 If you are a meetings industry supplier looking to connect with meeting planners, then you are going to want to watch this week's video. In a sea of messaging and social media posts, I'm highlighting some suppliers who have cut through the noise and have gotten my attention. I'm going to repeat that. They got my attention. Through their creativity, they were able to reach me and build a relationship with me in a way that a lot of suppliers at this time are missing the mark. So I want you to be inspired by their stories. I want you to hear how they did this. And more importantly, I want you to hear their advice as they share how they are moving forward during this time. Stick around and I'll show you all the good stuff. Hey friends, it's Leanne and sometimes it takes a pandemic for us to realize how fortunate we are to be in our industry. And yes, I said that we're fortunate. We've been hit hard, but there have been some incredible stories to come of this time of planners who are creating incredible things and suppliers who are changing the way that we do business in this industry. A few weeks ago, I did a post about event planners who are changing things up and creating some really interesting initiatives during this time. And you can view that video up here. Well this week, I'm highlighting some suppliers who are doing it. And they're doing it in a way that they're building relationships with their clients and prospects without the hard sell. And what this is doing, it's been my platform all along, is that they are building relationships. They're creating a place of trust and open communication so that when business opens again, we've already got that great introduction. And they've already told this incredible story. I've asked these suppliers to share what it is that they're doing during this time and share a nugget about how they're moving forward and doing the best they can with the time that we've been given. But before we dive into their stories, don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel. I'm creating content for the meetings industry every week, hopefully things that will inspire you and motivate you to keep going at this time and create a better strategy for when we come out of it and we start meeting again. Okay, so let's hear from these incredible partners. First up is Brian Crumby with Caesars Entertainment. Now as an associate of conference director, Brian is my NSO and he has a lot of us under his umbrella. So connecting with all of us couldn't have been easy. So here's what he did. Him and his colleagues created this incredible trivia contest and it was just a great way to end the day and a great way to connect with Brian and some of his colleagues and it was just so much fun. So I'm going to turn it over to Brian and let's see what he has to say about his awesome trivia. Hello, I'm Brian Crumby, associate director of key accounts and strategic partnerships with Caesars Entertainment. Our hearts go out to all of those impacted during these very difficult times. And when the time is right, we cannot wait to welcome our guests and customers back to our hotels and resorts. Early on, our team made a commitment to stay connected with our partners and guests. Through virtual trivia events, chef led cooking experiences and more, my colleagues and I have engaged with hundreds of customers and industry partners. Nothing replaces the joy of meeting face to face and until we meet again, these opportunities have provided us the chance to virtually connect with our friends new and old, share a smile and some much needed laughter. We're all in this together and it's important to take a moment and be grateful for our connections, albeit virtual, with our communities, our partners and our industry. If you're feeling stuck, get out and take a walk, phone a friend or sharpen your saw by learning more about our incredible industry. Keep moving. We'll be back stronger than ever and always remember, be kind, stay safe and take care. Next up is Sherry Honey with the River Creek Resort in Edmonton, Alberta. Sherry reached out to me, I guess it was about two months ago now. And just to say hi and just to see how I was doing. And a lot of suppliers have been doing that. And it's, it's really warmed my heart that they have been thinking about us during this time, but Sherry, here's where Sherry took it a little bit further. She, it was on a Wednesday that she reached out and she offered me and my family take out dining for that evening. And it was at a time when I had been cooking nonstop. It felt like forever. I couldn't even get a break, you know, to go to the hockey rink with my kid to get out of making dinner. So when Sherry offered, you know, dinner for my family, I can't tell you how welcoming that was for me. And she's been doing this every week with some of her planner clients. So let's hear from Sherry about this great initiative. She has such a big heart and I'm just such a fan of Sherry. So thank you again, Sherry, for what you've done for me and my family. Hello, I'm Sherry Honey, hotel manager of the River Creek Resort and Casino in Enoch, Alberta, Canada. We are located within Treaty Six land beside Edmonton, Alberta. So there's a national movement called Take Out Wednesday, which encourages people to support their local restaurants during these times. And to recognize our meeting planners and support this initiative, we've been gifting dinner to our amazing industry partners. Each week we select and reach out to an individual to surprise them with dinner. And we even encourage them to order a birthday cake or an extra dessert or even a bottle of wine if they're celebrating a special day. And our only ask is that they show all the social media love to their restaurant of choice. Personally, it is so fun to treat them and give them a chance to be a hero to their spouse or children. It's truly one of the highlights of my week. It helps me get unstuck from the stress and worry that I sometimes am feeling. We know that we will move through this. And one of the things that I do to keep feeling motivated is to actually take it day by day. It might be a cliche for a reason. Whenever I tried to plan week by week, I got caught up in that I should be doing this or I need to be doing this and it just was really stressful. So once I broke down my thoughts to a daily routine, then I truly