Hi Vicki -
Thank you for your questions and I hope this gives some insight for you.
In regards to the networking trends, we definitely see an increase in groups adding a welcome dinner or reception at the beginning of their event. This is mainly due to the fact that attendees were not able to meet in person in the last few years. The main request is an outdoor space that has a unique setting or different from a meeting space since they will be in the ballrooms during the day for their meeting, they want something different. This is usually paired with a theme or specific cuisine and entertainment.
As far as the transformation for a meeting space, it is going away from the traditional set up and an additional set up such as a lounge, living room, or cocktail tables in the same space, to give the attendees the time and opportunity to mingle. There are even meetings now where they entire set up is lounge style or cocktail tables. That way people, can move, mingle and are not seated next to the same people the entire meeting.
Working for a Marriott hotel and seeing your last question hurts my heart. At my property, we have a rule that if a question, lead or RFP comes in before 5PM, it will be answered in the same day, or we reach out to the client. After 5PM, you will have a response the next business day. If for some reason, we are not able to return a question right away as we need to consult with our chef or operations team, we would still email the client to let them know that we are working on it and have an answer within a certain time frame. However, being able to see in our booking system if other Marriott hotels are sourced, it actually happens often that their response is delayed. In my direct market, this is all due to staff shortages and not having the people in the office to answer any questions or leads. As an event planner, you are vital to our property and you could address this with that property that if an immediate response is needed that you would list this in the email that you send and if it is a question that does not need to be answered right away.
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Femke DeGroot
Sales
Boca Raton Marriott at Boca CenterUnited States
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-03-2023 09:45
From: Vicki Clancy
Subject: Ask the Expert - March 9 | How technology and content can give event professionals what they need faster
- What trends are you seeing for networking opportunities and welcome/dinner receptions for events?
- What do you feel is the best way to transform a ballroom into an engaging space to captivate attendees?
- We have a 4 year contract at a Marriott property, but the response times are delayed 4-7 days. Do you see this commonly? Is it due to less staff, or the demand for more in-person events, or both?
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Vicki Clancy
Event Coordinator
CDWUnited States
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