IACC Accreditation Adds Up to Value and Customer Satisfaction

Article published by Hotel Business Review and HotelExecutive.com
by Dianne Pepe, Director of Group Sales, Millennium Broadway Hotel


Do we make too much of accreditation? Based on TV advertising and grocery store labels, it seems like everything is “certified” something. What does a “certified pre-owned” automobile mean anyway? That it’s guaranteed to be used? Seems like that would be pretty obvious from checking the mileage.

But if almost everything we buy or use comes with some kind of accreditation or claim to be special, how do you separate the valuable from the frivolous? (Did you know there’s a website for useless and meaningless
certifications; you can become a certified small talk conversationalist or ham sandwich maker.)

The serious answer to what makes an accreditation valuable, at least in our business, is customer satisfaction; to be more specific, an ability to surprise and reward customers by exceeding their expectations. At the Millennium Broadway Hotel New York, an accreditation we value highly is the International Association of Conference Centers, or IACC.

Since 1981, IACC has encouraged hotels and conference centers to meet a strict and demanding set of quality standards for facilities and service in order to earn the association’s accreditation. What we find at the Millennium Broadway Hotel New York – and I’m sure it’s true for the other approximately 300 IACC members around the world – is that this certification, symbolizing the standards that we are required to meet, helps drive business, including new and diversified business, and promotes customer trust and loyalty. It does so because the product that IACC membership demands is understood by meeting planners and the end user, meeting attendees, as delivering outstanding value. More on that in a minute.


Link to complete article HERE.

What's To Come In 2013?

What's a gray area for your conference center? Is it not knowing what group business to focus on? Or, is it eagerness to know what's to come in the year ahead?

Mark Woodworth of PFK Consulting will be at IACC's Annual Conference in Chicago, talking about new directions for the conference center industry. As President of PFK Hospitality Research, Woodworth has over 30 years of hospitality industry experience. He'll be presenting on industry trends and forecast for the year ahead. 

PFK notes in the report, Trends in The Conference Center Industry that there's a great amount of optimism for a steady recovery, but attendees will find out which market will lead the positive trend. You'll uncover what group business conference center sales managers should be focusing on... government? corporate? pharmaceutical? association? non-profit?

 

Woodworth will also reveal what centers will be the exception for an increase in occupancy and gains in ADR. See if your 2013 conference center marketing plan aligns with PFK's predictions and how you can plan more accurately for 2014 group business.  

Leave Woodworth's session with knowledge to take to your own conference center and apply it. Register for IACC's 2013 Annual Conference today - early bird discounts ends 09/30! Check out the discount for registering 3 or more individuals from one property.

Mark Cooper appointed as IACC CEO

(London, UK) – September 2012 -- Following an extensive one-year global search, Peter Stewart, President of the International Association of Conference Centres (IACC) announced the appointment of Mark Cooper of Warwickshire, United Kingdom as Chief Executive Officer, effective 8^th October, 2012.

Shortly after Tom Bolman announced his plans to retire after 30 years as IACC’s Executive Vice President, a Summit of more than 30 IACC Chapter and Global Leaders from around the world convened to set a path for a more globally focused future for the 32-year old association. The leaders -- past and present -- endorsed a series of recommendations along with the agreement to search for a Chief Executive Officer to grow the membership base around the world.

A task force was established to first conduct an internal review of the organisation and then to present its recommendations. The resulting report, IACC’s Roadmap to the Future, supported the appointment of a CEO with global responsibilities to replace Tom Bolman upon his retirement. According to Stewart, “the appointment of Mark Cooper as CEO greatly enhances our global ability to provide a more effective interface among the IACC chapters, their boards of directors, staff, members and stakeholders and to continue to increase global awareness of the IACC meeting experience.”

Cooper brings to IACC 25 years of experience in the global meetings industry working for both US and European-based organisations. He has held a number of leadership roles with a sales and marketing specialism and has an extensive background holding senior posts with respected conference centre operators, including Dolce Hotels & Resorts, Sundial Group, and Warwick Conferences. Until very recently, Mark has held positions on both the European and Global boards of IACC and has been an active member in the association for some 15 years.

