Destination Marketing in Travel and Hospitality

Travel and Hospitality Assignment

Instructions:

Imagine that you are a meeting planner who has been invited to work on planning a future convention for one of the organizations below. To prepare yourself for this opportunity, you need to look through information about an upcoming conference.

Answer the following four questions.

1. Choose a conference for a professional organization in the travel and hospitality industry. What is the conference that you chose? Highlight your answer.

• Destination Marketing Association International Annual Conference (http://www.iacvb.org/)
• Professional Convention Management Association Annual Meeting (http://www.pcma.org)
• Travel Internet Marketing Strategy Conference (http://hsmai.org)
• International Association for Exposition Management: Expo! Expo! IAEE's Annual Meeting & Exhibition (http://www.iaee.com)

2. Briefly describe the facilities being used for the conference or annual meeting. What factors should you take into account when looking at meeting facilities?

           

            The IAEE’s Expo! Expo! 2010 is being held in New Orleans, Louisiana.  The facility being used is the New Orleans Morial Convention Center.  The host hotels will include: Hilton New Orleans Riverside, Sheraton New Orleans, and Marriott New Orleans.  The Morial Convention Center has been recently renovated, and offers 1.1 million square feet of exhibit space.  As the 6^th largest convention facility in the United States, it is a great location for large expositions and conferences.  The facility offers three floors of conference space as well as the New Orleans Theater/Conference Auditorium and two ballrooms (Morial Convention Center, 2010).

            As a meeting planner, it is important to carefully consider the facility being used for your meeting or conference.  First, you must consider if the facility will be large enough to accommodate the number of guests expected to attend the meeting.  The facility will also need to have enough space for the types of events that are being planned.  For example, for a large exposition like the one being planned by IAEE, the facility would need to have a large enough space for the vendors to set up their booths, as well as large conference rooms for the meetings/training programs that will be held.  The second consideration would be the cost.   The budget of the corporation that is hosting the event must be able to afford the cost of hosting an event at a particular facility.  It would be important to consider other information as well, such as the location of the facility, the availability of dining options, and the type of security provided on-site (Angelo & Vladimir, 2007).      

3. Create a to-do list or timeline that explains the tasks of a meeting planning.

List 10-15 items total separated into three parts or phases: planning the meeting itself, choosing a location, and choosing a facility.

Planning the Meeting

1. Determine the purpose of the meeting: business, educational, or social
2. Determine how long the event should last (the number of hours, days, etc.)
3. Pick dates for the event that will be appropriate for all those involved.
4. Plan the schedule of events that will occur during the meeting (i.e. the order of events, start and end times, break times, workshop schedules, and so on). 

Choosing the Location

1. Where will the meeting be held?  Consider where guests will be traveling from.
2. Will the selected location be compatible with the type of meeting being held?
3. Determine whether transportation will be available to and from the facility.  What types of travel will be available.  Is the facility located near an airport, but terminal, or train station?

                                                                                                                         

Choosing the Facility

1. Determine the size of the facility that will be needed to accommodate guests.  If using a hotel, determine if there will be an adequate number of guest rooms.
2. Determine the types of rooms needed for the planned events.  Find out if the facility offers banquet halls, theaters, classrooms, exposition space, or any other type of room needed for the event.
3. Determine if the facility will offer the technological necessities of the meeting (i.e. internet, sound systems, projectors, lighting).
4. Find out what types of amenities or activities are available in and around the facility.  Will guests have things to do during their down time?
5. Call the facility and get a quote on the price of renting the facility.  Does the price meet the budget restrictions of the corporation or group?  Would another location be more cost effective? 

References

Angelo, R., & Vladimir, A.  (2007). Hospitality Today: An Introduction. (Sixth Ed.). 

            Lancing, MI: American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute. 

Morial Convention Center website. (2010). Retrieved on June 8, 2010 from:

            http://mccno.com. 

Bauhaus Architectural Movement

Bauhaus Architecture

The Bauhaus Movement:

The history of architectural design has always been a fascinating subject to me. Until recently, I had never heard of the Bauhaus movement. I quickly learned that a man named Walter Gropius is said to be the one who is responsible for the Bauhaus movement. Walter Gropius started a school of art and architectural design, in Germany, named Bauhaus; a German expression that actually means “house for building.”. The Bauhaus style directly opposed the popular constructivist style, which placed focus on glass, steel, machine-made building parts, technological details, geometric shapes, and a sense of movement. The idea of Bauhaus design is meant to be more simple and functional.

Over the years, the Bauhaus style has adopted many different pieces from different cultures. It also does its best to use the surrounding environment in the decorating style. For example, the Brandenburger Hof, Berlin, Germany, has combined a “blend of Mediterranean and Asian touches” and the courtyard is “reminiscent of an Italian monastery” which “features a Japanese garden.” This shows that those who follow the Bauhaus style can be used and appreciated on a global scale.

