CHAPTER 2

Required Skill Sets: Apologies, Empathy, and Education

“I’m sorry.”

“I apologize.”

“Please forgive us.” “Pardon the inconvenience.” “Please accept my apology.” “Please bear with us.”

“100 percent my fault.”

“I take full responsibility.”

For the seasoned CCSM, these can become daily mantras, and no wonder. Planners often express their stress and disappointments directly at the CCSM.

Possible issues which could affect a planner’s mood, but which are out of your control, could include:

  • Guests complaining about long lines at hotel check-in

  • C-level1 executives whining about not having the best suite in the hotel

  • Missing or stolen items from a meeting room

  • The attitude of a hotel employee

  • The cleanliness of a heavily used restroom

  • Issues when guests check-in with a debit card versus a credit card

  • The condition of a guest room or a nonrenovated room or hotel tower

  • Lack of hot water or low water pressure in a high-rise hotel

  • Hotel running out of nonsmoking rooms when a guest specifically requested nonsmoking

  • Guests being checked into rooms that are already occupied

  • Fire alarm going off during general sessions and breakouts

  • Hotel charges that perhaps a meeting planner didn’t prepare for or hasn’t paid for in the past, such as:

    • Early check-in fee

    • Wi-Fi charges

    • Resort fees

    • Water station setup costs

    • Charges for re-keying of meeting room

    • Parking fees

Issues unique to Las Vegas:

  • A planner fears they will lose guests to the casino

  • Perception that morning sessions must start later due to it being a 24-hour party town

  • The bell staff not responding in a timely manner to pick up items in the meeting space as they are focusing on hotel check-outs

  • Water programs such as pitchers of ice water for classroom setting or events of 20+ guests. Water conservation programs in Las Vegas hotels are in the forefront. Additionally, water is expensive and increasing focus has been made to pass along the charge and add to the revenue stream. Meeting planners may notice fees associated with water that perhaps were not charged for previously. The charges can include: water station charges, pitchers of ice water for meetings, and water not automatically set on at dining tables, but rather provided at a guest’s request

The seasoned CCSM can learn and continue to learn in the above environments, skills that can help reduce the stressor affects, sticker shock, and ease a planner’s disappointment.

Among the most important are listening to the planner with empathy without ever admitting guilt or excuses!

Apologize or empathize immediately and let them know they have your immediate attention on resolution, and inform them on the steps you are taking to eliminate future occurrences of that situation.

Here are some responses that show a CCSM is experienced and can handle issues in a professional, respectful, and caring manner:

  • The front desk hours are busiest on Friday night from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. The front desk manager will advise us hourly of the current check-in wait time. Additionally, you could turn this into a revenue opportunity by suggesting to the planner, “If it’s in your budget, would you like to set up a waiting room within the meeting space with refreshments?” Offer prepaid baggage service as well.

  • The best way to ensure that rooms are ready and up to the standard of the group’s C-level executives is for the CCSM, the meeting planner or the front desk supervisor or manager to personally view the rooms prior to check-in. Once housekeeping has finished cleaning the room it should be checked thoroughly. This includes inspecting for cleanliness, a comfortable temperature, all lights and all electronics are working, especially the TV remote. At this time extra special touches can be made, if appropriate, such as opening drapes, turning on lights, setting the radio to soft music, and so on. Lastly, if a welcome amenity has been ordered, such as wine or fruit, it can be delivered and placed in the room. However, this can be tricky if the guest changes rooms; it should be done only if there isn’t a chance the room will be switched—for example, if it is the only suite of this type in the hotel. Send a text to your planner that you have checked rooms and attach the photo. Planners love photos.

  • When items go missing, let the planner know you wish to ask them a few questions so that you can inform the security team of the basics. Confirm that they wish to file a security report and call the hotel security. Once the security team has a written report and has advised the planner what their processes are and how to contact them, step out of any further conversation about the incident.

  • The attitude of the staff, including your own, can make or break a planner’s mood at that moment and set a tone for the entire conference. Planners are willing to forgive us for momentary issues if the caring culture is abundant throughout the hotel. If you have a good working relationship with the employee(s) that a planner has expressed are not meeting their standards of friendliness, let them know that collectively we need to step up the level of service. Even ask for their ideas and feedback. Remember that planners come and go, but your staff is with you daily and worth every effort you have to assist in making them the best!

