An Event Planner's View on Bad Salesmanship

During my time with Greenfield Services, I had been involved in the meetings industry in a supporting role.  I have helped with research and business development projects for hotels and other meetings industry suppliers, but never actually worked at a hotel.   When it came to understanding the state of sales and marketing practices in the hospitality industry, I relied mostly on my colleague Doreen’s thoughts on lazy sales reps and the commoditization of the meetings industry.

That is, until recently.

Now, planning a new event for Greenfield (The Engaging Association Summit), I've had to source and secure a meeting venue that was unique, attractive and truly wanted our business.  Here is what I encountered after I isolated three potential venues that I thought would be suitable:

Venue A:  I reached to this venue by email, with a message to the sales manager listed on their website, asking for a site inspection for the event being planned in July.  I received an out of office reply with another contact name, so I sent an email to the new contact as well.  A few days later (after never hearing from the new contact), the sales manager got back to me by email to advise that their facility was undergoing extensive renovations, and would not be available to view on the day I was asking for.  She then proceeded to ask me if there was something we could chat about, so I forwarded her the RFP I had prepared, asking for a call or a response with pricing, etc.  I never heard from them again.

Venue B:  A little better, but not by much. This venue was also reached by email, asking for a site inspection.  Their General Manager got back to me immediately, advising that he personally would be busy on the day that I was hoping for a site inspection, but his Sales Manager would be happy to walk me through the facility.  I booked an appointment, and on the day of the inspection, she walked me through the facility, talked about different set ups, and took me back to her office to go through some sample pricing.  She wrote on scrap paper to start adding up costs, and offered to send me away with that.  I left her with the RFP and asked her to email me a formal proposal instead by the deadline I requested.  She did respond by the deadline, but had simply typed what she had written on the scrap paper in the body of the email.  I never heard from her again.  I have even seen her at industry events since, and she has not even approached me!

Venue C:  This venue, thankfully, went above and beyond.  The representative responded to me right away.  She walked me through the options available to me for the event space I required.  We did not talk pricing during the site inspection; I left her with my RFP, and she promised to prepare a proper document.  She sent me on my merry way, validating my ticket for parking.  Throughout our interactions, this rep made sure I knew that they truly wanted my business.  We have had numerous phone conversations for clarification, and they have worked hard to get the business. They sent me a REAL proposal to review, and have come back to me with additional options to help me make my event as successful as possible.

I can only hope that my experience with the first two venues is not indicative of what is happening in the meetings industry in Ottawa or elsewhere.  The lack of follow-through and professionalism was truly appalling.  I would encourage venue managers to "mystery shop" their sales teams.  They might find they need to make drastic changes.

Thanks to Nathalie Boulet and the Canadian Museum of Nature for going the extra mile.  I am very much looking forward to our ongoing partnership for Our Engaging Association Summit!

4 Reasons WHY We've Become Time-Starved & Crazy-Busy

Hot off the completion of the data gathering phase of the MPI Foundation's Canadian Economic Impact Study, one thing I can unequivocally say about Canadian meeting and event professionals, both planners and suppliers, is that they seem to be suffering from time starvation and overwork.

Based on my own experience I had a hunch time was becoming a scarcer resource, but talking to hundreds of meeting planners and meeting venue managers confirmed it.  This has been in the making for some time, and it is seriously affecting how we market and sell everything, from events to hotels.

Let's first examine why this may be:

We're Creating More Information

Google CEO Eric Schmidt was reported as saying that, "Between the birth of the world and 2003, there were five exabytes of information created. We [now] create five exabytes every two days. See why it's so painful to operate in information markets?" I'm not sure how much information even one exabyte represents, but from the company whose mission it is to catalogue ALL of the world's information, I take it it's a LOT.

To give but a small indication: the World Wide Web circa 1993 had 130 websites; in 2012, whoishostingthis.com reported there were 634 million websites. And according to Bowker, a leading American bibliographic firm, the number of books published also is growing, thanks to the explosive growth of self-publishing. 

Whether it's online or in print, humankind is producing more information than ever, and there is no sign this will slow down any time soon.

We're Accessing That Information Through More Channels

In a presentation at BizBash Elevate New York in July 2013, social media expert and professional speaker Gary Vaynerchuk asked event professionals attending his session how many of them watched TV with their smartphone nearby so they could answer emails or texts.  About 3/4 of the room's hands went up.  Then he asked how many watched TV with their phone AND a tablet or laptop; almost 1/2 the hands were raised!

At first I thought these people were "over the top", but then my own daughter pointed out that this is exactly what I did when we were catching our favourite reality show together:  I was watching, tweeting about the show, all while trying to finish work...

