Can Knowing Hotel Secrets Lower Event Costs?

I recently read an article posted on a social media site that suggests there are secret ways to work with hotels to lower your event costs. I wondered how significant these secrets were and asked an industry expert for his analysis. Tom Berkman, President and CEO of Omnia Housing Services is our industry expert. Tom is a 36-year hospitality and housing company veteran that created and has overseen the operation of the THS Company, the nation’s premier sports housing service and Omnia's parent company.

Fill Need Dates was number one - This seemed obvious to the author and our industry expert but not me. They explained this applies to event space not guest rooms.  If a hotel is full due to a large city wide event, its event space (meeting rooms) are likely not being used. The hotel may be willing to negotiate better rates for this unused space which can come in handy as long as you don’t need guest rooms.

Check Cancellation Clauses – the author of the article says to be careful about this important item as it may result in steep penalties should you need to cancel less than six months from your arrival date.  Our industry expert says his firm never agrees to cancellation clauses more than 30 days from arrival.

Both the article’s author and our expert agreed the next several items were standard so we won’t devote much time to them but felt they should be noted here.  They are: Be Aware of Food and Beverage (F&B) minimum.  Seems reasonable but be aware F&B calculations do not include gratuity or tax; Understand audiovisual (AV) requirements. Some hotels have a preferred vendor and may charge you a fee if you use your own;  Contract internet upfront. Until recently, this has been a major cost to your event.  Hotels are better equipped today but be aware of these hidden charges.

Attrition-Lower it – The article’s author suggests a variety of tips and tricks for calculating attrition penalties should they occur. Our industry expert tells me they never agree to attrition penalties in their contracts and feels they could be avoided all together.

Ask for a Resell Clause – This refers to your attrition penalty but our industry expert reminds us they have no attrition so this clause is unnecessary.

Leverage Sales Manager – this was more of a tip on how to work with a sales manager to get the best deal. It sounded more like shopping for a car as it was suggested it’s better to call at certain times of the month or quarter when they have to report sales to quota.

While the article offers some things to consider when negotiating a hotel contract, it seems more complicated than that to me. A housing services vendor can be a great partner in working through the hotel selection process and execution of an agreement. If you want to remove the risk from your organization and increase your reward, that is my best suggestion.

Don Sciolaro

D ESolutions

Innovative solutions, strategic planning & management partner

Redesigning Web Sites

It may be a coincidence but several organizations I’ve worked with are undertaking or recently completed a web site redesign.  So I started thinking about when and why do organizations decide it is time to address this time consuming and stressful undertaking. 

The first example is the consulting business of a friend.  He manages a consulting firm based in the Washington metro area.  Based on recent conversations and what I’ve seen on his new web site, the redesign project was driven by changes in his business.  He had taken on some new clients, created new partnerships and his business was going in a direction not represented by his old web site.  His site has a new look and seems to suggest a new energy. It is clear the objective of this new web site is to define the company brand and increase visibility with a focus on its mission. While I thought the former web site was fine as a communication vehicle that included an informative blog, this new site really does suggest a change has taken place in the business. I believe he really captured the image he was seeking in this new design.  www.potomaccore.com

The second example is a web site that is still a work in progress and it belongs to a non-profit organization for which I have been a board member for several years. The new web site is desperately needed as the current site is typical of a non-profit that put together a functional web site on the cheap. It probably seemed like a good site at the time it was created as there was nothing to compare it to.  This was the organizations first web site. Naturally, everyone thought it was great. Of course we look at it today and say “what were we thinking?” Even a non-profit has to uphold a certain image and the most visible representation today is an organization’s web site. Today, anyone can create an informative and professional web site that conveys the proper message based on the organizations purpose and mission.

Does it offer value to visitors and if you’re in the association world, does it portray the image you want your members to have of you? If you cannot objectively assess the message your web site delivers, ask your customers. People love it when you ask them what they think. Then you can determine if it’s time to invest in your web site.

Don Sciolaro

D ESolutions

Innovative solutions, strategic planning & management partner

Neighbors-helping-Neighbors - a job seekers networking and support group

Neighbors-helping-Neighbors USA, Inc. (NhN) is a job seekers networking and support group that celebrated its 2^nd Anniversary in January 2013. Today, NhN has over 2,000 members in 27 chapters in New Jersey, Boston and Washington, D.C., and more than 330 of its members have landed, or in other words, found a job. While many of these success stories are members that are now underemployed or working part time, for most it’s a welcome source of income.

