| Conferon Specs |
Volume VI - Issue 1
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Conferon Managers Sharpen Their SkillsEach year Conferon’s Account Executives, Account Planners, Conferon Express Representatives, Meeting Managers, and Research Specialists get together to further their skills in providing services to our clients. In 1998, 70 of us were hosted by our friends in Toronto, enabling us to both meet our internal goals for training and to further our knowledge of Toronto as a meeting destination. Our annual meeting opened on Sunday afternoon and included six educational workshops geared to improve the skill set of our team.
We had a number of general sessions, which highlighted topics that were of interest to all. These included an opening address from our President, Bruce Harris, which allowed us all to understand our leader's view of the future for both our industry and Conferon. Additionally, our team was formally introduced to our new Vice President of Sales, David Peckinpaugh, and presented with our plan of what can be expected in the sales area in the coming year. Over the course of the next three days the Account Planners focused on the following topics: Supplier Education and Negotiations – Focus was directed on furthering the knowledge of Audio/ Visual, Exhibit Service Contractors, and Destination Management. Suppliers representing each of these areas assisted in participating in round table discussions to enhance and guide future negotiation strategies. At the conclusion of the meeting, the AP’s participated in “Supplier Jeopardy” to round out the supplier focus of their program. Creative Catering – Our AP’s had an opportunity to get hot tips from the Royal York's Executive Chef and MGM Grand's Director of Catering. They focused on what is hot today and on cost-saving tips to deploy in the planning process. The Account Executives meanwhile focused on furthering their education in the following areas: Yield Management – This session focused on the effects Yield Management has on negotiations, and on enhancing our overall knowledge of how hotels use Yield Management to price their product. Sales Skills – Phill Burgess led a half-day sales training course to assist in increasing and enhancing our tools for future growth. Major focuses were placed on relationship building for long-term business with our existing customers. Our friends at Marriott sponsored Phill’s presentation. Thanks a million! Standardized Contracts – As you may have read in past newsletters, to help expedite and improve the contract processing time and quality, Conferon is placing a major focus on finalizing standardized contracts with some of the major chains. We spent time giving our AE’s the tools that they need to help expedite these documents for both clients and hotels alike. Additional topics of interest included a Negotiations session for both AEs and APs that focused on best practices and effective strategies. For our customers that use us for fulfilling their registration and housing needs, we had a panel discussion that helped pinpoint client services and areas of responsibilities that should be followed in servicing these important accounts. Finally, we ended our program on a high note with motivational speaker, Ms. Emory Austin. Emory focused on motivating our team to find and maintain “the balance” not just for work, but for every aspect of our lives. Overall, our 1998 Meeting had a jam-packed program and we managed to also see and physically experience nearly every major hotel and convention centre product in the city. Toronto is definitely well positioned to handle major conventions, and for many Associations it is the first step to going ‘International’. The Convention Centre expansion looks great and the Canadian dollar is very much in our favor today. We wish to thank all of our friends in Toronto for being such gracious hosts! Dave Lutz |