Uh oh. Loo
ks
like you might have to add a little something extra to your budgets
for events in Boston; Indianapolis; Las Vegas; New York City;
Scottsdale, Ariz.; Oakland, Calif., and the state of Hawaii. These
destinations have raised hotel bed taxes to boost municipal
revenues, according to a
report in Meetings & Conventions
magazine.
Other cities, including Baltimore; Birmingham, Ala.; Cleveland,
and Los Angeles are considering following suit. One small bit of
good news: San Francisco voters...
Continue Reading »
Here's a bright piece of news as we head into the New Year.
Meeting professionals are expressing "a notable shift from caution
towards greater confidence," according to the just released
IMEX Global Insights Report. Nearly 60 percent of
respondents to the annual survey of a standing panel of 45 senior
meetings professionals said they expect to be responsible for
more meetings and events in 2011, and 57
percent expect an increase available budgets. Nearly 20 percent
expect budgets to...
Continue Reading »
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Before the tryptophan kicks in from
all that turkey I want to give thanks for five developments in
strategic meetings management evolution this year.
1. Cautious Optimism
A survey released mid-year by the Professional Convention
Management Association showed an uptick in meetings attendance and
budget growth. It was such a refreshing change after two years of
budget cuts, cancellations, declining attendance, criticisms of
corporate excess and faltering bookings. We...
Continue Reading »
I
once spoke with a meeting manager who raved about cruise meetings.
The per-person, all-inclusive rates make cruises easy to budget for
your incentive group or conference. Plus, attendees are safely
contained on board – no rouge trips off property. Cruising, she
enthused, is the easiest option for meeting buyers who need an
exciting, fun program with minimal hassle.
I wonder what she'd say after seeing Carnival Cruise's ship,
Splendor, limp back to shore after a fire in the engine...
Continue Reading »
2011 looks to be a better year in the world of meetings and
travel... if you are prepared to pay more in general and do more
with less. (
Click
here for full story.) Here's an excerpt:
The American Express
Business Travel forecast (for 2011) predicts more corporate
meetings in 2011, but less spending per meeting as group sizes
decreases and sourcing efficiencies
improve.
Doing more with less - we've all
heard that one before. With predicted increases in hotel
rates (as high as 6% in North...
Continue Reading »
An interesting article from HotelNewsNow.com today –
Group Business Demand Returns – should make us
all feel a bit more hopeful about our industry. A few
highlights:
- Three in 10 meeting planners expect to book more meetings in
2011 than in 2010
- Four in 10 expect meeting attendance to increase in 2011
- Hotel occupancy in a lot of major cities is improving
- Planners are continuing to strive for value
Do these trends ring true for your organization? It is budget
season, after all, and we are all...
Continue Reading »
SMM - Where we started and where we are
now
When I travel around talking with meeting professionals about
SMM, I am always reminded of what a large and daunting
endeavor this seems from the outside looking in. Years ago,
when we called this practice
meeting consolidation
and
meeting centralization, planners would run
from the idea of having someone "else" - maybe procurement or
travel - take control over how they did their jobs. Now, more
and more SMM programs are being driven by senior...
Continue Reading »
Subscribe to this blog by RSS
Powered by Compendium