Like many non-profit organizations, NhN is in need of support and funding. Additional funding could help the organization reach more unemployed that need assistance and to provide them with greater resources in their job search. The support that is needed varies from employers posting available positions on the NhN Linkedin group job board to providing speakers that have the expertise to help the job seeker in today’s competitive environment.

NhN was founded by John Fughazzie who received support from his community and network of friends when it was needed.  He started NhN to pay it forward and that is the core message today. To learn more about NhN and its founder, visit:http://www.nhnusa.org or the NhN LinkedIn group at:http://www.linkedin.com/groups/NeighborshelpingNeighbors-USA-3892534.

Don Sciolaro

D ESolutions

Innovative solutions, strategic planning & management partner 

Member Communications and Social Media

Remember when the fax machine was the next best thing to add to your member communications toolbox instead of slow and expensive snail mail? My guess is many of you are saying “What’s a fax machine?”  It was not long before it was replaced by e-mail. Many organizations abused this low cost communication method until members started unsubscribing or worse, ignoring everything you sent to them.  Some members set their spam monitors to block our communications. We all devoted time and resources to managing this overused communication tool in an effort to get our members to open our electronic communications. In many cases the result was quite the opposite.

Some organizations developed electronic newsletters while others developed the weekly bulletin.  In any case, it was another form of e-mail. Many organizations continued to send e-mail to their members every day, or worse, more than once a day. I view this as a ‘more is better’ mentality and places greater focus on quantity over quality.  That is our dilemma isn't it? We have an obligation to provide our members with programs and services so it makes sense that we want to tell them about everything we offer.  So we resort to sending something to our members every day.

If you don’t already have one, it may be time to sit down and develop a member communications strategy. Associations are good at developing strategies. We organize member retention and new member outreach strategies. Those involved in advocacy generally have very good lobbying strategies. So why not develop a member communication strategy?  It’s not that complicated. Perform an assessment of all member communications both print and digital. Once you understand what it is you have been sending to your members, you need to decide what information is the most impactful in helping you achieve your mission and what you really want to communicate to your members.

For most organizations a multi-platform effort would serve you well. Create a user friendly web site where you can host all the information you wish to share with your members, potential members or consumers. Through a combination of e-mail, LinkedIn and Twitter you can drive those interested in what you have to offer back to your web site for more information. There is no single communication tool that will convey your message to all members.  Some will prefer e-mail, some LinkedIn networks and others Twitter.  There are many other social media outlets so you’ll need to decide how your members prefer to get their information. Here is the good part.  Unlike traditional mail and faxes, all digital communications can be tracked.  If you send out an e-mail you can track how many received your communications from your intended target audience.  Of those that received it, how many opened it.  Of those that opened it what links did they click? Analyzing this data can help you improve future communications. Is there a day of the week that receives a higher open rate?  What topics realize higher click through rates? In addition to sending out e-mail to your member list, you can share links to your communication through LinkedIn and twitter.

Create a LinkedIn group or several groups depending on your organization.  By inviting your members to join your group, you are expanding your network and giving members another avenue to receive information.

There is no one right solution and there be some investment of time to get the right mix of web site, e-mail and social media that best meets the needs of your members. It would be impossible to cover this complex issue in detail here so keep in mind you need to do a little research starting with the demographics of your target audience. Most importantly, keep in mind the successful strategy today needs to be monitored as technology keeps us guessing about what comes next.  This includes our hardware as much as new trends in social media.  At one time most people received information through a desk top computer. We saw an increase in the use of lap tops as we took our work with us everywhere we went. Today, we need to communicate with tablets and smart phones as well as desktops and laptops. As one of my favorite financial advisers was fond of warning throughout the recession, “be nimble”.

Don Sciolaro

D ESolutions

Innovative solutions, strategic planning & management partner

Impressions of an ASAE Annual Meeting First Time Attendee

Despite having worked in associations for more than 20 years I finally attended my first ASAE Annual Meeting that took place in Atlanta in August 2013. I’ve attended many ASAE conferences and classes but never this major event. I admit I found myself comparing it to my former association’s annual show and conference that took place in Atlanta in 2009.

The opening ceremony was well attended with informative speakers and served as a very good kick-off to the opening of the show floor. Over the next two days I would walk the floor and meet with exhibitors and attended several of the many learning labs.  Some conferences would call these classes or workshops but ASAE calls them learning labs. I met some very nice attendees in each session and heard some very informative presentations.

On the first day I managed to attend two sessions including a presentation by the co-authors of Road to Relevance, Harrison Coerver and Mary Byers, CAE. Following the session I went to the book store and purchased their book.

