It doesn’t matter what you call them: family cheats, unscrupulous people, or schemers who just don’t understand the rules. But there seems to be someone on every family trip (short for “familiarity trip,” showcasing things to do in a destination to interested planners) by faking his or her meeting history, or hoping to get VIP treatment, free tickets or exclusive access rights.
The organizer of a popular buyer hosting event shared this anecdote with Skift Meetings:
“During our show, an angry sponsor asked me about one of our attendees. The attendee demanded—no, insisted—that the sponsor let him and his wife (who he brought) Spent a few nights at her resort.
When she refused to commit, he began texting to pressure her. “To say I was shocked would be an understatement.”
Michel Couturier, managing partner of MarketID, vividly recalls his worst offender: a planner he brought in with his business partners. “We booked two single rooms. After they checked in, we learned that the planner and business partner were married and sharing one room. They gave the other room to their daughter, who had come from the UK to spend time with them. Organizer The unit provided a chauffeur driven car for the half day tour and the planner insisted on keeping the car for the rest of the day without paying extra. This was a nightmare and we almost lost the customer.
Other stories include people taking advantage of family members to pay for holiday flights but requesting a return flight back to that city, or worse, registering for events, canceling the reservation after booking the flight and cashing in points for their personal use.
Jennifer W. Brown, president and CEO of Meeting Sites Resource, said novice planners may not understand the rules. “When you’re new to the industry, everything ‘seems’ to be free, and many times, inexperienced planners may not realize that their requests are unreasonable or unethical.
“But we also see big-name planning firms and large third parties dramatically inflate their business and expect that all fees and freebies should be extended to them. Planners who work for big-name companies sometimes feel that hotels should be responsible for owning their business. And it’s an honor,” she said. “Somehow people overlook that hotels are ‘for profit’.”
Planners beware
The CVB and tourism boards do their best to control situations of home scams. The Vienna Convention Bureau reports that it organizes three to four family trips a year with up to 10 meeting planners per trip and has encountered no scammers. Helena Steinhart, International Media Relations Manager, said: “We work closely with marketing and sales agencies who rely on sources of potential attendees through ongoing market presence, industry events, networking and targeted desk research And established.
There have been attempts in the past to collect scammer sightings from various convention bureaus. Cindy Hoddeson, former North American director of the Monaco government’s tourism board, recalls a number of European tourism boards forming an organization called EuroMeet. “We meet regularly and share information and experiences on FAM trips. There used to be a list, but it was no longer printed due to potential legalities.
Right now, the best tool they have is communicating with each other. Many international DMOs belong to the European National Conference Bureau Strategic Alliance, which consists of 29 organizations. “The international CVB community is very close-knit. We respect each other as friendly competitors,” said Leila Heller, Director of Business Events for the Americas and Australia at VisitBritain/VisitEngland. “As we recruit talent for family travel and a range of other programs, we really connect with each other. If it helps all of us create a better experience for our buyers, and equally helps our partners in each destination, Then it’s a win-win.
