February 2008 Drawing attendees to SMERF events SMERF (social, military, educational, religious and fraternal) events often work harder than other show types to attract attendees. The right destination can help. By Patricia D. Sherman
SMERF (social, military, educational, religious and fraternal) events have long been seen as the space-intensive, ultra-costconscious, entertainment-restrained little sister of the industry.
Certainly, the larger ones were courted by convention destinations but smaller SMERFs were often bumped, sometimes at the last minute, if a bigger, better meeting or convention came along.
For the past few years, however, this sector has been commanding more respect. Some industry leaders are even discarding the SMERF acronym altogether. “We don’t use those classifications any more,” says Ann Hamilton, Vice President Resort and Sales Services, Disney World Resort, Orlando, FL (www.disney.com). “No one fits in a box.”
There are several reasons for the shift. One is that two segments of the SMERF market — religious and military meetings — are growing. Attendance at religious meetings, in particular, is increasing at double-digit annual rates and has nearly doubled in the past decade.
Another reason is the professionalization of planning. SMERF meetings and exhibits that were once the province of well-meaning volunteers are now generally run by tough-negotiating professional organizers. “I don’t know of very many meetings any more that don’t have a professional meeting planner or a contractor,” says Hamilton.
A third reason is that many second- and third-tier cities have increased hotel rooms, as well as exhibit and meeting space, to compete with first-tier destinations, and demand from large conventions and trade shows doesn’t always meet supply. At the same time, SMERF events have become more valued assets to just about every destination because they all have holes in their calendars to fill.
As the size and professionalism of their own organizations have grown, SMERF organizers are also becoming more savvy with their attendance promotion efforts. Even more so perhaps than for other types of shows, the right destination is key to that promotion effort.
Site selection considerations For most SMERF groups, the vacation appeal of a destination drives attendance, more so even than price. The destination is what keeps attendance and interest up, says Charles Melear of Fort Collins, CO, who has been planning conferences for the United Church of God for 20 years. His first question isn’t about price, he says, but “What’s there to do?”
Attendance isn’t just a decision for the group member, says Ray Casey, Owner of Military Reunion Planners (www.militaryreunionplanners.com), Grapevine, TX, who manages about 200 meetings a year. From 60 to 90 percent of attendees come with their spouses, he says. “The husband won’t come if his wife isn’t interested in the destination.”
Many planners have to think about keeping the whole family happy, says Mike Blackwell, Festival Coordinator for the United Church of God. He plans the annual eight-day festival in Branson, one of 13 such meetings held in the fall throughout the United States and Canada. “Many of our members make this their family vacation,” he says. “All ages attend, so we have to have to have a destination with something for everybody.”
SMERF attendees are likely to look for a certain type of vacation experience. They want a relaxed family environment with lots of entertainment and activities, such as beaches and theme parks, to keep children and young people busy. They want shopping, golf, fishing, educational tours and interesting restaurants for adults. They want to be able to get to attractions easily and not worry about transportation costs or family safety. They generally don’t want gambling or a hard party atmosphere.
First-, second- or third-tier? First-tier destinations are still a challenge for SMERF events. Rising hotel rates make it even harder for groups whose attendees are paying their own way or are only partially subsidized. “In first-tier cities right now, it’s a seller’s market,” says Bill Williams, Vice President Diversity Sales, Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau (www.choosechicago.com), who has worked with SMERF events for three decades. “In first-tier and even many second-tier cities, the $100 room is gone. Many groups can’t get into downtown at the rates they want. Hotels have to have a certain room-to-space ratio, and SMERF groups tend to require a lot of space. Business meetings and shows still bump SMERF. Sometimes first- and second-tier cities just have to let them go.”
Even as SMERF events are priced out of some top destinations, others, like San Diego, as well as up-and-coming third-tier destinations, like Branson, MO, and Anchorage, AK, are thriving on SMERF business because they understand their target market and have positioned themselves to maximize attendance.
The transformation of Branson into a religious meetings hot spot is a good example of how a destination leveraged tourist appeal to become a dominant player in the religious meetings market. For the resort area in the Ozark Mountains, “Religious meetings aren’t a niche. They’re our single biggest market,” says Debbie Philpott, Sales and Convention Services Manager of the CVB (www.meetinbranson.com). “The CVB restructured in 2006 to expand its meeting and convention marketing to focus on religious meetings.”
