Meeting News - January 5, 2009 - (Page 48)

Cover Story continued from page 47 percent without penalty. He has also worked with hotels to extend roomblock cutoffs by a week. “For one client, that made all the difference in the world,” Schuette said.“We were facing more attrition than we used to, and the hotel gave us one more week. We did our part to really push registration and even ended up overselling the block.” When it comes to negotiating rates with hotels, MN respondents reported mixed messages at the end of the year. “After many years of hoteliers being in charge, we might see a little more give-and-take from both sides,” said Campbell of the Florida Institute of CPAs. “I don’t think anyone we’ve spoken with is ready to roll back prices.” Looking forward Wendy Parsley of Quint Strategies noted that some of her clients are considering more competitively priced hotels, perhaps a Marriott or a Sheraton rather than a Four Seasons, this year. Another planner MN interviewed has been asked to revisit contracts. “We’ve gotten word that we can get the same thing at another hotel for a lot less,” said the planner. “So I’ve been asked to renegotiate our contract to get better rates. The original hotel has come back with lower rates, but also fewer concessions—so we really need to read the fine print.” Schuette is also making sure to keep in close touch with the association boards and volunteers he works with. “We’re reiterating what the cancellation policy is and making sure we have a plan in place in case numbers are down,” he said. Parsley is placing an emphasis on frequent communication with her clients, as well: “Some clients aren’t currently weathering the storm as well as they’d like, so we’re keeping lines of communication very open in order to respond to whatever might happen. We’re on the phone with clients even more right now.” Parsley said some clients have become more aggressive at cost-cutting, scrutinizing every expense from food and beverage to transportation.“We’re working very hard at educating clients about smart ways to cut costs without sacrificing the quality of events,” she said. On the other hand, Dana Toland, president of Boston-based IT Exchange Group, which does event planning and strategic marketing, said, “Many clients are projecting growth for 2009. However, many are seeking cost-neutral or income-generating events to subsidize or build their marketing budgets.” H Live from the Forum @ MeetingNews.com TOPIC: Apple Says Macworld 2009 Is Its Last As Participant B ecause it says trade shows have become a small part of its marketing mix, Apple has announced that Macworld Expo 2009, taking place Jan. 5-9 in San Francisco, will be its last. Excerpt from www.MeetingNews.com Do you have a burning question to ask your peers? Log on to the MeetingNews Forum to get answers fast. meetingnews.com/forum I believe this is like the equivalent of the main sponsor of a show pulling out because it hasn’t gotten any more benefit from the show. Macworld is not a show that is put on by Apple; it’s a show for Apple enthusiasts and experts. There are many companies just like Apple that may be realizing that their ROI in trade shows just isn’t there, no matter their level of participation. But I don’t doubt that there are plenty of companies that still see good ROI from trade shows. Not all companies have the luxury of having 3.5 million weekly visitors to their stores and 100 billion hits on their websites. I am curious to see what the near future brings in new formats to trade shows and in how to get people to take part and get even better outcomes as exhibitors or attendees. Eli Gorin, Owner, gMeetings Inc., Aventura, FL I agree Apple doesn’t need to be at a trade show—even if the show is named after it! As a Mac enthusiast, years ago I belonged to the New York MacUsers group, and my company produced a successful conference and trade show for them. However, with the Internet, the users group eventually was no longer viable and ceased operations. Membership and participation had dwindled. When Macworld was in New York or Boston, we attended, but after a while the East Coast version wasn’t as innovative as the San Francisco one. Now, all Apple needs to do is webcast an announcement on the Apple website, and folks go in droves to Apple Stores to check out the latest. This is not to say that association conferences and the related trade shows will go this route. These shows fill a completely different need. Pat Ahaesy, CMP, CSEP, President, P&V Enterprises, New York City MEETING NEWS (ISSN 0145-630X, USPS No.356-010, January 5 2009, Vol. 33, No. 1 is published semi-monthly except for January, June, August, November and December, which is monthly, by Nielsen Business Media, 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003-9595, tel. 646-654-5000. Subscriptions are offered free of charge to individuals actively engaged in planning meetings or conventions in the U.S. and Canada. The cost of a subscription to non-qualified subscribers is $79 in the U.S. and $95 in Canada (Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40031729). The cost of a foreign subscription, payable in U.S. dollars, is $195. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and additional mailing offices. MeetingNews is a trademark owned exclusively by Nielsen Business Media. Copyright © 2009 by Nielsen Business Media Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this magazine, in whole or in part, is prohibited unless authorized by the publisher. 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Meeting News - January 5, 2009

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