Having looked at ROI for events to understand the customer perspective, it makes equal sense to focus on the four key areas that make a big impact for hotels. A comparison of actual conversion to the number of leads generated will usually give you an inkling of how much there is to do and improve….

These four factors seem rather obvious, but each of them have a direct impact on generating new leads as well as in conversion.

1. UNDERSTANDING GROUP CHANNELS BETTER
2. RESPONDING TO GROUP ENQUIRIES BETTER
3. CONVERTING GROUP ENQUIRIES BETTER & IMPROVING CONVERSION
4. IMPROVED MEASUREMENT & ANALYSIS

Having looked at understanding group channels better in the previous post, today, I am taking a look at responses to group enquiries.

2) RESPONDING TO GROUP ENQUIRIES BETTER
 
Speed – Different markets, different clients, different requirements but all require a speedy response. Do you always adhere to a standard response time? This will allow you to benchmark yourself, set the right expectations in the minds of the customers and if you have a particularly impressive response time use it as part of your marketing blurb.
 
Accuracy – In a highly demanding and fast moving market place, it is important to get the details right. Responding to an RFP accurately, saves time for both parties - there is nothing more annoying than to recieve a response with wrong dates as well as with poor spelling.
 
Presentation – A clear attractive format outlining the key details provides a visual impact as well as serves a functional purpose. Can your client get a quick overview of what you are proposing in a few seconds?
 
Consistency – A consistent format allows the end user to spot the information relevant to them

THE E-RFP
 
Currently about 15% of all meetings are sourced electronically, but trends indicate that this will increase substantially over the next years.
 
A large number of hotels whether part of a brand or otherwise have some sort of mechanism to address meeting requests electronically through their web site
 
However, both hoteliers and planners agree there are challenges due to inconsistent formats and its impersonal nature. It will be important to identify your E-RFP sources and have a clear process to address them effectively.

to be continued…