Aug 31
Ashley SpitzerNews, Places to Stay economy, hotels, meeting industry, per diem rates
The new fiscal year per diem rates were announced yesterday by the General Services Administration (GSA):
Rates Start: October 1, 2010
Rates End: September 30, 2011
The standard Continental United States (CONUS) per diem rate increased to $77 per night.
GSA reported the average daily rate (ADR) for hotel rooms is down 5.73% from fiscal year 2010.
There are several non-standard area lodging rate changes that have been reduced, making them more affordable to visit:
• New York City (Manhattan) fall high season: reduced to $269 from FY2010 $340
• Colorado Springs: reduced to $84 from FY2010 $88
• Las Vegas: three seasons reduced to one, rates down from FY2010 high of $118 to $93
• Miami, Fla., for the Miami-Dade area mid-season: down to $151 from FY2010 $152
• Chicago, Ill., early summer area high season: reduced to $166 from FY2010 $211
• Charleston, SC: down to $132 from FY2010 $142
• Los Angeles, Calif.: reduced to $123 from FY10 $135
• Kansas City, Mo: down to $99 from FY2010 $107
• Cincinnati, Ohio: unchanged from FY2010 at $115
• Seattle, Wash: reduced to $139 from FY2010 $159
How these rate changes affect your planning this fall?
Aug 25
maureen-pickellTrade Shows ASAE & the Center, attendee interaction, meeting industry, Tips for Meeting Planners, Trade Shows
The ConventionPlanit.com dynamic duo, Julie and mysef, attended a session entitled “What is the Future of tradeshows?” and learned a lot about charting the course for a new business model.
Instead of “re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic” (as one supplier succinctly put it) we should be polling association members, staffers, meeting planners and exhibitors all to come up with a trade show that lives up to everyone’s expectations…as well as providing ROI.
The night ended with Cindy Lauper…talk about a “Grand Finale!”
Aug 24
maureen-pickellTrade Shows ASAE & the Center, economy, meeting industry
Second day of the ASAE Expo.
Haven’t seen any celebrities..unless you count the famous meeting planners who have stopped by the ConventionPlanit.com booth to view the website.
General sessions have been very creative with yesterday’s offering attendees a special screening of their very own sitcom…”Guilt By Association.” Humor abounded in a storyline that followed the trials and tribulations of association execs. studying for a CAE exam. As you can imagine, this is a topic that can be mined for lots of laughs:)
There are always quotes galore at a state of the industry breakout session…my favorite so far is this bit of enlightment:
“We have data indicating that things could turn around – provided they don’t get worse.”
See you tomorrow…
Jun 02
maureen-pickellTrade Shows imex, meeting industry, overseas meetings, upcoming meetings industry events
Greetings from the U.S.A.!
IMEX 2010 came to a close at Messe Frankfurt on Thursday, May 27 and the intrepid ConventionPlanit.com Hosted Buyer Group enjoyed a busy last day.
We had presentations by the Mexico Tourism Board and the Dubai Convention Bureau and enjoyed learning about “what’s new” in the MICE arena for each country.
The award-winning show once again set new records for hosted buyer numbers and countries represented. A record number of well over 3,800 hosted buyers from more than 60 markets attended this year’s show, among a visitor total of nearly 9,000!
The mood amongst buyers and exhibitors was also positive and optimistic, with many reporting increases in levels of business and appointment numbers.
Individual and group appointments rose by 14% this year, which represents a total of 57,000 business appointments made between buyers and exhibitors before and during the show.
“The past couple of years have challenged our industry on many fronts, not least economically, but I am delighted that both buyers and exhibitors have voted with their feet and turned up in greater numbers than ever to do business at IMEX this year,” said Ray Bloom, IMEX Group Chairman.
Padraic Gilligan, Managing Director of Ovation Global DMC, described the most recent turmoil quite succinctly when he stated,
“This year I have learned how resilient we are and everyone has learned to expect the unexpected. Just when “green shoots” were beginning to appear for the European meetings industry, they were covered by the thick veil of grey volcanic ash. Next year I predict we’ll have a plague of locusts but we’ll deal with that too.”
This traveler is ready to look ahead for IMEX America in Las Vegas this fall, and IMEX 2011, of course!
