Carolina Cely, Events and Field Marketing Manager, Sensus, Raleigh, N.C.
Do you find that your booking window (the time between starting the process of researching and booking a meeting and the actual event) is increasing or shrinking? Are you finding it harder to book rooms/meeting space in a short timeframe at hotels and other meeting facilities?
Increasing, we are booking two years out.
Is the duration of your meetings either shrinking or expanding? Why?
Staying the same, per customer feedback.
Is the attendance at your meetings shrinking or expanding? Why?
Expanding. We are growing and the conference is getting more and more popular.
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?
We had a slightly bigger budget. Hoping for a smaller increase next year.
Do you expect your budget to increase or decrease in 2017?
Hoping for an increase.
Do you expect your attendance to increase or decrease in 2017?
Increase.
Are perception problems (meeting at luxurious properties, resort destinations, etc.) a great concern for your organization? Do you expect any perception problems in 2017?
Yes, we have some government agencies that come so perception is huge. Next year we should not have a problem.
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?
We have not and will not. We do hands-on training that won’t work with digital.
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 have more tracks but our days are not getting longer.
Are you incorporating more, or less, activities into your agenda? If so, what types of activities are being added or cut?
About the same. We know the networking aspect of the conference is important so we make sure to have a lot of those opportunities.
Have you offered, or do you think you will offer, a CSR (corporate social responsibility) component to your meetings?
We have not discussed.
What are your thoughts on the use of drones at meetings? Have you considered this?
We haven’t before and don’t see a need.
Are sustainable (green) meetings something your organization has moved toward? If not, do you expect to implement more-sustainable meetings in the future?
We have done some things but we are not completely green.
Are you finding that attrition clauses are being enforced more or less strictly recently? Can you share any comments/observations about this?
I feel they are about the same. We never have a problem with attrition (we always have to go to overflow).
How important is Internet bandwidth to your programs (i.e., Wi-Fi), and do you think hotels are being more or less flexible with their Internet bandwidth pricing? Any tips to share with your fellow planners to get free or discounted Wi-Fi for your meetings?
Very important, especially for our sessions. Depending on the properties, some are more flexible some are more stringent. I always try to negotiate a 20 percent discount by using in-house AV and make sure that includes Internet.
Do you feel this is a buyer’s or seller’s market? Any observations on this to share?
Depends. With my size of group I feel like it is a seller’s market. It is becoming harder and harder to find properties that fit my needs.
Do you find that you had less leverage on room rates during the last year? What are hotels and facilities telling you when you negotiate?
I think it was the same. I was able to negotiate a lower room rate because I know what I can offer to spend in F&B and AV.
Are you using social networking websites for business purposes? If so, which ones and why?
Yes we have Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Getting our name out there, interacting with customers and prospects.
Are you more optimistic, or less, about the meetings industry and the economy than a year ago? Why?
About the same. I think it is growing. My budgets are still small.
How do you think 2017 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?
I think costs and attendance will continue to go up but meeting budgets will either be cut or stay the same.
What other trends are you seeing in the meetings world, such as changing attendee demographics (i.e., Millennials), or any other trends that are impacting your programs?
My industry is very old school, but we are seeing more and more of our attendees adopt technology at our conferences.
