Open Forum

Happy Monday! We hope you are ready for our next Huddle of the Week!

Popular singer and songwriter Taylor Swift's wildly popular concert 'The Eras Tour' is set to disrupt the hospitality industry as some hotels doubled their prices during her tour dates. The influx of visitors for the tour is accompanied by a steep spike in demand for accommodation in the respective cities across the US and Europe.

The Eras Tour is a tribute to all of Taylor's studio albums and delivers great joy, happiness, and experience to all her fans who fly from all over the country to attend her concert. The weekend she performed in Chicago alone had 97% occupancy rates and over 44,000 room bookings.

Questions for you:

• How can you as a hospitality industry expert capitalize on this concert-driven booking demand? What are some best practices you follow and practices you avoid?

• As an event professional, what are your best practices to avoid other large events that are happening in the same area when planning your own events? 

#HuddleoftheWeek 

#VoiceIt 
#ManagingRoomBlocks
#SourcingaVenue

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Tanvi Kakodkar
Customer Marketing at Cvent
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We have two events in Monterey CA every year in August during what is called Car Week.

Hotel rates have always been high. Since covid, they are crazy high where only the very wealthy can afford it limiting our attendance to locals only. Lodging fees will kill our events there.

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Steven Schlossman
Jack of all trades. Master of none.
BMW Car Club of America
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Questions for you:

• How can you as a hospitality industry expert capitalize on this concert-driven booking demand? What are some best practices you follow and practices you avoid? -
  
  This one isn't really relevant to us, since our events are for our members.

• As an event professional, what are your best practices to avoid other large events that are happening in the same area when planning your own events?  -
  
  This one is hard, we try to be aware of big events happening at the same time as our stuff, but it's not always easy - we have an event scheduled in San Diego for a few days before ComicCon, and it's made it difficult to get the space we need because of others capitalizing on the event and scheduling theirs a few days before it. If we had realized that before setting our dates, it would have helped. Our event's dates were flexible, but we didn't realize the potential for conflict until it was to late and our date shad been locked in. 

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Elena PEREZ
Communications Coordinator
SEIU - UHWUnited States
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We offer packages that concert goers see value in while it helps us create higher ADR's 

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Dan Sadler
Senior Sales Manager
Margaritaville Hotel San Diego Gaslamp QuarterUnited States
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Best to check the calendars for events and your desired venue as early as possible. Get that hotel contract locked in so that concert goer demand hiking up nightly rates won't affect your guests.  As some have said below, I agree that offering packages that include registration and a concert ticket could be beneficial. 

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Rachel Mattke
Event Technology Specialist
Direct TravelUnited States
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• As an event professional, what are your best practices to avoid other large events that are happening in the same area when planning your own events? We like to check with our vendors at the hotel as well as local DMC's and if there's a tourism agency to understand anything big taking place in the location we're planning that we need to be cognizant of. We only have one event a year that it'd be a problem for and luckily we've not had a ton of issue in the past.

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Rachel
NJ
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Having an overlapping huge city-wide event typically created a lot of headaches in my experience. I think it's important to work with local CVBs, try to have flexibility in our dates, listen to our hotel partners, and negotiate reasonably without pushing too much. 

I'd hate to have our guests get walked out due to overbooking. But in case this happens, having a consensus on what to do with our stakeholders and knowing what other hotels in the area may be available can help ease the headaches slightly...

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Etsuko Aoyama
Manager of events marketing
Geodesic Capital
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How can you as a hospitality industry expert capitalize on this concert-driven booking demand? What are some best practices you follow and practices you avoid?

This does not apply to my work per say since we do mostly internal events but if I was to do an external event I would advertise during busy times in the area.

As an event professional, what are your best practices to avoid other large events that are happening in the same area when planning your own events? 

We work closely with the local tourism groups to ensure there are no big events schedule for the time periods that my team would like to host an event.

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Meghan Payne
Travel and Events Coordinator
Corning Incorporated
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• How can you as a hospitality industry expert capitalize on this concert-driven booking demand? What are some best practices you follow and practices you avoid?
  
  • Our events are not concert-driven however if we were in this scenario, I would continuously monitor competitor rates and remain flexible.
• As an event professional, what are your best practices to avoid other large events that are happening in the same area when planning your own events? 
  • We consult with the local tourism bureaus to ensure our events do not conflict with popular or large-scale events in the area.  