Jun 02
maureen-pickellNews, Trade Shows imex, meeting education, meeting experiences, meeting industry, overseas meetings
I have successfully returned from Frankfurt, but before jetting off to my next destination, I had to share some experiences from the remainder of IMEX from last week!
The Berlin Convention Bureau hosted the ConventionPlanit.com group with a breakfast and presentation. Fresh from being named the 4th most popular association meeting destination by ICCA, Heike Mahmoud took us on a slide and video tour of this exciting city. And the breakfast buffet stoked the group for a day of appointments! Vielin Dank to Berlin!!
The IMEX Daily newspaper featured an article entitled “Response time guarantee ends planners call backs” highlighting the ConventionPlanit.com 24 Hour Guarantee for RFP’s submitted to Caribbean and North American properties. And IMEX attendees actually read this Show Daily!
The first day on the trade show floor started off with the Ovation Global team giving the ConventionPlanit.com group a geography lesson based on the locations of their DMC portfolio members, and it ended with a clever game of Concentration in which the Switzerland Convention Bureau challenging our group members with matching tiles highlighting Swiss venues and events. In between we were educated by Malaysia and feted by Singapore – Singapore Slings being their traditional way to end a hectic day!
Speaking of which, Atout France (French Government Tourist Office) helped to revive our intrepid planners with their famous wine, cheese, pate and some German beer thrown in for good measure at their annual first night event. A sudden shower refused to dampen spirits at the outdoor gathering and all the French partners are to be commended for spreading around their special brand of joie de vivre!
IMEX Wrap-Up to come…
Mme. Blogger
May 26
maureen-pickellTrade Shows imex, meeting industry, overseas meetings
Greetings from IMEX – where 8 of the ConventionPlanit.com Hosted Buyers attended IMEX Association Day – a unique annual event for association meeting planners which focuses exclusively on professional education and round-table debates with each session tailored specifically to address the professional concerns of association executives.
Sessions concurrently during the day to allow delegates to achieve maximum return from their time. Association buyers regularly account for approximately 12% of IMEX’s hosted buyers each year. As such, they deliver huge buying power and influence to the show. The day was capped off by an elegant reception at the Westin Hotel Frankfurt.
Also ending the day on Monday (or starting the IMEX Trade Show segment – depending on how you looked at it) was the first European SITE NITE held at the Frankfurt Intercontinental. Sponsored by the hotel and Abu Dhabi, planners and suppliers mixed and mingled for the benefit of the SITE Foundation…and a lovely time was had by all!
Trade show tomorrow – countdown to business!
May 24
maureen-pickellTrade Shows imex, meeting attendance, meeting experiences, meeting industry
Greetings from Sunny, Warm Frankfurt! Your intrepid ConventionPlanit.com Blogger arrived today to be ready to welcome our 16 hosted buyers to the IMEX 2010 Extravaganza!
Lufthansa provided their usual fine service, hampered only by wind shear issues that delayed the departure. At least volcanic ash wasn’t the culprit!
Beginning tomorrow with Association Day, our planners will be educated and entertained by suppliers from around the world for three days. Thanks go out to Stephanie Kreps, ConventionPlanit.com Marketing Coordinator Extraordinaire, for handing all the arrangements for the Group.
I’ll be busy setting up the CP stand and preparing for the Meet & Greet Reception at the Maritim Hotel.
Looking forward to a great week..more to come!
Apr 06
Ashley SpitzerNews, Places to Stay economy, Face to Face Meetings, Five Star, meeting industry
Last week I read an interesting article by David Wilkening of TravelMole. I’ve including some of the key points of the article for those who would prefer not to subscribe.
The AIG effect, which caused many luxury hotels to be hit financially with millions of dollars in cancellations, seems to have released its hold on the industry.
Smith Travel Research predicts in 2010, top tier hotels will be the most successful. In fact, STR reports that the luxury sector has experienced an 8% growth over the past few months.
The article quotes Greg Champion, CEO of Benchmark Hospitality:
“Everyone talks about the AIG effect, but there are a lot of planners out there who say ‘If I can stay at a five-star for the same price as a three-or-four star, why wouldn’t I do that?”
