Does customer service belong on social media or not? As the debate continues, take a look at how social media customer service may evolve over the next year within the hospitality industry. Image compliments of Best Hospitality Degrees … [Read more...]
Mobile Technology Has Drastically Changed Travel Forever [Infographic]
It's doubtful that in 1903 the Wright Brothers had any idea of what travel would become in the future. The Internet has revolutionized travel. Our mobile devices have influenced and changed our travel habits drastically. How we choose hotels, book flights, source destinations, get recommendations from other world travelers and find local hot spots for entertainment, food and fun. This infographic from Destination.com illustrates how mobile technology has changed travel … [Read more...]
The Big Gamble: Commoditizing Hotel Group Sales
This post is by Dave Lutz, managing director of Velvet Chainsaw Consulting. I spent most of my career running one of the largest site selection companies in the country. I learned a ton about group sales and how customers buy. I had the privilege to work with some of the best and most influential hotel sales professionals in the meeting and convention business. I am saddened to see companies send these sales folks careers off to pasture in favor of a new sales reorganization plan. Group … [Read more...]
Tides Of Change: Trends Disrupting The Meetings Industry
Disruptive forces are significantly reshaping the world of work and the meetings industry. Some of these changes have been brewing for a decade or more. The recession exacerbated their influence and speeded up their effects. Companies that survived the downturn need to shift their focus to surviving the upturn. We are not ever going to get back to normal. A new way of business is emerging for everyone, everywhere. Here is the slidedeck from my presentation about those Tides of Change to the … [Read more...]
7 Meetings Industry Take-Aways From Convening Leaders 2010
Here are seven takeaways from PCMA's 54th Convening Leaders Annual Conference that I attended recently in Dallas, TX. 1. Expert failure in the decision making process occurs for one of two reasons: incompetence, the disease of idiocy, or miscalibration, the disease of over confidence. Miscalibration is more dangerous than incompetency. In times of crisis, we want our leaders not to show expertise but show humbleness. Malcolm Gladwell, author Tipping Point, Blink, and Outliers: The Story of … [Read more...]