Best Practices | HSMAI Americas

HSMAI SPECIAL REPORT: Best Practices – 2019 Platinum HSMAI Adrian Awards

Every year, HSMAI’s Adrian Awards program honors creativity and innovation in hospitality advertising, digital marketing, and public relations. When we recognized the winners of the 2019 Adrians at the Adrian Awards Dinner Reception and Gala in New York City on Jan. 21, 2020, we had no idea that would be the only time we would gather our community together in person this year.

But COVID-19 had other plans for both HSMAI as an organization and hospitality as an industry. And now more than ever, we find inspiration in the advertising, digital marketing, and public relations campaigns that stood apart.
To that end, this Special Report — presented with the support of HSMAI’s 2020 Organizational Member companies — offer profiles of the 24 campaigns that won Platinum honors as part of the 2019 Adrians. We hope you’ll find their ideas and examples valuable as we work together to steer hotel sales, marketing, and revenue optimization into and through recovery.

To learn more about these and other Adrians winners, visit adrianawards.hsmai.org.

Messaging, Trust, and Other Priorities for Hotel Loyalty Professionals

By Kaitlin Dunn, Writer, Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI)

As part of Road to Recovery 2020, HSMAI hosted a virtual Executive Roundtable for hospitality chief loyalty officers in partnership with Clairvoyix on Oct 2. Roundtable participants choose the topics that they wanted to focus on; participating companies included Accor, Marriott, Red Roof, Best Western, Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Extended Stay America, and Radisson Hotels. Participants had a robust discussion around topics of their choosing, including:

RECOVERY TIMING

The timing of when a vaccine becomes available to the general public is a major factor affecting how quickly the industry will recover, but roundtable participants said that they don’t believe it will be a magic switch back to normal. “The availability of the vaccine is key to all of us recovering, but it may not be the golden ticket that will have people flooding into our hotels like they were before,” one participant said.

Other participants, however, think that just the announcement of a successful vaccine may help inspire confidence and potentially bring some business back. “Even if it takes a while to be distributed, I think that just the announcement of a vaccine will start to relieve people’s stress and allow them to focus on their future lives,” one participant said. “It won’t immediately drive people into hotels, but it will let them relax and think about getting back to normalcy.”

“I don’t see this one crystalizing moment where everything goes back to normal,” another participant said. “I think it’s going to be slow growth, and the question is just how slow will it be. I think the announcement of the vaccine will build trust with some people, but the overall recovery, especially for group and business travel, won’t be until 2022.”

However, participants said, the vaccine isn’t the only factor to consider, and it is still too soon to accurately predict when business levels will return to pre-COVID levels. “What’s unknown is when people will feel comfortable,” one participant said. “There are a lot of people who won’t feel comfortable taking a vaccine for quite some time. A lot of us thought at one point that once we got a vaccine there would-be pent-up demand, but I think it’s going to take a while. People have gotten used to things now and there are still a lot of concerns. It may take into 2022 for us to be back to more normal occupancies.”

Another participant added: “It’s going to be at least 2022 before we are getting close to what we consider good levels. The other factor is the economy. It’s going to take a while before businesses feel comfortable putting their travelers on the road.”

NEW MESSAGING

As marketers have had to adjust their strategies to the new world we live in, customers are showing strong preferences for some surprising features, such as exterior corridors. “Those properties have become king of the road,” one participant said. “They are doing substantially better than comparable offerings with interior corridors”

“It’s been fascinating to think about how things that generally for the vast majority of travelers haven’t been preferred, have now become a key part of our messaging,” another participant said. “Those exterior hallways are partially why occupancy has come back quicker in economy and budget hotels that have them than upscale hotels.”

Other participants said they are pushing out creative ways to utilize their space, including one participant whose properties are offering a day rate for people who want to work in a hotel room instead of at home from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. “We keep testing different uses for our space,” another participant said. “We have a few hotels that have offered virtual academies for local students.”

