Radical Rendezvous Bye-bye boring. You <I>can</I> plan a lively sales conference without breaking the bank.

Eyes glassy, mouths agape, tongues lolling. No, you haven'tstumbled into the mysterious diseases room at the Centers forDisease Control and Prevention, but rather an equally deadlyenvironment-the tedious sales meeting. Another symptom? Thepresentation of 12,345 PowerPoint slides in a room with nowindows.

For a sales rep, there aren't many more mind-numbingpropositions than being pulled from the field to endure three daysof sales meetings. But because sales conferences offer an excellentvenue for reps to discuss a new product launch or simply to regroupand re-energize, there are many powerful reasons to plan agathering. Says Chris Lytle, the author of The AccidentalSalesperson (Amacom), "Getting together with people whosell the same things you do and face the same problems iseye-opening."

Would you like to pull together a lively sales conference thatwill inspire your reps to sell better, bond and share their mosteffective selling practices? Here are a few great ways to plan aconference that will neither break the bank nor cause monotony enmasse.

• Have a theme with apurpose. Joanne Brooks is the president of CreativeImpact Group Inc., a corporate production, destinationmanagement and events company in Deerfield, Illinois. She advisesplanning entertainment, dynamic speakers and team-buildingactivities around a theme, such as an event with a Hawaiian or anAfrican safari twist. Every component of the meeting--from speakersand collateral materials to activities--should share a commonbond.

• Create a mix of fun andfocus. Schedule a keynote speech from a vibrant speaker,one the sales staff respects. And when arranging activities,remember: One salesperson's idea of a fun experience may beanother's waste of valuable selling time. Not everyone thinks18 holes of golf and a beer on the 19th makes for lifelongbonding.

Lytle suggests that planners create a menu of entertainingactivities and let people opt in. While golf may be the choice forsome, a massage and a manicure may be the choice for others. As forthe ratio of fun to education and training, Brooks recommends 25percent fun to 75 percent education, explaining, "Awell-planned meeting should be a seamless blend of both."

• Book well and prosper. NewOrleans during Mardi Gras may be a bank-buster, so consider bookinga great resort in the off-season. Think Maine in March or Dallas inJune. You'll get wonderful facilities at bargain-basementprices-and probably a lot more attention from the hotel staff.Explains Lytle, "It's better to have a great facility inthe off-season than a mediocre facility in peak season."

For those entrepreneurs on a tight budget, William Ward,Warehime professor of business administration at SusquehannaUniversity in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, advises being especiallyvigilant in the development stage. "Plan, plan, plan, and getcompetitive bids from various providers," says Ward."Analyze the costs relative to your goals, and tailor themeeting to deliver maximum bang for [your] buck."

• Stay away from thedarkness. Too often, a meeting ends up as a series ofennui-inducing, one-way presentations in airless rooms with nonatural light. Remember your Intro to Western Civilization coursein college, when the professor dimmed the lights to show slides ofantiquities from the British Empire? You'll get the same snoozeeffect at conferences, so spring for a room with windows.

• Engage your attendees. Fireup reps before the conference by giving them an assignment, such asreading industry articles they should be prepared to discuss orsharing their finest proposals ever crafted.

Kimberly L. McCall is the president of McCall Media &Marketing Inc. (www.marketingangel.com), a business communicationscompany in Durham, Maine.