by Ask Me Weddings
During Caribbean Travel Marketplace’s new educational sessions Marilyn Cairo, managing partner for Ask Me Weddings, a hospitality sales and marketing solutions leader specializing in Destination Weddings and Honeymoons, will be sharing her company’s best practices for securing more destination weddings in 2016.
Join the “Weddings and Honeymoons: How Can You Maximize Revenue from Romance?” educational session on Thursday, January 21 at 1:00pm at Marketplace to get more out of the romance travel market. The most important thing you will learn is how to ensure that the elements in your wedding packages are high-quality, desirable and available. “This is a couple’s most important day,” says Cairo, who has helped coordinate hundreds of Caribbean destination weddings, “you need to deliver what you promise and exceed their expectations.”
Next – make sure you understand your competition – both locally and internationally. “You are competing with home-town weddings, other destinations, and of course with hotels in your area,” stated Cairo, “Focus on what makes you different and better.” Once you have your packages refined and priced appropriately, make sure they are available on your website, on social media, and in your company literature. “A potential guest, whether a bride-to-be or a seasoned traveler, will lose patience quickly if they can’t find the information they need,” said Cairo, “Make it effortless for them.”
All aspects of the process should be easy for the potential guest. That means clear communication and prompt responses. “Many hotels have to focus on the wedding of the day and any incoming emails or calls get ignored until the following day or week,” said Cairo, “Usually by that time, the couple has obtained the information they need from another hotel and your opportunity is lost.” And finally, share stories and photos of real weddings at your resort on your website’s blog and social media. Ask your guests to review your hotel on TripAdvisor, on Facebook, and be sure to invite them back by offering a special rate for their first anniversary.