One of Dana Toland’s most memorable destinations was a four-and-a-half-day incentive meeting held in Cannes, France. DepositPhotos.com

There are many factors that determine a destination’s attractiveness. For meeting and event planners, it begins with the search. The focus is on finding the best show stopper, and how they present themselves as amazing year-round to groups is particularly appealing.

For some planners, the attraction starts with access — the destination’s proximity to airports and flights, and strong transportation services from trains, buses and taxi cabs. For many others, safety is on top of their agenda — opting for destinations that are considered to be safe over those that may seem even somewhat high-risk.

But in general, most planners agree on one thing: destination attractiveness is about a multiple-list of things: agreeable climates, activities, and plenty of accommodation options to cater to their organization’s and attendees’ needs and preferences.

“Destination plays a central role in all of the programs we plan,” said Maren Gurung, CMP, senior meeting and recognition planner at RBC Wealth Management, in Minneapolis, MN. “It helps create anticipation for our events each year, and we work to highlight the place where the meeting is located with food choices, cultural tie-ins with gifting, or entertainment and partnering with local vendors to make sure the event feels authentic.”

Because RBC Wealth Management’s corporate employees are based all across the U.S., it is important that the company’s destination rotates every year between the coasts and the Midwest. This helps keep the travel experience equal for everyone who is traveling to that event.

Not surprising, there are various destinations that potential attendees gravitate toward more than others. In the case of RBC, their corporate attendees are most excited to travel to first-tier cities that include easy flight options.

“Whether a destination is domestic or international, it needs to be attractive to draw attendees,” said Kelly Newlon, president and owner of CoachingEvents by Kelly, in Fort Worth, TX. From her experience, warm weather destinations and mountain destinations are some of attendees’ most favorite locales. She also always assesses what the weather will be like at the time of the event and that helps determine the location.

Newlon appreciates destinations with a strong CVB engagement, as they can provide references to other successful events that have come to the destination before. They can advise other planners on things like local restaurants, activities and iconic landmarks, enabling attendees to immerse in the local cuisine and culture, and experience new tastes and flavors.

“I also see what the safety in the area is like — based on a red, yellow or green scale,” Newlon said. “And I look at how walkable the areas around the resort or hotel may be.”

Being in the right city is imperative for a successful event. “[The city] sets the tone for the entire event.  It can be a factor in encouraging or discouraging attendance,” said Dana Toland, chief event planning strategist at IT Exchange Group, a marketing agency that offers brand development and marketing services to promote events in Weymouth, MA.

Toland also added that although destination attractiveness plays a central role in determining a destination, it can also have a significant impact on the budget. And that involves more than just room rates and flights, but also taxes, transportation, ancillary hotel fees and so much more. Planners have to weigh all the costs of the destination and understand what their event budget is up front. With today’s airlines higher costs impacting the meeting industry, some event planners have been choosing to host events in destinations that are closer to the majority of their attendees to help offset the costs. They have also chosen other methods of transportation like train and buses over flights.

“We don’t want to make travel difficult,” added Toland, who evaluates airlift with an eye to the number of inbound and outbound flights each day and the number of direct flights. For example, if there are only two fights from Boston to Kansas City and an attendee misses the second flight, he loses a day,” Toland said.

Variety in Colors

Destinations are like colors. They attract different people. Individuals are likely to respond to bigger, brighter and more saturated destinations, while there are others who are drawn to smaller, more subdued locations. Colors like destinations convey meaning — visually, verbally and even generationally.

A younger audience may want a vibrant music scene (think Austin and Nashville) or a predominantly male audience may want a locale with a Tournament Players Club (TPC) golf course or gaming.

“In terms of an incentive or sales meeting, the attendees seem less focused on the above (with the exception of airlift), and more focused on a resort destination that offers access to a variety of outdoor activities and cultural events,” Toland said. “Since these are mostly sales people, and most of the year they are competing against each other, it is important to bring them together a certain number of hours each day outside of meeting hours to bond as a team through various activities.”

In addition to the above, Toland notes that the actual hotel will play a significant role in the process. That’s why she works closely with the CVBs or DMOs to distribute the RFP to potential properties and venues to determine which properties are potential best matches.

“For warmer weather, usually a resort-type property that has plenty of outdoor space for them to hold private meetings outdoors and/or enjoy the nice weather is preferred by attendees,” Toland said. “For colder climates, they prefer an urban area in close range to night life and restaurants. I would say 80% of our meetings are in one-tier cities, and the remaining are in two-tier cities.”

