Recently it was brought to my attention that a client removed a hotel from their short list for a 2014 annual meeting location due to numerous negative comments posted regarding that property on Trip Advisor.  It’s my impression Trip Advisor is a tool used more often by leisure and transient travelers, than by Meeting Executives who make decisions regarding selection of group meeting facilities five years down the road, or more.

It makes sense that planners would consider any resource available to evaluate hotels, but are these reviews really relevant to decisions on properties far into the future?  How does an individual’s hotel experience relate to an organization’s need for group meeting space?

It’s clear these days Event Professionals strongly rely upon recommendations of peers and colleagues to influence buying decisions.  Soliciting feedback through sites like Trip Advisor, PlanetFeedback.com, TravelPost.com and epinions.com is commonplace.  Hotels featured there work especially hard to monitor what’s being said about their property or destination.  The sites themselves are addressing some of these self policing issues by creating features like epinions “Web of Trust.”

• Friendships still play an important role in influencing consumers. 83% of online shoppers said they are interested in sharing information about their purchases with people they know, while 74% are influenced by the opinions of others in their decision to buy the product in the first place. (Manage Smarter, September 2009)

• Users put great trust in their social networks. One-half of Beresford respondents said they considered information shared on their networks when making a decision—and the percentage was higher among users ages 18 to 24, at 65%. (eMarketer, October 2009)

When you combine a poor review with high prices it’s motivating for consumers to look elsewhere for an alternative hotel.  It’s all about “cheap” rates and high value for buyers these days.  The power of the written and spoken word can turn a “thumbs up” to a “thumbs down” very quickly.

Those individuals posting negative hotel reviews should be aware most review sites have “terms of use” containing extensive legal jargon warning reviewers are responsible for backing up their comments. These terms clearly disclose that hotels have the ability to litigate against a false review which impacts their business.  The property should have every right to protect their image and at the same time travelers need to be aware they could be required by law to provide photos or videos to support a poor review.

It may be just as difficult to substantiate a positive review, so why then are positive reviews never challenged?  Simple logic would answer that question, but are our expectations set too high when everyone is saying a particular hotel is the “best.”

A one-time “less than positive” experience by a guest at a supposedly “stellar” hotel can result in harsh criticism by an evaluator. It’s also disturbing reviews can be posted (5) years after the experience… hard for me to remember what happened yesterday!

Is all this really fair …to the hotels or the guests considering staying at them?  Plenty for us to think about before we write that scathing review.

In my experience most challenges at a hotel can be resolved with the property’s leadership. Many reviewers never make that effort.  Instead, they exercise the supposed “everlasting free speech” the internet provides rather than picking up the phone and speaking with the property’s General Manager.

Reviewers need to take their role seriously and remain accountable, writing factual constructive reviews which will instill confidence in these very powerful tools.  Readers should view reviews objectively and consider reaching out to a property to discuss negative feedback and its real impact on that future group booking.

If you represent a hotel seeking to develop a plan addressing negative reviews you should review this great article entitled, “Beating Negative Hotel Reviews: An Action Plan for Proactive Reputation Management” by Josiah Mackenzie on June 15, 2009.

Let’s all work together to ensure the most accurate and useful hotel reviews are being published.  Remember — “Keep your words short and sweet, you never know which ones you’ll eat.”

Just got back from e4 – what a terrific time we had networking with clients, partners and colleagues. I learned a lot too. For instance, I learned that people really will follow me on Twitter, even though I’m not exactly sure why yet. I learned that I need more than five hours sleep a night and apparently that I get cranky if 45 minutes goes by without eating something. I also learned that it is unwise to drink an entire Diet Coke if the session is going to be 90 minutes long and the bathroom is a mile and a half away.

But seriously, I also had the pleasure of attending the closing general session where we learned from Roger Dow, President and CEO of the US Travel Association about what’s going on with the events industry.

