Improved Communications = Better Buying Process

This session will focus on how buyers and sellers can improve communications in order to develop a better buyer process for meetings and events. The proliferation of technology tools to help support the sourcing process have been both positive and negative. The electronic Requests for Proposal (eRFP) provides quick access to numerous options and the ability to easily compare data side by side. As an unintended consequence, hotelier in-boxes can end up being flooded with RFPs that they have little chance of winning, and planners are not getting the responses they had anticipated. The current record breaking demand for meeting space has exacerbated the situation because buyers are sending out even more RFPs in anticipation of lack of availability. Our conversation will examine how planners can effectively communicate their needs and how suppliers can respond with a compelling response in the digital age.

Learning Objectives:

• Buyers - learn the benefits of communicating the "Why" behind your requests.
• Sellers - learn how to differentiate your response from others.
• Everyone - learn communication tips that can shift a piece of potential business from a "decline" to a signed contract.