Senior sales and revenue management professionals brainstorm with hospitality data giants at a high-level roundtable organised by HSMAI Europe at the Sofitel Opera in Frankfurt, identifying the MICE-specific trends and data required to better plan their meetings and events strategies, delivering more profitable MICE business to their properties.

Hotel industry leaders from across Europe have brainstormed on how they can collaborate with hospitality data giants Amadeus and MICEview to compile a wish list of data and information they require to better plan their meetings and events strategy, ultimately delivering more profitable MICE business to their properties.

More than 25 senior professionals from sales, marketing, revenue management and distribution discussed ideas with Katie Moro, Vice President, Data Partnerships at Amadeus Hospitality and the driving force behind Demand360 (the hospitality industry’s only forward-looking data tool to help hotels maximise their revenue) and two leaders at MICE analytics tool MICEview – Tobias Tegetmeyer, Managing Partner and Founder, who is also an HSMAI Europe DACH Advisory Board member, and the company’s Head of Sales and Product, Oliver Hidalgo.

With a view to eventually creating a MICE data tool that will become an industry standard in Europe, the HSMAI Europe ‘Future of MICE Data’ roundtable, which took place at Sofitel Frankfurt Opera on May 13 to coincide with global events show IMEX, identified challenges and opportunities involved in creating that tool, as well as the next steps to getting the ball rolling.

The discussion was led by Raimond Notz, Director, Hotel Revenue Optimisation Central & Eastern Europe Preferred Hotels & Resorts and HSMAI Europe DACH Advisory Board member. After debating many complexities, industry professionals pinpointed their priorities on a wish list, which all present acknowledged could be further developed, refined and evolved once the basics were in place. A great starting point, they said, would be to understand broad demand and spend patterns to get an indication of spend and target markets.

The wish list priorities related to better differentiating group business; lead times, breaking down MICE bookings by channel; market trends, delegate spend, and more.

Katie Moro, Tobias Tegetmeyer and Oliver Hidalgo agreed to discuss and digest the wish list compiled at the roundtable, looking at how the two companies could work together to build an effective MICE data solution in the future.

However, both parties emphasised that to make this a reality, industry commitment would be essential. To create an effective tool or trends/data dashboard, which could be used for planning and benchmarking, hotel companies from across the region would need to provide regular and accurate information on MICE activity at their properties.

While 100% industry buy-in is not realistic, if the industry took the same approach as it does to feeding transient booking information into Demand360, for example, a solution was achievable it was agreed.

Looking ahead, HSMAI Europe will continue to engage members in the future of MICE data conversation, with similar roundtable events under consideration in other major cities across Europe to involve more members and key stakeholders.

For more information on the roundtable discussion, see The Future of MICE Data roundtable report.

About HSMAI Europe

HSMAI – Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International – is a global organisation founded in the US in 1927. HSMAI Region Europe is the European arm of the organisation. HSMAI Europe aims to be a key influencer, pioneer and the go-to industry resource for professional development, commercial strategies and sustainability in the hospitality, travel and tourism industry. With a strong focus on education, HSMAI has become the industry champion in identifying and communicating trends in the hospitality industry while operating as a leading voice for both hospitality and sales, marketing, and revenue management disciplines. Read More