When it comes to hotel contracts, today’s market is requiring planners to be more strategic than ever. To get a pulse on what matters most, we asked our clients to share their top priorities—and frustrations—when negotiating with hotels. The feedback was clear: flexibility, transparency, and protection against uncertainty are at
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As we build momentum with the return of face-to-face meetings and events, we are seeing many of our clients holding Board Meetings and Corporate Retreats. Our clients are bringing their top leaders together to establish game plans for the short and long-term to ensure a successful recovery and sustained success.
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One of the key roles we have as a meeting and event planner is to generate effective RFP’s that ‘sell’ the value of our meeting to the applicable destinations and hotels. The better information we provide, the better our initial proposal will be…which ultimately will help save us both time
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The recent health and economic crisis have made the outside consultant and meeting planning professionals (also known as third-party meeting planners) an even more valuable resource for organizations. With the layoffs of our hotel partners, many customers are struggling to find who they can speak with at the hotel about
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Previously, I have shared the importance of relationships as professionals in the hospitality industry. Relationships are also important in our personal lives. Being the father of two daughters has been a blessing, however watching them go through the highs and lows of relationships (especially the break-ups) has been a learning
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As a meeting planning professional, I am always searching for information that can help me improve and grow in the hospitality industry. It has been a few years since I read an article in Selling Power Magazine about a one degree increase and how that related to our careers. This
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If you are a meeting planner responsible for events that are optional for attendees, you face the challenge of getting them to choose your event over others being offered. This is critical as you strive to increase attendance. My plan for this post is to offer suggestions based on experiences
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As meeting planning professionals, we need to have a good return on our investment (ROI) when we attend a hospitality industry trade show. Our objectives are simple. Meet with the suppliers of currently sourced programs Meet new destinations/venues for future events Network to grow contact base Attend educational sessions that
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As an independent meeting planner, I always involve the applicable Convention & Visitor Bureaus (CVB’s) or Destination Management Organization’s (DMO’s) in the RFP process. They can be true partners in the process of selecting the right destination and/or venue when planning and during the operating of an event.The following are
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As meeting and event professionals, one of our goals for the upcoming year should be to get more involved in our industry. I came across this list of industry and professional associations that were shared in a recent publication. This list provides easy access to all the key organizations we
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