Brooke Sommers, CMP, CMM, owner of Strategic Conferences & Events LLC, has been planning meetings for more than 20 years and is currently focusing on Strategic Meetings Management and the value of meetings and events for corporations. Brooke left Sun Microsystems after more than 12 years, nine of which were with StorageTek prior to their acquisition by Sun. The events team at StorageTek managed 300 meetings and events per year. At Sun, Brooke project-managed the sales events for North America. Her article “Top 5 Meeting Planning Pet Peeves” originally appeared in the fall 2012 issue of Colorado Meetings + Events. www.strategicconferences.net

If hotels would take the time to bring local planners in for think tanks once a year, I’m certain that the valued information they get would grow their business. There is nothing a seasoned planner likes better than to talk about how to improve the hotel experience. There are so many great changes going on in our industry, let’s work together to make meetings the best that they can be. Here’s my top 10 list of pet peeves, David Letterman-style.

10.   Mentor, Mentor, Mentor.

We all have something that we can give back to the up-and-comers. Take the opportunity to put yourself out there as a resource. Each hotel sales organization should have a mentor program for new salespeople coming in to represent their properties. The same goes for planning companies and in-house meeting planners. Those of you who have been in the business for 10 years or more, shame on you if you are not mentoring.

9.  Wow! to Whoops! Site Inspections.

Site inspections with the entire staff clapping your arrival: AWKWARD! We know you are trying to show the value of our meeting to your hotel, but do you really want to make us feel uncomfortable the minute we step into the lobby? Instead, if possible, have the rooms set up the way we set forth in the RFP. Have your senior-level hotel staff there to show that you value the meeting. Give your Hyatt friends a call to learn how to do “wow” site inspections.

8.  Know Your Planner.

Take the time to research the planner who is coming to your hotel. If you know a little about them and the meeting they are potentially bringing, it will make a fantastic impression. Chain hoteliers, please don’t waste your time on cold calls to every planner in your Rolodex — we all go to the national sales rep, and they will send the lead that fits your hotel. Maybe you should get to know your national sales office.

7.  Hotel Brochures.

Why hotels produce brochures is beyond me. I do like the meeting space diagram printed on stock paper so that I can take notes and outline my specific space needs. Do not dare give me a glossy version that smears when writing with a pen. For the rest of the brochure, just have it online in a PDF as well as photos that I can put in my hotel site recap.

6.  Website Wakeup.

Hotels should have a quick fact sheet on the front page of their websites. Many times we have very basic questions we need to know right off the bat, i.e., number of sleeping rooms; number of meeting rooms; distance to the airport. Make it easy for the planner to find that information; it may even help your transient guests. Oh, and just a side note for the national hotel brands: Could you add a search button on your websites that allows planners to search by hotel size and number of rooms specifically? This would make our jobs so much easier if there were a way to get to those hotels that fit our needs without having to spend hours weeding through all the different brand types within the chain.

5.  E-proposals.

Why do hotels use e-proposals? As I sit on a plane writing this article, it just reminds me how irritated I get when I receive an e-proposal. First, you can’t open it on a plane, or if you aren’t in a wireless area, and, second, if you want to review it a few weeks later, many times the link has expired. If you are required by your management to send an e-proposal, do your homework and ask the planner first if they would like a PDF of the proposal to accompany the e-proposal.

4.  Wall Plugs or Lack Thereof.

It is time to put wall plugs by every bed so I don’t have to pull furniture away from the wall to find or unplug the clock to plug in my own charger or other device. And what about one on the blank wall so that we can iron our clothes somewhere other than the bathroom?

3.  Room Amenities.

Yes, I admit that many planners love a glass of wine, but do hotel sales people really think we need an entire bottle in our room for a one-night site? Especially after you took us to dinner and poured Cakebread all night. And what about the cheese tray that sits in the room because we are not there to enjoy it? Do your job salespeople, vet out your visitors.

2.  FAM Trips.

Do not have them, they aren’t really that ethical if you think about your audience. Wouldn’t it be better if you want to get a planner in your door that you offer some sort of educational enticement? Bring those 10 planners in for a round-table discussion with your senior management for a few hours. That will build a much more lasting relationship and get the A-list planner’s attention.

1.  Love ’Em and Leave ’Em. Sales 101 = build a relationship.

Each and every sale that the salesperson has could lead to a future booking, even a bigger booking. You must take every opportunity to build a relationship no matter the size of the current sale. You never know where that person will end up, and if you have built a strong trusting relationship, then you will have a partner for life. Also, how can you build relationships with virtual sales teams, especially teams that don’t know each and every property intimately? C&IT