A Conversation with Jacquelyn Helton from Access

In the season finale, Jonathan Horowitz and guest Jacquelyn Helton discuss a day in the life at of Access, the only majority women-owned and women-led national Destination Management Company in the country. 

Transcript

Intro: 0:05

Welcome to the business of Houston Hospitality, where we visit with and learn from the people behind Houston's vibrant and diverse hospitality industry. Each week we speak with owners and operators of restaurants, hotels, venues, attractions, museums, theaters, and more. Please welcome your host, president of the Houston Hospitality Alliance and founder of Convive Hospitality Consultant, Jonathan Horowitz.

Jonathan: 0:33

Greetings from Houston. This is the Business of Houston Hospitality. I am your host, Jonathan Horowitz, and today I will be speaking with Jacqueline Helton from Access. As always, we'll talk about Jacqueline's history in Houston, about her business, how it's going, and what Jacqueline thinks about Houston's hospitality industry and its future. Welcome to the show, Jacqueline. Thank you for being here.

Jacquelyn: 0:58

Thank you, Jonathan. Thank you for having me.

Jonathan: 1:01

Well, let's jump right into it. So tell me a little bit about yourself and your background and how you got into this business and how you got interested in hospitality generally and all of that fun stuff.

Jacquelyn: 1:15

Okay, I came about it a little different than most I would say. I've been in the hospitality industry for a little over 18 years now. I actually got most of the hospitality background from osmosis. My parents were both in the hospitality industry. My mother was director of sales for hotels for many, many, many moons. And There was actually director of operations for hotels. So I definitely have the service industry background, but I

Jonathan: 1:43

And, and where was that? Where, where,

Jacquelyn: 1:46

in Houston,

Jonathan: 1:47

and are you a Houston native?

Jacquelyn: 1:48

I'm a Houston native.

Jonathan: 1:50

Oh, fantastic. One of the few.

Jacquelyn: 1:52

Exactly. It is my hometown so I have all the Houston proud moments. But I also have an agriculture background, I actually went to San Houston State with an agricultural, basically scholarship and I was on the rodeo team. So with that, I majored in agriculture and went into agriculture. I worked with ConAgra Foods for a very long time. And then a company called PRA was expanding their office in Dallas and gave me a call and said, Hey, could you join our operations team? So I entered the DMC world at that point I went into the CBB world for a little Then back to the DMC world, then back to the CBB world, and now I'm back in the DMC world. So I've done a little bit of all the things on both the DMC side and the CBB side, but definitely in the hospitality industry is my calling, that is for sure.

Jonathan: 2:52

That's fantastic. So just out of curiosity, what was the DMC experience originally? Like, how did, how did that come about and what were you doing in that world?

Jacquelyn: 3:03

I started off in DMC operations. So I learned all the nitty gritty details from, you know, arrival and departure manifest to actually, you know, the sales team builds this stream and the operations make sure it comes to life. So that's where I got started in the DMC world. And then I went into the CBB world and kind of learned a little bit more about the hotel side and the preparations of planning an event. And then I went Back to the DMC side on the sales side. And that's when I kind of learned it was more about building that. What does that look like? What is your vision? What are your goals and really kind of creating that with, you know, like an artist, just building all these events. And then also being able to see it come to life is just. I get to see the full aspect of it. And so that's what I really loved about the sales side. The CVB is just also my calling, you know, just having those local relationships, that's the part that, you know, I kind of have a little bit of both is the hotels are such a big part of our, what we do as well as the planners. So I kind of bridge all of those, which is a little unique as well.

Jonathan: 4:15

That's interesting. And maybe, you know, for some of our listeners may not know exactly what a DMC does or what that stands for or how that compares to maybe a DMO. You know, maybe you can give a, a little bit of a lesson on all of those fun acronyms that we live with every day.

Jacquelyn: 4:33

Well, and CBBs are kind of going away from being called a CBB, and so the Convention and Visitors Bureau is now becoming the destination marketing organization, you know, really putting that destination out there into the world, whether it be for planners or it be for the transient or whatever it may be for. Where a DMC, a destination management company is there to help build the experiences and build the offerings within each destination. So we, we definitely coincide with the DMO and as well as the other partners, the vendors, we establish all those relationships within the destination, whether it be the vendors, the suppliers, which we all are very familiar with within the hospitality industry.

