In this hypothesis you have a General Manager that wants you to sell large blocks of rooms, master billed of course, and charge for convention rooms without meals and banquet space with food and beverage for all booked events. It is November mid-week (low season) and you have a group that wants to book out your hotel for 3 days (how perfect is that)…you know that your meeting planner has several convention hotels to pick from and your GM will not budge on the convention room rental fee despite the food and beverage, and hotel room block.

What do you do?

Your GM insists that you sell the main meeting room let’s say for a minimum of $300.00 and that is the final word. Here is a sales technique I used very successfully during my career…I know that they are planning on 500 people attending and if I charged a $1.00 per person for a set up and break down fee, I would have $500 for the meeting room ($200.00 more revenue than budgeted). So when I present to the meeting planner I simply present this sales scenario when it comes to the meeting rooms and the Meeting Planner doesn’t blink and eye and the contract is signed. I have used this technique many times as the Director of Sales in the past and have exceeded all expectations for meeting room revenue. This set up fee can be added to the hotel sleeping room quote and the organization does not have to spend a dime out of their budget and your hotel? Can you say BONUS? (Remember this is a hypothesis.) Now that’s what I’m talking about! Please share your thoughts and expertise on this subject…

My friend just sent me this video about the most disgusting hotel practices regarding hotel room water glasses. I say bring your own cups from now on! This is a must see for everyone who travels!

http://www.bestviral.com/video/6629/dont_ever_drink_from_hotel_glasses

The holidays were my favorite time of year when I worked for hotels and resorts. I was fortunate to work for others who thought outside the box and encouraged creative thinking. One of things we implemented was Saint Nicholas Day every December 6th. This encouraged a sell-out each year once we put our marketing in place and the word of mouth of our visitors got around. I have included the story behind the project below. We did whatever it took to stand apart from other lodging partners and we had fun doing it. We gave our visitors a “WOW” that turned out to be more than filling our hotel, our community benefited too! Now that’s what I’m talking about!

When booking reservations and checking in our guests we handed them the story of Saint Nicholas and encouraged them to participate by leaving one shoe outside their door for Saint Nick…Staff filled each shoe with candy, inexpensive gifts, and an ornament. In the morning housekeeping reported squeels as the children saw their shoes filled with goodies. Our guests loved it and some would book for the following year on their way out. We built the program each year and the merchants in town joined in with Saint Nicholas sales and special events were held by community organizations! Just think how you could grow this event…For lodging with meals, restaurants, a Saint Nicholas feast would be in order, the possibilities are endless.

Here is the story of Saint Nicholas that can be printed on a poster or card for your special day at your lodging. Saint Nicholas Day is celebrated on December 6th every year in Northern Europe. This charming story can really be the “WOW” your guests are waiting for

Saint Nicholas

Early in the Advent season celebrate a feast that has been popular for centuries in Christian countries, especially in Northern Europe. In our over-commercialized society, this holiday gives us a good “teaching moment” to remind children that Jolly Santa Claus, is, in fact, Saint Nicholas, a fourth century bishop of the city of Myra in what is now Turkey.

Saint Nicholas was renowned for his great kindness and his generous aid to those in distress. Among the kind and miraculous acts attributed to him are saving three young girls from prostitution by secretly providing them with dowries, raising three murdered boys from the dead, and saving sailors caught in stormy seas. For these reasons, he is considered the patron saint of children, unmarried girls, and sailors, among others.

Traditional celebrations of Saint Nicholas Day in Northern Europe included gifts left in children’s shoes (the origin of our American Christmas stockings). Good children receive treats - candies, cookies, apples and nuts, while naughty children receive switches or lumps of coal. Sometimes coins were left in the shoes, reminiscent of the the life-saving doweries the saint provided. Today - especially in families of German extraction - children still put a shoe outside their bedroom doors on the eve of Saint Nicholas Day, and expect to find candy and coins or small gifts in their shoe on December 6th.

In some households the father of the family may dress up as Saint Nicholas on the eve of his feast. He comes in, sometimes with his sidekick, Krampus or Black Peter, and helps each child examine his conscience. He admonishes the bad and rewards the good. If your family enjoys theatrics, this is a wonderful opportunity early in Advent to inspire children to amend their ways in preparation for the coming King. (Your family might get together with other families with young children and celebrate together.) Story

Anyone else doing something special for your visitors at the holidays?

I have been out of commission (no power) due to weather here in the Midwest. Terrible ice storm you have been hearing about. I took some pictures this morning when the power was out that I think you might enjoy. We got hungry so my husband used the fireplace to make a meal. It was fun but glad to have the power back on. Talk to you soon!

