VALLEY FORGE, Pa.
High-level, practical education and one-on-one planner/supplier appointments were on tap at Meetings Focus Live! East, held Aug. 26 through Aug. 28 at Normandy Farm Hotel & Conference Center, in Valley Forge, Pa.
Veteran meeting planner Joan Eisenstodt co-presented the provocative session “Ethical Negotiations—An Oxymoron?” with industry attorney Kelly Bagnall Dykema on Monday morning. Among other tips and talking points discussed, Eisenstodt suggested planners ask those they’re working with on the other side of the aisle for their company’s code of ethics, and she suggested that a negotiation doesn’t have to be an adversarial experience.
Later in the morning, sales sage Mike Dominguez, senior vice president of sales at MGM Resorts International, gave a talk entitled, “Understanding Meeting Costs in the New Reality.” Meeting planner attendees were surprised to hear that the most important number customers can track is the food and beverage spend per occupied group room, and that hoteliers will divulge their target for that number, when asked. That exchange of information can let meeting buyers know whether or not they have negotiating leverage, Dominguez said.
The sessions were followed by a CSR event where attendees cooked four different dishes for the local USO. Buyers and sellers alike happily donned chef hats to whip up lasagna and more for soldiers and their families. And ongoing networking sessions were lively and well-attended, taking place throughout the three-day gathering.
