Chapter 6
Selling Other Markets
Convention Management and Service
Eighth Edition
(478TXT or 478CIN)
© 2011, Educational Institute
Competencies for
Selling Other Markets
1. Describe the nonprofit organizations market, and
explain how to sell meeting services and products to it.
2. Identify SMERF organizations and explain how to sell
meeting services and products to them.
3. Summarize sales considerations for selling meeting
services and products to the following markets:
government agencies, labor unions, incentive
meetings, insurance/financial service meetings, and
medical meetings.
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Nonprofit Organizations—
Structures & Leads
Characteristics of Nonprofit Organizations
• Structured like associations
• Have members
• Formed for a common purpose
Lead Sources
• Directories: see the National Directory of
Nonprofit Organizations
• HSMAI's Affordable Meetings Exposition and
Conference
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Nonprofit Organizations—
Sales Tactics
•
Start with local chapters
•
Expect short lead times (1 to 2 years)
•
Assure planners of hotel’s assistance
•
Point out economic benefits to community of
holding national meetings locally
•
Expect to deal with professional planners at the
national level of nonprofit organizations
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Characteristics of SMERF Groups
“SMERF” stands for
• Social groups
• Military and other reunions
• Educational groups
• Religious groups
• Fraternal groups
SMERF Groups
• Nonprofit groups
• Tend to be price conscious
• Good source of business for slow months
• Generally more recession-proof than other
types of meetings
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Social Groups
Characteristics
• Local, regional, and national in scope
• Wide variety of interests and purposes
• Hold both large and small meetings
• Examples: chess clubs, ethnic groups,
bowling leagues
• Decision-makers are often inexperienced in
meeting planning
Lead Sources
• Yellow pages of phone book: “Groups and
Organizations” listing
• Property’s employees
• Property’s suppliers
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Military Reunions
• May combine reunions with vacation, so familyand/or military-oriented locations are popular
• Military towns have an edge in marketing
• Price-conscious groups
• Double occupancy is common
• Meet in April–October; on weekends; hold a Saturday
night banquet and memorial service; length of stay
three nights
• Hotels with planned spouse programs have a
competitive edge
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Military Reunions
(continued)
Lead Sources
• THE Reunion Network: TRN News
• Reunions, The Magazine
• Military Reunion News
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Class and Family Reunions
•
•
Recreational amenities are important
Cost-conscious; high level of double occupancy; meet
in the summer months
• Length of stay: class reunions, one night; family
reunions, two nights
• Planners are becoming increasingly knowledgeable
• Need less meeting space than military reunions
Lead Sources
• familyreunionhotels.com
• greatreunions.com
• Reunions magazine
• National Association of Reunion Planners
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Educational Groups
Characteristics
• Fill rooms in summer months
• Local, regional, and national meetings
• Short in length
• Accessibility and value considered important
to educational meeting planners
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Educational Groups
(continued)
Lead Sources
• Educational Associations and
Directories (pamphlet)
• National Directory of College Athletics
• Local board of education
• Alumni offices and divisions of
continuing education at universities
• Administrative offices of schools
• Blue Book of College Athletics
• TEAMS Conference and Expo
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Religious Groups
Characteristics
• Local, regional, and national meetings
• Tend to choose family-oriented sites
• Price-conscious/double occupancy common
• Meetings last from 3 days to 1 week
• Often meet in summer months and other slow periods,
including holidays and weekends
• Need a wide selection of meeting and convention space
Lead Sources
• Religious Conference Management Association (RCMA)
• Yellow pages: Churches; Religious Organizations;
Synagogues; Mosques
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Fraternal Meetings—College and
Service Groups
Fraternities and Sororities
• National meetings: summertime
• Educational retreats and leadership training
institutes
• Board and council meetings
Professional and Honorary Societies and Service
Groups
• Examples: The American Legion, Sigma Delta
Chi (a professional journalism society)
• Some hold large annual events
• Hold parties for special events and fund-raisers
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Fraternal Meetings—College and
