Marriott holds ninth annual GSR meeting for Middle East, Africa and Subcontinent

Marriott Global Sales Organisation recently held its ninth annual meeting for general sales representatives from the Middle East, Africa and Subcontinent. The four-day session took place at the impressive JW Marriott Cairo hotel in Egypt.

Over thirty general sales representatives attended from the Middle East, Africa and the Subcontinent including a number of attendees from the Marriott Regional Global Sales offices in Dubai and Senior Management from the Corporate Headquarters in Washington. There were more than 20 hotels represented at the meeting from the Middle East, Europe and the Subcontinent.

Taking place between 8 - 13th September the meeting included seminars, training and workshops. Attendees heard presentations on a number of sales related topics including enhancing sales skills and strategic partnerships, also how to meet and fulfill customer's needs and objectives.

"The annual general sales meeting plays an important role in Marriott's global sales strategy." says Samir Daqqaq Vice President Global Sales, Middle East, Africa and Subcontinent.

"The event gives our sales representatives an opportunity to come together, compare notes and learn from each others experiences, this is one of the strengths behind our sales organization. It helps our staff to be kept up to date on the latest developments in the hotel group."

Sales representatives were also rewarded for their work over the year. Four awards were presented at the gala evening on 12th September. The awards presented by Fred Miller Vice President Global Sales and Samir Daqqaq were given to outstanding sales staff in the areas of best performance, best networking, best teamwork and best thinking outside of the box.

"The awards have been given to those members of the sales team who have shown initiative, commitment and enthusiasm and who have exceeded expectations. We hope the awards will motivate staff and illustrate our gratitude for their efforts."

The meeting focused on developing sales processes with seminars addressing the identification of objectives, benefits and features of Marriott products. A number of Marriott programmes were also covered including hotel excellence.

On the subject of marketing, delegates were given updates on field marketing and PR, whilst the marketplace session offered the sales representatives an opportunity for one to one's with hotel representatives, enabling them to become more familiar with the properties.

"The meeting was primarily a learning environment but it also offered us the opportunity to reward staff. We hope that it has given our sales representatives useful updates in a variety of areas and that this knowledge will benefit them in the year ahead."