HIC Talk

Paul Ashton, sales manager at Harrogate International Centre, considers the place of DDRs in a world focused on service and added value.

In many situations packages are a great idea.  They are used by marketing and sales teams to create an appearance of value and simplification, drawing together a range of products that are closely linked.  However, such packages are not always a sensible choice for either the venue or the organiser – they can devalue a product whilst providing unnecessary additions, which the client has no intention of using or benefiting from.

Day Delegate Rates (DDRs) are ultimately packages of conference goods offered by venues.  For many clients, looking for a simple meeting in a simple venue they are the perfect answer: a room hire rate, some coffee, tea, a spot of lunch and maybe some AV.  For meetings planners looking for a quick and easy solution DDRs are ideal but just because something works in one situation doesn’t mean it is relevant to everyone else.

Adding value when it comes to larger spaces and unusual venues has far more to do with bespoke services, individual needs and a close personal relationship with the client.  Some clients, when asked to pay for space only followed by additional charges have a bit of a shock (particularly if they are used to the DDR model).  Few large-scale events follow the same pattern so why should they be offered the same thing.  Transparent prices for individual items allow the client to consider each element of their event, understand its value, the potential ROI and make their choices accordingly.

There is also of course no reason to assume a venue offering space only plus individual services will not be in a position to build an individual package for a specific clients needs.  In fact that is the very crux of the matter.  DDRs assume homogenous events that fit a tried and tested format; they allow no space for creativity and the development of ideas.  Instead, bespoke packages based on client needs should be developed, responding to the niche requirements of each event and providing a level of service that is truly appreciated by the client.

Bank holidays are great… a day out of the office, an extra long weekend, time with the family etc.

For many (but thankfully not HIC), they are also, a challenge as a whole day’s work is lost across most of the country, overtime rates increase and everyone relaxes a little more than they should in the run up to a three day weekend / four day week.  As a venue we are thankfully protected from some of these challenges by our flexible nature, long term planning and superb staff – but not everyone is so lucky.

There is an additional burden for the event’s industry in particular when it comes to the 29th April 2011.  This is the planned date of the Royal Wedding and an additional bank holiday created by the government with less than six months notice.  We, like many other venues had several events planned for April 29th, however, this announcement has made organisers think twice about whether their delegates will show up, additional costs are worth bearing and attendee attention spans with be high.  All legitimate fears, particularly now it has become possible for an employee to have eleven days away from the office with just three days on annual leave.

For many other venues this has created challenges as they attempt to move events to fresh dates.  For us, with such a large flexible venue this has not been a problem.  However, I imagine there are plenty of smaller venues felling the bite as organisers cancel due to the holiday but don’t re-book due to availability for alternative dates.  The industry, like so many others will lose money because of the event at a time we can ill afford it.

Major public events offer our industry a chance to show off its creativity and pageantry.  As a country we are world leading planners and a Royal Wedding is the perfect chance to demonstrate our abilities – I also recognise the Royal Family’s huge impact on our economy due to inbound tourism and their relative low cost.  However, a little more foresight and perhaps even some consultation regarding the consequences would have been appreciated.

The recent MIT Convention Centre Survey was once again an interesting read but doesn’t tell the whole story.  Cost is not everything.  In fact it is only a small part of what matters when requesting a proposal from a venue.  In our case it is all about the added value and the event management intelligence we bring to a proposal.  For years we have been providing exciting event solutions that represent far more than just space and catering – as can clearly be seen in a couple of recent examples.

For one conference, which took place during the World Cup, it was clear that the football would potentially detract from the event’s ability to maintain delegate attention, particularly during an England game.  Our simple solution was the conversion of our main auditorium to a giant cinema.  Time was made available in the event programme for the match and the delegates were invited to a special screening.  On arrival, each delegate received a couple of bottles of beer to enjoy the match, which was made all the more thrilling by the presence of several hundred other supporters in such an awe-inspiring space.  The client loved the idea, our team managed it perfectly… it is just a shame the England team forgot they were in South Africa to play football!

Another example has been our delivery of added value to a well known show.  We have worked closely with both the organiser and local businesses to produce a voucher book promoting the town, including several deals and discounts.  Every visitor will receive one and we expect it to bring an extra level to the event as delegates take the time to visit Harrogate’s cosmopolitan streets, shops, bars and restaurants.

As for the money… Of course there were costs involved in these ideas but we as a team managed them on behalf of our clients and most importantly such ideas in proposals demonstrate our creativity and added value.  We all have to make money but that should always be secondary to our desire and ability to provide a great service.