September 2004 Article                      

Getting to Know You and What You Want
An interview with Jim Schultenover, president of the Krisam Group.

“What’s going to give me the greatest experience and uniqueness while matching all my needs?”, Jim Schultenover poses, putting himself into meeting planners minds as they contemplate their next event. “People are looking for something original and different, not standardized, ” he continues, “and that gives Krisam the edge with its exceptional offering of independent first class and luxury hotels.” 

“Diverse”… “non-cookie cutter”… “wide range” were terms used in the four focus groups Jim conducted as planners talked about Krisam properties. What most impressed Jim about the comments from the New York, Washington, and Chicago groups were:

1. “The incredible trust in our people.”
   
   
2. “The speed in which we respond to requests.” His favorite quote from the focus groups: “When I want to get something done, I call my Krisam representative.”
   
   
3. “ The fact that, despite a lot of talent in the field, there was no one organization that dominated the rest.”

He sees these three as opportunities to:

1. Build on the relationships, as this is a personal business. One participant described her Krisam relationship as: “a partnership…an extension of my internal team.”
   
   
2. Offer not only fast turnaround but accurate, comprehensive information to save the planner time.
   
   
3. Build to the right combination of unique offerings, value, and service so that Krisam truly stands above the rest.

Jim’s priority is to continue to improve the quality of information that Krisam representatives provide to the client. This involves knowing more about the client and more about all the Krisam properties. The end result would be information of such value and thoroughness that fewer calls and less time would be needed in the planning and booking process.

This plays into more of the focus group findings. The participants:

1. Want regular updates on properties.
   
   
2. Want representatives to have first-hand knowledge of properties.
   
   
3. Like grids with complete information on the hotels and resorts and what makes them the best match.
   
   
4. Like FAM trips where they can see a location for themselves.
   
   
5. Want that extra critical piece of information, such as news about a turtle-mating season which may curtail outdoor events.
   
   

“The participants were really pleased to have been asked to express their views, ” Jim said. “Everybody really cares. They were candid and had terrific ideas...”

Jim sees the partnership of Krisam, GEP, and August-Jackson as a real plus for meeting planners, providing great value and time-saving potential “No competitor can connect all the components in one place like we can -- hotel selection, destination management services, and production services,” he says. 

A few more numbers: Krisam has

• 20 sales representatives
  
  
• 207 hotels
  
  
• 160 hotels in North America, and
  
  
• Krisam booked $60 million in room revenue last year.
  

Ever seeking way to improve, Jim welcomes your input on how Krisam can serve you better and any questions you might have about the operation. “I am genuinely interested in ideas from our clients.”, he says. 

E-mail your questions or comments to: newsletter@theeventinsider.com and Jim will respond in future issues of The Event Insider. 

Now a little more about Jim Schultenover:

Early years: 
Born in Sparta, Wisconsin. Graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stout.

Previous experience:

• Chief marketing officer, Ian Schrager Hotels
• Vice president, sales & marketing, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company
• Senior vice president, sales & marketing, Omni Hotels
• Various positions for Marriott International, including vice president of group sales for convention & resort hotels.
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