The convention business is very profitable for the hotel industry. A convention guarantees a good occupancy rate for the hotel over a period of at least several days. In addition, the special exhibit and meeting areas are rented by the sponsoring organization for a fee, and the people attending the convention also generate more business in the hotel's restaurants, bars and shops. In many cases, the business and professional people who are members of the sponsoring group are accompanied by their families, and this means still more business for the hotel. For most people, in fact, a convention is a combination of business and pleasure, a chance to get away from the usual daily routine. This is one of the major reasons behind the increasing shift of conventions to resort areas.
A hotel that handles conventions has several specialized people on the staff, perhaps the most important of whom are the salesmen who are responsible for bringing in the business. Most of them have special contacts among the groups that sponsor conventions. Negotiations for a convention may take place over a long period, particularly today, when the sponsors have numerous choices. Standard arrangements include reduced room rates and the lowest possible fee for the other facilities and services that are required. The salesmen must coordinate their efforts carefully with their requirements for space in the hotel.
Many hotels also have a special manager to handle all the particular arrangements that must be made once the convention has been booked into the hotel. Conventions follow a general pattern, but they always create special problems because each one differs in detail from all the others. All of the arrangements must be coordinated with the other department of the hotel. The front desk must prepare for a surge of arriving guests, and the housekeeping department must make sure the rooms are ready when needed. The food and beverage service and the maintenance and engineering staff must also do their parts. The installation of the exhibits may require mechanical and electrical work, and loading and unloading equipment may call for an additional work force. If a banquet is to be served, as it usually is, the menu must be planned; tables, napery, and table silver must be provided and set up. Experienced banquet waiters must also be on duty.
A banquet is a large formal luncheon or dinner that is customarily followed by speeches and/or a ceremony. A banquet is often the final event of many conventions. Hotels that are equipped to handle conventions generally attract banquet business as well, but any hotel with a sufficiently large dining room, ballroom, or meeting room can attract banquets. The arrangements for preparing the banquet are normally the job of the banquet manager, who is sometimes responsible for the sales effort as well (2412 знаков).
(Королева Н.Е. Английский язык. Сервис и туризм. English For Tourism: Учебное пособие / Н.Е.Королева – Изд. 5-е – Ростов н/Д:Феникс, 2011. – 407с.)
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