This was originally written for the Greater Orlando Area Meeting Professionals International (GOAMPI) chapter, reviewing the November 2011 monthly education event.

On Thursday November 17, the Greater Orlando Area MPI chapter welcomed Mary J. Monusky, CEO of Premier Lifestyles, Inc.  She spent the better part of the hour presenting and discussing the findings of a study conducted by the Center for Creative Leadership.  The study was a survey of over 1,100 CEO over a 7 year span; in 2003, 2007 and 2010.  The results were both surprising and inspiring.

One point that the majority of the CEO’s agreed on is that the global business environment is complex and requires change.  To be relevant, you need to restructure, implement process improvements across the board and continually educate and better yourself. One key factor in all of this was with regards to talent.

Talent is #1 – the process of acquisition, development and retention (this is why you need to continually educate yourself).  Ms. Monusky talked about a new trend in talent acquisition that companies like Google and Groupon are using called “Bottoms Up Recruiting”.  Rather than focusing on the top of a resume –  the educational background, designation etc., they are focusing on the bottom of the resume to see what your interests are; what you do outside of work and if you are good fit for the culture of that particular organization.  A PhD is not as relevant or important as the fact that maybe you are a regional champion for BMX racing.  They are looking for the “wow factor” of the person, not so much the education and experience.

Three skills that stood out as being critical to these CEO’s were collaboration, negotiation and horizontal management.  You need to be able to collaborate with others; this was a key skill set.  Your negotiation skills with regards to how you influence management above you but also how you influence those you don’t manage, the horizontal management skills.

Ms. Monusky talked about top trends to watch for in the near future. 66% of the CEO’s in the survey felt that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is 2^nd only to market share.  More and more companies are making CSR a major part of their overall strategies; giving back to the community and / or the environment. Secondly, Mergers & Acquisitions are going to be key moving forward.  You need to know what is coming next so you are not surprised.  Is the hotel next to you about to be sold or go into foreclosure? This is critical information and you need to know it before it happens.  Lastly, she discussed the rise in ethical concerns. One only needs to watch the headlines to see examples of ethics gone bad in today’s global business community.

As mentioned earlier, she explained how important it will be to continually educate yourself.  Mary pointed out three key areas to focus on to become a great, global business leader.

1. EI – Emotional Intelligence is the ability to identify, assess, communicate and manage emotions.
2. TBL – Triple Bottom Line is a new trend in accounting.  Based on Profits, People and the Planet, this is a new way for CFO’s to report on a company. It is important to note that “Planet” does not only refer to saving the planet I.e. recycling but also how the company is reducing their footprint that is being left on the planet.
3. HBR – Harvard Business Review case studies are excellent reading

Some great resources she left us with included:

www.ccl.org www.hbr.org  www.greenbiz.com  www.selfgrowth.com  www.wisebusiness.com  and www.bloomberg.com/the-mentor

Last piece of advice was this, “everything new is happening now!”.  Don’t get left behind.

I consider myself to be a very ethical person.  I know that all industries have opportunities for temptation and the hospitality industry is no exception. Lately, there seems to be a lot of online discussions on ethics as they pertain to issues like FAM trips (destination familiarization trips) site inspections and the like. Is it ethical to ask to extend your site inspection to include a weekend for personal recreation?  Is it ethical to take family members along on a FAM trip? Is it ethical to even attend the destination FAM if you do not have current or foresee having future business for the destination?  I have heard both sides of the argument.  As a whole, our industry seems to be coming together more in the last few years. There has been a code of ethics published by the Convention Industry Council (CIC) www.conventionindustry.org/CMP/Ethics.aspx,
but these standards only pertain to those members of the industry who hold the CMP (Certified Meeting Professional) designation which the CIC oversees.

