Since the "GSA Scandal" and "AIG Effect" prompted a media frenzy a few years ago, it seems as if most of the meeting industry has continued to shy away from resort hotels and conference centers because they might appear as opulent or over-the-top. While these two meetings were egregious examples of...read more

RedRocketMedia recently produced an infographic detailing how travelers make hotel buying decisions. Even though this research is tied to the travel industry as a whole, I believe the information can be applied to business travelers, as well as, group business decision makers. Below, are four of the...read more

While living in metro Detroit for over thirty years, I have experienced the highs and lows of the great Motor City. What is happening now is so exciting that talking about it with you brings me chills! The media has provided the nation with a plethora of perceptions, focusing on the darkest days for...read more

Watkins Research Group, a business-to-business research organization, published its  2012 Meeting and Convention Planners Survey where they polled 730 veteran planners about their love/hate relationship with CVBs and DMOs. Below is a synopsis of the research as presented in the January edition of...read more

While it may seem most destinations are equipped for tour operators, there are many needs of a tour operator that overlooked. Winning group business from a tour operator entails offering low-rate rooms with continental breakfast. Hotels on the outskirts of a destination as far as 30 miles out will...read more

Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) are terms that continue to create buzz in the hospitality and events industry. But what do these terms really mean and how can your convention center or hotel property start to engage in this process?  First, the definitions:...read more

If you are a hospitality marketing representative, I know you answer  al lot of Request For Proposals (RFPs). And even though "dates and rates" are still part of the process, they are not the total package. Think instead of your RFP response as a way to tell your story. Yes, it will take more time...read more

Meetings and Conventions Magazine recently polled 242 meeting professionals in order to find out what is a real turn off when it comes to hospitality marketing efforts. As it happens, the hard sell is probably the fastest way to make certain they never call you back.  But hotels and convention...read more

As you look down the road at 2013 group business, CVB and hotel marketing folks think they can sell their destination either through digital efforts such as LinkedIn and Facebook or by advertising a meeting venue in publications. But what about old fashioned "snail mail"? Is it passe? I say no...but...read more

PCMA recently polled over 200 meeting professionals with the intent to understand how they believe hotel sales personnel size up their business. The findings are interesting to say the least and Cvent Hospitality would like to know your views on these findings.  One of the most interesting findings...read more

In the ever changing world of hospitality marketing, it appears that the following still holds true:  "The customer is always right."  The problem for most of us in this industry which is chock-full of uncertainty and chaos due to room pirating, block issues, and steep competition both within our...read more

Meeting magazines are an explosion of destination and venue advertisements. But, according to Bill Lee in a Harvard Business Review article, traditional marketing is dead. Like a rat race, there’s a challenge to market a meeting venue in a unique way and win group business. To catch the attention of...read more

Conference centers are often confused for hotels or convention centers. If you have experience selling or marketing a conference center, you are already well-aware that planners (both seasoned and new) have a misconception about what makes each of these venues distinct and unique in their own way....read more

Have you ever wondered how you could increase your CVB and DMO Internet marketing efforts with planners? How you could be more enterprising and unique? A recent article in MPI's one+ brought forth some interesting ways entities are enhancing their group travel marketing efforts. Below is a synopsis...read more

On April 24th, Cvent announced the top 100 hotels, out of a pool of 80,000 properties, for meetings in the United States based on feedback they received from meeting and event planners in the Cvent Supplier Network. Cvent also ranked the hotels on the following criteria: The number of eRFPs the...read more

In the words of the beloved and infamous Kermit the Frog, "It's not easy being green." The verdict is still out on whether making the often expensive and almost always challenging efforts to become a green hotel is worth it and whether being eco-certified and using that initiative in hotel group...read more

Last week, Cvent announced the top 100 hotels for meetings in the United States, according to data gathered from the Cvent Supplier Network. The list was compiled from a pool of 80,000 hotels in the U.S. on our free marketplace, so it’s safe to say that the competition was stiff! Being some of the...read more

Destination Travel Marketing Organizations: Think quick! What makes your destination so unique and special? Why would groups want to come to your city or region? If you said or thought word like "our downtown area", "our museums" or "our beaches", you would be like the 50,000 other CVBs marketing a...read more

When planning a convention, most meeting planners spend a fair amount of time determining whether or not they are going to hold their meeting in a first- or second-tier city, the square footage of the convention center, how many breakout rooms it has, and blah-blah-blah. But in honor of Earth Day...read more