The GSA scandal, proposed legislation and anxiety about how it will affect the rest of the meetings industry is spurring some interesting discussions.
In one forum of meeting professionals, a hotelier likened per diems to “price fixing.” If off-season rates in Aspen are $75, but the published per diem is $160/night, what incentive do hotels have in giving government groups the same rates the public enjoys if the government is willing to pay more?
The response was even more interesting: Why would a government group even consider meeting in Aspen? Wouldn’t it be a better use of taxpayer dollars to meet somewhere else?
To which the hotelier replied that shouldn’t be the issue. If a destination offers the best value, he said, that should outweigh fears of perception. He pointed out that one government group his Aspen/Snowmass property lost elected to spend $5,000 more to meet in Denver.
Yesterday, I was catching up with a friend who plans international events and she asked me, “What are you excited about right now? What do you think the big trends will be?”
Meeting planners’ are in the relationship business. Their ultimate goal is making connections. They create face-to-face experiences. They use social media to what seems like the nth degree. Yet somehow, the efforts can all fall flat if relationships are purely transactional.
Last month, Collinson Media’s Editor-in-Chief Christine Born and I attended 
I started my journalism career working for a travel magazine and didn’t know anything about meetings or conventions. Much like the start for many meeting planners.
