Chapter 4 Selling the Association Market

© 2011, Educational Institute

Chapter 4 Selling the Association Market

Convention Management and ServiceEighth Edition

(478TXT or 478CIN)

Courtesy of Inverness Hotel and Conference Center

© 2011, Educational Institute 2

Competencies forSelling the Association Market

1. Explain the importance of conventions to associations, and identify factors that association meeting planners consider when making a site selection.

2. Describe the different types of association meetings.

3. Identify characteristics of association meetings that are important for selling to the association market.

(continued)


Competencies forSelling the Association Market

4. Identify who typically decides where to hold an association meeting and those who may influence that decision.

5. Describe the tools salespeople use to locate associations and to find information about the meetings associations hold.

(continued)

Courtesy of Broadmoor Hotel


Importance of the Association Market

• Associations fill 30 to 40 percent of the rooms annually at major hotel chains

• The annual association convention typically includes a trade show and generates considerable revenue for the host hotel and city

• Associations derive 32 percent of their annual income from conventions, exhibits, and meetings

• Associations receive income from convention registration fees, subleasing space to exhibitors at a profit, and by selling advertising space to exhibitors in publications and programs

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The Meetings Market by Total Expenditures

Total Direct Spending: $122.31 Billion

While corporations provide a larger market in total number of attendees and meetings, the spending of associations is about two times that of corporations, mostly because associations generally include a trade show as part of their conventions.


The Meetings Market by Number of Meetings


The Meetings Market by Attendance


What Association Meeting Planners Look For

Adequate meeting space (prefer to use only one property)• General sessions• Breakout sessions• Workshops and committee meetings• Food functions

Enough guestrooms

(continued)


What Association Meeting Planners Look For

Adequate exhibit space—Should be close to housingAttractive location

• Convenient for travel• Convenient for doing other business• Resort/recreation location

Service• Reassurance that whatever problems arise

during a group’s stay, the property will be able to handle them

(continued)



Kinds of Association Meetings

Annual Conventions• Most held with trade shows or exhibits• Usually include general session(s) with

breakout and concurrent sessions• Usually include food functions• Several hotels may host them

State and Regional Conventions• May be sponsored either by national association

or by state/regional associations

(continued)



Factors Important to State and Regional Associations

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Kinds of Association Meetings

Conferences• Supplement the annual convention with a program

on new developments

Seminars/Workshops• For training or continuing education• Usually repeated in several locations

Board and Committee Meetings• Often held in premier properties to reward members

(continued)



Cycle and Pattern

• Conventions are held on a regular time cycle (annual, biennial, semiannual)

• Cycle often supplemented by regional conventions

• Usually held in Sunday–Wednesday or Thursday–Sunday pattern

• Most events held in September, October, or April–June


Monthly Meeting Pattern of Associations

Five months with the most conventions:1. October2. May3. April4. June5. September

Five months with highest convention attendance:1. October2. September3. March4. February5. January


Daily Meeting Pattern of Associations

Starting Day of Meeting Percentage of Total Market

Sunday 21.1%

Thursday 17.5%

Friday 16.0%

Wednesday 15.0%

Monday 12.6%

Tuesday 9.5%

Saturday 8.3%




Geographic Restrictions,Lead Time, and Kinds of Sites

Geographic Restrictions• Groups sometimes limited to region or state by

constitution• Interests of program may further narrow location

options

Lead Time• Conventions are usually planned 2 to 5 years in

advance• The larger the convention, the longer the lead time

(continued)


Geographic Restrictions,Lead Time, and Kinds of Sites

Kinds of Sites• Depends on group size, complexity, and

tastes and members’ affluence• Accessibility is important• Site should have a reputation as a vacation

destination

(continued)


Courtesy of Crowne Plaza Hotels


Voluntary Attendance,Convention Duration, and Price

Voluntary Attendance• Properties can help promote the event• Promoting spouse attendance means double-occupancy

revenues, increased length of stay, and additional spending in the facility

Convention Duration• National conventions average 3 to 5 days• Smaller events last 2 to 3 days• Seminars and committee meetings last 1 to 2 days• Auxiliary events before and after conventions• When exhibits are part of convention, convention lasts at

least 3 days

(continued)


Voluntary Attendance,Convention Duration, and Price

Price

• Guestroom rates are the planner’s main price concern; planner wants reasonable rates to attract attendees

• Align prices to attendee profile

• Past attendance is key to future selections

(continued)


Average Duration of Association Meetings

Duration of Meeting Percentage of Total Market

1 Day 4.4%

2 Days 16.5%

3 Days 36.2%

4 Days 22.6%

5 Days 12.8%

6 Days 4.5%

7 Days 2.0%

8 Days 1.0%


Association Meeting Decision-Makers

• Association director • Association president and officers• Committee chairperson• Board of directors


Association Director, President, and Other Officers

Association Director• Screens all suggestions and solicitations• Smaller associations are often serviced by association

management firms• Meeting professionals are often employed by larger

associations• Executive director is a key person for initial screening• Site selection committee often appointed by executive

director• Convention management firms work on a fee or

percentage basis(continued)


Association President and Other Officers• President’s power varies greatly among associations• Mostly involved in the final decision• Vice presidents, secretaries, and treasurers often become

presidents in the future, so relationships with such officers should be carefully cultivated

(continued)

Association Director, President, and Other Officers


Committee Chair, Board of Directors,and Local Influences

Committee Chair• Sometimes gets involved in initial suggestion/screeningBoard of Directors• Usually have power of approvalLocal Influences• Local chapters often bid for national events• Salespeople can appeal to local members’ civic pride• Hotels often cover expenses for local delegate to present bid to

national board• Emphasize hotel staff’s expertise and desire to execute meeting

properly


• Small associations often cannot afford the services of a full-time executive director

• Many outsource the management to a multiple-association management company

• These companies have the potential of bringing several convention bookings to your hotel

Association Management Companies



Sources for Finding Association Business1. Directories and Databases• Encyclopedia of Associations• DMAI’s Meeting Information Network

2. Specialized periodicals • Associations Now• Association Meetings

3. Hotel records• Function book• Records of groups that did not return to the

property

4. Online meeting directories


Chapter 4 Selling the Association Market

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