Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/10149
gests, it will take a major comeback in tourism to get the money flowing again. “If people aren’t traveling, then the hotels aren’t being filled,” Ingraham says. “If the hotels aren’t being filled, then there’s no need to build any additional hotels.” While some meeting planner organiza- DEWAYNE GOODING tions still see the impact of the downturn reflected in attendance at their own con- ferences, one group is reporting an uptick. Dr. DeWayne Goodring, executive direc- tor of the Religious Conference Manage- ment Association, says more members will attend the RCMA’s 2010 World Confer-ence and Exposition than last year’s. RCMA has more than 2,700 members from nearly 800 faith-based organizations in the United States, Canada, Asia, Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and Mexico. According to Goodring, the group has been able to maintain a healthy membership level in spite of the recession. “The economic downturn has had a slight impact on our membership due to church budgets being cut,” Goodring says. “However, the major denominations and religious organiza- tions continue to be well represented within RCMA.” RIDING IT OUT Velma Hart, who chairs of the American Society of Association Executives’ board of directors, says innovation has helped those in the hospitality industry sur- vive the recession. The ASAE’s more than 22,000 members represent nearly 11,000 organizations throughout the United States and in 50 countries worldwide. Member cat- egories include trade, professional, industry groups, foundations and other nonprofits, as well as suppliers of products and services to associations. “People have gotten far more sophisti- VELMA HART cated about how they will serve their constituent base,” Hart says. “They see the economic downturn as something that is very different from what we have experienced in the past, but something that we will also certainly recover from. So what they are doing is taking more strategic and thoughtful looks at how they will operate their businesses.” For example, Hart says ASAE members might stage more webinars and teleconferences to save on travel expenses, or they might send fewer staff members to meetings. At RMCA, Goodring says: “Some of our members are cop- ing with the downturn of the economy by combining meetings and focusing more on regional events, thereby cutting down on travel costs.” Haymore says many TPOC members have focused on devel- oping a niche market. “Within their various travel agencies, members are really trying to become more creative with what they offer, so that they are offering something that’s really dif- ferent that clients probably wouldn’t find in many other places,” she says. ”One of the strong emphases is on heritage tourism, especially African-American heritage tourism. There is a lot of interest in that particular market right now.” Travel agents also are emphasizing the cost-efficiency of cruises to drum up business. “The cruise lines have done a pretty good job of pricing cruises that are affordable so that more people can take advan- tage of a cruise,” Haymore says. “It still has that romance or glamour about it, and the nice thing is that it includes every- thing. Once the client is able to pay for a cruise, they know they don’t have to worry about food and transportation locally, because it’s all taken care of in the cruise package.” Destination marketers have used various strategies to cope with economic downturn, according to Fenton. Many DMAI members have restructured their organizations, often making salary reductions, merging sales offices with those of other des- tinations or engaging in more collaborative marketing efforts. Fenton notes that even in the midst of the recession, his members were willing to invest in a new DMAI marketing cam- paign. Participants were especially interested in addressing three areas: advocacy, technology and social responsibility. On the latter focus, Fenton explains: “We wanted to see resources available to look at ways to do more things around the envi- ronmentally responsible areas . . . having meetings give back to communities and having a pro-active industry recruitment pro- gram that’s centered around diversity and a diverse set of lead- ers that are part of the future of our industry.” Ingraham reports that his member hotel owners and opera- tors have been strategizing to get ready for the economy to rebound. “Some are doing renovations that have been scheduled,” Ingraham says.” But what you see is people just waiting and redeveloping and redefining their different strategies, so that when the market does begin to turn around, they will be able to take advantage of it.” OUTLOOK FOR 2010 AND BEYOND Industry leaders say they are already seeing evidence that a turnaround is, indeed, coming. Remember that dismal industry employment picture that U.S. Travel Association reported for 2008-2009? Just last fall, the association projected an increase of nearly 90,000 U.S. jobs in 2010, thanks to an expected 2% increase in leisure travel, 2.5% boost in business travel and 3% rise in in-bound international travel. Nobody is ready to pop the champagne cork or blow out the budget just yet, though. Predictions from Meeting Professionals International’s FutureWatch 2010 survey include more budget cuts, some staff reductions, improving efficiency, and more attention to increasing the value and return on investment of meetings. Produced in partnership with American Express, FutureWatch 2010 elicited responses from 1,832 MPI members representing 39 countries. The consensus seems to be that the number of meetings and attendance are expected to increase slowly, while spending per meeting will continue to lag behind. “Meeting and event planners anticipate a 2.8% increase in meetings held and a 4.5% increase in attendance over the next year,” the report states. “Spend per meeting and overall budg- Black Meetings & Tourism March/April 2010: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 25