Roger shared a number of interesting facts with us, such as:

• 1 in 8 jobs in the United States are related to travel and tourism
• Meetings and events contribute $101 BILLION in spending in the United States
• A survey of Chief Marketing Officers indicated that meetings offer the highest Return on Investment of any marketing channel
  

  Roger Dow

With facts like that, it is shocking to me that our industry is facing such scrutiny. How can people, including our own government not understand how valuable our industry is to the economy of our country? According to Roger, part of the issue is us. He says that “we can no longer afford to play to not get hurt; we have to play to win.” The meetings business is America’s Industry – travel and tourism plays a role in every state.

Paco Saldaña

I was moved by the story of Paco Saldaña. Saldaña, director of guest services at the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, Fla., was chosen by thousands of his peers to be the new ‘Face of Travel.’ More than 16,000 people participated in the Faces of Travel contest creating and voting on hundreds of videos submitted from around the country. Paco Saldaña was selected as the industry spokesperson that embodies the vitality of travel and the importance of increasing travel to and within the United States. Unfortunately, when business meetings and events are cancelled, its people like Saldaña – not corporate CEOs – who pay the highest price.

We must speak out to change the perception of our business. Perception does not pay the electric bill, or feed our families. We are all the “Face of Travel”. So put a “face” on our industry – write letters to elected officials, post articles about the meetings industry on your Facebook page, Linked In, and Twitter. Tell your family, friends and everyone you meet what you do and how important it is to our country and our economy.

“What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us.” – Henry David Thoreau

Living in the DC area has many advantages, and one of them is to participate in the Independence Day holiday events. Where else can you have a birthday party filled with a concert, good food and fireworks in your backyard that is worthy of being broadcast on television? Well, I guess it is really the Obama’s backyard this year more than my backyard.

The celebration is actually a ten day event (a conference if you will) that includes the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and involves:

• a parade on Constitution Avenue…….. (like the introduction of your Board!
• 3,000 performers and dancers………….. (like your conference staff)
• giant balloons, bunting, streamers and banners……….  (like your registration area décor)
• floats, and concession areas …….. (like your tradeshow exhibit floor)
• military personnel from thirteen states………… (like your human arrows and badge checkers)
• rooftop parties atop office buildings close to the mall….. (like your “In Conjunction With” events!)

I think of Bruce Harris, the founder of our company, every year at this time because one of the things that Bruce is well known and remembered for is the many days of teaching our new staff at employee orientation about the importance of “flow management.” Flow Management is an entire session dedicated to the knowledge on how to manage the flow of people so that events are executed with planned intention down to the last detail. Loading your general session so that all of the seats are occupied, especially the ones in the center of a row, and that attendees are sitting in the seats closest to the stage as possible, is the same thing as what the National Park Service does on the National Mall for all of the millions of revelers. District and federal planners think in advance which streets leading to the National Mall need to be closed or opened, how to control the access to the mall with pre-identified entry points. Homeland Security and Metro officials decide which subway stations need to be closed for security purposes and which need to have trains at the ready for the conclusion of the fireworks to transport millions out of the city at the same time.

There are well-prepared parents traversing around the Mall with pockets filled with suntan lotion, bug spray, band aids, water bottles and a cell phone to Twitter to their children when they have wandered off………..just like a meeting planner at a convention will have their pockets stuffed with masking tape, door stops, duct tape, arrows for signage, post-it notes and the infamous radios in case one of the staff cannot be located!

One thing that is not like a convention is the temperature of the “general session.” While many of us have frozen in a facility’s ballroom, the temperature at this event can be quite overwhelming, usually in the nineties. There are no frantic calls to the engineering department to make the general session room warmer! Attendees on the National Mall are encouraged to keep drinking bottled water, unlike the meeting planner at a convention that sees bottled water consumption as dangerous territory for ones’ budget!

The fireworks display at the end of the day is like the grand finale of the closing session. You hear “oooohs and aaahs” from the happy participants and then there is a mad scramble to beat the traffic and go home. Somewhere underneath the Capitol Building in the closed to the public tunnels, I suppose there is an event planner that is taking off their shoes because their feet hurt, eating the rest of the bagel that they started eating at 7am, and packing boxes, organizing shipping labels, and collecting their thoughts on ways to improve for next year for the post-convention report…….just like at all of our conventions!

