Hotels should leverage technology to improve speed and service delivery to build relationships with clients
Brought to you by Cvent
The nature of MICE business is shifting. Planners today want what used to feel impossible: faster responses, clearer visualisation, and smoother coordination across sales, operations, and event planning teams.
For hotel sales leaders, that means adapting how they prospect, pitch, and close deals or risk losing business to faster, smarter competitors.
Across Asia-Pacific, optimism for the meetings and events sector remains high with 70 per cent of planners in the region reporting a brighter outlook for meetings and events, according to the Northstar & Cvent Meetings Industry Pulse Survey (APAC Edition) released in September 2025.
Naina Vishnoi, senior sales director for Cvent’s Hospitality Cloud division, shares her expertise on how hotels can adapt to changing expectations.
Speed is of the essence
Speed has become a decisive competitive edge. Planners in APAC increasingly expect venue responses within just three to four days, particularly for mid-sized events. Hotels that reply first and tailor their responses to the planner’s objectives stand a far better chance of conversion.
Being discoverable where planners are already sourcing is equally critical. According to the Cvent Global Planner Sourcing Report 2026, 61 per cent of planners in Asia are using electronic RFPs for most or all meetings. Hotels need to ensure they are visible and active on digital sourcing platforms like Cvent – the quicker and more relevant the reply, the higher the likelihood of winning the business.
Planners also want clarity. This means hotel sales teams need to provide sample setups for visualisation to reduce uncertainty and set aside rooms for event guests so that they can enjoy a hassle-free experience.
Tapping on technology
Technology such as artificial intelligence is increasingly reshaping how hotels pursue and manage MICE business.
The Cvent Global Planner Sourcing Report 2026 shows that 84 per cent of planners in Asia and 96 per cent in Australia now use technology and AI to source venues, streamline RFPs, and communicate with hotels. For example, Singapore RFPs now arrive with AI-built agendas that specify “two plenaries and eight breakouts with hybrid AV and halal catering,” making day-one pricing accurate; Bangkok riverside venues use response automation to draft tailored proposals in minutes; Sydney teams share AI-assisted 3D cabaret layouts for a Darling Harbour gala to reduce resends and secure a shortlist.
Yet even with all this technology, a third of planners globally say the tools they use either slow them down or fail to add real value.
This provides an opportunity for those that adopt the relevant tools that can help further their objectives.
In Asia-Pacific, 39 per cent of planners already use AI to create or optimise RFPs, while 45 per cent leverage AI to analyse attendee data for the best venue fit. By integrating automation for rooming lists, event diagramming, and proposal generation, hotel sales teams can reclaim hours, reduce errors, and focus on what matters most: building relationships and closing deals.
Doing so and benchmarking performance against it lets sales leaders uncover pricing gaps, measure conversion speed, and spot emerging demand before their competitors.
By combining such insights with a disciplined approach to speed, customisation, and communication, hotels can capture a larger share of the resurging MICE business market.
Ultimately, relationships also matter. Planners increasingly look for hotel partners who act as collaborators rather than vendors and can anticipate challenges before they arise.
For hotel sales managers, that means pairing digital precision with human insight. Using AI-enabled prospecting to identify the right opportunities is just the start; delivering personalised follow-through cements trust and long-term loyalty.
Leverage cumulative data insights for strategic decisions
In a world of compressed lead times and shifting portfolios, teams that see demand before the RFP – understanding which segments are moving, which planners are signalling intent, and where space, dates, and budget truly align – are likely to have the edge. Strategic sales and revenue leaders use intelligence to reframe sales from ‘coverage’ to ‘clarity’ concentrating effort on best‑fit accounts, equipping outreach with context that adds value, and routing opportunities to the properties most likely to convert.
Tools like Cvent’s Group Pipeline Intel (GPI) elevates the human work that differentiates hospitality – consultative conversations, tailored proposals, and trust – by removing guesswork and letting data light the path.
Make smarter decisions and close more successful events with Cvent.
Naina Vishnoi is senior director of Sales, Hospitality Cloud at Cvent. With over 18 years in hospitality and travel technology, she drives business growth, strategy, and digital transformation. A strong advocate for diversity and inclusion, Naina is known for her collaborative leadership and focus on developing future leaders.
