Planners are trying to do more with less. Budgets are tighter. Clients expect more. Competition is growing.
“With less travel in the budget, many companies are taking advantage of new technology to bridge the gap between distances,” writes Judi DiGioia, sales and marketing manager for Morton’s: The Steakhouse in Baltimore.
Webinars, video conferencing and private satellite broadcasts are just a few ways that planners can provide the face-to-face communication needed for exciting idea exchanges, without the high price tag and time away from home and office that traditional travel requires, she writes in the Business Courier of Cincinnati.
These techniques carry their own price tag. But often it can be priceless to spread a consistent message coast to coast, in real time, with an interactive component, she says.
Since clients are exposed to many more choices than they were a few years ago, meeting planners are under growing pressure to sift through these choices to provide a “wow” factor, she says. The job is not as easy as it used to be.
What gets planners excited, she asks?
Her answer: vendors who can get the job done in time and for the quoted price. She suggests such practices as internet service or taking packages to FedEx after a meeting is over can be memorable to the planner.
“As we are all trying to do more with less, sometimes taking a simple task off someone’s hands can reinforce your value to the planner. This service speaks volumes that you value the planner and are there to be a partner,” she says.
Report by David Wilkening
