Louisville, Kentucky Nearly Doubles Year-Over-Year Event Volume, Hits 94.9 Percent Growth in July
Knowland | August 21st, 2024
Knowland Issues Quarterly Event Activity Forecast
Knowland | April 20, 2022
The U.S. Meetings Recovery Forecast remains stable and still on track with March exceeding recovery targets and some markets at or near recovery by end of 2022 ARLINGTON, Va. — April 20, 2022 — Knowland, the world’s leading provider of data-as-a-service insights on meetings and events for hospitality, released an update to its U.S. Meetings Recovery Forecast (MRF) and associated Top 25 U.S. Meetings Recovery Forecast (MRF25) to provide the hospitality industry with predictive insights into event recovery over the next three years. Click here to view the most current forecasts. Kristi White, chief product officer, Knowland, said:...
Omni Hotels & Resorts Becomes First Brand to Launch Seamless Instant Booking Experience for Both Group Rooms and Meeting Space
Omni Hotels & Resorts | April 14, 2022
Groups360 empowers event organizers to book rooms and space in a single transaction on GroupSync™ DALLAS, TX – April 14, 2022 – Omni Hotels & Resorts and Groups360 today announced that Omni is the first ever hotelier to offer instant booking for both group rooms and meeting space on GroupSync™. GroupSync is Groups360’s proprietary online booking marketplace, with instant booking capabilities that enable anyone organizing a meeting or event to book both group guest rooms and event spaces online. This functionality is now available at the Omni Frisco Hotel (Frisco, TX), and soon across Omni’s more than 50 properties in the U.S...
Vizergy® Teams With Sabre Hospitality at AAHOACON 2022 in Baltimore
Vizergy® Digital Marketing | April 12, 2022
Long standing partners bring together best in class digital marketing and distribution services. JACKSONVILLE, FL – April 12, 2022 – Vizergy® Digital Marketing, a leader in digital marketing and sales for the hospitality industry, today announced that they will be joined by Sabre Hospitality at AHHOACON 2022 thia week in Baltimore. The joint effort is an extension of a strategic alignment announced in August of 2021, which brings together the two best-in class platforms in digital marketing and hotel distribution. By unifying Sabre’s industry-leading CRS and distribution capabilities with Vizergy’s high-performing websites, custo...
Exploring MDM vs. CDP in Hospitality
Laurent Idrac | April 11, 2022
Before you deploy a Customer Data Platform to build omnichannel marketing strategies, ensure you’ve got a solid Master Data Management process to centralize and normalize the necessary data that will feed your CDP. By Laurent Idrac, Hapi As the hospitality industry navigates its way through recovery, there’s been a collective shift throughout operating departments toward a guest-centric strategy, deploying solutions to improve guest satisfaction, capture more direct bookings, and drive revenue at each touchpoint along the guest journey. The longstanding dream of a golden customer record – a single profile offering a 360-degree vi...
Leading Through Change – Be the Spark!
Jeff Bzdawka | April 7, 2022
Inspiration for Global Meetings Industry Day By: Jeff Bzdawka, CEO Knowland To recognize Global Meetings Industry Day, it seemed appropriate to speak about our industry recovery and the importance of embracing a leadership style that offers encouragement, especially during periods of ongoing uncertainty. We kicked off 2022 with great hope of a return to a near-normal year. Unfortunately, as world events unfolded around us, we found ourselves once again wondering if things would ever return to normal. Or even what “normal” means today. As industry leaders, however, it is our job to avoid getting caught up in the onslaught of negat...
The Cookieless World is Already Here. Are You Ready?
GCommerce | April 6, 2022
For many months, agencies and industry prognosticators (including GCommerce) have used publications like this one to warn about coming changes to advertising tracking and “cookies”. Together we have warned about the impact such changes will have on hotel’s abilities to conduct marketing as usual. We’ve warned about hotels’ lack of ability to accurately track revenue in the future, or that essential tools like remarketing will be forever changed. These warnings have likely got your attention. So what to do with this newfound concern? How do you, as a responsible hotelier, take the necessary steps to both understand the intricaci...
