Editorial Board   Guest Author

Ms. Papenhoff

Michaela Papenhoff

Managing Director, h2c

Michaela Papenhoff is Managing Director of h2c, a Germany-based company that specializes in hospitality commerce supporting hotel chains and large individual properties increasing success when selling online and offline. Building on 25 years of hospitality experience, Ms. Papenhoff early recognized the initial stage of electronic and Internet distribution and the great potential of global marketing. Prior to founding h2c 10 years ago, Ms. Papenhoff worked as Director of E-Distribution and E-Marketing at a leading European representation company with more than 200 member hotels. She implemented the company's first central reservation system and was accountable for all properties' revenues via electronic channels. Concurrently, she set up a CRS specialist's team which trained all associated hotels, thus providing an on-demand knowledge pool. Ms. Papenhoff has worked in several functions prior to founding her own company including front desk, reservations, sales development and public relations at international hotels chains. Clients benefit from h2c's expert team in the areas of distribution strategy development via international and national channels, implementing effective SEO/SEM strategy, training how to improve processes and technology, market research and business intelligence. In her beginnings with h2c, Ms. Papenhoff also served as PhoCusWright's Inc. Managing Director Europe representing the company in this region, holding speeches during industry events and conducting high quality research. Today, h2c assists PhoCusWright in carrying out market research projects with a core focus on the European and Middle East countries. By completing her International Executive MBA at the Rotterdam School of Management/Erasmus University, Ms. Papenhoff could deepen her skills in marketing, finance, leadership development und change management; her industry insight initially began with a professional hospitality education program.

Ms. Papenhoff can be contacted at 49-211-239-8360 or papenhoff@h2c.de

Coming up in September 2019...

Hotel Group Meetings: Uncommon Destinations

The last few years have been good to the Hotel Group Meetings industry and that trend is expected to continue into 2019. Planners are brimming with confidence due to an expanding economy and increased job creation, which typically results in a boost in corporate meetings. Given this promising outlook, planners are trying to outdo themselves to satisfy the high expectations of their clients. One notable trend is to integrate unusual settings into the meeting experience, hosting groups at local zoos, aquariums, museums, event centers, or other outdoor facilities. The goal is to embrace uncommon destinations, rather than a typical hotel conference room, so that meetings can be memorable, unique and stimulating. This is also part of another trend which is to support all things local - from hosting events at landmark city venues; to catering through local restaurants, food trucks and microbreweries; to hosting off-site excursions like agri-tours, athletic events or scenic 5k routes. However, though the setting might be spectacular, there are still some bedrock components that must be provided to ensure a successful meeting. Free, high-speed Wi-Fi is still one of the most requested services. Planners have to make sure that a comprehensive communication infrastructure is in place so clients can easily connect - and stay connected - to the network throughout the entire meeting experience. Also, technology tools can be used to streamline the booking, registration, and check-in process, and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) materials can be utilized to ensure seamless access to conference events. There are also numerous software tools that encourage audience participation, as well as integrating polls, Q&A, surveys and games into speakers' presentations. The September Hotel Business Review will examine issues relevant to group meetings and will report on what some hotels are doing to promote this sector of their operations.
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