BUILDING TRUST

Messaging has to focus on hotels’ cleanliness policy, which is a big part of building up customers’ confidence and trust in the industry, participants said. “Demand used to exist, and it was our job to bring it in,” one participant said. “Now it’s different. The demand doesn’t exist, so we have to build back that trust to consumers who no longer trust the concept of travel.”

One participant added that while cleanliness messaging is important, it’s more important that individual hotels actually enforce those policies. “We have a focused approach at delivery at the hotel level,” the participant said. “If the execution doesn’t happen at the unit level, we will lose the few customers that did have that trust in us. We have to make sure we are executing the statements we made about cleanliness. It’s rallying the troops and ensuring the actions match up to our marketing messages.”

Another participant added: “We need to keep talking about and sticking to our commitment to clean. Tired hotel rooms look dirty.”

(Read takeaways from HSMAI’s previous CLO virtual Executive Roundtables here and here.)

For additional information, insights, and tools, visit HSMAI’s Global Coronavirus Recovery Resources page.

Best Practices From Hospitality HR Professionals in North America

By Kaitlin Dunn, Writer, Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI)

The HSMAI Foundation and HSMAI Americas hosted a virtual Executive Roundtable on Oct. 15 for hotel chief human resources officers across North America to discuss the best practices they have found after nearly eight months in the world of COVID-19. J. Bruce Tracey, Ph.D., editor of Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, professor of management at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, and member of the HSMAI Foundation Board of Trustees, facilitated the discussion. HSMAI Americas hosted a previous roundtable June 14, while HSMAI Asia Pacific hosted one on Aug. 19 and HSMAI Europe hosted one on Sept. 16.

Participants shared their lessons learned and best practices, many revolving around employee retention, communication, and innovation.

EMPLOYEE RETENTION

One concern among roundtable participants is keeping talents in the hospitality industry, as many are leaving for industries that seem more stable or offer different benefits. One participant suggested that talents may end up dictating the continuation of remote work beyond the pandemic — or hospitality may lose them. “People are looking to fill jobs,” the participant said, “and that leaves us to compete with industries like pharmaceuticals that have transferable skills and are starting to advertise that you can work anywhere. We’re spending a lot of time figuring out how we move forward.”

Another participant said that focusing more on employee recognition and engagement helps talents feel like they belong at the company and goes a long way in retaining them. “We want to make sure they know we appreciate them,” the participant said. “Not being able to go to the properties has been difficult, so we have to find different ways to communicate with employees.”

The participant suggested making more frequent Zoom meetings with and phone calls to associates and writing notes on their paychecks as ways to communicate your appreciation. “I think that will go a long way toward retention and keeping folks with us,” the participant said.

“Employees are always going to remember how you made them feel,” another participant said. “Even if we laid off employees, we did it in a way that didn’t leave a bad taste in their mouth, and they still feel loyalty to the company.”

Another participant’s company has created an easily accessible fund for employees who are on leave. “I felt that sent a significant message to our active team members that we are in alignment with our values,” the participant said. “It’s about reaching out to our team members in times of need.”

COMMUNICATION

Companies had to drastically shift gears on their employee communication strategies when the majority of the workforce went remote this spring. Roundtable participants said that the ways they communicate with employees virtually continue to evolve. “It’s really challenged the mindset of the hospitality industry about needing to be together,” one participant said.

Another participant said that her company is mixing up its communications by partnering people from different teams to have lunch together via Zoom. “They get to talk humanly about what’s going on,” the participant said. “We’ve found it very useful to connect people, because that was something that folks were missing from our regular day-to-day work.”

One participant said that his company created a series of sessions for general managers, corporate leaders, and sales and marketing employees to interact with each other, express how they’re feeling, and share what’s on their minds. “It’s really raising to the forefront challenges that they are sitting on right now,” the participant said.

Another participant said that while communication may be strong at the corporate level, it’s still tricky at the property level. “On the hotel level, we’ve still got a lot to sort out,” the participant said. “It’s going to be really sticky for leaders in the future to tell employees they don’t have to be in the building every day when we still don’t know what that looks like. It’s forcing us to listen a lot to figure it out.”

