What would you do if part of your meeting ended up on YouTube? It'll never happen, you say? Well, that's what one association thought too—until they saw part of their convention proceedings online.
According to the few accounts still online, the video included nothing embarrassing or confidential. But what if you found part of your corporate meeting online? Are you willing to take the chance that the general public or more specifically, your competition, knows about your new product? Sales strategy? Internal restructuring?
Of course, it's not just YouTube that's a potential threat. Corporate espionage isn't just the stuff of high-tech thrillers. And even the most casual passer-by might have a friend or relative at the competition who could be highly interested in what's going on behind closed doors.
Not all meetings have a need for a high level of privacy. But for those that do, there are some concrete steps you can take right from the start to ensure your confidential meeting proceedings remain private.

• Non-compete clause: "We have to be assured that no competitors are on site at a property at the same as us," says one corporate meeting planner, who for obvious privacy reasons wishes to remain anonymous. "That goes right into the contract and if the venue won't agree, negotiations stop right there."
• Non-disclosure clause: It's not just the competition who might hear something they shouldn't. A hotel employee could—intentionally or casually—pass on information they've heard. The same planner insists on a non-disclosure clause in every contract.
• Site inspection: For meetings where privacy is a concern, check the physical space where the group will be meeting. Depending on the level of privacy needed, concerns might include other groups meeting in nearby rooms. "I check the actual room," says the planner. "If there are air walls, for example, I need to know how much, if any, bleed through there's going to be and who is on the other side of that wall."
• Attendee badges: While they're typically seen more in association meetings than corporate meetings, if it’s important to screen attendees, badges are a simple way to ensure no outsiders enter the proceedings. One planner has a security person posted outside the meeting room to check badges and stop anyone who doesn't have the proper badge.
• Check the room: During breaks and after a meeting, do a sweep of the room and make sure any sensitive information is removed. "I won’t just throw it out on site," says our planner. "It goes home with me."
• Watch handouts: Can you trust all the attendees to show the same care with handouts that might include sensitive information? Our planner recommends giving attendees memory sticks instead of actual handouts. Bonus: It's a green initiative that saves paper and could save money as well. Click here for more information on green initiatives that can save you money.
• Your own equipment: We all know nothing gets permanently erased from a computer. If you're printing sensitive information or transferring presentations, the only way to ensure no one else is going to see is by using your own computer.
• Listing meetings: For a truly confidential meeting, use discretion in how you request to be listed on electronic and manual hotel signs and agendas.

Electronics Ban At the most high-security meetings, some planners ban electronics entirely— laptops, cameras, BlackBerries, even cell phones. To ensure attendees respect an electronics prohibition, Event Screen is a company based in Irvine, California, that provides a digital walk-through system sensitive enough to pick up even the smallest electronics.   "It’s used in situations where it could be detrimental for someone to take a picture with a cell phone or record part of the meeting," says Metin Odemis, the company's vice president of business development. "It’s fast and unobtrusive—not like an airport metal detector. It doesn't show the person's body, just detects distortions in the magnetic field."   Obviously planners have to inform attendees ahead of time, as well as provide a safe place to put valuable items that attendees might have on their person.   In addition to high-profile celebrity events, Odemis says the technology has come in especially handy in the pharmaceutical, automobile, and oil industries, as well as with boards of directors for any industry.

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