An Association of Marketing Students®

HOSPITALITY SERVICES MANAGEMENT
TEAM DECISION MAKING EVENT

PARTICIPANT INSTRUCTIONS

•	The event will be presented to you through your reading of the General Performance Indicators, Specific Performance Indicators Evaluated and Case Study Situation. You will have up to 30 minutes to review this information and prepare your presentation. You may make notes to use during your presentation.
•	You will give an ID label to your adult assistant during the preparation time.
•	You will have up to 10 minutes to make your presentation to the judge (you may have more than one judge), followed by up to 5 minutes to answer the judge’s questions. All members of the team must participate in the presentation, as well as answer the questions.
•	Turn in all of your notes and event materials when you have completed the event.

GENERAL PERFORMANCE INDICATORS EVALUATED

•	Communications skills—the ability to exchange information and ideas with others through writing, speaking, reading or listening
•	Analytical skills—the ability to derive facts from data, findings from facts, conclusions from findings and recommendations from conclusions
•	Production skills—the ability to take a concept from an idea and make it real
•	Teamwork—the ability to be an effective member of a productive group
•	Priorities/time management—the ability to determine priorities and manage time commitments
•	Economic performance indicators

SPECIFIC PERFORMANCE INDICATORS EVALUATED

•	Prepare for the sales presentation.
•	Explain key factors in building a clientele.
•	Analyze product information to identify product features and benefits.
•	Plan follow-up strategies for use in selling.
•	Explain factors that motivate people to choose a hospitality site.
•	Describe the concept of promotion in the hospitality industry.

CASE STUDY SITUATION 

You are to assume the role of consultanting team for a private marketing firm. The owner (judge) of Mountain Wilderness Ski & Golf Resorts has asked you to develop sales strategies that will improve the facility’s current client occupancy rates during the week and in non-peak seasons.

Mountain Wilderness Ski & Golf Resorts, rated four stars, currently operates four resorts throughout the United States, three in the West and one on the East Coast. Excellent snow is just one of the outstanding features of Mountain Wilderness Resorts; skiers can always count on well-packed powder, well-groomed slopes and lots of glistening cross-country trails. The readers of the top ski magazine rated the resorts number one in snowmaking and number one in resort service in the United States. To meet the needs and desires of its customers, Mountain Wilderness offers a variety of facilities and promotions at every location. These include facilities for company retreats, including complete convention and meeting facilities for up to 1,000 people. At each resort, guests can stay at the lodge, with or without meals included, or rent condominiums where a group of friends or employees can stay together. 

Each resort offers world-class golf and skiing and hundreds of acres of scenic countryside. The resorts are open year-round. In addition to a main lodge of 300 plus rooms, each resort has 100-120 spacious suites featuring a fireplace and a fully equipped kitchen. Other amenities include indoor and outdoor connected pools and hot tubs, saunas, tennis courts, health clubs, and unique restaurants. Ski and golf lessons, mountain biking, hills for hiking, and day trips to local attractions round out the offerings.

Mountain Wilderness has witnessed a drop in its total sales throughout the past two years. During the last peak snow season, the resorts had an occupancy rate of 90-95% on the weekends. For the prime golf season the occupancy rate was 70-80%. Weekday occupancy rates have declined 20% during the last two years in all of the four resorts. This last fact is of special concern for management. The owner (judge) wishes to improve all occupancy rates and has hired you to create a sales plan that also includes:

	Ways to attract the business travel market
	Incentives to attract company retreats and conventions during the weekdays
	Specific promotion examples

You will present your ideas to the owner (judge) in a meeting to take place in the head office. The owner (judge) will open the meeting by greeting you and asking to hear your ideas. Once you have presented your sales plan and have answered the owner’s (judge’s) questions, the owner (judge) will conclude the meeting by thanking you for your ideas.	    

JUDGE’S INSTRUCTIONS

You are to assume the role of owner of Mountain Wilderness Ski & Golf Resorts. You have hired a team from a private marketing firm (participant team) to develop sales strategies to improve the client occupancy rates during the week and in non-peak seasons.

Mountain Wilderness Ski & Golf Resorts, rated four stars, currently operates four resorts throughout the United States, three in the West and one on the East Coast. Excellent snow is just one of the outstanding features of Mountain Wilderness Resorts; skiers can always count on well-packed powder, well-groomed slopes and lots of glistening cross-country trails. The readers of the top ski magazine rated the resorts number one in snowmaking and number one in resort service in the United States. To meet the needs and desires of its customers, Mountain Wilderness offers a variety of facilities and promotions at every location. These include facilities for company retreats, including complete convention and meeting facilities for up to 1,000 people. At each resort, guests can stay at the lodge, with or without meals included, or rent condominiums where a group of friends or employees can stay together. 

