Michigan State University Extension
Tourism Educational Materials - 33701799
06/06/02
Site Selection Basics Business-Group Travel to Minnesota Resorts
List of files and visuals associated with this text.
Source: Minnesota
ID: CD-FO-5623-C, No. 12
Format: Full Text
Authors: Jon G. Fields
Thomas E. Pearson, Ph.D.
Year: 1991
"Archived Document: This Extension Bulletin is no longer
available from the publishing state and may contain
outdated information."
Introduction
The resort industry in Minnesota is a major contributor to
the economic health of the state. Despite a steep decline
in the number of resorts (4,000 in 1967, 2,000 in 1983;
and approximately 1,275 in 1990), the industry is strong,
the change in resort numbers was due largely to consumer
preferences and regional economic conditions. For example,
many Minnesota resorts shifted from dependency on the
family vacation trade toward a greater dependency on
business-oriented group meetings.
Growth in group travel will continue to be important for
Minnesota resorts, but information in this area has been
lacking. In response to this lack of information, a market
research study of major business groups who have used
Minnesota resorts was begun in the winter 1989, funded by
the Minnesota Extension Service of the University of
Minnesota. A description of study methods appears at the
end of this report.
Six segments of business-group travel were studied.
1. Education
2. Government
3. Insurance
4. Manufacturing, wholesale and retail companies
5. Professional associations
6. Trade associations
Each group answered questions about their group travel
decision-making patterns, the timing of their planning,
and what resort features they consider desirable. The
research goal was to collect market information to be used
by three groups:
* Minnesota resort owners/managers-to develop their
properties, target their customer groups, and plan their
promotional activities.
* Rural chambers of commerce and convention bureaus-to
understand and define their roles and activities in
promoting group business-group travel.
* Regional and state tourism agencies and organizations-to
direct their activities and support efforts in developing
group travel to Minnesota resorts.
This summary, Site Selection Basics of Business Group
Travel to Minnesota Resorts, examines how business groups
select meeting sites. Factors included in site selection,
such as season, recreation, food service, sleeping
accommodations and general facilities are discussed. A
further discussion, titled "The Six Segments of Business-
Group Travel to Minnesota Resorts," is planned.
The Decision Makers
Site-selection responsibility can differ from business
segment to business segment (Vis. T1), but an individual
person is most often responsible for making the final site
selection decision. Seldom, if ever, is the site selection
responsibility given to outside consultants or travel
agents.
Education, professional, and trade associations are the
most likely groups to use a formal committee site
selection process of the groups studied. Government groups
indicated that in 25 percent of the decisions, some site
selection responsibility existed outside of their
immediate group. A few government respondents indicated
that the site selection decision was sometimes based on a
lowest bid process or by informal or unstructured
committees.
Effective Sales Approaches
This portion of the study revealed that resort marketers
should be sensitive to the degree of familiarity the
decision maker has with the resort under consideration,
and need to adjust sales efforts accordingly. The
approaches reported as the most important to the decision
makers can be summarized as follows:
When the resort is familiar, rely on:
1. Written proposals
2. Highly detailed brochures
3. Providing an inspection visit.
When the resort is not familiar, rely o:
1. Providing an inspection visit
2. Written proposals
3. Highly detailed brochures.
A complete list ranking the importance of various sales
approaches based on familiarity and type of group is
presented in Table 2 (Vis. T2).
Use of Information Sources
Respondents were given a list of options and asked to
indicate which they used to gather information about
Minnesota resorts. A complete list of the results is
presented in Table 3 (Vis. T3). Four sources are much more
important than the others. These are: 1) Direct contact
with the resort; 2) Contact with the area Convention and
Visitor's Bureau or Chamber of Commerce; 3) Minnesota
Department of Tourism; and 4) "Successful Meetings"
magazine.