INNOVATION

On the plus side, many creative and technological advances have arisen from the pandemic, roundtable participants said. “As we start to recover and come back as an industry, the use of technology to aid and support the business is going to accelerate,” one participant said. “But more so, I think our guests are going to expect that, and I think as an industry we were behind on that. We’re always going to be a people-centric business, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be open to doing things differently.”

Another participant said: “We’ve learned that we can do things faster than ever before. Necessity is the mother of invention, and we have been really able to get things done.”

The participant added that the shift to virtual has helped their company add value to its internal meetings and led employees to want to attend not just large virtual gatherings but even weekly sessions because they have more of a purpose. Being able to see people’s faces on camera is very important to connecting successfully virtually. “We’re leaning into the virtual platforms to be just as effective, if not more than in person,” the participant said. “We’re learning how to deliver workshops to bring people together and split them into breakout groups.”

Another participant said that their company is utilizing technology to virtually showcase its facilities, particularly meeting spaces. “I think using creative technology such as drones and having footage that shows the protocols and safety measures we’re taking helps get people more comfortable and confident,” the participant said. “I think steps like these are really going to help the industry continue forward.”

For additional information, insights, and tools, visit HSMAI’s Global Coronavirus Recovery Resources page.

The 2021 Outlook for Hospitality and Travel

By Kaitlin Dunn, Writer, Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI)

As part of HSMAI Road to Recovery 2020, global economist Bernard Baumohl will present a live webinar on Sept. 29 that offers insight into factors impacting recovery in hospitality and tourism around the globe. Recently, Baumohl spoke with HSMAI about his presentation, including what goes into making his predictions.

FORECASTING FACTORS

“I think we have to clearly brace ourselves for the next couple of months,” Baumohl said. “Right now and for the next eight weeks, we are going to be dealing with the tragedy of coronavirus and a political circus that will lead up to the November elections. There’s this toxic combination for the consumer and for businesses, and it will continue to have a negative impact on the leisure and hospitality industry.”

Baumohl said that there are three main factors that will shape the U.S. economy at least through 2022: the path of the virus, emergency funding from Congress, and who wins the presidential election. During his presentation, Baumohl will go over each factor and what happens in different scenarios for each one.

The first factor depends on how much more the virus spreads, which rests a lot on when a vaccine is developed, how effective it is, and if people are willing to take it, Baumohl said. “The effectiveness is critically important, because you can’t fix the economy and certainly not the industry without first fixing the virus.”

The second factor is what comes out of Congress in terms of an emergency funding package. “It is crucial that there be a financial bridge available at least until the vaccine is distributed,” he said. “It is necessary to keep businesses and the unemployed financially whole until then. If we do not have a meaningful package, then a recession is certain.”

Baumohl added that it is important to note that the Federal Reserve has done everything it can to support the economy. “It is now on Congress and the fiscal package,” he said. “A financial vaccine is needed until we get a coronavirus vaccine.”

The third factor is who is elected president. “We have radically different personalities with profoundly different policy agendas,” Baumohl said. “I will show what we think will happen if Trump wins or if Biden wins, and how it will affect the economy. It’s a major factor and their policies will have a huge impact on how the hospitality industry recovers.”

Even after coronavirus is no longer an active health threat, the economic and business landscape will look very different than it did during the pre-COVID world. Baumohl will review the areas where he expects to see major changes, then finish with additional factors that could affect the economy, including the possibility of the virus mutating, the accumulating national debt, and the risk of an international war. “There are lots of tensions that can derail economic expansion that are more political,” Baumohl said. “There are many international threats out there.”

THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

One of the signs that the hospitality and travel industries are not close to recovery is the mass layoffs that are still occurring. “If companies are still seeing massive layoffs as late as August, that means these companies still don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Baumohl said. “If they were more confident at the outlook, we wouldn’t be seeing that. They aren’t convinced the economy will turn around and show a stronger recovery anytime soon, which is concerning.”

