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By Ameen Ahsan Convention centers are faced with stronger competition than in past years because of an increased number of venues and meeting space. In addition, as the event industry is part of an ongoing globalization process, the traditional marketplace is expanding to include international competition. A further challenge for convention centers identified is that meeting professionals are asking for more space for less money. This is because meeting planners are required to be more innovative in the way they produce events, which often requires more space than traditionally has been requested and accounted for in budgets. Further challenges include a trend towards strategic meeting management, the need for meeting planners to be cost efficient and increasingly conscious of the value of reporting on return on investment (ROI). Convention center marketing teams aim to maximize center occupancy and revenue by persuading meeting organizers to select their venue for events. Advertising plays an important role in the marketing program by raising awareness of the convention center’s facilities and helping organizers to attract higher numbers of delegates.
*Ameen Ahsan Strategy Consulting* "where visions are realised" 7th Floor, Hi Lite Business Park, Calicut http://www.ameenahsan.com +91-7558-900-800 info@ameenahsan.com -- Ameen Ahsan Strategy Consulting (AASC) provides management consulting and strategy advisory services to projects, ventures and businesses. Key services include Business Planning, Consulting & Research, specialising in Management Consulting & Business Consulting services, Project Reports, Business Plans and Feasibility Studies. AASC is based at HiLite Business Park, Calicut (Kozhikode), Kerala. And serves clients across Kerala and Gulf (GCC) countries. To know more about AASC services, please call +91-7558-900-800 or email info@ameenahsan.com
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By Ameen Ahsan Your distribution strategy, in many respects, is the key to your reservations success at your hotel. The more you distribute the rooms and services that you offer at your hotel, the more guests you will attract and the more your hotel will grow. Developing an effective distribution strategy is critical, and implementing it carefully is an even more important step. Here are three key steps to creating a successful hotel distribution strategy: 1. Business mix optimization: Understanding the different traveler segments who book at your property allows you to diversify your business mix and optimize your distribution strategy. In most cases, travelers can be broken down into two different groups: lower-yield segments and higher-yield segments. Lower-yield segments often derive from wholesalers. These guests will book your rooms early, but they also have a tendency to book your rooms throughout the entire year. Higher-yield segments are often generated from OTAs and even your own hotel booking engine. 2. Overview of online and offline channels: Your distribution strategy needs to include a diverse range of channels, both online and offline. This allows you to promote your hotel property to the greatest number of guests from around the world. Online channels to work with include OTAs, your own direct booking engine through your website and social media platforms. Offline channels that you should consider partnering with include voice reservation services as well as wholesalers and tour operators. With online channels, your hotel marketing campaigns are able to reach every corner of the earth. An increasing number of travellers are relying on online travel sites in order to research prices, opportunities and activities for their upcoming trips. Without online channels, you will be left behind in the past as the rest of the industry moves forward into the future. While online channels are pivotal, offline channels are not obsolete. Offline channels have the ability to attract local residents as well as older travelers who may not be as comfortable working with the Internet. 3. Technology to tie it all togetherDeveloping a pricing strategy and establishing distribution channels is an important part of your overall distribution strategy, but it’s not complete until you invest in the right technology to seamlessly tie all of these components together. A business solution designed specifically for hotels will allow you to connect with your various distribution channels, update your pricing based on market demands and consumer trends, and maximize your bookings. You will want to include a direct online booking engine, a channel manager, and a property management system in your hotel technology suite. —-- Ameen Ahsan Strategy Consulting (AASC) provides Business Research & Management Consulting services for hospitality projects (hotels, resorts, convention centers) including feasibility studies, management plans, business model development across Kerala and GCC. AASC is based at HiLite Business Park, Calicut (Kozhikode), Kerala. And serves clients across Kerala and Gulf (GCC) countries. To know more about AASC services, please call +91-7558-900-800 or email info@ameenahsan.com By Ameen Ahsan Officially shopping malls are defined as “one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnected walkways enabling visitors to walk from unit to unit.” Unofficially, they are the heart and soul of communities, the foundation of retail economies, and a social sanctuary for teenagers everywhere. A storm