“I am excited to assume this key role as the association transitions to the next level,” said Cooper. “IACC’s long-standing passion and excellent accomplishments in championing the meetings experience has created a solid foundation and we will move to develop and expand IACC and to provide new exciting member benefits. My aim is to raise IACC’s profile and awareness and to deliver membership growth globally” he said.

“The people that make up the community of IACC will be an incredibly exciting group of people to work with and I look forward to spreading the word of IACC throughout the meetings industry as IACC, known to be the ‘Thought Leader of the Meetings Industry’, engages with many related organisations on global trends.

“We believe Mark’s experience is well matched to the strategic plan of IACC as we move forward,” said Peter Stewart. “Our plans include building strategic international relationships and to continuing to provide our members with the services and benefits they have come to value over the years.”

Cool Conference Center Tips: Meeting Innovation- Say What!?!

Written by Tracy Reese of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Conference Center in Jacksonville, Florida, in collaboration with Andrea Rice; Tracy is a member of the Emerging Trends Committee for IACC. Enjoy her cool conference center tips about meeting innovation.

Have you ever had a day with back-to-back-to-back meetings?  Did they ever seem to be repetitive and a bit stagnant?  Meetings today can be very structured and uniform, which understandably, sometimes is necessary; however, I think in this industry we all need to try a little harder to start “breaking the rules”…

Innovation - you have heard it before, right?  (Probably like 20 times a day!) Currently, it’s one of the hottest buzz words in the industry, but what does it truly mean??  

More and more lately, the word innovation seems to be associated with technology.  Trust me - this girl believes in using technology to the highest level!  I personally just took a 5-minute break to check in with my other half (my smart phone) and checked emails (reply to 4 of them), sent 12 texts, and checked Facebook!  However, was I really being innovative, or was I actually following the trend?  

We need to start breaking the rules a bit… start thinking beyond the box (no, not outside the box- beyond it)!  Being innovative doesn’t necessarily have to equate to modern technology, or the use of it.  

One of the most powerful meeting series I witnessed recently used NO technology at all.  That’s right; it was “old school.”  The series was held in a facility with state-of-the-art equipment, and yet, the clients simply chose not to use it.  The presenter spoke, engaged attendees, listened to feedback, and answered questions.  Pretty simply stuff… and it totally worked!  Information was communicated in a very personal, warm, engaging, and thought-provoking manner.

That’s right, this “gen-y” gal saw the benefits of simply listening to and engaging with a speaker, instead of participating in the latest PowerPoint presentation (you know the painstaking bullets I speak of!).  Don’t get me wrong, I am not against visual aids, and in the right environment, PowerPoints can be helpful.  I just think we need to start breaking the innovation mold a bit.  Let’s be innovative by going back to the basics… engaging our clients and customers through excellent communication and good ole’ customer service.  Let’s dare to be different!  

So before your next meeting, try to think of the most recent experiences that made an impact on you.  Why was that specific experience a step above the rest?? Was it the innovative technology they used?  Or was the idea of being a part of something different really the innovation in and of itself? 

Happy Meeting.

Can You Say "No" in the Events World?

Whitney Rule is a Senior Sales Associate at San Ramon Valley Conference Center in San Ramon, California. Whitney is a member of IACC's Emerging Trends Committee. With her cool conference center tips, she hopes to help you appropriately answer a client.

Saying “No” is usually the last thing Conference Centers want to say when getting a new RFP. However, due to many reasons such as lack of space or accommodations, “No” happens more in our industry than we might think. There are a couple of tools to take away the negative connotation that is associated with saying “no”.

Think about your other options, in the area or close by that could better accommodate the meeting planner. A local CVB is a great option because they can give the meeting planner a number of venues in the area.  This will make it easier to say “No” because you are offering them an alternative that could end up being a better fit for them.

Here is a model that can help you say “No” without saying “No”. It is called the L.A.O Model: Listen, Analyze and Offer Alternatives.

Using these three steps when talking to potential clients for your Conference Center will not only bring customers back, but also leave them feeling satisfied because of the referral you gave them. CVBs and other venues in the area will be grateful for your referral and in turn could send CMP’s your way. 

How do you help prospective clients without saying the word "no"? What advice do you have for others to kick "no" from their vocabulary?