Recently Cvent released the Top 100 Meeting Hotels in the United States as selected by meeting and event planners in its supplier network of more than 200,000 meeting venues worldwide. Five of the Top 10 facilities, including Gaylord Opryland Hotel & Convention Center in Nashville, Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., The Westin Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta, and Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, rely on PSAV® Presentation Services as their onsite event technology partner.

PSAV provides audiovisual meeting and events support from more than 800 partner locations worldwide. Cvent offers web-based software for meeting site selection, online event registration, event management, e-mail marketing, and web surveys, and helps more than 10,000 clients in 90 countries manage hundreds of thousands of events, surveys and e-mail campaigns.

"I'm thrilled but not surprised to see so many of our partners named 'the best' meeting hotels in the United States," said PSAV President and CEO Mike McIlwain. "Each of these facilities provides an exceptional meetings environment, backed by our state-of-the-art event technologies and audiovisual expertise. PSAV exists to provide consistently successful meeting experiences for its customers. And it's only when attendees receive an event's messages, understand those messages and remember them that the event can be deemed successful. PSAV's people + technology gives any event a much better chance for success."

From small, intimate meeting on the beach (left) to large scale, multi-media shows (below), PSAV is delivering service that is making a difference at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin in Orlando.

Magic in the Kingdom

Eric Opron, director of sales and marketing for the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin resort in Orlando, said the benefits of working with PSAV are multi faceted, from their consultative approach to pre-event planning and equipment selection to their willingness to spread cost savings across consecutive events.

"There's a consistency element and a cohesiveness that comes with having PSAV as our onsite event technology partner," Opron said. "They know us well. They know our property, how to make things work, how to communicate with our staff, and how to put together a value-added proposal for each of our diverse customers that also delivers to our bottom line.

"PSAV has actually become a sales tool for us," he said. "Meeting planners who elect to hold their events at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin benefit directly from having PSAV as our partner. From the outset, the PSAV team meets with our customers to learn what is important to them. They want to know what the event planner expects out of the AV equipment. Instead of saying 'OK. We'll offer you a huge discount on our equipment rental,' PSAV builds a plan that benefits both the hotel and the meeting planner. They don't operate as an order taker, but rather as a consultant, collaborating with us and our customers each step of the way."

Opron said the more that meeting planners elect to partner with PSAV, the more successful and affordable their event becomes.

"Events at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin are back to back," Opron said. "Instead of charging each individual meeting planner for each piece of equipment used, PSAV looks at the big picture. If three consecutive event planners are using the same equipment, PSAV spreads the cost savings across all parties. Why charge each group for set-up and tear down of equipment when it's not necessary? This has a direct and positive impact on our hotel's bottom line. In addition, because we produce so many events, PSAV will proactively begin building sets or rigging structures six to eight hours in advance of the room becoming available. That way, when one group leaves, they have the bulk of the heavy equipment ready to roll out. If there's one thing we can say about PSAV, it's that they are always ahead of the game. PSAV's ability to multi-task and manage our cross-over events is truly one of the reasons that the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin are a Top 10 Meeting Destination in the U.S. "

A Peach of a Partner

Director of Sales and Marketing Michael Fletcher, for the Westin Peachtree Plaza hotel in Atlanta, said he believes it's the one-stop-shop that PSAV provides as an on-site event technology partner that has helped his hotel remain among the top meeting destinations in the country.

"PSAV has been a valuable partner for the Westin Peachtree Plaza for more than 10 years," Fletcher said. "They deliver three key elements to our event operations: Convenience, Cost Containment and Commerce.

"From a convenience perspective, having PSAV on site all day, every day goes a long way towards executing a flawless event. They have an intimate knowledge of our meeting space, know how we operate, and how to meet management and meeting planners' expectations. PSAV technicians know the property's capabilities and limitations much better than outside providers, and therefore they can make adjustments accordingly on the fly to keep everything and everyone in synch. Knowing that PSAV is either in the room or just steps away, keeps meeting planners at ease, since they can so readily respond to requests and provide back-up equipment when needed.

"Keeping costs down is another bonus," he said. "Because PSAV is a seamless part of our team, meeting planners have the advantage of a single master bill. They are able to ensure a seamless transition from catering to event technology. This creates a higher quality event that can give the client greater peace of mind. Just having a single-source AV provider keeps costs at a much lower level. Often, meeting planners working with outside providers forget to budget for traveling technicians, shipping costs and hotel rooms. These items increase total event cost. With PSAV doing the work, typically 90% of all equipment comes from nearby inventory, reducing transportation costs.

"Finally, it is PSAV's consultative approach that is driving the commerce that we need as a Top 10 Meeting Destination," Fletcher added. "They know which technologies make the best impact for an event based on the client's needs and the facility blueprint. PSAV can make equipment recommendations to maximize the impact of the meeting message while maximizing revenues for the facility. PSAV is a true partner, always conscious of finding ways to generate commissionable revenues while maintaining satisfied customers."

For more information about PSAV, visit www.psav.com.

Glen Adamik
562-366-0141