Maritime Conference Center Blog

For additional details regarding Phase One of our reopening plan, please visit the following links:

Maritime Conference Center COVID-19 Resource Center: www.mccbwi.org/​covid19_resource_center
MITAGS Maritime Industry Resources & COVID-19 FAQs: https://www.mitags.org/faqs-covid-19/

Did you know that today, May 22, is National Maritime Day?

In honor of National Maritime Day we’d like to take a moment to thank you, our customers, for choosing to support Maritime Conference Center and MITAGS.

Your business supports Maritime Conference Center's mission of providing funding, housing, classroom facilities, and dining to the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduates Studies (MITAGS).

MITAGS is a non-profit trust dedicated to enhancing mariner professionalism through the development of internationally recognized programs in leadership, education, training and safety. 

Mariners power the world’s largest economy and strengthen our ties with trading partners around the world, all while supporting our military forces by shipping troops and supplies wherever they need to go. Not to mention, they help keep us, passengers, safe during excursions on ferries, cruise ships, etc.

Their hard work and dedication has been especially crucial during this extraordinary time. So on this Maritime Day, join us in thanking mariners around the world and celebrating one of our nation’s most important industries!

Watch our special video message above!

​“None of us is as smart as all of us.”- Ken Blanchard

Simple words with a lot of weight. 

Team building is one of the most important investments you can make for your employees. Not only does it build trust and increase motivation, but it also encourages communication, mitigates conflict, and increases collaboration and creativity.

At Maritime Conference Center (MCC), we have witnessed many organizations incorporate team-building activities into their meetings and events. Here are just a few examples of what we have seen over the years.

Group Exercise
A group exercise to start or end the day may help get your participants moving and focused. Physical exercise is known to be a great stress reliever. Some examples may be yoga or meditation, stretching, walking/running, and even an instructor-led Zumba class. Adding a short self-defense class would provide attendees with life skills while getting them moving!  At MCC, we have plenty of open space around our campus for your attendees to engage in these activities. We’ve also seen groups participate in chanting or singing during a brief walk to increase energy levels and break up the day in between conference sessions and lectures.

Friendly Competition
Team building activities often include friendly competitions. It’s important to keep things light and fun, while allowing your team to bond and interact in ways they might not otherwise have the opportunity to do. One of the more popular team building exercises is to create a scavenger hunt for your group.  Snakes is another fun game that also helps build trust and encourages team bonding. Tug-of-war or various types of races or obstacle courses are popular as well, and MCC offers a game room with ping-pong, pool and shuffleboard. An additional option is to hire our skilled MITAGS Academic Team to create a unique simulator-based team building activity where your small group gets to experience navigating on the virtual bridge of a tanker ship or tugboat.  

Problem Solving
The ability to work as a team to solve problems in the work place is very important. You can encourage and help your team develop their problem-solving skills during your event through several activities.

The Great Egg Drop is popular and involves creativity and problem solving, as each group must build an egg package that can sustain an eight-foot drop. Similarly, why not get creative, break up into teams, make boats out of specific supplies, and then “sail” them across the pool to see which team’s boat actually floats? Brainteasers and puzzles are a great way to get people to open up with one another and work together as well.

MCC also collaborates with Terrapin Adventures. Known for “aerial adventures” because of their ropes course located approximately 20 minutes from MCC in Historic Savage Mill, Terrapin Adventures will also travel to you.  Inviting Terrapin Adventures to MCC will allow their expert staff to create a customized team-building program that stimulates creative problem solving skills, fosters connections and builds trust and collaboration among your team.

Charitable Giving
Another big hit at many meetings and events is incorporating some kind of charitable activity or volunteer opportunity. It could be as simple as arriving to the meeting with canned goods or unwrapped gifts, especially around the holidays, or perhaps it involves teaming up with an organization like Habitat for Humanity or volunteering at the BWI USO lounge (an MCC supported organization).  Another option is to incorporate volunteering into breaks by having areas setup where participants can stuff bags or make something creative in an art area, etc. to support the charity of choice, all while interacting and talking with others. This, too, is a nice way to break up the day, all while giving back.
 
General Appreciation & Networking
Showing general appreciation and allowing your teams to network and mingle in a fun way can boost morale and encourage team bonding. Perhaps a visit from the Kona Ice Truck would provide a cool treat outside on a beautiful, warm day, or adding a fun backdrop and props for pictures is always a lot of fun. Capitalize on MCC’s maritime atmosphere by adding a cocktail hour with appetizers in the MCC’s Memorabilia Room, which is filled with maritime artifacts and treasure. MCC will also work with you to create an outdoor barbecue with lawn games or perhaps even a crab feast. Another client favorite is to turn our auditorium into a theater for live entertainment, or to watch a movie on the giant screen.  Then, add a themed snack station in the centralized break area complete with popcorn, snacks and drinks for the show!    

