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  • 1.  Share and Tell Success Story - Westin Tampa Bay

    Community MVP
    Posted 03-04-2021 10:28

    Hi, all! I am excited to share my #ShareandTell success story from my property, The Westin Tampa Bay

    JOB TITLE –
    Director of Sales & Marketing

    TOPIC OF SHARE & TELL - Using Cvent Event Diagramming (formerly Social Tables) and the benefits that it has for collaborating with planners and showing diagrams that incorporate social distancing

    SPECIFIC EVENTS/INSTANCES – All of the recent ones

    TYPE OF EVENT/PLANNER SUPPORTED - Using for all events at our property   

    TOOLS/TECHNOLOGIES LEVERAGED - Cvent Event Diagramming (formerly Social Tables)

    WHAT WORKED FOR YOU (DO'S - write at least 2) –

    Using Cvent Event Diagramming, we have provided planners with great diagramming programs of what their rooms will look like with and without social distancing. We can even view in 3D for a more realistic perspective, which allows us to work collectively with the planner when we can't meet face to face.

    Right from the very beginning stages of an RFP, if a planner was providing information and requesting specific setups for social distancing, we were able to answer the RFP and provide them with a visual of how the setup will look. This also helps them then understand how many people they can fit into that space.

    As an industry (both planners & suppliers), we never had to provide and create diagrams that had social distancing before, but with these visuals, the planners now know how the ballroom will look with their total attendees while maintaining the social distance norms. This is more like 'showing and telling' even before they finalize the booking, which really helps planners to create a better visual in their head of how their room will look.

    Pre-Covid, we rarely supplied diagrams at the RFP stage. Today, we rarely submit an RFP without including a diagram

    My tip for planners would be that they always ask for a diagram at the early stage from their supplier so they know how the space will be configured and appear.

    WHAT TO AVOID (DON'TS - write at least 2) –

    Avoid overcrowding your space. Make sure that what the planner is asking does fit into reality with the changed time today of social distancing. As mentioned, the best way to do that is through Cvent Event Diagramming.

    #ShareandTell ​​​


    #BiddingonGroupBusiness
    #Miscellaneous
    #ManagingVirtualEvents
    #SourcingaVenue

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    Colleen Beck
    Director of Sales & Marketing
    The Westin Tampa Bay
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  • 2.  RE: Share and Tell Success Story - Westin Tampa Bay

    User Group Member
    Posted 03-05-2021 12:22
    It's helpful and great to see what the hotels are doing to help us planners! It's going to put a signficant strain knowing our ballrooms were already tight spaces for events and now we need to alter for social distancing so we either need to reduce attendance or increase size of space we need so having diagrams and ideas as part of the RFP process is a huge help!

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    Rachel Sigley
    Director, Brand Marketing
    Tata America International Corporation
    NJ
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  • 3.  RE: Share and Tell Success Story - Westin Tampa Bay

    Posted 03-05-2021 16:09
    Being able to show diagrams of space will be essential to get approval to move forward with in-person events. We are just starting to discuss in-person events now but there is still much chatter about Social Distancing, Attendance Caps, Masks and a possible requirement of complete vaccination and the vaccination passport. Being able to show diagrams with possible event space will be very helping in obtaining approval to move forward.

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    Scott Sward
    Global Travel and Events Manager
    Viewpoint, Inc.
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  • 4.  RE: Share and Tell Success Story - Westin Tampa Bay

    User Group Member
    Posted 03-08-2021 09:22
    The ability to show diagrams of space and knowing exactly how many attendees to allow in a space  is paramont for in-person events and our hybrid events moving forward. We are discussing in-person events now and those diagrams will help the set-up crew know exactly where items need to be placed. 

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    Mary Ann Hall
    Event Planner
    Federal Reserve System
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  • 5.  RE: Share and Tell Success Story - Westin Tampa Bay

    Posted 03-10-2021 12:42
    This is fantastic Colleen!

    Being able to visualize exactly how our socially distanced protocols will look and being able to move things around on a 3D diagram will be a game changer as we start to again look at meeting in person. Whilst planners can usually understand how something might look in real life, it's very hard to share that vision with our stakeholders who might not be as accustomed to any hotel layout, let alone one in the COVID world. I hope more companies incorporate this in their RFP's going forward.

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    Sharna Pascolo
    Program Director
    Texas Society of Architects
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