Meeting planners like the way the area has grown to fit their needs. “When I first started planning meetings in Branson 10 years ago, they understood tour buses. Now the CVB and the properties are very knowledgeable about religious meetings,” says Blackwell. “The properties welcome us. There are a variety of price points, from luxury to economy, and we use every one.”
There are now more than 18,500 rooms in the area. A convention center with an attached Hilton opened last year, bringing total space to 220,000 square feet. The city offers more than 100 shows, and many of the theaters are available for large sessions. An $80-million, 330,000-square-foot high-tech theater that will hold 2,000 attendees will open in May. A new airport is in the works.
What SMERF events bring to the table When it comes to selecting a destination for your next event, you may have more options than you think. Whether you’re looking at a first-, second- or third-tier destination, it’s important to understand what your event brings to the table. Here are a few key selling points you should consider:
• Attendance projections are reliable and less likely to be affected by economic downturns. This is especially true of religious meetings. “They’re recession-proof. Regardless of world affairs, good times or bad, war or peace, religious meetings will attract attendees,” says DeWayne Woodring, CMP, CEM, Executive Director and CEO of the Religious Conference Management Association (RCMA, www.rcmaweb.org). “Religious meetings frequently attract more attendees when times are bleak because people have added incentive,” he says.
• Many SMERF groups can fit their meetings into weekends and off-peak periods. “They may spend less than half of a trade show group, but that half is better than nothing,” says Chicago’s Williams.
• Attendees tend to stay together in the hotel for food-and-beverage service. Many groups have up to three meals in the hotel. “Trade show attendees don’t stay in the hotel,” Williams says.
• Attendees bring families. While one member is in meetings, “other family members are visiting attractions and spending money,” says Williams.
Religious meetings post healthy growth “The religious market is a growth industry,” says Woodring. RCMA reports that its members conducted nearly 17,000 conferences and meetings in 2006. “Attendance at these events increased 13.6 percent from 12.9 million to 14.7 million,” he says. In the past decade, religious meetings planned by RCMA members grew 195 percent, says Woodring.
Planners and attendees are spending more, too. “In the past, attendees would be happy with a plain meeting room, some chairs and a speaker,” he says. Today, they’re disappointed if they don’t get multi-screen productions, satellite downloading, videos and dozens of breakout sessions. Religious meeting planners are spending more to stage their events so they’ll appear as aesthetically and professionally produced as their commercial counterparts.
The once-pervasive image of the pennypinching religious meeting attendee looking for the cheapest lodging in town is no longer valid. “Disney World has 25 resorts at four price points and religious meeting attendees stay at all of them,” says Hamilton. “Plenty of them choose luxury lodging.”
Military meetings: Relationships impact site selection Religious meetings aren’t the only SMERF growth area. Increased attendance at military meetings is largely a factor of internal needs and external circumstances for active duty military and industry representatives. For other attendees, destination and price are major influences on attendance, but relationship with the military culture is important, too.
“The military meeting market is very dynamic right now,” says Michael M. Scanlan, CMP, Director of Industry Affairs for the Association of the U.S. Army (www.ausa.org). He attributes this to more federal dollars available and the need for communications between the Army and military suppliers. AUSA membership includes 105,000 active and retired soldiers, Department of the Army civilian employees and industry representatives. Attendance at its annual meeting and exposition, held at the Washington, DC Convention Center, grew from 22,000 at the beginning of the decade to more than 30,000 in 2007. The trade show features more than 300 industry exhibitors, nearly 100 Army units and a long waiting list, says Scanlan.
Military meetings are different from private-sector meetings, says Dale Vandergaw, Director of Military and Defense Affairs for the San Diego CVB. The CVB began focusing on the special needs of military meetings in the early ’90s with dedicated staff and services. “Establishing and maintaining relationships with key military decision makers in the region is a constant process,” he says. Military meetings accounted for more than 80,000 room nights and about $1 billion in economic impact in San Diego last year.
While San Diego has plenty of infrastructure to host big military meetings and exhibits, Anchorage has been very successful going after smaller military meetings. As in San Diego, relationships are crucial. “We have a special relationship with the military,” says Julie Dodds, Director of Convention Sales for the Anchorage CVB (www.anchorage.net). Besides Army and Air Force bases, Anchorage has the highest per capita population of retired military members in the country, she says. “We promote our military meetings through our connections on the bases. We’re set up to work out the logistics for them.” The city is upgrading convention and exhibit facilities, adding 100,000 square feet of space to its existing 33,000 square feet, including a 50,000-square-foot exhibit hall. The new center will be open in September.
