What do you do if you budget thousands of dollars to invest in a trade show and the few visitors to your booth are not generating enough business to do the trade show justice? If you are Ray Bloom, founder and director for IMEX Group, you design a program that attracts serious buyers, invite them...read more

If content is king, then strategy is his queen. It’s tempting to just simply post to your hotel's or destination's Facebook page, or shoot out an email here and there, without having clear and focused goals in mind. But by doing so, you could easily be wasting your hard-pressed time and energy on...read more

Mother's Day on the horizon reminds me of those 'momisms' that sit on the shoulder of our conscience every day and influence our actions. From relationships to increasing group sales, some 'momisms' really hit the mark. Here is a tickler that will set you on a course to grow your business. 1. "Do...read more

A hotel’s email marketing shouldn’t bore it’s subscribers. In fact, there are some amazing statistics about the success of email marketing. With a catchy subject line, intriguing content and a call to action, emails to subscribers has the potential to generate increased business.    Stunning...read more

The memo sent on behalf of Yahoo's new CEO Marissa Meyer announcing the abandonment of the remote working option has sparked embers of the flaming remote worker versus the office worker debate. Remote working isn't new but is on the rise with the average household now equipped with a computer, fax...read more

“This business is all about being seen, and the more people see you the better.” - actress Debra Wilson   Exhibiting at trade shows is one of the many ways hotel sales teams can meet new prospective clients and increase group business. But you shouldn’t exhibit at just any trade show. You’ll want to...read more

When faced with a Request for Proposal (RFP), the temptation is to pull out all the stops with bells and whistles so that you land a top spot in the review process.  Present a proposal with the lowest pricing, several choices and extensive line items, and within days you increase room block bookings...read more

In "Part 1: A Novice Bird's Eye View for Using Social Media to Engage Clients", we reviewed in Steps 1, 2 and 3, how you can begin a social media marketing program simply: Basic Resources, Start Where You Are, and Schedule Commitment. If you have followed those steps, you are ready to move on to the...read more

The European Commission's New Media Trend Watch reveals that 234 million Americans used mobile devices for a three month average period in 2012. There was a 6% increase of smartphone users in that same time period from January 2012 (according to comScore, Inc.). No wonder Online Travel Agencies...read more

This week marks the anniversary of Alexander Graham Bell sending the message, "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you" to his assistant using electricity to transmit speech for the very first time. I often wonder what he would think of the developments his ingenuity influenced. The article, "The...read more

The arrival of Daylight Saving Time and the sight of Mr. Robin puffing his bright red chest as he enjoys a budding limb signals the season for a good Spring Cleaning! Spring is the perfect time to sweep out the "we've always done it that way" and the "don't fix it if it's not broken" cobwebs.Today's...read more

At the American Lodging Investment Summit held last month, five hotel executives participated in a USA TODAY roundtable lead by Barbara DeLollis, a reporter from the newspaper. The following CEOs were present:  Mike Depatie, CEO at Kimpton Hotels David Kong, CEO at Best Western Jim Abrahamson, Chief...read more

A key to repeat business is pleasing the business traveler. As a frequent traveler myself, I like to select my seat on an airplane. I prefer more legroom and an aisle seat. I will even pay a little extra for that comfort. When I take a cruise, I'll pay a little more to select the cabin I prefer,...read more

If you want a full house at your hotel, there are tactics and strategies to dominate your city’s market and sell out for events.   Once you capture the market, there are hotel marketing strategies to increase group revenue in various departments. To boost sales in a tactful way, focus on the needs...read more

Like a chalkboard, incentive travel was erased from hotels. In 2006 before the recession, more than $13.4 billion was spent on incentive travel. Since then, there has been a tremendous decrease in incentive travel. The average per-person expenditures have decreased, but overall group incentive...read more

President Abraham Lincoln has long been a favorite among Americans because of his gentle but wise and firm leadership. February 18, 2013, the United States is celebrating the leadership and dedication of our presidents, among them President Lincoln. What lessons can you learn from this sage...read more

When destination events are popular enough to result in hotels selling-out, hoteliers can relish it. Events like the Presidential Inauguration and Jazz Fest in New Orleans are popular events where most hotels sell out. But, what if your tentative bookings aren’t resembling a “sell out?" You'll need...read more

In Part 1: IMEX Group 2013 Top 10 Trends and How they Will Grow Your Business, we learned that face-to-face meetings have a value beyond virtual meetings. With more meetings being held, attendance is up as well and why not, meetings are more fun with the integration of gamification to get the...read more

In 2012 you promoted your hotel and may feel really great about the work you put into enhancing your social media and getting on the instant digital advertising train! Progress is good and you can pat yourself on the back for finally taking the step on that branding journey. You may be tempted to...read more

The GBTA (Global Business Travel Association) BTI Outlook-United States 2012 Q4 released in January forecasts a promising 2013 with a 4.6% increase in overall travel. The report mentions three key factors in this much awaited increase. Alex Eaton, president of World Travel Service in Tulsa, is...read more