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Hosting the hosts...
The Hotel Association of Nova Scotia
Even the hosts meet live - it's a chance to experience what the clients experience, fine-tune their service, and ensure that everything is perfect.
Sara Ericsson sits down with Megan Delaney, HANS President, and meeting organizer to talk about her experience meeting live and face-to-face.
Why did you decide to have an in-person meeting?
“…We were missing that component where we can break out into groups and really talk about what’s happening personally in our hotels and be able to come up with solutions together…”
“ … Often when you’re [on] a video or conference call, you’re focused on a question-answer. Unless a person raises their hand and is noticed, it’s not really a time to be able to have an open discussion. So we really wanted to come together today not only so we could come up with great ideas and be together and network, but we could lead by example for the industry.”
Do you feel your group was more engaged by being together, versus meeting virtually?
“I think there’s a natural comfort that comes from being in person. I’ve been on many conference calls, online calls, and someone’s speaking and their on mute, and there’s just a discomfort, where you don’t know when it’s the right time to talk, or if people are actually listening. Being able to be together today makes a world of difference [regarding] the comfort and having open discussion.”
What kind of things are meeting venues doing to ensure the safety of clients and meeting attendees?
“ … What a lot of people don’t know is that all of the hotels set up the meeting protocols to then give out to the rest of the province so they can host safe meetings. Some of the things we are doing are one-way traffic, wearing masks, having individually served product and social distancing. Rooms that used to have 100 people may only have 10, but there’s a comfort in having your own space and being able to be with one another without being too close.”