And I'm not the only one becoming more like my teenager.  According to techcrunch.com, "the number of mobile-connected devices [exceeded] the number of people on earth by the end of 2012. By 2016, there will be 1.4 mobile devices per capita." Not only is there more information, but now we're accessing it from multiple sources and multiple devices.  

We Have More Consumption Choices

With the internet smaller companies and retailers can compete with the giants.  And the giants have expanded their buying options to the online world too.  All this translates into more choice. 

Most consumers welcome having more options on what and how they buy.  But there is a dark side to this added flexibility.  Adrian C. Ott, author of The 24-Hour Customer, explains, "[In the U.S.] time use studies have shown that the amount of time spent purchasing goods and services has remained relatively constant since the 1960s. Viewed together the increase in the number available products, coupled with a relatively static time spent buying, presents a considerable challenge for executives. Ultimately, more and more goods and services are attempting to push through a small window of time."

...And So We Have the Paradox of Choice

In his 2004 book The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less, American psychologist Barry Schwartz actually argued that too much choice actually creates anxiety for most people.  And what happens when we're anxious and we lack time?  We shut things out. 

Adrian Ott asserts, "Businesses are stuck trying to get through to consumers that are actively avoiding them, or to consumers who are so over-saturated with marketing messages in media that they can't hear or see even the content that would interest."

So what are marketers to do when confronted with the mounting hurdles to getting buyers’ attention? How should meetings industry suppliers – hotels, DMOs, AV companies, DMCs, etc. – strive to engage meeting professionals in new business relationships?

We'll be exploring this very question over the next month in this blog.  Join the conversation by posting a question or comment! 

Attention Tradeshow Exhibitors: I Am NOT Your Target Market!

The 2014 Meetings Industry tradeshow season has begun.  Before I get into this post, yes, our company will be attending and exhibiting at numerous conferences this year. 

As a business members of several organizations, Greenfield Services' sales team (Meagan Rockett and Doreen Ashton Wagner) works hard to attend as meetings industry events, thus we end up on the delegate list, as well as the exhibitor list.

The problem is that there are still companies out there who are sending us offers, including free trips, to stop by their booth at a tradeshow.  It happened again in the days leading up to the CSAE Tete-a-Tete Show.  We were invited to "explore how our association can benefit from XYZ..."  BUT WE ARE NOT AN ASSOCIATION….

We have talked about this issue in the past, focusing specifically on how exhibitors should not waste their time, why member profiles are important and how to ask the right questions to get the segmentation you need, and how lazy sales reps bank on emails making their brand a success.

Thankfully, in a few months, with the application of Canada's new Anti-Spam Law, we'll be able to tell these people, "stop it, you're breaking the law!" 

We are not even sure how we got on the distribution list for the two most recent emails we received.  The delegate registration list for this year has not been provided.  Where did you get our name from?  Must be from last year’s list….

At least the first email received did not assume that we would be in attendance.  It clearly stated that “IF you plan on attending, come see us…”, BUT their message was drafted and sent with association executives in mind.  Nothing to do with us.

The second email did not even go that far – it was a “Win a Trip/Looking forward to seeing you” email, as if they received the list pre-show.

Why annoy the industry with these messages in their inbox?  Instead:

•  Move this type of messaging to Twitter, using the event hashtag.  Stop by our booth, or Win a Trip types of messages can reach a wider audience there.  AND, you can do the event organizer a favour and include the links to register and get more info…
• (PLEASE) Segment the List:  IF you were lucky enough to receive the delegate list pre-conference, or pre-tradeshow, REVIEW it.  Half of the list may not be your target market, so remove them.  Why decrease your brand reputation?
• If you MUST send email, give value.  You may think a free trip is valuable, but you will likely get a lot of traffic with no potential for you, and are just having a meet & greet that will enter them in the draw.  These “shrimp eaters” as we lovingly call them likely will not do business with you in the future.  Instead, offer tips, best practices, demonstrations, bring a planner or client who can offer testimonials on the client experience, etc.  Shake it up a bit!

We encourage ALL companies attending meetings industry conferences and tradeshows this year to elevate the conversation, instead of, or in conjunction with, a flashy offer.  What will YOU do differently this year?

What to Do When Mike Lipkin Asks You to Connect?

Have you noticed an increase of questionable requests to connect on LinkedIn? I'm not talking about the spam requests from people halfway around the world you've never even talked to. I'm talking about the ones from people with whom you are connected at a second or third level, whom you have heard of, but have never met or even spoken to.

