I am going to take the above and try to answer from a planners perspective.
When a planner is sourcing in a brand new market/location, where do they start? What do new planners need from a CVB/DMO?
A. New planners can use the CVB/DMO to assist in finding the right venue for their meeting/event. Talk to the CVB and send them your RFP or high-level meeting specs/needs. They are there to assist in bringing meetings and events to their cities.
What can planners provide in the RFP Details to speed up response time?
A. You need to establish a deadline for responses and decisions and STICK TO THEM.
Q. What's the best way for hotels to reach out to planners when they need additional information regarding the RFP? Do planners check the messages sent via Cvent?
A. Well, I certainly monitor the messages via Cvent and my email when I have an RFP out for bids. Within the RFP submission, make it clear how to get in touch should the venue have additional questions.
Q. What can a sales manager do to make their proposal stand out?
A. I know that this will sound basic but make sure to answer all of the questions asked and possibly even some that they didn't. Offer additional incentives or concessions above and beyond the ask.
Q. When you as a planner compare bids, how late is too late for a hotel's response? How important is the Response Due Date set in the RFP?
A. Response due dates are imperative to a planner in order to be able to appropriately evaluate all venues at the same time. Sticking to the deadlines established in the RFP, including the decision date, are of primary importance for all parties involved.
Q. How do you compare bids, do you use reports from Cvent or set up your own?
A. I use the reports from Cvent as they are terrific in comparing side-by-side the venues that meet the criteria. The reports are easy to set up with the information that drives your decision-making process.
Q. When a planner checks the dates flexible box, how flexible are they really? Corporate runs reports on Turn Downs when a planner checks the dates flexible box, but will planners consider dates a month out?
A. That really depends on the planner/organization. The RFP should at least narrow down month and requested pattern of their meeting/event.
Diagramming:
Q. What do planners and hotels think about leveraging Event Diagramming's Interactive Floor Plans for virtual onsite tours?
A. I LOVE using the event diagramming platform! I have found it to be a true representation of the meeting space and really assists both planners and hotels in designing spaces with true measurements. I think it would also help with virtual onsite tours but nothing beats a true hands-on site visit.
Q. Last year at Cvent CONNECT there was a demo using 3D Virtual Tours with VR, would planners and hotels pivot to VR tours more in the future?
A. Good question and I believe that depends on the planner and the organization. Some are just not as comfortable yet with this technology.
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Melinda Burdette
Senior Director, Events
Meeting Professionals InternationalUnited States
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-26-2023 17:29
From: Alaina Del Real
Subject: Ask the Expert - April 27 | Learn how tech can help hotels deliver on planner expectations
Jumping in to share a few questions I got from customers, they would love to hear from their peers!
There's quite a few, so I'll try to group them.
Prospecting & Meeting New Planners:
- With so many new planners entering the industry, how do venues prospect? Are venues going to more tradeshows and going on the road more? Have venues tried Cvent's Planner Navigator for a tech solution?
Demand Generation (Hotels & Planners):
- How can a hotel in a smaller/lesser known market stand out and attract planners?
- When a planner is sourcing in a brand new market/location, where do they start? What do new planners need from a CVB/DMO?
Response (Hotels & Planners):
- What can planners provide in the RFP Details to speed up response time?
- What's the best way for hotels to reach out to planners when they need additional information regarding the RFP? Do planners check the messages sent via Cvent?
- What can a sales manager do to make their proposal stand out?
Managing RFPs:
- How do hotel sales team cut down on response time as the lead volume continues to rise?
Managing Supplier Responses:
- When you as a planner compare bids, how late is too late for a hotel's response? How important is the Response Due Date set in the RFP?
- How do you compare bids, do you use reports from Cvent or set up your own?
- When a planner checks the dates flexible box, how flexible are they really? Corporate runs reports on Turn Downs when a planner checks the dates flexible box, but will planners consider dates a month out?
Diagramming:
- What do planners and hotels think about leveraging Event Diagramming's Interactive Floor Plans for virtual onsite tours?
- Last year at Cvent CONNECT there was a demo using 3D Virtual Tours with VR, would planners and hotels pivot to VR tours more in the future?
Room Block Management (Hotels & Planners):
- How can hotels and planners leverage tech to track & promote special add-ons?
Reporting & Analytics (Hotels):
- How do you report and evaluate YoY performance?
- How do you stay on top of sales team performance when you have little bandwidth?
- What do you use to evaluate sales team performance?
Regards,
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Alaina Del Real
Lead Client Success Advisor
Cvent
Original Message:
Sent: 04-20-2023 10:13
From: Tanvi Kakodkar
Subject: Ask the Expert - April 27 | Learn how tech can help hotels deliver on planner expectations
Hello, Cvent Community! We're excited to announce our next Ask the Expert session here in the Open Forum!
Planners are facing new obstacles. According to the April Northstar/Cvent Meetings Industry PULSE Survey, shorter lead times and slow response rates from hotels and venues are creating compounding challenges for event professionals. Join us on April 27, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. ET to find out how automation can alleviate some common concerns.
Industry experts share how technology can help hotels respond to planners faster and deliver on their expectations. What are you doing to overcome shorter lead times? How can hotels and planners work better to combat this ongoing issue?
Our featured experts include:
- @Melinda Burdette, Senior Director of Events at Meeting Professionals International
- @Jeffrey Howell, Director of Sales and Marketing at The Lodge at Flying Horse
Cvent is partnering with Northstar Meetings Group to co-produce and cosponsor the Meetings Industry PULSE Survey. We surveyed 450+ event professionals in March and April 2023 to get a look at planner sentiment around the meetings and events industry.
Ask your questions and get real-time answers from the expert panel.
A reminder on how the Ask the Expert session will work:
Add your questions on the "Learn how tech can help hotels deliver on planner expectations" below any time before or during the Ask the Expert session. Be sure to look at other Community users' questions and click 'Recommend' to those you would also like to learn more about.
You can expect to see answers from our experts starting at 11:00 am ET on Thursday, April 27. Follow the thread by clicking the blue star and be ready to add follow-up questions and discuss further with other users. We'll wrap up the event at 12:00 pm ET, so be sure to join us then.
We look forward to reading your questions!
Note: This post contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. Specifically, any unreleased services, features, functionality, or enhancements referenced in this discussion post or in other public statements are not yet generally available and may not be delivered on time or at all. Customers who license any solutions from Cvent, Inc. should make their purchase decisions based on features that are currently available. We have based these forward-looking statements on our views with respect to future events and development plans as of the date that they were made. We assume no obligation for and do not intend to update any such forward-looking statements.
#GroupBusiness
#SourcingaVenue
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Tanvi Kakodkar
Customer Marketing at Cvent
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