On the second day I again attended two sessions. One was called “Hotel Contracts Boot Camp for the Experienced Meeting Planner.”  The speaker was well qualified, an attorney with extensive hotel experience.  I thought he provided the group with many good suggestions on key items in your hotel contract to avoid or to include. Again, all were very good recommendations. He was very knowledgeable and I thought if I ever found myself in litigation over a hotel contract I would want him on my side. However, if you use a professional and competent housing services vendor you will not need to know what loopholes to look for or what omissions may be troublesome down the road.

Like you, I always had an attorney, such as this session’s speaker; review my hotel contracts during my 20 plus years organizing events for my associations.  That is until I found there is a better way to plan my meetings. If you want to learn more send me a note and I’ll share this best practice with you.  I can be reached at desciolaro@gmail.com.

By the end of the second day I was ready to head home with blisters on my feet and a lot of good information to digest from the many speakers, exhibitors and new friends I made in Atlanta. If you work in an association and have never attended an ASAE annual meeting, I strongly suggest you remedy that in 2014.

The Secret to Recruiting Volunteers - "Ask"

I worked at an association that had a large chapter network with each chapter managed by a roster of volunteers. These chapters nearly offered as many member benefits as anything the association had to offer. The more active chapters in smaller geographic areas had little difficulty recruiting the volunteers they needed to offer varied and desired programs. Many other chapters struggled to find the basic volunteers they needed so 3 or 4 people were not doing the work of 6 or 8.

When we had a national meeting of these volunteers, 250-300 of them, we decided to change things up.  At the end of the day we had a conference version of speed dating.  The volunteers were divided into various meeting rooms.  The senior staff and national officers would move from room to room.  We had 5 minutes to share some bit of information with the volunteer leaders in each room.  The topic I chose was “Recruiting Volunteers”.

I started my remarks by commenting on how I am a very active volunteer and always have been. Sometimes I saw an opportunity and offered my time and services and sometimes the volunteer leaders of an organization pursued me. I focused my remarks on the latter.  This one particular organization was trying to recruit me as a volunteer.  Each time I was asked I turned them down as I was busy with work and had a full plate of volunteer activity with no desire to add anything more. Still, each year, this organization approached me and was always cordial and respectful when I turned them down.  After several years and several attempts, I finally agreed. Nine years later I still devote a great deal of time to this organization with absolutely no regrets.

So where am I going with this?  In an effort to attract and recruit volunteers we send out e-mail, write articles in our newsletters and place promotional messages on our web site but to this day the best way to recruit volunteers is to personally ASK prospective volunteers.  Remember, your response to being turned down is as important as your response to an acceptance. It worked with me.

I concluded my remarks with a humorous and true story.  I had served on my local library board of trustees for many years. In addition to serving as treasurer of the board I chaired our 50^th anniversary celebration, I co-chaired our renovation and expansion fundraising committee, and then chaired the ribbon cutting program.  At one point we had a vacancy on the board.  I recruited a friend who turned out to really enjoy being on the board and he became a very good volunteer. Several years into his service on the board he had spearheaded a special project which won us a statewide award from the state library association.   Upon sharing the news with me our library director said, “recruiting Bill onto the board was the best thing you ever did for the library”. I was insulted and honored all at the same time.:)

Don Sciolaro
D E Solutions
desciolaro@gmail.com

Why I like Omnia Housing Services for my meetings

OHS effectively manages room blocks ranging in size from 100 - 100,000 room nights. They have a dedicated staff that will closely monitor not only your attendee reservations but also your booking patterns to identify trends or potential problems that could affect your block.  Their mission is to know your needs inside and out. With this knowledge, they can proactively manage your room blocks, not only for your current meeting but for your future years contracts.  To learn more: http://www.ohsweb.org/services.html

Should association/society boards have term limits for board members?

Here are two examples of industry associations that have term limits (sort of) for board members. The first allows board members to serve seven consecutive years on the board and then the board member cannot be renewed for another term immediately. They must come off the board for one board meeting and then can serve another seven consecutive years.

The second example is similar but the term limit is one three year term and then the member must be off the board for one year before returning to serve another three year term. There is an exception here.  Should a board member be elected to hold a position as an officer on the executive committee, the three year limit is waived. The executive committee is comprised of six members.  In essence, if a board member serves three years, is then elected as an officer and then elected to move to the next position each year, that person will have served on the board for nine years.

In both associations, term limits are modified and the ease of returning to the board after one year depends on the method by which the board members are nominated and elected. In either case, it does not appear either association really wants to have term limits.  On the one hand, this enables you to keep sincere hard working board members engaged in the leadership of your organization. On the other hand, well you know.

