Blog - Hospitality Lifestyles

Hospitality Networking at ConferenceDirect

by Doug Baarman | April 5, 2024 | Uncategorized | 0 Comments

It is an exciting time for Team Baarman @ConferenceDirect as we prepare to attend the ConferenceDirect Annual Partner Meeting in Arlington, TX. There will be over 20 members of our team attending and we are looking forward to networking with our industry partners. Our...

Meetings Matter for Sharing Powerful Ideas and Making Progress

by Doug Baarman | March 20, 2024 | Business, Hospitality | 0 Comments

How can a promising idea be truly valuable if it remains confined? We understand the power of sharing ideas, and we're dedicated to facilitating this exchange. Our specialty lies in orchestrating impactful meetings and events where the exchange of big ideas takes...

Building Community in the Hospitality Industry

by Doug Baarman | March 20, 2024 | Business Development Tips, Entrepreneur Advice, Hospitality | 0 Comments

I recently listened to Brian Buffini on his It’s a Good Life podcast share a thought that I believe applies directly to the hospitality industry; “community can’t exist without proximity.” The meetings and events industry is all about bringing people together, face to...

Join Team Baarman@ConferenceDirect For Success In The Hospitality Industry

by Doug Baarman | February 23, 2024 | Uncategorized | 0 Comments

Over the past few years, many have wanted to redefine their success within the hospitality industry but did not know where to start. They were concerned that the risks of taking the leap would outweigh the rewards. For those that have connected with Team Baarman...

Hospitality Industry: Enable Your Clients to Share Ideas

by Doug Baarman | May 8, 2023 | Business, Hospitality | 0 Comments

What is a good idea if it can’t be shared? Our team has been focused on enabling our clients to share their ideas as it is crucial for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, sharing ideas can spark innovation and creativity. By exchanging thoughts and perspectives,...

Assist Your Sales Leaders During the “Internal Sell” Before the RFP

by Doug Baarman | April 28, 2023 | Business, Hospitality | 0 Comments

Recently, I participated in a panel with three other intermediaries before a group of hospitality industry sales leaders in my local destination. We covered a lot of ground; RFPs, site visits, decision process, contracting and the levels of service being delivered...

How to Transition from Employee to Independent Contractor in the Hospitality Industry

by Doug Baarman | April 10, 2023 | Business, Career Transition Tips, Hospitality | 0 Comments

Are you ready to take the plunge and become your own boss in the hospitality industry? Transitioning from being an employee to an independent contractor can be an exciting and liberating move, but it can also come with its own set of challenges. But fear not! We've...

Independent Hospitality Professionals – 7 Benefits of Having A Business Coach

by Doug Baarman | March 6, 2023 | Business, Entrepreneur Advice, Hospitality, Independent Business Owner Tips | 0 Comments

Hospitality professionals…YOU oversee your career and need to invest in yourself by investing in a coach! A major part of my responsibilities includes coaching and mentoring each of the independent meeting planners that have joined my team. My passion is being a...

5 Steps to Working Remotely in the Hospitality Industry

by Doug Baarman | February 9, 2023 | Business, Career Transition Tips | 0 Comments

As many organizations move back to working in the office, there are exciting options that exist where you can still work remotely in the hospitality industry. These opportunities make it possible to chart your own course and become an entrepreneur in charge of where,...

Independent Hospitality Professional: Joining an Event Planning Company

by Doug Baarman | January 14, 2023 | Career Transition Tips, Hospitality | 0 Comments

We are sharing ten questions to ask when considering the best path to being an entrepreneur/independent event planner to ensure that this coming year is YOUR year! When I made the career change to being an independent business owner, I quickly realized there was not a...

9 Tips to Better Networking in the Hospitality Industry

by Doug Baarman | Jun 24, 2012

I spent over 20 years working for a few major brand name organizations and people interacted with me professionally because of these brand affiliations. I have since pursued my dream of being self employed and the first piece of advice I was given was to become good...

Working Successfully From Your Home Office: 8 Tips for the Hospitality and Event Professional

by Doug Baarman | May 19, 2012

Whether you have decided to break away and work on your own or if your company allows you to work from a home office, it can be overwhelming coming from a structured office environment. I have worked from an office in my home for over five years and have led or...

Handwritten Notes, Phone Conversations and Face to Face Discussions…Are They Still Being Utilized?

by Doug Baarman | Apr 19, 2012

Email, texting, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, MySpace, Tumblr, blogs and virtual meetings- how did we ever conduct business before these tools were invented? All of these can be effective for communications, but are they effective in building and...

March Madness: Event Experience Lessons for the Hospitality Industry?

by Doug Baarman | Mar 13, 2012

If you are watching any TV right now, you know that we are at the time of year when March Madness takes over the sports world. Even if you are not a college basketball fan, I am sure you have heard of this event…you may have even lost a spouse to a ‘road trip’ or to...

7 Quick Tips to Working with Meeting Management Companies

by Doug Baarman | Mar 4, 2012

Based on my affiliation with ConferenceDirect, I am often asked to share tips on the best way for hotels and other industry partners to work with meeting management companies. A full service meeting management company, like ConferenceDirect, assists organizations who...

Why Do Organizations Outsource? How Does It Impact YOU!

by Doug Baarman | Feb 14, 2012

Over the past few years, we have navigated our way through the worst recession our industry has experienced since 1971. The Great Recession, as it is now known, has changed the way many in our industry do business and many organizations have made the strategic...

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