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convene PCMA ®
PUBLISHER Deborah Sexton,(312) 423-7210 CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Sherrif Karamat,(312) 423-7247
CONVENE EDITORIAL STAFF EDITOR IN CHIEF Michelle Russell,mrussell@pcma.org EXECUTIVE EDITOR Christopher Durso,cdurso@pcma.org SENIOR EDITOR Barbara Palmer,bpalmer@pcma.org SENIOR EDITOR Hunter R. Slaton,hslaton@pcma.org ART DIRECTION Mitch Shostak,Roger Greiner Shostak Studios Inc., (212) 979-7981
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Alan Kleinfeld,CMM,CMP; Maureen Littlejohn; Julie Ritzer Ross
CONVENE ADVERTISING DIRECTOR, PARTNER RELATIONS & ADVERTISING Mona Simon,(312) 423-7244, msimon@pcma.org
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
Wendy Krizmanic (AK, CT, DC, DE, ID, MA,MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, NV, OR, PA, RI, VT,WA) phone: (312) 636-9254; e-mail: wkrizmanic@pcma.org
Mary Lynn Novelli, CMP (AL, AR, CO, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, OH, SC, TN, VA, WV, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Central and South America, Carribbean) Dallas,TX; phone: (312) 423-7212; fax: (469) 574-5590; e-mail: mnovelli@pcma.org
Albert Pereira (AZ, CA, HI, NM, OK, TX, UT, Canada) 345 Kingston Road, Suite 203, Pickering,Ontario,Canada L1V 1A1; phone: (312) 423-7277; fax: (905) 509-6810; e-mail: apereira@pcma.org
Mary Lou Sarmiento (IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, MT, ND, NE, SD, WI, WY, Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, New Zealand) 1033W. Taylor Street, Suite 1E, Chicago,IL 60607; phone: (312) 636-0636; fax: (312) 896-7397; e-mail: msarmiento@pcma.org
Ken Torres (Mexico, Puerto Rico, Central andSouth America, Caribbean) P.O. Box 9128, Miramar Beach,FL 32550; phone: (850) 837-5177; fax: (850) 837-5277; e-mail: ktorres@pcma.org
MANAGER, PRODUCTION & CIRCULATION Keisha Reed,(312) 423-7246 PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Nicole Seymour,(312) 423-7236
PCMA OFFICERS
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD Susan R. Katz, True Value Company
CHAIR-ELECT Kent E. Allaway, CEM,CMP, Produce Marketing Association
SECRETARY-TREASURER Johnnie C. White,CMP, Cardiovascular Research Foundation
IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR Kati S. Quigley,CMP, Microsoft Corporation
PCMA DIRECTORS Willie L. Benjamin II, American Chemical Society
Hunter Clemens,CMP, Association Management Group/Meetings Management Laurie Fitzgerald,CMP, Allstate Insurance Company Ben Goedegebuure, Scottish Exhibition + Conference Centre James S. Goodman,CMP, American Dental Association Richard B. Green, Marriott International Mary Pat Heftman, National Restaurant Association Christine Klein, CMP, Talley Management Group Inc. Raymond J. Kopcinski,CMP, Million Dollar RoundTable Carrie Freeman Parsons, Freeman William F. Reed,CMP, Experient Inc. James E. Rooney, Massachusetts Convention Center Authority Randall Tanaka, Hawaii Convention Center ChristopherWehking,CMP, American Society of Anesthesiologists DonWelsh, Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau
David L.Williams,CMP, International Association for Energy Economics
The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of PCMA.
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PCMA@LinkedIn: Tipping Hotel Staff
AMYCHISHOLM,CAE,CMP, director of conventions and meetings forBOMAInternational, recently postedthis question toPCMA’s LinkedIn group:“Howare meeting planners handling gratuities for hotel staff these days? I’ve needed to cut way back due tomybudgets being trimmed.Whomdo you tip?How do you decidehowmuch to tip?” Here aresomeof the responses
that she received:
COMINGFROMTHEHOTEL side,I would say unless the hotel does not charge an additional serv- ice charge or gratuity,you should consider the waitstaff that took care of your meals. If the hotel charges a service charge,as a rule they will take care of that internally. For those hotels that do charge a service charge,you should not feel bad if you do not tip them. They make very good money. What is fascinating is,in many instances you do not know that the catering manager or convention-services manager that takes care of your event from beginning to end makes way less money than those folks servicing the event. Concierges,housekeepers,and,
of course,anyonewho goes above and beyond the call of duty should be considered. Also,if you know that your groupwill be back to the same hotel in the future,itwould be a nice gesture to tip them.There is no rule of thumb about theamount. Just figure out howmuchmoney you have to spare,and divide it among the people you think did a great job. In the case ofmanage- ment,money is not always the answer. Sometimes a nice bottle of wine or chocolateswill show your appreciation. AlfonsoValenzuela-Gumucio Owner The Art of Meetings
INSTEADOFTIPPING,WHICH gets complicated,lately I’ve been sending a detailed and glowing letter to theGM.I follow that up with a good-sized basket of treats from Harry&David sent to the attention ofmyCSM,accompanied by anoth- er thank-you note requesting that the goodies are shared with all the staff whoworked on our meeting. I’ve gotten nothing but rave reviews from the recipients,because it’s fun and different. Amy(Palsir) Forgette,CMP Meeting Manager University HealthSystem Consortium
BEFOREYOUDECIDEWHO should receive an extra gratuity, check with the facility to see exactly howthe service charge is divided up. Apercentagemaygo to the salaried managers you work with and anoth- er percentage divided among service personnel from departments that maysurprise or disappoint you. Apercentage probably goes to the establishment to offset a portion of the cost of labor or for maintain- ing the equipment used for your functions. Once you understand exactly
howmuch employees are rewarded from the service charge,you can make better decisions about what you want to tip andhowto designate whogets it.We all remember those whowork in the front of the house, like bell staff,front desk,concierge, andF&Bservers,but the back of the house is the heart of your event. Don’t forget the set-up crew,the housekeepers and housemen,engi- neering,maybe even the kitchen! The most effective gratuity is the letter to theGMnaming specific employees whowere exceptional. Thismaypro- vide more than a few dollars in their pockets—it could mean greater job security or an increase in pay. SharronCampbell,CMP Founder Planning Helper
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