A Community must know what it has to sell! Tourism opportunities in a community must be determined: What currently exists; what are the PREREQUISITES?: Potential future development.

There must be things to do and see: (Regular Hours Posted)

• Theatres
• Museums
• Beaches
• Festivals/Events
• Specialized Activities/Casinos
• Shopping
• Sports/Events

There must be visitor services and facilities

• Hotels/ Motels, B & B
• Airports/Highways
• Local Transportation, Buses, taxis, rental cars
• Food Outlets; Restaurants, Fast Food
• Equipment Rental; Tours

There must be informational and promotional programs to inform the potential visitor of the product.

A commitment to support must be obtained from local governmental officials.

• Must be prepared to provide the necessary services for additional visitor (long term support)

Local residents, community groups and civic leaders must support the plan to host additional visitors (poor host-poor public relations – word of mouth)

Realistic assessment of the public cost of tourism. Make a determination if benefits outweigh costs.

Example: Tourism compared to other industries is relatively pollution free and places few demands on local services such as schools; other services including police and sanitation must be adequate.

The services and facilities required to support tourism development must be assessed to determine if the area can fulfill additional visitor demands.

• Example: Hotel rooms restaurants, public facilities to meet the expected tourism demand? Is the present visitor information program adequate?

SUMMARY OF STEPS TO DEVELOP A TOURISM PROMOTION PROGRAM

ADDRESS PREREQUISITES AND DETERMINE THAT EACH ONE IS SUFFICIENTLY SATISFIED. Of prime importance is an inventory of community assts to determine potential support of a tourism program and increased tourism activity.

ORGANIZATION of a tourism promotion program either as part of an existing agency or as an independent agency. Organization most frequently begins by forming a tourism “committee” consisting of local tourism industry and other leaders, interested parties, and those who have potential to provide funding.

STRUCTURING A PROGRAM to strengthen tourism. First steps are to:

1. Address the current level of program development and determine what activities need to be accomplished.
2. Locate sources and obtain sufficient funding for initial operations.

DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION of tourism promotion program. Make provisions for management structure, product identity and themes, sources of local support and program marketing strategy, specifically through basic research and work plan outlining goals and objectives.

MARKETING

The subject of promotional methodology is most directly linked to marketing strategy. If the inventory of community assets was correctly undertaken, what the program will sell (i.e., the product), should have been uncovered. Marketing/promoting a destination includes any or all of the following activities:
· Information brochures
· Special events listing
· Trade show participation
· Group sales/services (pleasure and or meetings, conventions, tour buses
· Public relations through publicity to consumer and trade travel publications
· Advertising
· Television
· Radio
· Networking with state, and regional tourism organizations
· Websites
o Blogs

An effective tourism promotion program need not cost much money if it can optimize cost-effective strategies, such as co-op advertising with the private sector, use of free publicity produced by travel writers, and public information dissemination. However, reaching the sophisticated tourism market could require a comprehensive marketing program.

Ottumwa, Iowa “Holiday Nights ‘N Lights” - Courier Photo by: Doug Sundin

I just had coffee with a friend yesterday who is Chairperson of the Ottumwa, Iowa “Holiday Nights ‘N Lights” in its 3rd season. She reported that business is down this year. Is it the weather? Last Saturday night Ottumwa had a severe ice storm that stopped motorists in its tracks. The lights did not go on and so it is…another reason that plagues all outside events in the winter.

Good marketing is another reason…Have you covered your event outside your community? Tourism activities is about luring the visitor from 50 miles or more away. We all need to add these visitors to our marketing mix or your numbers will more than likely be down year after year. People think if they have seen it once they have seen it all. Give them a reason to return.

The more I listened about the event, the more I was fascinated with the human interest part of the story. This volunteer, non-profit organization gives all the proceeds back to the community!

What an opportunity for you and yours to add old fashioned Christmas magic to your season and give back to your community! It is just $10.00 a car full so pack your family in and take them to see Santa and enjoy the magical “Holiday Nights ‘N Lights”! Vist their website and learn more .

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

I just received this information from a friend in the business and have to share it with you all. Google is stepping up to the plate in this world of ours by giving back to all of us. If you haven’t seen this yet, it is quite impressive.
http://www.google.com/corporate/green/energy/index.html

Thank you Google!

I have been visiting DMO websites across America and have discovered that for the visitor, using these websites can be a challenge. WE MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO CONNECT THE DOTS! … MAKE THE SALE! …INCREASE OUR ROOM TAX!

“Marketing consists of the strategies and tactics used to identify, create and maintain satisfying relationships with customers that result in value for both the customer and the marketer.”