In my 15+ years in this industry as both a supplier and a planner, I have seen firsthand the types of unethical behavior that takes place.  Here are just two examples:

• As a hotelier, local suppliers like DMC’s and off site venues reach out to the future, definite clients to see if they can secure some of their business during the meeting or incentive trip.  This is usually done by way of introductions from solid relationships with the  sales managers or convention service managers. The contact list for future groups is confidential hotel information and yet I know that in some destinations, money is paid for this information. I was offered several hundred dollars by one such vendor for the hotel list, which I turned down.
• As an independent planner always looking to expand my client base, I was approached by a hotel sales person offering to introduce me to key, potential clients if I split my commissions on future bookings with them, to be paid in cash without the hotel’s knowledge. Again, I turned this down. I did receive referrals to new accounts from some hotel sales people but it was an open introduction with no cash exchange.  It was done based on a solid relationship between two professionals who both had the best interest of the client in mind.

The meetings / hospitality industry is no different from others in that it is a very small, very incestuous industry.  It can almost be guaranteed that you will cross paths with a former co-worker or boss at some point in time if you stay in the business long enough.  When presented with a  situation that your gut tells you is just not right, do a gut check and ask yourself if your mother would approve of the behavior. That should give you your answer.  I urge you to make the right choices and help us all work together to elevate the ethical standards of our industry.

The following was written by me and appeared on www.goampi.org in October 2011.

The Greater Orlando Area Meeting Professionals International (GOAMPI) October education event was presented by Orlando’s very own Fritz Lehman. He has been involved in the  hospitality industry in Orlando since he founded Hello Florida! in 1986. In 2005 he started OpenDoor Resources, LLC.  As an executive recruiter with a focus on the meetings / hospitality industry, he knows a thing or two about what employers are looking for.

The current economy has created what Lehman referred to as a “bulls eye market”.  Employers looking to fill vacant positions are searching for that needle in a haystack. They want the perfect match; somebody who has not only done the job before, but is doing it now.  The successful candidate will be able to hit the ground running with little ramp up time needed.  Transferable skills and past experience are just not enough in this bulls eye job market. 

Here are some tips Lehman gave on how to stand out as an applicant.  Some of these tips may seem obvious but they are also the ones that are most often overlooked and almost always are the cause for elimination from consideration.

• Network within your industry, even when you are not looking for a new position.  When you need a friend, it is too late to start trying to make friends.  Keep in touch with recruiters and read industry trade journals.
• If you are interested in a certain company, set up traces to know when a position has been posted.  Check out www.watchthatpage.com.
• Review, clean up and monitor your social media profile(s). Employers are checking your on line presence and applicants will be eliminated from consideration if they have photos, comments etc. that are not in line with the corporate culture.

Resume tips:

-Substance and style are equally important. Your resume should be logical, clear, free of spelling and grammatical errors and accurate.  This is an opportunity to show your writing skills; how you express yourself, but be careful not to get too creative with the formatting.  Have a second set of eyes or a professional resume writer help you. Don’t rely solely on spell check; it is not always correct.

-Be honest! Employers will verify dates of past employment. Do not intentionally obscure dates of employment, for example listing 2008 – 2009 when in fact is was June 2008 – January 2009. Do not try to hide your age by omitting dates for graduating college.

- Customize your resume for each job.  Emphasize your experience that is relevant to the position.

-The style and content should match the level of experience and position you are applying for.

-Be sure to include accomplishments and achievements and omit information that is irrelevant.

Interview tips:

- Be on time.

-Research the company and have questions prepared. A great question to ask early in the interview if you can is “What are the characteristics of the ideal candidate?” Listen carefully to the answer and remember it as you answer their questions.

-Be enthusiastic. Even if you feel it is not going well, stay upbeat and determined to win the job. Don’t give up until you get an official “no”.

-Have a well thought out, rehearsed answer to the question “tell me about yourself”. It should be 60 – 90 seconds and should be relevant to the position you are interviewing for.

-Answer questions with details, not just a yes or no. Show them you are articulate.

-Send a Thank You note right away. E-mail is acceptable but a hand written note will make you stand out.

-Do not speak poorly of your current / past employers or co-workers.

-Take responsibility for your failures – Don’t be the victim and blame everyone and everything.

