INSURANCE PLANNERS REACT - "It's a bold move. I'm glad to see Ritz take a proactive stance to clean this up, rather than hitting full-service companies as well," says Steve Clark, CMP, AVP, conference and travel services, CUNA Mutual, Madison, Wis. "You can't take commissions away from people who do programs start to finish and earn those commissions."
- "I fully endorse it. A site selection firm doesn't do the quantity of work of a full-service firm that merits a 10 percent commission," says Rob Gingras, CMP, assistant director, conference management, CIGNA, Hartford, Conn. Gingras would prefer to have site selection firms charge him a fee than collect a commission. "Then the third party works for you," he says.
- "Site selection firms might start charging fees if they're not getting 10 percent. They've got to pay for their overhead," notes Carol Rice, director, recognition and conference planning, Minnesota Life, St. Paul, Minn.