TABLE 1. (Vis. T1)
TABLE 2. (Vis. T2)
TABLE 3. (Vis. T3)
* All tables in this report have a "combined" column. The
values in this column were calculated by combining the
responses of all six market segments and computing one,
overall figure. Since the sample sizes of the six segments
are not equal, the combined figure is biased in favor of
those segments that have given a larger number of
responses. In other words, segments with fewer responses
do not have equal representation (impact) in the outcome
of this summary value. the difference between this
combined rating and the individual segment's rating can be
considered as the importance rating "error" that would
have occurred had all the segments been considered
homogeneous and market segmentation analysis not been
performed. Reference to the combined values also
simplifies the following discussions.
Seasonal Marketing Activity
The annual site selection cycles are considerably
different for each business segment, though more
predictable than might have been thought. For example, the
professional association segment tends to make site
selection decisions for winter meetings around July, while
education groups tend to make such decisions around
October (Vis. 1). Given that the site selection process
must begin before the decision is made, the resort
marketer must target specific groups for selected seasons
and plan promotion programs well in advance of these
decision cycles.
Since resorts are often interested in hosting groups only
during specific seasons, this section of the report
presents data on the various business groups studied on a
comparative, seasonal basis.
Winter (January, February, March)
Although the number of events occurring in the winter is
approximately 20 percent of the annual total, the
percentage of total annual roomnights occurring for each
segment during this season is lower, ranging from 8
percent to 24 percent and about 19 percent overall. (The
largest percentage total annual roomnights does not
necessarily indicate the largest target market.)
The number of sleeping rooms required per even fluctuates
considerable from segment to segment, averaging about
thirty-three rooms. The average number of meeting rooms
required for each event indicates that between two and
three meeting rooms are needed for each in-house group.
The number of meeting rooms needed by resorts of various
sizes can be estimated by the ratios of sleeping rooms to
meeting rooms. Approximately, one meeting room is needed
for every 15 to 16 sleeping rooms.
A survey question asking what distance groups were willing
to travel asked for a maximum distance. During the winter
season the education and insurance segments indicated a
willingness to travel the greatest distance, about 200
miles. As the number of miles to a resort exceeds the
resulting average, a decreasing portion of the potential
group business from all segments is likely to travel the
additional distance.
Spring (April, May, June)
All segments consider spring to be an important travel
time. From 23 to 33 percent of the total number of events
held during the year occur in the spring, and the
percentage of total annual roomnights required ranges from
22 to 37 percent. The trade association market segment has
the largest percentage of its total annual roomnights
occurring in the spring with 27 percent.
The education, professional association, and trade
association segment's percentage of total annual
roomnights are about double their winter levels, and the
insurance segment showed the greatest increase in its
percentage of roomnights by almost tripling from winter to
spring (8 to 22 percent).
The average size of events (number of sleeping rooms
required) increased in the spring from what was reported
for the winter, with the notable exception of the
government segment which has gone down from 42 rooms to 34
rooms.
The average number of meeting rooms required in the spring
increased from those required in the winter, with most
spring segments needing an average of about three meeting
rooms for each in-house group. The maximum number of miles
groups are willing to travel by car or bus is about the
same in the spring as in the winter for most segments. The
one notable decline in this regard occurred in the
education segment, going down from 207 miles in winter to
162 miles in spring.
Summer (July, August)
Major changes in both the percentage of annual events and
the percentage of total annual roomnights occur by summer.
For some segments these activity levels are near, or even
below, those which occurred in winter, while others have
gone up over both winter and spring.
The government, insurance, and
manufacturer/wholesaler/retailer (MWR) market segments
have the largest percentages of their total annual
roomnights occurring in the summer with 26 percent, 45
percent, and 31 percent respectively. The percentage of
roomnights declines from spring to summer for the
education segment (22 to 9 percent), for the professional
association segment (30 percent to 19 percent), and for
the trade association segment (37 to 17 percent). This
market volume figure has increased for the government
segment (24 to 26 percent), for the insurance segment (22
to 45 percent), and for the MWR segment (23 to 31
percent). (Remember that the largest percentage does not
necessarily indicate the largest target market.)