Lastly, take advantage of technology to make your application stand out. Two ideas that I loved were having a video resume and having a QR code on your resume that will link to an on line resume, your person web page with your bio or perhaps your LinkedIn profile.

There may be times when you need a helping hand, or ten, at your conference.  If your “meeting planning team” is you…where do find the help you need to man the registration desk, check to make sure sessions are set correctly, take care of late check out requests, check in on your key-note speaker etc.?  Many organizations rely heavily on volunteers (especially associations and non-profits) and some corporations take some of their support staff out of the office to be on site and help out.  But if your employees are at the conference, who is doing their work in the office?  Volunteers may have their heart and motivation in the right place but would they know the what to do if there are not enough seats in the meeting room or who to call if the LCD projector does not work?

Here are a few options that can save you time, money and head aches:

1. The local convention bureau almost always will have temps who are trained and experienced.  They are hired on an hourly basis and are local so there is no travel costs involved.

2. Hire a freelance travel director. These folks are true professionals in the meetings industry.  Many are CMP’s (Certified Meeting Professional designation).  Some may be local to your meeting location, others would have travel expenses, but their experience and expertise is almost always worth their weight in gold.

3. For a limited budget and simple needs, look to see if there is a local hospitality school near by. I have yet to meet a 2nd or 3rd year student who would turn down the opportunity for some real life, hands on experience.  With good direction, these students are an excellent option.

In all three options noted, you would save on the expense of airfares and hotel for your own staff to travel, you would gain the peace of mind that you have experienced meeting professionals working for you and you will continue to have staff in the office so that your organization can continue to be productive and not miss a beat.

Many businesses have a clear ownership. Sometimes it is an individual, sometimes it is two or more partners.   Some companies have stockholders who technically own the business but the day-to-day operations are managed by others, the employees. The hotel industry is probably unlike any other business you have come across in that there are so many different combinations of the ownership / management structure, it can make your head spin.  You may not think it will make a difference when it comes to contracting a hotel for your next meeting or conference but it can.  Here, I will try to explain in the simplest terms, some examples of hotel ownership and how their business model may affect your group.

 

Disclaimer: I am not an employee of nor do I represent any of the hotel companies mentioned in this blog.  All of the statements and examples provided here are just those…examples.  They are my own opinions based on my personal and professional experiences and knowledge and should not be considered “the standard” with any and / or all of the hotel companies mentioned.

 1. Corporate Owned and Managed by a chain brand:

This is when the hotel company, for example Starwood or Marriott owns the hotel and also has control of the day-to-day operations of the business.  The employees are paid by the hotel company and they receive the corporate training and abide by those corporate policies and procedures.  With a national or global chain, there are usually national sales offices (NSO); sales people who represent all the hotels in the chain, not just one specific property. These NSO contacts are a great support system if you run into problems at the property level when it comes to contracting, planning or even the execution of your meeting.  A “pro” for this ownership model is that in the event your meeting cancels, you may be able to negotiate to relocate a cancelled meeting to a different hotel within their chain or get a credit of your attrition dollars paid to be used at a future meeting at another one of their hotels. The levels of service and hotel product will also have great consistency. Potential “con” for this is that sometimes we all know a very large corporation can take a long to time make a decision when asked to have an exception to the standard practices.  This can hold up negotiations.

 2. Privately Owned and Corporate Managed by a chain brand:

Some companies are in the business of owning hotels but they do not manage them.  In this case, the employees would receive their training, pay and benefits from the hotel company, such as Starwood or Marriott. This is often a franchise situation where the owners of the building have paid the hotel company a fee to “fly their flag” and carry the brand name whether that be a Westin or a JW Marriott.  Under such an arrangement, you are assured the consistency in the level of service and the hotel product as you would find in a hotel that that brand would own and manage.  A potential “con” to this structure is that the owners usually have the final say with anything that has to do with money.  So if a renovation or upgrades to the meeting space need to be done, it is up to the owners whether or not to invest money into the property.  As a franchise, they must maintain certain standards to keep the name and also their diamond /star ratings.  Also, the ownership may not own other hotels in the same chain so the potential to rebook a cancelled meeting or negotiate attrition as described in #1 would not apply. The owner wants all the money to stay at their hotel, not go to another one that they do not have a stake in.

