Small Meetings Big On Savings
How Savvy Planners Get More For Less
By Alison Mitchell Linda Sims, an administrative assistant for Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Astec Inc., which designs, manufactures and markets a line of asphalt facilities and soil remediation equipment, plans yearly training schools for her company’s customers. Sims said these small meetings are held over the course of four to five weeks and serve approximately 80 attendees each week.
Sims said she turns to her local convention and visitors bureau (CVB), the
Chattanooga (Tenn.) Area CVB, for help in planning these small meetings. “They furnish us with pamphlets about Chattanooga, coupons for attractions and work with our host hotel to ensure that our customers get the very best hospitality while here.”
To keep costs down, Sims said she schedules training events during Chattanooga’s “off” season. “Our schools are held in the typical tourist off season; thus, we get a better room rate for our customers,” she said, adding that she’s able to get better deals during the shoulder season at local tourist attractions such as the
Tennessee Aquarium.
Sims believes that although her meetings are small, her groups receive the same level of service from the CVB and the destination as a whole that a larger group would. According to Sims, “[The CVB staff] know when it is about planning time for our schools and always let us know that they are available to help in any possible way.”
Small meetings—typically considered events with less than 200 attendees—are no little matter to destinations across the South. Representatives from convention and visitors bureaus (CVB) throughout the region said they put just as much effort into attracting and serving small meeting groups as they do large conventions.
“Small groups are vital to our area and are the focus of the majority of our sales efforts at this time,” said Beth Gendler, director of sales for the
Alabama Gulf Coast CVB in Gulf Shores, Ala. In fact, 70 percent of the group business that booked the destination through the CVB from 2005 to mid-2006 had fewer than 200 attendees.
What’s more, CVB reps also say they’re ready to help small groups with their meeting concerns.
“A CVB is the best help in orienting you to their city or town and helping you to identify the venues that will fit with your agenda and budget,” said Michelle Ligon,
Boone (N.C.) CVB media and group promotion manager, “and help come up with creative solutions for space and schedules to make your meetings more fun and interesting.”
Budget Buster The Questions You Should Ask Looking to save money on your next small meeting? Well, asking key questions of the local convention and visitors bureau (CVB) can unearth cost savings you may not be aware of. ConventionSouth spoke with these CVB reps who weren’t shy about sharing how planners can go about getting the best deals. · Beth Gendler, director of sales, Alabama Gulf Coast CVB: I think planners should be direct and ask CVBs what they can do for them to make their lives easier and to make planning a meeting in their area more efficient and cost effective.
· Michelle Ligon, media and group
promotion manager, Boone (N.C.) CVB: Planners should be asking whether there any seasonal venues that might not be in use during their event date and whether they would they be available for their group. They should also ask what free meeting space venues are available to groups and what the off-season months are in the area.
· Steve Genovesi, vice president of sales and marketing, Chattanooga (Tenn.) Area CVB: The questions a planner could ask the CVB to help learn about affordability might include inquiring if the attractions provide group discounts and which hotels offer free breakfasts, free parking and free hospitality or meeting space. |
Plus, CVBs provide complimentary services and work with planners of small groups to seek out budget-friendly suppliers along with sharing other cost-savings advice.
Duncan Hines, sales manager for the
Bowling Green (Ky.) Area CVB, added, “For small groups, the CVB can help them save a lot of time. Sometimes small groups don’t have a dedicated planner and that job may fall to someone with a lot of other responsibilities. And they may not have a large budget, so the CVB can help with cost savings.”
Bureau services are free of charge and save meeting planners time and money, said Steve Genovesi, vice president of sales and marketing for the
Chattanooga Area CVB, where small groups currently account for about 15 percent of the CVB’s overall business. “We understand small groups’ special needs and assists from the initial contact all the way through the group’s arrival. When it comes to budget matters, the CVB gathers information from the planner and is then able to direct that information to the appropriate lodging/ venues/attractions/tour bus companies that will meet the group’s needs.”
Debby Rivera, destination services manager for the
Kissimmee CVB, said she also uses her knowledge of the local hospitality community to save money for small groups. “Just give us the meeting parameters and we’ll do the legwork in the area and send leads out that include your needs and especially your budget. If someone is looking to spend $50 a night on a hotel, then we won’t send your bid to an expensive hotel chain,” Helping planners with their budget is what we do, said Dawn Hathcock, vice president of the
Montgomery (Ala.) Area Chamber of Commerce/ CVB. “We can help small groups stay within budget by identifying more cost-effective meeting venues and hotel options. We can narrow down options and allow planners more time to concentrate on the agenda.”
Maggie Pearson, director of sales and marketing at Virginia’s
Charlottesville Albermarle CVB, said that planners of small meetings could utilize her CVB’s knowledge base about the area and contacts to get good deals. “The CVB can give good insight on small, unique and different places to go and things to try and is in touch with the hospitality industry, hotels and attractions, and we work together and partner on advertising and sales and marketing messages.” Plus, in Charlottesville, the CVB helps to create packages for groups that include hotel rooms, meeting venues and attractions that include special perks.
