Taj Hotels Palaces Resorts Safaris
The MICE segment of Taj Hotels Palaces Resorts Safaris forms about 20-25% of the overall top line of the business. To push the number even further, the team wanted to increase their brand awareness among event planners across the world.
The Brand Eclipse
As an active player in the MICE segment, Taj Hotels Palaces Resorts Safaris could sense the evolving market dynamics with the change in expectations of its customers. While planners sought out unique, memorable venues for their growing number of events, the Taj team recognised a need to solidify brand awareness among the more novel set of event planners. “There's always that new planner, a new event manager, or a new wedding planner, who crops up somewhere every day. I want to make sure that we are in front of him as well. So, if you ask me the single biggest challenge – it is to keep reaching out to the new set of meeting consumers,” says Suku Verghese, AVP of India Sales, Taj Hotels Palaces Resorts Safaris.
Taj also sensed a shift in planners' venue sourcing behaviour and realised that they were now booking smaller groups, meeting for shorter periods, and looking for venues not far from their base cities. To increase its visibility among new corporate meeting planners, the hotel group wanted a marketing solution that would differentiate it from the rest of the pack and boost its presence in niche markets. After weighing several options, Taj saw the value of investing in Cvent.
The Fruitful Partnership
Cvent's Marketing Solutions have helped Taj Hotels Palaces Resorts Safaris maximise their brand's presence and reach a wider MICE audience across the world. “Cvent has been an excellent partner. Over the last six to seven years, they've helped us in reaching out to a much wider audience, at the right place, in a very targeted manner. And that's been the biggest solution that I've seen in the MICE space for us,” adds Verghese.
Taj has been able to leverage its varied set of properties and experienced a 25% increase in total RFPs and a 16% growth in total room nights.
Anticipating a Prosperous Future
With Cvent's tailor-made marketing solutions, Taj Hotels Palaces Resorts Safaris experienced a 35% year-over-year increase in ROI, and the hotel group expects the number to grow even more in the near future.
Taj strongly feels that its long-term partnership with Cvent has played a key role in their success and intends to incorporate Cvent in their future marketing strategies. “I truly believe it's been a wonderful journey with Cvent. It's a benchmark, in terms of how organisations should be working with clients,” stated Verghese.