Airport ponderings
Posted by: Jen M. on: 19-Oct-2009
- In: miscellaneous| travel
- 1 Comment
I love airports. Yes, you heard me right – love them. I know, I’m an oddity. But tell me, where else but the airport could you spot a grown woman wearing bright pink galoshes, a little old man eating out of a homemade lunch pail, a platinum blonde diva with 4-inch heels, an entire family adorned with Mickey Mouse memorabilia and countless retired couples in matching attire? Where else would you find a businessman in a $2000 suit standing in line next to a vacationer in worn out flip flops, cutoff jean shorts and a Laguna Beach t-shirt? Airports are a stop within an itinerary that is not our norm. An interruption in our regular schedule, but a potentially welcome one.
Sure the airport has its share of annoyances. I’m actually at the Charlotte airport right now and already this morning have witnessed the usual ones. The guy on his Blackberry talking too loudly to notice hordes of travelers rushing by him. The intolerably long lines at the coffee/pizza/burger stand (or bathroom). My biggest pet peeve is the casual traveler who is oblivious to others around him/her – walking slowly, gazing around, then suddenly coming to a stop smack dab in the middle of the walkway to dig through his/her luggage for something (presumably his/her boarding pass?).
But there is something else about an airport that’s particularly exciting. Airports are our “holding area” – the place where we wait to be taken to somewhere else. Somewhere hot and sunny or somewhere cold where a warm fireplace awaits us. Somewhere new and adventurous or somewhere comfortable and familiar. Somewhere we’ll get to meet new people or somewhere that reunites us with those we love. And on the return trip, the airport is where we wait to be taken to the place we belong – home.
So as I wait for my flight (to somewhere many would call paradise) I will just sit back and people-watch. Wonder where these people are going, who they are going to see, and what circumstances are bringing them there. And that’s one of my favorite things to do.
Is it time to revisit hotel security for your events?
Posted by: Jen M. on: 6-Oct-2009
After reading the ABC News article regarding how Michael David Barrett managed to convince the hotel to put him in the room next to ESPN’s Erin Andrews, it occurred to me that the hotel is partially to blame. In case you hadn’t heard, Barrett captured her undressing in her room on video – a video which then ended up on the Internet. He simply asked to have the room next to her, and they granted it without question or confirmation from her.
In fact, according to the article, it’s not that difficult to find out where a celebrity is staying. If you have one speaking or performing at your conference, how many places have you openly announced it? Certainly your attendees can figure out they’ll be staying at the host hotel, and unless it’s a completely private meeting, chances are you’ve got the info all over the Internet as well, with easy access to the public.
What can you do as a meeting planner to help ensure the security of your speakers, performers, executives and attendees? Here are a few ideas.
Use pseudonyms - When I planned an event at which Tom Brokaw was a speaker, I put his name on the room list as “B. Thomas.” Not even the hotel knew who this was.
Require that the hotel obtain your approval for all special requests - Getting a room next to a celebrity can be as easy as simply telling the reservationist that you’re in their party. When a request like this comes through, the hotel should contact your staff immediately for confirmation.
Reinforce the importance of keeping room numbers private - Meet with the front desk manager to discuss your security concerns. I am still astounded by the number of hotel front desks that will openly say “You’re on the 8th floor, Ms. Merkel. This is your room number.” Pardon me, but that creepy guy in the corner over there heard you, can you please reassign my room on another floor and then not openly announce it? And by the way, I can tell by the room number what floor it’s on, but if you think I don’t look bright enough to figure it out, you can just write that on my key folio next to the room number.
Hire security - People who are determined to wriggle their way up to a celebrity can usually figure out how to do it, but don’t make it easy for them by skimping on security. Security should only let people with official badges into your events.
How else can you help ensure the safety of people at your conferences? Please feel free to comment with any other ideas.
Outside the comfort zone
Posted by: Jen M. on: 30-Jul-2009
Last night I was participating in one of my favorite, although at times excruciating, activities – Zumba class. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Zumba, it’s basically an aerobics session with Latin dance moves mixed in. You have your traditional leg kicks, grapevines and arm pumps, but there’s the added spice of cha-cha, samba and salsa moves. Plus lots and lots of hip-shaking.
Last night’s class was a bit different however, because for the first time since I’ve been attending we had not one, but two guys in the class. Clearly brought there by their girlfriends/wives, I wondered whether they lost a bet? Yet at the same time, I give them über-props for having the guts to do something usually considered quite feminine.