Amadeus Unveils Five Defining Trends for the US Group Travel and Events Industry in 2022
Amadeus | April 6, 2022
• Forward-looking on-the-books hotel group occupancy rates for 2022 in the US already match the total made in 2021, and outperform 2020 • Data points to significant uptick, particularly in unique markets, but bookings will be smaller in both size and value with shorter lead times As hoteliers evaluate their group business opportunities for 2022, a new report from Amadeus combines hotelier insights with Amadeus business intelligence data to reveal the key trends that will guide the group travel and events market in the year ahead. According to Amadeus’ Demand360® data, 2022 is showing a significant rise in group travel booking ...
Knowland’s Meetings and Events Report Indicates March Meetings Up 55 Percent From February
Knowland | April 6, 2022
428 percent increase over March 2021 and significant growth for the second month in a row in 2022 marks a turning point for meetings and events market ARLINGTON, Va. — April 6, 2022 — Knowland, the world’s leading provider of data-as-a-service insights on meetings and events for hospitality, today released its monthly meetings and events data for March. Meetings volume from February to March increased 55.5 percent. Even more significant is a 428 percent increase over March 2021. Individual recovery metrics (average attendees and average space used) are level with 2019. Additionally, March 2022 achieved a 47.5 percent recovery of eve...
Millennial and Gen Z travelers Should Be Targeted With Low-Cost Off-Peak Travel Options to Drive Future Demand
GlobalData | March 24, 2022
With two billion holiday takers within the age range 25-34 in 2021, the second highest for its number of holiday takers, behind 35-49, travel and tourism companies need to target millennials and Gen Z with offerings away from busy summer periods that create value for money and authentic experiences, found GlobalData. The leading data and analytics company notes that a significant contributing factor as to why there are so many holiday takers in the 25-34 age range is their ability to travel during off-peak periods. Many young millennial and Gen Z travelers have no children or major responsibilities in terms of occupational and financial ob...
Gillis Sales Reports $23M in Actual Revenue for Hospitality Clients in 2021, Increases New Business by 40 Percent
Gillis | March 16, 2022
Remote sales and training become key priorities as hotels address today’s labor shortage DALLAS, March 16, 2022 – Gillis Sales, a remote sales and training organization for hoteliers, reported today that it generated $23M in actual revenue for its client base in 2021 while increasing its client base by 40 percent since the beginning of the pandemic. These numbers indicate that hotels are seeing the benefits of investing in sales to increase profitability as travel resumes. Even as the labor shortage continues, leisure and corporate travel are increasing. To keep up with demand, Gillis is seeing an increase in business as hoteliers t...
HSMAI to Honor GCommerce Solutions With Bronze Adrian Award for Outstanding Travel Marketing
GCommerce | March 10, 2022
Adrian Award winners will be celebrated at an in-person event on Wednesday, March 30, 2022 Park City, UT, (March 10, 2022) – The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) will honor GCommerce Solutions with a Bronze Adrian Award for travel marketing excellence for its winning entry in the 65th annual Adrian Awards, the largest and most prestigious global travel marketing competition. For 2021, HSMAI designed the Adrian Awards to reflect the current travel landscape, with Focus Categories of Recovery Marketing, Recovery Campaign Evolution, Technology Innovation, and Corporate Social Responsibility, in addition ...
Knowland Reports Significant Growth in February Meetings Volume, Up 340 Percent Over February 2021
Knowland | March 3, 2022
Meetings increase 48 percent from January to February 2022, a significant sign the world is ready to get back to the business of meeting in person ARLINGTON, Va. — March 3, 2022 — Knowland, the world’s leading provider of data-as-a-service insights on meetings and events for hospitality, today released its monthly meetings and events data for February. Meetings volume from January to February increased 48.1 percent. Even more significant is a 340 percent increase over February 2021. Individual recovery metrics (average attendees and average space used) are now level with 2019. If the year continues at this pace, volume levels wil...
