Successful Meetings - March 2008 - (Page 17)

Slice and Dice What is the first item you would reduce to accommodate higher hotel room costs? F&B None—my budget has grown to accommodate higher rates Recreation / amenities Theme decor 13.4% 23.7% 10.4% 22.0% 18.7% 10.2% 13.4% 9.3% Outside planning services Entertainers 12.7% 10.2% 11.9% 6.8% 11.2% 6.8% 4.5% 3.4% 3.0% 5.1% 0.7% 2.5% Corporate Planner Association Planner encouraging MVP Global Summit attendees to participate in a room-sharing program in exchange for “MVP Bucks” redeemable for Microsoft products. “Ultimately, we’re saving a little more on hotel room costs through double-occupancy,” says Suddarth. “Planners certainly can save some money with volume, multi-year contracts,” says Timothy Arnold, a Hilton Hotels national sales manager based in The Colony, TX, adding that he has seen a slight uptick in the number of bulk contracts being negotiated. Further, Arnold has not witnessed any downturn in either the length or number Big Savings To Impress The Big Cheese. Attendee gifts Speakers AV / Tech Ground transportation surprisingly targeting for cost-reduction (18.3 percent of respondents) to balance higher room costs. “Food is so critically important,” says Quatrini. “It’s why people go to events. We [tell clients] to give up decor items for food.” For powerhouse corporations like Microsoft, though, their high-profile, trendsetting events are in themselves perpetuators of meetings market conditions, and their planners are striving to maintain quality on each budget item. “We have to get more creative to offer high quality with less money per item because our budget increase isn’t in proportion to our cost increases,” says Paulette Suddarth, a Microsoft senior marketing manager who is the planner of the firm’s Most Valuable Professional Global Summit. While Microsoft has consolidated from seven to four hotel brands to leverage volume room rates, it is SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS MARCH 2008 Choose Enterprise And Save Your Company Money On Business Rentals. The company you know for great cars, low rates and free pick-up offers a business rental program, too. Our customized program will save your company money, and deliver award-winning customer service to your business travelers at convenient locations, including all major airports. The Enterprise® Business Rental Program. Pick-up subject to geographic and other restrictions. © 2007 Enterprise Rent-A-Car Company. 804572 10/07 AM http://enterprise.com/business http://enterprise.com/business

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Successful Meetings - March 2008 Contents Editor's Note Suppliers On the Record Research Associations Planner's Spotlight Management Matters Mouth for Sale Meetings Law Pre-Event Pre-Event Tools of the Trade On Site Quick Tip Critical Conditions A Family Affair Conference Centers We Love CSM of the Year Places & Spaces Luxury Las Vegas New York CIty Houston New Orleans Quebec Bahamas Oahu & Big Island Florida Keys Gurus

Successful Meetings - March 2008

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