In 2009, many of the planners using ConventionPlanit.com told us they could not consider luxury properties for their meetings. In the past few months, we’ve seen a renewed interest in higher-end properties.
These brands have also been offering meeting planners extra amenities, discounts, and meeting space at no charge to secure their business. (Check out the Divine Deal section of CP for current offerings).
While many meetings were cancelled or postponed last year, things seem to be looking up. The mantra for 2010 seems to be meetings will be held – with a solid value and purpose.
Have you experienced this trend in your own planning? Where are you holding your meetings and why?
Luxury hoteliers – has your meetings business increased? What do you attribute it to?
Mar 22
Ashley SpitzerNews economy, issue of the week, meeting industry
The following information has been distributed by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA):
By a narrow 219 – 212 vote, the House of Representatives voted late last night to send H.R. 3590, “The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” to the President for his signature, handing the President a significant political victory.
What happens next:
• President Barack Obama is expected to sign this bill into law this week
• The Senate must now consider negotiated changes to the package through the Reconciliation Act of 2010 (H.R. 4872), which also passed the House last night
• Department of Health and Human Services must draft implementing regulations
• Several states have already publically discussed legal challenges to H.R. 3590
What this means for your business:
Many provisions will not be implemented until at least 2014; however, a number of changes can be expected this year, including:
• Insurance companies will be forbidden from denying coverage to sick children
• Adult children can stay on their parents’ policies until they are 26
• Small businesses will receive tax credits to help them buy insurance for their employees
• All new policies will be required to cover preventive care, including annual physical exams
• The practice of dropping insured people when they get sick will be banned
• A high-risk pool will be created to subsidize adults with pre-existing conditions
• For seniors, some medicines will become cheaper and the donut hole will be reduced somewhat
We’ll [AH&LA] continue to analyze the full impact of this legislation and provide more details as they become available.
The industry’s position:
Last Friday, we [AH&LA] urged members to ask their Representatives to vote against this legislation for the following reasons:
• Does not allow small business pooling across state lines
• Adds a new $2,000 per employee penalty on many employers
• Raises costs of drugs and many medical services
• Does not provide meaningful tort reform
• Adds new costs and regulations on businesses
Even though the bill has passed, AH&LA will continue working with Congress to ensure the best interest of our industry is protected. Please direct any questions on this matter to AH&LA Vice President of Governmental Affairs Kevin Maher at kmaher@ahla.com.
We [AH&LA] also encourage you to thank the 34 Democrats who withstood intense pressure and voted against H.R. 3590. If you’re a constituent of any of the following members of Congress, please take a moment to thank them for supporting our industry’s position on this controversial matter.
John Adler (New Jersey)
Jason Altmire (Pennsylvania)
Michael Arcuri (New York)
John Barrow (Georgia)
Marion Berry (Arkansas)
Dan Boren (Oklahoma)
Rick Boucher (Virginia)
Bobby Bright (Alabama)
Ben Chandler (Kentucky)
Travis Childers (Mississippi)
Artur Davis (Alabama)
Lincoln Davis (Tennessee)
Chet Edwards (Texas)
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (South Dakota)
Tim Holden (Pennsylvania)
Larry Kissell (North Carolina)
Frank Kratovil (Maryland) Daniel Lipinski (Illinois)
Stephen Lynch (Massachusetts)
Jim Marshall (Georgia)
Jim Matheson (Utah)
Mike McIntyre (North Carolina)
Michael McMahon (New York)
Charlie Melancon (Louisiana)
Walt Minnick (Idaho)
Glenn Nye (Virginia)
Collin Peterson (Minnesota)
Mike Ross (Arkansas)
Heath Schuler (North Carolina)
Ike Skelton (Missouri)
Zack Space (Ohio)
John Tanner (Tennessee)
Gene Taylor (Mississippi)
Harry Teague (New Mexico)
Mar 04
Ashley SpitzerNews economy, Keep America Meeting, meeting industry, travel promotion act
Guest Blog Post – courtesy of Rob Hard
President Obama signed the U.S. Travel Promotion Act into law (March 4, 2010), creating a nonprofit organization (public-private partnership) that will be overseen by the U.S. Commerce Department to promote the U.S. as a business travel and tourism destination – and help explain security and entry policies into the country. Politicians and many in the U.S. hospitality industry proclaim this as a victory.
