You can also complete your request online through the Elsevier home page (http://elsevier.com) by selecting “Support. For information on all Butterworth–Heinemann publications, please visit our website at www.books.elsevier.com.
PREFACE
WHO SHOULD USE THIS BOOK
This book will also give the kick-off meeting or special event planners more knowledge of the facilities side of the planning process. This book will provide those individuals with additional knowledge about the facility and services available at the destination, thereby improving their overall meeting success.
ORGANIZATION OF BOOK CONTENT
It will also be useful for those who are already engaged in careers in the industry selling or servicing the hospitality product.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
THE CONVENTION AND MEETINGS
INDUSTRY
AN OVERVIEW
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
INTRODUCTION
This chapter examines how these factors and emerging trends have contributed to the growth of the conference and meeting market. This summary illustrates the usefulness of this report and its application to many segments of the meeting and convention industry.
SERVICE SECTOR ECONOMIC IMPACT
Association-sponsored events accounted for two-thirds, or $81.94 billion, of total industry direct spending. The largest share of the convention and exhibition dollar (35%) is spent on hotels and other facilities.
TYPES OF FACILITIES THAT HOLD MEETINGS AND CONVENTIONS
conference center facility only; no hotels or overnight facilities (limited-service chain hotels are often built near these facilities to accommodate conference participants). Suite hotels first appeared in the late 1970s with Embassy Suites quickly dominating the category.
CONVENTION CENTERS
The one thing that all conference centers have in common is that they are all designed for smaller groups, usually under 300 people. Each Embassy Suites hotel offers meeting and function facilities suitable for groups of up to 300 people.
UNIVERSITY AND COLLEGE CAMPUSES
TYPES OF MEETING PLANNERS
As companies cut back on the number and types of meetings held, some are eliminating this position entirely and instead hiring planners only when needed. There are many types of groups known by an acronym SMERF, which stands for Social, Military, Educational, Religious and Fraternal.
MEETING INDUSTRY REPORTS
This is a fixed amount of money allowed that is set for each city by the federal government.
ADDITIONAL 2005 MEETINGS MARKET REPORT HIGHLIGHTS
A total of 41 percent of all planners said that more complex contract negotiations were the most obvious way their meetings had changed in the past year, followed by increased workloads due to staff cuts (37 percent) and increased security concerns (36 percent ). ). Finally, 37 percent of all planners and 46 percent of association planners said off-block reservation is at least of minor importance.
TRENDS AND PRACTICES
27 percent of respondents cited the reservation of participants outside the room block as their main concern, which too often triggers the enforcement of the opt-out clause.
2005 Meetings
Market Report
Planners have been made aware (by conference and visitor agencies) of the benefits of selecting locations in smaller towns or destinations. In addition, many major cities now have a second airport; within 40 to 60 miles of the main one, which offers the same benefits.
REVIEW QUESTIONS
GLOSSARY
APPENDIXES
McLean, Virginia - September The Convention Industry Council (CIC) today released its 2004 Economic Impact Study, which provides the latest findings on the economic impact of the meeting, convention, exhibition and incentive travel industry in the United States. CIC is pleased to present this study on the economic impact of the meetings, conventions, exhibitions and incentive travel industry," said Mary E.
THE ASSOCIATIONS, CONVENTION,
AND MEETINGS MARKET
DEFINITIONS OF ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATION PURPOSE AND BENEFITS
The effect that association activities have on other sectors of the economy is reflected in the impact of association meetings and conventions on the travel and hospitality industry. Ninety-two percent of associations have meetings, representing 67 percent of the entire meetings industry, according to the CIC study.
TYPES OF ASSOCIATIONS
WHEN CONVENTIONS ARE HELD
TYPES OF FACILITIES SELECTED
THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS
TYPES OF EVENTS AND THEIR REQUIREMENTS
MEETING ROTATION CYCLE AND OTHER AREAS GOVERNED BY
In addition to the foregoing areas, the hotel representative should be aware of the turnaround time required by associations. The lead time for other types of association meetings is much shorter; eight months to a year and a half, the latter for quarterly board meetings.
TRADE SHOWS
The Austin CVB has acquired a new e-marketing system that will be especially useful for association planners, and it's free for those who book Austin. The article contains many other examples of ways in which CVBs are valuable, especially for association planners.
