Given the current climate of rising air fares and hotel rates—as well as companies’ continued efforts to reduce costs—drive-to meetings have never looked better.
A recent annual American Express Global Business Travel Forecast reports travel costs for businesses will continue to increase in 2012 as suppliers grapple with rising expenses like oil prices, which impact air fares and other energy usage.
“Business travel is essential to both global economic performance and business growth, so we expect demand and price management to push rates up across the board in 2012,” says Christa Degnan Manning, director of Expert Insights research, American Express Global Business Travel.
Destinations nationwide with good surface access, affordability and proximity to major urban centers are among second- and third-tier locations that have excellent appeal for groups going into 2012. Meetings Focus recently talked with some destinations that are well positioned to gain meeting business next year.
Chattanooga, Tenn.
It’s located within a drive time of two hours or less from Atlanta, Nashville, Knoxville and Birmingham, so Chattanooga enjoys an enviable drive-to position at the intersection of three interstate highways.
This Southeastern urban retreat city has 9,000 guest rooms in the metro area and 2,000 rooms downtown, according to Lori D. Morrison, director of national accounts for the Chattanooga CVB.
“Going forward into 2012, we are seeing an uptick in regional corporate meetings, because of both our handy drive-to and fly-in access,” she says.
Good group facilities and the city’s signature green features are also contributing to Chattanooga’s meetings lures.
“The Chattanooga Convention Center offers 185,000 square feet on one level, and one of its best marketing points is its green features, including the design’s ability to capture natural light and the offering of individual temperature controls in each exhibit space,” Morrison says.
The center also recycles about 1,500 pounds of materials each week, and has a farm-to-table program, she adds.
“We offer groups produce, meats, cheeses, and even coffee that’s roasted locally or at least in-state,” she says. “This means they get food that hasn’t spent days in transit, so it’s at the peak of freshness.”
Yet another green Chattanooga feature that’s attractive for meetings is its free electric shuttle in the downtown area, connecting most major meetings facilities, such as the Chattanooga Convention Center, the Tennessee Aquarium, the historic Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel and the Sheraton Read House Hotel.
Attendees find lots to do during free time in this mountainous riverfront city, where an array of outdoor pursuits mingles with museums and heritage attractions to occupy visitors. Among them are the Tennessee Aquarium, the Hunter Museum of American Art, several riverfront parks and Lookout Mountain attractions like Rock City and Ruby Falls, where a new zipstream aerial activity is capturing groups for team-building adventure.
With its prime Southeast location, attractions, outdoor scene and a well-equipped meeting facilities portfolio, Chattanooga is among meetings destinations nationwide that are well prepared to capture an uptick in bookings for the coming year.
Fredericksburg, Texas
The famed Texas Hill Country has a lot going forbusiness visitors, and the region’s centerpiece—Fredericksburg—is within an hour’s drive of both Austin and San Antonio.
Because of the city’s German heritage and World War II attractions, historic lodgings, surprising array of restaurants (for a city of 8,000) and outdoor activity options in the nearby hills, Fredericksburg boasts a cache that’s attracting more groups. Clients such as Dell Inc. and state associations like Texas Bankers Association enjoy diversions such as more than a dozen wineries, boutique shopping and live music spots.
“We are seeing more and more groups that want a small-town, retreat atmosphere,” says Laurie Hartz, senior sales manager for the Fredericksburg CVB. “Others who come to us want to avoid the bustle of a large city when they meet.”
Planner Tracy Brown, director of administration for the Texas Young Lawyers Association, supports that assertion. “When I put a meeting of 80 people in Fredericksburg recently, we found it to be convenient for everyone, whether they flew into Austin or San Antonio, or drove in. It’s pretty direct from either city, with no need to navigate a lot of highways in the process. It was also wonderful to have the small town atmosphere. People tend to stay with the group and don’t wander off as they usually do in the large cities.”
The ideal meetings group for Fredericksburg is around 200 people, Hartz says. The city’s largest hotel, the Inn on Barons Creek, features 90 guest suites and 4,000 square feet of meeting space in its adjacent conference center. Or smaller groups can sleep in the unique 50-room WWII-themed Hangar Hotel at the airport, with an attached conference center for 400 guests.
Annapolis, MD.
Within an hour’s drive of Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Maryland’s Annapolis and Anne Arundel County region has a magnetic meetings portfolio on the Chesapeake Bay.
“We are perfectly situated geographically within reach of the big East Coast population, have great meeting space, plenty of hotel and dining choices, a colonial historic district and waterfront ambience for meetings groups,” says Connie Del Signore, president and CEO of the Annapolis CVB. “Our conversations with planners are very encouraging for the coming year, because they are telling us that we have everything they need—plus the charm.”
Booked room night numbers have doubled year-over-year, she says, as the result of focused marketing, including more direct sales calls with planners in nearby urban centers. The bureau also has increased qualified planner site visits during weekly sailing events during the summer. As a result of these efforts, 70 percent of planner visits now turn into booked programs.
Del Signore said the new initiatives have resulted in booked sales for Annapolis because it’s stepping up its meetings marketing for 2012 in Philadelphia; another potentially lucrative drive-to market. Meetings buyers are learning they can book programs like teambuilding events—such as zip line activities and scavenger hunts, along with waterborn activities—and dinners and tours in the historic district.
An ideal group for the Annapolis area is around 200 people and 400 room nights. Several hotels, including the Loews Annapolis, Westin Annapolis and O’Callahan Annapolis Hotel, are working together to host groups with as many as 800 attendees.
Hershey, Pa.
Hershey Resorts in Pennsylvania—home to all things chocolate and a choice of elegant accommodations—has an enviable East Coast location. That, says Jason Heath, director of sales, is a significant contributing factor to the area’s meetings success, in just about any economic climate.
“Most planners are concerned about attrition, and they want solid numbers before they commit, and we’ve have seen a lot of short-term bookings of 30 to 60 days out in recent years,” Heath says.. “We have a history of strong pickup here, because we are so convenient from all major cities in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic regions. People can get here easily via car.”
Even though Hershey was hit by floods in September, overall growth for 2011 was good because of the short-term demand, he added. “There was a 15 percent increase in our corporate and government—mainly federal—segments.”
Hershey Resorts operates the historic Hershey Hotel with its 276 rooms, including the popular 49 Woodland Cottage accommodations, and the 665-room Hershey Lodge. Together, the hotels provide 125,000 square feet of meeting space.
Ruth A. Hill is a frequent contributor to Meetings Focus.