Each resort offers world-class golf and skiing and hundreds of acres of scenic countryside. The resorts are open year-round. In addition to a main lodge of 300 plus rooms, each resort has 100-120 spacious suites featuring a fireplace and a fully equipped kitchen. Other amenities include indoor and outdoor connected pools and hot tubs, saunas, tennis courts, health clubs, and unique restaurants. Ski and golf lessons, mountain biking, hills for hiking, and day trips to local attractions round out the offerings.

Mountain Wilderness has witnessed a drop in its total sales throughout the past two years. During the last peak snow season, the resorts had an occupancy rate of 90-95% on the weekends. For the prime golf season the occupancy rate was 70-80%. Weekday occupancy rates have declined 20% during the last two years in all of the four resorts. This last fact is of special concern for management. You wish to improve all occupancy rates, and you have hired the marketing consultants (participant team) to create a sales plan that also includes:

	Ways to attract the business travel market
	Incentives to attract company retreats and conventions on weekdays
	Specific promotion examples

The marketing consultants (participant team) will present their plan to you in a meeting in your office. You will open the meeting by greeting the marketing consultants (participant team) and asking to hear their strategies. 

After the team has made their presentation, you are to ask the following questions of each participant team:    

1.	What do you think will be the biggest obstacle in attracting business travelers to our resort? How can we overcome this?

2.	What do you see as the biggest challenge to getting conventions or company retreats to come to our resort during the weekdays?

3.	We don’t want to lower our resort rating by offering too many discounts or using too many coupons. Do you think that offering discount pricing and sales promotions will hurt our resort image?

4.	How will we evaluate the results of your suggestions?

After the marketing consultants (participant team) has made their presentation and has answered your questions, you will conclude the meeting by thanking the marketing consultants (participant team) for their work.

You are not to make any comments after the event is over except to thank the participants. 

JUDGING THE PRESENTATION
The Management Team Decision Making events were created by DECA in response to the career opportunities available for participants in these occupational areas.

The participant team will first take a comprehensive exam based on knowledge of general marketing competencies. Participant teams with a career interest in one of the occupational areas will analyze a case situation related to a business in the chosen occupational area. The participant team will make decisions regarding the situation, then make an oral presentation.

The participant team will assume the role of a management team for the business represented in the case situation. The role of the judge(s) is that of an executive (if one judge) or executive team (if more than one judge) for the business.

Participants will be evaluated according to the Evaluation Form.

Participants will be scheduled for presentations at fifteen (15) minute intervals.

Please place the participant team’s name and identification number in the upper right-hand corner of the Evaluation Form (unless it has already been done for you).

During the first 10 minutes of the interview (after introductions), the participant team will present their analysis, decisions/recommendations, and the rationale behind the decisions. Allow the participants to complete this portion without interruption, unless you are asked to respond.

During the next 5 minutes you are to ask questions of the participant team to determine their understanding of the situation presented. Both members of each team should respond to at least one question. To ensure fairness, you must ask each participant team the same questions (questions are provided in the Judges Instructions). After asking the standard questions, you must ask other questions specific to the current participant team.

After the questioning period please thank the participant you will close the event by thanking for their input. Then complete the Evaluation Form, making sure to record a score for all categories. The maximum score for the evaluation is one hundred (100) points. The presentation will be weighed at twice (2 times) the value of the exam scores.

A score of “Exceptionally Well Done” in any category means that, in your opinion, the information is presented in a very effective way; in effect, nothing more could be expected of an employee.

A score of “Well Done” in any category means that, in your opinion, the information is presented well. Though there may be a few minor problems or omissions, they are not significant.

An “Adequately Done” score means that the information is presented adequately. It meets minimum standards of acceptability.

A score of “Little Value” in any category means that some major flaw has been noted that damages the effectiveness of the presentation. This may be a major omission, a serious misstatement or any other major flaw.

A “No Value” score means that the information presented is of no value. It is presented in such a way that it does not help the presentation at all.

We hope you are impressed by the quality of the work of these potential managers. If you have any suggestions for improving the event, please mention them to your event director.