9 Ways to Host the Best Conference Events at Your Hotel
There are many benefits for hoteliers hosting conferences or similar events at their venues. So, what is the most successful way to market your venue as the best conference host available?
1. Develop strong corporate partners and network
In the hotel industry, some of your best opportunities for hosting events will come from your professional contacts and local corporate partners. Although it takes time to build rapport, the return of investment in mutually beneficial corporate relationships can have a positive impact on your events. Consider which businesses, particularly those local to you, may have more to gain from developing a professional relationship, and similarly consider what it is that they may be able to offer for your business in return. Arrangements which focus more on an exchange of services, than upfront fees can sometimes be the easiest to establish when making initial introductions. If a mutually beneficial relationship is already established, then this can over time make profitable opportunities such as event hosting a natural development.
2. Build your communications
Be prepared to let people know about your venue, its potential to host events and how your USPs make you better than your competitors. A great example of how one hotel group improved guest satisfaction and transformed themselves into a strong conference host, following the addition of enhanced conference WiFi technology is available to read here. Dedicate communications on your website, social media, and direct marketing, through emails, displays and other creative channels. Press releases of successful events or related newsworthy content can also help to deliver your message.
3. Offer as many mod-cons as possible.
Word of mouth can quickly elevate or kill any reputation you build as an event-hosting venue; for this reason, it is important to ensure your daily operations are fully prepared to satisfy all technical requirements for an event, as these can often be overlooked by organisers as assumed basics.
Most events will expect the following to be essentials in today’s market:
A/V presentation equipment: When was the last time you attended a conference which didn’t include an audio-visual presentation? Microphone and speaker systems, digital projectors, in addition to supporting equipment such as flip charts and white boards are all essential items for any venue.
WiFi VLAN: The number of people expected to attend the event, will indicate the absolute minimum number of devices expecting to connect to your network on top of usual traffic. Many attendees will bring with them laptops, tablets and smartphones, equating to more than one connected device per person. If you’ve ever attended a conference and failed to obtain even a basic WiFi connection, it is probably due to congestion, and likely that the venue was unable to deploy a separate Local Area Network, or VLAN. A WiFi VLAN will not only improve security for the connected devices, but can also help protect your back-office computers and support features such as Wireless Printing. More information about this technology is available here.
Personalised messaging: According to the 2016 Hospitality Vision Study, 67% of guests have a particular preference for personalised messaging. Current technology makes it easy to integrate your PMS and maximise data, to create personalised communications, via various platforms, including your hotel television screens.
4. Be aware of regular conferences which take place in your area
Recognise which businesses already hold regular events, as these companies will already be familiar with designating budgets for such functions. If their activities are on an annual basis, then it will be easier to predict when may be a suitable time to approach them and strategise time to be creative in assessing their needs.
5. Stay informed to forecast upcoming opportunities
The more you are aware of upcoming business activity and news, the more you can keep yourself ahead of the game for opportunities and target your marketing strategies appropriately. As an example, if you know that a local car-dealer is launching a new model, proactively approaching them with opportunities to display their vehicles and host an event at your venue could be all it takes to distract them from their usual marketing strategies or regular venue.
6. Highlight the benefits of your location
Do you offer good connections to airports or public transport links? Perhaps your venue offers wow-factor state-of-the-art technology, attractive views or a flexible setting. Whatever your venue benefits may be, take time to think deep about how they can be maximised to appeal to your target client.
If an event is going to run all day, or across several days, the benefit of hosting at a hotel will be linked to the comfort and convenience of on-site accommodation, with all facilities available on site. Even if a conference is due to finish late in the afternoon, delegates who are travelling long-distance may prefer to dine, stay over and travel back the next morning. Consider these options, along with other logistical challenges the event organiser may face, to highlight the particular benefits of your venue.
7. Structured package options
Structured package-tiers that consider the incurred costs for your operation, is essential if you intend to keep control of your P&L. Consider menu options, rooms, and other features aimed specifically to assist particular event scenarios. When establishing your business as a key venue for hosting events, it can be a challenge to find the right balance between excessive mark-ups that put clients off, versus bending over backwards to secure a deal which transpires to be rather unprofitable. Further to this though, it would be advisable to ensure you offer several packages that each aim to address specific occasions, not just focused on the numbers. With this approach, your business can provide a seemingly bespoke service, without losing control. Consider how different clients are likely to view your package options and how their individual needs will be met. Fulfilling their requirements for complete guest satisfaction is key.
8. Proactive communications
Every media channel holds a certain value and provides a ready-made target audience of followers. Communicating events which are taking place at your venue can help to assert as well as support your business’ affiliations. Success stories which detail how your venue maximises guest satisfaction will always have a positive impact. Similarly, sharing events or communications on your platforms, may also open opportunities for this approach to be reciprocated by your affiliates, developing a mutually beneficial relationship.
9. Be creative and savvy
It is easy to fall into a standard assumption about your venue when experienced day-in and day-out, however have you considered some of the more obscure and creative opportunities available which may raise interest for event-organisers seeking a memorable first impression. Whether your venue offers the opportunity for guests to arrive by boat, suspend vehicles from the ceiling or display an ice-sculpture in the foyer entrance, think about how a realistic wow-factor could be possible (still taking #7 into consideration of course). Even if your out-of-the-box thinking isn't suitable for this particular occasion, your tenacity to support the event organiser with bold ideas may earn memorable kudos points for future events.
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