There is a lot at stake for the hospitality industry when it comes to who wins the presidency. “The industry needs fresh funding, and it matters if they will find it under Biden or Trump,” Baumohl said.

Baumohl said that overall he believes the leisure and hospitality industry will recover more slowly than the rest of the economy, as people likely will still be uncomfortable with gathering and taking trips. Much of this could depend on a vaccine becoming available, but even then, Baumohl said people will have concerns. “We have to be prepared to erase our business model and come up with new strategies in the aftermath of the virus,” Baumohl said. “There will be a lingering fear for many years of another pandemic. It came out of the blue, and it could happen again. That’s the scary part.”

CHANGING PREDICTIONS

Due to the ever-evolving state of the world, Baumohl and his colleagues have found themselves having to update their predictions at least once a month. “We’ve run out of erasers,” he joked, “because we have to keep making new assumptions. All the events that are happening are still very fluid. This is so unprecedented. We’ve never shut down the economy like this before, and now we’re trying to open it again without a vaccine. We find ourselves often having to change our predictions.”

The most difficult part of making a forecast is trying to guess how humans are going to react, Baumohl said. “You can’t predict human behavior based on math, so we will always be behind on that,” he said. “We can look at policy decisions, but we really have to dive into human insights such as when will people be more comfortable. That’s why we have to keep reforecasting.”

HSMAI will present “The Changing Economic & Business Landscape” at 2 p.m. EDT on Sept. 29. Register here.

Adrian Awards Case Study: Discover Puerto Rico’s ‘Have We Met Yet?’

Nominations for HSMAI’s 2020 Adrian Awards competition will open on Oct. 1 — with a special focus on best practices, innovation, and community related to hospitality advertising, marketing, and public relations work created in response to the coronavirus crisis. Take inspiration from last year’s Platinum winners, including Discover Puerto Rico, whose “ ‘Have We Met Yet?’ Brand Repositioning” was recognized in the Advertising/Advertising Campaign/Complete Campaign – Consumer/Group Sales/Travel Trade category.

BACKGROUND: Following Hurricane Maria in 2017, Discover Puerto Rico launched a campaign to combat inaccurate consumer perception of its tourism industry, highlight the island destination’s recovery, and drive visits and bookings. The organization also wanted to increase meetings and conventions business as well as long-term awareness of Puerto Rico as a travel destination.

CAMPAIGN: After conducting more than 4,100 consumer interviews in U.S. and international markets to determine its competitive position, key messaging, and target audience, Discover Puerto Rico created “Have We Met Yet?” to serve as a warm greeting and invitation that doubled as an introduction — or reintroduction — to Puerto Rico. The campaign aimed to separate the destination from its Caribbean competitors by highlight the depth and passion of Puerto Rican arts and culture, gastronomy, and natural attractions.

RESULTS: Consumers exposed to “Have We Met Yet?” spent more than $66 million in tracked hotel bookings in the three months following launch — and paid an average daily rate that was 11 percent higher than ADR for all hotel visitors during that period. After the campaign launched, 71 percent of meeting planners rated Puerto Rico as a desirable location for a meeting, leading to a 41-percent increase in meeting bookings and a 34-percent increase in room nights.

The 2020 Adrian Awards are also taking nominations for the HSMAI Hospitality Hero award. Nominations will be reviewed each week by a panel of Adrian judges, and selected Heroes will be honored weekly online leading up to the Adrian entry period as well as at the 2021 Adrian Awards celebration. Learn more and submit a Hero nomination.

PR Best Practices: Contiki’s #VoteWithNoRegrets

Nominations for HSMAI’s 2020 Adrian Awards competition will open on Oct. 1 — with a special focus on best practices, innovation, and community related to hospitality advertising, marketing, and public relations work created in response to the coronavirus crisis. Take inspiration from last year’s Platinum winners, including Contiki, whose “#VoteWithNoRegrets” campaign was recognized in the Public Relations-PR Campaign-Public Affairs/PSAs category.