Jonathan: 5:23

No, that's great. That's, and that's very helpful because There is a fairly substantial and, and large ecosystem of all of those things that need to come together to make all of this work from, you know, the very kind of bottom of the, the funnel on what happens on the ground and All of the, you know, workers, employees and everybody who makes everything work all the way up to the super high level planning that takes years and years and years in advance to get things on the books and get ready for it. And particularly when you're talking about, I don't know, pick, pick something like the Superbowl or or political convention or anything of, of that magnitude. I can only imagine, you know, the number of moving parts that go into creating and executing something of, of that magnitude.

Jacquelyn: 6:15

Exactly. When I, every time I see like the Super Bowl halftime show, I'm looking at it from all those aspects. I'm like, I can't imagine the planning of all these logistics. And that's the part that everybody forgets, but that's the part I love too, is being behind the scenes, making all those little movements in order to create that amazing end product is what we're here for is to create those lasting moments, those lasting impressions, and through that whole process in order to get to that end product that does that.

Jonathan: 6:45

So, you know, you, likely have a unique perspective having, you know, grown up in Houston as, as a native Houstonian, having been involved in one form or fashion of, you know, within the hospitality and tourism industries and from business and looking at it from other things. And obviously, you know, the, the rodeo connections are big you know, in Houston, but I talked to a lot of folks who don't know much about Houston or I've heard from a lot of folks who didn't want to come here. They had to come here for some other reason, whether that's, you know, a convention or visiting family or going to the medical center or whatever it is. But then all of a sudden they, they realize what Houston has to offer and how cool it really is. And a lot of them end up staying, frankly you know, They don't think that that's what's going to happen, but like, this is amazing. So I'm curious to kind of get your perspective you know, in this, we'll jump into some of this a little bit later, but, you know, just your perspective on how you've seen that aspect of things evolve over the years. And also, you know, we're not known truly as a tourist. Town not like a San Antonio with a river walk or Orlando or, you know, San Francisco, whatever it is. What are your, what are your thoughts on, you know, how people get here, why they come here, what, what's, you know, available to people in Houston and what you've seen, how you've seen it change over the years.

Jacquelyn: 8:11

I will say that. Well, I was even talking to an international client last week and they were looking at Houston and their number or their top reasons were 1, the airport. So, you know, we're the most centralized airport there is. to a Republican state, so it's easier to get into Houston and Texas, and the weather. You know, some people give us a very hard time about our weather, that it's either hot or it's humid, but at the same time, when they're used to going to the northern areas, or they're getting weather delays, whether it be cold or whatever the case may be, then they definitely start to look towards the warmer clients and the ones that are used to it. Climates and the ones that are easier to get into. I will say within Texas, the offerings that we have in Houston, just based on meeting space and the activations and the activity and the size of the spaces that we can offer groups is by far the best out there. Just the array of options that we have, you know, when we're bidding against another town, they may have 10 options that fit this group in this aspect where Houston has 24. And then of course, Houston hospitality is unlike any other. And once they get here and they realize that they're sold on it, you know, the Marriott marquee was saying that they have the number two event team in. the Marriott brand just based on their hospitality and their welcoming and their service level. And so I think that speaks volumes for Houston in itself. And then, you know, we're the phoenix that continues to rise from the ashes too, I believe, you know, we've seen a lot of turmoil and we've seen a lot of change and we've seen a lot of things come through and we just continue to not only rise, but surpass the level that we were at before.

Jonathan: 10:09

Yeah, and it's interesting. You know, I know that the new mayor has put a big emphasis. In fact, I think there was a, an article this past weekend about, you know, the billions of dollars that are expected to be spent particularly around the convention area growing, you know, that district adding additional hotels, adding convention space, everything, you know, and that's kind of part of like a. 30 year plan or, or something like that. And I know, you know, shout out to the Marriott Marquis, one of our Houston Hospitality Alliance members and a great partner and connected to the convention center. And they, I know from having been to countless events over there that they do such a great job and You know, all of the, the big downtown hotels that service the convention business Hilton Americas and C Baldwin and Hyatt Regency, all of those, you know, fantastic properties that, that really to your point, give people a tremendous impression of the city when they're here, because there is so much to do, even though, again, you know, not necessarily known as being a tourist town. We, the, the, Diversity of the city and the diversity of all of the options for things for people to do when they're here is really pretty amazing. And obviously it's a huge city, but the diversity of it really does shine through. And I think people have to come here to recognize that you can't, that's not something that you just pick up by looking at a brochure or something online. You, you've got to actually experience it all. And, you know, obviously we're very proud of the, the diversity. the food culture and the restaurant recognition that we've been getting over the, over the years, whether it's, you know, James Beard or whatever a lot of well deserved recognition has come Houston's way in the past, you know, call it five, seven years which is fantastic.

