of Experience: 8



How did you get your start in the events industry? What made you pursue this
role?
 
I started in transportation events while attending Texas A&M University. I was
hooked from my first event, but didn't want to stay in transportation so my
first job after graduation was with a CPA society. Since then, I've been a
nonprofit association event manager for most of my career but now find myself in
a corporate role. Event management was not a career I had considered or really
even knew existed until I accidentally fell into the industry and now I can't
imagine doing anything else.
 
How do you compare planning your first in-person event post-pandemic, to
planning meetings/events pre- Covid? What was different and unique? What was
similar?


I found planning my first in-person event post-pandemic to be an exciting new
challenge. The pandemic added a whole new layer to risk management that most of
us probably never expected to deal with in our lifetimes. Suddenly attendees
cared how close they would be sitting to others, plated meals became the
preference over buffets, and attendees expected a virtual option. Although some
of those fears and questions are no longer thought much about, I think COVID
showed our industry that we should have been paying closer attention to health
risks at our meetings all this time as not just COVID can spread when we meet
close together. Now, I keep hand sanitizing stations at several places during an
event such as the registration desk and at all F&B stations and tables when
feasible. Adding a virtual component to all events is now a necessary feature I
believe and makes our events extremely accessible to many attendees that we
weren't accommodating even pre-pandemic.
 
What was your number one challenge in hosting your first in-person event(s) and
how did you overcome it?


Convincing attendees to come back to networking in-person has by-far been my
biggest challenge that I still encounter almost daily. I think we're all walking
a fine line between making an accessible and safe event for those that want to
attend in person but also creating a great online experience for those that
aren't able or don't want to risk mingling in public still. To mitigate this
issue, I send out all available information so that attendees can make their own
personal choice on whether attendance is right for them - information on
vaccination requirements, masking, sanitizing and cleaning standards, schedule
(i.e. are they sitting in a lecture vs. heavy mingling) and estimated attendance
vs venue capacity are all important factors for those debating attending an
event still.
 
What is the top learning that you uncovered from the last two years that you’re
implementing in your planning process today? (any other tips or tricks you want
to share?)
 
I think that all events and meetings should have a virtual component. It
bolsters attendance because those that want to come in person are still going to
come because they value that experience and face to face learning and
networking. But there are others that will never attend in person for a number
of reasons so when we miss that virtual component, we're missing an entire
market segment.
 
With hotels short-staffed, and RFP lead time shortening, what is your advice to
other planners to overcome these obstacles when requesting hotels for proposals?

 
It might seem annoying to us but I can't stress enough how important following
up with a hotel that you haven't heard from in about 72 hours from a first reach
is. Not only are hotels and event jobs in general still short staffed but we're
also in a place of heavy job reshuffling so the sales manager that received your
RFP on Monday might find a new job by Wednesday. Hotels want your business so
there are very few reasons they don't get back to you. Even if they don't have
the space or meet your needs they should still follow up as they hope to grab
you for a future event so if you're getting crickets, continue following up.
Sometimes it's much easier just to call and ask to speak with the sales/events
departments so that you know your emails aren't getting lost.
 
Are you approaching contracting with hotels differently, post-pandemic?
 
As we begin 2023 my RFPs aren't much different than they were pre-March 2020.
However, for the last 3 years my RFPs were sent requesting much more space than
an event would usually call for. I believe the biggest difference for me as we
enter 2023 is that I no longer let RFPs sit for more than about 72 hours. I used
to allow additional time for RFP responses but there's still so much competition
for sought after venues and dates from 3 years of cancellations and reschedules
that I know if I want a particular date pattern I need to snag it as soon as
possible. I still find that hotels contact me first after an RFP most of the
time, but I have had to nudge a few here and there.
 
What is the biggest area of improvement that you think hotels can make when
either responding to your RFPs or during the contract phase of your event?
 
I was a convention services manager for a hotel as COVID started so I can look
at this from the inside. I think the biggest thing that hotels can do for
planners is to stop over-selling the capacity of their space - it was very
frustrating telling planners as the CSM that I couldn't fit the number of people
in our space the sales manager promised would work. And I've dealt with that on
the planning side as well. Stopping this practice is so important as we enter
this time where everyone is a little more risk adverse to being close to each
other in crowded places. When looking at capacity numbers from a hotel fact
sheet, I typically remove 10-20% off their numbers to be safe and if I'm really
unsure I will ask for room dimensions and use a room diagraming program.
 
Due to the pandemic, our events community had to evolve, adapt, and grow. Many
planners started to embrace new technologies as a result of the pandemic. What
new tech are you using today in your planning process as a result?
 
I have really enjoyed researching and learning more about digital production
during this time. I'm now able to set up self contained streaming set-ups on
budgets ranging from under $500 to over $10k. This has rounded me out as an
event manager because I'm able to trouble shoot many AV problems on my own now.
I've also learned so many tips and tricks to engaging virtual participants in a
live event that pre-pandemic would usually feel like they were missing out. I
highly recommend one of our own's book, Engaging Virtual Meetings by John Chen
for those that are wanting to get a leg up in the virtual world.
 
Since education and relationships are two major pillars in the meetings and
events industry, any suggestions on how other planners can learn and network
with their peers across the industry?
 
Please, please, PLEASE join an industry association and actually get involved
with it - don't just use it as a mark on your resume. I assure you a membership
in one of these organizations will be one of the best tools you can have as you
progress through your career. Most offer continuing education credits,
networking, industry specific job boards, and leadership opportunities. I have
learned just as much, maybe more, from my time as a board member for MPI and
LGBT MPA (I'm also a member of PCMA) as I have in my 9-5. There's also many
certifications, certificates, and classes that can help you further your career
offered or supplemented by these organizations - including financial aid like
scholarships.
 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This post is part of the HopSkip Planner Spotlight Series where HopSkip
spotlights planners across the industry to bring awareness of how they adapted
to COVID-19, communicating and lessons learned and sharing how they are viewing
the meetings and events industry in a post-pandemic world. 

Like the post?  Sign up for our newsletter to stay informed on the latest news
and trends in the meetings and events world.
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