of global trends are coming together to cause malls to change the role they play in people’s lives. No longer are they primarily about shopping. Now, when consumers visit malls, they are looking for experiences that go well beyond traditional shopping. The trends helping to create this change include changing demographics, such as an aging population and increased urbanization, which means more people living in smaller spaces and a greater need for public spaces in which to socialize and congregate. In this environment, malls offer a welcome watering hole, especially in cities where other public spaces are not safe. Sustainability concerns are causing some consumers to prefer mixed use developments where they can live, shop and work all within walking distance – instead of having to get into a car and drive to a crowded suburban mall. And finally, the e-commerce revolution and the rise of digital technologies are fundamentally reshaping consumer expectations and shifting the function of stores toward useful and entertaining customer experiences. As these trends advance across the global stage, they are forcing mall operators to rethink how they conceive and operate their properties. In the face of these considerable challenges, malls are seeking to stay relevant, drive growth and boost efficiency. We see successful players investing along three key fronts. 1. Differentiating the consumer offering, with a focus on experience and convenience. Online shopping provides consumers with ultimate levels of convenience. Malls will never be able to compete with the endless product selection, price comparisons and always-on nature of online. Nor should they try. Instead, malls need to move in a different direction, away from commoditized shopping experiences and toward a broadened value proposition for consumers. 2. Transforming the mall experience by leveraging technology and multichannel strategies. The digital transformation of retail is not all bad news for malls. On the contrary, it presents new opportunities for malls to engage consumers throughout their decision journeys. 3. Exploration of new formats and commercial real estate opportunities. The most innovative malls today look nothing like their predecessors. Although location remains the key real estate consideration for malls, a differentiated design and structure is increasingly important. Open air malls go a long ways toward lending an atmosphere of a town center, especially when they incorporate mixed use real estate. Many of the malls being built in urban areas are open and fully integrated with the landscape. --------- Ameen Ahsan Strategy Consulting (AASC) provides Business Research & Management Consulting services for Shopping Malls, Commercial Complexes and Speciality Commercial Real Estate projects including feasibility studies, management plans, business model development across Kerala and GCC. AASC is based at HiLite Business Park, Calicut (Kozhikode), Kerala. And serves clients across Kerala and Gulf (GCC) countries. To know more about AASC services, please call +91-7558-900-800 or email info@ameenahsan.com Utilization of MIS (Management Information Systems) in Manufacturing Industry
By *Ameen Ahsan Strategy Consulting* An organization succeeds by bringing together and managing certain resources in a productive way. The traditional list of resources comprises labor (manpower), money, material, managers, machines and facilities. Only over the past two decades has information come to be recognized as another resource, one that is crucial to the management of others and one, which under certain circumstances, may be substituted for them cost-effectively. Information shares many properties with other resources: it has value and lends itself to the process of management. Information is a valuable resource and hence must be managed in a well-designed system so that managers are able to obtain relevant information timeously for their decision-making processes. One of the major problems of organizations that make them fail may be insufficient utilization of the major resource of the organization, viz. information. Managers have to be aware of utilizing management information systems effectively to be competitive in the business world. Many entrepreneurs in the manufacturing industries in India may be unaware of the capabilities and use of an effective MIS. Most manufacturing industries are possibly already using products of Information Technology. However, their awareness level of applying information technology to designing effective management information systems to overcome their specific problems needs to be investigated and determined. To be effective in today’s dynamic and competitive business environment, a CIO, and indeed, an organization, must think in the system mode. Technological innovation has simplified the collection of data into sophisticated information systems. With appropriate management information systems in place, managers can focus their attention on the creative elements of management such as developing strategy, searching for new opportunities and competitive advantages, and optimizing the use of the organization’s resources. Ameen Ahsan Strategy Consulting "where visions are realised" 7th Floor, Hi Lite Business Park, Calicut http://www.ameenahsan.com +91-7558-900-800 info@ameenahsan.com *Kerala's finest experts for Feasibility Studies, Strategy Reports / Project Reports, Business Models and Vision Realisation* Why Operational Plan is Important for Food Production Facilities?
