| WMC 2010 Miami better known as the Winter Music | | | | the reader. The hotels can't sell every single room, in |
| Conference is having its 25th anniversary next spring. | | | | every single hotel, every day of the year their own. |
| I've read a lot about people asking when is the WMC | | | | They are approached by these highly advertised |
| 2010 dates and inquiring about when they will be | | | | internet travel agencies who know this that you hear |
| released on the internet lately. According to their | | | | about in the commercials, read about in the magazines, |
| service representative who answered the telephone | | | | and fill up the top positions in all the major search |
| when I called, she said that they would announce the | | | | engines. The hotels then give these internet travel |
| dates in mid October and that everything they are | | | | agencies bulk rooms at the net rate which is the same |
| doing for next year is simply going to be bigger and | | | | thing as a wholesale rate. In a sense they are not |
| better. For the last two years the conference has | | | | even travel wholesalers because they don't purchase |
| been scheduled on March 24th to March 28th which | | | | anything from the hotels in the first place, they are |
| stretched from Wednesday to Sunday. The same | | | | fronted to them where they are only required to just |
| dates and days of the week area a match from the | | | | pay the net rate amount and nothing more. These net |
| previous years, but if they claim to go bigger and | | | | rates are 20 to 40 percent lower than what the hotel |
| better, then I assume they would be extending the | | | | is selling them for on their website and instead of |
| official dates a few more days. | | | | these internet travel agencies wanting to please the |
| As a travel agent I look forward to this event every | | | | consumer by making their rates cheaper or |
| year to try and help my clients save as much money | | | | comparable with in a few dollars from what the hotel |
| as possible on their hotel rooms. Electronic music | | | | is selling them for, they mark up their rates 20-60 |
| ranging from house, techno, electro, drum and bass, | | | | percent higher than what the hotel is selling on their |
| break beats make up the heart and soul of this | | | | website. In some cases they mark up the rates 100 |
| convention that brings in producers, promoters, djs, | | | | percent by adding little extra service fees and charges |
| record labels, and people who simply love to party | | | | to exploit as much money out of the consumer as |
| from all across the world, fitting them all in a 20 block | | | | possible. Its the convenience of being able to search |
| radius from one another. Almost every pool in every | | | | numerous hotels and their inventory at once is where |
| hotel on the South Beach strip has some sort of party | | | | they grab the consumer. The vendors do not like this |
| going on during the day that is either put on by the | | | | at all and they have actually tried to come up with |
| hotels themselves or by some of the biggest nightlife | | | | ways to stop this abusive situation, but they are forced |
| promoters in the electronic music industry. A lot of the | | | | to deal with these circumstances due to advertising |
| bigger night clubs are downtown Miami such as Club | | | | power. The only time you see a good deal on these |
| Space and Crowbar which tend to bring in some of | | | | websites is when they offer a discount in between 20 |
| the biggest djs in the world. At the end of the week | | | | to 50 percent off which then becomes reasonable. |
| starting on Friday one can attend 2 or 3 days of the | | | | This why you will see so many ridiculous hotel rates |
| Ultra Music Festival which is the biggest event held | | | | online if you look into booking a room for WMC 2010 |
| during Winter Music Conference that is traditionally | | | | Miami. You can be sure to count on it that rates will |
| located at the Bicentennial Park in downtown Miami. | | | | only get higher and higher the closer it gets to the |
| This chaotic week in South Beach is an absolute blast | | | | convention. |
| of madness and WMC 2010 should fall nothing short of | | | | A strong advantage of using a travel agent is that |
| anything held in the previous years. There is however | | | | they are all to get better rates that the general public |
| one big potential problem I see for next year that I | | | | and they can negotiates deals with hotel vendors. |
| saw last year which is the prices on hotel rooms. | | | | Travel agents can save their clients 25 to 30 percent |
| Since the fall of our economy in 2007 being in debt as | | | | from what the hotel is selling them for to the general |
| much as it is has caused a market shift in the travel | | | | public. You can imagine how low these rates are in |
| industry, in result the hotels have decreased in the | | | | comparison to what these highly advertised sites are |
| number of sales. They know that spring break is an | | | | selling them at. I remember the hotels kept their rates |
| extremely profitable period where they hope to make | | | | as high as possible all year up until about 3 week |
| up for the lack of sales they have had through out the | | | | before the opening day of WMC 2009 and dropped |
| year as possible by raising the rates almost double the | | | | them 20 to 30 percent off for about 3 days. I am not |
| amount that they sell them for when compared to a | | | | sure if I will be in attendance for WMC 2010 but I can |
| non holiday week. | | | | tell you that more and more people are seeking travel |
| Here is where I step in as a travel agent to educate | | | | agents in hoping the attend the conference in March. |