ORLANDO
Destination Marketing Association International’s (DMAI) empowerMINT initiative has conducted its second annual Meeting Planner Survey, revealing some of the top concerns and challenges faced by planners today.
Garnering over 280 responses from meeting planners responsible for planning between one to over 30 meetings per year, the survey delved into topics surfaced by the DMAI’s Sales and Marketing Committee.
The survey indicated 54 percent of meeting planners struggle the most to find a hotel that can provide the right space and configuration for their meetings’ objectives and still meet their group’s budget requirements. Additionally one in three planners aims to complete their search within four weeks, signaling the continued short lead time to booking events.
While planners do not rely exclusively on any single, location-sourcing channel according to the survey, the majority (68 percent) of respondents indicated they depend (exclusively or heavily) on their own on-line research to find the right hotel for their meeting needs and budget.
Given the complexities involved with sending request for proposals, receiving responses, managing negotiations, and the final selection process, planners revealed they would be most interested in securing honest/insider information on venues/localities (52.6 percent), getting concrete recommendations, tailored to the specific needs of their meeting (46.4 percent), and ensuring that they aren't pressured by vendors when they’re still in the early stages of investigating an area or areas.
