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Finding the ideal destination for an incentive group meeting or event — is part art, part science. There are people to placate, program objectives to identify and logistics to manage. Understandably, a destination can set the tone for the entire trip and can play a significant role in making lasting impressions on attendees.

Craig Dooley, senior vice president at SDI Meetings and Incentives in Chicago, says it is important to start the destination selection process with the “Why?” — namely, what is the driving purpose of the meeting for the sponsors and the participants?

“Equally important, start with the end,” Dooley says. “What is the impact, outcome or result that this meeting should deliver — that is, how will you know it was a success?” It’s slightly nuanced or completely different for every meeting, so Dooley defines those factors upfront with key stakeholders, including executive sponsors, internal partners and participants.

“Equally important, start with the end.” Craig Dooley

“We keep them top of mind every step we take,” Dooley says. “As we pick the right meeting destination, we check criteria against them, including the practical aspects of availability, functionality, convenience, cost and participant preferences, and we check-in with those key stakeholders along the way. Alignment ensures success.”

Kelsey Anderson, CMP, CMM, founder and managing director at Lynn David Events LLC in Minneapolis, Minnesota, says when choosing a meeting destination, it’s imperative to know your group and the event’s goals. If the goal is to reward attendees, such as for an incentive or sales trip, meeting planners would want to consider destinations that are more leisure focused. Access to activities, excursions, spa, pools, dining and nightlife would all be important to consider. “If the goal is to bring a group of people together to network and work on business matters, a property with less distractions and less ability to wander off the property may better support the objectives of the event,” Anderson says.

Also think about who is attending this event. What’s the average age? What are their values? What are their motivations? As Anderson explains, if your attendees are seniors, conservative, or value relaxation and getting up early, you wouldn’t want to hold the event in the heart of Bourbon Street in New Orleans.

UNIQUE DESTINATIONS

Simone Maxwell, adjunct professor of hospitality at Purdue University Global, has extensive experience in the field of hospitality. She says there are many unique strategic destination options. For instance, Maxwell says that due to the breakdown of formal business culture and the demand for events in unique spaces, there is an increased desire for nontraditional venues. Meeting planners are now selecting more intimate venues in destinations such as boutique hotels, art galleries and warehouses for smaller events and meetings.

“For larger events, meeting planners are now utilizing nontraditional hotel areas such as outdoor spaces and rooftops to facilitate the need for fresh event and meeting spaces,” Maxwell says. “Nontraditional venues also allow for meeting or event attendees to experience more of a destination rather than being in a traditional hotel or convention center the entire time. It is also assumed that these nontraditional venues create more engagement and a deeper level of curiosity among the attendees.”

And while typically first-tier cities such as Chicago and New York were the first choice for destination meetings and events because of all the perks they offer, due to the increased authenticity, culture and improved transportation accessibility in second-tier cities, these locales are now more in demand. “Second-tier cities such as Austin, Portland and Nashville are also considered more cost effective for destination meetings and events,” Maxwell says. “These cities are also continuously improving their infrastructure and the destination organizations tend to be more eager to work with meeting planners.”

In addition, today’s meeting and event attendees are more concerned with health and wellness. Therefore, meeting planners are now tasked with selecting destinations that offer organic, fresh and locally sourced foods. “Dietary restrictions or preferences such as vegetarian, gluten free, keto, pescatarian and religious dietary requests are also key considerations for meeting planners when selecting destinations,” Maxwell says. “Meeting planners should also select destinations where they can leverage experiential catering. So that way, attendees can experience local gourmet meals if they desire to do so — for instance offering Nashville-style barbecue options for the banquet.”

CONSIDERATIONS TO MAKE

Dooley says meeting planners need to consider both the strategic and the tactical factors of a destination and the myriad of details that go into creating every single moment of the experience. “Again, staying aligned with the purpose and goals of the meeting and the destination’s ability to support the desired outcome most effectively, planners can then dig into the destination’s features and benefits around its resources, functionality and fit with the meeting,” Dooley says. Planners also need to consider that things change — from the purpose to the budget to the participants, and be ready to pivot throughout the process.

