The hospitality industry is going through changes with consolidation (mergers and acquisitions), enhanced guest expectations (experiential stays), new competition (Airbnb) and commission changes just to name a few. Some experts are even referencing these times as an industry shift. Are you ready?

Currently, some of these changes are impacting meeting planning companies and independent meeting planners. Will it stop there? Will future changes affect associations, corporations, individual travelers, CVB’s and hotel salespeople? My personal belief is that it is too early to tell, but all indications point to others being impacted by future industry changes.

I have been doing research outside of our industry and have found good lessons in the books by Gary Keller. The following are some paraphrased thoughts from one of his books.

We must think of any industry shift as a shift of choice. You’re not always getting to pick the circumstances, but you’re always choosing to shift no matter what the circumstances. So, if the industry shifts, you’re shifting. And if the industry is not shifting, you’re shifting. In other words, to be your best you can’t be shiftless. You are not going to rest on your past or assume that your future is set. Successful people shift whether it is in response to the industry or their own goals. Successful people know that they must constantly change and adapt if they are to stay successful. They know that life is too big to think small and too short to move slowly. They know there are ups and downs. And they know that to triumph in any situation they must always do one thing – shift.

These changes going on in our industry may be a gift…I realize this is hard to grasp at first, but it may be the wake-up call we needed. You can see the atmosphere we are in as a difficult time or you can see it as a moment of opportunity. In the end, we determine which it is by our choices. Our choice should be to embrace the opportunities being offered.

“Success never comes to the chosen few, but the few who choose. These can be the worst of times, these can be the best of times. You get to choose.” Gary Keller

This is a time of change…and a time of choice. I believe great opportunities are in all our futures. Are you ready?