Just like a lot of other architectural structures, the Bauhaus has influenced the way hotels design their lobbies. Some guests can be put off by a lot of extra bells and whistles that get in the way of the purpose for their visit. These guests prefer a more practical environment. Bauhaus buildings have flat roofs, smooth facades, and cubic shapes. The colors are white, gray, beige, or black. The floor plans are open, and the furniture is functional. While the hotel lobbies do not always keep with such few colors, they almost always keep with the open floor plan designs and the placement of functional furniture.

Travelers want to feel comfortable, and the Bauhaus method makes for a very comfortable environment. The lobby is the hotel’s first chance to impress the people who walk through the front doors. This makes the decorating style very important. The way a lobby is designed can give an individual a good feeling of the way the hotel feels about their guests. It can also give their guests a good indication of how their rooms will look. If a person does not find the lobby comfortable, they may assume that the rooms are just as uncomfortable.

For example, some people may find the style of constructivism cold and uninviting. In my opinion, metal and steel do not seem very comfortable. When I think of a room filled with metal and steel, I am reminded of a hospital room, interrogation room, or jail cell. Neither of these places is known for their high level of comfort. Whereas, the Bauhaus design style seems a lot more soothing, calm, and comfortable. The color choices, the functional furniture, the clean cubic shapes, and the spacious open floor design just seems a great deal more inviting to me.

Today, the Bauhaus style is more commonly referred to as International Style by Americans. After having learned about this design style, I will definitely be more aware of my surroundings in the future; this will allow me to compare my current surroundings to that of the Bauhaus design style. In my research, I was also able to learn more about other design styles. During my research process, I was also able to learn something new about myself. I learned just how important design style really is to me. I also know how strongly I feel about the appearance of a place. In the future, I will be able to use this new knowledge to assist me with my reservation choices. I might even go the hotel’s website and take the virtual tour before making any reservations. This will give me a good idea of what hotel’s design style matches my own preferences.

The Food Service Sector

 The Food Service Sector

The hospitality industry is a broad category of fields within the service industry that includes, Restaurants, Cruise lines, Hotels within the tourism industry. The hospitality industry is a several billion-dollar industry that mostly depends on availability of leisure time and disposable income. A hospitality unit such s a restaurant, hotel, or even a cruise line consists of multiple groups such as facility maintenance, direct operations, (server’s housekeepers, porter’s kitchen workers, bartenders, etc) management, marketing and human resources.

Keywords:  Restaurants ,Hotels, Cruise line
 

The food industry, also known as the food service industry, consists of businesses that prepare food for customers. It is the largest segment of the hospitality industry in the US. It is estimated that the food service industry provides 50& of all meals eaten in the US today; with so many people eating out, many opportunities for food entrepreneurs exist. A business in this industry can range from casual to fancy, large to small, expensive to inexpensive, the number of people employed in food service industry is expected to double by 2015 to approximately 22 million people (Reynolds23)

Regardless of your definition of success, there are, enough common characteristics that are shared by successful business people.

Do what you enjoy; What you get out of your business is the form of a personal satisfaction. It is something that makes worth all the hard work to know you have what you have been working for which is your “own business” Doing what you love.

Plan everything; Planning every aspect of your business is defiantly a must. The act of business planning is so important because it requires you to analyze each situation. Research and compile data and make conclusions based mainly on the facts reviled. A business plan also serves a second function, which is having your goals and how you will achieve them, on paper you can use the plan that you create both as a map to take you from point A to Z and as a way to measure the success of each individual plan or segment within the plan.

Manage Money wisely; The main source of any business enterprise is cash flow. You need it to buy inventory, pay for services, promote and market your business, repair and replace tools and equipment and pay yourself so that you can continue to work.

[Heading 3]. I believe that all of these things have great growth, However Restaurants would be my 1^st pick. The reason for this is people will always be traveling no matter where they go there will be restaurants. People love to travel. Weather it is from vacations, Retirement, Weddings, Ect. Restaurants are being built all over. Especially, when comes to fast food. With so many people always being in a rush or on the go you are see new chains popping up . New shopping center’s being built.

According to NPD Group. Consumer demands for meals and snacks prepared at restaurants is expected to rise slightly above 2011 levels in the coming year. And restaurants likely will feel he need t improve the health perceptions of their food

[Heading 5]  I think it is important for all restaurant’s, Weather be fast food or family setting to have a health menu. I feel that also is what will peak the growth as well. People in general need to eat healthier. You can only be so healthy with fast food. However, At a diner or sit down restaurant’s you certainly have your menu selection. I feel would be beneficial to have something that just for adults but defiantly for children so there is more of a variety for them. There is to much Obesity going on with children no a days and this would help them and parents to eat better.

References

http://nrn.com/archive/top-growth-opportunities-restaurants

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-09-04/fast-food-chains-growth-in-u-dot-s-dot-may-have-peaked

Hospitality Career Planning

Hospitality Career Planning

Reflections of a Hospitality newbie...

