As president of Destination Michigan, Kim Corcoran plans and attends a lot of meetings, and also manages trade shows and events. As executive director of Meetings Michigan, her role is a mix of meeting planner and destination marketer. “I’m the planner for many of my events, but I’m also an advocate and strategic partner in promoting the state of Michigan in the meetings industry,” she says. “I wear both hats so I can see both sides of the hospitality world.” She shared some short takes with Michigan Meetings + Events on trends she is seeing lately, as well as general insight as an expert in the field.
M+E: What do you see happening with food preferences?
KC: People want healthier fare. They want fresh. They want local. And they want all their dietary restrictions met. So, I’m seeing a lot of build-your-own-type buffets where people can pick and choose whatever they want.
M+E: How common are off-site outings?
KC: Several years ago, people would just go to a conference and they’d never leave their hotel. Now, attendees really want to engage in the destination. I think destination marketing organizations and convention and visitors bureaus are really helping to foster that. They want people to see what else there is, they want them to shop the retail, and they want them to go to the restaurants and the evening establishments.
M+E: Any suggestions on how to score a planner’s business?
KC: Someone who has abundant communication is going to win the business, because people are busy and not everyone is getting back to planners. I always say the best way to win the business is to actually want it and go after it. After that, I think planners are looking for properties that are going to be creative and not just send them back a proposal with the standard template.
M+E: Conversely, how can you lose a planner’s business?
KC: If they send out a request for proposal and you don’t get back to them, that’s one way to surely lose a deal. I also think certain clauses in contracts can be deal-breakers. Some [venues] are adding many new clauses. … I understand why they need to add them, but if there are three facilities [planners are] looking at and other things are equal, if one is asking for 12 additional clauses, they’re going to say, ‘Yeah, no thanks.’
M+E: Tell us about a cool event you’ve been to recently.
KC: We put on a wreath-making workshop for clients in St. Louis. We wanted to have something that would attract meeting planners to come to an event in November, so we brought in a TEDx speaker who also is a florist. She taught a wreath-making class that used humor and tied in business lessons and life lessons, and people loved it. We did it over lunch. Providing a creative, unique event is what makes you stand out to your attendees.
