Table of contents for TownHall0807

  1. Main Story

Summary: Transcript of Table One

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At table, reps from:

  • Upscale suburban resort
  • Convention & visitors bureau (suburban)
  • Mid-scale, suburban chain hotel
  • Upscale airport hotel

Question: How is the economy or fears about the economy impacting your business?

Convention center resort:

  • Boss asked: “If you were to lose 10% of your budget today, what would you do to make up for it?” They created a contingency report. Now, they are actually following steps they originally had done as an exercise.
  • A lot of people are canceling at the last minute. They say that it’s cheaper to lose the big deposit than to pay for the meeting.
  • Some “series” clients — people who have a scheduled series of 3 or 4 meetings a year at her facility — are now cutting those short. Instead of the scheduled 4 meetings, they have to cancel the last one.

Convention & visitors bureau:

  • Most of their government and association business is doing all right, it’s the corporate business that’s lacking.
  • People seem to be using Webinars and simulcasts more often, including religious Webcasts, just to cut down on travel costs.
  • Clients will book an event space, but not any guest rooms.
  • It seems that companies will still put their VIP’s (vice presidents, CEO’s, etc.) in overnight accommodations, but everyone else must commute.

Mid-scale chain hotel:

  • They are re-evaluating business proposals.
  • What used to look like bad business (they wouldn’t accept at all), is being reconsidered to see if maybe they could work something out.

Upscale airport hotel:

  • 2009 and 2010 business is rolling along very well; it’s the rest of 2008 that’s struggling.
  • This is because clients will book far in advance since the economy could go up by then, but they aren’t sure what the rest of this year holds yet.

Question: What are some things you are doing to maintain marketshare and remain top of mind?

Upscale airport hotel:

  • Stay focused, and be pro-active.
  • Stick to the basic, elementary principles of sales. Make your calls; be visible and direct.
  • Work with your CVB!

Mid-scale chain hotel:

  • Be creative with your offers.
  • Sometimes it takes a little more than a “discounted rate” to get the business. Have some added incentives.

Convention & visitors bureau:

  • Identify your problem and work out a solution. If traveling costs are keeping clients away, offer a gas card to them to get their business.
  • Create some local events to get people to come to your area.
  • Use interns to make sales calls and as sales people in order to cut costs.
  • Also, try calling other vendors and forming a partnership to get discounts for your clients and help each other’s businesses out.

Question: What’s the biggest challenge you’re facing?

  • Everyone agreed: the economy is the biggest challenge they are facing!