Knowing where you would like to be, where you are heading, and who you will be is only
defined by you. With the course of time and age, opinions, jobs, atmosphere and people change. It's not easy to stay the same as you were, the same as learning how to do something right after doing it wrong for so long. I would like to work in the full-service restaurant segment, in hopes, to one day own a fine dining establishment in a near future. There are four segments to the
hospitality industry, food & beverage, lodging, recreation, & travel and tourism. The food service is our largest division of the industry in the U.S. Commercial food service, quick-service
restaurants, & full service restaurants divide the rest. Each of which have sub categories with
anywhere from one form of service to five branches of service. I have and still do work in all
areas of the industry. Fast food is an area that is more suitable for good basic knowledge,
learning how to manage time and basic portions, & communication and people skills. I have
surpassed that area, applying more attention to the back of house. I do find that the front of the house is full of vigor, and holds a welcoming atmosphere where as boh is full of movement and yelling. But it is the chaos that I like I believe, the need to continuously up the tempo, and be
orderly still.

In today's society the path you choose or are able to take depends on you. In most cases a student does not have all the opportunities at hand to get ahead, there are processes that allow
such. In my case I have a G.E.D. I am still contemplating going back to school to take test like ACT, SAT, or get a high school diploma. In any case I can still get ahead and get into an
extraordinary school as such. I can still pursue other areas, during high school you should be
entry level, that is an hourly paid job. In this time frame after being done with high school you should be in the process of your college associates degree or courses and still have part time
employment. Starting from the bottom, is the way things are when you have credentials or do
not.

I have wanted to train for an entry level supervisor position such as shift leader or team
leader or even under-go management training. In a business such as the cookout or cheddars it is easier to progress through the ladder. In this case its somewhat the next step I should take. You can go for this goal while undergoing your bachelor's degree or by working hard in the business you are in. Graduate school is a great opportunity after leaving your university. With these
credentials applying and obtaining an assistant manager, or department manager position is
within reach. More knowledge and training after moving up into these positions is still too come, there is still yet higher you can climb. Such as district manager, general manager, and CEO
positions such as senior executive.

I am in the process of finishing out my associate degree, even still I have knowledge of the
kitchen area, boh and foh. I can apply from inside the team, and be trained without having to
move or leave until after I have completed training. I am more dominant in the boh so I wish to really make a marker in this area. I had applied and was selected for management training in the

cookout it was decided that I become a trainer and traveler. Practice makes perfect, and I don't believe you should rush success. I took a step back to take a look at my more problematic areas. After my bachelor's I plan on pursuing and securing a higher position of management.
I dream of becoming a great sues chef and owing a restaurant or two ... That's not so Far
away, it can be accomplished. Looking at short term goals, I have a nice list. Things can change quickly so i'm trying to keep afloat of them. I'm having my first child in a fow months my first girl, I would like to teach her everything I learn. As me and my fiance will be new parents I find it essential to try and get ahead of what we can. Obtaining our degrees are of most importance, and for me obtaining proper credentials along with any skills I can in my area of expertise is just as beneficial to me right now as obtaining both or three degrees. I plan on working while in
school. I'm looking into hotel kitchens or resorts like Gaylord or near Nashville Shores. I know that I can apply for scholarships and grants in companies like these and it would help me along my way. The knowledge of using new technology and skills I cannot learn in a book is what I
really look for in my experiences.

After I acquire my associates I should be in the position to move into the fifth or sixth phase of my career ladder for restaurant manager or lodging food and beverage. Taking a pause in my
career I will start my degree for culinary arts, and obtain my associate in this field as it is much needed. I graduate in September of next year, so I will apply for fall term in the same college. I hope to move next year closer to campus and to a more suitable location for my career path. A
place with a heartier enterprise and commuting. I need to at the least be making 40,000 dollars or more a year. The need for my associate in culinary is so I may become a chef in any
establishment and work while securing my bachelor. Working with a broader team or learning
how to delegate and manage a numerous amount of staff, is hands on training and not something one can be prepared for so easily. Budgeting, constant hard work and studying arc the building blocks for my success.

Conclusion 

Long term I should have that establishment with my own staff and team to oversee. I would invest in a starter business early on though something such as edibles and pastry making on the side, or a food cart/truck. You should try every aspect of your industry not I imiting yourself to one area, as that just places you in a box. Diversity is key in our industry, not just being diverse but being able to deal with diversity as well. Allowing myself to train and try everything has made me happy and knowledgeable, I have plenty far to go however. Le Cordon Bleu will take me further than I have come in my recent years. It is a path of success and hard work I plan on making it far, I was hoping my parents would see me graduate and begin college but they passed away but they are watching. I have not had the best path laid out in the past, however I always follow through with something, and I know where I can go and am going.

References

Exploring the Hospitality Industry- Ch.1 p.9 figures 1-1, 1-5 & 1-7
http://wvde.state.wv.us/insite/files/Four%20Segmcnts%20ot%20Hospitality%20and%20Touris