So, these 6-foot-plus guys – one built like a basketball player and the other built like a football player – did a great job keeping up with the rhythm and moves. Probably better that I did at my first class. They didn’t make all the steps (but then, neither did I), and there were times they needed to stop and catch their breath, but really, they did great. Though clearly out of their element, these guys tried and they conquered. They made their significant others proud, and judging by the big smiles on their faces afterwards, they were proud of themselves as well.
On the short drive home, I reflected on the class. I was thankful for being presented with the opportunity to witness their participation. Yes, it was entertaining as well as refreshing. But it also made me sit back and think about how the experience relates to my meetings.
Yes, there is a point here. Let me bring it home.
Think about your attendees. What sorts of things are you doing at your meetings to bring them out of their element? What new experiences are you presenting which will give them the opportunity to feel the gratification of an accomplishment? Will they leave the conference on departure day with the feeling that they did something worthwile, or will they feel like your conference was just the same as always?
looking for a truly “different” venue? why not meet in a cliff dwelling?
Posted by: Jen M. on: 21-Jul-2009
- In: fun| hotels| links| miscellaneous| travel
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The next time your Board of Directors scoff at your site selection ideas (which you probably based on the feedback they gave you at last month’s meeting) have a brochure for this cozy hotel handy.
They will really get to rack up the frequent flyer miles as the Elkep Evi Cappadocia Cave Hotel is located in Turkey. It’s a haul, but don’t despair. Once they arrive they will be able to enjoy modern comforts such as “larger and airier cave rooms, each with a private terrace carved into nook of the cliff.”
After viewing their online photo album, I have to comment that the accommodations look very modern and comfortable, and the scenery is breathtaking. Apparently they were featured in the 2008 edition of the Lonely Travel guidebook – no small feat!
Current rates are single cave room @ €65 (about US$92) and double cave room @ €90 (about US$127) which of course include breakfast. There are room upgrades available such as suites with Jacuzzis or Turkish baths. There’s even a honeymoon cave suite!
- Link: Hotel Elkep Evi
cool tool: interactive map shows current time zones worldwide
Posted by: Jen M. on: 20-Jul-2009
- In: links| technology| tools
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This interactive map gives you easy access to time zone information across the world. Simply hover over a region and the corresponding time zone highlights while the current time in that zone displays on the clock. Your own current time is displayed on a separate clock, just in case you’ve lost track and need to compare. Not sure which zone in which your search city is located? Simply type the information in the search box at the bottom of the page and the map will display it for you.
Something else that’s kind of cool about this site is when you restore down your Internet browser window, the map changes its size proportionally.
Link: Time Zone Map
just for fun: world sunlight map
Posted by: Jen M. on: 17-Jul-2009
Have you ever wondered which parts of the world are enjoying sunlight right now? Well, maybe you haven’t, but wouldn’t you like to know? OK, maybe not, but this is a cool tool to a cybergeek like me. Simply visit the link and up pops a photo displaying the entire world, stretched out to fit your computer screen. You can clearly see which regions are experiencing nighttime and which are enjoying daytime sunlight. You can even tell where it’s twilight right now. Do it again tomorrow morning, and see a different image, portraying the same information.
- Link: World Sunlight Map
cool tool: worldwide taxi fares
Posted by: Jen M. on: 14-Jul-2009
You know the old scenario – you’re traveling in a foreign country (or even Las Vegas for that matter!) and after landing you hop into a cab, mumble the hotel address to the driver and 25-45 minutes later you arrive at your destination. But how do you know you’re not getting ripped off? Some cab drivers have been known to take advanage of unsuspecting tourists by running up the meter unnecessarily.
But no more! Now with the World Taxi Meter you can get an estimate on the proper cab fare. Simply enter the city you’re traveling in, the “from” and “to” information and presto! Your approximate taxi fare is shown.
No Internet access? Simply use their mobile site.
Also a great little tool for meeting planners who like to put approximate cab fare in the registration materials and website. No more worries about under-exaggerated fares from hotel websites!
- Link: World Taxi Meter
Why ‘no attrition’ is no good
Posted by: Jen M. on: 8-Jul-2009
- In: contracts| hotels| meetings| negotiations
- 1 Comment
With corporations and associations being socked with hotel attrition bills after holding conferences with poor attendance, many hotels are attempting to alleviate planners’ fears by offering to forego an attrition clause in new contracts. In some cases the hotels are probably attempting to capitalize on the planners’ fears of whopping post-conference attrition bills, but some planners are actively seeking hotels who are offering this.
Here’s why it’s a big mistake: If there is no attrition clause in your contract, your group is responsible for 100% of the room pickup. That’s right, not 90% or 80% but 100%.
