Based on requests from clients, Resort Meetings Consortium recently expanded its scope to include downtown, suburban, and airport hotels in its meeting site selection.
"We started the concept on the resort side in 1996," says RMC founder and vice president of sales Jerry Janove, based in Cherry Hill, N.J. "But our clients want to work in other destinations as well." The company helps planners choose meeting sites and negotiate contracts, using the volume of business it books to get the best rates.
RMC gets a 10 percent commission on room nights--a fee that it then shares with the client. Depending on the volume of business they do with RMC, clients could get back as much as 30 percent of that commission. "It can be quite substantial," Janove says.
RMC is unique among third-party firms in sharing its fees with clients.
What also sets the company apart is the location of its sales force. "We put salespeople where our customers are going, not where they are," Janove explains. RMC staff are in hot meeting destinations such as San Diego, Chicago, Seattle, and, in the near future, South Florida and Las Vegas. "That way our salespeople can be with the clients on site, experience their meeting, and talk to them about future programs."
For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.resortmeetings.com.