For items on hotel cleanliness, it is important to list in detail the areas and timing of events on the group resume so all housekeeping managers can staff for peak times. Review these items again in resume meetings. Again, address with the planner immediately and let them know the action you are taking to get these areas cleaned as quickly as possible. For the miscellaneous hotel issues from hot water to front desk and room items, supply your planner ahead of time with the direct contacts for hotel managers. This can be done with contact phone list and staffing schedules with manager work cell phones. It’s appropriate to note that special room requests are arranged in order they are received and based on availability. This request can be reviewed daily for availability and guest flexibility to move rooms.

Non-fire alarms can be a frequent annoyance in the convention and meeting business. They can go off for various reasons like construction dust in the area, equipment knocking into and breaking the overhead sprinkler devices. Immediate response to the planners and guests letting them know the current situation and the hotel plan of action is warranted to calm nerves and let them know resolution is in place. Sometimes even planners can cause the fire systems to engage. Occasionally, a bride hanging a wedding dress from the overhead sprinkler head thinks it’s a great place so as to not wrinkle the dress. However, this simple action can cause breakage and open a flood of water while damaging the dress, bedding, and carpets. The experienced professional need not to embarrass the guests pointing out the mistake, but rather offer assistance in dry cleaning, moving the room, and possible charges for damage.

A hotel check-in process of using debit cards should be addressed with planners early in the processes. Debit cards are often charged for the daily amount for room, tax and estimated incidental charge holds. This creates a reduction of the amount that a planner can withdraw from an ATM machine, which can be over the amount normally available, leaving the guest without available cash. A well-versed CCSM can accompany the guest experiencing these challenges to the front desk where the front desk agent and the guest call the bank to resolve this and release funds for the guest to access cash via an ATM. Note this must occur during the bank’s business days and hours of operation in their particular time zone.

In early preplanning and periodic follow-up conversations on most of these topics, especially those that the planner is not used to paying or didn’t plan for, you will need to confirm your planner is knowledgeable on the hotel’s processes. Additionally, all of the important items that the planner has relayed to you should be noted in the group resume.2 Having a cheat sheet or company-authorized statement is helpful when your planner asks you to explain why the hotel is charging for items such as:

  • Early check-in fees when a room is ready, what they get with the resort fee (this process is currently being reviewed at the Federal level ).

  • Hotels or facilities are now charging for items they pay hard costs for, such as 5-gallon water bottles that are used in water stations and the labor associated to set, fill, and refill these. Also associated with water conservation, especially in areas subject to water drought, are policies on tap water usage such as pitchers of ice water used for meeting room sets.

  • Wi-Fi can be controversial, as it is almost expected by the general public to be available and free like many well-known coffee establishments and not always understood what a large facility actually pays for this service. Wi-Fi can be negotiated separately for public space, meeting space, and sleeping rooms.

  • There are multiple processes for offering keys to a planner for their meeting rooms. Keys can range from hard metal to magnetic or digitally coded cards, or door key pads with personalized codes made to duplicate master keys, or a room can be re-keyed and only the key holders have access. This is done for the convenience of the planner to open and unlock their meeting rooms whenever they wish. This should never be considered a means of securing the rooms as an antitheft precaution. Planners should be told that valuables such as laptops, projectors, and personal items such as wallets and purses should not be left in unattended meeting rooms and that if they do so it is at their own risk.

Lastly, there are certain objections planners have sometimes, just perceived fears or prior experience that Las Vegas and other casino cities and facilities face. Most of these are based on a planner’s apprehension that guests will not show up for classes, tradeshows, and general sessions based on possible distractions such as gambling, nightlife, and destinationactivity offerings. The veteran CCSM will be able to ease the mind of planners and planners by reminding them these offerings will likely attract more guests to register for their conference than that onsite no-show percentage.

Additionally, the skillful CCSM will work with planners to offer and suggest they publicize offerings such as complimentary coffee inside the general session, and exhibitors providing breakfast, lunch and reception food, and beverage inside of exhibit halls.

Education and Training for the Position

Education, training, and a great resume will prepare you for working in catering and convention services. Employers in this field are looking for a combination of education and experience. Often, solid experience will weigh heavier than education for positions that require someone to hit-the-ground-running.