 3. Privately Owned and Privately Managed as Franchise of chain brand:

This is like taking example #2 and adding one more degree of separation.  For example, ABC Company owns the hotel, and they manage it – the employees are trained and paid by ABC Company.  ABC Company has paid a franchise fee to Hilton Worldwide to “flag” the hotel as a Doubletree.  Other than the Doubletree flag out front and you being awarded your Hilton points, the corporate folks at Hilton will not have much to do with this hotel.  The National Sales Office will send group leads to them and individual guests can use Hilton central reservations but if you run into any problems with the hotel, you in all likelihood would be dealing with someone at ABC Company to resolve the situation, not Hilton Worldwide.

 4. Privately Owned and Privately Managed – Independent hotel:

The best example of this hotel would be a “mom and pop” owned hotel.  However, some of these are VERY nice mom and pops.  Some of the best, most exclusive hotels in the world have this ownership.  An example would be the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  Nothing wrong with that hotel, I can say from personal experience it is truly one of the best.  Pros for this business model are that they have tremendous flexibility with rate, concessions and contract terms.  They can also run any type of promotion they want and do renovations when and how they prefer.  A potential con for this one though is the lack of support you would get from a national chain.  It is just you and hotel.

 5. Privately Owned with Management Contract – Independent hotel:

There are companies who are in the business of managing hotels.  They will manage a chain brand hotel or an independent hotel; they are not too choosy.  When ABC Company owns a hotel that they do not want to manage, they hire XYZ Corporation to be the management company to run the day-to-day operations.  This ownership structure has many of the same pros and cons as #4 but the actual owner is one step removed from the day-to-day operations and decision-making process.

 Here are two examples in the Orlando area (where there is no shortage of hotels!) that don’t fall into any of the above….just to make it even more confusing!

 Universal Orlando - there are three Loews hotels (Portofino Bay, Hard Rock and the Royal Pacific).  Their ownership / management set up were described to me by an employee as:

“A joint venture with three hospitality brands, include one chain brand.  The chain brand manages the three hotels.”

 Here is another:

Reunion Resort and Club, A Wyndham Grand Resort – this resort has an owner, who has hired a management company to run the day-to-day operations.  The owner also recently franchised the resort to be part of the Wyndham Grand Resort collection but Wyndham has no part in the operation of the resort.  Wyndham is really only there in name….

The bottom line is that you can never really know who owns and / or manages the hotel you are about to contract with.  If after reading this blog you feel that it is important for you to know this information, add it to your RFP so you know from the get go, and always have a change in ownership / change in management clause in your contracts.  You just never know what will happen to that hotel between contract signing and when your group arrives.

Before signing your next hotel contract, keep in mind that there are many negotiable items that you might not immediately think of.  The obvious items are your group rate, as well as terms for attrition and cancellation. However, there are many more that can help your bottom line.

Rate Spread

If the hotel has quoted separate rates for single and double occupancy rooms, review your group’s history and determine which occupancy you use more of.  If you use more doubles than singles, ask them to reduce the double occupancy rate and increase the single occupancy rate.

Complimentary Policy

Many hotels will offer one complimentary room for every 50 rooms sold based on the number of sleeping rooms you contract for on your main meeting days.  This can often be negotiated to a lower ratio such as one in 40 or even one in 25 in some cases.  Always try to get the complimentary rooms based on a cumulative basis as opposed to a daily basis and include any rooms your attendees use if they extend their stay prior to or post of the main meeting days.

Shipping and Receiving

If you have a lot of supplies that you ship ahead for the meeting, you can negotiate the fees to be waived anywhere from 24 to 48 hours prior to arrival.  Base it on the first night of any attendee arrival, not the first meeting day as you will probably arrive a day or two ahead of the group.

