<B> Meetings Beat</B>
<B>Carlson Marketing Group To Develop IT System</B>
The Carlson Marketing Group will develop a $5 million information technology system designed to allow clients and agents of its subsidiary, CMG Travel, quicker and more comprehensive access to consolidated group travel and meetings spend information.
The new system, expected to be in place early next year, will integrate CMG's three separate computer systems tracking clients' group travel and meeting records into one system. This will allow clients to access their records directly, without the use of a CMG Travel agent. "Today, they would need to call us to get that information," said CMG spokesperson Patti Winger. "We would need to pull the information from one or more different computer systems and then manipulate the data to come up with the types of information they're looking for."
The information could be received real-time, unlike the current setup. "If a client called today and wanted to find out what they spent on air and car in their meeting spend in a given month, for example, we could do it, but it would take a day or two," Winger said.
Planners or an onsite agent would access the information through a password-protected CMG Travel Website.
The new technology also will help CMG Travel's staff to offer meetings consolidation recommendations to clients, Winger said. CMG does not have plans to offer the technology as software for clients, Winger said. "To create software, hand it off and let somebody manage it in-house is not the road we want to go down. We want to offer them a higher level of service."
<a name="2"><B>Marriott Renovates Meetings, Conventions </B>
The Marriott Meetings Network is sinking more than $200 million into extensive property renovation, including some construction or refurbishment of meeting space. The renovations affect 26 of the 41 meetings and convention properties that make up the network and focus both on soft goods--which include interior redesign and new carpeting and upholstery--and extensive structural improvements and expansions.
Meeting space will be added to the Orlando World Center Marriott Resort and the Kansas City Marriott Downtown, while several properties will see technological upgrades in meeting rooms, including improved sound systems and Internet access.
Most renovations are expected to be completed by the end of 1999.
<a name="3"><B>Two Meetings Marketing Books In The Works </B>
Doug Fox, publisher of the EventWeb Newsletter, will write and publish two books on meetings marketing to be released next year. The books, "The EventWeb Guide to Marketing Your Meetings, Conferences and Tradeshows on the Internet," due in January, and "The EventWeb Guide to Internet Marketing for Exhibit Managers," due in April, will be published by Doug Fox Communications. The first title will sell for $95, the second for $29.95.
Fox, a first-time book author who also has written a technology guide, said he's conducted hundreds of interviews as part of his research. "We'll be covering topics of particular interest to corporations who plan, organize and purchase meeting-related services," Fox said. "A lot of the activity is going to the Internet--customer and internal events are being promoted online, for example, and registration is being offered on intranets."
The books will be sponsored by GES Exposition Services.
<a name="4"><B>Wyndham Presses AAdvantage With Planners</B>
Wyndham Hotels and Resorts is offering planners 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles for booking at least 100 rooms on a "Wyndham Meeting Value Date," or 25,000 AAdvantage miles for other dates through March 31.
While hotels offering incentives to planners to attract business is nothing new, the amount of miles Wyndham is offering is likely to raise a few eyebrows. "We think this gives us a tremendous competitive advantage," said Brian Gamache, president of Wyndham Resorts. "Meetings are becoming more short-term and this will help us stand out."
The hotel chain is not offering miles from any other airline in conjunction with the program. The value dates vary by property and can be found on Wyndham's Website (wyndham.com).