Lee Linderman, CMP
Vice President, Senior Event Manager
Union Bank Events
Los Angeles
Is the duration of your meetings either shrinking or expanding? Why?
About the same.
Is the attendance at your meetings shrinking or expanding? Why?
Shrinking as the cost per person is being looked at much more closely, so much of the client entertaining has to show ROI beyond just relationship-building
Did you have a smaller budget to work with last year? If so, how much do you estimate it was decreased?
Budgets have remained constant
How are possible perception problems affecting your meetings and your planning of meetings?
Not any longer.
Are there any destinations or facility types that are now considered “off-limits” due to perception problems or the current economic climate?
Five-diamond properties are still viewed as risky even with the negotiated savings
Have government regulations or actions affected your programs? If so, how?
No.
Are you finding that you are scheduling more meeting sessions per day, and if so, is it at the expense of entertainment or events that are more social in nature?
No.
Are you scheduling more educational components for your meetings? If so, why?
No.
Are you incorporating more, or less, activities into your agenda? If so, what types of activities are being added or cut?
The same.
Are you finding that attrition clauses are being enforced less strictly? Can you share any comments/observations about this?
Properties are VERY negotiable.
Do you find that you had much more leverage on room rates during the last year? If so, please give an idea how much discounting you are seeing.
Corporate flags such as Starwood, Four Seasons, etc., have been very aggressive at the national level, which has allowed individual properties that fly those flags to offer deep discounts (i.e., in addition to givebacks that an individual property is offering, they will also come to the table with their corporate promotions).
Are you using social networking websites for business purposes? If so, which ones and why?
No.
Are you taking less (or no) FAM trips? If so, why?
Yes – compliance issues.
How do you think 2010 will shape up for the meetings industry? Where do you see costs (hotel, restaurant, venue prices, etc.) going? Do you think your budget and/or attendance will increase or decrease? Why?
Costs will certainly remain highly competitive as hoteliers try to land heads in beds. Restaurants and caterers, too, are being flexible on a variety of opportunities. I think attendance will level off for 12 months and then will steadily increase as the economy rebounds. If, however, the commercial real estate markets take a dive the way that the residential market did, then I believe that our industry will stay stagnant for at least two years.