It's Time to BLOOM!!!!
My overall experience has been awesome! I will be going out with a bang on March 10th to Chicago! My applied study site has asked me to assist with their corporate meeting planning and onsite. I am very excited! I have learned a lot about the hospitality industry during my internship. Before my sales and marketing internship I never thought I would do well as a sales associate. I was wrong because I ROCK! This position has helped me grow in many ways. I now know that I would like to do sales in a hotel. Before the internship I was strictly meetings and incentive programs. My internship has opened my eyes to other career paths in the industry and that I am thankful for!
I gained many sales, marketing and communication skills during my internship. I also learn many different terms that are used in the hotel industry. This will help me understand the hotel system a lot better and also give me chance to show off my skills during my interviews. Without a doubt my experience was positive! I met a lot of great people and I now have a seed planted; now I am waiting for my career to blossom. . I also believe that by choosing my applied study site at HPN I will never look back and have a bad experience. I will always remember that working at HPN I was able to find a career that I love and fit in completely. Now if the economy would pick back up I can find a great job in a HOTEL hopefully not in AZ!!

The NEED for ChAnGe...
The company that I work for is a multimillion dollar hotel resourcing firm for meeting planners. As for improvement to the company I would have to say they are doing well on their own as a “whole” company. As for separate departments within the company the marketing department is struggling. The marketing department is lacking communication, commitment and trust. The root of the issues stem from the marketing manager. I am in the sales and marketing department and we do not have a quota or number of leads that we need to produce each day or week. There has been an attempt by our manager to start using incentives (an idea that i introduced) for our team goals each month. For example our manager said she would take the top sales rep for each month out to lunch. January was the month that I generated the most sales leads and it’s almost the end of April and I have still not been taken out to lunch. That is one example of communication, commitment, and motivation that could be improved by the marketing manager. There are a number of examples that I could explain but I don’t want to bore you all. So, let’s take a look at how the manager could improve her communication for the marketing team.
I believe that time management and organization would be a great way to help my manager solve this problem. I know this because time management and organization has been a great theory to go by during college. There were many times that I balanced school, work, friends, relationships, family, clubs and travel into my life. I am not saying it was easy but also was a great learning experience for me so that I can apply it to the corporate world. Time management would help my manager understand the amount of work she has and the amount of time she can do it in. Organization will assist her with setting goals and prioritizing her job responsibilities. These tools will allow her to think with a clearer head and responsibly.
There have been so many incentives, promises, and team training that our manager said she would do for us. So I think being able to have her understand her time management and organization skills would give our marketing team a sense of stability and trust when it comes to our manager’s word. Right now we don’t believe anything that comes out of her mouth because everything she has said she would do has not happened. I do not have the authority to confront my manager about her work ethic or lack thereof. So I would have to introduce it in a very non threatening way. One approach I am going to try is to bring up certain incentives, promises and team training that would make her realize that she has not kept her word. I would approach it in a way that would not come across as threatening or demoting. By mentioning certain situations or promises that she has made would hopefully help her understand that she is not performing the way she should.

Interview with Tulcy Jones (used to be Patel) My Marketing Manager
I asked Tulcy sixteen questions regarding her position with Hospitality Performance Network.
JB: What types of Challenges to do you face on a daily bases?
TJ: The main challenges that I face on a daily bases are time management, sales objections and getting a hold of meeting planners. I also struggle with organization on a daily bases.
JB: How do you deal with deadlines, stress, difficult people and internal politics with HPN?
TJ: With deadlines and stress I tend to focus on organization and time management so that I do not get overwhelmed. When it comes to difficult people I try to keep my cool and be optimistic with I have trouble making sales calls and working with clients over the phone. Politics with the company include administration and sales. Also promoting HPN when they are at social events with professional behavior and respect.
JB: What do you like and dislike about your position as a marketing manager?
TJ: I enjoy the challenge that I encounter with sales. I also enjoy marketing HPN and its brand to other hotels. I also enjoy the diverse role that I have as a marketing manager. The main problem that I have being in a manager position is that there seems to be no time at all to get everything done.
JB: How can you make the work day go smoother?
TJ: I know that if I had better time management I would be able to make my work day go a lot smoother. I also think that if I did not have so many last minute projects that seem to creep up on a daily bases I would be able to work quicker and get more of my responsibilities done.
JB: How do you feel about working with others?
TJ: I really enjoy working with others. But I also enjoy having my independence as a manager.
JB: How do you separate the professional from personal life?
TJ: Family and friends know not to contact me M-F 8-5. They know that if they need to get a hold of me then they have to wait for the evening or weekend. I also deal with personal stuff when I get home from work.
JB: Do you enjoy working on group projects?
TJ: Yes, I do enjoy working on group project with others.
JB: What is your ideal working environment?
TJ: basically what I am working in now. I enjoy everyone that I work with. I like that it is a laid back and casual environment. I also take pleasure in working with others but then have the opportunity to work alone in my office.
JB: How does your personality hinder the way you communicate with others during conflict resolution?
TJ: As a person I do not enjoy conflict to I have a hard time giving negative feedback during team reviews, and performance reviews. I also tend to solve the problems on my own before I go to higher management.
JB: How did you education and experience prepare you for your current position?
TJ: I used to work for a high end law firm in London. I believe that career prepared me for the corporate world with confidence. I was able to prepare myself for sales while being educated in risk management.
JB: Who do you mentor and respect at Hospitality Performance Network?
TJ: I would have to say my mentor is Bill Kiser because he used to be the marketing manager so I have always looked up to him. I respect Bill Kilburg because he is the owner of HPN and if it wasn’t for him I would not know everything I do now.
JB: Who have you reached out to or have got the most training from?
TJ: I would have to say John Murillo because he helped me focus on my sales calls. I also tapped into his sales calls to see what makes him motivated and how he approaches objections when clients don’t want to hear about the services we offer.
JB: what were your career goals when you first graduated college?
TJ: I wanted to continue working for the law firm in London and I was in the process of getting my VISA to come to the US.