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Leslie Daloia
Events Specialist
Corning IncorporatedUnited States
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• How can you as a hospitality industry expert capitalize on this concert-driven booking demand? What are some best practices you follow and practices you avoid?
  • This one doesn't really apply to my company, as our events are mainly training sessions that are restricted to our end users or sales partners, so we're not capitalizing on any other event happening in the area.

• As an event professional, what are your best practices to avoid other large events that are happening in the same area when planning your own events? 
  • Our training events that happen in major cities across the country are small enough that they're usually not impacted by other events in town (8-20 people per event).  Once per year we host a large conference in the town where our headquarters is located.  We confer directly with other major companies in the area to make sure that we are not overlapping events.  We also tend to hear about other events happening around ours when we call transportation companies to soft-reserve busses and such for our intended dates.  We also tend to schedule around major sporting events in our town, whose dates are announced decently far ahead of time.

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Jess Olcott
Training Program Coordinator
ETC, Inc.
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• How can you as a hospitality industry expert capitalize on this concert-driven booking demand? What are some best practices you follow and practices you avoid? I try to advise clients looking to book particular locations what is scheduled to be going on in the city at the time.  While I can't look up every single concert, I can check with the arenas and stadiums to see what may impact occupancy (and thereby rates).

• As an event professional, what are your best practices to avoid other large events that are happening in the same area when planning your own events?   I always look at what may be moving in or out and any city-wide events that could be taking place as well.  For larger hotels and venues, I always ask how we will be separated from other groups (different floors, different buildings, etc.) as I detest having to police beverage stations and snack tables and like knowing my people aren't lost in a crowd.

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Julie-Michelle Davis, CMP
Meetings Manager
Amex GBT - USA
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• How can you as a hospitality industry expert capitalize on this concert-driven booking demand? What are some best practices you follow and practices you avoid?  Tampa hosted a 3 day concerts in April 2023, all three days the market sold out with very high ADRs.  The best tip for a hotel is to ensure we are communicating to clients looking to host event over concert dates and seek potential alternative dates. 

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Colleen Beck
Director of Sales & Marketing
The Westin Tampa Bay
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• As an event professional, what are your best practices to avoid other large events that are happening in the same area when planning your own events? 

Ask the venues what dates to stay away from!

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Lori Wildman
Marketing Director
DuCharme, McMillen & Associates, Inc.United States
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• How can you as a hospitality industry expert capitalize on this concert-driven booking demand? What are some best practices you follow and practices you avoid?  As we are a university it does not affect us much...but our arts centers often try to piggy back off of large university events (homecoming etc).

• As an event professional, what are your best practices to avoid other large events that are happening in the same area when planning your own events?  I always do my research. I look at other large conferences on similar topics when planning conferences, if its' a smaller event I look at conflicts within our unit, and when it's something like a Gala I will sometimes do a poll of those we "most" want to attend. Since I work for a large diverse university I also work to avoid religious holidays and large DC driven festivals (Pride, Cherry Blossom, Inauguration etc).

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Lesley Irminger
Events Manager, College of Public Health
George Mason - Office Of University EventsUnited States
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• How can you as a hospitality industry expert capitalize on this concert-driven booking demand? What are some best practices you follow and practices you avoid? Our meetings tend to be in more remote areas, which are also somewhat affected - but we try to stay out of downtown metro areas.

• As an event professional, what are your best practices to avoid other large events that are happening in the same area when planning your own events? We try and book our hotels very far in advance to get the best pricing. 

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Beth Vriesen.
Events Registration Administrator
Associated Bank Corporation
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Strong negotiations with hotels...can you shift room revenue to f&B revenue, meeting space rental, etc.

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Jennifer Montesano.
Director, Strategic Communications & Marketing
General Dynamics Mission SystemsUnited States
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Best to check event calendar and contact hotel/venue prior considering potential conflict on the overbookings & plan for uncertainty alternative dates.

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Vijayathivakaran Mathialagan
Web Analyst
AstraZenecaIndia
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• How can you as a hospitality industry expert capitalize on this concert-driven booking demand? What are some best practices you follow and practices you avoid? We love free marketing. However, Savannah is small and doesn't get events this big. It's important that the community knows when these events happen so they can be prepared for extra traffic to get to work/higher demand/more staff & shifts/etc.

• As an event professional, what are your best practices to avoid other large events that are happening in the same area when planning your own events? USA A DMC! They always know what is going on in the city and can guide you towards better dates!