was much more productive. I'm Sherri Honey, hotel manager of River Creek Resort and Casino. And we wish you and your loved ones the very best. Next up is Stephen Malville with the Sun Peaks Grand Hotel and Conference Center. This is a resort just outside of Kamloops, B.C. Now, here's the reason I'm highlighting Stephen. Stephen is a sales manager that was actually furloughed a couple of days in to after the hammer fell in our industry. But that did not stop Stephen from getting involved in everything that he could get his hands on. He played a huge role in our GMID goes virtual committee. He's always volunteering for MPI's BC chapter for PCMA's Canada West chapter. And he also provides leadership to Fraser Valley's Meeting Planning Association. He is always contributing, always helping, always lending a hand. I'm just so proud of Stephen. So honored to call him a friend. I've learned so much from him through this crisis, and I want him to share his story with you. Hi, everybody. I hope you're doing well out there. My name is Stephen Malville. I'm sales manager with the Sun Peaks Grand Hotel and Conference Center, president of the Fraser Valley Planning Association and MPI BC chapter member. Getting positive has been essential in my communication efforts with my partners, with our prospects and with my clients. And in my belief, I believe this will lead to a smoother recovery. There were currently a high percentage of sales managers that have worked for Loder otherwise, and I will admit that I myself am under that category, but it is important for me to keep active in my network and hope to inspire the idea of better days are ahead and to learn and create new ideas in our current landscape. Definitely a highlight of 2020 for myself will be part of the GMID goes virtual committee. It was such a huge honor to be amongst talented professionals who got to work alongside with and learn to put on a virtual event and how the marketing of this event impacted excitement amongst the community. I want to send a big, big thank you to Sean Chan with MCI Group and Gwylm, the spark of that management for having me on board. And I want to leave you with something that has been getting me through is the idea of the hope is a critical part of achieving a strategy. I have seen many venues in my region who are converting a hybrid element of virtual events in their space and then plan and then planners who are moving forward with fundraising and where it's jealous that we're in person platform and shifting it over to a virtual platform. So this shows the perseverance of how quickly we're able to adapt and grow. And as long as we have this mindset, we will get through this. And finally, we're going to showcase Patrick and his team at Quebec City Business Destination. Now, a lot of destinations have been reaching out and providing value in terms of things that they're doing locally. But again, there was just something different about how Quebec City positioned their marketing, and it was really brilliant. And I want Patrick to share how he did it. But I've come away with a better understanding of Quebec City, even though I've been there so many times. And I'm really appreciative of the way they were just able to package their message and deliver it to their clients during this time. Hi, I'm Pat from Quebec City. Quebec City was midway through its new brand launch when COVID-19 hit Canada. Basically, it changed everything overnight. Our first priority became our only priority, and that was looking after our clients. The whole team worked from home on a full-time basis. We stopped soliciting for new business and we reached out to all of our clients to make sure that they knew that we are available to help them find solutions. On the other hand, life goes on. Our new brand is entitled Quebec City Like No Other, and the new brand includes four videos that detail the human side of our business as our main focus. The first three videos include Foodie Like No Other, Vibrant Like No Other that focus on music and our joie de vivre, and Bright Like No Other that focus on our scientific and research community. We're keeping our fourth in our back pocket as a bit of a surprise as we move through the summer and fall cycle. The takeaway for me is that some things don't change. People do business with people, and it's important that they realize and understand that you care and that you are there to help them find a solution to their problems, period. I've sent some emails out to clients that I now call soft reach-outs. They're all personalized, but they all include empathy. So basically checking in with people to make sure they're OK, letting people know that my email may not be a priority for them right now. And that's fine. Asking one specific question, when would you like me to follow up with you? Nothing else. And then a link to a lifestyle-based experience in Quebec City. My most recent one provides a link to our well-liked maple syrup sauce. Feedback from folks has been positive, and the large majority of folks have replied to my email the same day. I hope you found this useful and do take care of yourself. Friends, I hope you found inspiration in these stories today. And this is really just the tip of the creative iceberg. Every day I'm seeing new stories pop up. It seems like everyone is getting better and better at creating relationships and telling their story to their clients. And I am loving it. I can't encourage you enough to keep going, keep creating those messages, keep reaching out to your clients and prospects at this time, because they do want to hear from you. I did a blog post and video about how much they want to hear from you. And you can find it here. And more importantly, I created some tangible things that you can try to connect with your clients and prospects during this time, even if you're furloughed and waiting to get back to work. Friends, if you are a meeting supplier or even a meeting planner with a story to share about how you are weathering this storm and building stronger relationships during this time, please reach out to me. I want to hear your story, either comment below this video or reach out to me through liankulderwood.com. For more practical tips on how you can connect with your clients using relational selling, head on over to liankulderwood.com. Thanks for watching, everyone. Bye for now.