By *Ameen Ahsan Strategy Consulting* An operational plan is a document that lays out the basic structures and practices of a business. It may exist as an independent document or as part of a larger business plan. Be it a Food manufacturing business or any other manufacturing business, an operational plan is absolutely vital because operations are intrinsically complex and detail-intensive. To successfully outline the operations of a manufacturing business, an operational plan must address several key items. Facilities and Equipment An operational plan for a manufacturing company should detail the metrics and operational status of all company facilities and equipment. It should take into account geographical locations, floor space, operational purposes and floor plans of the facilities. It should also describe the various types of manufacturing equipment that the facilities employ, giving information regarding their purpose and their state of repair. Supply Chain A supply chain is the total organization that a company utilizes to acquire items from suppliers. Manufacturing companies tend to employ very complex supply chains because they often need a wide array of materials and components from various suppliers. Due to the intrinsic complexity of such arrangements, a food manufacturing company's operational plan should include information on the supply chain and how the company plans on managing it. Labor Structure The labor structure section of a manufacturing company's operational plan should take into account the various employees that work for the company and what they do. It should also lay out the organizational structure of the company, especially when it comes to hierarchy, showing which managers are in charge of which aspects of the business. This section should stipulate who is the responsible party in every aspect of production. Production Process While the labor structure section details the structure of the workforce from the prospective of human capital, the production process section details the specifics of manufacturing from the prospective of components and materials moving down the production line. It should lay out the steps of production and give numerical details, such as production capacity. Storage and Distribution To allow for quick responsiveness to orders, a food manufacturing company must create a certain amount of a product and store it as inventory. This inventory must have a detailed and logical system of storage to allow for ease of access. The operational plan should explain this system. It should also explain the methods that the company will use to distribute its products after production, whether it plans to do so by purchasing its own vehicles or by contracting with transportation firms. Ameen Ahsan Strategy Consulting "where visions are realised" 7th Floor, Hi Lite Business Park, Calicut http://www.ameenahsan.com +91-7558-900-800 info@ameenahsan.com *Kerala's finest experts for Feasibility Studies, Strategy Reports / Project Reports, Business Models and Vision Realisation* Why is Organizational Culture Important for Restaurants?
By *Ameen Ahsan Strategy Consulting* The difference between a group of random people and a well-organized team can be the difference between a failed restaurant and a successful one. Restaurant owners and managers who understand how to strengthen the organizational culture within their establishments can improve efficiency, customer satisfaction and employees' enjoyment of their work. From big restaurant companies to small, a strong corporate culture attracts customers, engages employees, and enables better decision-making. Brand culture is vitally important to a restaurant business. The focus on culture makes sense. One of the primary ways an organization sets and strengthens its brand is its culture. The distinctive way a company behaves and the values it espouses is the foundation upon which the company builds its strategy and operations that turn its brand promise into reality. And when a company has a special way of doing business, it attracts attention and draws customers in. Some of the most respected brands, became well known not because of their advertising campaigns, but because of their distinctive cultures. The personality of their employees and the style with which they served customers created a distinctive customer experience that people actually talked about and their brands became known for. Culture also engages employees. In an industry with such high employee turnover rates, restaurants need to do all they can to retain and motivate their staffs. A strong culture does this better than free food and other common perks—and in many cases even better than pay rates and benefits. That’s because leaders can use the company culture to connect employees to a higher purpose and to each other. Finally, culture facilitates decision making. A well-defined and supported culture enables people to make decisions easily and quickly because it helps everyone develop a shared understanding of the right thing to do. It clarifies what’s “on brand” and what’s not, so big, strategic decisions, as well as smaller, daily ones, can be made with confidence and commitment. Now more than ever, company culture is the right focus for restaurateurs. It’s the most effective way to offset the costs and complexities that keep increasing in every part of the business—and it’s a powerful way to build a brand. Ameen Ahsan Strategy Consulting "where visions are realised" 7th Floor, Hi Lite Business Park, Calicut http://www.ameenahsan.com +91-7558-900-800 info@ameenahsan.com *Kerala's finest experts for Feasibility Studies, Strategy Reports / Project Reports, Business Models and Vision Realisation* Staff Manual/ Office Manual for Real Estate Companies