RESOURCES
This software helps association planners build attendance by creating registration and housing email blasts. The bureau creates a link from their website, aimed at the association's members (participants), with information about the city such as restaurants and entertainment venues.
SUMMARY
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AND WEB SITES
But now he says group activities, which make up 65 to 70 percent of association meetings, carry most of the weight. It's harder to sell the glitz and romantic imagery of the city, so we've spent a lot of time branding the city so that everything you see about it is consistent: that it's a young, highly educated, energetic city,” explains he out. .
THE CORPORATE MEETINGS
MARKET
EVENT REQUIREMENTS FOR EACH TYPE
SITE SELECTION
WHO MAKES DECISIONS?
Under these circumstances, the business planner needs to be more budget conscious, even with the short lead time. Shrinking Lead Time,” compared to the previous and current year, when the lead time had been almost halved (see Table 3.3).
FROM THE AUTHOR
I started in the industry in 1983 as a sales manager for the Sheraton Hotel in Beaumont, Texas. Marriott's regional office in Dallas hired me to help open more than 10 Courtyard by Marriott hotels over the next two years as a regional sales manager.
CERTIFICATION
After vacationing in beautiful Monterey, California, I decided to move there and stayed in one place for almost seven years as the Assistant Director of Sales at The Monterey Plaza. After my first daughter was born, it was time to slow down a bit and work at my own pace.
SOURCES OF BUSINESS FOR THE CORPORATE MEETING MARKET
RETURN ON INVESTMENT, JUSTIFYING YOUR EXISTENCE
Hilton Hotels Corporation recognizes that "the scheduler of a smaller meeting may be less experienced, or this is something they do on an ad hoc basis, so they may not know the ropes," said Linda Simpson, Western Regional Vice President of Sales and marketing. Hilton treats smaller meetings differently from the start of the process, with Dallas-based Hilton Direct handling calls related to availability at one of the company's hotels.
IN CLOSING
The VIP Pin program is for the decision makers – those are the people who say they jump, we say how high,” he says. The tendency to get lost in the shuffle is much greater [in a large hotel]; you tend to lose focus of the property,” Mansfield says of his previous experience.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
The mission of the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) is to serve the association community by increasing the effectiveness of meetings, conventions and exhibitions through member and industry education, and to promote the value of the meetings industry at large. to the public. AMMC strives to become the premier organization for meeting management consultants; serve the business management needs of meeting management consultants; establish the identity of the meeting management consultant industry in both the meetings industry (planners and suppliers) and the general business community; create a network that supports members;.
APPENDIX
Do you really need a resort if you are going to have a training meeting that runs from 7am to 10pm?” she asks. We were able to communicate that sourcing meetings are different from temporary travel and require expertise in the field,” she says.
THE INCENTIVE, SMERF, AND
OTHER MARKETS
TOUR AND TRAVEL MARKET
By the start of the new century, most airlines had implemented plans to phase out commissions. Usually most of the costs for such visits are paid by the sponsoring company.
INCENTIVE TRAVEL MARKET
From the perspective of the hotel sales department, this type of business (corporate group) can produce higher returns (higher room rate and function income) than the individual tour and travel market. One long-established promotional technique in the travel industry is still available, although it has become more difficult for members of the tour and travel industry to qualify for this strategy.
SMERF
The newsletter provides timely information and analysis of the news and events that shape the five meeting industry niches covered by the print magazines. The rest of the SMERF segments - education, religion and fraternity - all provide significant bedroom blocks, food and drink, and usually require significant meeting space as well.
INSURANCE MEETINGS
MeetingsNet is the meeting industry's portal for information and resources related to planning meetings and events. For more specific information related to the niche meeting categories that our magazines cover, please visit our individual magazine pages.
RELIGIOUS GROUPS
As the PCMA home page in Figure 4-5 shows, this organization has a wide membership diversity. If you look at the PCMA history page, which details the chronology, you'll see that the educational foundation began launching its meeting and convention management curriculum in the mid-1980s.
GOVERNMENT GROUPS
This segment includes planners representing major groups belonging to the trade association, the Religious Conference Management Association (RCMA), which represents more than 200 different denominations. Since then, according to their website, the textbooks and curriculum have been adopted by more than 22 colleges offering certificates and degrees in meeting and convention programs around the world.).
