I was attending a medium sized convention at a hotel and struck up a conversation with a couple from the UK who happened to be on Holiday in Orlando. I asked them if they had come just for the Convention, and their answer surprised me; they didn’t even know about the convention until the night before, and only found out about it because they spoke to someone they saw wearing a t-shirt that intrigued them.
What Hotel Are You Staying At For The Convention?
When I asked them if they were staying at the Hotel they said no. They were miles away from it and were taking taxi’s to and from every day. They had considered moving their accommodations but the hotel where they were at had a pretty hefty cancellation fee, and the hotel where the convention was couldn’t help them out with that.
I didn’t get the chance to speak with anyone from the hotel where the Convention was, but I did check their social media and there was no mention of it what-so-ever. This is a huge oversight. For starters, they lost out on potential room bookings, but also lost out on potential future room bookings. You see, no matter how fantastic the location was, the convention being held there was pretty niched, and pretty extreme – with people dressing up in costumes which some may have found disturbing.
Event Communication Is Everything
Letting the public at least have a way to know that an event is happening at your location (or near by it) can serve you in a number of ways;
- Potential guests will book your location to be close to the event even if they’re not attending it.
- Other guests who may not want to be close to specific conventions would know ahead of time they’d be better off not booking with you this time (and then not blasting negative comments about it on Social Media).
- People who are searching for the event will find your posts and links to your own sites and follow them for more information.
- The event reps themselves will thank you for the extra added exposure for them.
If you have an event coordinator, make sure you’re at least checking with them daily on upcoming events. If they don’t have a unique Twitter or access to posting on your social media platforms, then you’ll need to communicate with them on a very regular basis. It’s not uncommon for events to be pushed on Social Media six months in advance.
Sotellio Is Here To Help
If you’re not sure what your next steps are, we’re here to help. Sotellio’s main goal is to make sure Hotelliers understand the returns they can manifest from Social Media. It’s time to add a level of excellence to your outreach. Contact Sotellio for more information.