published in Michigan Meetings and Events Magazine
Our WebMan surfs meeting-industry sites and clicks his way to some of the most masterful in the state.In the meetings and event industry, we constantly surf for information, whether it's about hotels, conference centers, spouse activities, between-the-meetings fun, night life, square footage, you name it. Many web pages are helpful, while others can be either too elementary or too extravagant.
We asked a local e-strategist, Dave Serino, to point us in the direction of great web sites and offer tips for facilities on how they can better accommodate meetings and event planners. As our WebMan, he cast his net over dozens of sites and discovered the following winning sites.
Serino runs Brighton-based Gammet Interactive and develops, implements and manages Internet- and technology-based programs that are specifically designed to drive the sales and marketing process within the travel, tourism and hospitality industries.
- Megan Swoyer
Editor, Michigan Meetings and Events Magazine
Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau
Web site: www.visitdetroit.com
Overall: Great search capabilities and content. Appealing images and design.
Graphics: The entrance to a Web site is as important as the entryway to a beautiful home. The DMCVB does an excellent job with an appealing image of the Detroit skyline on the gateway page. After seeing the intro image-in HTML first, with an option for Flash second (this works well because all users may not have the appropriate plug-in), it doesn't take long to find the meetings area link that is prominently displayed in large font-size.
Content: Includes everything from new developments to airport information. Two dynamic search engines are provided to select hotel properties and meeting locations, but the links were a bit hidden and only in a text format. Icons, micro buttons and tiles work best and they should be visible in multiple locations to drive additional searches.
The property location search engines help narrow the selection criteria. Users can search based on location via a map that outlines a three-county area on a robust product database that is powered by the Plansoft Network- www.mpoint.com. That engine also allows users to submit an electronic RFP and track its progress online.
Creative extras: A Quick Time virtual tour of the city's convention facility, Cobo Hall. Also, photos of the sales people bring personality onto the site and add a nice, personal touch.
What's missing: A "Hot Dates/Hot Rates" section-the Internet has become an ideal outlet to distribute distressed inventory and/or soft rate periods for destinations.
Grand Rapids/Kent County Convention & Visitors Bureau
Web site: www.visitgrandrapids.org
Overall: Graphically pleasing, user-friendly "Downtown Convention District" information, and e-newsletter sign-up option.
Graphics: Nice image on gateway, and meetings area is quite easy to find-one of four major areas within the site represented with iconography on the right-hand rail. Once users arrive on the meetings page, they are met with a call to action-"Meet in Grand Rapids." This creates a sub-brand for the meetings and convention site and is a subtle reminder about what they should do here.
It becomes clear quickly that DeVos Place-the city's new convention center-will play major role for future meetings. See on-line images and take virtual tours of the facility that will open in 2004.
Content: After an easy click on the Meeting & Event Facility icon-conveniently located on the right rail-users find a static, detailed description and Web-site link for almost every meeting facility. But the site lacks the time-saving and accurate alternative-the dynamic, searchable database.
Another great feature includes details on the "Downtown Convention District"-information about museums/attractions, nightlife, restaurants, etc., in the area surrounding the convention center. The data is in a static format based on type-so you are unable to sort by interest and activities. The search capabilities of this product data could be overlooked due to the value of this information to the planner and meeting attendee interested in life after the meeting. There is also an option to submit a proposal online, bu t there may be too many details for time-sensitive planners.
Creative extras: An option to join the mailing list for a quarterly online e-newsletter. This builds relationships with the planners and distributes destination information in an effective and cost-efficient way. But beware-there are plenty of e-newsletters in the meetings and conventions marketplace and differential is important. A sample of the content and/or past newsletters is always helpful in gaining new subscribers.
Photos of a pleasant and professional sales team look eager to receive inquiries.
What's missing: Searchable database and Hot Dates/Hot Rates.
Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau
Web site: www.mytraversecity.com, www.tcvisitor.com
Overall: Brand, layout and design done well.
Graphics: Use of icons, rotating photos, micro buttons and white space extremely effective in delivering message and moving visitors through the site.
Content: Gets extra points for its dynamic and comprehensive Calendar of Events that can be accessed via text link on the left rail while you are within the meetings section and can be searched via interest and/or dates.