The contract basically says that the hotel agrees to provide X number of rooms at the rate of $Y to your group, and in turn your organization agrees to guarantee that those X number of rooms will be picked up by the group. In the absence of an attrition clause, that’s the guarantee, end of story.
Add an attrition clause at say, 80%, and suddenly you are only responsible for X multiplied by .8 number of rooms. In today’s market, some hotels may be willing to go even lower than that 80% rate. I have been able to negotiate 50% for one client in particular.
Another idea, and an even better one, is when you request “no attrition” write your own clause. It should read something like this:
The room block above is an estimate based on group history and the Hotel will not charge the Group for unused rooms.*
So by doing this, you are in essense saying that your group will not be held responsible or charged for any unused rooms in your block.
To be fair to the hotel, you should at the very least have a reasonable cutoff date where the property can recapture some of your unused rooms and release them for general sale. It’s also a good idea to add a clause that allows both group and hotel to review and make adjustments to the room block 6-9 months prior to the arrival date, so you can compare with your previous year’s pickup to see what will be reasonable.
Future post: “When a lowest rate clause can come back to bite you”
* Please note, I am not an attorney and any advice provided in this article is solely based on my own experience. Readers should always consult an attorney before using any recommended clauses or wording
Group airfare discount programs make a comeback
Posted by: Jen M. on: 6-Jul-2009
Years ago many airlines did away with their group travel discount programs. They just weren’t profitable for the airlines and their rigid restrictions often didn’t work well for the meeting planner either. With airlines in trouble, it looks like group discount programs are regaining popularity.
I’ve done the research for you – below are the top US airlines with summaries and links to their individual group discount programs.
AirTran Airways
EventSavers program available for 10 or more attendees offers a 10% discount with no Saturday stay requirement, change fee waived once per reservation and flexible arrival and departure dates (3 days pre/post event).
American Airlines
American’s AAsociation Fares program offers 5% off published fares with a minimum of 10 passengers flying on one of their partner airlines, even from different origins. American also offers discounted zone fares, reduced rate tickets for site inspections and complimentary staff airline tickets based on your group’s potential.
Continental Airlines
With a minimum of 20 participants from two or more origins, Continental’s MeetingWorks program offers your choice of global zone fares or percentage discounts. You can also earn free tickets based on earned program credits.
Delta Airlines
Offered for both domestic and international travel, Delta’s Group Services will give discounts for 10 or more persons traveling together. Because it is designed more for group tours than for meetings, there are many restrictions to this program.
Hawaiian Air
Groups of 10 or more participants qualify for block seating, zone fares, site inspection tickets, 7-day pre/post travel window and additional complimentary ticket potential based on group credits.
JetBlue Airlines
With the JetBlue Meeting program you get one complimentary ticket for every 40 booked, additional complimentary tickets based on group credits, free unlimited name changes, the flexibility of having attendees from different origin points, the option to average all fares across the board (so each attendee pays the same flat fare), the ability to release up to 10% of reserved seats 60 days prior without penalty and your list of participant names isn’t due until 30 days prior to departure.
Midwest Airlines
Group discounts available of up to 10% off published fares, plus 7-day pre/post travel window, multiple points of origin, online self-booking capability and one complimentary ticket for every 30 tickets booked.
Northwest Airlines
Special fares and discounts offered for groups of 10 or more people traveling to a single destination from multiple points of origin. You have the option of zone fares or discounts, plus you earn one free ticket for every 40 purchased.
United Airlines
United’s programs offer perhaps the best array of options for group planners. Their MeetingsPlus program discounts airfare for both domestic and International conferences, and can net your business free tickets based on accumulated passenger totals. Minimum of 25 passengers to a single destination from multiple points of origin within the US or Canada. For multi-national conferences StarAlliance Conventions Plus gives greater flexibility provided a minimum of 500 attendees are traveling from at least two continents and three countries.
US Airways
Group travel discounts are available for 10 or more persons traveling together. This program waives the 24-hour ticketing time limit (can be 30, 45 or 60 days depending on the group’s size) and allows for fee-free name changes.
Note: The information provided above is provided for your general assistance. Additional ticketing fees may apply and as the airlines are an ever-changing, sometimes volatile industry, terms and restrictions can change daily. Group discount information was not available for Southwest, Alaska/Horizon Airlines or Frontier (though Frontier does have an online group booking tool).
Meeting planner humor courtesy of Dilbert
Posted by: Jen M. on: 30-Jun-2009
- In: fun| humor| meetings
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