by Steve Higgins, IABC/Tulsa President
At our annual strategic planning session in August, the IABC Tulsa executive board set a goal to address the issue of our monthly lunch meeting location.
Since moving to D’Novo a couple of years ago, we’ve heard mixed reviews from members and guests. Some like the convenient parking, modern décor and lighter menu. Others, though, simply don’t like the food and find the drive from downtown too far.
We decided to quantify those perceptions by conducting a survey, which we limited to chapter members.
As expected, the results were … well, mixed. Here are some of the significant numbers:
• Half of respondents rated the geographic location “poor” (14 percent) or “fair” (36 percent).
• Food quality was rated “fair” by 36 percent, “good” by 29 percent and “excellent” by 21 percent.
• When asked how much the location influences your decision to attend a meeting, half said “not much,” while 31 percent said “somewhat” and 19 percent said, “a lot.”
In the end, 75 percent said they would support IABC Tulsa exploring new meeting venues, and 76.5 percent said they would support alternating meeting locations (i.e., between downtown and south Tulsa).
As one survey respondent acknowledged, “There is no perfect solution.” But certainly, if some of our members avoid lunch programs solely because of the location, then we need to address it.
Look for us to try out a new meeting location in January, closer to downtown. Depending on how it goes, we’ll either move permanently, or alternate months with D’Novo.
Thanks for your input on this and for your support of the chapter.