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<p class="p1">An expected influx of room inventory around the globe should benefit meetings 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% Quality of service provided by staff Meeting space costs Convenient location Accommodations costs Size of meeting facilities Quality of accommodations F &amp; B costs F &amp; B quality Technological capabilities 66.5% 60.7% 58.3% 57.9% 54.9% 52.7% 48.7% 32.7% 44.2% % who said “Extremely Important” Source: MeetingNews survey of 463 meeting planners December 18, 2006 • MiMegasite.com MeetingNews 15 [MEETINGNEWS EXCLUSIVE RESEARCH] By Nancy Lazarus Service clearly has pushed its way alongside the front-line considerations of cost and location as key criteria for meeting planners when selecting host properties, according to the most recent MeetingNews survey of 463 meeting professionals. Service of course plays an integral role in every aspect of a meeting, from the planner’s initial site inspection, to the attendees’ meeting experience, to the planner’s post-con and bill reconciliation interactions. “Nothing replaces service,” said Jaime Bernhart, conference coordinator at Employees Assistance Professionals Association of Arlington, VA. “Attendees at my association want low room rates and a good location in the city, but they expect the hotel to provide exceptional service on top of it all.” Corporate planners agree, including Liz Hall, meeting planner at Raymond James &amp; Associates in St. Petersburg, FL. “Many things can be forgiven throughout the course of a meeting or event if the level of care and service is high. Conversely, special note is taken if service levels are not up to par. Quality care and service can make or break an attendee’s experience.” Service has become a primary point of differentiation for hotels that host meetings.“In today’s marketplace, there rarely is a significant facility and product difference within the same tier of conference hotel. What truly separates a hotel is the spirit and expertise of the staff servicing meeting planners and their attendees,” said Pam Gilbert, director of marketing at InterContinental Hotels Group in Chicago. Peter Shelly, executive vice president of sales for HelmsBriscoe in Scottsdale, AZ, agreed. “Everyone is adding a new bed, a better shower head, or some other bell and whistle. Service is the only true indicator as to how a hotel separates itself from competitors.” 90 days or less 24.7% 7-12 months 27.8% More than 12 months 25.0% Source: MeetingNews survey of 463 meeting planners All Planners 90 days or less 34.7% 4 - 6 months 29.9% 4 - 6 months 22.5% More than 12 months 9.7% 7-12 months 25.7% Corporate Planners 7-12 months 30.8% More than 12 months 46.1% 4 - 6 months 12.3% 90 days or less 10.8% Association Planners The Long and Short of Lead Times How far in advance do you most often plan off-site domestic meetings and conferences? Serving It Up Planners book with service at top of mind 4 16 MeetingNews MiMegasite.com • December 18, 2006 Service is clearly foremost on attendees’ minds as well, especially given the current travel environment. “It’s important that a hotel provides service levels that lessen the strain of travel in today’s fast-paced and high-security world,” added Gilbert. Business pressures also play a role. “Attendees need to focus on the business of their meeting while still juggling business back home. They want a hotel that is comfortable but also conducive to getting business done,” and good service assists with that objective, commented Suzanne Stephan, director of marketing at Gaylord Palms Resort &amp; Convention Center in Kissimmee, FL. Seeing is Believing This service-first perspective is further evidenced in responses to another survey question regarding which informational sources are most valuable to planners when learning about meeting properties. The two top-rated sources were word-of-mouth referrals (64.1 percent) and planner-initiated site inspections (60.7 percent); both involve direct observation by planners. There is, however, some difference of opinion regarding site inspections as an accurate predictor of the actual service a meeting could receive. Hall finds advance visits to be good forecasters, “especially if you visit the venue unannounced. It is abundantly clear, when you first walk into an establishment, how the staff is trained and if they are service oriented. If you’re able to look around on your own, you can get a very accurate gauge as to how your guests are going to be received.” But Bernhart feels that referrals are a more reliable barometer of actual hotel service levels. “Talking to other planners who have used the facility or seeing the property in full swing during another planner’s program is usually my best indicator. Referrals can be a tie-breaker in final selection.” Referrals can also be an efficient way to learn about venues if pressed for time. The survey shows that many lead times are short, especially for corporate planners. As a result, they may have less of an opportunity to visit new venues and thus often need to rely on others’ experiences. Hotel websites also influence planners’ venue decisions; they were rated the third most important source of information. While they do not replace site visits, they are an effective way of narrowing down options. “I cull down the list of properties I’m looking at and then see the venues side by side,” according to Hall. The websites’ photos and specs “help eliminate unsuitable locations and venues, making better use of the time spent doing site visits.” Other advantages of hotel websites include providing valuable information for attendees and clients. “It’s an easy place to send attendees who want a little more information about the conference facility,” said Bernhart. Christy Lamagna, president and chief strategist for Strategic Meetings &amp; Events in Bernardsville, NJ, also likes “the ability to share the site’s photos with clients so they have an image of the facility and can quickly give feedback.” Meanwhile, hotel websites will continue to evolve to meet planners’ needs. According to Gilbert, “Website development will include more interactive capability for meeting planners, with virtual guided hotel site tours, meeting space setup planning tools, and the ability to provide online quotes.” <span class="s1">■</span> FOR MORE ON HOTEL SERVICE, SEE PAGE 20. Contact Nancy Lazarus at nlazarus@vnubuspubs.com [MEETINGNEWS EXCLUSIVE RESEARCH] next year through 2010, according to the firm. India, the 12th largest economy, will follow with six-percent average annual growth. The U.S. is expected to dip next year to 2.4-percent growth from 3.3 percent this year but then rebound to 3.3 percent in 2009 and 2010. This will translate into more travel. The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) estimates that overseas arrivals worldwide will increase 25 percent from 2005 to 2010, to one billion arrivals. International travel to developing countries in East Asia and the Pacific, South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa are outpacing the average world growth in international travel by nearly 20 percent, according to the UNWTO. By 2020, East Asia and the Pacific will supplant the Americas as the second most popular destination for international travelers, behind Europe. Moreover, in emerging markets like China and India, domestic travel, fueled by growing affluence, accounts for most travel, and the percentage will only increase. The number of Indians who can afford to stay at hotels, according to the Indian Association of Tour Operators, has nearly doubled in the past decade to about 350 million — larger than the U.S. population. Customer loyalty thus figures heavily in emerging-market development strategies at hotel companies, according to Hennessey. “They want to be the brand of choice for those emerging markets, and they’re introducing product not only to serve people who live and travel in those countries, but also to get a leg up when those people begin to travel around the world.” The Final Analysis Whether the anticipated boom in room inventory works to the benefit of groups ultimately depends upon whether demand keeps pace with the supply. AHLA’s McInerney expects demand would balance out supply. But Kirk Kinsell, InterContinental Hotel’s chief development officer for the Americas, said, “Adding supply does take some pricing pressure off.” Julie Carroll, vice president of partner and industry relations for BCD Meetings &amp; Incentives, in Chicago, said the increase in room inventory probably won’t help planners next year but could ease the crunch in 2008 and beyond.“More supply will definitely make it easier to find space,” said Carroll, “but it’s too soon to say that it will be a cakewalk for buyers.” <span class="s1">■</span></p>
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