BACKGROUND: Contiki wanted to build on its once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences for young people and boost engagement with its #NOREGRETS slogan. It aimed to leverage its joie de vivre philosophy and reputation among young people to increase voting and participation in the 2018 mid-term election cycle. The target audience included 18-to-35-year-olds with a propensity to travel.

CAMPAIGN: Contiki’s campaign used the slogan #VoteWithNoRegrets as its focal point, encouraging young people to vote with the same enthusiasm with which they travel. The brand offered a chance for a free trip to destinations such as Cambodia, Portugal, and New Zealand in exchange for posting an “I Voted” selfie and following/tagging Contiki on Instagram. Contiki’s strategy relied on the company’s prior research on young travelers as well as amplification from media coverage of the 2018 midterm elections.

RESULTS: The campaign generated more than 2,300 social posts hashtracking #VoteWithNoRegrets, 2 million social media impressions, and 4 billion editorial/digital impressions, with 63 stories across millennial titles and traditional media and travel publications. Instagram interactions tripled on launch day, and positive gains included 2,500 new Instagram followers and 12,500 profile visits.

The 2020 Adrian Awards are also taking nominations for the “HSMAI Hospitality Hero” award. Nominations will be reviewed each week by a panel of Adrian judges and selected Heroes will be honored weekly online leading up to the Adrian entry period, as well as at the 2021 Adrian Awards celebration. Learn more and submit a Hero nomination.

Reopening Concerns and Best Practices for Hotel Management Companies

By Kaitlin Dunn, Writer, Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI)

HSMAI hosted the final event in a series of three Hotel Management Company Sales & Marketing Virtual Executive Roundtables on June 11 that focused on the impact that COVID-19 is having on sales and marketing at HMCs. Roundtable participants discussed their biggest concerns as hotels are beginning to reopen and shared the best practices they have learned along the way. Here are key takeaways from the discussion:

STAFFING CONCERNS

As some furloughed employees are beginning to return to work, companies must handle the logistical issues of deciding who should be prioritized — and in some cases convincing people to come back. Several Roundtable participants mentioned that through the end of July, many furloughed employees will still be making more on unemployment than if they are working their job again, which doesn’t incentivize them to come back.

Meanwhile, many employees are doing jobs that they never signed on for, such as a marketer working in laundry. This brings another round of complications to the rehiring process, one participant pointed out. Even if the marketing team is ready to bring an employee back full-time, somebody still has to do the laundry, which means that that another employee has to be rehired for that position, or someone has to be shifted into it. “We’re trying to work as a team, because you have to take the staffing levels of the entire hotel into consideration,” the participant said. “We’ve got a lot of requests from different departments and not enough staff to fulfill them. Everyone believes that they are the most important, but we all have to figure out a way to help out other departments and do our normal jobs.”

PERMANENT CHANGES

COVID-19 has brought many changes to the industry in all disciplines, as hotels struggle to stay afloat. But while some changes are only temporary, others are here to stay as the industry reinvents itself.

One change that several participants mentioned is the need for employees to be multitaskers and work in different segments. “Job descriptions need to be updated,” one participant said. “Everyone has to be a generalist, from social media marketers to sales managers. We have to be prepared for everything. This is a call for us to think about hospitality differently.”

Sales departments in particular have needed to adapt very quickly to the new conditions. “We talk a lot about how you’re selling everything now, not just in one area,” one participant said.

“The sales relationship we’ve had for so long is changing and will continue to change,” another participant said. “Our sales teams can barely connect with customers when they’re at home, which changes the need for a relationship role to a technological role. Sales specialists need to be able to use technology platforms and follow through there.”

