Implementation of Marketing Mix to Increase Meeting Events

Purpose : This study aims to analyze the application of marketing mix in this case 7Ps (product, price, place, promotion, people, process, and physical evidence) in increasing the number of meetings at a 5-star hotel located in Kuta area, Bali, Indonesia. Research methods : Data collection was carried out by observation, interviews, documentation, and questionnaires with a total of 150 respondents from professional conference organizers who had held a meeting at the hotel. The analysis technique used in this study is qualitative and quantitative analysis. Results and discussion : The implementation of the marketing mix applied by the hotel is such as providing a meeting place including facilities and meeting equipment, providing prices following client budgets, promoting using brochures, websites, through sales calls and telemarketing, routinely checking the conditions of the meeting place. The most effective variable influencing the increase in the number of meeting events is by looking at the results of the beta standard coefficient of the largest value, namely the physical evidence variable with the largest value of 0.266 with sig 0.00 which means that the physical evidence variable most effectively influences the number of meetings Implication : The factors causing the ineffectiveness of the variable of the marketing mix based on the results of the interview are less than optimal employee performance and promotions that are carried out less and are less effective in selling meeting packages.


INTRODUCTION
Bali is part of the province in Indonesia which is now a favorite tourist spot of foreign countries which every year can bring more than 4.000 million tourists. Viewed to the Bali Provincial Government Tourism Office statistics in three years, the number of tourists visiting in 2016 was 4.927.937 persons, in 2017 was 5.697.739 persons and in 2018 was 6.070.473 persons. Looking at the data above the increasing number of tourist arrivals certainly can help the economy of Bali. Bali is not only the best tourist destination but also the best place for MICE, especially for meetings. The activity of MICE is a combination of vacation and business, usually involving a group of people together, a series of activities in the form of meetings, incentive trips, conventions, congresses, conferences, and exhibitions (Kesrul, 2004).
The number of international meetings held in Bali according to the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) in 2018 was as many as 40 international meetings. A meeting is a meeting of two or more people which involves a group of people who need a place and time. Where there is a topic or subject and involves implementing services to compile and execute the program (Sutama dan Jaman, 2017). Seeing this, the hotel business, especially in Kuta, is on the rise, many competing hotels are competing to offer MICE places, especially meeting rooms for business travelers. The hotel business, especially in Kuta, is on the rise, many competing hotels are competing to offer MICE places, especially meeting rooms for business travelers.
There are many 5-star hotels in Kuta and one of them is a hotel in Jalan Kartika, South Kuta, Badung which offers 316 rooms, suites, and villas for tourists and has 9 venues (meeting rooms) opened and offered to tourists, especially tourists who want to hold a vacation as well as a meeting. If seen in the last 5 years the number of meetings held at this hotel still could not reach the targets set by management. The marketing mix strategy has also been applied by marketing and sales management in selling venues (meeting rooms).
The implementation of a marketing mix at the hotel to increase the number of meeting events must use tools that can be used to develop long-term strategies and also for short-term planning programs. The right mix of marketing mix with a combination of experience, competence, knowledge, and creativity plays an important role in supporting the success of increasing the number of meeting events (Tjiptono, 2014). A tool that can be used in increasing sales of meeting rooms is the 7Ps' marketing mix strategy consisting of product, price, place, promotion, people, process, and physical evidence that can influence visitors' decisions in choosing a company as their goal to hold a meeting (Assauri, 2013).

