How to welcome your business customers for professional meetings and seminars
We discussed this subject some time ago when we talked to you about welcoming a South African customer.
Today we approach this theme from a broader point of view so that your customers, whether they come for a business meeting, a trade fair or a seminar, have a welcome that meets their expectations.
Business customer profiles
Whether they are German, English or Spanish, business customers have common features that must be taken into consideration to ensure the success of your corporate event.
They are generally experienced professionals with positions of responsibility. Particularly attentive to the success of their business trips, they are demanding with regard to the events in which they participate.
This requirement is also reflected in the preparation of their business trips. Used to this kind of process, they often book themselves via the web.
This methodology also allows them to respect the budgetary constraints to which they are subject. More and more companies are requiring their employees to travel in 2nd class and reducing the time spent on site. Similarly, the quality of accommodation is often reduced. Stress and fatigue are their lot when travelling for work.
The business clientele can be broken down into 3 profiles:
- The pragmatic client (the most common)
Used to this kind of travel, his expectations remain very basic: professional objectives met, efficient transport, accommodation and quality catering services.
Transport: by public transport or taxi (the fastest or most convenient)
Accommodation: hotel close or easily accessible from the event location
Time schedule: entirely devoted to the event, evenings reserved for business
- The demanding customer (low proportion of business customers)
He is looking for a maximum of support. He likes to have everything organized in advance and feel privileged. As a result, he expects an irreproachable quality of service and is led to consume more services.
Transport: Taxis or shuttles
Accommodation: 4 or 5 star hotel of large chains with additional services
Time schedule: event and discovery of the destination if facilitated
- The hedonistic client (increasingly common)
He takes advantage of his business trip to combine work and pleasure. Very trendy, this vision of business travel often gives rise to extensions of stays (especially on weekends when the trip takes place on weekends) in order to have free time to discover the geographical area hosting them.
Transport: public transport
Accommodation: preferably in a charming hotel easily accessible from the event but located in a lively area
Time schedule: divided between events and leisure
Business Client’s expectations
Expectations regarding the event in which they are participating
In general, here are the 3 points expected by any business customer regarding the management of the event:
- A clear schedule
- Free Wifi
- Quality food
In the case of participation in a trade fair or seminar, you must add to these 3 points:
- For the organisational part: signposting, a mobile application, a guide and reception staff
- Access to private areas
- A concierge service for any logistics problem
Moreover, depending on their participation in a seminar or exhibition, their concerns are not the same.
Thus, participants in a trade fair are often time-consuming, which forces them to optimize their planning in order to manage as many things as possible in a minimum of time. Their working conditions are tiring (crowd, noise…).
As for the seminarians, they are less under pressure, they experience this event more as a professional “break” allowing them to network while taking advantage of the services at their disposal. Stress and fatigue are therefore less present than in the case of a trade fair.
Expectations and needs of the business trip
From a functional point of view, a successful business trip requires:
- professional objectives achieved
- no time wasted in transport
- clean, comfortable, quiet and comfortable accommodation with Wi-Fi connection
- qualitative meals
To these elements must also be added an emotional dimension including:
- Professional certification
Business customers travel for professional reasons and as such they expect services that meet specific needs (calm, comfort, quality of services for accommodation and catering)
- To be welcomed in a “human” way
In particular, they are waiting for face-to-face contacts that will allow them to have personalized answers.
- Remembering the trip
Attending a seminar is great, but attending study days in an atypical place is better and leaves memories for your clients. Business customers will appreciate the value of their business trip also according to the framework or activities offered in the margin. And what could be better than a customer who remembers you through a carefully prepared event?
