It is now more important than ever for planners to
make it clear that their meetings - particularly those held at
gaming destinations - have clear business value. The 2010
General Services Administration (GSA) training event held in
Las Vegas that was billed "excessive, wasteful, and in some
cases impermissible" by the organization's inspector general
put the meeting industry on the defensive, working to
distinguish the legitimate work they do from that $823,000
boondoggle. GSA Administrator Martha Johnson resigned shortly
after the allegations of wasteful spending were made, but a
subsequent awards ceremony held by the group in Novermber 2010
in Arlington, VA, has drawn the ire of two prominent Democrats
who sit on the House Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee. Dan Tangherlini, the acting administrator of the
GSA, in July cut executive bonuses and canceled 36 scheduled
conferences.
Although the meeting industry's own critical response to the
first wave of this scandal was quick - the Society of
Government Meeting Professionals (SGMP) released a statement
just two days after Johnson's resignation in April - the
message was hard to hear over the outraged crowing about clowns
and violinists from mass media outlets. Charles Sadler, who
until recently was executive director and CEO of SGMP, pointed
critics to the real purpose of the GSA's training conference:
education.
"GSA's black eye for this 2010 WRC meeting will be SGMP
members' and leaders' golden opportunity to advocate for the
training and certification of government planners. This
acknowledgement of the importance of providing education and
resources for meeting planning is the first step toward
ensuring that government policy and best practices for
efficient, cost-effective meetings are the standard - starting
with the career government employee and continuing all the way up to the
appointee who may head a federal agency," Sadler wrote in a
statement.
As Sadler saw it, the silver lining of the scandal is the
acknowledgement of the importance of a meeting's core content
as its raison d'etre. The GSA debacle was an example to
planners of what not to do, and a reminder that with the
growing scrutiny on all expenditures, C-suite executives must
be as concerned with perception as they are with facts.
Does that mean Las Vegas is a no-go? Absolutely not. Popular
gaming destinations such as Las Vegas, Reno, Lake Tahoe, and
Atlantic City provide distinct advantages for groups, so it's
worth pursuing what might be a tough sell to your CEO, CFO, or
procurement department.
Getting Down to Business
Local experts in cities such as Las Vegas and Reno are used to
the sort of scrutiny that ensues when a scandal kicks up dust,
and they know how to shift a difficult conversation about
perception into one about results.
"We focus on the business attributes of Atlantic City," says
Gary Musich, vice president of convention development for the
Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority. He reminds
skeptics of Atlantic City's proximity to cities throughout the
northeastern United States - it's located approximately 100
miles from New York, less than 300 miles from Boston, less than
60 miles from Philadelphia, and just 150 miles from Washington,
D.C. - as well as the quality of business services in the city.
"The entire meetings and convention industry continues to face
challenges in promoting the value and return-on-investment of
face-to-face meetings, and Las Vegas faces that same
challenge," says Chris Meyer, vice president of sales for the
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
He is also quick to point to the business advantages of Las
Vegas as a destination.
"Meeting planners are well aware of the value and
return-on-investment of holding a meeting in Las Vegas, and we
work hard to help them translate that value to the bottom line
to convince their executives," he says.
Specifically, Meyer points to the Vegas Means Business web
portal. Planners can consult the site for valuable tips, tools,
research, and client testimonials that show that Las Vegas is a
productive and valuable business destination.
"Our resort partners have invested billions of dollars in
providing the best possible business facilities, amenities, and
services to make sure Las Vegas is a place where business gets
done," he says.
A Numbers Game
Another distinct advantage of gaming destinations is the sheer
amount of space available to groups. "We are home to three of
the country's 10 largest convention venues, and more than 10.6
million square feet of meeting and exhibit space overall. That
is why we host more than 19,000 events a year," Meyer boasts of
Las Vegas. "There is no other place in the world that offers
the world-class dining, amenities, and entertainment options
Las Vegas does. Our destination is open 24/7, which means you
can spend as much time as you need to get business done and
still find a great meal or show to end your day."
Of course, Las Vegas isn't the only gaming destination teeming
with meeting and convention space. Atlantic City is home to a
486,000-square-foot convention center and dozens of mega-hotels
with dedicated space for meetings and events. Reno and Lake
Tahoe are also blessed with resorts with plenty of space for
groups, as well as the 381,000-square-foot Reno-Sparks
Convention Center and the 118,000-square-foot Reno Events
Center downtown.
Resort casinos are vast and, as such, they offer up plenty of
space for groups. The eight Caesars properties in Las Vegas
boast 1 million square feet of meeting space and 25,000 hotel
rooms. Donald Trump's two Atlantic City resorts have a combined
180,000 square feet of meeting and event space. Even the
relatively out-of-the-way Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard,
CT, boasts 150,000 square feet of meetings and event space and
the capacity to host groups of up to 2,000.
Value Proposition
Seasoned planners know the competitive value of high-volume
destinations where the prices of room blocks, flights, and
entertainment are constantly in flux. The executive in the
corner office, however, is not necessarily aware of how a
"splashy" destination like Las Vegas or Lake Tahoe can actually
keep meeting costs down. You might need to break down just how
your destination ends up being a value destination, as Meyer
does for Las Vegas:
"Las Vegas has more than 150,000 rooms, most of which are on
the Strip and close to the airport," he points out. "McCarran
International Airport welcomes more than 900 flights daily. And
while other cities promote average daily room rates in the
mid-200s, Las Vegas' rates hover around $105 a night."
Along similar lines, Reno and Lake Tahoe have more than 20,000
hotel rooms, and nonstop flights are available from 22 markets.
There are approximately 180 daily arrivals and departures at
the Reno-Tahoe International Airport. The airport is currently
undergoing a $26-million construction program that will improve
the terminal building, create a single security checkpoint, and
expand dining and shopping options. Several resort casinos in
the city are also undergoing renovations. With so much momentum
in the Reno-Tahoe market, it's easy to make the case for taking
advantage of highly competitive rates on flights and rooms.
Group Think
Another distinct advantage of gaming destinations can be a
dedicated focus on the group market. These destinations are
able to offer event organizers specialized attention and focus
on their business needs in addition to the numerous logistical
details of their bookings. There are also the little extras.
For example, the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors
Authority provides a complimentary restaurant reservations cart
for meetings of 600 attendees or more that are held in the
Atlantic City Convention Center.
Entertainment is also a factor for groups. While gaming is a
surefire draw in Atlantic City, Las Vegas, or Reno, planners
won't want to neglect their research on other group activities.
Whether it's skiing in the hills surrounding Lake Tahoe,
golfing at Ballamor in Egg Harbor, NJ, or taking in a Cirque du
Soleil show in one of the many theaters along the Strip in Las
Vegas, the entertainment choices in and around gaming
destinations are generally outstanding and value-priced.
"Because it's a gaming destination, Las Vegas has a variety of
entertainment options," Meyer says. "If entertainment is a
factor for a meeting, this can be a cost-cutting advantage for
them. Likewise, gaming destinations generally have an abundance
of good restaurants and unique venues for groups."
Of course, these details are just the icing on the cake. The
fundamental value proposition of gaming destinations such as
Las Vegas or Atlantic City lies in the flexibility of airlift,
hotel inventory, and pricing - this can be boiled down to "shop
around." At the same time, working with local experts whose
sole focus is the group market lets planners and organizers
focus on top-level issues like meeting design and long-tailed
meeting objectives - which simply boils down to "good
business." SM