Whether on the world stage or within our own industry, negotiations are everywhere, and their results matter more than ever. In a time marked by geopolitical tension, fragile supply chains and economic uncertainty, the ability to negotiate effectively is not just a commercial ability, it is a survival tool. Within the meetings and events industry, where relationships are the basis of success, negotiation has evolved far beyond rates and contracts. It now demands strategic thinking, empathy, flexibility and a commitment to generate long -term trust and value.
In Teneo Hospitality GroupNot only do we see these changes, we commit ourselves to them directly. In recent conversations with our Customer Advisory Board, A group of professionals experienced leaders, we explore how today’s negotiations must address much more than prices. From navigating inflation and contingency planning to align with the shared results, the dialogue has become more nuanced and more collaborative. These ideas, combined with my own experiences, confirm that modern negotiation is about creating resistant associations that can resist any change.
In the course of my career, I have learned that the most successful negotiations in meetings and events are not defined by hardball tactics or rigid results: they are based on transparency, clarity, creativity and association. I have seen firsthand how to change the lens of “win” to “solve” can change all the dynamics. In one case, when the budget limitations of a planner seemed immovable, we revolved to the value values that the hotel could provide, which delegates a more significant impact without altering the rate. And during the chaos of early pandemic, when a contract collapsed overnight due to travel restrictions, it was our pre-negotiated flexibility, discussions and opportunities for mutually acceptable resolution, and a relationship based on the confidence that allowed us to pivot with grace.
“The best negotiations are not transactional: they are transformative. They build trust, solve problems, leave both stronger parts and, hopefully, create lasting associations.”
Below are some key principles that I have found essential to navigate with high -risk conversations in the meetings and events industry.
5 Beginning For stronger negotiation
1. Know its value and objectives
Planners: Be clear about the objectives of your event, the essentials and where it is flexible. Are better terms, additional concessions or rates relief?
Suppliers: Know what distinguishes it and how that supports the vision of the planner: go beyond prices to highlight the service, the value of the association or exclusivity.
2. Lead with collaboration, not confrontation
Planners: They frame their applicants as a resolution of collaborative problems. “How can we make this work within the budget?” Open more doors than demands.
Supplier: If you cannot adjust prices, explore what can DO: Specific hotel values such as VIP, Comp Wi-Fi updates, or reduced or renounced rates can be very useful.
Read more: The authenticity effect: how to be the one that causes collaboration and success
3. Take advantage of data and ideas
Planners: Bring the historical research, collection and compensation compensation to support your applicants. The data gives leverage.
Suppliers: Share seasonal trends, comparable ideas or historical reserve patterns to explain rates and establish expectations.
4. Values, allies and thought out of the box
Planners: If the price is firm, obtain creativity: flexibility with F&B commitments, the boundaries of longest room block limits, transparency with “essential” concessions can make a difference. Representation companies such as Teneo Hospitality Group They can also be powerful allies: reuse to them to help move the talks forward and take advantage of their deep relationships with their key hotel partners to facilitate discussions with you and decision makers to unlock an additional flexibility or improvements that they could not offer directly.
Suppliers: Offer improvements such as bonus loyalty points, VIP advantages, alter the resort rate to accommodate what the group values, hotel complements of the hotel or greater exposure to marketing to meet the needs of planners without reducing rates.
5. Keep it professional, always
Planners: Be transparent and respectful. Report suppliers if you are exploring other options and provides key decision factors and realistic deadlines.
Suppliers: Deliver what promises, when promising. Professionalism, transparency and monitoring of trust and earn businesses. Keep in constant contact because even no update is an update.
Negotiations can unlock incredible opportunities, but they can also go on a fast side if they are handled without care. I discovered that some of the most common traps are derived from being too aggressive, not listening completely or making promises that cannot be maintained realistically, each of which can quickly erode trust. When conversations become adverse or too positional, it is often a sign that the process needs a restart. Emotional intelligence and cultural conscience are not only pleasant, they are essential tools to read the room, build a good relationship and keep the conversations on the way. Avoiding these commonly common steps is the first step towards significant and mutually beneficial results and creating lasting associations.
Read more: Mastering Event Contracts: Negotiation strategies essential for meetings planners in 2025
Traps to avoid meetings and events of events
1. Be too aggressive or unrealistic
Planners: Pressing for deep discounts or excessive concessions without offering something in return, as possible commitments of several years or transparency around the needs of your business, including concessions, can erode trust and damage long -term relationships.
Suppliers: Keeping firmly in inflexible terms in a buyer’s market can push the planners towards competitors that show more adaptability.
2. Do not listen and understand
Planners: When a supplier explains its limitations, pause and listen. Understanding your perspective can reveal opportunities for a solution that benefits both sides.
Suppliers: Avoid unique size responses. Personate the proposals to the unique goals, limitations and preferences of each program.
3.
Planners: Do not commit to more than you can fulfill with confidence. Overestimation of the room blocks or other deliverables can lead to financial risk and loss of credibility.
Suppliers: Resist the impulse to exaggerate. Be honest about the availability, inclusions and service levels, and aims to exceed expectations, not below them.
4. With views of the small print
Planners: Read each clause, especially around penalties, cancellation and minimum spending. Negotiate these in advance avoids expensive surprises later.
Suppliers: Make sure contracts reflect all the agreed details to reduce misunderstandings and protect relationships.
5. Making it personnel
Planners and suppliers: Negotiation is about results, not egos. If the conversations are tense, go back and realize the shared objectives. And remember–Do not hide behind technology. A fast phone call or a conversation in person can generate a relationship, solve problems and move negotiations faster and more effectively than any email or text.
Final thoughts
In essence, negotiation in the meetings and events industry is a strategic dance that requires empathy and efficiency, with a long -term success that depends on trust, transparency and shared purpose. Whether it is a planner to defend for you or the needs of your client or a supplier and profitability balance service, the most shocking results arise when both parties feel heard, respected and aligned. In a relationship based on relationships, addressing negotiations with intention, creativity and collaboration will always open more doors than a hard line posture.
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Gary MurakamYoGTP, LPG, CMP, CMM, DES, is vice president of sales and relationships with the industry to Teneo Hospitality Group.