What you say? Our website is beautiful, filled with all the information anyone would need to visit us. Is it? Can you easily peruse back and forth to the information a visitor needs? Are you losing them in cyberspace just because your visitor can not return to your website when they have clicked on a link you have recommended? Every DMO web site I have visited has sent me out of their website on a journey never to return unless I re-enter the web address or more frustrating than that shut down my internet and make me start over!

With that said, the most common inconvenience was that back arrows on your sites did not work once I clicked on another supplier’s website; your art associations, hotels, civic centers, restaurants, attractions, and this list goes on and on…well you get the idea.  Also,  there were no reciprocal links  from your suppliers back to you on their respective home pages. My recommendation is to  have  all your  suppliers  post your logo (linked back to you) on  their home page.

If you are a membership driven organization, are your members getting their bang for their buck? If the visitor can’t return to your website they are not. It takes the whole enchilada (all that you have to offer a visitor in your community) for a visitor to buy-in your destination.

I challenge you to be a visitor to your own website. If you would like an extra set of eyes, I’d be happy to offer my assistance. Everyone benefits from each others experience. It is a way to “pay it forward” to all travel partners in progress…

Interesting tidbit…For those of you with Amtrak in your backyard…

The Industry Performance Indicators, IPI, for September 2007, domestic air RPMs increased 1.6 percent and international air RPMs rose 7.4 percent compared to September 2006. Hotel/motel room demand rose 1.0 percent and room revenue increased 6.5 percent from twelve months earlier. Airline employment was up 1.4 percent and lodging employment increased 1.0 percent from September 2006. Amtrak ridership increased 8.4 percent from the same month of 2006.

The IPI are a set of monthly measurements that provide a quick snapshot of recent trends in travel-related industry segments. Data are obtained from both the private sector and government sources. Please click here to access the current month’s Indicators. TIA members can access the complete current and historical IPI database by clicking here.

What is a FAM? It is a familiarization tour for; Travel Writers, Convention Planners, Tour Operators, Product Development Managers, front-line employees, and anybody who would like to know more about your community! It is an opportunity to; increase press coverage, book a convention, book a tour(s), and educate.

How many people make up a FAM trip? As many as you can accommodate.

I. Best Practice Tips for developing a FAM Tour:

1. Pre-qualify participants

Who are they? (Name, Company, Phone, E-mail, Web address)

Where are they from? (Address)

Who are their clients? (Do they have potential business for you?)

2. Do they already do business in your area? (whom?) If so, use these suppliers first!

3. What are your FAM Suppliers? (Supplier participation list)

4. What is their FAM budget? (Determine FAM participant support)

II. Contact Supplier Participants for inclusion. Give history of FAM request and want list.

1. Draft itinerary around suppliers (times etc.) (Clearly mark as DRAFT)

• Firm up community participants and fee(s) if any, complimentary or reduced cost.

2. Determine staff participants

3. Secure transportation (Bus, van etc.)

4. Set price of FAM (inclusive of all costs)

5. Create program overview, registration form, information letter and waiver of liability sheet.

• Determine media or others who will be invited
  • Determine Step on Guide

III. Send to FAM point of Contact for approval and signature

1. Make any changes as requested and finalize
2. Send to all community participants

IV. One Month Prior

1. Call FAM contact and ask for registration form (Company profiles) to be emailed/faxed.
2. Any changes?
3. FAX copy of company profiles to hosts (community participants)

V. Two weeks prior

1. Call for final registration form (Company profiles) to be emailed/faxed. (Any Changes?)
2. Rooming list
3. Meal numbers; special meal requests
4. Forward rooming list to hotel supplier
5. Forward meal numbers and special requests to food supplier

VI. One Week Prior: Call FAM contact for last minute changes

1. Create participant list and overview (Final copies for all staff and suppliers)
2. Create name badges for all (FAM participants, suppliers, staff, visitors)
3. Prepare Welcome Bags with appropriate gifts and materials for specified FAM tour participants

VII. 24-Hours Prior

1. Send (E-mail or FAX) to FAM Contact:
   1. Itinerary with contact details for all suppliers (Clearly mark as FINAL DRAFT)
   2. Cell phone emergency contact numbers of staff
   3. Details on weather/temperature and clothing

VIII. Let the FAM Begin!

1. Meet them upon arrival with
   1. Name tags
   2. Maps
   3. An updated itinerary (if needed)
   4. Step on guide
   5. Destination Video (if appropriate)
   6. Welcome Bags with evaluation form
      1. All evaluation forms returned will go in drawing (Your choice)

   IX. Consolidate all evaluation forms and e-mail/FAX to FAM paricipants

Thank you letter to all participants!