When negotiating with suppliers, Idan Keren, CMM, senior director at OKT Corporate Event Managment (
oktmeeting.com), recommends giving the other party more motivation to work with you. For example, a corporate client recently asked Keren to book a block of 75 rooms at a high-end hotel near the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Though the budget was generous -- $280 per room, per night -- availability was limited, due to a citywide convention taking place at the same time. When a hotel offered a nightly rate of $300, Keren negotiated a $20 discount by offering to book the same business at the property for the following year.