My role at work has changed recently and I’ve been traveling…a LOT! I am becoming a better packer with each trip so I thought I’d share some of my tricks.  For anyone who isn’t a regular “road warrior” or fears over- packing and doesn’t like to drag along a large suitcase on those 3-5 day trips…here are some tips for packing smartly, lightly, and swiftly so you can focus on your trip and not what you may have forgotten!

• Step #1: Invest in decent luggage! I admit I spent more than I’d planned but I’m really pleased that I now have what are referred to in the luggage world as “spinners.”  My bags have 4 wheels allowing me to roll them forward, backward and sideways.  I can also tip them for pulling on carpet or roll them upright on linolium and marble floors.  The less pulling and tugging you have to do the more relaxed you’ll be while traveling.  In addition, my luggage also has handles on top, bottom and side making it easy to lift into the car and a hidden zipper pocket in the top of each bag which easily fits my smaller items like; toiletries, jewelry, make up and/or sweats and shoes.
• Step #2: Start with a list. You’ll find that when you list your day to day needs it helps you to be more organized and you’re likely not to forget anything.  Record your events by day and fill in what you plan to wear for each.  You’ll be able to see at a glance what you can mix/match and or if you have too much.  (P.S. If you keep your list with you and your luggage is lost it will come in handy to help you make fast time at a store replacing those items you need).
• Step #3: Get a good toiletry bag! I found one at the Container Store that I really love.  It’s got plenty of pockets that zip closed so if something leaks it only effects one chamber.  It folds flat in my luggage and has a hanger for hooking to a towel rack in the hotel bathroom. Convenient!
• Step #4: Keep the toiletry bag packed with the basics you always travel with (deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush, etc.) and restock after each trip.  With some of this  advance work done, it’s essentially ready to go when you are the next time you need it…this is particularly handy if you do a lot of  last minute travel.
• Step #5: Tuck items such as belts, socks, stockings, underwear, etc. inside shoes. This will not only save you essential space but it’s handy in the morning when you pull out the shoes you’ll be wearing and your matching socks or belt are right inside.
• Step #6: Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’…aside from being a great song this is the absolute BEST TIP I’ve ever learned!  By rolling your casual and corporate casual clothing (not suits, please) you are not only creating additional space in your suitcase but if you do so carefully  you can also prevent wrinkling!
• Step #7: Mix and Match your clothes. It’s handy to pick a color theme for your trip.  If you are going to be in a corporate casual environment during the day but need to dress more formally for an evening event, simply add a blazer to dress up your khaki slacks, dress or slack and sweater set.  You can toss in one pair of dress shoes that will work for all evening events…it’s easier to add an additional pair of shoes than packing an entire additional outfit for each evening function.  For ladies, toss in some dressier jewelry as it’s an easy thing to add as far as space goes and it will take your work day wear up a notch in the evening.
• Step #8: Take a close look. There’s nothing worse then bringing an outfit you haven’t worn in a while (i.e. it’s cold at home, but you’re traveling to a warm location) and pulling it out at your destination only to find that it doesn’t fit as well as it used to.  You also don’t want to find a spot on a jacket that you hadn’t noticed at home, or a missing button after picking up and packing a garment from the dry cleaner…yikes!
• Step #9: Remember your plastic bag for liquids. Though they’re getting better, not all airports have a bag handy for you as you approach security.  I keep one handy in my luggage so I when I open the bag to pack it’s the first thing I see.  I fill the bag with any liquids that might be an issue for a carry on going through inspection and have it handy to simply pull out and place in the bin.
• Step #10: Pack for the TIA! You never know when you’ll be picked for a bag inspection and you don’t want your dainties to be seen by all so it behooves you to pack for the boys and girls in white and blue when you get ready for your trip.  In addition, by keeping a possible inspection in mind you’ll be careful not to overpack as those bags take longer to inspect and can be more difficult to repack/close.

Please share your handy tips to make packing easier and travel safely!