BEST PRACTICES

Roundtable participants offered advice on everything from managing teams to bringing in business. Here in their own words are some of their suggestions:

“Cross-train everyone. People are willing to do what it takes to survive right now, and they have to be able to work in different areas.”
“We’re doing weekly reviews to determine what segments are booking. It’s giving us the opportunity to review and redirect from what is not working as we struggle to find where the business is.”
“Right now, we have team goals instead of individual goals and it’s been working well. Normally this is more of an individual sport, but we have to a team sport for the time being.”
“The people on my team who are being the most flexible were surprisingly the younger leaders. I thought that the ones who had been through downturns before would be able to pivot and know that they have to try new things, but they’re stuck. We have to get them to think of things differently.”
“Our teams have to want to stay when they come out of this. We need to have empathy for them so that they don’t regret having to work 100-hour weeks right now.”
“Think out of the box. One of our hotels’ greatest successes was a having backyard rate and putting out a banner in front and advertising at the laundromat. The never would have expected that a few months ago.”
“Remember that your teams are having a hard time, too. Our sales teams have been through two-and-a-half months of cancellations and their spirits are broken right now. Be as compassionate with them as you can.”
“We’re looking at university dorm overflow as a source of revenue for the fall, as schools open back up but still need to keep students socially distanced in their dorm rooms.”
“There are a lot of owner expectations and pressure from owners who don’t understand the situation fully. That brings morale down for our teams, but we have to bring it up and keep them motivated, even with the lack of business and the increased frustrations.”

Professionals from these companies participated in the HSMAI Hotel Management Company Sales & Marketing Virtual Executive Roundtables: Aimbridge Hospitality; Atlific Hotels; Commonwealth Hotels, LLC; Crescent Hotels; GF Hotels & Resorts; Kessler Collection; LBA Hospitality; M&R Hotel Management; Marcus; Prism Hotels & Resorts; Pyramid Hotel Group; Regency Hotel Management; Remington hotels; Sage Hospitality Group; Sound Hospitality Management; Staypineapple Hotels; Summit Hospitality Group; and Wright Investments.

For additional information, insights, and tools, visit HSMAI’s Global Coronavirus Recovery Resources page.

When Revenue Professionals Return to Work

Darline Dondl is associate director of reporting for Marriott Vacations Worldwide, which is based in Orlando, Florida, and a member of the board of the HSMAI Central Florida Chapter’s Board of Directors. Her office transitioned to work from home, and she has been working reduced hours throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Dondl offers tips for revenue optimization specialists and other hospitality professionals who will be returning to work after COVID-19.

1. Apply what is relevant. With the myriad trends and data that have been shared for today’s changing landscape, it is important to find the nuggets that can be applied to your business. Approach the article or report as a way to broaden your perspective, then compare that information to the trends in your property and market. The data is changing at a rapid pace and is presented in multiple views that may not be helpful; be sure to focus your time on what will be impactful to your team.

2. Embrace what you learned. There has been new technology introduced, work-from-home etiquette, and revelations from training that we can take with us as we return to our routines. The times that we complained of too many meetings were replaced by cleared calendars. Were the virtual meetings more efficient than multiple emails? Was productivity changed by working from home, or impacted by more distractions? Did you have more of a routine to maximize your workday with adjusted hours? What were those key takeaways you had during a webinar that you intended to implement? Focus on the positive impact you can have on your new schedule.

3. Reevaluate your “normal.” We tend to get in a routine, so just like you do with a fresh start every new year, take this time to review your normal reports and see if they are still beneficial. Is there a new report that the team relied on to navigate during this time of abundant change and will it be useful moving forward, or can changes be captured, so it will be more comprehensive when reviewing trends? In order to capitalize on everyone’s time, make sure the reports that are being produced are being used — and ask for feedback, because they will tell you!

4. Balance of the year will be a new understanding for the industry. Flexible cancellations and delayed vacations have skewed the trends we have relied on to make our forecasts, but the data will continue to give us new markers in the trends. A deeper dive into the data will show us the change in our mix of business, the adjusted booking window, or the channel that is still producing strong. A little repetitive, but we can’t rely on the same reports — the trends may not be obvious — so changing the report filters to room type or channel can help the sales and marketing teams execute strategies that can be captured in the forecast revisions.

