The following article by Jennifer Glynn and Joe Nishi on Corporate Meetings Network goes over some great tips for site selection and sourcing for your next event.

Best practices for site selection and sourcing corporate meetings and events

January 5, 2017

By Jennifer Glynn and Joe Nishi

From the moment someone in the office looks at you and says, “we need to plan a conference, make it happen,” what do you do and how do you do it? You would most likely call your property only to find out they do not have space. Now what?

You start calling every hotel in the vicinity and wait for someone to respond and hope they have space. Once you get the details you try and compare them and then set up some site inspections with the ones you think look like the best options. You meet with sales, do the sites and now you need to create a budget and then make a recommendation and get a decision from your board/boss/internal client.    Phew! Now comes the fun part — proofing and negotiating the contract. All of this is on top of your regular duties! In this article, we share our over 25 years of insights and experiences on some key points to consider when sourcing your next program either with a professional sourcing partner or by yourself.

Request for Proposal (RFP): How to get the quickest and most accurate response possible

With meeting space demand on the rise, hotels are scrutinizing and evaluating business more than ever before. They also are very wary about holding space for weeks on end without any commitment. Even if they hold space at all, you will need to be ready to move quickly to confirm a contract. Therefore, your RFP should note the region(s) you are considering, type of properties and history of the past three years of venues you have utilized, if applicable.

Getting the right information to the hotels will allow them to properly quote and respond in a timely fashion. Definitely share information that impacts hotel revenue: Meals on , space usage, off-site catering, rooms required, etc. The more detail you can give the better, including all your hot points; this will help the hotel better assign meeting space and thus quote pricing and availability in a speedier fashion. If you have special requests (i.e. upgrades, complimentary meeting room rental, AV discounts etc.), you should note them in the RFP.

There are many distribution channels to send out RFPs. Online -RFPs give you the ability to search properties. Be clear with your RFPs as the information you get back is only as good as you give. The volume of e-RFPs hotels receive can cause delays in response time, so be ready to follow up with the hotel via email or phone.

What to look for during the site inspection

Have you ever been taken off guard during the sales process? It could be something you bought online or in a store and what you bought was not of the quality or style that you wanted. The same thing can happen to you in the hotel industry, for example, when you sign a hotel contract sight unseen and when you and your guests get to the property there is construction going on, the ballroom carpet is tired and the food quality is poor. To avoid this, a comprehensive site inspection is critical.

It starts with having a knowledgeable and well-trained hotel salesperson. A great salesperson builds rapport and trust and gives you an immediate comfort level with the property. First impressions count:

• Was the salesperson in the lobby ready to greet you?
• Did they involve anyone from other departments in the site inspection (i.e. convention services, upper management)?
• Does the salesperson know your program details and focus the site inspection on only the relevant features of the hotel to your program?

Identify the property that makes it easy!

There is a perfect venue for every type of meeting. What is important for one meeting may not be important to another. Having great meeting space with natural light, well-appointed guestrooms and comfortable, well-lit public space is a minimum. Apart from the obvious things like tasteful décor, cleanliness, scent, staffing and appearance, all great properties have one thing in common: Great people — sales and conference services personnel that are empowered to make decisions and create memorable customer experiences at the same time. You can tell from your first interaction with the door staff to the salesperson all the way up to the general manager.

There is no doubt that contracting hotels and venue space become more and more difficult in recent years. This is attributed to demand, but also to factors such as shorter lead times and extensive contract clauses/addendums, etc. Look at your meetings and events spend and consider working on multi-programs with one chain or hotel that wants to partner with you. A good salesperson will look for ways to make your approach a strategic win for both parties.