MPIOC Podcasts Debut on Podbean — Spring 2020 eNews

This winter MPI Orange County Chapter debuted our first Podcast on Podbean. This first podcast, “Disruption, the State of the Industry, and Vision 2020,” features host Cheryl Payne, CMP CMM, Strategic Partner at Innov8 Meetings + Events, who sat down with Michael Dominguez, President & CEO of Associated Luxury Hotels International and asked him the tough questions we want to know about as we head into 2020.

CLICK HERE to listen to the full podcast, or to hear more about discussion points raised below:

Cheryl:  What are the top trends you are seeing in the travel and hospitality industry?

Michael:  The meeting cadence and the meetings we are seeing planned are impacted by the mergers and acquisitions have not slowed down and we are seeing how disruptive these are to the organizations and the meetings that are surrounding these meetings.  When two companies become one like TD Ameritrade and Charles Schwab, you see someone who has a lot of meetings go on a pause, hold, or not planning until they see some certainty to move forward.  This trend will not slow down.  The world ahead is certainly uncertain.

Other Podcast Discussion Points:

• What trend would you say will impact meeting planners the most? How can they maneuver through the challenges?
• Let’s talk about Resort Fees—There is rumors of government legislation regarding resort fees. Where do you see that going?
• Are there any changes that may take place in the luxury market in the next year or two?
• Food costs are continuing to rise. Is there anything we can do to keep from breaking our budgets? Do you have any tips?
• With 5G cellular networks coming to our cellular devices with speeds sufficient enough to run 99% of applications, do you see a point in which wireless internet will become part of the hotel’s basic offerings?
• There is a trend in AV providers charging more while service levels are going down, is there a direct correlation to conglomerations that have taken place in the last few years? If you were a meeting planner, how would you handle this challenge?
• Finally, on leadership, what are some of your personal best practices that you can offer to someone who aspires to be in a leadership role someday?