GETTING BACK ON TRACK Mid-Atlantic Events Magazine recently reached out to hospitality industry professionals and planners and asked them to look ahead into 2021 and to talk about what will be needed – beyond a vaccine – to achieve a level of comfort that will allow meetings and events business to get back on track.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE TOP RESPONSES: JOSH NOWAK DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING FOR LANCASTER MARRIOTT AT PENN SQUARE AND LANCASTER COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER “If there’s anything positive we can take away from 2020, it’s that the spirit of partnership is key to strengthening our business community and providing great experiences. From a hospitality standpoint, continuing to operate with a collaborative mindset and transparency in all aspects of the event and travel planning process is going to be vital to the client experience and hosting successful gatherings. For example, Lancaster County Convention Center has invested in virtual tours that have created a unique way to offer site visits during the height of travel restrictions and keep our sales funnel active.” “Businesses are looking to rebound in the new year while creating meaningful experiences that weren’t available to their employees this year. A platform that enables us to easily demonstrate the defining aspects of our venue that also saves our clients time and money is a win-win solution that will persist far beyond 2021.” “Enticing guests to return no longer lies in just dates, rates and availability - it’s the extra steps that can be taken to streamline the planning process and be a partner for our clients in new ways, whether that’s communication to attendees ahead of arrival, a custom check-in experience, or creating personalized touch-points that will make for a memorable stay. In hospitality, we must continue to identify our guests’ most immediate needs and how we can address any and all of their concerns - both prior to arrival and during their stay.” “Additionally, maintaining a high-standard of health safety, which has always been our goal, is only going to further establish comfortability in doing in-person business from larger events to small face-to-face meetings.” 30 Januaryz February2021
SCOTT HIGGINS HMCC, VALLEY FORGE CONVENTION AND TOURISM BOARD "Everyone has been shaken by the impact of COVID-19. In order to get back to business, we believe it’s important to rebuild the confidence for both the event planner and the actual attendee. We’re focusing efforts on areas that will help with that, such as our Montco Wellness for Events, which provides safety updates from our hotel partners.” “We’ve also introduced Montco360, offering virtual tours of our hotels and attractions. Within this technology, attendees and planners can virtually see a property in advance and become familiar with it prior to physically visiting. Lastly, we’ve moved many of our publications to our Visit Valley Forge App, which now serves as our digital welcome guide. It’s critical that we’re all comfortable traveling, and hopefully with these items we can build back that confidence."