Jacquelyn: 11:59

I agree. I mean, you can't put the people or the taste of Houston in a brochure, but once we get them here, then, you know, they're sold on it. And so I think that is our striving piece is how do we get them here? And I think we're working towards it, you know, With as much convention construction that is about to take place around the state. I think that this is our time to really hone in on getting people here at least for the first time or maybe even this is their second time and you know once they get here sometimes they don't get out of the walls of the convention center and so their first time isn't it. leaving the lasting impression that we would like it to. So I think we have an opportunity in our very near future to get the new ones here and get some of the ones that have been here once before and really change the, their perspective of Houston and really have the opportunity to show them what all Houston has to offer. And then I think they're sold on it.

Jonathan: 13:03

Yeah. No, I would totally agree. And so that's a good segue into your company. Let's, let's talk a little bit about access. Let's talk about what it is what it does, how you came to be there and just, you know, anything that coincides with the hospitality business in Houston and, and how that all interacts as a, as a business.

Jacquelyn: 13:25

access itself has been around for 55 plus years. We're celebrating our birthday just this year. It was actually franchised owned before, so there were just a couple of destinations that had access within them and the good old COVID hit and. The company decided that they were going to put the name up on the chopping block. And it was then that some of the franchise owners got together and said, you know what? What if we buy it and we create one brand, one name, and we grow it from there? And they did. And so now we're in over 50 cities. We are a woman owned business. And it's owned by three CEOs, all women, and it just shows exactly the growth and the mentality, excuse me, that access has to offer is that they're going at it as let's be here for us. Let's be here for our people. Here for the experiences. They're all about inspiring people from experiences. The owners have all been in the operations and sales, the marketing side of the industry. So they know where we're all coming from and they know where the planners coming from. And so we're not just a. straight out of the box DMC that, hey, I need this car to take me from here to here. We're about, okay, what can we do in the time that we have you in that car to really elevate the experience and the destination to make it your home away from home and to leave that lasting impression.

Jonathan: 15:00

So I want to talk a little bit about what you do specifically, kind of a, a, a day in the life, you know, and, and what, what challenges you've been facing and, and things of that nature, but I'm also curious tell us a little bit about, you know, your clients, who, who are you doing this work for, who comes to you and says, I need your help.

Jacquelyn: 15:22

The good part or the Interesting part about my, the day in my life is Access just opened the Houston office back in October. So myself, I'm the senior sales manager, and then we have a senior events manager that is also in the office, are basically building our brand Access within the Houston community. So right now, we're doing a lot of relationship building, a lot of getting our name out, At the same time within access, we have a national sales team. So we have a team that is actively going out there after our big clients. And the good part about access is if they just completed their program in California, guess what? You can have the same access experience in Houston. And then we get introduced to the local team in Houston, your boots on the ground. And. good part about access is, is we fully vet all of our vendors, making sure that all their insurance is in place, that it's a turnkey elevated experience. And so we're also building out that local vendor list, the local supplier list. And then at the same time, we're building the relationships with the hotels, because at the end of the day, most of the clients, their first stop. Is the hotels, where are we going to stay? Or they're looking at, okay, we think Houston because it's going to be amazing weather and the food is great. Or we're looking at South Carolina. And so. They basically drill down into, okay, how easy is it to get there? What is the hotel package? And so once they level it out, they're going to the hotels and the hotels are finding out, Oh, they need this, they need this, they need this. So a lot of times the hotels are coming to us saying, Hey, I want to introduce you to my client. They want to create some amazing experiences. And then we become all one big, happy family and team to really create those experiences for them. And then at the same time, we're. Out there just putting our face and our name and our brand. And then, you know, there's some people that reach out via the website. You know, there's several DMCs, not only in Texas, but there's several in Houston. And so when they go out there and they're looking for someone to provide those services for them, we're popping up more. Now that we're, we have marketing behind it and faces behind it. And so people are finding us that way. And then, you know, just industry being in the industry, being a part of HHA is huge because we're getting those contacts that we wouldn't normally have before. We're also members with MPI for the same reasons. It's all about building those relationships, not only on the planner side, but on the supplier side, because, you know, A team is better than one, and we all have contacts. We all have people that we know. People are asking us, hey, where can I do this? Who do I need to call for this? And so it's just out there really building those relationships in Houston.

