The IMEX trade fair in Frankfurt gave the Radisson Group the opportunity to review the development of its technological solutions for meeting and event organisers. New features included a long-term partnership with MeetingPackage, one of the leaders in SaaS event management solutions, which gives the group access to a new distribution channel for its MICE offerings. An external channel through the connectivity of Radisson's EMMA platform to MeetingPackage's meetings and events booking software. This means that TMCs, DMCs, meeting planners and event organisers can book on the hotel group's Meetings&Events sites via external MICE platforms.
" With MeetingPackage as our channel manager, we are evolving our distribution strategy for groups and meetings and events to be "the easiest hotel chain to do business with"." says Angela Graun, Vice President, Sales Operations and Meetings & Events. This technology will start to be deployed at certain Radisson hotels in the UK from this May, before it is extended to the Group's entire portfolio in the EMEA region. Its main target markets in the MICE segment - Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands - should be the first to benefit.
Earlier in the year, the Radisson group had already demonstrated this increasingly strong integration of technology in its MICE distribution with the unveiling of Radisson Meetings Unbound, a AI-powered generator of innovative ideas. A solution that also allows organisers to give free rein to their imagination by creating forward-looking event spaces through the Radisson Meetings Dream Machine.
Furthermore, at the end of 2023, Radisson reinforced this digital strategy by offering immersive tours of more than 120 hotels, enabling organisers to explore rooms and meeting spaces from their computer, smartphone or virtual reality headset. In the same vein, at the IMEX trade show, the group went a step further by presenting a new tool designed in conjunction with the HeadBox venue finder: the HeadBox 3D Studio. Here too, immersive experiences are on offer, with the tool making it possible to create guided tours in just a few minutes by combining 3D tours with videos of narrators generated by AI. Visits to establishments can be personalised according to expectations.
To speed up conversion into bookings, these visits are integrated into the Book It Easy tool which, in addition to these immersive experiences, allows organisers to book a venue directly or send a request for proposal for that specific space. With success, qualified requests for meetings and events have grown by +35% and booking conversions by 12%. As a result, Radisson is gradually rolling out this technology to all its hotels worldwide.
In the same vein, the group has begun to automate the request for proposal process using the AI-based technology of the hivr.ai booking engine. This solution eliminates the need to fill in forms manually, check availability or send follow-up e-mails, thereby reducing the time taken to respond to calls for tender and providing instant answers on availability and rates. This digital offensive in the MICE segment will continue this year with "new booking management tools, room list options, prepayments and group booking opportunities", says the hotel group.