The average number of sleeping rooms required for these
six segments is about thirty-three rooms per event during
the summer, and the number of meeting rooms required is
between two and three for each in-house group. The maximum
number of miles that groups are willing to travel by bus
or car stayed about the same in the summer as in the
spring, with the exception of the education segment which
increased an average of 51 miles.
Fall (September, October, November, December)
Fall market activity indicates that this is an active time
for group business. The percentage of annual events for
each segment which occurs in the fall ranges from 25 to 41
percent, while the percentage of annual roomnights ranges
from 25 to 54 percent. The education and professional
association market segments have the largest percentages
of their annual roomnights occurring in the fall with 57
and 35 percent respectively.
In the fall, the education segment has the largest average
size of event (66 sleeping rooms) and requires one meeting
room for every twelve sleeping rooms. This number of
meeting rooms is more than for any other segment during
any season. The maximum distance the six segments are
willing to travel by bus or car is about the same as in
the summer.
FIGURE 1. (Vis. 1) ANNUAL SITE SELECTION DECISION
TIMETABLE
Recreation Alternatives
The importance of various recreation options in the site
selection decision can be significantly different from
segment to segment. Some generalizations are possible,
however, and are discussed in this section.
All of the recreation options in Figure 2 were considered
to be "very important" (3.5 to 4.4 on a scale of 1 to 5).
No recreation alternative received a combined rating which
put it into the "firm requirement" range of 4.5 to 5.0
although some individual segments rated some recreation at
this level. The highest of these individual segment
ratings were for an indoor pool and were received from the
professional association segment and from the education
segment in the spring and in the fall seasons.
Using combined information, the recreation options shown
in Figure 2 (Vis. 2) are those which attained the highest
importance ratings for each season.
Winter (January, February, March)
Recreation options that are specific only to the winter
season do not rate higher than "somewhat important" in
site selection decisions. This implies that there are
reasons other than the availability of these winter
recreation options that attract business groups to resorts
during the winter.
The two cross country ski recreation options were rated
almost exactly the same by all segments. Resorts should
offer these two options in a combination if at all
possible. The insurance, MWR, and professional association
segments gave the highest importance ratings for the
recreation options specific to winter. These three
segments may be the most receptive to proposals that
include winter recreation options, but recreation should
not be the main focus of the proposal.
The availability of car plug-ins and a car starting
service produced nearly identical results on a segment by
segment basis. These two automobile-related options
received higher ratings than other items. Reassuring group
representatives that their participants will receive these
automobile-related services in the winter is more
important than many other factors surveyed.
The importance of having "high quality/variety of
recreation facilities" received combined ratings that are
nearly identical in all four seasons. The individual
segment ratings for this factor fluctuate much more in the
winter season than in the other seasons, however,
indicating that the importance of recreation can change
from season to season for a given targeted segment. In the
winter season only the government and trade association
segments considered high quality/variety of recreation
facilities to be somewhat important while the other four
segments consider this to be very important in the site
selection decision.
In the winter the existence of an indoor pool and a
whirlpool are each considered to be very important in the
site selection decision, with combined ratings of 4.1 and
3.8 respectively. The education segment and professional
association segment rank these options the highest, with
professional associations considering an indoor pool to be
a firm requirement in choosing a resort. A sauna is
considered either somewhat important or very important by
all groups, with a combined rating of 3.5.
Hiking/jogging trails in the winter are considered to be
somewhat important with a combined rating of 3.2, but this
option also has the largest differences between the
segments ranging from 2.3 in the trade association segment
to 3.5 in the insurance segment (a difference of 1.2).
Large differences in segment ratings are also found in the
whirlpool and the indoor pool recreation options.
