Meeting planning with the Midas Touch

BY NANCY TRAVERS

In today’s recession, meeting planners struggle to balance constrained budgets, while still delivering optimal expectations for their attendees.

With a little hospitality industry knowledge, along with creativity and flexibility, the bottom line can be saved.

If your company or organization typically holds its meetings or conferences outside of Massachusetts, consider holding your meeting locally. By working with your neighbors, the hospitality industry is more apt to give you a deal – since they see the potential for developing a very viable long-term relationship, as well as the obvious local revenue gain for the area.

Plan your meetings during off-peak days of the week. By being flexible in your agenda, it could represent substantial savings. Ask the catering sales manager to give you a cost comparison during their off-peak versus peak openings.

Take advantage of a multi-year agreement. If you know your program is an annual event, many hotels will give you reduced guest room rates and meeting rental charges, and additional concessions, if you sign a multi-year agreement versus just one year at a time.

“Hot Dates” is a hotel sales term. It is basically a time frame when hotel occupancy is low, and a great window of opportunity to negotiate lower guest room rates. It can be a win/win for both you and the venue.

Cut to the chase! In an unstable environment, let the catering sales manager know right up front what your budget is. Does it mean hotels and other hospitality partners can match it? Not necessarily, but it certainly allows them to try and work through it, and perhaps provide some value-added items and amenities that maybe you didn’t consider, and ultimately lower the total cost of the program. ■


Nancy Travers is Director of Sales for Catania Hospitality Group, owners of the Cape Codder Resort & Spa, Dan’l Webster Inn & Spa, John Carver Inn & Spa and Hearth n’ Kettle restaurants. She can be reached at ntravers@cataniahospitalitygroup.com.

Published in Cape & Plymouth Business September 2009