by Bruce Harris

What does that analogy have to do with the meetings business? I sincerely hope – as do many of the people who I've spoken to – that the "uniserve" concept of handling meetings is exposed as the "pretender" that it really is.

What is "uniserve"? It's an operating system in which the convention service manager (CSM) also takes on the responsibility for catering so that a planner only has to deal with one hotel contact after the meeting is booked. It's not new to hotel industry; but it is new to some of the larger hotels that rely heavily on group business.

Historically, sales managers at smaller hotels not only sold group business but helped plan the meeting and assisted on-site. As the demand for meeting support grew, catering departments took on additional responsibilities. The need for dedicated convention service managers did not manifest itself until the 1970s. Helped in no small part by attention from the trade media, the CSM became a power player in the meeting process.

These dedicated convention service managers play a pivotal role in securing and maintaining group business. Yet, the combination of the recession and some media "hype" have recast the role of many CSMs in a "uniserve" mode.

On the surface, the idea makes sense for properties looking for efficiencies in tough economic times. Some hotels even bill it as a great advantage for planners, a "time-saver," and, ultimately, the panacea that will eliminate communication problems between convention services and catering. For those reasons, many planners love the concept.

Personally, I feel meeting managers should resist the concept.

Recently, I polled eight meeting managers (seven from the United States and Canada). They were split (6-2) in favor of the concept; but many expressed sincere concern about the impact on the CSMs they work with. Those concerns were also voiced by attendees at a recent meeting of ACOM (Association of Convention Operations Managers). Three critical issues emerged;

Workload&endash; Meeting managers know that CSMs work long hours for many days under severe stress. They arrive before the first session begins and don't usually leave until the evening function is in progress (if then). Some CSMs complained that the "uniserve" concept extends their hours even beyond that$ The "new" system requires them to be on-site from well before the first breakfast function until the end of the last food and beverage event. That's a 16-hour day in some places.

In peak season, a CSM can go anywhere from 14 to 30 days without a day off. If they have a family, they'll never know it. Burnout is a legitimate concern. While there are no statistics documenting it, I think we all have to be concerned that capable CSMs, individuals who understand our business, will turn to other industries that are less demanding. For hotels, turnover and training will become an expensive problem, even more so if quality cannot be maintained in the interim.

Square Peg&endash; The personality of a CSM is distinctly different from that of a catering manager. CSMs need to be well-organized problem-solvers. Their world is one of logistics and client interfacing. Creativity and a "sixth sense" for the "right feel," "best color combination," etc., are not their strengths.

When CSMs are asked to do catering, the catering end generally suffers. All the meeting managers I interviewed felt that "uniserve" CSMs were uniformly weak in F&B creativity. Furthermore, two specifically pointed out that if they wanted to go "off the menu" or had minor changes, the "uniserve" CSM was unable to come up with a price until talking with higher-ups. From a negotiation standpoint, that's very frustrating.

Unavailable & Unresponsive – The general consensus was that the "uniserve" CSMs were less available than their counterparts who had split responsibilities. The dichotomy exists both in pre-meeting and on-site. In the pre-meeting stage, my informal poll revealed, half of the "uniserve" CSMs were very difficult to reach on the phone. Even more troubling, messages often went days without answers. (Most of the CSMs were more accessible when the meeting began. Not surprisingly, those who were responsive in the pre-meeting phase were less available on-site.)

Despite these difficulties, most of the meeting managers I interviewed reiterated their preference dealing with one person. (One of them, however, went on to detail a litany of problems that arose because of the unresponsiveness of a "uniserve" CSM.) CSMs, for their part, seemed most concerned about the burnout issue. How long, they wondered, could they be expected to regularly work 12 to 15 hours a day... sometimes seven days a week?

As a planner, I'm not looking for a "Jack of all trades, master of none." Meetings are so important and so expensive that I want to be supported by people who love and understand their specialized jobs. Until hotels can develop CSMs with expertise in both the logistical and creative parts of their jobs – and find a way to protect them from burning out – this concept is not ready for major convention hotels.

First published in: Convene Magazine, June 1994