Winter-fishing-related recreation options are considered
to be somewhat important with the insurance, MWR, and
trade association segments producing the highest ratings
given. Indoor tennis is considered to be either of minor
importance or somewhat important by all segments, with a
combined rating of 2.9.
Spring (April, May, June)
Interest in a variety of recreation options rose
considerably in spring compared to recreation options for
winter. Recreation options were also much higher for
summer and fall compared with winter.
FIGURE 2. (Vis. 2)RECREATION OPTIONS
The government segment indicates that high quality and
variety of recreation facilities is less important in its
site selection decision than it is for the other segments
surveyed. A review of the responses given by the
government segment for the individual recreation options
shows that this segment consistently ranks recreation
alternatives lower than the other segments.
In the spring all six segments indicate that an indoor
pool and a whirlpool are very important in the site
selection decision. The availability of 18-hole golf and
9-hole golf also become very important during the spring.
As these latter two recreation options become available in
the spring, the importance of the indoor water recreation
options decrease from that indicated in the winter season.
In the spring, the importance rating differences observed
in the two golf options and in the outdoor tennis option
are the largest of those found in the recreation options.
The segment ratings for 18-hole golf ranged from 2.5 for
government groups up to 4.2 for insurance groups (a
difference of 1.7). A difference of 1.2 is also observed
within both the 9-hole golf and in the outdoor tennis
options, and a difference of .9 can be found in the
fishing boats and motors option.
Summer (July, August)
Perhaps the most notable change that occurs from the
spring to the summer season is the relative importance of
the swimming pool options. In the spring the indoor pool
was the most important recreation option surveyed, but in
the summer it has dropped to seventh place (somewhat
important), tied with pontoon boats and on-premises bait
and tackle. Of 29 recreation options offered, the
availability of an outdoor pool rose from ninth place in
spring to second place in the summer.
In the summer, only the availability of 18-hole golf
attained higher combined ratings than an outdoor pool. The
ratings of 9-hole golf, fishing boats and motors, and
outdoor tennis are also considered to be very important in
the site selection decision. The availability of a
whirlpool, hiking/jogging trails, pontoon boats, on
premises bait and tackle, and an indoor pool are all
considered to be somewhat important in the site selection
decision.
During the summer, the importance ratings among the
various group segments are quite different for several of
the recreation options. For example, the availability of
18-hole golf received a "somewhat important" rating from
the government segment while the MWR segment gave a rating
of "very important." These ratings again show that
segments have differences that should not be overlooked
and that may be important during the selling process.
Fall (September, October, November, December)
In the fall season, only two recreation options had
combined ratings of very important in the site selection
decision. These were an indoor pool and a whirlpool.
Several of the fall recreation options are somewhat
important in the site selection decision, including
18-hole golf, 9-hole golf, hiking/jogging trails, fishing
boats and motors, and outdoor tennis.
An indoor pool received the highest rating within the very
important range from the education segment, and was in the
middle of the very important range for the professional
association segment. This option along with some of the
others mentioned above also produced the greatest
differences in importance ratings among the group
segments. For example, the 18-hole golf option was of
minor importance for the government groups, but was very
important for the insurance groups.
Fishing boats and motors were of minor importance for the
government groups but were very important to the MWR
segment. The 9-hole golf option was of minor importance to
the government segment but was very important to the
insurance, MWR, and trade association segments. The
results from the fall season recreation options again
indicate that the various business-group segments are not
homogeneous and should be considered individually when
designing and implementing sales programs.
Sleeping Accommodations, Food Service, and General
Facilities
The importance of various sleeping accommodations, room
furnishings, food service considerations, and other
general features and support services in the site
selection decision can differ significantly from segment
to segment. Some generalizations can be made, however, and
are treated in the following discussion.
Winter (January, February, March)
Cleanliness of the sleeping rooms is strongly considered a
firm requirement by all six segments. All segments also
indicated that the availability of lodge units is very
important in their winter site selection decision. By
comparison, the availability of cabin units is of minor
importance for each segment.
