Assignment: Sales Trip Planning

Event Sales

Sales Trip Planning Assignment

You are a sales manager for the Hilton Orlando.  You are proposing to embark upon a four-day sales trip meeting with planners within your chosen geographic market.  You may wish to target corporate groups, association groups, incentive groups, SMERF groups or a mix on this trip.  You will be submitting a travel proposal that outlines the purpose of the trip (why you are traveling to the city you choose), proposed travel itinerary, and all proposed travel expenses.   

First:  Perform research on which prospects/planners you want to meet with (research only - this is not your writing assignment)

Your goal is to set a minimum of 8 appointments during your trip within a four-day period.  You will research the following for each appointment:

• Company Name
• Address
• Meeting Planner Contact
• Potential Business Opportunity - prospecting, current business, relationship maintenance/repeat

This should be an impactful function where you can spend quality time with some of your key clients. 

What makes a company a good choice for a sales call?  Here are a few questions you would ask when researching:

• Do they hold meetings/conventions?
• Have they held meetings within Orlando before?
• Have they done business with my company before?
• Are they the right type of customer for my business? (i.e.:  budget, pattern, group profile)

Second:  Plan Your Trip (This is your writing assignment - include this only in your Webcourses submission)

You will need to plan all aspects of your trip you are taking and turn in a professional Travel Proposal which includes the following:

• Cover Page
• Proposed Travel Dates
• Detailed Itinerary (by day and time)
• Detailed Daily Schedule of Appointments.  Include the following from you research:
  
  • Company Name
  • Address
  • Meeting Planner/Company Contact
  • Potential Business Opportunity – prospecting, current business, relationship maintenance/repeat
• Transportation
  • Airfare (include flight information)
  • Ground Transportation (include information on your rental car, or taxis, Uber etc.)
• Accommodations
  • Name of Hotel
  • Room Rate per night
• Meals & Entertainment
  • Company policy dictates a $70 per day per diem for yourself for your own meals
  • You must provide requested budget and rationale for additional client entertaining (dinners, entertainment, etc. - not included in your $70.00 per diem)
• Collateral Needs & Gifts (Take-Aways)
• Budget:  One page itemized summary
• Conclusion:  Strongly defend why this trip is important in your closing statements.