[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]“We all need people who will give us feedback. That’s how we improve.” – Bill Gates
The folks at Tambourine & E-ProDirect gave us the gift of Feedback in their Meeting Planner Preference Survey 2017 and we pulled out the key takeaways specific to DMO’s.
What do meeting planners want?
Meeting planners want DMO’s to save them time!
Make it easy for them to learn as much as they can about your destination without leaving their desk. The most viewed videos on a DMO’s website are virtual tours. Meeting planners want to do their research and make an informed decision when choosing a destination for a FAM tour, so help them. Virtual views and self-guided video tours help meeting planners get a feel for your destination and help visualize the type of meetings & conventions they can host. Take advantage of video and add them into your content marketing program. And if you win their business, planners prefer to engage in multi-year contracts to save them time and money!
Meeting planners want access to information!
The meetings section of a DMO’s website needs to be a hub of useful information. Ensure you are providing a Downloaded Meeting Planner Guide, Helpful Articles and Posts, Venue Information, Online RFP Forms, and Contact Information.
Meeting planners finds that floor diagrams, measurements and capacity charts are the MOST IMPORTANT… tools for planners when it comes to selecting a venue.
Meeting planners want to utilize technology!
Studies show that planners still read trade publications, but not as often as they used to and don’t use them as their primary source of information. They are visiting DMO’s sites, organically searching, signing up for newsletters (in fact, 59% of meeting planners prefer receiving updates through email marketing), reading reviews and ratings, and following destination’s social media.
Invest in digital assets to make your destination’s meeting materials easily accessible to “mobile” users, after all meeting planners are always on the go. Make it easy for them to access your information, a Digital Meeting Planner Guide, perhaps? (And we can help you with that!)
Some Data:
Meeting planners use the following to research:
- 73% Hotel Websites
- 66% Search Engines
- 66% CVB Sites
Meeting planners also want you to connect with them on social channels like Facebook and LinkedIn so they can create an online relationship with your destination’s sales team and keep informed with the happenings in your area.
Meeting planners want a personalized experience!
And although meeting planners want you to save them time and money, make their experience quick and convenient and utilize as much technology as they can, they still want a personalized experience. Meeting planners still find the MOST VALUE in FAM tours which gives your sales team the opportunity to meet with them face to face, especially after you’ve built your online relationship through LinkedIn (hint, hint). Personalization is still very important as meeting planners want to experience your DMO and the hospitality of the city.
Which brings up to the the top takeaway for 2017, meeting planners want EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE. Meeting planners want sales teams and hotel team members to be quick responders to requests, offer better customer services and competitive packages. Afterall a great customer experience in important to every business and can make or break an individual’s (attendee’s) experience. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