If you manage or own a real estate company, or any company for that matter, a well thought-out office policy manual is a must. Why? It gives sales associates a solid understanding of your company’s mission and goals from their first day on the job, helps to avoid unnecessary confusion, and communicates company policies on e-mail, advertising, and other important topics. A good policy manual establishes trust, prevents misunderstandings and clarifies expectations for both the broker and the agent. Not having a written policy manual is one of the biggest mistakes a broker-owner can make. When creating one, you’re forced to think through all of thorny issues that may come up in the day-to-day course of business — from commission disputes to dress code problems — and create a solution. Office policy manuals also help reduce turnover. You should ask recruits to review the manual before choosing whether or not to come on board. What Topics Should the Manual Cover? Your manual should encompass all of the basics: your mission statement, personnel policies, and general procedures such as office attire, sales meetings, office conduct, terminations, and vacations. However, it’s also important to include policies and procedures specific to real estate. Here are some suggestions. Remember, this list is meant only as a guide — it’s not all-inclusive. Business Procedures. In this nuts-and-bolts section, be sure to include company policy for presenting offers, disclosure statements, delivering paperwork, and holding open houses. It also should include information about lockboxes and keys — where they’re kept and how they’re managed. Commission and Fee Structure. Include splits, bonus plans, referrals, entitlement to commissions, and how you will resolve interoffice and intraoffice disputes over commissions. Acknowledgment Form. Ask salespeople and staff to sign the form to confirm that they’ve received the office policy manual and understand company policies. As you determine what to put in your manual, you also have to figure out who will write it. Your best option depends on the size of your budget and whether or not you already have a core manual from which to draw. The best way to start writing a policy manual is to purchase one and revise it to meet [your] needs. It’s necessary to have an attorney review the document before it’s printed and distributed to staff. Your office policy manual should be attractive and user-friendly. It shouldn't be a chore to read. That means using clear, concise, and uncomplicated language. Let someone else read the manual and ask for feedback; what’s clear to you may not be to a third party. Remember: an office policy manual is a living document. Develop a maintenance plan to keep it accurate. Update the policy manual as laws and the organization's priorities change, and schedule regular reviews of the manual and update accordingly. Ameen Ahsan Strategy Consulting "where visions are realised" 7th Floor, Hi Lite Business Park, Calicut http://www.ameenahsan.com +91-7558-900-800 info@ameenahsan.com *Kerala's finest experts for Feasibility Studies, Strategy Reports / Project Reports, Business Models and Vision Realisation* Job Description for Convention Centre Coordinators:
By *Ameen Ahsan Strategy Consulting* Creating a job description is a key step in the hiring process. You must be able to accurately describe what a new employee will do in order to decide how to divide the work between yourself and your employee. Demand for conference center coordinators is growing as businesses recognize the value of professionally run meetings. Scope of the Job: These professionals are responsible for the smooth running of conferences, from initial planning and liaison with clients to coordination of people and activities on the day. They supervise catering and hospitality teams, communicate with suppliers and presenters, and ensure that event sponsors and delegates have a satisfactory conference that meets their objectives. Key Responsibilities: To plan each conference, coordinators meet clients to discuss their requirements. They provide clients with a budget and a schedule for the event. They liaise with presenters and suppliers to ensure the facilities are in place for the event and delegate individual responsibilities to members of their team. On the day, they check that all facilities are ready and oversee activities throughout the day. After the event, they review feedback to identify any problems and ensure that all parties are satisfied with the conference. Attributes for the Job: A conference center coordinator must be capable of managing several activities at the same time, often under pressure due to time and budget constraints, according to the Job Explorer. They must have excellent planning, budgeting and project management skills and have the ability to lead and motivate their teams. Good communication and interpersonal skills are important for liaising with clients, colleagues, suppliers and presenters. Coordinators also need excellent customer service skills to deal with inquiries and complaints from event organizers and delegates. Feedback from attendees and organizers provides a measure of the coordinator’s performance. Education and Professional Qualifications: High standards of professionalism in the industry make a bachelor’s degree essential. A degree in marketing, business studies, hospitality or tourism management and public relations provides a relevant qualification. Essential Industry Experience: Coordinators must have knowledge and experience of all aspects of the conference business, including logistics, catering, presentation, customer service and marketing. Experience in a related field such as public relations, exhibition management or the hotel and catering industry would be useful, and coordinators must be able to demonstrate a track record of successful event management. Ameen Ahsan Strategy Consulting "where visions are realised" 7th Floor, Hi Lite Business Park, Calicut http://www.ameenahsan.com +91-7558-900-800 info@ameenahsan.com *Kerala's finest experts for Feasibility Studies, Strategy Reports / Project Reports, Business Models and Vision Realisation* Why Organizational Structures are important for Hotels and Resorts?