Creative extras: Information on spouse and guest tours especially appealing The meeting section details off-site meeting facilities and guest and spouse tours, which are almost always a key component to a comprehensive meeting destination.
What's missing: No "Hot Rates/Hot Dates" options. Also, a mis-labeled direct link for meeting planners on main page. The meeting link is labeled "Travel Professionals," which often is associated with travel agents, rather than meeting planners. Once at the meeting page, the accommodations link is dynamic, but there are no attributes that refer to amenities used by meeting planners. Users can't search by number of guestrooms, meeting space, etc.
Marriott Hotels and Resorts
Web site: www.marriott.com
Overall: Marriott has been a cornerstone of brand consistency for 75 years and now is a benchmark in online meetings and convention planning. It hits the mark on just about everything.
Content: From the time you click into the events and meetings area from the well-designed main gateway page, the site is filled with rich content that is relevant to the meetings industry.
The property search engine is abundant, yet simple, and is an example of excellence for all meeting-related destinations and hotels.
From information on how many people can fit class-room style in a 2,500-square-foot room and how to keep budgets in line to figuring the correct planning timeline, all needs are met. In addition, a check list tutorial is available for downloading.
Planners can choose a data set based on state or city, minimum guestrooms, meeting space square footage, number of breakout rooms and amenities such as golf, skiing or indoor pool. Once the data set is returned, floor plans for each individual hotel and a comprehensive meeting space grid can be viewed.
Creative extras: If your selection is one of the 15 Marriott conference centers, such as the Ashman Court Hotel in Midland, you can take a photo tour and learn about the advantages of selecting a complete meeting package (CMP) for your event.
What's missing: Although this site hits all the hot buttons, many of the Michigan-area hotels had no updated meeting inventory, which means there could be some missed opportunity to drive traffic to soft periods.
The Homestead Resort
Glen Arbor
Web site: www.homesteadresort.com
Overall: Design and meeting room images surpass most hotel and resort pages. Well done for its size and scope.
Graphics: The entry page to this beautiful northern Michigan resort welcomes with the use of a large image for a focal point and some rotating images on the header for variety. It's easy to reach the meetings area with a text link entitled "Meeting Centers" in the middle of the page. We like the direct email link and phone number for the group sales contact, but we'd sure like to see his or her face.
Content: You can choose one of four locations to host the meetings. Most meeting-room photos feature attendees in action, conveying the message that meetings here are classy. Along with the photos, you can take a virtual tour of each room and view a detailed meeting grid that features room size and seating capacity. The Gnomes facility also details meeting-room set-ups. Because it is a small meeting facility, a searchable database for the meeting amenities is not needed and the set-up works well to meet the property's needs.
Creative extras: Listing of rates for meeting programs are divided into three different sets based on season. This gives a planner an indication if the dollars budgeted matches the cost to be incurred, saving some additional planning time.
What's missing: Links to recreation options, which also feature pricing, are nice. But there should be additional information on options for family and spouses along with more details on the ocation and surrounding areas.
Crystal Mountain Resort
Thompsonville
Web site: www.crystalmountain.com
Overall: Design and navigation work well for this expanding, golf and ski resort, including meeting- space details, virtual tours and group recreation suggestions.
Graphics: Gateway brims with excellent, colorful attention-getting images. It's an easy one-click to the meetings section. The text link is well placed and visible in header and once again planners are greeted with an excellent selection of photos that feature what we like to see-real people at the resort.
Content: The function space is described in detail and each room includes square footage, multiple set-up capacities and virtual tours. There is also a link on the right rail to Group Recreation that details activities for attendees-a must when narrowing down a planner's meeting-location options. A searchable Calendar of Events lists activities at the resort by date-a great benefit for the planner. A listing of group sales managers and their areas of responsibility helps, but photos would add a personal touch.
Creative extras: The resort boasts a nice award, which they prominently display via an icon that notes its two-time Paragon Award. It also states its affiliation with IACC (International Association of Conference Centers), which builds instant credibility for savvy planners. A "Virtual Concierge" contains direct Web-site links to information resources about transportation, local information and entertainment.
What's missing: Searchable database, "Hot Dates/Hot Rates."
After spending more than 10 years in the lodging and tourism promotion industries, Dave Serino launched Gammet Interactive, www.gammet.com, a technology marketing-consulting organization. He can be reached at dserino@gammet.com.