With big corporate meetings put on hold because of public pressures, area hotels are drumming up their outreach to local companies and asking them to look beyond their office conference rooms.
“We’ve never turned our back on local business,” said George Munz, director of sales and marketing at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel in Dana Point.
Munz said local groups are booking meetings on very short notice and close to home.
Many of these companies are in business sectors less affected by the economic slump. They may have smaller groups and budgets, but they’re still conducting business.
While some resorts are targeting new business sectors, others are keeping up with previous clients.
Michael DiFrancesco, director of sales at the Newport Beach Marriott, said his sales staff is courting groups that have come to the hotel before.
“We’re working a bit harder on all of them,” he said.
The Island Hotel Managing Director Richard Evanich said if a group is required to use in-house conference space for a meeting, the hotel offers to cater.
“You can’t turn down any business these days,” he said.
Private dining rooms in Pelican Grill and Andrea at the Resort at Pelican Hill are another option for those seeking a place outside the office.
Teleconferencing rooms also are beginning to gain ground nationwide. The St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort & Spa added one called the Malta Room as an option for local businesses. Its features include a
60-inch plasma TV, built-in Internet, video conferencing and an integrated sound system.
Laguna Cliffs Marriott recently renovated its similar Pacific Learning Center, which has tiered amphitheater seating and a multi-media presentation system that allows organizers to patch in audio-visual functions into any of the meeting rooms.
The St. Regis room accommodates up to 50 people; Laguna Cliffs’ space has 60 workstations.
The Irvine Chamber of Commerce Visitors Bureau courted meeting planners at an April event that included stops at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Strawberry Farms and the rooftop at the Sports Club Irvine. Director of Tourism Jennifer McLaughlin said the city hopes to partner with Costa Mesa and Newport Beach to draw citywide events to the three airport-handy locations.
“We need to be creative and work together,” she said.
Montage Laguna Beach General Manager James Bermingham said he believes companies are beginning to work on getting out of the recession instead of focusing on how bad it’s been.
“During the last six months, hosting conferences has been political,” he said.
Now, pent-up demand, a need to do training and a need to get products to market are dominating the conversation.
“Meetings are an economic stimulus,” Bermingham said.
