PCMA is the leading resource and premier educator for professionals in the meetings and conventions industry.
Suppliers and Demand A group of suppliers at NYPCMA underwrite the costs for some planners to attend events — such as last September’s Education Day program.
The Latest Model
How PCMA chapter leaders are applying the hosted-buyer model to their own events — and reaping benefits for members.
(meeting professionals) are hosted by organizations in order to make it easier for them to meet with suppliers. (See the results of Convene’s “Buyer’s Market” survey at convn.org/hosted -buyers.) The model is also taking root at the pcma chapter level, where suppliers are using it as a way to clear away obstacles that keep planners from attending chapter events. It’s not a new idea for pcma’s New
L
York Chapter (nypcma), according to 2012 nypcma President Rocco LaForgia, director of sales, worldwide accounts for Hilton Worldwide. When the financial crisis hit the meet- ings industry hard back in 2008–2009, LaForgia said, a group of about 10
12 PCMA CONVENE MAY 2012
ast December,Convene reported on a trend that continues to gain steam: events at which buyers
suppliers got together and agreed to offer sponsorships to cover chapter- event costs for meeting planners whose companies were cutting back their sup- port of educational events. There are usually two barriers that
prevent planners from participating in chapter events: time and money. Whether a chapter event is worth the time invested is a question of the value of its content, LaForgia said, but where affordability is an issue, “we wanted to make it easier for planners.” The arrangement — which affects “a
handful” of planners — doesn’t match particular sponsors with planners, or identify hosted planners to sponsoring suppliers. But even as financial pres- sure on the industry has eased, LaFor- gia said, nypcma has continued the practice, because “it works.”
Leaders of the Northern California
Chapter (NCC) have also tested a form of the hosted-buyer concept, for the same reasons cited by nypcma: removing cost as an obstacle to plan- ner attendance at chapter events. In March, NCC tried out an arrangement that formally matched hosted plan- ners with suppliers and gave them an opportunity to meet with one another. Eleven planners participated, making the experiment a success, said Brian Bouchelle, national sales director for Disney Destinations, and a past presi- dent of NCC. As a result, Bouchelle said, “we have decided to continue this offer in the future at another one of our edu- cational meetings.”