Hotel negotiations and lively conversations took center stage the second half of Destination Texas. The event, hosted by Northstar Meetings Group (of which Successful Meetings is a part) brought together more than 20 meeting planners and more than 20 suppliers of Texas-based meeting services, destinations, and properties for three days of networking, education, and one-on-one meetings.
Following a morning of face-to-face meetings on Nov. 28, attendees took part in one of three activities on the host property, Horseshoe Bay Resort: nine holes of golf on one of the property's five courses; a cooking demo in which attendees created baked brie and agua fresca; and a "paint and sip" gathering of painting while drinking local wine.
The evening shifted to the property's Yacht Club. The dinner, held in the Yacht Club Ballroom, was sponsored by Visit Houston and featured a menu of Hill Country cuisine, from a starter of Brazos Valley cheese and artisan cured meats to an entrée of coffee-crusted filet of Texas beef. The five-course meal was accompanied by local wine, which helped (along with a 10-piece live band) put attendees in the mood for dancing, as they took over the dance floor.
The final day featured an education session from Terri Woodin, CMP, senior director of global meeting services at Meeting Sites Resource, on the topic of "Successful Negotiations in a Sellers' Market." Her wide-ranging presentation covered the challenges and frustrations faced by both hoteliers and planners through the RFP and negotiation process, including input from attendees themselves.
John Koon, owner of JEK Consulting & Event Management, described the "urban fee," similar to the more traditional resort fee, that he has been seeing appear more often on quotes "to use Wi-Fi and receive newspapers that would usually be included anyway."
From a destination standpoint, Konnie Patke, director of group sales for Fredericksburg CVB pointed to the significant number of concessions planners will occasionally put on their RFPs. "56 concessions? Come on. When I get that, I go back to them and say, 'you're not going to get all of those, so what are your real hot-button issues?'"
Woodin drew on recent survey data to discuss the priorities of both hotels and planners throughout the negotiating process, from where the hotels gain their greatest profit margins, to ROI trends that shape decisions by meeting managers. She offered several best practices for both sides, such as "Read the RFP before you send a generic email" and, "Respond to the RFP with advisory questions, not revenue management questions," for hoteliers, and "Include details the hotel needs to bid" for planners.
Following the breakfast education session, attendees moved into their second series of one-on-one meetings, seeking out new opportunities for business and collaboration. The event ended with a Wine Country Lunch after which attendees parted ways, with new prospects in hand.