Meeting Planning in a Seller's Market

I have written a post or two already about the fact that hotel occupancy in the top meetings and conventions markets is at record levels. It is a seller's market right now, and no significant increase in hotel rooms is expected in most markets until at least 2008. Many in-house meeting planners have complained about hotels turning away their meeting business for more lucrative prospects.

In this market, your best tool is knowledge. By taking advantage of careful planning and by positioning your meeting, conference, or expo as an attractive business prospect you can still secure the hotels and facilities you want in the destinations you choose.

Obviously, top-tier cities including Las Vegas are tough markets, especially during peak times. I will keep hammering these points home, so here are some tips for anyone who is responsible for planning an off-site meeting, convention, or corporate event. Professional planners are expensive, and you can still do this yourself if you give yourself plenty of time and plan accordingly:

1) I still encourage you to consider one of the many fine second or third tier cities that surround major metropolitan areas. You can find some real gems if you are flexible and open to fantastic surprises. This is especially true of your small to mid size corporate meetings. Just think of all the great towns not too far from San Francisco, for example: Napa Valley, Monterey, Santa Barbara (if you don't mind a little further south). You can find these destinations around every major metro area, and an experienced group travel expert would be happy to help you find what you need.

2) Avoid peak conference and convention times in major markets. In a market such as Las Vegas, one of the best times to go to avoid crowds and high occupancy is between Thanksgiving and Christmas. June and July are also considered slow seasons. The fall and spring months usually see some of the biggest conventions, which often create sold-out situations for a large radius around the Strip. Take a look at the Las Vegas Event Calendar for the coming year to get a good sense of what peak seasons look like.

Bottom line is there are many free services and tools you can take advantage of to plan your meeting hotel space and facilities. It is definitely possible to plan a successful meeting or event in-house. My recommendation is to keep planning and get help where you can.

Our group travel planners are happy to help find you a perfect hotel for your next meeting. Search now.