Several of the sleeping accommodation criteria helped to
differentiate (segment) the group-business market. The
government segment differs significantly from the other
groups in its importance rating for executive units. The
government segment considered these accommodations to be
of minor importance while the other segments consider
these somewhat important. The level of importance in the
availability of handicapped units also helps to
differentiate segments. The insurance, MWR, and the trade
association segments considers handicapped units to be of
minor importance while the other segments considers these
rooms to be very important in their site selection
decision.
All six segments agree that having telephones and
televisions in the sleeping rooms are very important in
their site selection decision during the winter season.
Having fireplaces in the sleeping rooms, split bath
areas, and having a view of the lake are somewhat
important in the site selection decision by all six
segments, except for the government segment, which
considers this feature to be of minor importance.
TABLE 4. (Vis. T4) GENERAL FACILITIES AND SUPPORT SERVICES
The government segment generally rated the sleeping room
features lower than the other group segments.
All segments agree that the efficiency of restaurant
service and service time flexibility around the group's
schedule are each a firm requirement in their site
selection decision. Having a private banquet room and the
opportunity of ordering off a menu (versus having a
pre-selected menu) are each considered very important in
the site selection decision during the winter season. The
existence of a 24-hour coffee shop/ snack bar is
considered somewhat important by all six group segments.
Spring (April, May, June)
As in winter, cleanliness of the sleeping rooms is
considered to be a firm requirement by all the segments
surveyed. They also agree that the availability of lodge
units is very important in their spring event site
selection decision, producing a combined very important
rating (though lower than the combined rating observed for
winter events). The availability of cabin units has a
higher importance rating than observed in winter, becoming
somewhat important rather than of minor importance.
All six segments show common agreement that having
telephones in the sleeping rooms is either very important
or a firm requirement in making the site selection
decision for spring events. Air conditioning and
televisions in the spring are also very important. A view
of the lake, split bath areas, and private balcony/patio
are all somewhat important in spring. The government
segment generally rate the various sleeping room variables
lower than the other group segments. All groups agree that
the efficiency of restaurant service is a firm
requirement, though this was less important for the two
associations. Flexible service time around the group's
schedule was very important for all segments as was
availability of a private banquet room. The ability to
order off a menu is considered somewhat important for all
segments.
Summer (July, August)
During the summer there are fewer significant differences
between segments during the summer than in the winter,
spring, or fall.
Cleanliness of the sleeping room was a firm requirement
for all six business group segments. AU six segments also
consider lodge units to be very important and that cabin
units are somewhat important in their site selection
decision. There is a significant difference, however, in
the importance of executive units and handicapped units
during the summer season. For example, executive units are
very important to site selectors in the MWR segment, but
are of minor importance to the education segment and the
government segments.
Having a telephone in the sleeping rooms is a firm
requirement for four of the six segments, and is very
important for the education and insurance groups.
Similarly, professional, trade, and government groups
consider air conditioning to be a firm requirement while
the other three consider it to be very important.
Television in the sleeping rooms is very important to all
six segments during the summer season.
Efficiency of the restaurant service is considered to by a
firm requirement by the education, government, and MWR
segments and was very important to the other three.
Service time flexibility around a group's schedule is a
firm requirement for the professional association segment
and very important to the other segments. All groups
consider a private banquet room to be very important in
their site selection decision for summer events.
Fall (September, October, November, December)
Cleanliness of the room again emerged as a firm
requirement for all segments surveyed. All six group
segments surveyed have indicated that the availability of
lodge units are very important in their fall site
selection decision, while the availability of cabin units
is somewhat important.
Executive units are somewhat important in site selection
decision by most segments, with only the government
segment indicating that they are of minor importance and
the MWR segment indicating that they are very important.
All six segments consider having telephones in the
sleeping rooms as either very important or a firm
requirement, and having a television in the room is very
important in the site selection decision for fall events.