5. Budgeting for 2021 will present a unique challenge. Prepare for the need for more data than just “same time last year” or “prior year.” Understand the data that your revenue system or your property’s reports use, so when you’re developing a useful strategy there are no surprises or line items you have to continue to explain each time they’re reviewed. It may be more useful to build your strategy at an average of a few years until the markets return. Remember to adjust your corporate negotiated rates to align more closely with retail rate strategy that was most likely impacted. Collaboration with sales, marketing, and revenue teams will be essential to get everyone’s support for success and profitability.

For additional information, insights, and tools, visit HSMAI’s Global Coronavirus Resources page.

10 Tips for Getting Back to Group Sales

By Alan Kilker, Senior Sales Executive, JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa

More than ever in group/convention sales, relationships count. As we think about the interactions we’ll be having with our valued clients as we all get back in the office, energized to restart business as usual, it’s important as hotel sales professionals that we remember that everyone has been through some trauma associated with COVID-19. While some have been affected more than others, we must be sensitive and compassionate as we build up our sales teams professionally and emotionally and work to put business back on the books.

For me, imagining what this looks like comes down to a list that I’ve developed and plan to keep mentally handy as a daily reminder. I’m also sharing it with colleagues who will join me in stepping back into an industry that has been hard hit in a way that none of us could have foreseen. Here’s my take on getting back to business:

1. Show genuine concern. We need to understand and empathize with the current health and economic conditions of the meetings industry.

2. Remember, it is about partnership. Confirm and continue to build those close, personal partner relationships that are important today and in the future.

3. Keep what’s best for both parties foremost in mind. It is a two-way relationship, and that’s often what turns business partnerships into lifelong friendships.

4. Maintain honesty and integrity in all communications. Being a trusted resource for your clients means full transparency.

5. Stay in touch and be persistent, but be patient. Sales professionals shouldn’t be pushy or inconsiderate. Work closely with planners to clear away any obstacles to moving forward; ask yourself what you can do to assist them.

6. Reinforce the value of working together. Through collaboration, both parties are helping each other keep convention business moving forward. By maintaining our mutual commitment to the future, both parties’ needs and objectives can be met.

7. Remind clients that future meetings require planning now. Acknowledge that planners have had to handle frustrating short-term challenges, but urge them not to forget about the long-term health of their organizations. The future will be here before they know it, and working together, you can ensure that their meeting plans are set and secure.

8. Be reasonable and your clients will return the favor. We can continually show the hospitality industry’s commitment to the meetings industry by offering honest, reasonable, and suitable terms and conditions, so both parties win any negotiations.

9. Put yourself in your clients’ shoes. Many parties are involved with meetings decisions — especially now. Boards of directors, committees, and others often provide input or vote on meeting destinations and other planning details. By going out of your way to be helpful and asking your contacts directly, “What can I do to assist you in moving this decision further ahead?,” you will be providing support and assistance that will elevate their meeting decision as a top priority.

10. Offer a positive vision of the future. Be generous with assurances that by booking future business now, your clients are playing a big part in the entire convention industry’s recovery. A mutual commitment will bring the hospitality industry back to work full force, assuring its financial health and future. Show the benefits of securing great dates before first choices are snapped up.

I always sell with two key ingredients at the forefront: empathy for the needs of my clients, and years of honed business acumen that keeps my eye keenly trained on the responsibilities I have to my property and to my sales team. While these 10 reminders likely won’t fundamentally change the foundation of how many of us do business, they may recharge our conviction that the services we provide our clients are highly customized to prioritize their safety and comfort. And, of course, sitting with my clients — whether virtually or in person — I will begin each interaction by acknowledging that their meetings are crucial gatherings that are often at the center of their organizations’ heart and culture.

So, what is my job today, in a world still fraught with pandemic worry and uncertainty? More than ever, it will be to continue to make my clients’ meetings relaxing, educational, joyful, and comfortable — and an experience where their teams, association members, and leadership are truly positioned to excel through today’s challenges and beyond.

For additional information, insights, and tools, visit HSMAI’s Global Coronavirus Resources page.