Keeping the faith, meeting-wise

Years ago, religious meeting markets were generally offered only budget properties in secondary markets, religious meeting. No more. Planners these days have more options than ever. Reasons include the market’s stability and consistency.
 

According to a recent poll of planner members of the Religious Conference Management Association (RCMA), religious meetings are taking advantage of their newfound clout by choosing downtown hotels, conference centers and even resorts.
 

"Religious-meeting planners are finding they are some of the most popular people around these days," said RCMA Executive Director DeWayne Woodring. "They are being deluged with sales calls, mailings and special invitations to participate in FAM trips.
 

"Sales professionals realize that through the years, the religious segment of the meetings industry has shown to be the one that holds steady," he told Meetings Mid-America. "When compared to the more volatile corporate meetings market, it can be counted on to deliver."
 

While religious meeting planners may enjoy being in demand, the tough economic climate is also putting them under increased pressure to keep meetings affordable for attendees, many of whom pay their own way, added Meetings Mid-America.
 

"The economy has affected the religious meetings market tremendously," said Vern Byrd, operations director for the Center for Youth Evangelism at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Mich. "First off, planners are getting smarter. While they used to get the Cadillac version of meetings with the biggest rooms and most expensive food packages, now they are scaling back.”
 

What does the future hold for religious meetings?
 

"I really think the meetings are going to increase," Byrd said. "I do think groups will continue to stay closer to their base and, if there is a local convention, they will opt to go there. However, I can see expansion in the future and groups planning larger conventions."
 

By David Wilkening