Having a refrigerator, split bath areas, a private
balcony, a view of the lake, and a fireplace in the
sleeping room are all somewhat important.
All six segments agree that the efficiency of restaurant
service is a firm requirement, in the site selection
decision for fall season events. Service time flexibility
around the group's schedule is a firm requirement by three
of the six segments, and the other three segments consider
this to be very important. Having a private banquet room
is considered to be somewhat important by the government
segment, while all the others consider it to be very
important. The ability to order off a menu and a 24-hour
coffee shop/snack bar are somewhat important in the site
selection decision for fall events.
General Facilities and Support Services
When asked for information on the number of handicapped
rooms needed, only 21 of the 436 survey respondents
provided information. The data provided indicates that
three handicapped sleeping rooms would meet the
requirements of approximately 75 percent of the groups
that may use a resort would be satisfied.
Table 4 (Vis. T4) shows the results of the importance
ratings for additional resort facilities and support
services. This data is not evaluated on a seasonal basis.
The six business-group segments had significant
differences in the level of importance they reported for
many of the variables surveyed.
The quality of the meeting rooms and having those rooms
climate controlled are each considered to be a firm
requirement in the site selection decision. On-site audio
visual equipment, private hospitality rooms, and an
on-premises bar/lounge are all considered to be very
important.
Although the two winter, car-related items received
combined ratings indicating that they are somewhat
important, the education, professional association, and
trade association segments consider these facilities to be
very important in their site selection decision for their
winter events.
Room reservation and coordination service received the
highest combined importance ratings of the support service
items on the survey, and are a firm requirement in the
site selection decision for five of the six segments. The
education segment considers this service to be very
important.
Menu planning, direct communication with setup staff,
having a group-service support staff, all day/evening
setup staff, and 24-hour front desk service are all very
important in the site selection decision for all six
segments surveyed.
Conclusions
Since sites are most often selected by individual persons
and secondly by committees, the resort marketer should
learn about and fully understand the intricacies of the
two selling approaches involved.
Use of the sales approach may vary from group to group and
depends on whether the decision makers are familiar with a
particular resort. For any of the targeted segments,
priority should be placed on the written proposals and on
the development of highly detailed brochures. Reports and
brochures received the highest importance ratings of all
items surveyed. An inspection visit policy and program
should also be developed, especially to accommodate site
selectors who are not familiar with the resort.
When site selectors are gathering information about
resorts, the most important source of information is
direct contact with the resorts. The resort marketer
should make sure that the resort sales representatives are
effective in communicating the necessary information and
portraying the best possible image to site selectors. The
researchers recommend that special consideration be given
to the resorts' area Convention and Visitor's Bureau (or
Chamber of Commerce), regional tourism publications,
"Successful Meetings" magazine, and the Minnesota
Department of Tourism as important
information-disseminating outlets.
Proper timing of sales promotion efforts is important.
Develop resort marketing plans well in advance and target
them to the appropriate group segments during the
appropriate times of the year.
Business-group market segments vary considerably in their
planning periods, size of events, seasonal reservation
patterns, meeting room requirements, distances they are
willing to travel, and in other important ways. Take these
differences into account when planning promotional
messages and activities.
It was noted that the six business-group market segments
surveyed differ in the importance they attach to various
recreation options. During the winter season the indoor
recreation activities are more important in the site
selection decision than the traditional, outdoor winter
recreation options. For example, the indoor pool,
whirlpool, sauna, fitness room, game room, and indoor
tennis each received combined importance levels higher
than any of the siding, snowmobiling, or other outdoor,
winter recreation options.
Since the winter, outdoor recreation options are only of
minor importance or somewhat important in the site
selection decision for winter events, you may want to
include these options in a proposal, but do not make them
the main focus of the proposal. Instead, question each
individual group representative to determine the real
reasons they are considering a resort location for their
event, and focus the main sales effort around those
reasons.