LIVING in the SHADOW...

This week I shadowed my marketing manager. I unfortunately caught her on a really bad week because she was stressed. Basically I would listen to her on the phone and take notes on her sales pitch. After we finished her marketing calls she then called her clients directly. By listening to her over the phone it gave me a refresher for my own sales calls. After she called and touched base with her clients and the hotels they are working with we continued on with administrative work. Every time the marketing representatives (me) would finish calling a list from the associate the marketing manager has to record the number of leads that were generated by the reps.
One thing that I noticed about my marketing manager is that she was not as organized as she should be by the number of responsibilities she has. By shadowing my manager I was able to polish on my own sales pitch. I also was able to recognize that my manager has a number of responsibilities and even though she could have better organizational skills she still is a great manager.

The PassPort into Jenn's World

Who she is:
Jenn is one of many people who is confident, devoted, motivated and caring. Although, her emotional side can take over she knows how to truly express her passion for others.

What you receive from her:
Jenn will continue to give her best to whoever enters her journey in life. She will be genuine, supportive and will give 100% of her love. One other attribute she will distribute to others is her humor and wittiness. She always seems to amaze others by what continues to come out of her mouth. She will also give you spontaneity and passion for life. The adventurous side of her will take others to a new level of like they have never been before.

What she is looking for:
Jenn is a great communicator that is looking for something to allow her to express her full understanding of people to her full intensity. She is also looking to work somewhere in the tourism industry to show her true passion for travel and learning new cultures.

Jenn's motivation:
She is motivated by her determination and self worth. With these characteristics she can and will concur anything that came comes her way. No matter what opportunity Jenn will encounter she will always do her best!

Helloooo!
Currently in my applied study I am doing a lot of sales and marketing for my applied study. Yes, I could see myself doing doing more sales and marketing in my futures career. The only difference is that I do not want to be sitting in a cubicle and on the phones the whole time. I would life to incorporate my sales and marketing experience through travel, working in a fast paste setting and working face to face with customers.
My applied study will enhance my future career goals in the way that I am getting hotel sales and marketing experience and I am also understanding the logistics of planning large group corporate meetings. I will take all this experience will benefit me in many ways when my goal will be met by working in a hotel. The experience is also helping me communicate with customers one the phone which will enhance my communication skills in any career path that I chose.
I would have to say that I would like to work for Hospitality Performance Network in the future. But I really want to work in a hotel for many years to gain more experience in the sales side so that I can come back to HPN and be a very success full Sales Executive Associate. Meaning that I would book my own business and from home. That is the ideal job for me when I am settled down with a family. Right now I am itching to get out and gain my own clientele by working in a hotel or some other hospitality position.
Currently I am very happy with my applied study site and position that I am in. One thing that I dislike is that I am cooped up in a office all day. I want to eventually be working where I can be active by walking, traveling, and moving at a fast pace during the day.
I am learning a lot about communication, sales, marketing, meeting planning, and hospitality knowledge that will all enhance my career skills in this Field. I Know that this applied study site has been a huge impact on where I am today.
Working in an education setting has never been something that I have wanted to do. I would never want to have a class room of my own that is not where my passion is. I do now that I am very open to educating others on different cultures, experiences, and traveling. The only education that I would see myself doing in the futures is overseas in a unprivileged community/village or working in the Peace Corps.