Lodging Interactive Selects ReviewPro to Power Its CoMMingle:Engage Reputation Management Services
Lodging Interactive | March 1, 2022
PARSIPPANY, March 1, 2022 - Lodging Interactive, award-winning digital marketing, reputation management, and social media marketing agency exclusively serving the hospitality industry, today announced it had implemented ReviewPro’s online customer review platform to power its CoMMingle:Engage reputation management services. “Over the past six months, we have evaluated numerous guest review SaaS platforms and have found ReviewPro to be the most advanced and best suited to meet the unique needs of our CoMMingle:Engage reputation management services business,” said DJ Vallauri, Founder and CEO of Lodging Interactive. “The ReviewPro pl...
Knowland Announces Expanded Partnership With Aimbridge Hospitality
Knowland | February 23, 2022
Best-in-class management company turns to data analytics to ramp up group sales and gain a competitive advantage ARLINGTON, Va./PLANO, Texas — Feb. 23, 2022 — Knowland, the world’s leading provider of data-as-a-service insights on meetings and events for hospitality, announced today that Aimbridge Hospitality, a leading global hospitality company, has expanded its partnership with Knowland to provide access to meetings and events data for sales teams at the property level. Management companies such as Aimbridge Hospitality are turning to Knowland to increase group revenue, improve sales team productivity, and better understand ma...
Getting the Most Out of Influencer Visits to Your Property
Sarah Segal | February 21, 2022
By Sarah Segal Influencer marketing can be a valuable means of reaching new audiences, but not every influencer will be a right fit for your property. If you’re going to go through the effort of hosting an influencer (and often a plus one or family) on the property, you should be confident they will showcase your hotel or resort in the best possible light. Here are a few guidelines to help you ramp up your hosting game. Destination - For starters, if you want to attract influencers, it's essential to make it a high-touch experience at the outset. Have a designated place for influencers to request a stay at your property. We ...
Haunted Hotels as an Important Marketing Lesson
Larry and Adam Mogelonsky | February 16, 2022
By Larry and Adam Mogelonsky Not exactly a new trend per se, but recently haunted hotels – under the broader banner of ghost tourism – have gained a niche following, with many promoting stories of their spooky pasts as a means of drumming up free eyeballs and, hopefully, bookings. The underlying marketing lesson is that you have to have a shtick, and this goes far beyond just haunted hotels. Do a quick Google search and you’ll realize that there are numerous lists for such abodes or ghost tours, and it is indeed becoming a cottage industry of hospitality. As a caveat here, some properties are on the losing end of this trend becaus...
Knowland Meetings Recovery Forecast Identifies Top U.S. Markets to Recover in 2022
Knowland | February 9, 2022
New market forecast capability provides insights to help hospitality industry improve sales and investment decision making ARLINGTON, Va. — Feb. 9, 2022 — Knowland, the world’s leading provider of data-as-a-service insights on meetings and events for hospitality, announced it has added the ability to filter its U.S. Meetings Recovery Forecast by market, now known as the Top 25 U.S. Meetings Recovery Forecast (MRF25). Access to the data is complimentary and provides the industry with predictive insights into event recovery over the next three years. Click here to view the MRF25. Jeff Bzdawka, CEO, Knowland, said: “The additional da...
Meetings Up 350 Percent Year-Over-Year From January 2021
KNOWLAND | February 3, 2022
Knowland data indicates steady growth in meetings and events ARLINGTON, VA — February 3, 2022 — Knowland, the world’s leading provider of data-as-a-service insights on meetings and events for hospitality, today released its monthly meetings and events data for January. Meetings are up 350 percent year-over-year from January of 2021 while month-over-month there was a slight decline of 16.5 percent from December 2021 to January 2022. Register for Knowland’s Outlook for the Meetings Industry Recovery 2022-2024 Webinar on February 8, 2022, 1:00 pm ET to learn more. Average meeting metrics are at or near 2019 numbers. While volumes...