Other issues to consider include the time of year, budget, accessibility and desirability — all of which can play a big role in deciding the best location. If a lower room rate is important to the group but they want to be at high-end properties, consider what destinations will be in low or shoulder season over the event dates.

Kelly Woo, meeting and event manager at Special D Events in Ferndale, Michigan, says other issues to evaluate include:

•Changes in time zones.

•Attendee demographics and preferences. Will the attendees feel comfortable at the destination that is being considered?

•Are the attendees seasoned travelers? If most attendees have never flown before, a drivable location may be preferred.

•What other meetings, events or festivals are happening in the city that you’re considering during the time of your meeting?

“A client of ours didn’t take into consideration the preferences and lifestyle of their employees when choosing the meeting destination,” Woo says. “They decided to host their meeting at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach and their attendees were very out of place.”

Sydney Wolf, director of sales for metroConnections in Chaska, Minnesota, agrees that understanding the demographics of attendees is paramount in strategically selecting meeting destinations. “Are you a young company of millennials? Perhaps a trendy destination like Nashville or Austin would appeal to your audience. A lot of young families? Maybe hosting an event at a Walt Disney World property would provide a great perk to your audience and allow them to extend their trip to bring their families,” Wolf says. “Where do your attendees live? Picking a tier two or three city that requires connecting flights could make a destination more difficult, costly and timely to get to.”

In that case, finding a destination with direct flights for the majority of your audience would provide the best experience. Know your attendees and make wise buying decisions that fit your group when considering a destination. Also, consider leveraging a multiyear deal. If you are contracting multiple programs, consider the same hotel or hotel brand to leverage a multiyear contract to improve your concessions and negotiation power.

MISTAKES TO AVOID

Planners bring their own, very valuable experience to the destination selection process, and a misstep can happen if that personal experience inadvertently influences the process. As Dooley explains, a meeting planner’s own preferences and ‘hot buttons’ are of course helpful in evaluating options for a meeting. “We know what to look for and what to ask. We can avoid the mistake of letting that experience influence the choice by making sure we keep the ‘why’ and the ‘end’ for the meeting in front of us as the filter for our recommendations and choices,” Dooley says.

Due diligence also plays a key role in destination selection and can range from legal to financial to functional. Make sure you research the tentative destinations and for what they are known. For example, in a tourist-heavy destination like Las Vegas, rates will be statistically higher on the weekends to cater to vacationers, so a meeting planner can negotiate a better group block sticking to the weekdays, while if you’re trying to book something in Washington, D.C. in the middle of the week in the fall, you’ll be fighting higher rates because of all the government workers that come Monday through Friday.

“Need a low room rate but have more flexibility with food and beverage spend? Know that going in,” says Sarah Buchbinder, meeting group broker at Meetings Made Easy in Middletown, New Jersey. “Need to fit 100 people, but any setup will work? Put that in your request for proposals. Have to have a four-day program, but not set on a specific pattern or arrival day? Just by shifting one day forward or back can save you money by helping a hotel fill an occupancy gap.”

As Buchbinder explains, you’re rarely ever going to find the perfect destination at the lowest rate, offering all of your concessions, but knowing what things you would like, versus what things you absolutely can’t live without are important distinctions to getting your event as close as possible to perfect.

As an example, Buchbinder recently helped out a company that was struggling to find a home for their international leadership meeting. They waited until less than six months out and wanted to find a hotel in the center of Rome, Italy for 200 people for 150 euros per night. So, they ultimately wanted three things in a hotel: a central location, a capacity large enough to accommodate their group and a low room rate. After preliminary research into availability in the city, Buchbinder asked them to prioritize two out of the three ‘wants.’