Selecting Your Destination

When it comes to destination selections, there are certain mistakes that corporate meeting planners should try to avoid. Gurung advises fellow planners that no matter how exciting a place may seem, as planners, you always have to think about the logistics behind the event location.

“For example: what are the flight options in and out of that destination? Are there direct flights or will people have to connect? How far is it from the airport? Can weather impact the event in that destination (winter storms, hurricane seasons, etc.),” Gurung said.

Last year, RBC Wealth Management held an annual conference in Palm Springs, CA. Photo via Visit Greater Palm Springs

Last year, RBC Wealth Management held an annual conference in Palm Springs, CA. It was originally scheduled for the fall of 2020 but was rescheduled during the pandemic. When it came time to book flights for this program, many people had challenges getting to the location as flight options were more restricted.

“Our corporate headquarters are in Minnesota, and Delta cancelled the only direct flight so everyone had to connect,” Gurung said. “Some people opted to fly in and out of LAX, but that added about a three-hour drive (depending on traffic) to get to the conference site. That being said, we had a buy-out of the property, and once attendees got there, they enjoyed the ways in which we were able to customize the event, the unique location of off-site events, etc., so it was worth the hassle traveling.”

Newlon advises other corporate planners to consider hosting corporate gatherings at destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico and Florida during the hurricane season, particularly anytime between June 1 and November 1.

“You can get better deals, but the chance of weather happening during the event is also much higher,” she said.

Also be sure to check to see what other events are happening in the destination city or venue that you have chosen during the dates of your event. “You never know when there is a very ‘different’ event that is coming at the same time as your conference,” Newlon said.

Recently, Newlon held an event at Cancun at the Coral Beach Fiesta Americana. It was a destination that truly “wowed” attendees. “Of course, Cancun is beautiful, and the weather was perfect,” she said. “It was held in February, the service at the resort went above and beyond and the rate was right where we needed it to be. And partnering with a top-notch DMC is a must for the ‘wow’ effect!”

It should go without saying that not all chosen destinations are celebrated by attendees. For a different corporate event, Newlon held an event during spring break in Orlando, FL, and all the attendees were coming from Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

“Flights were full and so attendees had connections — not just one but two — to get to Orlando in time for the opening session,” she explained. “Some just canceled their flights and did not attend the meeting due to eight to twelve hours of traveling into Orlando and back home. We will stay away from spring break destination at peak times for future events!”

One of Toland’s most memorable destinations that proved to be a great success was a four-and-a-half-day incentive meeting held in Cannes, France. With such a beautiful and picturesque destination, she was able to wine and dine people throughout the Riviera, including Monte Carlo, Èze, St. Paul de Vence and a Provence wine outing.

For the most part, Toland feels most meeting planners are well educated and make great destination choices. But, if she were to identify a weakness, it would be not doing enough research on the properties themselves.

“For me, one of the first things I like to inspect is the back-of-the house and hotel loading dock, and the pathway from the dock to the ballroom and meeting space. You would be surprised how often you will find that one narrow passageway that could prevent crates from being brought through to the ballroom and meeting space,” Toland said. “I am also surprised at how often (almost each time), I am told no one has ever asked to walk that route. If there is a narrowing, you need to make sure that alternate arrangements are made and included in the contract.”

For a stress-free event, planners must also check to see if there are other groups in-house over the same dates that your corporate meeting or event is being held.  “You don’t want to be a ‘small fish’ in a big pond, or worst yet, find out that a competing company is there,” Toland said. “Lastly, I like to ensure that the hotel does not reserve any meeting rooms or sleeping room suites during our dates to ensure that a potential exhibitor or sponsor are not attempting to hold meetings with our attendees outside of the show.”

Some destinations, just by the nature of their location, will be more appealing than others. Thinking outside of the box can go a long way in developing a brilliant meeting and keeping your attendees happy,  engaged and looking forward to attending your event. “The destination has to be a sensation,” Newlon said.

Toland agrees. “The U.S., and world for the matter, provide such a vast selection of destinations offerings that can appeal to any group and budget. The important thing is to clearly listen to your stakeholders to determine what they want and need, and then do the proper due diligence ahead of time to identify potential matches,” Toland said. “Also, the landscape for each city changes constantly. Whether it is new hotels and resorts, better infrastructure or a change in local laws, it is important for the planner to do their research to identify what would be the best fit for their company.”

As planners begin the destination selection process for their next meeting or event, looking for that destination attractiveness sometimes is nothing more than going back to their last destination experience. What worked, what didn’t and why will help them secure the perfect destination for their attendees. Knowing their organization’s history is the first step in finding the next best destination and can be useful in negotiating rates with the next one. C&IT