*By Ameen Ahsan Strategy Consulting* Every hotel, whether it’s big or small, needs an organizational structure to carry out its daily operations. It is used to help divide tasks, specify the job for each department, and delegate authority within and among departments. Effective job specifications will increase work productivity and efficiency. Each hotel organizes workforce in different ways. Here shows a medium size hotel organizational structure. It was basically segmented into six divisions: finance, front office, human resources, food and beverage, sales and logistics. Financial The financial department’s role is to record financial transactions, prepare and interpret financial statements, and deal with cost accounting and cost control. Front Office The front office (room management) department handles customer service including front desk service, reservation, laundry, concierge, telephone, and housekeeping service. A hotel’s front office is where guests are greeted when they arrive, where they get registered and assigned to a room, and where they check out. It’s almost the most important department as it often offers contact with customers. Human Resources The human resources department is given the responsibility to handle employee recruitment, arrange staff training, make promotion and disciplinary decisions, and check staff attendance. Food & Beverage The food and beverage department is responsible for all of the dining rooms, restaurants, bars, kitchen, clean up services, etc. Here we basically divide F/B department into two parts: kitchen and restaurant. Kitchen department is responsible for food preparation including main food, dessert, side food, and beverage. Restaurant department‘s role is to provide dining room operation, waiter service, food runner, and clean up service. Sales The responsibility for sales department is to sell the hotel facilities and services to individuals and groups. They sell rooms, food, beverage or special service such as massage and laundry to potential customers through advertising or direct contacts. Logistics The logistics department is responsible for tracking for daily supplies, purchasing appliances, and keeping security. Ameen Ahsan Strategy Consulting "where visions are realised" 7th Floor, Hi Lite Business Park, Calicut http://www.ameenahsan.com +91-7558-900-800 info@ameenahsan.com *Kerala's finest experts for Feasibility Studies, Strategy Reports / Project Reports, Business Models and Vision Realisation* Why Marketing Plans are important for Shopping Malls?
*By Ameen Ahsan Strategy Consulting* A shopping mall's sales marketing plan describes the strategies the mall management will deploy to attract and retain tenants and to bring in more shoppers to these stores. Preparing a plan is critical to success because shopping malls compete with each other and with other retail clusters, such as shopping centers. In metropolitan areas, consumers have numerous choices of stores, ambiance and entertainment options. Implementing a sound plan enables a mall to build its competitive edge. A marketing plan for any business should include goals for the upcoming year. In a marketing plan, a key goal is the sales levels you want your tenants collectively to achieve. Set a goal for occupancy percentage -- the amount of available retail space that is occupied by tenants. A mall would also have a goal for rental income. Number of shoppers, also called visitor traffic, is another goal. With these goals in place, you can track your progress over the course of the year. The mall owner and his team must have a clear understanding of the target markets they want to reach and attract to the mall. Demographic characteristics of the area -- factors such as age and income level -- give you a good idea what your potential customer base may be. Also look at who your current customers are and whether there are additional groups you want to target. The marketing plan details the strategies and action plans the mall will use to find the right mix of tenants that fits the purchasing behavior and needs of its target markets. Shoppers coming to the mall to visit one store may find other stores appeal to them as well, necessitating some care into finding the right mix. The mall's management should devise tenant satisfaction strategies, such as conducting an annual survey of tenants to find out what they think the mall is doing really well and areas where the mall could provide better service. Your marketing and promotions strategies should make your mall stand out. Ads could focus on unique stores you have, the excitement and fun available at the mall, the spectacular design and layout of the mall, or the variety of restaurants there Ultimately you want to create a brand image for the mall, displaying why your mall provides a superior shopping experience. Ameen Ahsan Strategy Consulting "where visions are realised" 7th Floor, Hi Lite Business Park, Calicut http://www.ameenahsan.com +91-7558-900-800 info@ameenahsan.com *Kerala's finest experts for Feasibility Studies, Strategy Reports / Project Reports, Business Models and Vision Realisation* |
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