Beverage Service for Office

If your meeting or conference will require an office for the on-site staff members who are there to work the meeting, ask the hotel to provide complimentary beverages such as coffee, water and sodas.  It’s a small concession the hotel can provide to help keep the hardworking staff happy and save you some money.

Group Rate Extension

Most contracts will state that after the cutoff date or after the group room block has been filled the hotel will offer the best available room rate. This can often be negotiated to extend the group rate if they have rooms available.

I always recommend having a professional represent you when negotiating any contract.  The best executed contracts are not a “win-win agreement” but rather a “partnership agreement” between your company and the hotel.  The hotel sales manager is representing the hotel and their interests, but who is representing you and your company if you do not have a legal department to review the contract?

This first appeared on www.officearrow.com in January 2010.

The location of your off site meeting, conference or incentive trip can be as important as the content.  Consider this top ten list before beginning your search for a hotel or conference center.

1. LENGTH OF STAY – The number of nights / days of the program will help to determine the location. For example, a two night program will likely not go more than two to three hours of flying time but a four night stay could go five to six hours of flying time.  You also do not want more than a 30 minute commute from the airport to the hotel for a shorter program but can stretch it to one hour for a longer conference.

2. PURPOSE OF TRIP – What kind of trip are you planning?  Is it an incentive reward, a board meeting, a training class, customer appreciate event, new product launch, regional / national / global sales meeting?  You would not select an airport hotel for an incentive trip anymore than you would book a Caribbean resort for a one day training class.

3. FORMAT OF PROGRAM – What is the day-to-day agenda for this event?  Are the attendees at leisure all day every day?  Are they in meetings all day?  Do you need time / space for a trade show?

4. TIME OF YEAR – Keep in mind the season and weather at that time of year.  This is not only for the destination selected but also the time of year can affect your departure cities.  For example, if you have a two-day training session in February with most of the attendees coming from the Northeast, you can almost certainly expect flight delays due to winter weather.  Similarly, heading to the Caribbean in August, prime hurricane season, you should make sure you have trip cancellation insurance that covers a possible storm.

5. DAYS OF THE EVENT – Some destinations are slower and offer better rates over weekends while others are peak on weekends and slower during the week.  You should also consider local events taking place that may affect your program I.e. Mardi Gras in New Orleans or the Marathon in Boston.

6. REGIONAL ACTIVITIES – If you are planning an incentive reward trip or a customer appreciation event, be sure that there are enough off site tours and activities to entertain the group for the number of days you are at the destination.

7. TYPE OF PROPERTY / PERCEPTION – A.K.A the AIG effect!  There are all different hotel types such as resort, airport hotel, city hotel and conference centers but you can also have a variety of service levels.  Be sure that the type of hotel and the service level offered meet the needs of your attendee and company policy.

8. BUDGET – We are still in a buyer’s market with regards to groups and conventions but the industry is on the upswing.  The luxury segment has seen the largest rebound in the first quarter of 2010 and the remaining segments are expected to rebound by the end of 2010.  Even though rates are down, I encourage my clients to buy up and lock in for multi-year if possible.  If you have historically paid $200 room rates for a 3 star hotel but the 3 star hotels are now at $100, don’t just try to save money.  Spend that same $200 and move up to a four diamond service and lock in. When that four diamond hotel recovers and is once again charging $300 rates, you will be the hero for getting a good deal.

9. PASSPORTS – Know who the attendees are. Are they well-travelled?  Does everyone have a passport?  Be sure that if you select a destination with passport requirements and an attendee does not have one, who is going to pay for it?

10. HOTEL CHAIN / BRAND LOYALTY – Many of the major hotel chains have loyalty programs in place with rewards and points awarded to both the planner and the individual guests. Find out if this is a determining factor in your decision and what the company policy is with regards to the points.  There are some companies that mandate that they will not accept points as they see them as a “kickback”.

