convention poachers and pirates · 2018. 2. 20. · montage palmetto bluff bluffton, sc new...

Dan Ketelsen | Director of Sales

Associated Luxury Hotels International

Convention Poachers

and PiratesWho are they are they, how do they affect your meetings and

how do you stop them?

Housing “Pirates” and “Poachers” are third party companies that

misrepresent themselves by claiming to be the housing provider for a given

convention or tradeshow who profits by booking registrants outside of the

official room block.

Who are these

guys?

2018 ASSOCIATED LUXURY HOTELS

INTERNATIONAL – PROPRIETARY AND

CONFIDENTIAL

Pirating companies research online event lists and convention calendars

then typically target exhibitor lists, then using deceptive tactics such as;

● Claim to have hotel rooms available at lower rate

● Inform registrants that the hotel is “Sold out” and to book immediately

● Represent themselves as being affiliated with the event, illegally using

logos and proprietary materials

● Distribute forms and offers that look official and legitimate, but are not

How do they find

your attendees?



CONFIDENTIAL

Often, poachers do not deliver on their promises, leaving attendees and

exhibitors at risk;

● Arriving on-site to find their reservations don’t exist and their credit cards

have been charged

● Not receiving the original rate quoted, sometimes at a different hotel

● Hotel may not be close to convention center or bus route

● No protection should a reservation need to be cancelled

Risks for

Attendees



CONFIDENTIAL

● Trademark your show name. This bars pirates from using it in their solicitations. It

also lays the groundwork for potential legal action on the grounds of trademark

infringement.

● Prepare a cease and desist letter. Quickly inform poachers they are committing a

tort by interfering with the legal show housing contracts.

● Protect digital logos, this prevents them from being copied and pasted by

poachers.

● Proactively alert attendees that piracy exists.

● Use a single system for registration and housing.

● Protect past registration lists

● Alert the hotel of poacher activity. They will be better prepared to help out

attendees that arrive without a reservation.

● Offer incentives for attendees to stay within the official block

How to Stop Them



CONFIDENTIAL

● Clearly post pirate information on your event website, send emails to

your potential attendees. Some associations even send recorded

voicemails.

● When booking a hotel, always check the website’s URL carefully.

Legitimate hotel sites are secured, with https:// and have a lock symbol

in the upper left hand side of the search bar

Educating Your

Attendees



CONFIDENTIAL

MONTAGE PALMETTO BLUFF

BLUFFTON, SC

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Q & A

SURF & SAND RESORT

LAGUNA BEACH, CA

Thank You

convention poachers and pirates · 2018. 2. 20. · montage palmetto bluff bluffton, sc new...

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