First Class Treatment in Second Tier Destinations
You may have noticed that some of the cities and we tout on the Event Consulting Group website aren’t what you would normally think of as meeting “hot spots.” Maybe it’s because I am from Stow, Ohio, a “second tier” hometown to nearby Cleveland (and to think Cleveland gets a bad rap!), but I root for the underdog when it comes to choosing venues and here’s why.
Meeting planning is a numbers game negotiated between venue salespeople and planners. It is a veritable tug-of-war of, “you give me this and I’ll concede something that doesn’t cost me anything.” Event Consulting Group has a sweet spot of planning meetings from 100-600 attendees in size. In practical terms, that means events that aren’t small enough for a boardroom, but also are not large enough to fill a major convention hall. All of which could easily result in getting “lost in the middle”— unsatisfactory deals and, possibly, unfair treatment.
By choosing cities that are near, but not in the heart of, large municipalities, we realize better value, more flexibility and ultimately better service, because those often-overlooked venues are thrilled to have the support. Like choosing San Mateo vs. San Francisco, for example. And historically, staff turnover is less frequent in tier-two cities, which helps build long-term relationships, an invaluable part of successful meeting planning. That meeting planning tug-of-war I mentioned? It becomes more of a give-and-take when the parties have history.
Attendees make out on the deal, too. Attending an event that’s hosted on the periphery of a larger, more expensive locale gives them the benefit of having access to that desirable city without paying the top-notch prices. Often, they’ll add some time to the conference trip and visit the first-tier city, too.
Ultimately, everyone wants to be treated with respect. It’s time for meeting planners to reciprocate by considering tier-two cities as viable—and often preferable—destinations for upcoming meetings. You will be surprised where you discover red carpet service.
Mary Adams is a speaker on the subject of entrepreneurship, marketing and meeting planning. To contact Mary, send an email to mary@eventgrp.com.