I cannot stress enough the importance of having a set of eyes, from your staff, pre-walk a room before an event.  I attended a conference this week at a downtown Orlando hotel. At my table of 8, we had 2 coffee mugs on the table, with left over lipstick.  I understand that with new formulas for “long lasting” lipstick, it is hard for even the best industrial dishwashers to get the stuff off.  That being said though, the stewards and wait staff have so many things to do to prepare for your banquet that on occasion, these kind of things get overlooked.  This is where your staff comes in.  Doing a quick walk through, glancing at the table set up should be a given.  Make sure every table has the correct number of chairs.  Make sure that salt and pepper, sugar and creamers are on the table.  I’m not saying you need to examine every knife for water spots but something like these lipstick tainted mugs would most certainly have caught your eye.

SMMP is the latest buzz word for the meetings industry, kind of like Web 2.0 is for tech people.  It stands for Strategic Meeting Management Program.  I have heard a great deal about it but have yet to have any of my customers take full advantage of it and experience the full benefits it can offer.  In the simplest of terms, what it does is allow the right hand to know what the left hand is doing.   

Case in point…this week, I have been working on a new meeting for a customer of mine.  In this particular company, there are many different departments and many people responsible for meetings in each of those departments.  As it turns out, one of the hotels I sent the request to called me to ask if it was the same person who already has a meeting contracted at their hotel for a different set of dates. It is not.  This new meeting may not end up at the same hotel but if the two departments talked to each other or had all the meeting requests going through a central clearing house so to speak, their buying power would just have doubled. 

An SMMP is also helpful when a conference is not meeting their contracted room block.  If the company is using an SMMP, the shortfall could very well be picked up another meeting from within that same company and thereby save the original meeting any attrition fees they may incur.

The SMMP model has been fully embraced by some of the larger corporations but smaller companies either have not heard of it, don’t think they need it or think it will cost them money to implement one.  Well, now you have heard of it, I can tell you that they need it if they hold multiple meetings and there are multiple people booking them and it will save them money in the long run.

A while back, I wrote a series called “Want Hotels To Want Your Business”. These blogs gave insight into ways to make your business more attractive to hotels bidding on your meetings and events.  However, before they even bid on your business, you need to send the hotel a Request For Proposal (RFP).  Here are a few tips on how to write a great RFP that will get the attention of your hotel sales manager.

1. Days / Dates / Pattern

State the days of the week with the corresponding dates of your meeting or event.  Be sure to double-check that these are accurate, especially if they are for future years.  Let the hotel know if you have alternate dates, flexibility on the dates noted or the pattern of the days of the week.

2. Meeting Space Needs

The more information you can provide on your meeting space needs the better. Give start and end times for all events.  Include the estimated number of people for each meeting or banquet room needed.  Specify the set up for the room along with any audio-visual needs. 

3. Meeting / Attendee Profile

Give the hotel an overview of the meeting this will help them understand your needs even more.  Tell them about the organization, the purpose of the meeting and some demographics on the attendees such as age and gender.

4.  History

Include on your RFP where the group has stayed in previous years along with the dates, room block with final pick up and the room rates paid. If you have past food and beverage spend, and you should, note this too.  You may be tempted to not include the room rates from previous years but keep in mind that in the current economy, hotels will likely be less than what you have paid in the past.

5.  Concessions / Wish List

Hotels want to know up front what is important to you with regards to concessions and “hot buttons”.  Are you more concerned with savings for your bottom line or for the out-of-pocket expenses for the attendees? The more you can let them know up front, the better.  Hotels don’t like it when you spring on them two or three months into the process that you need a Presidential suite or complimentary shipping and handling.  Don’t ask for things for the sake of asking. 

6. Decision Process

Include on your RFP the decision process with a timeline.  Let the hotel know if you need to do a site inspection prior to making a final decision.  Are you looking at other destinations?  Does a board need to vote on the options and if so, when will the board meet next? 

There is still more information that can and should be included in your RFP.  The Request For Proposal does more than communicate your needs to a hotel, it is a tool to show the hotel the value of your business.  The more you can tell them about your business, the more aggressive the hotel will be to earn it.