Depending on the experience level of the applicant (entry level, rooms only, small or large group, corporate, social, convention, and the number of rooms or food and beverage minimum), employers may look for a minimum of a year and a half to five years in a position of catering convention services with a history of hotel or facility experience from positions such as: administrative assistant, banquets, convention setup, culinary, hotel administration and operations, catering and restaurant sales, wedding and event coordination, and so on.

Resume

Your resume is a document that needs to say, “I am the one for job!” The purpose of a resume in the catering convention services application process is to get the hiring manager to call you for an interview. The first call is to check the mutual level of interest, how you interact on the phone from the first moment of contact to the closing of the call. On the first or second call you can expect to be offered an in-person interview or an online video and voice interview with Skype or Zoom applications. If on the first call you did not wow the employer and jump to the top of the list, you may be told your resume will be kept on file.

During the interview you must be able to show your professionalism and at the same time be humble. Additionally, highlight your experience to match what the posted job description states, such as working with third-party planners (mention them by company name and program details). Also, reveal your desire to learn new skills mentioned in the job description such as working with celebrity events and riders. It is acceptable to show your vulnerabilities so future employers can assess if you will be a good fit for the existing team, such as worked conventions up to 200 rooms and looking forward to being part of a team that services groups up to 2,000 rooms. Employers are truly looking for your behaviors at work.

Behaviors revealed during interviews:

  • Do you work well as part of a team?

  • Do you love this type of work?

  • Are you mature enough not to get caught up in work gossip and office politics?

  • Do you maintain a positive attitude at all times?

  • Are you the type of person that will bring drama to the work environment?

  • Is constructive criticism well received?

  • Are you worth investing in with training and mentoring?

  • Can you handle planner complaints regardless of their professional validity without retaliation?

  • Did you dress appropriately for the position at the interview?

  • Did you bring copies of your resume to the interview?

  • Do you exude confidence?

  • How did you prepare and research our company and facility for the interview?

  • How do you handle stress?

  • Will our planners enjoy working with you?

Employment History

Include work history in order of present-to-past. Under each position held, list briefly duties that show you are experienced in the field such as: handled convention groups of up to 200 rooms on peak, designed wedding packages, specialized in pharmaceutical meetings, exceeded quarterly goals, managed groups with over $500,000 food and beverage minimums, supervised and trained new managers, and so on. If you are new out of college, list intern or externships, volunteer positions and community involvement in lieu of the above in the same format.

Social Media

Employers now routinely check applicant’s social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and so on. Remember that anything you post on social media sites is available for anyone to view. So, be careful what you post.

Memberships and Activities

Networking is a notable part of self-training. Joining professional organizations, whether paid for by an employer or yourself, shows responsibility for taking action to invest in your future rather than be limited to being taught on the job. Joining and attending networking meetings is a start to gaining industry knowledge. Getting involved by volunteering your time on an organization’s committee or board of directors allows you to gain experience that sets you apart from most other applicants. This experience allows you to learn and become proficient in fundamental skills like:

  • Public speaking

  • Planning events for the event industry

  • Negotiating on the other side of catering contracts

  • Attending national conferences

  • Learning Robert’s Rules of Order

  • Managing financial matters of a local chapter of a national nonprofit organization

Include all your industry association memberships3 current and past, and your level of involvement. Include networking opportunities, both with local and national chapters that you participate in.

Awards and Recognitions

List all awards, recognitions, or honors you have received to show you have been and will in the future be aggressive with goals, provide exceptional customer service skills, and work within the community. List these dates in order starting with the most recent.

Work Objectives

Note that it’s not all that important to list work objectives in a resume, but vital to be ready to confirm them in the interview.

Education

List degrees, diplomas, certificates, certifications, schools attended, industry courses, conference certifications, and on-the-job training required such as: sustainability certified, Forbes training, annual sales training, and so on. List these in date order starting with the most recent.

There are many colleges, junior colleges, and schools that offer degrees and certification in various studies of hospitality management. Among these are:

For additional schools, refer to the Council on Hotel, Restaurant and International Education (CHRIE) www.chrie.org.

Certifications

Holding professional certifications show that you have been affording yourself additional on-the-job training and education to advance your career and value in the industry workforce. Some of the most common certifications in catering convention services, meeting planning, and events are:

  • CMP—Certified Meeting Professional (from Convention Industry Council)

  • CPCE—Certified Professional for Catering and Events (from NACE)

  • CSEP—Certified Special Events Professional (from ILEA)

  • CMM—Certification in Meeting Management (from MPI)

Licenses and Registrations

  • Food Handlers or Health/Serve Safe/Public Food Cards: required for selling and servicing food events. These types of cards can include registration, health exam or inoculations, educational training followed by testing to pass and regulation renewals.

