Kerri Goss
Conference & Events Manager
Peacemaker Ministries
Billings, Mont.
Do you find that your booking window is increasing or shrinking recently? Are you finding it harder to book rooms/meeting space in a short timeframe at hotels and other meeting facilities?
Our booking window seems to be shrinking. Most of that is due to our own choice to book closer to our event as opposed to several years in advance--for better deals and because there are more hotel options.
Is the duration of your meetings either shrinking or expanding?
Neither. They stay the same.
Is the attendance at your meetings shrinking or expanding?
Shrinking--partly due to the lack of marketing on our part and partly due to budget cuts on churches and people’s personal finances.
Did you have a smaller or larger budget to work with last year? If so, how much do you estimate it was decreased or increased?
Smaller budget. Decreased around 10%.
Do you expect your budget to increase or decrease in 2012?
Decrease again in 2012.
Do you expect your attendance to increase or decrease in 2012?
Hopefully increase, since our 2011 attendance was the lowest in seven years.
Are perception problems (meeting at luxurious properties, resort destinations, etc.) a great concern for your organization? Have they become less of a concern than they were in 2010, and do you expect them to present any perception problems in 2012?
Yes, perception problems are a great concern, especially since we are a nonprofit organization. If we have reasonable hotel prices then the perceptions don’t exist as much. We do have a lower room rate in 2012 than we’ve had in the past couple of years.
Are there any destinations or facility types that are considered “off-limits” due to perception problems or the current economic climate?
None that weren’t “off limits” beforehand.
Have you planned, or do you expect to plan, virtual/videoconference meetings? Do you expect to see more virtual meetings in the future?
We do not plan to have these. It’s a possibility in the future but there have been no concrete talks about this.
Are you exploring the possibility, or have you already held, a “hybrid” meeting (meetings that combine live events with an Internet/digital component? If so, what are your observations?
Haven’t yet had--maybe will explore in the future.
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?
We cut an entertainment night because it was not productive. We are actually trying to create more social/networking opportunities while still having enough meeting sessions to make our conference valuable. However, attendances seem to want more social and networking time and are willing to give up some education sessions in order to have that.
Are you incorporating more, or less, activities into your agenda? If so, what types of activities are being added or cut?
Incorporating more networking opportunities, but not “activities” per se.
Have you offered, or do you think you will offer, a CSR (corporate social responsibility) component to your meetings?
It certainly is a possibility. I hope to.
Are sustainable (green) meetings something your organization has moved toward? If not, do you expect to implement more-sustainable meetings in the future?
We do hope to move toward that but some of the green initiatives are more expensive.
Do you find that you had much more leverage on room rates during the last year?
We have had more leverage because we have partnered with a third-party organization that has more buying power than our company by itself would have. Our decrease was about 10%.
Are you using social networking websites for business purposes? If so, which ones and why?
Twitter and Facebook. Have not seen a lot of returns yet but hoping that increases as our organization’s audience is on these sites as well.
Have you planned more meetings closer to your organization’s headquarters (“drive-to” meetings) recently?
In 2012 we are holding our event within driving distance of our organization. It is still convenient for those around the country and it is less expensive to send our staff and materials to a destination eight hours away instead of half-way across the country.
Are you more optimistic, or less, about the meetings industry and the economy than a year ago?
Feeling about the same.
How do you think 2012 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?
I’m optimistic about our event for 2012. Most of the costs will depend on where the economy is at. If the economy is on the rise then it will likely be a seller’s market and costs will increase. If the economy is still down then I think there will be more “deals” available. I would guess that most budgets and attendance will decrease. Our budget will decrease but hopefully our attendance will increase to get us back on track to where we want to be.