Bonnie Brownwell,
Kissimmee CVB’s manager of convention sales, added, “We can provide customized service to groups by knowing what properties will work for their demographic. We know what kinds of groups fit each hotel and what is a good option.”
The
Alachua County CVB in Gainesville, Fla., offers a meetings grant to qualifying small groups, said Nancy Fischer, CMP, director of sales. “Our Fall Conference Grant is offered each year to conferences that have 100 hotel guest rooms for a couple of nights; based on an equation of guest rooms and activities, the group can be reimbursed hundreds of dollars in conference expenses, like audio/visual equipment, meeting room costs and transportation.”
Flexibility Can Save You Money
Small groups can be more flexible than larger groups, said Allyson Twiggs, director of the Fayetteville (Ark.) Visitors Bureau. “The groups themselves are so much more flexible, and that means you can make the meetings more flexible.”
Budget Buster Be A ‘Freeloader’ Planners, if you’re looking to cut costs for your small meeting, there may be no better way than to be a “freeloader.” That’s right, according to Debby Rivera, destination services manager, and Bonnie Brownwell, manager of convention sales for the Kissimmee (Fla.) Convention and Visitors Bureau, to stay within budget and keep costs down, some small groups are choosing to “tag along” with a larger group at a property.
What does this mean? Rivera and Brownwell said small groups can work with CVBs and larger groups to “get in on” the room blocks for large events and/or join in on their food and beverage (F&B) packages.
They shared the example of a state association deciding to meet in conjunction with, or either before or after, their connected national association to take advantage of the price breaks given to the larger group. The smaller group could ask the meeting planner of the larger group to order extra F&B or add more rooms to their block to accommodate the smaller group’s attendees. Entertainment, linens, centerpieces and other meeting elements could be included as well. |
Being flexible with when you meet also can save groups money, Gendler said. “Certainly, planning a meeting off-peak season is a cost saver, especially in a beach/resort destination such as Orange Beach and Gulf Shores. Even moving a meeting to mid- or late-August will result in a cost savings for most planners. As a CVB, we stay out of the rate negotiations, but we do encourage our rate-sensitive groups to move to dates we know will offer more value to them and to our industry partners. Our website offers ‘hot dates and deals’ for planners who are flexible or are planning a last-minute meeting.”
Montgomery’s Hathcock added, “We encourage meeting planners on a budget to consider meeting Sunday through Wednesday instead of the more popular Wednesday through Sunday set up. When hotels have less demand, they can afford to provide a lower rate for groups.”
Kissimmee’s Rivera said it’s a good idea for flexible groups to ask a hotel about their slow times to try to get a low-cost room rate. “Groups can ask a hotel when they have a hole to fill, and if the group is flexible and can do this, the hotel may be more inclined to give concessions on a room rate.”
But, CVB reps warned that there is such a thing as “too last minute.” “We generally encourage groups to be prompt in reserving their hotel rooms so everything else falls into place,” Genovesi said. “Most hotels have deadlines on how long they can hold rooms and meeting space, and it is risky to wait in hopes of getting a better last-minute rate,” “The hotel the group wants may not have enough rooms to accom-modate the entire group last minute, and it is unlikely that hospitality or meeting space would be available at the last minute as those are usually reserved well in advance.”
Being A ‘Hotel Big Shot’ On A Budget
By Marlane Bundock Ever wonder if the hotel where your small group is meeting views your attendees as part of an actual meeting or just a bunch of guests? Along with choosing the right destination for your small group, finding the right hotel is just as critical for planners of limited-attendance events such as Harriett Edmunds, president of North Carolina-based The Edmunds Group. Edmunds’ business offers complete meeting and event planning and management services for groups of all sizes, but she admits when it comes to meetings with less than 200 attendees, savvy preparations come into play. “When selecting a hotel for a small group, I look for several things, including a convenient and central location, technological connectivity, and how costly the hotel would be.”
The Fewer The Attendees The Better Destination officials across the South say they want small groups to meet at their sites. “We consider smaller groups the ‘norm’ for Alachua County and therefore want to take good care to have them come here and return here often,” said Nancy Fischer, CMP, director of sales for the Alachua County CVB in Gainesville, Fla., adding that the majority of groups that meet in her city are small- to mid-sized—between 100 and 200 attendees.
Small groups are also big business in Montgomery, Ala., said Dawn Hathcock, vice president of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce/CVB. “Small groups of 100 people or less represent about one-third of our business. Traditionally, Montgomery has been appealing to these small groups, so we are very experienced at meeting their unique needs,” she said.
Boone, N.C., is another destination that considers small groups ideal, said Michelle Ligon, CVB media and group promotion manager.
