…but will meeting technology kill meeting industry associations? That’s the question tech guru Corbin Ball raises in an article from his latest TechTalk e-newsletter. His conclusion, after a fascinating discussion, is that “Technology automation will likely lead to fewer staff needed to run meetings, fewer staff to run hotels, tighter margins on all sides, lower commissions for meeting block sales, and fewer suppliers in general. We will be able to do more with less – fewer staff and lower costs…They will need to reinvent themselves in order to continue to be able to provide the vital networking and educational services that they now provide.”

Or, just perhaps, we’ll see more mergers/partnerships/consolidation in our industry associations—we already have GWSAE and ASAE consolidating. I have long thought that this industry has more industry associations—and, alas, industry publications—than it can reasonably support. Maybe technology actually will kill, or at least mutate, some of our associations. But, I ask you, is that really such a bad thing?

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Here’s another spin on the attrition gig—remind people that they’ll get what they pay for if they reserve their room through third-party sites like Expedia and Orbitz. And what they’ll get, according to a study by D.K. Shifflet & Associates, is a much better experience if they book directly.

Whether they’re booking luxury, moderate, or budget hotels, “guests who booked via the hotel’s website rated the hotel significantly higher in service, and value, than guests who reserved through 3rd party sites, such as Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity,” says a press release.
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But this is good news/bad news for hotels. While it may encourage more people to book directly on the hotel’s Web site—something many are encouraging to take back control over their inventory–Doug Shifflet, president and CEO, says the sub-standard rooms and reduced service some guests are getting after reserving with a third party “can be hazardous to a chain’s image, reduce trial conversion to loyal guests, and eventually impact a brand’s long-term profit.”

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