IACC has partnered with Master Connection Associates (MCA) to deliver bespoke training that is designed to address every nuance of the meetings industry at your properties.These workshops provide a perfect career path for all IACC member conference venues, hotels & resorts who are focusing on growing their business with the benefits of showing ‘the IACC Difference.’

Based on specific feedback from meeting planners, event planners and industry specialists, each workshop has been customized to meet the specific objectives of selling a IACC certified venue, hotel or resort versus a typical hotel or other event venue. The sessions will create a common and consistent sales language in verbiage, vernacular, concepts and philosophy.

The IACC Sales Difference is a multi-level series of classroom training workshops designed to provide sales and sales leadership training in a group setting. Many of these concepts can also be trained via webinars, e-learning and vignette sessions.

Workshops will be delivered in a two or three day format. We recommend a 6-12 month minimum time span between each course completed. This gives the participant adequate time to effectively apply and integrate new skills to their daily activities.

Prior to all workshops, participants will complete pre-work and be required to take a post work assignment. This will help ensure an in depth learning experience. MCA’s post-workshop webinars support and extend the learning for months beyond the classroom session.

Key workshops in the series:

• Selling the IACC Difference – baseline essential selling skills development that focuses on selling against the ‘typical hotel’ venue
• Strategic Positioning in Meeting Focused Venues – strategic selling/negotiations and total account management
• Presenting the IACC Difference – advanced presentation skills workshop which includes how to develop and present webinars as a sales technique
• Event Sales Solutions – conference planning/event sales for increased profitability
• Developing the IACC Leader – leadership development

To take advantage of this fantastic training, please contact:
Shelley A. Marlow
Tel: + 949.589.6137 ext 107
Cell: + 949.374-0796
Email: shelleymarlow@masterconnection.com
(Shelley is on Pacific Time)

COURSE ONE – SELLING THE IACC DIFFERENCE

Selling the IACC Difference is a workshop designed to introduce the key sales process verbiage and language, aligning interpersonal communication with the key elements of the sales process. It helps give conversion teams that sit on property the ability to increase the conversion of inquiries and provides a baseline of tactical skills for all commercial sales colleagues. This session gives the sales professional the tools to effectively sell the IACC difference and compete successfully against the ‘typical hotel’ using a meeting package concept.

We reinforce critical elements of selling, increasing revenue, new business development, while developing an ongoing business relationship with new and existing business. This workshop benchmarks your sales team and provides a baseline of skill for all future strategic actions.

Pre-Requisite: None

Workshop content includes:

• The business of selling meetings, training, conferences and teambuilding in a competitive environment
  • Creating a one stop sales process that converts business faster
  • How to find the ‘perfect’ business for your property
  • The Probing Process to uncover the real needs of the client
  • How to make a presentation and write a proposal that wins more business
  • How to sell your property by creatively showcasing the ‘business of meetings’
  • How to handle the objections of conference dining, package pricing and rates

COURSE TWO –
STRATEGIC POSITIONING in MEETING FOCUSED VENUES

Strategic Positioning is designed to build on Selling the IACC Difference as an advanced selling workshop that will strengthen strategic planning & selling techniques and advanced negotiation skills required to be successful in the sales process. Selling in this space is multifaceted. Sales professionals must master the art of uncovering layers of decision makers in the meetings, training and conference industries. This class also gives the sales professional skills in presenting to groups with hidden agendas, dealing with procurement and learning to negotiate when you are competing with several vendors. Each sales professional must engage in crucial conversations with their clients and present in such a way that sets them apart from their competition. This workshop is focused on targeting competitor accounts, uncovering multiple stake holders, strategic positioning the conference venue against other hotels and events venues, negotiating with tough clients and advanced presentation skills.

