This initiative is expected to be a game-changer in promoting ease of doing business and fostering long-term growth opportunities

In a milestone initiative, the Event and Entertainment Management Association (EEMA)  has formed an EEMA Hotel Advisory Committee (EHAC) - a pioneering collective that seeks to enhance collaboration and communication between hotels and event planners. 

The committee aims to establish best practices to facilitate growth and streamline business transactions within the event ecosystem. This initiative is expected to be a game-changer in promoting ease of doing business and fostering long-term growth opportunities. 

In a step towards bringing the ecosystem together and bridging the gap between event planners and hotels, the EHAC has on-boarded representatives from leading hotel chains, who collectively represent most of the premium Hotels across the country. These include ACCOR, HYATT, MARRIOTT & LEELA and EEMA plans to onboard some of the other leading chains soon as well. 

The advisory board has set out to establish a mutually beneficial relationship between the hotel industry and the 800+ agencies that make up EEMA. To achieve this goal, they have initiated both clear long-term expectations and immediate action plans. The committee consists of business leaders from each of the groups leading the relationship such as Rohit Chopra from ACCOR Group, Vikas Choudhary from HYATT Group, Deepak Bansal from MARRIOTT Group, and Alok Chakravarty of The LEELA Group.

To make business dealings easier, SPOCs will be provided from each group of hotels, and a proper chain of communication will be established that covers escalation and de-escalation protocols. Additionally, a comprehensive fact sheet will be developed that covers chain hotels, including relevant details such as contacts, venue layouts, and more.

To further promote a mutually beneficial relationship between hotels and event planners, various ideas were discussed on how we can make it easier for event planners, what are mandatory services event planners should be given while setups are scheduled, etc. Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) will also be agreed upon and signed between EEMA and group hotels, ensuring that all points are beneficial to both sides and make commercial sense for EEMA members at the national level. Moreover, a common minimum agenda for the advisory board will be developed, agreed upon, and adhered to.

Samit Garg, President - EEMA said, "This is a great step for the event and hospitality industry in India. The formation of the EEMA Hotel Advisory Committee (EHAC) by the Event and Entertainment Management Association (EEMA) is a positive step towards enhancing collaboration and communication between hotels and event planners. My compliments to the team in the North for having initiated this. The establishment of best practices by the committee will help streamline business transactions within the event ecosystem, leading to increased efficiency and growth opportunities for all parties involved."

Ankur Kalra, Treasurer of EEMA added, “Venues and Hotels are possibly the most critical parts of the experiential value chain and we as EEMA look forward to working closely with all the large chains across the country to bring in mutual value and create a win-win situation for all. The EEMA Hotel Advisory committee will look at bridging the gaps and providing huge benefits to the event ecosystem.”  

Vipul Pandhi, Vice President of North - EEMA said, “The EEMA Hotel Advisory Committee is the first step towards a long journey of mutual growth while raising the bar for the experiences created. It aims at streamlining of business between event planners and hotel chains while bringing the stakeholders closer while ironing out friction points at both ends.” 

To foster greater networking opportunities between event planners and hotels, an outreach program will be implemented with the General Managers (GMs). This initiative will involve scheduling online meetings that address all GMs, the objective of the meeting would be to see how hotels can provide ease of business to event planners and how transactions can be streamlined.

The EHAC also dedicates itself to improving the event ecosystem by setting higher standards and implementing effective solutions to persistent challenges. As part of its efforts, the Committee aims to address long-standing issues related to licenses and permissions, and discuss the music license problem with hotels and approach finance heads, legal heads, and DOSMs to find a definitive solution. 

Furthermore, given the manpower shortage in hotels, the EHAC is exploring ways to automate certain processes and streamline interactions between the two parties. 

Naveen Gupta, Committee Member North - EEMA said “Agencies and Hotels must fit together as pieces in a puzzle or cogs in a wheel. Better the fit, better the delivery/output. The vision of initiating and anchoring this committee is for the larger good of both the industries and country as a whole. I look forward to doing my bit as a member and Team Lead of EHAC.”