CSMs Greatly Influence Booking Decisions, Say Planners

October 21, 2014

The majority of meeting planners feel their experience with their convention services manager greatly influences their decision to rebook a venue, according to a survey announced October 21 by the Event Service Professionals Association (ESPA).

In the survey, 71 percent of meeting planners said the quality of convention/event services greatly impacts whether they would bring their business back to the venue.

“The results of this survey validate the importance of event services and the direct impact it has on securing repeat business,” said Julie Pingston, CMP, CTA, ESPA president. “We hope these findings will encourage further collaboration between event service professionals and meeting planners, as their partnership is crucial to achieve continued event success.”

Meeting planners from across North America were asked to participate in the survey. In addition to repeat business, planners also responded in the following ways:

100 percent indicated event service professionals have a significant impact on the successful execution of their events.
88 percent indicated the quality of service provided by event service professionals greatly affects their perception of a hotel, convention center or CVB.
81 percent indicated continuing education by event service professionals is extremely important to keep up with industry trends, compliance and best practices when it comes to servicing their meetings.
5 percent feel more comfortable and confident in an event service professional’s ability to service their event if they belong to a professional organization.

Organizations such as ESPA exist to ensure continued quality in the meetings industry. ESPA education caters specifically to convention/event services professional development. The 2015 ESPA Annual Conference is being held January 9–11 at the Sheraton Chicago Towers and Hotel in Chicago, Illinois. Sessions offer credit towards CMP certification.