RESEARCH METHODS
Data collection was carried out by observation, interview, documentation study, and distributing questionnaires with a total number of 150 professional conference organizer (PCO) respondents who had held meeting events at the hotel.
The analysis technique used in this study is qualitative and quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis is here to answer the application of the marketing mix applied at the hotel, and uses quantitative analysis that is using multiple linear regression analysis tests to find out which variables are effectively influential in increasing the number of meeting events and the last is conducting analysis techniques through interviews to find out the factors causing ineffective variables in increasing the number of meeting events.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
In increasing the number of meetings at the hotel management has established several marketing strategies. One of them is the marketing mix. This marketing mix consists of product, price, place, promotion, people, process, and physical evidence. Based on the results of unstructured interviews and observations made by researchers regarding the application of the 7Ps marketing mix applied at the hotel as follows. The hotel has nine venues or meeting rooms where those rooms are not only sold for meetings but also for other events. All meeting rooms are equipped with facilities such as amenities meeting (writing pad, pencil), and meeting equipment (screen projector, sound, and system, delegate microphone), and sometimes if the client gives enough revenue to the hotel, the hotel will give 1 to 2 breakout rooms (Shadewa and Yudhistira rooms) free of charge to the client. Food and beverage are supporting products included in the product meeting. Food and beverage in the hotel are provided for coffee breaks, or lunch and dinner for meeting events, of course, with five-star hotel food standards, where staff will suggest in advance the menu that will be obtained when the meeting takes place and later the menu is sent to clients, so clients will know what foods and drinks will be obtained and if clients do not like, the menu can be replaced.
Implementation of the price of meeting rooms and meeting packages at the hotel is determined by looking at the prices applied by competitors and also the revenue prepared by the client.
The location of the hotel is very strategic in the Kuta area because the location is near International Airport Ngurah Rai and closed to the biggest shopping center. In addition to the strategic location, the hotel also provides a large parking area for clients. As for consumers, accessibility to obtain information about hotel location and hotel products, the hotel offers various ways so that consumers can easily obtain information and make connections with hotels. Some of the services provided are hotline facilities, websites, and online bookings.
Promotion is something that is used to notify and persuade the market about new products or services to companies through advertising, personal sales, sales promotions, and publications. In carrying out promotional activities, the hotel uses a variety of strategies in selling meeting rooms such as making a brochure, flyers, and advertisements on the hotel website, and also selling directly by sales staff, such as attending sales trade shows, and sales calls and also telemarketing, the hotel also has a sales team located in Jakarta which also helps to sell meetings room.
People are all actors who play an important role in the presentation of services so that they can influence the buyer's perception. Elements of people are company employees, consumers, and other consumers. All employee attitudes and actions, employee attire, and appearance influence the success of service delivery.
The hotel has a strategy of implementing employees in marketing and managing meeting events that will take place at the hotel, the employee consists of 6 marketing teams specifically marketing Events and for the event coordinator there is only 1 person, and the banquet employees are 4 people and assisted by the human resource department (HRD) of 2 people. The application of employees also depends on the number of meeting events held if large meeting events require additional employees HRD will look for daily workers to assist the banquet staff in organizing and handling meeting events until the end of the event. The process is all the actual procedures, mechanisms, and activity flow used to deliver services. This processing element has something meaning to delivering services. The process of services is a major factor in the service marketing mix as service customers will be happy to feel the service delivery system as part of the service itself. The implementation of the meeting process, from the beginning, to get clients until the meeting is finished, such as promotions, conduct inspection by inviting clients or clients who come directly to the hotel to see the meeting room, complete the administration until fixed payment, and conduct an internal meeting between the hotel sales, event coordinator, operational banquet, F&B Director or representative manager and also the Head Chef with a PCO to discuss what needs will be needed, the schedule of meetings and food and beverage events will be provided, all explained during the internal meeting.
Physical evidence determines customer interest to hold a meeting event at the hotel, this is because the clients will see and feel firsthand how the atmosphere and design of the meeting room when conducting inspections and when the event has been held. In terms of physical evidence, the staff of the hotel has already done a routine check to make sure the physical condition of the hotel product is well clean and maintained especially for the meeting room. In this case, is to maintain lighting, sound system, and LCD Projector.
Based on the results of the distribution of questionnaires at the hotel with a sample of 150 respondents of Professional Conference Organizer (PCO) who are holding Meeting events and who have held meeting events at the hotel, the respondents are as follows: Based on the results of the t-test stated that the variable product, price, place, promotion, people, process, and physical evidence each have a positive effect on increasing the number of meetings or events. This is evidenced by looking at the value of t-count> t-table (1.97861). Based on the results of the f-test stated that the variable product, price, place, promotion, people, process, and physical evidence, as a whole have a positive effect on increasing the number of meetings or events. This is proven by looking at the value of f-count> f-table (2.07).  The final stage of this research is to determine the assessment that has been formulated previously using multiple regression linear analysis. This assessment aims to determine the factors that cause the marketing mix variable which is less effective in increasing the number of meetings at the hotel. In this study, the researchers conducted interviews with sales and marketing department staff, especially the event coordinator staff at the hotel who knew the situation at the meeting and the hotel knowledge.

Process
The factors causing the ineffectiveness of process variables are the lack of staff performance at work, this will have an impact on customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction is the first thing that must be considered. Therefore it is necessary to consider the causes why staff performance is declining so customers or meeting participants have to wait a long time when checking in, and always pay attention to things that look small but have a big impact on the customer such as sound system checking, this has a big impact if during the event there is an obstacle that causes the customer will think of the facilities poorly provided.

People
The factors that cause ineffectiveness variables of people are the lack of banquet staff who handle meeting events and the lack of selection in the search for additional workers (Daily workers) to help banquet staff in managing meeting events.

Promotion
The factors that cause ineffective promotion variables are less multiplying cooperation with meeting planners, sales, and promotion of meeting rooms and meeting packages through social media is still lacking.

CONCLUSION
Implementation of the marketing mix that has been applied by the hotel such as: providing meeting rooms with meeting facilities (notebooks, pencils, flipcharts) and meeting equipment (LCD projectors, sound systems, delegate microphones) in each meeting room, giving prices to guests by asking about their budget and conducting promotions by making brochures and flyers, making sales calls and always checking meeting room conditions. Based on the test results of multiple linear regression analysis using SPSS can be concluded from the marketing mix of 7Ps (product, price, place, promotion, people, process, and physical evidence) has a positive relationship with the number of meeting events, and the test results that have the greatest value are the physical evidence variable of 0.266 with a sig value of 0.000 which is the most effective variable applied at the hotel to increase the number of meeting events.
Factors causing the ineffectiveness of the marketing mix variable in increasing the number of meetings based on the results of the interview are the lack of manpower, especially the banquet provided to handle an event at the hotel, employee performance that is less fast in handling problems, lack of attention work from employees and also not enough to do more promotions in selling meeting package.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The writers do thank the hotel team who always helped and supported the writers to complete this research.