Meeting News - November 19, 2007 - (Page 36)

MN Outlook 2008 By Nancy Lazarus B Air Transport Profile: 60% of planners saw more flight delays in 2007 versus previous years izarre weather systems, antiquated traffic control systems, overtaxed airport capacities, aggressive corporate downsizing at major airlines: You name it, meeting planners hobbled through it in 2007. The abominable year prompted calls for legislation and even outright apologies from top airline industry executives regarding poor performance and lack of contingency plans for passengers. The bad news is that planners expect more of the same in 2008 and are busy planning workarounds to alleviate the hassle for themselves and their attendees. Marion Hendricks, director of marketing for Herbeau Creations, in Naples, FL, recalled,“This year we held the company sales meeting in March. Unfortunately, a number of attendees missed the meeting altogether due to a sudden late-winter storm that caused flight cancellations and airport closings in Boston, Chicago, and New York. This, in turn, affected flights across the country.” Benny Ellerbe, executive director of Optimist International, in St. Louis, had a group ensnared by a corporate reorganization. “Our convention last July was impacted by the Northwest Airlines pilots’ slowdown,” he said. “Many of our delegates and staff were delayed due to canceled flights, and then had to deal with lack of hotel availability as a result of their late arrivals. Significant delays in a particular region can hit a convention hard if the timing is wrong.” Planners are learning from these situations and have found ways to minimize the impact. Hendricks said, “The 2008 meeting is scheduled for May, which is usually a quiet time of year weather-wise. Another future option is, rather than fly everyone in for a meeting, we could bring the meeting to them by holding it at one of the key trade show/industry events that everyone attends anyway.” Transportation suppliers are eager to pounce on meeting groups looking for Logistical Hassle: Airline Woes 16% of planners rate airline delays and other troubles among their top concerns for 2008 alternatives to the major airlines in 2008. Charter flight companies are courting the market in a big way, capitalizing on the bad press and hassles that have cast a grim picture for mainstream air transportation.“I’m flying to LA and back to London with [Silverjet], a business-class-only airline,” said Rohit Talwar, a Londonbased travel, tourism, and meetings consultant. “Other people might vote with their feet by going with [such airlines], too.” Depending on the size of the group, location of the event, and budget, charters could be viable for some planners. Another wild card for the airline industry in 2008 is the Open Skies agreement with the European Union, which may prove to increase competition and in turn affect customer service. It remains to be seen, however, how aggressively European airlines will take advantage of their new access to the market. Regardless, some companies are considering more drastic fixes in 2008, such as reducing off-site meetings, period.“We are currently looking at alternative meeting strategies, such as webcasts and videoconferencing that would decrease the amount of travel,” Hendricks said. Contact Nancy Lazarus at nancy.lazarus@nielsen.com By Mariana Lemann and Rayna Katz Locking It Up: Job Security 95% of planners feel secure in their jobs for 2008 36 MeetingNews ven as the economy has slumped in the latter half of 2007, meeting planners are surprisingly buoyant about the security of their positions, and they’re taking that confidence into 2008. Considering that many meeting planners wear multiple hats within their organizations, their planning duties may not rank high in their roll of concerns. But full-time planners have the attitude that there is plenty of work to go around. E Debra Parr, an Austin, TX-based planner, who has spent the past 10 years with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, is among those who see a bright future for planners. “I don’t feel that there is any danger with respect to my job security,” she said, citing the increased complexity of her association programs. Ten years ago, Parr was responsible for planning meetings alone. The association now has nine staffers to get the job done. “I don’t think companies can cut the meeting planner out of the picture any time soon.” The feeling is going around. “If you’re a good planner, there is no reason to feel threatened,” added Pat Hastings of the Materials Research Society. She figured that planners may be concerned about virtual meetings eliminating the need for meeting planners, but “to date, these seem to be additional programs, not replacements. Virtual meetings have a long way to go before they can take the place of face-to-face meetings.” Noted Renee Lewis, director of publishing and event services at the American Concrete Institute, in Farmington Hills, MI, “Meeting planners interact with all parts of the organization, so they have a lot of insight to offer.” Besides, she noted, “for most planners, there is no lack of work, so their job is not going anywhere.” Contact Mariana Lemann at mariana.lemann@nielsen.com www.meetingnews.com November 19, 2007 http://www.meetingnews.com

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Meeting News - November 19, 2007

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