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The Group Travel Leader Going on Faith Select Traveler

Reaching the Religious Market

Provide Different Price Packages 

Because religious meetings are typically more price sensitive, giving attendees a variety of package deals can also draw more interest to the event.

“You’d be surprised what people are willing to pay for a memorable experience,” said Ware.

She described one faith-based women’s conference that offered several different price options during registration. The VIP option enabled guests to attend sessions in a hotel with catered food service, and the general package directed women to more affordable sessions at a local church. Later in the evening, both groups joined together for a worship service.

“Some people want to pay for convenience, so you want to give them that option,” said Ware.

Give Hotels Incentives to Host Your Group

If groups have a tight dining budget, planners can propose a chef’s choice menu to the hotel or venue, which involves customizing the meal to meet a certain price point.

“Let’s say you wanted to have a three-course luncheon on a given budget. Then you would allow the chef to present some options to meet that price range,” said Eble.

Once the price is set in stone, the hotel can count on that revenue, which provides both parties an advantage to the arrangement.

Since attendees often travel to religious conferences with their families or spouses, it is also worth noting to hotel representatives that this will mean more room reservations.

“One request that is usually of high importance across most meetings we plan is the number of double-double accommodations required,” said Eble. “It is rare to have single-occupancy rooms for religious meetings.  This can be a benefit to hotels as they often will see increased revenue in their outlets due to the higher number of guests staying in their hotels.”

Make Transportation Easy

Older groups and families tend to gravitate toward destinations with walkable attractions, so to make more reclusive retreats a success, it helps to provide all-inclusive meals, meetings space and transportation.

Ware described how she helped coordinate an event at the Brasstown Valley Resort, which is approximately an hour from Atlanta. She arranged bus transportation from the airport by adding just $15 to the price of registration, dividing the price of the bus tickets by the number of attendees. This added convenience dramatically increased attendance, since many people prefer to avoid the hassle of travel, especially in an unfamiliar town or neighborhood.

“It worked out great,” said Ware. “We did activities on the bus so everyone could get to know each other.”

When the bus brought everyone back afterward, they stopped at a local church service, where they arranged a lunch and discussion with the pastor. The group was able to appreciate the shared experience, and attendees didn’t have to worry about driving to each location.