PCMA) H OMEPAGE
Scott Beck, general manager of the Salt Lake City Marriott City Center, has been tapped to lead the Salt Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau as president and CEO. This association is also part of the MeetingsNet Web site publishing resource; For additional information on this association, see this page.
RCMA) H OMEPAGE
Additionally, other government meetings that may exceed the per diem amounts can be identified by networking government contacts and research via the SGMP membership. Hotels and their respective food and beverage outlets must first be aware of the daily fees (dollar amounts) that apply to each U.S.
EDUCATIONAL MEETINGS
FRATERNAL PUBLIC SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS
Members may initially be acquired through networking and inquiries for local or national upcoming events.
MEDICAL AND HEALTH CARE MEETINGS
LABOR UNIONS
A related article on union influence from MeetingsNet can be found at the end of this chapter. The local union office can provide contact information for the union secretary's office or meeting planner; one can be found in every major city.
ADDITIONAL MARKETS TO CONSIDER
Headquartered in Cleveland, Conferon has regional offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, St. [email protected] www.corporatemeetingsolutions.com. Certifications: Certified Meeting Professional and Past International Planner of the Year of Meeting Professionals.
THE ROLE OF CONVENTION
OTHER
DESTINATION MARKETING
ORGANIZATIONS
CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAUS
If the CVB was the first point of contact for the meeting planner, it usually coordinates the inspections per hotel. On the other hand, a lead from a CVB is prequalified and a streamlined way for buyer and seller to find each other.
LEADS PROGRAMS
THE MISSION OF CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAUS
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CONVENTION AND VISITORS
BUREAUS (IACVB)
For more information about the CVB, visit www.iacvb.org, the official website of the International Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus (DMAI). Convention and visitor bureaus are usually membership organizations that bring together businesses whose income depends on tourism and events.
MARKETING AND ADVERTISING
STRATEGIES
THE FOUR PS OF MARKETING—
THE MARKETING MIX
THE MARKETING PLAN
Traditional measurement involves analyzing actual booked nights/room rates versus budgeted. Once the plan is approved, the marketing department will start implementing each part of the plan on the fly.
ADVERTISING TO THE GROUP MEETING PLANNER
What are the strategies and goals of the recent ad campaign targeted at meetings groups?
The primary concept for the campaign was to create a unique advertising and direct mail program that supports our sales strategy and differentiates us from our competition locally, regionally and nationally. The direct mail campaign will mirror the trade advertising campaign, providing greater visibility from a broad-based shotgun approach as well as focused on current accounts.
Please discuss whether the above-mentioned campaign has been suc- cessful and how your department and advertising agency measure the
How does Harrah's & Harveys differentiate itself from (1) other Lake Tahoe group dating hotels and (2) other destinations that can meet their needs. I believe that by being visible in both advertising and direct mail, you create high awareness for planners and get the call to book.
DISTINGUISHING THE ADVERTISEMENT
Typical Business Group Average Needs Revenue
The promotional materials used by the sellers to support or confirm the features and benefits of the item being sold. The following advertising plan and sequence was used by Harrah's & Harveys Lake Tahoe in a print campaign.
CONVENTION SALES
NEGOTIATIONS AND CONTRACTS
PROCEDURES
OTHER FORMS OF A PROPOSAL
Here is an excerpt from an article written by Corbin Ball, a visionary in the hospitality and convention industry. These sites differ significantly in the size of their databases, the richness of details of the meeting facilities and the way they generate revenue.
CONTRACTS
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN A TENTATIVE PROPOSAL AND A FINAL CONTRACT
ROOM BLOCKS
NEGOTIATION
ATTRITION
Our staff ended up having to go down to the hotel to spend half a day matching names. Shea continues, “the hotel is usually more willing to work with them to reduce attrition liability if the group falls short.
FOOD AND BEVERAGE
PLANNING
FUNCTION AND MENU PLANNING
A final note on this subject: meeting group food and beverage planning (with guest rooms) varies by hotel I have worked for or with as a planner. We will now focus on the planning process and steps related to Food and Beverage.
BANQUET MENU PRICING
Planners should always review all details on each event function sheet before signing it, regardless of the hotel contact person and his or her job title.