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Virginia McCoy
Sales Associate
Visit Savannah
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As a hospitality industry expert capitalizing on the concert-driven booking demand, here are my thoughts:

Best Practices:

1. Preemptive Planning: Anticipate the surge in demand by closely monitoring ticket sales and concert dates. Plan well in advance and offer early bird promotions or exclusive packages to attract concert-goers.

2. Special Packages and Offers: Create tailored packages that include concert tickets, accommodation, and additional perks to enhance the overall experience for attendees.

3. Partner with Event Organizers: Collaborate with the concert organizers to become an official accommodation partner, gaining visibility and credibility.

4. Flexible Booking Policies: Offer flexible cancellation policies, especially during high-demand periods, to accommodate changes in attendees' plans.

5. Personalized Service: Provide excellent customer service, personalized experiences, and amenities that align with Taylor Swift's brand and appeal to her fan base.

6. Social Media and Influencer Marketing: Utilize social media and influencers to promote your hotel as the go-to accommodation option for concert attendees.

7. Seamless Check-in and Check-out: Streamline the check-in and check-out processes to handle the increased footfall efficiently.

Practices to Avoid:

1. Overpricing: While it's natural to adjust prices based on demand, avoid excessively inflating prices to maintain a positive reputation among guests and avoid negative publicity.

2. Last-Minute Preparations: Don't wait until the last minute to prepare for the influx of guests; early planning and readiness are crucial for a smooth experience.

3. Limited Availability: Avoid booking all rooms solely for concert attendees, as this might alienate regular guests and lead to missed opportunities.

4. Ignoring Feedback: Listen to guest feedback and address any issues promptly to improve future experiences and encourage repeat visits.

As an event professional planning my own events and aiming to avoid clashes with other large events in the area here is what I would do:

1. Research Local Events Calendar: Conduct thorough research on local events, conferences, and concerts to identify potential conflicts before setting event dates.

2. Reach Out to Local Authorities: Communicate with local authorities and event organizers to gain insights into scheduled events that might coincide with yours.

3. Consider Peak Season: Take into account peak tourist seasons and major holidays when scheduling your events to avoid overlapping with popular events.

4. Venue Availability: Check the availability of your preferred event venue well in advance and align your event dates accordingly.

5. Poll Your Target Audience: If possible, conduct surveys or polls among your target audience to identify any potential date conflicts that may affect attendance.

6. Flexibility: Be prepared to adjust event dates if you find significant conflicts with other events, especially if those events might draw your target attendees away.

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Tyler Manoukian
Event Producer
Northeastern University - AdvancementUnited States
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• As an event professional, what are your best practices to avoid other large events that are happening in the same area when planning your own events? Check calendars, including previous years. Don't attempt to host a large event in a city while another large event is happening. Ask local DMC, hotel contacts, etc. 

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Kayla Sisco
in_person
Meetings & Incentives Worldwide, Inc.United States
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• How can you as a hospitality industry expert capitalize on this concert-driven booking demand? What are some best practices you follow and practices you avoid?

Raise rates as demand increases, simple business 101.  City wide events have BIG prices. Don't be the last to raise your rate and be the lowest in the market, sure good way to anger your owners and get fired. 

• As an event professional, what are your best practices to avoid other large events that are happening in the same area when planning your own events? 

As a hotelier when I get an RFP for someone trying to host an event over a city wide I often will bid what I can but also offer rates for the week prior or after to let their clients know that shifting slightly could save thousands of dollars. 

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Teresa James
Director of Sales
Aloft Gainesville University AreaUnited States
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• As an event professional, many of the best practices have been said already - stay on top of calendars, check with area hotels and Visitor groups.   
  
  The question of the Huddle however is "Is Taylor Swift saving the economy?"  The concert tour is delivering economical boosts to the cities that she plays in, but is also causing some disruptions in community and local businesses.  Not to mention that many of the hotels don't have the staff to support 97% occupancy.

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Ellen White
Outreach and Training Specialist
Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc.United States
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Yes! Her eras tour is providing thousands of jobs across the country, and bringing significant crowds/tourism to cities across the country.

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Lauren Plyler
Vision Trip Manager
World Vision, Inc.United States
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Work with the CVB, convention centers, etc to find out what is in town while your event is happening. The more knowledge you have the better you can prepare!

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Hilary Grider
ConferenceDirect
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