O’Boyle explains that there is a much better chance of success when both sides go beyond normal or standard communication practices. He recom- mends that the planner and venue estab- lish a plan that places an emphasis on great two-way communication right from the start.


For example, perhaps there will be avail- ability issues when it comes to food - maybe something the CEO likes to have at the dinner meeting - or perhaps increased staffing from the norm may be required that will impact costs.


“You want to find those things out early in the process so that we both can adapt and still achieve the goal,” explains O’Boyle. “I always say, work with the hotel in committing to a schedule of increased communications and reduce any unforeseen challenges that might come up by having a plan in place from the beginning."


"Often, when I talk with my team and we are facing a last-minute challenge or turn around, I tell them, ‘There is nothing five seconds or five minutes can’t solve in the hotel business.’ What I mean by that is, regardless of what comes up, take a breath for five seconds and then come up with a plan to fix it,” O’Boyle advises.


“There are not many things we can’t do or haven’t already faced in the hotel business,” he continues. “The hard part, at times, is separating the emotions from the situation. My advice - take five sec- onds or five minutes the next time a tough situation comes up. It tends to work for me, and I hope it does for you. It helps me see things more clearly and usually results in a plan that reduces a big concern into something smaller.”


Regardless of challenges that arise dur- ing functions with short lead times that require a rapid turnaround, the process can be made much easier when the planner and supplier work closely together, keep the lines of communica- tion open between them, and formulate a plan and goals that both sides can work toward throughout the process.


“We work around challenges by making quick decisions that are a win-win for both planner and hotel. It is about the details being outlined as the priority, which can reduce the need for last minute changes and allow us all to stay focused on the end goal."


Ed O'Boyle, Director of Marketing Loews Hotel in Philadelphia, PA


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www.georgetownsuites.com­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­1-800-348-7203 “All Suite hotel in the heart of Georgetown” Join­our­loyalty­program­and­receive­5%­cash­back Mid-Atlantic­EvEnts Magazine 49


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