“I could get them a central hotel that could accommodate their group, but it was higher than their preferred budget.” Buchbinder says. “There were larger hotels with enough space at a great rate, but they were way out near the airport; and there were beautiful central hotels where I could negotiate a great rate, but they only had availability for half the group. They ended up choosing location and rate, and cutting the attendee list in half. The meeting was an incredible success, but without knowing what their deal breakers were, they would have ended up in a stalemate and still searching for a home for their event. You don’t always have to choose between all the things you want, but knowing which are deal breakers for your specific program, and which you have a little more leeway with before you go in — will help a lot when sifting through choices and negotiating. “

In addition to evaluating the ‘must haves,’ other key steps include:

•Reviewing your own experiences with how a destination has performed, or tap into references from others you trust.

•Looking at multiple destination options to compare and contrast which would best fit the meeting. Go through legal due diligence with every agreement and contract.

•Confirming crisis management and support plans and resources, both internally and with the destination, to be prepared for as much as you can.

•Evaluating parking. Will you have a lot of drivers? If so, try to avoid places where you can’t negotiate free parking.

•Determining reservation strategy. Will you be reserving rooms through a rooming list or will attendees call in? That can determine whether you need a lower attrition and a farther-out cutoff date, and make sure the hotel can create a booking link if that’s how the guests will book.

•Evaluating the atmosphere of the locale. Can the local history and culture of the destination tie into your message? For example, by considering a destination like Puerto Rico, you can automatically build in a corporate social responsibility (CSR) component by bringing business to a city that is rebuilding after a disaster.

“Whenever possible, do a site visit. The site visit is invaluable. Make sure you take the time to walk the path your attendees will take,” Anderson says. “Experience the airport in the destination. Is there or will there be construction during your event? What is public transportation like? How long does it take to get from the airport to the venue? What’s in the area for the attendees to do in the evenings or free time?”

Buchbinder agrees. She stresses that all the information in the world on paper cannot rival experiencing a destination and venue in person. “Come in a day early on your own to see the property through the eyes of a regular guest. How long are lines for baggage at the airport? What is traffic really like downtown? What is the hotel check-in process like? How is the phone signal in the meeting space? How long does it take to get food from room service, and is it edible?” Buchbinder says. “All these details can separate an ‘OK’ destination from your perfect venue.”

So what are the key mistakes to avoid in selecting a strategic destination? Wolf says the most common mistakes she sees meeting planners make include:

•Not identifying a budget early.

•Not working with a site selection or planning partner on the contract. It’s important to have partners review the contracts in order to protect yourself from construction clauses, relocation, cancellation, etc.

•Not booking enough meeting space to match the production and event needs of the event. If you are expecting an impressive general session setup with enhanced A/V, make sure the partners review the meeting space to ensure expectations can become a reality with the meeting space that’s been reserved.

And don’t forget that you are not alone. Tap into the convention and visitors bureau in the destination or selected city. They can offer insight, deals and advice when it comes to the destination as well as help organize the logistics of your site visit. “Reach out to your peers. The events industry is robust, and I’ve found that other planners are often very willing to help and share advice. Join industry LinkedIn or Facebook groups and post questions about particular destinations you’re interested in,” Anderson says. “And remember it’s easy to think about what destination you would like to hold your event. Try to push your own opinions and biases aside, and think of your attendees and stakeholders.”

Tools and resources used in the destination identification process come from many sources, not the least of which is a meeting planner’s own collective experience and knowledge of destinations and working to support clients’ businesses.

“Looking outside our team, we benefit from strategic guidance and research on trends, motivators and key issues,” Dooley says. “We read industry publications for news and developments, we attend forums and we network and share with our peers. There are, of course, fantastic online sourcing tools that streamline the tactical elements of the process, allowing us to put more energy into the strategic. We lean into strong relationships with partners in both brands and independent networks of properties and destinations to be sure we are basing our evaluations on the best information — relationships make the difference.” C&IT