Estrategia de ventas

ANÁLISIS DE LAS POSIBLES ESTRATEGIAS DE MERCADEO PARA HACER COMPETITIVO EL CENTRO DE CONVENCIONES DE PUERTO RICO Por Vanessa Marty Altiery Tesis sometida en cumplimiento parcial de los requisitos para el grado de MAESTRO EN ADMINISTRACIÓN DE EMPRESAS en UNIVERSIDAD DE PUERTO RICO RECINTO UNIVERSITARIO DE MAYAGÜEZ 2005 Aprobado por: _________________________________ José M. Romaguera Casablanca,Ph. D. Miembro, Comité Graduado _________________________________ Leandro A. Colón Alicea, Ph. D. Miembro, Comité Graduado _________________________________ María de los Ángeles Medina Vargas, MS Miembro, Comité Graduado _________________________________ Karen L. Orengo Serra, Ph. D. Presidenta, Comité Graduado _________________________________ Yolanda Ruíz Vargas, Ph. D. Decana Asociada deInvestigación y Asuntos Graduados ____________ Fecha ____________ Fecha ____________ Fecha ____________ Fecha _____________ Fecha

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Sonia M. Bartolomei-Suárez, Ph.D. Representante de la Escuela Graduada

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Fecha

Abstract
Within the tourist industry, the groups and conventions segment is one of those of greater diversity and contribution to the growth ofthe tourism (Kim, Chon, & Chung, 2003b). It has been suggested that the increase in this segment also increases the The competitiveness within the convention destinations (Go & Govers, 1999). could thus represent an opportunity for this segment on the island. The main objective of this dissertation was to analyze the marketing strategies for the Puerto Rico Convention Center as a competitive toolfor the tourism of the country. This study investigates the impact of the Convention Center for both the tourism sector and for the economy of the island. This study also explores the role of the government toward this sector, how the marketing strategies contribute to the competitiveness of the destination, the marketing strategies most used in the segment, and the perceptions of the meetingplanners of Puerto Rico as a convention destination. This investigation consisted of three main studies: the case study, the content analysis, and the importance-performance analysis. In the case study, the marketing plans for the Puerto Rico Convention Center and for the Hawaii Convention Center were described, and a comparative analysis between these plans was made. In the content analysis, theperceptions and opinions of people related to the tourism industry about the strengths and weaknesses of this segment were studied. In the importance-performance analysis, important attributes in the selection of convention destinations were studied. In addition, a mathematical equation was used to measure the competitiveness of both destinations. Among the most important findings, this study showed,there are similar marketing strategies between the Puerto Rico Convention Center and the Hawaii Convention Center. The political relationship with the United States of America, the ii

construction of the Puerto Rico Convention Center, expected to be completed in 2005,

variety of tourist attractions, the strategic location, and the construction of the Convention Center were the strengths forthis segment in Puerto Rico. Some weaknesses are: the susceptibility from the segment to the world-wide situations, the cost increases, and the lack of research about tourism investigation on the Island. The meeting planners perceived the “facilities” and the “security” as the most important criteria at the time of selecting a destination; these agree with the attributes in which Puerto Rico mustfocus its efforts. When mathematically evaluating the competitiveness, Hawaii turned out to be more competitive in comparison to Puerto Rico. In conclusion, the competitiveness of a destination does not depend only on the strategies established in the marketing plan; it also depends on the cooperation of other agencies, organizations, and industries. Although there are several factors that...