Many recreation options received a combined rating of very
important. It is therefore advisable to offer a wide
variety of both indoor and outdoor recreation
alternatives. During the winter, spring and fall, indoor
pool and whirlpool facilities are important. During the
spring, summer, and fall, outdoor recreation options such
as golf, tennis, and hiking trails may be in demand.
You may want to design recreation options according to the
preferences of the business segments you are trying to
attract. This approach is especially well-suited for small
resorts with few funds available for development.
Likewise, resorts with more complete facilities and
funding can improve those facilities that are of most
importance to the segments they serve. In either case,
understanding the business segments you are trying to
attract can help you design your recreation facilities and
promotional messages in a more efficient manner.
Cleanliness of the guest rooms is consistently a firm
requirement in the site selection decision in all six
segments surveyed. Resort managers must not take this
critical factor for granted. Rather, they should make sure
that guest room furnishings are being properly maintained
and that those employees responsible for cleaning those
rooms are properly trained and supervised.
The availability of lodge sleeping units consistently
receive higher importance levels than cabin units.
Although cabin units may be acceptable for some of the
individual groups within these segments, there is a strong
indication that the level of selling success will be
higher for the resort which has lodge units available.
Efficiency in the restaurant, food service time
flexibility around the group's schedule, and having
private banquet room must all be provided in order to
successfully attract group business. if staggering meal
times in a dining room, or using a meeting room for
banquets is satisfactory to the groups, that may be
Preferable to constructing a separate room.
The quality of meeting rooms, the climate control of those
rooms, and on site audio/visual equipment are three
related criteria that are considered by all six segments
as being very important or a firm requirement in the site
selection decision. Proper attention from resort owners to
provide good quality meeting facilities and equipment is
essential.
The resort manager must provide several important support
services, regardless of the segment that is being
targeted. These include room reservation and coordination
service, menu planning, a method which allows direct
communication with the setup staff, and have a
group-service support staff available.
To attract business-group travel, resorts must understand
the dynamics of the site selection process. Resorts that
use effective promotional methods and offer those
amenities and other selection criteria important to the
targeted segments will have a marketing advantage over
resorts that do not.
Methodology
A total of 3,300 names and addresses of persons involved
in making the site selection decisions were assembled from
various organizations, agencies, and directories.
Considering the age of some of the lists and directories
used, an estimated 25-30 percent of the contacts were
believed to be obsolete.
Of the 1,000 questionnaires returned 448 were used in the
overall study while others were discarded because of
invalidating responses, incompleteness, or sorted out for
separate analysis. Since the selection of the names and
addresses used in this study were not chosen randomly from
the total population of business group travel site
selectors, caution may be necessary when trying to apply
the findings of this study to the population as a whole.
References
Blank, Uel. 1975 Extension Bulletin #386. Minnesota's
Lodging Industry: Statistics and Characteristics. Tourist
Travel Notes, Vol. 21 Summer 1984. "Growth in Minnesota's
Lodging Industry."
Lewis, Robert C. 1983-1985 Series, "Getting the Most from
Marketing Research, Parts I-VI," The Cornell H.R.A.
Quarterly.
Professional Selling Service. 1987. Selling to Committees.
Bureau of Business Practice, Inc., USA.
This study was funded by the Minnesota Extension Service,
University of Minnesota.
Tourism Center
101-C Green Hall
1530 N. Cleveland Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55108
Phone 612-624-4947
John Sem, Tourism Center Director
This information is for educational purposes only. References
to commercial products or trade names does not imply
endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not
mentioned. This information becomes public property upon
publication and may be printed verbatim with credit to MSU
Extension. Reprinting cannot be used to endorse or advertise
a commercial product or company.
This file was generated from data base TD on 09/30/03.
Data base TD was last revised on 06/06/02.
For more information about this data base or its contents please contact
alexande@msue.msu.edu . Please read our
disclaimer for important
information about using our site.
