So, just when we thought this couldn’t get any trickier...

All of the sudden, it has.

Certain countries and states are opening up, discarding mask restrictions and relaxing social distancing guidelines, all while the virus is mutating with variants still wreaking havoc in certain parts of the world. Other countries see a recovery on the horizon in the next month or two. Vaccines are being taken on and off the market. Groups try to decide whether to forge ahead for attendees that are ready to travel, who are clamoring to meet face-to-face again…and who are literally zoomed out and are ready to see the world.

For those of you with programmes hosting international attendees, the world has gotten even trickier. As I type this, I am at the end of a pre-planning site visit for an international incentive event that is supposed to be happening in Costa Rica in July. The first priority was to huddle with our trusted hotel and DMC partners/teams to discuss our programme, protocols, attendee origination points and the visa restrictions or requirements, as well as the likelihood of issues during their travel in and out of the country. We needed to strategise our preparation to make sure the travel experience was as painless as possible for the attendees. The GM of the hotel looked over our list, saw a few attendees coming from specific countries that have yellow fever, and let us know that because of COVID-19, many border control requirements that were looser in the past (such as physical proof of a yellow fever vaccination for residents of certain countries) had been tightened up. A family of 10 had been turned away at the border for not having their yellow fever vaccination cards with them. They had photos of the cards. They had officials from their country that had confirmed they had all had their vaccination, but they didn’t have the physical cards, so they had to head home to get them, at their expense. The hotel had never thought to remind them to remember to pack their yellow fever vaccination cards; they were focusing on COVID-19.

The situation is changing daily. Protocols literally change daily. There is no magic site that completely comprehensively tracks those changes because they are happening so rapidly. Each country is unique to enter and leave. An attendee that may be cleared to travel today may not be tomorrow. Not only do we have to be concerned about logistics protocols when they arrive onsite, we now very much have to be involved in their journey to get to us, and their journey back. 

As hotel ownership groups (the people who own the buildings) begin tightening expectations around rules for performance for our hotel sales teams and management companies, government regulations relax in certain states, making it possible (and not illegal) for them to accommodate groups. As occupancy starts to climb in recovering markets, travelers who fail to arrive – or cannot depart – prove to be a real challenge for all hosts of a meeting, planner and hotel alike. Teams trying to recover communication is going to be key. Hotels need to maximise every potential room they can fill to bring their staff back. Organisers need as much flexibility as possible to attempt to go live with an understanding that things like registration and housing sites cost money the minute they start to be built, so going “live” is more than just the liability of a hotel or convention centre contract. Contracted work already completed generally has to be paid for even in a force majeure situation, whether the event happens or not.

Overcommunication is going to be our way to the other side of this. Hotels, we need you to help us with flexibility in the areas of performance (rooms and F&B) if we are releasing things far enough out for you to do something with them. Planners, we need to release rooms at a point where the hotels can resell them to take advantage, if certain blocks of attendees may not have the budget or be allowed to travel this year. We need to sit on the same side of the table to work our way through this in a way that leaves as many of our “family” unscathed as possible. 

Until next month!

Alisa Peters, CMP, CMM

Chair, CMP Governance Commission