“Anchorage attracts the same kind of people who join the military in the first place. They want adventure and Alaska offers them that. Besides, many of them have been here before and they want to come back,” says Dodds. While the growth in military and religious events is certainly fueling the increased interest in SMERF meetings by destinations, all boats rise with the tide. The abundance of space around the country is also contributing. With so much first-class hotel and convention center space opening, first- and second-tier cities are competing for more of the same business, and third-tier cities are no longer relegated to just local event business. This, coupled with the increased professionalism of the meetings themselves, equals a new-found and long-overdue respect for the SMERF meeting.
Patricia D. Sherman is a Dallas-based freelance writer specializing in the hospitality industry. She was Senior Editor of The Meeting Professional magazine, taught business and professional writing at several Midwestern universities and managed a b-to-b communications and advertising firm. What are SMERF events? SMERF events cover the part of the meetings and conventions industry not typically included in trade and association business. SMERF business accounts for about 30 percent of the industry, according to Bill Williams, Vice President Diversity Sales, Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau. Even though SMERF events are often lumped together, each type has its own culture, needs and expectations.
Social These are generally groups looking for old friends. They’re interested in exploring the destination. They may use as few as 100 room nights on peak and little space, often just a banquet room and space for one or two receptions.
Military This is a large and complex segment. Military meeting planning processes must follow various protocols and meet standards for competitive bids. Meetings can involve education, training, demonstrations and exhibits, and tend to be space-intensive. They’re generally categorized as events for: • Department of Defense • Defense industry • Military training • Military reunions (even though they’re primarily social in nature) • Veterans associations and groups chartered by Congress, such as the
American Legion Rates for the first three categories are based on federal government per diem lodging allowances for the region. Many meetings have a large component of industry attendees who pay industry rates.
For active duty military, decisions about when and where to have meetings are generally made in the field rather than the Pentagon. The military usually doesn’t have professional meeting planners, and a project officer who has never planned a meeting is often assigned the task. Attendees at reunions and association conventions usually pay their own way and are more value-conscious than rate-conscious.
Educational These are primarily national, regional and state associations; independent education organizations; and businesses whose members or employees are involved in education. They require meeting rooms. Some attendees pay their own way, others are subsidized by an institution, and some pay industry rates. Overall, though, attendees are highly rate-sensitive.
Religious Religious meetings are a huge category and, of all the SMERF meeting types, they’re growing most rapidly. Not limited to groups of church members, they include education, music, retreats, leadership, clergy and business. More and more, religious meetings are organized by professional meeting and exhibit planners who tend to be aggressive negotiators and evaluators. These meetings generally require lots of breakout rooms and have date flexibility, often preferring weekends and non-peak times. Many, but not all, are rate conscious. Groups require upscale and even luxury accommodations, as well as economy. Condo and suite properties are popular.
Fraternal These are meetings of fraternities and sororities and other groups, such as Elks and Shriners. They often have volunteer meeting planners.
5 Attendance Boosters for SMERF events Web sites For social and fraternal groups, posting a roster of registrants pushes attendance, says Ray Casey, Owner of Military Reunion Planners, Grapevine, TX. “People who might have been considering it but haven’t made up their minds will decide to come when they see old friends listed.”
Parking Rates downtown in cities can be up to $40 per day. “Trade shows don’t care, but lots of SMERF meeting attendees do. Up to half of parking is negotiable,” says Bill Williams, Vice President Diversity Sales, Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau. “Planners just have to try.” Also negotiable are in-and-out fees, especially important for attendees accompanied by family.
Airlift “Airline schedules can make or break a lot of meetings,” says Williams. “It’s not just how many carriers serve a city or even how many flights land per day. It’s when they land and what the connections are.” Planners should do research and include times in their promotional materials, such as how many flights after 4 p.m. or before noon, he says.
Attendee mix Group memberships change over time. For instance, as the memberships of many fraternal and social groups age, they want appropriate entertainment, activities, food and beverage, and even rooms on lower floors, says Williams. Military reunion groups with typically older members focus on logistics, says Casey. They like hotels close to the airport and restaurant choices within walking distance of the hotel, so they don’t have to rent a car.
Resorts and parks Resorts with theme parks have a huge vacation appeal for members bringing families. Some, like Disney World in Orlando, have affordable lodging and ample meeting space and offer group packages with discounts and free services that can make these destinations more affordable than if the family visited on its own.
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