About the Author Gregory A. Carter is a seasoned manager with broad hotel, sales, and convention service experience built on a thirty year career at major hotel properties. Greg worked in several different departments before settling into a convention service career. During this time Greg has handled groups from 20 - 8000 on a national and international level including International Association of Chiefs of Police, National Guard, ASAE, PCMA, NAEM, IACVB, and Committee of 100. On local and state levels he has worked with the Tennessee Association of REALTORS®, Tennessee Medical Association, Aladdin Synergetics, and IBM. In addition to being Director of Convention Services at two major Nashville hotels, and overseeing the development of an executive conference center catering to small groups, Greg has also been nominated for Convention Service Manager of the Year by Successful Meetings Magazine. In his spare time, Greg also served as president of the Nashville Booster Club, SCMP member, and was a member of the first board of directors for the Association for Convention Operations Management (ACOM). In Franklin, Tennessee he was involved in over thirty productions with local community theatre, Pull-Tight Theatre and is now actively involved with the Farragut West Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, REO and Rotary. Currently, Greg resides in Knoxville Tennessee with his wife, Helen, an association executive. He has a son, Scott, a daughter, Christy and has enjoyed his children's athletic achievements by serving as coach, referee, supporter, and spectator. Greg and Helen now spend available free time with their children, daughter-in-law Kim and grandchildren Landon and Aubrey. In dealing with the many varied groups and experience levels of meeting planners, Greg felt a concise booklet should be written to ensure a better success rate for the meeting planner and hotel.