Finding the right meeting planners can be challenging. Broad marketplaces may deliver volume, but they do not always deliver qualified demand, strong relationships, or profitable group business.
Your sales team needs more than a list of contacts. You need access to planners who understand your property, source programs that match your capabilities, and value long-term hospitality partnerships.
The Beyond Collection helps you do exactly that. It is a commission-free marketplace connecting meeting planners with luxury independent hotels and resorts through private events, an online community, and strategic sourcing tools.
Here are five ways your property can connect with qualified meeting planners and build a stronger group business pipeline.
1. Why should my property join The Beyond Collection?
The Beyond Collection gives your team direct access to a curated meeting planner community of 8,000+ qualified planners.
Planners are vetted before joining the community and before attending events. Their meeting history helps The Beyond Collection understand their business, program types, and sourcing needs. This creates better alignment between your property and the planners you meet.
The community includes planners who source:
- Executive retreats
- Incentive programs
- Corporate meetings
- Leadership conferences
- Board meetings
- Team-building experiences
- Multi-day private events
This qualification process helps you spend less time sorting through broad, low-intent leads and more time developing relationships with planners who may have a genuine fit for your hotel or resort.
The network includes recognized hospitality partners such as The Broadmoor, Pebble Beach Resorts, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, The Greenbrier, Nemacolin, Sea Island, Casa de Campo, and The Dorchester London, among others.
See the hospitality partner network to learn more about the properties already participating.
Tawny Herron's Advice:
“I’m so thankful to the team for putting together such thoughtful events that connect planners with hotels, and showcase amazing luxury destinations at the same time.”
: Tawny Herron, Standard Insurance Company
2. What hospitality networking events are available?
The Beyond Collection hosts private, member-only events designed to help hospitality partners connect with the right planners in the right setting.
Each format serves a different purpose. Your team can choose the opportunities that best match your sales goals, target markets, and available resources.
Showcase
A Showcase is an evening networking event where planners connect with a select collection of luxury hotels and resorts.
Use this format to:
- Introduce your property to new planners
- Share your destination story
- Highlight your meeting spaces and signature experiences
- Create initial connections in a relaxed environment
Showcase events are especially useful when you want to build awareness and start conversations with planners who may not yet know your property.
Regional Marketplace
A Regional Marketplace is an overnight event featuring dedicated 1:1 sessions between hospitality partners and select planners.
This format gives you more time for focused business conversations. Prepare to discuss:
- Program dates and patterns
- Room-night potential
- Meeting space requirements
- Food and beverage expectations
- Budget parameters
- Decision timelines
- Next steps for an RFP or site inspection
The structured format makes Regional Marketplaces a valuable option for qualifying real opportunities and strengthening relationships.
Summit
A Summit is a three-day event that combines presentations, keynote speakers, business education, and 1:1 sessions.
Summits allow you to position your property as more than a venue. By participating in conversations about industry trends, program design, and the future of meetings, you can demonstrate the expertise behind your sales and operations teams.
Use the Summit to build relationships that may lead to:
- Repeat programs
- Multi-year business
- Broader account partnerships
- Strategic referrals
- Deeper planner loyalty
Virtual Events
Virtual Events make it easier to stay visible between in-person gatherings. These include:
- Webinars spotlighting select properties
- Lunch n’ Learns focused on timely industry topics
- The Virtual Sourcing Summit
- Other online programs for the community
Virtual Events can help you reach planners who cannot travel while giving your team a cost-effective way to nurture relationships and share updates.
Review the hospitality networking events calendar for current event details.
3. How can my sales team prepare for better planner conversations?
The quality of your results depends on how intentionally you prepare.
Before a Showcase, Marketplace, Summit, or Virtual Event, align your team around one clear goal. For example, you may want to grow corporate retreats from the Northeast or generate more incentive business for shoulder-season dates.
Then prepare the following:
- A concise property positioning statement
- Sample meeting and event programs
- Current group availability
- Relevant floor plans and capacities
- Seasonal offers or value-adds
- Examples of successful programs
- A clear follow-up process
During each conversation, ask questions that help you understand the planner’s business. Focus on the type of programs they book, their typical room-night volume, preferred destinations, and planning timelines.