Kennedy Training Network Announces Online (Self-Study) Version of Reservations Sales QUEST
Doug Kennedy | February 1, 2022
First In A Series: Hotel Sales and Hospitality/Guest Services Topics To Follow Later This Year Ft. Lauderdale, FL - February 1, 2022 - KTN, the lodging industry’s best source for training in the topic areas of reservations sales, hospitality and guest service excellence, and hotel sales team training, announced the first in a series of online, (self-study) versions of its menu of training programs. “Finally, the learning platforms have evolved to the point where we created a truly engaging, multimodal learner experience,” said KTN President Doug Kennedy. While most online courses are still limited to a series of narrated slide decks...
Knowland Sights Indicators of a Stabilizing Meeting Industry as Native Seasonality Asserts Itself Into Normal Patterns
KNOWLAND | January 5, 2022
ARLINGTON, VA — January 5, 2022 — Knowland, the world’s leading provider of data-as-a-service insights on meetings and events for hospitality, today released its monthly meetings and events data for December. Although December U.S. group meeting volume decreased 16.8 percent over November 2021, this change is in line with normal seasonality trends. Reflecting the latest industry reaction to new virus concerns, the average number of attendees dipped in December. However, average space used edged closer to the 2019 metric. • Average attendees decrease from 2019 – The average number of attendees per event in December 2021 was 101...
UpStay Wins 2021 PhocusWright Innovation Award
UpStay | December 21, 2021
UpStay, the first post-booking yield optimization platform for hotels, has won a major international travel industry award at the Phocuswright Conference held in Florida last month. The Award recognizes UpStay as one of the most innovative technology platforms available to the global travel industry today. UpStay, participating for the first time, was selected by the international panel of judges for the Phocuswright Innovation Launch 2021 - Winner: People's Choice Award. UpStay helps hoteliers unlock new revenue while engaging with customers, explained Maína Pietrobelli, UpStay’s Vice President of Business Development, during her...
Ready-Made Social Media Marketing for the Holidays
Pipeline Social Media | December 15, 2021
By Maiya Wall / Pipeline Social Media Are you ready for the holidays? Better yet, is your holiday marketing ready? If your social media calendar is filled with only promotional and sales-driven messages, think again. Audiences are online ready to engage with your content, but they want more than promotional content. We understand the struggle that comes with finding the time to create engaging social media content, so we created 70+ ready-made social media graphics, captions, and stories that cover topics like Christmas, Ugly Sweater Day, New Year’s Day, MLK Day, the Big Game (you know the one 😉), Valentine’s Day, holiday quotes, Th...
12 Powerful Hotel Sales Hacks You Can Do Right Now to Close More Group Business in 2022
Ryan Hamilton, Co-Founder, SalesAndCatering.com and Bluebuzzard Technology Group | December 9, 2021
By Ryan Hamilton, Co-Founder, SalesAndCatering.com and Bluebuzzard Technology Group On the 12th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… the perfect event proposal? As a matter of fact, that is precisely what we are giving you -- 12 tried and true hacks to close more deals in less time because, in the world of hospitality, a strong sales strategy is the gift that keeps on giving. As 2021 comes to a close and we shift our attention to the year ahead, it’s the perfect time to unwrap sales hacks that will not only reinforce your bottom line but will set you up for long-term success. Download the free guide from ProposalPath: 12 Sm...
2021 Meeting Planner Survey Reveals Key Insights as Industry Accelerates Into Recovery
Knowland | November 17, 2021
65 percent of respondents have meetings booked in the 4th quarter of 2021 ARLINGTON, Va., Nov. 17, 2021 — Today, Knowland, the world’s leading provider of data-as-a-service insights on meetings and events for hospitality, and ConferenceDirect, a full service in-person, virtual, and hybrid meeting solution company, announced the results of a survey entitled, 2021 Planner Survey: The State of the Meetings Industry, designed to help industry professionals understand the current state of recovery from the meeting and event managers’ perspectives, including what they expect and plan to prioritize as the industry accelerates towards reco...
