IACC gathers feedback from customers
The International Association of Conference Centers held a series of customer roundtables for the third consecutive year. For the first time, the highest ranked items came from the financial category, followed by food and beverage and meeting room design. In previous years, the highest ranked items were in the categories of F&B, meeting room and technology. The market research programs took place at IACC-member properties in the United States and Canada and were designed to collect direct feedback from customers of IACC conference centers. “With this third series of face-to-face customer roundtables, we sought to compare the results from the previous two years and keep our priorities in check,” says Peter Stockmann, president of IACC-Americas. “The focus is to make sure we are aware of the customer’s wants and needs and to ensure that we continue to provide an exceptional meeting experience.”
Survey participants were provided a deck of 57 cards, each of which had one component of an ideal meeting in eight areas: business services; F&B; financial; guest room; meeting room; meeting amenities; technology; and other. The highest ranked items in the 2012 survey included: set-up fees included in the Complete Meeting Package (financial); customized menus to accommodate special dietary requirements (F&B); a CMP with a single package price (financial); individual meeting room climate control (meeting room); and skilled on-site AV technicians to handle every need (technology).