  • TAM® (Techniques of Alcohol Management) or Alcohol Awareness Cards: required for selling and servicing events that include alcoholic beverages.

  • Gaming and Nongaming Card: from local law enforcement for casino properties with gaming and alcohol.

Training

Currently catering and convention service professionals will need to be proficient in standard Microsoft Office products such as Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint. Additionally, when working in hotels and facilities knowledge of certain industry-related systems is helpful. For example, hotel systems can be used for the initial guest reservation, front desk check-in, room service, bell desk, concierge, and engineering to communicate about guests’ accounts, charging activity, calls, amenities, complaints, and requests.

Software Specific to the Industry

There are several types of sales, catering, convention services, and customer relationship management (CRM) software and facility management programs used in the industry, and we often see some companies purchased by their competitors leading to additional needed training and services. The newer systems are web-based while others are still a standalone desktop application that is restricted to the user’s particular operating system version. Among the most popular are:

Additionally, some systems are specific to golf clubs, nightclubs, institutional facilities, off-premise CCSMs, resorts, and restaurants.

Most of us in the industry today have had little formal training on these systems, but rather have been trained by supervisors, peers, or trial-and-error. This type of on-the-job systems training creates proficiency with experience. And making a few mistakes along the way helps one acquire knowledge of what doesn’t work and how to fix it.

Most sales, catering, and convention services professionals have probably used a few of these systems in their career. These operating systems function as the primary CRM, a database of customers and their activity.

The sales, catering, accounting, projection, and analytic functions of these CRM systems include:

  • Account and contact information

  • Sales outreach tracking

  • Holding and reserving of hotel event space (on prospect, tentative, and definite basis)

  • Merging of contracts and banquet or meeting event documents to documents such as Word, Excel, and PDFs

  • Creating and revising BEOs and their corresponding checks

  • Banquet reconciliation of consumption, posting of revenue, and check closing

  • Auditing and accounting of the group

  • Financial forecasting of revenue

  • Operational tool for staffing and food ordering and production

  • Analytical data extraction for reporting customer booking and buying trends, precedent setting and repetitious behavior

These are used in conjunction with software and point-of-sale (POS) systems that record revenue with internal hotel systems such as MICROS, OPERA, and InfoGenesis, just to name a few.

Among the more popular software programs for creating room-set diagrams are:

Some of these systems are available online for the meeting planners and the public in general to draw their own diagrams.

CCSMs will need to become experts at their property in creating many different kinds of room sets. Unfortunately, hotel specifications listed in marketing materials and online information is not always correct. These list the maximum set without anything else in the room. It’s quite rare that a room would not have anything other than a maximum set of tables and chairs.

Room sets often include combinations of the following:

  • Staging: of various sizes, head tables on stages, podiums, lecterns, flags, and so on.

  • Audio-visual (AV): including microphones, front-screen projection, rear-screen projection, overhead “flying” of screens, technician tables, camera risers, and so on.

  • Water stations.

  • Banquet equipment: such as food and beverage buffets, tray jacks, and so on.

  • Planner signage and materials.

As you become more seasoned as a CCSM, including developing competency within your company culture, you will learn additional skills that will provide you with knowledge of how to handle complex planner responses and preparing yourself for future promotions.

Some of these responses will be suggestions on room setup for guest safety, communicating (but not libeling yourself or employer) on local laws such as smoking, emergency preparedness, how you will manage events during construction, theft and criminal activity, under-age drinking, and gaming regulations.

You will begin to focus more on your career goals knowing when to identify occasions to manage up, a term for communicating to senior leadership, thereby letting them know about your bigger picture ideas, tasks you can take off their plate and overall keeping them in the loop on items that could keep them out of trouble. Of course it’s wise to know their favorite current event topics and to always be there to provide them their favorite beverage or seat at events.

Finally, look for opportunities to take on projects that will provide experience in project management, training, and supervisions of others. Create a personal brand for yourself that is memorable, sophisticated, moving forward with company initiatives and—above all—a positive can do attitude that is drama-free.

1 C-level: Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Operating Officer (COO), etc.

2 Group Resume: a packet containing all information on a group, including BEOs, Room Setup instructions, schedules, etc.

3

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