A lot of dissatisfaction with educational meetings is due to the inadequacies of the presenters. They often don't know how to connect with the audience (or don't care to) and they leave attendees wanting something different.

Radically restructuring educational programs may address some of the needs of some attendees. Often, though, booking better trained presenters would alleviate many concerns.

Here are some presenter problems:

1. Boring presenters!!! They may be knowledgeable about the subject matter but they don't know how to effectively communicate that knowledge. They lack charisma and speaking ability and often seem to feel uneasy in front of a crowd.

2. Presenters who read. Aargh! I know how to read and I don't want somebody reading to me. If presenters know anything about the subject, they should be able to talk about it.

3. Presenters who look at the screen before speaking. I want them to look at me, not at the screen, not out the window, not anywhere else. If they need to know what's on the screen, they should set up a laptop that faces them so they can see what the audience is viewing.

4. Presenters who want attendees to hold their questions to the end of the session. Attendees should be able to ask questions and converse with the presenter at any time. That's what makes it a learning experience rather than a speechmaking session.

5. Presenters who don't know how to interact with attendees. Some try to force audience participation, others try to prevent it from happening. The degree of audience "interaction" depends on the subject, the experience level of the audience, the size of the audience, and the available communication venues.

I don't mind listening to a presenter - even when I know a lot about the subject - as long as the person is interesting and informative. It's not about entertainment. It's about getting what I want from the session.

I don't always have to talk.

It's not unusual for associations to reserve the Presidential Suite at a host hotel, rather than a regular room, for the Board Chair.

While the Suite may also be used for an association reception, it is often felt that the Chair - by virtue of holding a leadership position - is entitled to special treatment. Upgrades are often sought for other Board members, too.

Not every association embraces that belief, though. Many members look askance at organization leaders benefiting from their positions. They believe that Board members should be treated just like everybody else.

Before soliciting special perks for Officers and Directors, be sure that act is compatible with the culture of the association.

That's what I learned this morning at an Association Forum of Chicagoland meeting, "When the CEO is the Meeting Planner."

Gloria Bowman, Executive Vice-President of Realtors Land Institute, explained that everything - everything - should be stated in detail. She shared a sample RFP for a hotel contract and reviewed items to which meeting planners should pay special attention, reminding them that all services should be specified in a written contract.

She recalled one association that had reserved the Presidential Suite, assuming the adjoining patio was included. It wasn't. The patio was later rented to another hotel guest.

"Don't believe anything you are told," she stressed. Hotels are usually willing to negotiate just about everything.

Prior to a recent association educational conference, a caller said she could not attend but wanted to know if there was any way she could receive the information from the session.

She was told that, for a small fee, she could be sent the handouts and PowerPoint presentations. She never responded to the offer.

Did she think she'd get them for free?

CEOs on the Association Forum of Chicagoland listserv have been talking today about cancellation insurance.

Many don't purchase it for all of their meetings. They are likely to favor it for annual conferences and large meetings, but not for smaller ones.

One exec offered an opinion that resonated with colleagues: "Like fire insurance, it's best if you don't need it, but if you do, it's wonderful."

At two recent meetings of the Association of Running Event Directors, handouts were provided on CD instead of paper. It cost a little bit more than paper handouts, but not enough to be prohibitive. Burning CDs (it was done in-house), though, took a lot more time than stuffing conference packets.

CD handouts may appear to be greener than paper handouts, but the real reason to abandon paper was to help the association look cool and contemporary.

The handout included all of the PowerPoint presentations (which attendees always want) and a few additional, helpful documents. The downside? Very few attendees brought laptops, so most could not refer to the additional documents during the meeting.

Attendee evaluations will play a big part in deciding whether or not to revert back to paper handouts next year. "Going green" will not be a consideration.

I just thanked several people at the hospital where I held an association meeting - folks in facilities, media, and catering.

They all seemed very surprised to hear from me. In fact, each thought I was calling to complain about something.

When I told them I was merely thanking them for everything they did for us, they sounded relieved and a bit puzzled.

I guess they aren't accustomed to being thanked.

More than 100 million people supposedly watched yesterday's Super Bowl. I was not one of them (I don't care for football). I went grocery shopping during game time, just like last year, and enjoyed unobstructed aisles, neatly stacked shelves, and swift checkout.

Going against the grain often has advantages. Hotels may cut great deals for groups on Christmas eve, Christmas day, and on many weekends in January (in cold climes). Taverns want to fill empty barstools on Monday nights, and restaurants just can't fill all the tables at the end of July or beginning of August.

If your group is composed of a demographic that differs from the majority, take advantage of it. You may be able to save money and offer your members more than they expect.

A conference registrant called the day before the event to ask for a refund, since she wasn't going to be able to attend, and was surprised to learn she wouldn't get her money back. The organization offered to send her the program handouts, though.

An association member registered at the "previous attendee" rate even though he had never before attended the conference. He said he was signing up "in place of" a colleague who had attended the previous year but couldn't be there this year.

Another member called six weeks into an eighteen week program to ask for a refund, because he had not attended any sessions up to that point and wasn't likely to be able to attend any in the future. The registration form he submitted clearly stated, "No refunds for any reason after the start of the program."

Registration and cancellation deadlines, late fees, and pricing are usually reasonable, yet customers (and members) often treat them as guidelines, not rules.

Stores, restaurants, movie theaters, hotels, and countless other businesses make exceptions all of the time, so people expect associations to do so, too.

But how flexible should associations be? Refunds are often requested after all event expenses have been made so organizations lose money when they acquiesce to refund demands.

If you often bend the rules, there may be something wrong with the rules. To correct the situation, you can establish less rigid rules, make the rules clearer and more specific (but who knows if that will help), or just turn people down when they request an accommodation.

It's OK to occasionally make exceptions. Just don't make a habit of it.

"Rate re-negotiation has become far more prevalent than is generally acknowledged," claims a recent hospitality industry analysis.

"Some groups are negotiating as much as one-third off room rate. But in doing so, many are also being required to sign confidentiality agreements."

So, I guess everything is negotiable. You just can't talk about it.