In the fast-paced business climate in which most hoteliers operate these days--where e-mails flood our in-boxes and meetings overstuff our schedules--the last thing most hotel management professionals want to think about is voluntarily taking on any more “optional” responsibilities. But somehow, the top professionals in the lodging industry manage to carve out time to participate in the many professional societies and/or trade associations available to virtually every discipline within our industry.

Just take a look at the lists of officers and board members for any industry association, and you will see a virtual “who’s who” of the top minds in their profession, representing the top companies in their market segments.

Why are these top performers willing to invest time and energy in participating? Why are their companies willing to make the investment in association fees and costs to attend conferences, meetings and events? Do these “top producers” bring value to their companies by participating?

As a 20-plus year member of several hospitality trade organizations, I have asked these questions from time to time, especially during January each year when I receive renewal invoices for my annual membership dues. For me, I continue to find during my annual re-assessments that my active participation is worth the total investment many times over.

Depending on the discipline you are working in, participation in trade associations provides many different returns on our investment in time, energy and our company’s money.

Sales/marketing associations

There are numerous hospitality sales-and-marketing-related trade associations and professional societies available to career-minded sales and marketing managers, with the most famous being the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (), which has more than 7,500 members worldwide and has been around more than 75 years. HSMAI has expanded its scope over the years to serve the needs of a wide range of sales and marketing professionals. Through its numerous special interest groups, HSMAI has created professional societies for revenue managers, Internet marketing specialists and resort marketing specialists, to name a few.

One benefit of membership in HSMAI is that you automatically receive several publications, including the quarterly Marketing Review and the monthly eConnect updates. These publications will ensure that you are up-to-date on the latest best practices, consumer trends and futurists’ predictions.

You also will have the option of participating in national, regional and local events such as annual strategy conferences, regional HSMAI University training workshops and local HSMAI chapter events. In addition to the educational benefit of attending these events, you’ll have a great opportunity to brainstorm and network with your industry colleagues and to explore with them what works and what doesn’t in the real world.

Besides HSMAI, there are many other excellent hotel sales and marketing associations such as:

  • Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Assn.
  • International Association of Reservations Executives
  • Central Reservations Association of Destination Resorts

Hotel management associations

There also are numerous associations targeting hotel operations and general managers. Depending on the destination you are working in, there are likely to be local hotel and motel associations as well as a state hotel or tourism association. By participating in the state and local associations, you’ll make sure you stay up to date on local business trends, co-op marketing opportunities, and keep abreast of any potential regulatory/legislative changes that might have a negative impact on your business. (Many of these associations also are involved formally or informally in lobbying their regional and state governments on tourism-related interests.)

Other benefits of participating in state and local associations is that you can receive frank and honest input about how industry vendors and suppliers perform, which is extremely helpful in making future buying and contract decisions.

Perhaps the most well known national association is the American Hotel & Lodging Assn. (). By participating nationally in the AH&LA events, you’ll make sure you are kept up to date on the latest consumer trends, newest technology systems and that you’ll not be caught off guard by any unexpected changes that might come down the line.

Besides the AH&LA and your state and local hotel associations, there are groups serving other niches of the lodging industry, such as:

  • American Resort Development Assn.
  • Caribbean Hotels Assn.
  • Vacation Rental Manager’s Assn.

Besides hotel management and hotel sales/marketing, virtually every profession within the lodging industry has its own associations. Here are examples:

  • American Culinary Federation
  • Association of Catering & Event Professionals
  • Canada Tourism Human Resource Council
  • Council of Hotel & Restaurant Trainers
  • Hospitality Financial & Technology Professionals
  • International Association of Conference Centers
  • Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education
  • International Hotel & Restaurant Assn.
  • International Society of Hospitality Consultants
  • National Association of Catering Executives
  • National Concierge Assn.
  • National Restaurant Assn.

Again, depending on your profession, the benefits of participating include discovering best practices, staying abreast of legal changes and establishing networking relationships with what are likely to be the top minds of your profession.

Getting the most out of participation

While simply joining an association will provide some benefits, such as access to newsletter, publications and special reports, active participation will yield the most benefits. Here are some tips for maximizing the return on your investment of time, energy and money:

  • Maintain participation over the long-term. Understand that the longer you participate, the more your relationships with other members will grow and the more they will be willing to network and share their insights with you.
  • Join a committee or the board. Although not everyone has time to be an officer or president, participation on a committee or task force helps you establish new relationships and contacts that can later serve as resources for you when you are checking references on a vendor or job applicant.
  • Reach out to new members and prospects. Over time, you no doubt will make numerous friends, and it becomes easy to spend the entire meeting catching up with those you already know. But by looking for those “new member” nametag ribbons and making it your job to welcome them, you’ll continuously expand your network of professional colleagues.

Lastly and most importantly, make sure you participate in industry trade associations for altruistic reasons and not look for immediate, direct benefits. Surely you will find that when you give back to the industry, the benefits come back to you in many unexpected, indirect ways, with the paybacks always exceeding your investment many times over.

Doug Kennedy
Kennedy Training Network (KTN)