Pre-requisite: Completion of Selling the IACC Difference

Workshop content includes:

• How to organize your time to increase your productivity
  • How to find new business within existing accounts
  • How to uncover the different types of ‘meetings’ business by communicating effectively within different organizations.
  • Targeting large accounts that do not understand the IACC Meeting Experience.
  • Negotiating before, during, and after the booking
  • Mastering innovative presentations

COURSE THREE – PRESENTING THE IACC DIFFERENCE

“An Advanced Presentation Skills Workshop”

Presenting the IACC Difference is a workshop designed for all who make presentations, present sales proposals, make sales presentations, give speeches, present internally to other departments or ownership groups, externally within your organization, or facilitate meetings. This workshop will provide a formal process for developing and presenting meaningful information to your audience. The content of the workshop centers on planning, development and presentation of information to both single and multiple audiences. It addresses our fears about public speaking and offers practical skills at any level. Participants will give six presentations throughout the course.

Pre-Requisite: None

Workshop content includes:

• Getting Started with a strategy and plan of how to sell the difference with IACC
  • First Things First – dealing with anxiety
  • Analyzing Audience Needs of the Meeting Industry
  • Formalizing the Presentation Planning
  • Using the Presentation Funnel Model to:
    • guide your to planning
    • formalizing your presentation
    • present with impact
  • Using Visual Aids – iPads, Tablets, and Webinars
  • Q & A: Answering Audience Questions
  • Your Presentation Toolkit

COURSE FOUR – EVENT SALES SOLUTIONS

Event Sales Solutions is a hands on workshop designed specifically for EMM’s, Catering Sales Managers, Conference Planning Managers and Special Event Coordinators to maximize revenue opportunities. Regardless of CMP or non-package meetings, this workshop will help the conference planning and catering team gain more knowledge in F&B profitability and upgrading menus. The events and meetings industry is growing and becoming more competitive every year, as customers are becoming wiser and increasingly demanding. Thus, we need to improve up-selling and keep as much food and beverage on property – regardless of your packages or conference dining. As a conference center we are the best in class in handling group menu planning and execution. No one does it better than an IACC certified conference venue. Therefore, you must intensify your selling efforts, improve sales skills, increase product knowledge in food and beverage and use your strengths to sell your amenities, theme parties, menu’s, high end bars, wine and all team building, without leaving anything to chance.

This workshop is an interactive session that focuses on working as a team to improve conversion and increase profitability.

Workshop content includes:

• Market Awareness Today with Profit as our Mission
  • Understanding today’s market
  • What is selling right now, what is “hot” and what is “not.”
  • Current meeting, event and teambuilding trends.
  • Understanding who your competition is and selling against them with the IACC Difference

• Innovative Selling Strategies –
  • Converting Enquiries into Sales
  • Best practices for site visit by market
  • Making a difference in the handoff from sales to conference planning

• Tools for Increased Profitability
  • Increasing top and bottom line revenue
  • Maximizing up selling opportunities
  • Understanding costings & menu engineering
  • Selling conference dining with confidence

• Creating Effective Solutions Using Our Strengths
  • Increasing conversion more profitably
  • Maximizing customer engagements to close more ‘live’ opportunities
  • Effective communication to handle objections
  • Upgrading meetings with creative AV

• Future Plans of Action
  • Sales action plans to prioritize work
  • Commitments to drive more revenue
  • Converting more tentative to definite business

• Optional
  • Interactive Food & Beverage Sessions
    • Creativity in Breaks
    • Mixology
    • Food Tasting/Pairing
    • Teambuilding
    • AV options for corporate meetings

COURSE FIVE – DEVELOPING THE IACC LEADER

Moving from managing to leading is a challenging step, yet most people never receive training or development on how to become a truly great leader of people. Peak Performance I is a leadership workshop for today’s climate and shows leaders how to develop their people to become a team of masters within their profession and maximize their own leadership potential regardless of how long they have been in a position of influence.

Participants leave the workshop with a complete human resource plan, new competencies for their team and a timeline of development tools for an entire year to immediately implement after training. This session aligns leaders to take appropriate action in developing their team and making a difference.

Whether a seasoned leader or a new line manager, this workshop will help create better performers equipped to successfully lead now and into the future.

Pre-Requisite: None

Workshop content includes:

• The World is Changing in leading the Millennial
  • Leading with Passion Around the IACC Difference
  • Developing Behavior You Want to See More of – Feedback Creates Excellence
  • Developing Your Bench Strength
  • Do More with Less…Teamwork that Works!
  • Empowering Your Team to Make the IACC Difference
  • Coaching for Personal Performance
  • Creating Motivation