What They're Saying about the Event Industry
Quotes from industry pros that will tune you in to 2009 happenings
Published in January 2009 economy | end quote | political events | Departments
Butch Spyridon
“We’re selling a building that doesn’t exist, on land we don’t own, without a design. I’m overwhelmed by this much success this early on.”
— Butch Spyridon, president of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau, on the great interest shown by hoteliers to build nearby the city’s planned Music City Center, in the Nashville Business Journal
“I keep hearing, ‘We don’t want to be seen as another AIG,’ which is code for ‘unnecessarily excessive in these times.’”
— Danny Meyer, president of New York’s Union Square Hospitality Group, on holiday party reductions, in the New York Times
“Everyone is very conscious of the fact that while Rome is burning, we shouldn’t be having a great time. Nobody’s ordering caviar as a first course.”
— Sean Driscoll, a partner in Glorious Food caterers, on the scaling back of holiday parties, on upi.com
Heinz Woschitz
“We are all psyched about being sold out for several days, especially in a month when things are not that busy.”
— Heinz Woschitz, general manager of Four Points by Sheraton BWI Airport Hotel, on the influx of travelers during the presidential inauguration, in the Baltimore Business Journal
“Although the travel slowdown will vary by traveler type and purpose, we can expect businesses to further reduce travel budgets, especially in the more discretionary
group/convention market.”
— Doug Shifflet, president and CEO of D.K. Shifflet & Associates, on the continued decline of U.S. domestic travel, in the San Antonio Business Journal
“The deteriorating outlook for the economy is impacting travel habits and spending, and hotels are expected to experience reduced occupancy levels, and to a lesser degree, some room rate erosion through 2009.”
— Scott Berman, leader of PricewaterhouseCoopers US Hospitality & Leisure Advisory Practice, in the Phoenix Business Journal
Marc Bauer
“I have worked in hotels in the past where guest comment cards reflected an overall dissatisfaction with the ‘darkness of a room’ or the ‘drab color of a room.’ This concept gives our valued guests the opportunity to actively participate in the selection of their room beyond typical requests.”
— Marc Bauer, general manager for Hotel Duval, a new hotel slated to open in 2009 in Tallahassee, Fla., which uses color theory to allow guests to choose a room based on how they want to feel
“The nonprofit element of these parties certainly would alleviate the apparent gluttonous nature.”
— David Winter, president of the Luxury Marketing Council of Southern California, on how some brands are partnering with nonprofits to add an “emotional aspect” to their marketing campaigns, in the Los Angeles Times