Hello again,
One theory that I have learned in my conference planning course is called attrition. This is used in the hotel industry. Attrition is basically a theory that a hotel use so that they do not lose any money when they host a large meeting at their hotel. For example if a hotel has a room block of 150 rooms and only 100 of those rooms are filled during the conference the meeting planner is responsible to pay the hotel back for those open rooms. That is one theory that I have learned from within the class room and also in my applied study site. Another theory that I have learned is “How to create a stronger Reputation” within a corporation. I learned this theory in my corporate communication course that I am currently taking. To be able to create and keep a strong reputation for a company is to advertise which will create goodwill and enhance reputation by letting the consumers in on what the organization is all about. By constantly letting the consumers in on their communication and marketing of their products and specials this will help them keep a strong and innovative reputation for their company. This relates to any type of industry and especially in the hospitality field. Right now with the economy I think every company should be creating a stronger reputation for themselves to keep their consistency of their consumers. Without a doubt this type of theory can relate to any company and field of study.

Hey Class, I hope every ones study site is going well. After doing some research I found out that Hospitality Performance Network is a interdisciplinary company. I know this because interdisciplinary is a community or project that is made up of people from multiple disciplines and professions who are engaged in creating and applying new knowledge as they work together as equal stakeholders in addressing a common challenge. I would also describe HPN as a community project that is made up five different departments. For those of you who have never heard of Hospitality Performance Network they are a hotel resourcing firm for meeting and conference planners. The five departments that HPN has are associates, marketing, purchasing, destination management, and operations. The marketing department is where I am doing most of my internship. Associates are the ones who find the clients and pass out the call list to the marketing department. The associates normally have 5+ years in the hotel industry. The marketing department is the foundation of the company. The marketing department is where the magic happens! Marketing representatives (myself) make cold calls to companies, associations, businesses, societies and accounts. Then from there they offer the hotel resourcing services to each client. If the client is interested then it gets handed over to the purchasing team. The purchasing team then finds the best rates for each client.
The Operations and destination management are more directed to the actual meetings side of the company. These departments help execute the meetings. They are the ones that are actually on site when the meetings are going on. They travel to anywhere in the US and international depending on where the meeting or conference is being held. The destination management coordinator finds the activities that the attendees will be doing at the conference/ meetings. They will do the research in the city that the meeting is being held.
I would have to say that HPN is a model of the hierarchical. This model is tree like structure that repeats itself. In this company there are certain steps that need to happen in order to have a successful company. The process that i described above is something that is repeated several times during the day and year for the company.

My name is Jennifer Benson and I am currently a senior at ASU. I will be graduating in May 2009. I am so excited to where I will end up and to see what I will be doing. The future is so unpredictable, that at times it makes me nervous but I know everything happens for a reason. For my BIS degree I have chosen Human Communication and Tourism Development and Management. When I was a freshman in college I had no idea what I wanted to do. There were so many options that I was interested in. I will never forget the moment when I decided on what to major in.
My best friend Lauren was studying abroad in Norwich, London. I went to visit and travel with her for about 2 and half weeks. We were on a train coming back from spending the weekend in London and traveling back to Norwich. We talked about all the different opportunities and majors that I could try and she mentioned Human Communication. I was like how to do you major in communication it seems to easy and broad. Lauren said, “I think that major would be perfect for you because you love to be around people and learn about them”. “Majoring in communication, you will not only learn about people but you learn how to communicate and understand other cultures, interact with others in certain situations and just understand the idea behind communicating with other human beings”. I had never felt so relieved in my life. I sat there on the 2 hour train ride smiling because I figured it out! I am not really sure how I decided to major in Tourism, I guess you could say I followed my heart. My whole life I have been interested in the world and its beauty. I have never been the type of person to stay in one place and I have always wanted to experience everything. I thought majoring in Tourism would open that door to many possibilities and opportunities for me to see the world and explore everything it has to offer. So far in my life I have been to eight different countries and traveled around the US. I am certainly not done. One of my goals in life is to travel to Egypt and it will happen! :)
Anyways enough of my hopes and dreams, let’s talk about the present. I will be doing my applied study with Hospitality Performance Network. Basically our company is a site selection and consulting firm for corporate meeting planners. Meeting planning is something that I am interested in and will be focusing a lot on that aspect of the company during my internship. Right now in my applied study I am currently a marketing representative. Later on I will be working with the operations side of the company and will help onsite at the meetings. During this internship I hope to learn academically that I can incorporate my communication skills in a corporate environment. I also want to gain knowledge about the hospitality industry so that during my job search I am able to communicate effectively with industry professionals. On a personal level I want this experience to send me in a positive direction to where I need to be in my career.
So far my responsibilities have been to make sales calls to corporations, accounts, and associations, small and large businesses and sell our services to meeting planners. I have also been working the marketing manager and learning behind the scenes administrative work! Everything has been great this week and last! So far both of my concentrations are being well observed. I am using my communication skills everyday and while making sales calls. I am using the tourism side because I am talking with hotels and learning about the hospitality industry.
As far as my future goals I am an open book. I would really like to work in a hotel/resort when I graduate and that is my main goal right now. I am currently in a great position as far as working with Hospitality Performance Network. I have already met so many great people while being here that are in the hotel industry. As of right now I am on the right path to success.