HotelRes, along with many of our fellow venue finders and hotel booking agents are members of the HBAA (Hotel Booking Agents Association). The association quickly established a code of conduct for all member to work to. They facilitated events and training courses that gave both agents and suppliers the chance to meet and discuss the sector. HBAA have always worked hard to champion the business meeting and events sector. In recent years this has included lobbying parliament and representing us at many exhibitions and events.
Over time the sector we all work in has changed. Hotel bookings were the main business for many agents 30 years ago – with meetings perhaps being an additional service. As technology evolved making individual bedroom bookings easier to do online the role of the agent changed too. Now for most agents groups and events are their main source of income. So the HBAA decided that its name no longer reflected the market it represented. The events sector was hit hard during the pandemic but what was really evident was how the industry worked together to offer support to each other. The sector not only includes agents, hotels and venues, but many other very important businesses. The HBAA needed to be able to embrace the whole sector – so beam was launched.
beam (Business Events, Accommodation and Meetings)
The code of conduct and ethics is still core to the association. beam members will represent all parts of the business events sector. Members will now include agents, hotels, venues, destination management companies, event management companies, creative agencies, production companies and convention bureaus. Members of beam will benefit from being part of a wider community with tools and content accessible to members, as well as strategic partnerships developed to aid members’ business growth. Membership is now for both agencies and venues, so both sides of the sector will be represented and encouraged to do business together, for the benefit of the end customer.
beam will be underpinned by its four pillars – Resilience, Innovation, Ethics, and Quality, which will ensure that the association remains relevant and sustainable for the future.
HotelRes are proud to be members of beam, and look forward to working with all the new members in the coming months and years.