Incorporating team-building activities into your meetings and events is a great way to build trust and increase motivation among attendees. Utilizing these activities to engage your team increases interaction and encourages creativity, leading to amazing outcomes and fresh ideas for your organization. Maritime Conference Center offers plenty of indoor and outdoor space, as well as local partnerships, to accommodate these activities. Ask our professional Sales or Conference Managers how we can help incorporate team building into your next meeting at Maritime Conference Center!

When it comes to successful event planning, preparation is key. Meeting and event planners must be ready to face any and all of the challenges that might arise during both the event planning and execution stages. Thinking ahead is essential to the success of any meeting or event. Here are some of the basic elements you should consider when planning for a successful event.
 
Know Your Budget
If you can determine the amount of money available to spend on an event, it will keep your costs from adding up beyond what you can afford. Make sure that you list out on a spreadsheet, online program, or other document, every line item for each detail of your event that is going to cost money. Break down all of these costs as much as possible, listing the amount you plan to spend as well as the amount you actually end up spending. Keeping track of your budget can keep it from spiraling out of control. If this is a new event for you, start by researching costs for similar events held in your area to make your estimates as accurate as possible. Remember that many of these expenses must be paid in advance, so be sure to keep track of all payment deadlines as well. And try to leave a bit of room in your budget for the unexpected – which can and does happen.
 
Choose the Right Venue
Once you have a budget, start your event planning by booking the best venue to fit your needs. The setting you select creates the framework for your event and will impact almost all other event elements. Book it as far in advance as possible – ideally nine months to a year ahead of time, so that your top venue choice will be available and can be taken into account as you decide on the other elements of your event. Location plays into marketing, choice of vendors, itinerary, list of attendees and more. Of course, some events can or need to be booked at the last minute. If you are trying to make plans within a shorter window of time, don’t despair. Securing a great venue is possible, even at the last minute – but you may need to be more flexible in your choices.
 
Make Careful Catering Choices
If possible, choose your caterer at least nine months in advance. Food is one of the most important elements of an event, as it sets the tone and mood for your attendees. Those with a full, happy stomach throughout an event are more likely to look on the event itself as positive, making them more likely to buy into the ideas you are sharing and more likely to attend future events. Keep in mind that some venues may restrict you to using their onsite caterer only, not allowing for outside food options. Regardless, try to finalize your menu choices by at least one to two months out, as product and ingredient availability varies according to season, chefs, and other factors. Food and beverages must usually be finalized with the number of guests by two weeks in advance or more. Be sure you know what your vendor expects in terms of final head count.
 
Set Clear Objectives
From the purpose of your event, to any themes that may be incorporated, each of your objectives should be finalized as early as possible. This allows for targeted outreach and confirmation of vendors, presenters and attendees. For success, you need to have SMART objectives that are: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. During the event you need to know what your objectives are so that after the event you are able to measure effectiveness.
 
Do your Marketing – Before and After
Promotion is essential to a successful event. You need to know your stakeholders and/or target audience, and inform and persuade these people that your event is relevant to them. Who is your event aimed at? Who is going to have an influence on the success or failure of your objectives? An event is also the perfect way to improve your social media presence. Share a relevant hashtag for your event on Twitter, create an event page on Facebook, and encourage your followers to tag the event in all of their relevant posts. Upload photos once the event is over and actively encourage attendees to tag themselves and share the photos as well.
 
Have a Backup Plan
Over the course of planning the event, things are going to change. Whether it is event times, locations or attendees, you need to ensure that you’re flexible and can meet any changing demands or issues, such as an item not arriving on time or a presenter arriving late. Assess the most important elements of your event, and create a backup plan for each. Continually monitor your event as it progresses, and be ready to initiate your backup plans as needed.
 
Evaluate Satisfaction Immediately
The last item on your event planning list is to establish a system for monitoring the success of your event and/or any action plans that come from it. Satisfaction means retention and follow-through, as determined by the objectives you already set. Once the event is over, don’t wait to gather this important information. Follow up with attendees immediately over email or on social media, to determine the success of your event.

One of the most important elements of meeting and event planning is venue selection. Maritime Conference Center,  conveniently located just four miles from Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, features a full range of venues encompassing 100,000 square feet of meeting and event space, all equipped with the latest in audiovisual technology and Internet capabilities.