Presenters:

Loren G. Edelstein, Editor in Chief, Meetings & Conventions

Jonathan T. Howe, Founding Partner and President, Howe & Hutton, Ltd.

David Landgraf, Founder & Chief Experience Officer,  Make It Happen Management (former Head of Meetings with Blackstone)

Matt Davis, Director Global Accounts New England, Omni Hotels & Resorts

 

Jan. 24, 2018, marked a turning point for the meetings industry, with Marriott’s announcement that commissions paid to third parties would be reduced from 10 to 7 percent. That action sparked strong reactions from planners and suppliers, who are grappling to answer some looming questions about the future of our business: Is the commission model dead (or dying)? Are current revenue models fundamentally flawed? What will this change mean for corporate meetings departments? Will other hotels follow suit — or up the ante to win market share? And is 7 percent commission just an interim step on the road to zero?

Join the discussion at SITE Northeast’s meeting in Boston. Moderator Loren Edelstein, Editor in Chief of Meetings & Conventions, will present new and exclusive research on the industry’s reaction, and will lead an insightful Q&A with renowned legal expert Jonathan Howe; independent planner David Landgraf, who spent the previous 11 years managing global conferences for Blackstone before launching his business this past January; and Matt Davis, Director of Global Accounts for Omni Hotels & Resorts.

Attendees will be encouraged to join the conversation, too, while the moderator ensures that it remains a “civil discourse.”

Among topics to be addressed:

• How the meetings industry is reacting to this news

• The immediate and longer-term impact on planners and suppliers

• How the commission model is structured — and why it might be time for change

• Specific actions independent and corporate planners can take to offset lost income and better position their businesses for profitability