The Service Imperative

Abstract

As is true of many facets of the hospitality industry, the meeting business combines both tangible products and intangible services. A study of the factors that affected meeting planners' and participants' ratings of a meeting's success returned a list of 50 factors in nine categories. Although meeting planners and meeting participants consider a number of different factors in their assessment of a meeting's success, the two groups have many criteria in common. Top on everyone's list were security-related items and the staff's performance. While security must be a given, the staff members' competence and appropriate staffing levels are critical to a meeting's success. Also high on the common list were sensory attributes of the meeting rooms and quality of the guest rooms. One item on which planners and participants diverged was food and beverage quality; participants considered it a priority, while planners thought it less so. It is also important to note that sensory attributes of the meeting room—such as climate control, lighting, and comfort—may have more effect on customer satisfaction than the physical attributes, such as pinnable walls and breakout rooms.