The national tourism office will be funded with up to US$200 million to create a marketing campaign to international visitors. Sounds great, right? Not so fast. At least half of this money will come from a new tax scheme.
A US$10 fee will be charged to international visitors from 35 countries that participate in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) to cover up to US$100 million of the budget. The fee would be assessed once every two years, allowing unlimited visits into the U.S. during that time. The legislation also allows the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to charge a separate administrative fee which some say will amount to US$2-3 per transaction to manage the program – costing another US$20-30 million each year. Individuals are likely to incur personal credit card fees as well.
The other US$100 million will be covered by a combination of in-kind and cash investments contributed by third parties in the U.S. tourism industry – most of these organizations already have a financial interest in promoting themselves to international travelers.
While the fees may sound nominal, it’s something that has many people from the impacted countries upset, says Steve Lott, spokesperson for the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Washington, DC.
“Other countries charge their entry/exit fees every time you enter,” a US Travel Association spokesperson explains. “The US$10 fee is far lower than similar fees – ranging from Ireland’s US$14 entry tax to the UK’s whopping US$100 – paid by Americans when they travel abroad. And with a mere 35 countries that would be required to pay the fee, fewer than 30% of foreign travelers will be affected.”
The USTA’s reference to the UK may be appropriate; however, the UK’s Air Passenger Duty (tax) is viewed quite controversially, and some in the UK are concerned that it will negatively impact tourism as the fee continues to increase. The UK introduced a small fee to generate needed revenue in 1993, and the tax has grown significantly since then. And just because someone else charges a fee isn’t enough of a reason for others to follow.
The IATA has taken a position against the U.S. fee, saying that an entry or exit fee charged by other countries is a matter of comparing apples to oranges: none of the 35 countries have a tourism-specific fee.
IATA isn’t the only business travel organization against the fee. The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) doesn’t support it either “because it taxes the traveler to pay for an item that doesn’t tangibly benefit the traveler,” says Shane Downey, director of public policy for the NBTA, Alexandria, Virginia.
Nobody is questioning the importance of creating a U.S. tourism office – or a needed marketing campaign.
But it’s important to know that roughly 47 million international business and leisure travel visits were made to the U.S. in 2009 (excludes Mexico) – a decline of about 6%, and the amount they spent dropped by 15% to about US$122 billion (includes Mexico), according to data from the U.S. Office of Travel & Tourism Industries, Washington, DC. In general, overseas travelers spend about US$4,500 per trip to the U.S., according to the USTA.
Given the amount international visitors already contribute to the U.S. economy, why isn’t the cost of the program being covered from existing taxes?
It seems unfortunate that the fees are tied to visitors from VWP countries – a program initially developed to streamline and encourage international tourism to the U.S. It was chosen because the VWP system already exists and can be easily modified to capture a new fee.
The verdict is also out as to whether the U.S. has risked alienating individuals and governments from some of these countries who may opt to visit elsewhere and/or establish retaliatory fees upon U.S. international visitors to their countries. If that happens, this legislation should ultimately be viewed as a new tax on U.S. international travelers.
As for the argument that this is needed because the U.S. isn’t promoting itself internationally, this is simply misleading. Many U.S. cities and states advertise and participate at international travel shows around the world.
It has already been reported that the U.S. plans to promote its tourism to emerging markets, including Brazil, China and India. I, of course, want travelers from these and other countries to know that they are welcome in the U.S. But I’m not sure how business travelers and tourists from Australia, Japan, Spain and other countries may feel as they pay an extra fee to cover the cost of that campaign.
So is it only a matter of time before other countries will be asked to pay a U.S. entry fee for tourism?
Based in Chicago, Rob Hard is a freelance business travel writer and publisher of http://BusinessTravelDestinations.com, business travel views to international destinations, and event planning guide for About.com. He is also founder of RH Communications, Inc., a boutique marketing firm that provides creative and printing solutions. Email him at editor@rhcommunications.com or write to him at PO Box 4405, Chicago, IL USA 60605.
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