“Our convention center has 83 lodging rooms, so small groups are our business. We don’t handle large groups overnight at all unless they will be OK being spread out among several different hotels,” Ligon said. |
Diana Goodwin, CMP, event management consultant for Georgia-based Goodwin Strategies LLC, echoed Edmunds comments. “I look for a location that is central and easy for my attendees to get to.”
It’s no secret that planners must work even harder to prove their small groups’ worth to a hotel in order to be recognized as important business.
Nancy Bull, executive assistant/meeting and event planner for the National Consumer Cooperative Bank, said it’s important to establish a good relationship, as well as close communication, with hotel staff who assist her with small meetings, including activities and meal planning. “A good relationship is important in making sure your meetings go perfectly, the result of which always meets my expectations. To this day, I remain close friends with the hotel conference planners that I have worked with over the years and they continue to call for our repeat business.”
While relationship building can help small groups establish solid partnerships, planning for small groups often requires numerous cost-control measures. According to Edmunds, budgeting and saving money is one of the most critical aspects of planning limited-attendance meetings. One of the first questions that she asks the hotel staff is what food and beverage (F&B) packages they can offer. “F&B costs are especially important to negotiate when the client is trying to produce a low-attendance meeting cost effectively.”
Edmunds said planners can also look for other ways to save money, such as choosing hotels with complimentary services. “I always look to see if the hotel offers free parking—a big factor for meetings of any size.”
Another pro at finding ideal hotels for small groups is Richard Miseyko, CMP, CMM, president of Florida-based Site Search Inc. Along with costs, when Miseyko is researching a “home” for a small meeting, it’s generally a concern of his and his clients that the group doesn’t get “lost in the crowd.” He explained that how the group “feels” at the hotel is important and that attendees appreciate being treated like a “big fish” no matter what size hotel they are meeting in. “Most hotels and resorts have the systems and staffing in place to make sure a group, say of 30 attendees, gets the same service level as a group of 3,000.”
At the same time, Goodwin prefers hotels that fit the group more like a glove. If planning an event for 200 attendees, she looks for a hotel that can accommodate a group of just above 200. “This way, my group has a run of the hotel,” she said. “If you bring a small group to a large hotel then often times your group doesn’t get the attention that a planner wants.”
On The Checklist To ensure that groups with fewer than 200 attendees, and quite possibly fewer than 20, don’t feel like a “small fish in a big pond,” Richard Miseyko, CMP, CMM, president of Site Search Inc., suggests adding the following criteria to your site selection checklist. ··· Seek a hotel that offers event space with some sense of privacy so that your attendees don’t have to navigate a maze of other groups. ··· Ask the property point blank how they plan to ensure the service levels you and your attendees expect. Do they have a dedicated service staff for small meetings? ··· Having quick access to your convention/catering manager is critical. If your CSM is taking care of the mortgage brokers and your small group at the same time, you may not be the priority. Make sure he/she is not over committed. ··· Request recommendations from similar sized groups that have met at the property previously. When I have a positive experience with a property, I always allow the property to give my name and contact info to prospective clients. Copies of thank you letters are nice, but a candid phone conversation between two planners is priceless. |
Hotels such as
San Antonio’s Hotel Contessa promote their “small minded” approach to meetings. “Our AAA Four-Diamond property is unique in that we were built with smaller meetings—between 8-120 attendees—in mind,” said Brett Boreing, director of sales and marketing. The 265-suite hotel has 10,000 square feet of meeting space within nine rooms, and, according to Boreing, a host of amenities and an ambiance well suited to small meetings and their specific requirements.
“Our space is specifically designed to fulfill most all technology needs. All but one room have windows with a view and blackout blinds, which leaves the group leader to determine whether the view would be a distraction. Three of our meeting rooms have their own private terraces overlooking our beautiful San Antonio Riverwalk. Add in the Benchmark Hospitality International quality and efficiency standards and attendees will certainly know that this is no ordinary meeting.”
Additionally, in the category of cost savings, the hotel offers group packages so, as Boreing said, “planners can really zero in on what the meeting will really cost, leaving budgets safe from surprises.”
Officials with larger hotels also say that much of their meeting space is flexible and intimate to create a comfortable setting for small groups. At the Sheraton Gateway Hotel - Atlanta Airport, Jared Travis, director of sales and marketing for the 395-room property. With 21 meeting rooms of various sizes, the hotel often hosts groups of 20 to 200 attendees because of the property’s convenient location to Atlanta’s airport and its numerous meeting spaces ideally suited for small groups.
And finally, beyond meeting space, because small groups often have more flexible agendas, Bull recommends selecting a hotel with numerous on-site amenities and recreational opportunities. “If it’s summertime, then I would pick a hotel or resort near a lake, river or ocean and one that would offer teambuilding activities, as well as fun activities for free time during the two-day meetings, in addition to any other amenities they may offer.”
