For meeting planners, the decade since Meetings South published its first issue in November 1998 has been anything but dull. The hotel industry continued to swing back and forth between a buyer’s and a seller’s market, while technology made webinars, virtual trade shows, online registration and many other innovations a standard part of the meetings scene.
In the South, planners saw favorite meetings destinations take hard knocks from hurricanes, only to get back on their feet and come out stronger than ever. Many destinations invested heavily in their infrastructure, resulting in better hotels and meeting facilities, but also in higher rates.
To gain some insight on what the past decade has meant for both the South and for meetings in general, Meetings South sought the perspectives of several veteran planners who hold meetings in the region.
Janet Jaworski
President, Total Event & Association Management, Stuart, Fla.
How is the meetings industry different now than it was 10 years ago?
I have to worry much more about food and beverage minimums and attrition clauses than I used to. This could change in a few months, but I see hotel costs continuing to be high. It’s not just the room rates, but the cost of the entire meeting. It’s really had an impact on the event side of things. Ten years ago this wasn’t an issue.
The cost of planning a meeting has become a challenge. It seems to have intensified in the last two or three years. The price of a gallon of coffee has doubled—and you can’t charge the attendees double.
The reason is that it’s very competitive here in Florida, with more groups competing for the same slots. It makes it especially hard for those of us who plan meetings for nonprofit trade and government associations.
I think hotel costs will ease up and it will return to being a planner’s market. However, I have not seen this yet. I’m negotiating right now and the hotels are still being tough about food and beverage costs and sleeping room requirements. It’s still a seller’s market.
Any trends you’ve seen among your clients?
A big trend is that people want to bring their families. People used to regard a meeting as a quick in and out business trip. Now because of the economy and lack of time, people are using it as a vacation. They may tack on a couple of extra days and bring the family along for at least part of the time.
What changes have you seen with destinations?
The Southeast has become more popular as a meetings destination and it will continue to become more so. Hotels here have invested a lot of money in refurbishment and there have been a lot of great new properties opening up. We’re seeing beautiful rooms with flat-screen TVs and every kind of amenity.
In particular, Florida, where we do a lot of meetings for one of our clients, is a very attractive destination where the hotel quality has really increased.
Although costs are up, does the South remain relatively affordable?
When you look at destinations like Hawaii, California or Scottsdale [Ariz.], the Southeast is still affordable. And I try to avoid peak seasons. Another factor is the travel costs. It’s much cheaper and convenient for people based in the Northeast to go to Florida or the Carolinas than to Hawaii or California. So that remains a big factor.
Carol Serrano
Director of Meetings Logistics, Council for Exceptional Children, Arlington, Va.
What changes have you seen with destinations?
In general, meetings destinations in the South have changed for the better during the past decade. They have listened to planners and have updated their facilities. They’ve added major properties close to the convention centers, and added much needed nightlife to the downtown areas. At the same time, I would say they have remained affordable.
Toni Sylvester
President, Sylvester Management, Columbia, S.C.
How is the meetings industry different now than it was 10 years ago?
The changes have been gradual, so I’ve adapted. Things are better in that people in the industry have grown more professional. Hotel salespeople are better trained and more knowledgeable, and convention services staff have gotten better. There’s been a lot of thought and money put into training them. It’s been awhile since I’ve been unhappy when dealing with people.
We’re seeing a lot more young people who are choosing to be in this industry. It used to be that people got into it by accident. Now it’s intentional. When I hire now, there are people not just wanting a job, but wanting to learn to be a meeting planner. It’s become more of a profession.
Another big change is that everything is more expensive than it used to be. Food and beverage has gone up more than room rates and meeting room rentals, especially in the major cities. Hotels are not as aggressively seeking business now as they were at one time. They only get aggressive if they need to fill a hole. And this is true further out from the meeting than it used to be.
Any trends you’ve seen among your clients?
People are busier, so the content of a meeting has become more important. People want to come in to a meeting and then get out and leave. Few are staying longer—it’s all business for them. And they want to justify to their bosses why they’re going. I do association meetings and these attendees have to have a good reason to go to a meeting.
What changes have you seen with destinations?
Last month I took a group to New Orleans who had been displaced by Katrina and had to meet elsewhere for the past two years. It was wonderful and the group was thrilled. We were in the French Quarter and found it to be cleaner and safer than ever before. A lot of things were open and there was no problem with finding places to go in the evening. Some people will argue that it’s lost its charm, but I wouldn’t say that. The music is still great—a lot of people commented on that.
Florida has become extremely hard for groups to get into during high season, so we tend to discourage people from meeting there in February. I tried to take a group to Orlando then and we couldn’t get space, even though I work a year to 18 months out. I didn’t know how hard you’d have to work to get into Orlando. To top it off, we needed a few rooms with government rates and most hotels refused to give us them.
Ramona Gaerin
Senior Meeting Planner, Concepts Worldwide, Carlsbad, Calif.
How is the meetings industry different now than it was ten years ago?
A lot of people have gotten more professional. More people are getting the CMP. The people who are assisting us are a little better trained. Also making things easier is that more standards are being set, with APEX working on uniform standards for the industry in general. So things are easier now.
The Internet has really evolved, and that has made it easier to make decisions because you can so easily get the information you need. You can go on the Internet and see a meetings floor plan or get information on which airports to use.
Any trends you’ve seen among your clients?
We do a lot of pharmaceutical meetings, which means we have had to become ever-more careful about room rates and perception issues. I haven’t seen the 2009 code yet, but I’ve heard that you cannot choose a hotel that has the word “resort” or “spa” in the title. Overall, properties are savvier on what they need to do to retain business. Pharma business is big, so they do what they can.
Doctors can take very little time out of the office these days, so we look for places that are unlikely to have flight delays. We like to use Texas destinations such as San Antonio and Dallas because they are centrally located and have a lot of direct flight service. And Florida is very attractive to people, and nine times out of 10 you are guaranteed good weather, which cuts down on flight delays.
What changes have you seen with destinations?
Everyone in this economy is trying to be as appealing as possible. Older properties are renovating and catering more to the business traveler. Now it’s not just Westins with the Heavenly Beds, but many hotels are going for the comfortable beds.
Florida properties have done a lot of renovations. There’s such a big inventory and they’re doing what they need to make themselves desirable for meetings.
I’ve also seen destinations become more involved in promoting meetings, and hotels are working more with the CVBs. Everyone has banded together. This is a real win for the hotels and the destinations when they do this.
