Hip and Trendy? Not For Everyone
Sponsorships and partnering with a host company for a conference, convention, meeting or show are integral parts of event marketing. Partnering with the right lodging and transportation companies can boost attendance to your event through discounted rates, quality service, notoriety of the venue, locale, and proximity to the event.
When a marketer or host event company partners with a hotel or transport service for their conference, they expect their event attendees will receive all of the above-mentioned perks. First and foremost, they expect their attendees’ reservations to be honored upon their arrival as well as those of their employees who are working the conference or event — especially the set-up crew.
As most marketers know all too well, in exchange for aligning your event with a hotel property and transport service, you will, in turn, promote the property in conference promotional materials, on the website, on-site with signage, etc. In my recent travels for several major event functions, I witnessed a vast array of outstanding partnerships as well as some that fell short of expectations.
Consider the following tips when partnering with a hotel property and transportation service for your event:
Event promoters and organizers must make sure that they and their clients do not overthink who to partner with in an effort to be overly trendy, hip, and futuristic. Be careful what you wish for! Oftentimes, the hottest venue or locale in town may not match the message you intend to convey to your attendees. One bad experience can ruin an attendee’s time — or worse, generate a negative opinion of your organization. This is unfortunate and could more than likely have been avoided with more research into a venue’s reputation.
Case in Point
Social Media Week 2015 New York. One of the host companies partnered with Hampshire Hotels Management, LLC’s proprietary brand Dreams® Hotel property located one block from the conference in NYC’s hip meatpacking district. Discounted rates were arranged for conference attendees, event employees and the set-up crew.
Reality
You’d expect superior customer service in a four to five star luxury hotel. Yet, conference attendees discovered upon arrival that the hotel manager and front desk staff had given away their rooms — even after guests had received email confirmations, same-day phone confirmations, and in some cases, confirmations one hour after guests had phoned to say they were arriving late. While the hotel did make accommodations for them to stay at their other property in Midtown, this was unacceptable. The point of the partnership at the agreed locale was the ease of proximity to the conference.
Furthermore, I learned from the event-host manager that the set-up crew for Social Media Week was also bumped from that hotel locale. Since event promotional materials were already printed, displayed, and promoted online, it created an uncomfortable position (to say the least!) for the marketers and their clients/event sponsors.
Consider Partnering with an Established, Reputable Hotel Property like the Sheraton, Marriott, Hyatt or Hilton. Sometimes, the established, recognizable brand hotels, while not considered hip or trendy, are the smartest event marketing alignment. The recent ABA White Collar Crime Conference in New Orleans partnered with The Sheraton Hotel for its attendees’ accommodations and as their venue site. All contracted arrangements were honored, and as a result, the conference ran like a well-oiled machine.
Know who the Partners are Before Committing. In the case of the sponsoring transportation company, make sure to thoroughly research the company you plan to partner with. I can’t reiterate enough the importance of not overthinking your event for promotional purposes and aligning with the hottest and most trendy company du jour.
Case in Point
Social Media Week NYC partnered with Lyft, one of the newer ride-share companies, to accommodate its attendees. Cross-promotional plans via traditional and digital outlets were in place. These included printed marketing materials and signage promoting the event, in exchange for complimentary rides to and from the conference that were supposed to be priced up to $20.
The Reality
This sounded like a fabulous arrangement. In reality, the ride-share offer worked great to get to the event each day. However, during rush hour, the time the conference ended each day, Lyft’s rate was at surge pricing. I personally experienced this price surge and decided to use ride-share leader and mainstay, Uber, for my return rides. The reason? Uber did not implement surge pricing during rush hour. To drive home my point (no pun intended) opting for the more established company is oftentimes the more prudent choice.
My motto? “Honor thy Sponsors” by being smart and thorough in your research before partnering with companies for your event. Have a Terrific Thursday–as
