Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/26753
“In business you don’t get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate” Chester L. Karrass. This quote serves as a stern reminder that despite all the best of intentions, the supplier/meeting planner negotiation is often dif- ficult despite a shared desire for a successful outcome. There is nothing worse than arriving at the bargaining table willing to meet an adversary halfway, only to find your counter- part already standing on the dividing line wanting to push you further away from center, because you lack the tools and infor- mation necessary to conduct a skillful negotiation. It’s a lot like playing poker where your opponent knows your hand. They keep upping the ante and you keep playing despite a weak hand. Are you getting the best deal? It’s probably safe to assume most of you have left money on the table. This is not meant as a slight, it’s just a fact of life. Business dynamics change rapidly. What was in vogue as a negotiation tactic one minute is gone the next. In football, good teams usually take away your best offensive options forcing you to change tactics. Is there a way to combat these ever-changing dynamics? Before we answer that question, we reached out to a couple of meeting planners and those who have negotiated on behalf of an organization to get their input on the challenges faced by today’s meeting planners. In response to a question on negoti- ating with a particular hotel Suzette Eaddy, CMP, director of Conferences for the National Minority Supplier Development Council had this to say, “In 2009, when the economy had taken a down- ward turn, negotiating contracts was easy…I suspect that the hotels are going to try to make up for the revenue they lost in 2008 and 2009.” One theme that surfaced continually SUZETTE EADDY ROY JAY is the question of timeliness. This from Roy Jay, national chair for the National Alliance of African American Chambers, “timeliness of some hotels is questionable waiting a week or two for a response is too long.” “I don’ t l ike reviewing cont racts — al l of that ext raneous language,” Eaddy says, “It never ceases to amaze me the number of BY MICHAEL BENNETT hotels and/or venues that don’t respond to queries in a timely manner. One would think that they have all of the business that they want…” When we asked what is your favorite and least favorite part of the site selection process, pretty much no one had a favorite 16 Black Meetings & Tourism January/February 2011: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com