The Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau hosted the “How to Hone Your Sales & Networking Techniques” seminar on Nov. 5 at the Scottsdale Resort & Athletic Club.
Dave Sherman, of Dave Sherman Speaks, taught the group how to mix, mingle and schmooze. He also explained how to make the most of the rest of 2009.
How to use the last 9 weeks of the year to your advantage
Follow the jump link below to read Dave’s top 10 tips for making the most of networking.
The following is a letter from U.S. Travel Association’s President & CEO Roger Dow, dated Nov. 2, 2009, about the status of the Travel Promotion Act.
Dear Travel Colleague:
Since industry leaders met in Washington in September for the Travel Leadership Summit, there has been considerable activity related to passage of the Travel Promotion Act. I want to bring you up to speed on:
–Where the legislation stands;
–The procedural hurdles that have delayed the bill’s enactment into law; and
–Efforts underway to ensure rapid implementation.
The bottom line is that the bill’s sponsors (Senators Dorgan and Ensign and Representatives Delahunt and Blunt) are actively working with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer to finalize passage of the legislation, likely by the end of the year. Moreover, U.S. Travel is doing all it can to ensure that the program is rapidly and effectively implemented.
Read more about where the legislation stands and how the U.S. Travel Association is working to get this approved.
American Express Publishing and Harrison Group released the most recent findings through the third quarter of 2009 from the Survey of Affluence and Wealth in America. The survey provides data about the most affluent Americans – those with more than $100k in discretionary income.
At the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau’s 2009 Annual Meeting, the CVB hosted roundtables where members could collaborate, brainstorm ideas and share best practices on a variety of topics.
Connecting with the Valley’s Concierge
Table Hosts: Shannon McCallum, Concierge Manager, Fairmont Scottsdale; Scottsdale CVB Visitor Center Manager Sharon Utsunomiya; and Scottsdale CVB Visitor Center Concierge Sue Ritchie
Key Takeaways
–When hosting concierge at your place of business, give them a true customer experience and help arm them with information that a customer might want to know (i.e. other experiences nearby, ATM machines, etc.)
–Invite concierge to come to your business at their leisure to make it easier for them to experience your business on their own time.
–Book time with concierge in order to have the appropriate time needed to speak with them and update them on your products/services. If you just show up at the hotel or resort, they may be busy with customers and not have the time to connect with you.
–Partner with the local concierge associations, such as the National Concierge Association and the Valley of the Sun Concierge Network. You also can find concierge in upscale apartment and condo complexes to reach the local market.
At the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau’s 2009 Annual Meeting, the CVB hosted roundtables where members could collaborate, brainstorm ideas and share best practices on a variety of topics.
Low-Cost Marketing
Table Host: Scottsdale CVB Director of Marketing Caroline Stoeckel
Key Takeaways
–Low hanging fruit: One of the easiest ways to begin marketing is by building a database. Use contests or giveaways to gather contact information from your customers. Market to your existing customers to retain them and gain repeat business.
–Advertising doesn’t have to be expensive; many low-cost and highly effective opportunities exist, both for branding and tactical efforts. For example: purchase print ads regionally (where your customers are); print can help drive social media traffic. Plus, Google pay-per-click campaigns can be inexpensive, depending on the search terms you want to purchase.
–Social media is a highly-interactive medium in which to engage with your audiences; use opt-in text messaging, Facebook or Twitter to market to your customers.
–Give people a reason to learn something specific about your business versus just providing a general Web site URL – see ford.com/carbonfootprint as an example.
–Public relations is another way to gain free coverage for your event or business.
At the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau’s 2009 Annual Meeting, the CVB hosted roundtables where members could collaborate, brainstorm ideas and share best practices on a variety of topics.
A Travel Agent’s Insider View
Table Hosts: Michael Mascali, Managing Director at Protravel International; and Scottsdale CVB Tourism Sales Manager Sarah Reck
Key Takeaways
–Travel agents are always looking for what’s new in a destination to market to their customers. Some of the trends they are seeing include more generational travel, health and wellness travel, and people looking for unique experiences.
–To gain the attention of travel agents, consider increasing travel agent commission to 15 to 20 percent as agents typically see 10 to 15 percent.
–Keep in my many travel agents have clients all over the country so be sure to reach out to local travel agencies as well to provide updates on what is happening at your property.
–When sending e-blasts, less is more. Provide what’s new information as well as special packages and promotions for that time of year. Also, quarterly or bi-annual e-blasts are viewed more often than e-blasts that occur on a regular basis.
–Educate the travel agent community. If they don’t know of your property or have never experienced it for themselves, how can they sell it?
Triyar Hospitality, owner of W Scottsdale Hotel & Residences, announced Oct. 23 that it has reached a resolution in its legal disputes with its lender and the hotel’s construction contractors, which ends litigation between them and the lender’s foreclosure proceedings.
W Scottsdale was the first high-profile hotel posted for foreclosure and now will be the first hotel to successfully come out of this situation completely restructured without the need for bankruptcy or foreclosure.
“Due to the timing of construction, the W Scottsdale opened in the most tumultuous economic period in recent history and was one of the first of many high-profile hotels in the U.S. to experience financial difficulties. We are pleased to be amongst the first of such properties to successfully restructure and are hopeful this is a sign of ensuing economic recovery,” said Steven Yari, principal of Triyar Hospitality Scottsdale.
“Despite the issues with our lender and contractors, which compounded the financial situation, we are pleased and grateful that the parties were able to reach reconciliation without the need for further litigation,” added Michael Mahoney, CEO of Triyar Hospitality.
Luxury Link (www.luxurylink.com), the world’s leading luxury travel Web site, recently launched its new “Insights” section, designed to serve as a resource to the travel trade industry. Once a month, Luxury Link will post a “White Paper” that addresses the state of the industry or tackles a specific area of interest to travel business owners and operators.
Currently, the following white papers can be found on Luxury Link:
Gaining Control of User-Generated Content- Discusses how monitoring the web is essential; how brand image is influenced by responding to comments and therefore amplifying the company’s web voice and presence
Highlights from the CVB’s San Francisco Giants Fan Appreciation Day
Listen now:
Guest: Scottsdale CVB Vice President of Marketing Lauren Simons
Summary: Hear how the Scottsdale CVB is working to promote spring training in San Francisco. Plus, learn how your company can work with the CVB and other area partners to maximize exposure to spring training visitors.
The Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau hosted the “10th Annual Explore the American Southwest Fall FAM” Oct. 18-20.
Catch a glimpse of this year’s tour, plus hear from several CVB members who participated as well as a few of our meeting attendees about what they thought of Scottsdale during their first visit to the city.