I have served on boards where there are no term limits. Good or bad, board members expect to be reappointed at the end of their term whether they are making a positive contribution to the organization or not.  Having had that experience, I support term limits.  This not only enables you to have a mechanism for removing board members with honor, it provides you with an opportunity to recruit board members that might bring some energy and innovation to the organization.

What are your thoughts?

Conference Housing Services

This is meant as a sharing of best practices for any association executive that plans meetings and conferences or those that supervise meeting planners.  I have experienced frustration at the time and resources our staff spends on identifying and securing meeting rooms and housing for our meetings and conferences.  Then I learned there are vendors that specialize in this area.  A housing services provider will help you identify a venue that best meets your needs, secure the best rate available and negotiate the details of your contract.  While there are several good vendors that provide this service, my experience with Omnia Housing Services has always been positive and carefree. I am happy to share this link to their web site where you can learn more .http://ohsweb.org/index.html

Don Sciolaro

DESolutions Consulting

Former CEO of NKBA

Frustrated by unanswered e-mail?

A friend sent me a link to this article posted on Linkedin.  It's an article written by Adam Grant, a professor from Wharton. Since most of us have experienced sending an e-mail into a black hole either in our professional or personal life, I found some of his suggestions intriguing.  Like many good articles, the reader needs to realize that some circumstances allow for this approach while others may not.  It's important to recognize your relationship to the intended recipient and anticipate there may be repercussions if the creativity is not well received.  However, in most cases the reality is "what have you got to lose?" What do you think? http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130624114114-69244073-6-ways-to-get-me-to-email-you-back

Learning from Other’s (Best Practices)

Like many of you, I have always enjoyed when a new program or initiative is a great success.  Of course I don’t always disclose the fact I borrowed the idea from someone else. I don’t feel guilty about it as I didn’t exactly commit copyright infringement.  I have always felt challenged seeing the success others have enjoyed and trying to figure out if and how that successful best practice might apply to my organization. For instance, if I am organizing an event for a group that is focused on diet and exercise I probably will not organize a make your own sundae fundraiser. However, if I organize a trade show and conference, I may borrow an idea from another successful national event like a sports tournament.

I recently learned USA Volleyball sponsors and organizes various successful national events each year.  I wanted to look at how they do it and see what I can borrow when organizing a large national trade show and conference. One thing I learned is they focus on what they are good at and select professional outside vendors to assist with the unrelated yet very important elements that are necessary to make their program a success. 

I learned USA Volleyball hires a tournament housing services company to assist them with their housing needs.  That makes sense and enables USA Volleyball to focus on inviting teams, setting up brackets, hiring officials and all the other things that go in to making it a successful event. The tournament housing services company can take care of meeting all their housing needs from selecting appropriate housing sites, negotiating rates, negotiating contracts, attrition and all the other non-volleyball issues that may come up.

So I went looking for a company that can do that for my association and I found Omnia.  Omnia Housing Services can do the same thing for my association trade show that USA Volleyball gets from their housing services provider. I can feel pretty confident about that because Omnia is managed by the same professionals and modeled after the same company that provides this service to USA Volleyball.  If you’d like to learn more visit http://www.ohsweb.org/index.html or post a comment or question here and I’ll get the information you need.

What is the right level of dues for my members?

Here is a question I see posted frequently on ASAE communities, LinkedIn Groups and a variety of other sources where membership dues are a hot topic.  While I have seen some great responses that provide guidance, there is no right answer just as there is no wrong answer.  I believe the best answer or solution is based on your organization: its mission, its non dues revenue sources, the makeup of its membership base, and other variables. Consider these variables.  Does your organization need members or does it need membership dues to be successful?  Are dues 25% of your total annual revenue or 75%? Is your member segment dominated by a few large companies or countless thousands of small and medium size companies?  So do your homework and seek guidance from your peers, but keep things in perspective and recognize not all successful programs or insightful suggestions will apply to your organization. While access to this wealth of knowledge and experience can provide guidance, proceed with caution and remember, one size never fits all.

Conference Housing Services

When thinking about services you can outsource, consider meeting and conference housing services.  The more I learned about professionals that specialized in the housing services industry the more I felt we were not using our resources or our members’ resources wisely.  We spent a great deal of staff time researching hotels and conference centers. We also devoted a great deal of time negotiating for the other services we needed to make our conference a success.  I recently learned about all the things we were doing wrong and decided going forward I’ll leave this important area in our meeting planning to the experts.  Here is one company that does it well: http://www.ohsweb.org/index.html