Meetings Beat - 2006-05-01

Maritz Europa Sold To U.K. Firm

Corporate meetings management company Maritz Inc., based in St. Louis, last month agreed to sell a controlling stake in Maritz Europa Ltd.—its meetings and incentives management business in Europe—to U.K.-based performance improvement company The Grass Roots Group PLC and will take a minority equity interest in Grass Roots, according to a company release. Grass Roots in 2000 partnered with meetings management firm McGettigan Partners (Meetings Today, Oct. 30, 2000), but the partnership dissolved when Maritz purchased McGettigan the following year (Meetings Today, Dec. 3, 2001). Christine Duffy, the current president and CEO of Maritz Travel, was previously COO of McGettigan. "This alliance enhances our capabilities and resources outside of North America, which we can leverage on behalf of our U.S. customers seeking global solutions," Duffy said. "We are seeing a lot of interest from the market around the development of global strategic meetings management programs. This alliance doesn't change our existing client agreements or our leadership position, but rather gives us access to the broader capabilities of Grass Roots." The former Maritz companies acquired by Grass Roots will carry the Maritz brand in the United Kingdom and Germany, while businesses in France and Spain will adopt the Grass Roots name.

Krisam Survey: Group Rates On The Rise

Krisam Group, a Washington, D.C.-based national sales company for independent hotel properties, said its members expect to raise rates for corporate groups in 2006, according to a survey of 90 member properties. According to the survey, approximately 70 percent of hotels said their group rates already have exceeded or soon will surpass peak rates set six years ago. Ninety percent of respondents nationwide said their properties expect a continued increase in average daily rate this year. Additionally, 75 percent said they recently have implemented or will soon launch major renovations and upgrades, most frequently including room renovations, meeting space renovation or expansion and the upgrade or addition of spa facilities. The survey also showed that hotels in such geographical areas as New England, Central Florida and the Desert Southwest might offer cheaper alternatives for groups, according to a company release.

CIC Selects Management Co., Power RemaiNS President

The Convention Industry Council last month announced it had selected Washington, D.C.-based management company Management Options Inc. to run the association. Association president and CEO Mary Power, who was employed by the association's previous management company, McLean, Va.-based Association Management Group, said she and most of her staff will continue their roles under the new agreement, effective May 1. "I am still fully committed to CIC and looking forward to some positive changes with the new move," Power said. In particular, MOI is expected to help build an online platform for the association's Certified Meeting Professional program to facilitate online application and registration for more than 11,000 CMPs worldwide, according to an association release.

Benchmark Pushes CMP Under New Brand

Houston-based conference center chain Benchmark Hospitality International announced on April 3 that it would rebrand its complete meeting package pricing as the Benchmark Conference Plan for customers. The move is to distinguish Benchmark's CMP from growing confusion over packaged pricing, said Jack Schmidt, chief marketing officer for Benchmark. "We wanted to take the CMP and define it from a Benchmark perspective. Over the last couple of years, some of our competitors have begun to redefine the CMP and soften it a bit. We don't necessarily think it needed softening," Schmidt said. New customers will be sold per-attendee packaged pricing under the Benchmark Plan brand. If a customer is against packaged pricing, Benchmark is committed to working with them. "However, we find that prospective customers are likely to buy a Benchmark Conference Plan if it's explained to them correctly," Schmidt said. "We've never understood why it needs to be broken up." The rollout of the new brand will be slow and subtle, Schmidt said, and "imperceptible to customers."

Meetings Today Calls For Best Practitioners

Meetings Today again this summer will name at least three corporate meeting buyers or managers as best practitioners in particular fields for initiatives begun or completed in 2005, including, but not limited to, air and hotel programs, internal consolidation, meeting policy construction and compliance, relationship with transient programs and use of technology. Please send nominations of corporate meeting buyers by June 2, along with a brief explanation of why they are deserving, to meetings management editor Corrie Dosh at cdosh@btnonline.com.