Avoid delivering the same generic pitch to every person. Instead, connect your property’s strengths to the planner’s actual needs.
If your resort specializes in full buyouts, highlight privacy and exclusivity. If your hotel excels at executive retreats, focus on service, ease of access, and productive meeting environments. If your destination is known for incentive travel, emphasize memorable experiences and seamless group logistics.
Andrew Girona's Advice:
“In the midst of overwhelming large-scale events, The Beyond Collection offers a more intimate experience with a focus on quality and ensuring Meeting Planners and Hoteliers are maximizing their opportunity with each meeting.”
: Andrew Girona, Rosewood Baha Mar
4. What ROI can my property expect?
The Beyond Collection is designed to generate high-quality, commission-free leads rather than unqualified volume.
A single RFP through the channel averages:
- 3 properties
- 150 total room nights
- $565 average daily rate
The channel’s conversion ratio is also one of the highest in the industry, with more than 25% of RFPs converting to contracted business.
Your results will vary based on your property, destination, availability, response strategy, and membership participation. However, these benchmarks provide a useful starting point for evaluating potential value.
To track ROI, establish benchmarks before joining. Measure:
- RFPs received
- RFP response time
- Qualified planner conversations
- Site inspections scheduled
- Contracts signed
- Total room nights
- Average daily rate
- Revenue generated
- Repeat business from planner accounts
The Beyond Collection also offers hospitality partners marketing opportunities, events, consulting support, and access to real-time data on planner engagement and competitive sets.
Membership is available through a la carte or packaged options, customized based on the size of your sales team and the events and marketing opportunities you want to use.
5. Why does the commission-free model matter to hotels?
Commission-free matters because your property retains more revenue from every meeting or event booked through the channel.
Hotels and resorts generally prefer non-commissioned business. When there is no commission paid to The Beyond Collection, more of your revenue remains available to support the guest experience, protect profitability, and create value for the planner.
The model is straightforward:
- Your property pays an annual membership fee.
- Membership may be purchased a la carte or as part of a package.
- The Beyond Collection charges no commission on meetings or events booked through its events or The Hive.
This creates a more transparent relationship between your sales team and the planner. It also allows you to focus conversations on the value of your property, the needs of the program, and the long-term opportunity.
For planners, the commission-free model can also create room for better concessions, such as room upgrades, complimentary meals, or additional amenities for guests.
How does The Hive support hotel and planner connections?
Private events create the relationship. The Hive helps you continue and manage it.
The Hive is The Beyond Collection’s exclusive online community and sourcing resource. Planners use it to send and manage RFPs, participate in peer-to-peer discussions, and access special announcements and offers from hospitality partners.
Planners can also earn Sweet Rewards loyalty points by contracting business with hospitality partners and referring other meeting planners to The Beyond Collection. Points may be exchanged for experiential stay packages, amenities, and exclusive gifts.
For your team, The Hive can simplify the sourcing process by giving you a central place to:
- Review incoming RFP information
- Respond to qualified opportunities
- Share property updates and offers
- Continue conversations after events
- Build visibility with the planner community
To make the most of the platform, keep your property profile current. Include accurate meeting capacities, room information, seasonal considerations, unique experiences, and the types of programs your team handles best.
Learn more about The Hive and The Beyond Collection’s sourcing tools.
What is the best way to get started?
Start by identifying the business you want to grow. Then consider which event formats and marketing opportunities support that goal.
A practical next step is to:
- Review your target planner segments.
- Identify the destinations and regions where you want more business.
- Gather current property collateral and meeting information.
- Select the events that align with your sales strategy.
- Request membership details from The Beyond Collection.
By following these steps, you can replace broad, time-consuming outreach with a more focused approach to hospitality networking events, hotel networking events, and private events planning.
Your property does not need to connect with every planner. You need to connect with the planners whose programs, expectations, and business goals align with your hotel or resort.
Ready to take your group business strategy to the next level? Request membership details from The Beyond Collection and learn how your property can connect with qualified meeting planners through a commission-free marketplace, private events, and The Hive.