Recently I received an invitation to connect from Mike Lipkin. I was flattered to receive that request; I hear he's a great public speaker, and he is the president of a very large market-research company. But we've never met, and I am not sure WHY he would want us to connect.

Maybe I'm old-school, but I'm very careful about the people I do or do not connect with on LinkedIn. I've written about this in the past; stop the pollution on LinkedIn.  

It occurred on me that perhaps someone else was managing his account, an outsourced social media person. How else could I explain why he didn't write a note with his invitation to connect, stating how clever he thought one of my articles had been, or how he had heard about my work through a mutual friend?

So I wrote Mr. Lipkin a message:

Dear Mike,

Thank you for your request to connect.  My LinkedIn policy is to accept requests only from people I know; colleagues I have worked with, done business with or interacted with through a group or association.  Can you please remind me how we know each other? Otherwise, please forgive me but I must decline. Perhaps we will have opportunity to meet in the future.

With Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation coming into effect July 1, 2014, your LinkedIn connections will become very precious conduits to get your message out to the prospects and clients who trust us enough to want to connect. So treat your requests and acceptances to connect with care. Otherwise we may push this very useful tool to become as overused as our email inbox.

P.S. I haven't received an answer to my inquiry.  So Mike, if you read this, please let me know your thoughts!

Canada's Anti-Spam Law Demystified at CanSPEP Conference

On July 1, 2014, a new Anti-Spam Law takes effect in Canada.  Organizers who market events to Canadians may find themselves at odds with the new rules unless they take steps now to shift their electronic communication to potential attendees, exhibitors and sponsors.

The law says email or text marketing messages can only be sent if the sender has the recipient's consent, or if there is a pre-existing business relationship with the recipient (and the definition of “pre-existing” is a limited one).

Greenfield Services' Chief Strategist, Doreen Ashton Wagner, will address members and sponsors of the Canadian Society of Professional Event Planners (CanSPEP) on this very issue at the association's annual conference the Brookstreet Hotel in Ottawa on February 21, 2014.

Addressing the do's and don'ts of Canada's new Anti-Spam Legislation, Ashton Wagner will help third-party meeting and special event planners to understand the impact of the new law, provide practical steps to comply with the legislation as well as better market to potential attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors.

Questions to be addressed will include:

• How is this law relating to privacy rules?
• What is express vs. implied consent and what does it mean for events? 
• How will marketers publicize their events if consent is not obtained?
• How will data management change to ensure compliance and continued privacy?
• What elements will be required in email marketing messages in order to comply with the law?

For more information on the event please see the CanSPEP 2014 Conference website.

M&IT University, a New Education Series for #Eventprofs

The team at Canada's M&IT Magazine have announced a new series of events dedicated to meeting and event professionals.  

Because so much of the meetings industry's activities are centered in and around Toronto, M&IT University events are to be held in Vancouver, Ottawa and Montreal.  Organizers say M+IT University aims to give meeting and event planners "high quality networking and CE credit education in just one amazing day!" 

Doreen Ashton Wagner, Greenfield Services' Chief Strategist, will be speaking on March 26 in Montreal. Her presentation entitled, "10 Meeting Trends To Watch This Year" is based on a research review of international, North American and Canadian studies in the meetings industry as well as related industries such as travel and tourism, adult learning, and human resources.

The session will be highly interactive, with a follow-up discussion allowing participants to "dig deeper" and tackle the most important trends and how they relate especially to event marketing.

The day includes breakfast, lunch and a cocktail reception to allow for formal and informal meeting time. For more information or to register please consult www.mituniversitycanada.com. 

Could Your Employer Shut YOU Out of Your Social Media Accounts?

Recently a dear friend and colleague found herself "reorganized" out of her job.

Aside from the shock of finding out she was no longer gainfully employed, she felt lost without her trustee smartphone and laptop which until then had been provided by her employer. These devices housed all her contacts and passwords to social media sites, including her LinkedIn account.

It was difficult for her to rebuild her contact list so she could let her connections know what happened. In this era when LinkedIn is your Rolodex, your resume, and your daily dose of business news, losing access can be devastating, not to mention time-consuming if you have to rebuild another profile!

That maybe why some people of my connections use a personal email address for their LinkedIn account. That way, if anything happens, they are not prevented from accessing this very important business tool.

If you want to see notices in real time, you can still use your work email address to access; just make sure you keep a record of your passwords outside of your computer or portable device. It's probably a smart thing to do from a security point of you anyway.

Fortunately, my friend remembered her password and was able to get back into her LinkedIn account. She is now happily ensconced in a new venture involving things she had, up until now, put on the back burner.  And she vows never again to be shut out of her social media accounts.