Boost
Sales by Making the
Concierge Connection
Whether your
institution is large or small, located in the city or the country,
building good relationships with hotel and corporate concierges
can result in increased ticket sales, more facility rentals,
and perhaps even additional members, donors and volunteers.
Many of us think of a concierge as the staff magician at 5-star
hotel in a glamorous locale -- the go-to person who holds the
key to hard-to-get theatre tickets and impossible-to-book restaurant
reservations. But concierges are a lot more prevalent and multi-faceted
than most of us realize.
According to a survey conducted for the American Hotel &
Lodging Association, more than 60 percent of U.S. luxury hotels
and nearly 30 percent of full-service hotels offer concierge
services. And in the past 10 years concierges have also become
a staple at many office towers and residential complexes, arranging
for everything from event tickets and weekend getaways to corporate
meetings and children's birthday parties.
The Keepers of the Keys
Les Clefs d'Or, the prestigious international association of
hotel lobby concierges, traces the roots of the concierge profession
back to feudal times when the comte des cierges, or "keeper
of the candles," was the person in charge of catering to
the whims and desires of a palace's visiting nobility. In the
Middle Ages, concierges were the "keepers of the keys"
at government buildings and castles. And by the late nineteenth
century when the increasing popularity of rail and steamship
travel brought about a boom in tourism, Europe's grand hotels
had concierges, or "hall porters," on hand to personally
assist guests with all aspects of their stays.
From Antiques to Zoos
Assisting and recommending have always been the concierge's stock
in trade. "Each and every concierge stakes their reputation
on having first-hand knowledge of everything from antiques to
zoos," says Sara-ann Kasner, president of the National
Concierge Association (NCA). "The concierge thrives
on being able to offer their clients the inside scoop."
And the number of clients for whom they provide that scoop
can be staggering. Kasner, for example, is director of concierge
services for Zeller Realty Corporation, owner of seven office
towers in Minneapolis, St. Paul and Chicago. "My staff and
I serve approximately 10,000 tenants," she says, "routinely
planning corporate events -- many of them huge in size and scope
-- and providing attraction tickets on a daily and sometimes
hourly basis to tenants, residents, guests and visitors."
Building Your Concierge Connections
The sales potential inherent in good concierge connections should
put a gleam in every museum marketer's eye. And in fact, Kasner
says that museums often do themselves a disservice by not realizing
how much business hotel and corporate concierges can provide.
"Keep in mind, though," she advises, "that concierges
recommend only that with which they are most familiar."
How, then, should you go about building good working relationships
with concierges and making sure they're familiar with your institution?
Here are some insider tips:
1. First you have to find them
The easiest way to locate concierges is through their area professional
associations. Contact information for local National Concierge
Association chapters
can be found on the NCA website. The Southern Nevada Hotel Concierge
Association's site is also a good place to start since it provides
a list of
concierge associations all over the U.S. and around the world.
If there is no association in your area, find concierges through
your convention and visitors bureau and by calling major hotels
and property management companies directly.
2. Making the connection
Once you've located the group in your area, Kasner suggests offering
to host an association meeting at your institution. "This
is a great way, particularly for a new venue, to make itself
known."
Inger
Boudouris, head concierge at the Hotel St. Francis in Santa
Fe, New Mexico and president of Les
Clefs d'Or USA, also suggests inviting concierges to informal
breakfast or early evening receptions. "Include a talk by
several staff members and a walk through the premises with a
docent. Have as much museum staff as possible at these functions
so that you all get to know each other well."
Kasner adds that "including a guided tour of the box
office and an explanation of available ticket options is extremely
important. I need to know how much money it costs to visit the
venue and, in particular, what payment options are available
there."
Issuing individual invitations to concierges to come and see
your institution is also helpful. But don't expect free special
event or admission passes to take the place of personal contact.
"What good is it if I, as a concierge, get invited somewhere
but never have the opportunity to meet the manager or establish
a personal business friendship with anyone at that organization
while I'm there?" Kasner asks. "Who will provide me
with an insider's knowledge of the features of that attraction
-- features I may not notice on my own and therefore can't tell
my clients about?"
3. Maintaining the connection
Once you've established a relationship with the concierges
in your area, it's important to keep them up to date on what's
happening at your institution.
To accomplish this, Boudouris suggests appointing a staff
member to act as a liaison. "This person should visit the
concierges on a regular basis to make sure that they're aware
of what's going on at the museum. It's also very important that
they get to know each hotel's chef (head) concierge."
Ideally, Boudouris also recommends putting together a 3-ring
binder of information about all the cultural institutions in
the area. This "concierge museum book," she says, should
contain the following:
- Names and telephone numbers of staff, along with who's in
charge of what
- Proper museum location maps
- Street and mailing addresses
- Description of each museum and its current and upcoming exhibits
- Biographical information on the primary artists, sculptors,
etc.
- Hours of operation, admission fees, free days and special
events
- Museum store and cafe information
- Information about parking facilities, available transportation,
and walking distances from hotels
4. What about discounts?
Concierge-referred incentives are not always necessary, but Kasner
says that offering a "concierge discount" on tickets
is a win-win situation for the museum, the concierge and the
visitor. "Our clients look to us to save them time and
money," she explains. "The museum wants more paying
visitors, the visitor loves a bargain. Everyone wins."
And according to Kasner, the size of the discount is not as
important as the fact that there is one. "Even if it's only
a dollar off, it allows us to offer our clients a perk that they
can't get anywhere else."
As for the actual logistics of ticket distribution and accounting,
those are details you need to work out with each head concierge
in order to come up with a system that works smoothly for both
of you.
Common options range from simply providing discount coupons
for guests to use at your admission desk, to supplying blocks
of numbered tickets which the concierge then sells at a pre-arranged
discount. In the latter case, don't demand or expect payment
up front. Concierges customarily pay after tickets are sold --
usually on a monthly basis or when the initial supply is exhausted.
5. What if your museum is located
out of town?
Even if your institution is located off the beaten
path, it's worth establishing concierge relationships in the
nearest big city.
As corporate concierge Kasner points out, many workers in
downtown office buildings are commuters looking for things to
do in their own areas after work or on the weekends. And in-town
companies often seek interesting out-of-town settings for meetings
and retreats. Lastly, both commuters and city residents depend
on concierges to provide itinerary recommendations for weekend
getaways.
6. Beyond ticket sales and facility
rentals
Good relationships with concierges can accomplish
more than just getting additional people through your doors.
Most concierges are, by nature, arts and culture mavens themselves.
And an enthusiastic recommendation by a well-respected, culturally
savvy concierge is sometimes all it takes to make an individual
or company realize what they've been missing by not supporting
your institution.
Inger Boudouris even suggests inviting concierges to volunteer
once a week or once a month. "Concierges are their city's
ambassadors, she says, "and they make excellent museum volunteers.
I know, because I do it often myself."
Copyright © 2002 Katherine Khalife
All rights reserved.
For reprint permission, please e-mail kkhalife@museummarketingtips.com
Katherine
Khalife is publisher of MuseumMarketingTips.com
and the Museum Marketing Tips e-newsletter, used every month
by thousands of cultural institutions seeking practical tips
to improve their marketing.
