What is the industry buzzing about? M&C found out during on-site interviews at the IMEX America trade show in Las Vegas this past October. Top trends are incorporating technological advances, innovating F&B experiences and maximizing outdoor spaces. Following are insights from MGM's Michael Dominguez, Hyatt's Steve Enselein and IACC's Mark Cooper.
Michael Dominguez (above), senior VP and chief sales officer, MGM Resorts International, shares his views on F&B, WiFi needs and more.
What trends are you seeing in food and beverage for groups?
We're seeing a lot of small plates and reception-style settings, with small tables and seating areas in a more casual atmosphere. We are doing fewer banquets. People want to mingle and network. We're also bringing more family-style dining experiences to groups.
What have you done lately for a group-F&B event that has been particularly unique?
For a group of 800, we created a color-coded "neighborhood" event, with six entirely different menus, each assigned a color. Red was seafood, for example, and if you wanted seafood, you went through a red door to a room set with red décor and lighting. Blue was Italian, and so forth. When people registered, they had to indicate their favorite cuisine. It was very labor intensive, but it was so well received -- it really made a huge impact.
How about team-building events? What's popular?
F&B is really leading the trend for team building, too. We do a lot of cooking experiences and contests. We are going to have groups making pizzas -- that's a new one. We have so many options with all of our restaurants for groups to go into the kitchen and work directly with the chefs to create something fun. They really enjoy it.
What are you concerned about with respect to the future of our industry?
Nobody is prepared for the technology needs we have today. We installed state-of-the-art systems four years ago; those are long since retired. We need to rewire the buildings to significantly upgrade our WiFi bandwidth. We are going to spend $20 million to $25 million over the next two years to build a new platform. Most facilities across the U.S. just aren't prepared for that.
I think it's a complicated topic for planners as well as suppliers.
I agree. We're all ignorant enough to cause problems. As an industry, we have to do a better job of educating ourselves. I just sat at an executive meeting and told my boss we need to spend at least $20 million to upgrade our systems, and I started explaining what gauge wiring was required and so forth. He stopped me and said, 'Just tell me why. What are we going to get for that?' And I said, "twice the bandwidth of anyone else." And he said, "OK."
How can planners become better educated on their WiFi needs?
Planners should be requesting a "bandwidth-usage report" after every meeting. There should not be a property out there that cannot give that to you. They get those reports from their providers; they can see how much was used and where and when.
How do you manage WiFi on the property side?
We have a WiFi command center that is staffed by nine people. They are constantly monitoring our WiFi signals. We want to be able to fix a problem before we hear that WiFi is down in one area or that a signal is weak. They can be monitoring where it is needed. So, for example, if all the guests in one tower are now in the meeting rooms, we can redirect the bandwidth from the guest tower to the meeting spaces. That's where we should be heading as an industry.
Steve Enselein, senior vice president, events, for Hyatt, talks about tech tools that are streamlining the booking process, helping to resolve issues on-site, easing group billing, and more.
What's new at Hyatt that meeting planners should know about?
Ultimately, everything we do is about caring for people, whether that be our employees, our guests, our meeting planner clients….For meetings, we are finding ways, via technology, to make it easier for planners to work with our hotels and for attendees to have a good experience. For small meetings, we introduced Meetings on Demand. At a growing number of Hyatt hotels, meeting organizers can now book small meetings -- ideally, 25 people or fewer -- directly online at any time. They can check inventory, get a room rate quote, see F&B options and so forth. This is intended for short-term business, meetings that will be held within 90 days.
How are hotels being more responsive when a group is on-site?
In the same way our leisure guests use the Hyatt app to make on-demand requests during their stay, so too can planners, with a Hyatt app designed exclusively for them. The Hyatt Event Concierge App allows planners to make requests during their program, from ballroom-temperature changes and extra chairs to an increase in guarantee numbers for lunch, all via their smartphone or tablet. This eliminates the need to chase down hotel staff or wait for a call back; our app gives users real-time progress updates, so they can focus on other needs.
Is the Event Concierge App being used at all Hyatt properties?
Not yet. It's in place at 75 hotels now, and it will be available at 90 by the end of this year.
What other planner pain points you are targeting?
Billing is a huge issue. Two years ago we introduced a contract signing and e-payment portal called Group Bill to solve that problem. It is interactive and all-encompassing across the entire group program. Planners don't have to dig for various room folios, F&B receipts and such, even if they want to use different billing codes -- it's all found in one program and is available during and immediately after conclusion of the program.
Do you do anything differently for your major national accounts?
Our most loyal clients who book multiple programs at Hyatt destinations around the globe -- approximately 25 groups at this time -- are assigned a National Event Planning Manager, essentially a traveling convention services manager who goes from city to city, looking after all their events that are held in our hotels. Unique to Hyatt, this benefit helps strengthen our client relationships and saves those clients from having to educate each hotel on their program needs and preferences.
Is that a new program? Is it only for large meetings?
We started it 18 months ago as a beta test with one manager, and it was very successful, so we added another National Event Planning Manager. We will increase that number based on business demands. For people who do a lot of events with us, the designated manager can be there for them at any size event.
What unique group activities do you see happening at Hyatt properties?
We have team-building events where a group has to work for their dinner. We set a family-style table and everyone is given an assignment on what they need to do to prepare dinner. For example, one has to assemble, toss and plate the salad; another goes to the "wine store" and chooses the wines; someone goes to the "bakery" and selects dessert. These are the basic elements, but you can really make it your own.
What would you advise meeting planners who want to create memorable experiences?
Talk to the chef first! The meeting space is not going to change. Have the hotel tell you what they do well, and what they are passionate about. We do a lot of small events in our kitchens. Think about every party you ever go to. Where does everyone end up? The kitchen.
Mark Cooper, CEO of IACC, chats about the future of that market segment, F&B trends and how groups are using spaces differently.
How is the conference center industry doing?
For the fourth year in a row, our annual trends report shows that, financially, it's been a good year for the market segment. We are outperforming hotels, and I don't see any signs of that slowing down. We have enjoyed a sustained recovery, and now properties need to invest in their product.
What kind of investments should they be making to remain competitive?
As an industry, many properties need to put more focus on providing solid infrastructure at very high speeds. They need to invest heavily in the technology to provide more bandwidth.
How are meetings themselves changing?
Groups want more outdoor experiences. I think this trend is linked to the importance of health and well being. Meeting spaces used to be all that planners asked about. But the meeting room is not going to change. Now they're saying, 'What happens outside of the meeting space is more important to me.'"
What's new on the F&B side?
The way we do food and beverage has evolved tremendously. Lunch is not just about getting attendees fed. Now, it's about feeding them, allowing for networking, connecting to the office and connecting to home. We need to accomplish those four things, and a seated, plated lunch is not conducive to that.
How are indoor spaces being used differently?
We're creating more home-like environments. In many ways, we are blurring the lines between work and home. One of our properties has a small meeting room with an oven in it. An hour before a meeting, the staff will put an apple pie in the oven so that it's ready when the meeting starts, and a server will give everyone a slice of warm pie.
What is the property's role in creating memorable experiences?
We see that as our core responsibility. Only 4 percent of our venues and suppliers think it's not their job to suggest and deliver memorable experiences. Building relationships, often through such experiences, is far more important now that so many of us have become remote workers. And it's OK to have fun -- and to admit it!