Service Groups
(continued)
Lead Sources
• Fraternity Executives Association
• National Interfraternity Conference
• National Panhellenic Conference
• Alumni associations, Student Activities
divisions at schools
• Yellow pages, fraternal organizations,
fraternities and sororities
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Government Agencies
Characteristics
• Price-conscious due to per diem allowances
• Mostly training meetings
• Slow to pay bills
• Short lead time
• Meeting planners look for direct flights at
discounted rates
• Formal price submission procedures involving a
Request for Proposal (RFP) or an Invitation for
Bids (IFB)
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Government Agencies
(continued)
Lead Sources
• Phone book: Blue pages or other special pages
• Society of Government Meeting Professionals
(SGMP)
• Society of Government Travel Professionals (SGTP)
• Commerce Business Daily
• List property in Official Airline Guide—
Government Edition
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Capturing Government Meetings
Business
1. Must become certified by FEMA
2. Must be listed with Central Contractor Registration
3. Must be able to comply with per diem rates
4. List property on government-related websites
5. Join organizations for government planners
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Labor Unions
Characteristics
• Usually hold meetings only at unionized properties
• Excellent opportunity for repeat business
National Conventions
• Held every 2 years; alternate between East and West
• High spouse attendance, high expenditures
• Need lots of meeting space, sophisticated AV
equipment
Regional Conferences
• Held annually near center of region; last 2 to 3 days
• Attendance: 200 to 500
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Labor Unions
(continued)
Executive and Committee Meetings
• Up to 4 meetings per year; last 2 to 3 days
• Held in union’s headquarters city
• Hosts of these are considered for larger meetings
Lead Sources
• National conventions: general secretary of union
• Executive and committee meetings: secretarytreasurer
• Directory of Unions and Labor Organizations
• Directory of Labour Organizations in Canada
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Incentive Meetings
Characteristics
• Offered as reward to motivate employees/clients
• Recreation is key value
• Safety and security now more important
• Most programs mix business and pleasure
• High spouse attendance, high expenditures
• Key industries: automobile parts and accessories,
electronics, and insurance
• May be group or individual travel
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Incentive Meetings
(continued)
Incentive Travel Houses
• Represent several different companies
• Can provide repeat business
Lead Sources
• Society of Incentive Travel Executives
(SITE): annual directory, trade show
• International trade shows
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Insurance/Financial Service
Meetings
Characteristics
• Spend more on meetings than any other industry
• High expenditures; not as price-conscious as most
segments
• Most programs mix business with pleasure
• Spouse attendance is common at largest meetings
• Most business comes from the life insurance
segment
• Over 6,000 insurance companies in the United States
and Canada; each holds about 20 meetings per year
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Insurance/Financial Service
Meetings
(continued)
Lead Sources
• Meeting Professionals International (MPI)
• Financial & Insurance Conference Planners
Association
• Life Insurance Marketing Research Association
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Medical Meetings
Characteristics
• Medical and health care groups hold over 35,000
meetings annually
• Market growing rapidly
• Usually 200 attendees or fewer
• Medical groups have higher-than-average
expenditures per delegate per stay than all other
types of groups
• Meetings typically held during peak periods for
hotels, and demand for function space is high
relative to number of guestrooms used
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Medical Meetings
(continued)
• Prefer quiet premises
• Often use poster sessions as a space-saving technique
• Require sophisticated A/V technology
• Are security and image conscious
• Great potential for repeat business
Reasons for Rapid Growth
• Changing technology and reform in health care
• New treatments and cures developed
• Continuing education requirements
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Medical Meetings
(continued)
• New medical areas emerging
• Globalization
Lead Sources
• Professional Convention Management
Association (PCMA)
• Medical periodicals and journals
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Example of a Poster Session
Common at Medical Meetings
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