Jonathan: 18:25

Yeah, no, that's that's fantastic. We know, I mean, obviously with regard to those larger events and all the moving parts that have to come together and somebody has got to be the quarterback right on the team. So it sounds like, you know, you're, y'all are kind of organizing, hurting the cats and trying to keep everything together and, and working with everybody that needs to be part of the process to make it successful. And I'm curious to know as you've gone through this process and have been involved in the industry for the length of time that you, you have, you mentioned coming out of the COVID years you know, what, what challenges do you still face and how have things changed in, in this market, particularly in the Houston market? How have the requests, you know, how has business changed over the years? Since, you know, everything got kind of tossed up in the air for three or four years or so. And we're still, you know, I think we're still kind of coming out of it. And I think we're still trying to figure out what the new normal is. But, but what kind of changes have you seen over the years?

Jacquelyn: 19:36

That's a very loaded question for me because I think that's also when Houston became even more of a tourist town because people were flocking to the coast. Yeah. And they could work remote. So they were going places that they could do that places that they could, you know, get to the airport quickly that they could get to the water quickly that they could, you know, enjoy the view from their office a little bit better. I have to say that Houston also took The hit when it came to corporate business at that time and access did too, you know, they went on the chopping block. Everyone started dwindling down their staff and dwindling down their offerings. And I think at that point, you know, before COVID we thought we were busy and then the new norm was, you know, just kind of taking it as it came. And now that we're coming out of it, Houston is definitely ramping up. And like I said, with All the construction that is about to happen in the state. I think Houston is really about to really peak at ramping back up is the new norm is, I think we're busier than we were when we thought that we were busy

Jonathan: 20:50

Really? Well, that's actually, that's, that's good to hear.

Jacquelyn: 20:54

but I mean, in the aspect that, you know, there were three people on your team doing one thing and now there's probably still only one. And so your new busy is a whole nother level of busy because Now you have technology that's even more at our fingertips and even more of a resource because you've got more remote teams. You've got people that are using zoom teams, Google chat to really communicate. And so it's a whole nother dynamic of offerings and tools that we have. And we're all kind of learning. All of it together, you know, you get used to one platform, then you have to get used to another platform. And, oh, you need to be on social to do this. And, you know, then you have these podcasts. So you're, I think you're just being fired at from more directions. And when you've been in the hospitality industry for so long, you know, it used to be a certain way, you know, you go meet for coffee. Meet for coffee with somebody and now it's a Google chat and a LinkedIn this and then you do this and then you do this and then you do this, but at the same time, I feel like the opportunity to reach out and get to know a client is morphing because it's not your cold call anymore. You know, now I think there's certain trust levels. Changed and the way that you reach people has changed and the way that people respond has changed. So I think it's an evolving time which I love is, you know, I feel like it was kind of getting in a little bit of a stagnant area. And so now there's so much room to grow and develop and everyone to reach their full potential that, you know, I, If anything, it's a silver lining of COVID is that we've all come out a little different, learning more about ourselves and learning more about the people that we interact with. That's for sure.

Jonathan: 22:55

that's certainly true. And I think one of the things, one of the themes that I've seen come about, you know, in talking to folks about the post COVID experiences this new sort of efficiency, you know, what you're talking about, teams figured out how to do more with less and some of that, you know, is, is the pressures of the cost of everything going up, labor, inflation, whatever, whatever the reason. You know, other industries as well have had to figure out how to be more efficient and maybe rely more on technology and, you know, use all of those tools that are now commonplace. But, you know, five years ago, if you had said we're going to have a zoom call, nobody wouldn't know what you were talking about, literally. So I think we have seen a generational shift in a very, very short amount of time. And I think we're all still trying Trying to catch up to some extent on what that new normal is, you know, it also raises an interesting question for me in your business in terms of how the requests for certain experiences have changed, you know what, or I'll frame it in, in more of a question in terms of has, you know, The client's requests or has have the experiences that people have been looking for changed over the years? Are they looking for different things than maybe they used to just because people interact differently as you were, as you were talking about Is it the same sort of convention business that it used to be, or is it different?

Jacquelyn: 24:33

It's definitely changed. That is for sure. There's always the go to's, you know, everyone wants the new and best thing. The answer is, what is that new and best thing? There's always going to be decor. Now everyone's decor has changed. It's not just lights and linens. It's creating conversational moments for people. And what does that look like? Is it a charging station so that they can network when they're not in the building? general session? Or is it a comfortable lounge space where people can actually spend time because everyone's remote that this is their face to face time with people? Or is it a wellness station where people are having to take a moment, take it in, you know, providing those things that normally you would like, why would you provide yoga at a conference? Well, people aren't taking enough moments to be have wellness, but Also, on the other side of that, I feel like the thing that has changed dramatically is staff. Everyone needs the additional staff, if that be the registration staff because they just don't have enough those people anymore. If it be the planning staff that, you know, it's, The assistant to the CEO that's trying to do this whole conference and they just need help in what do I need, what do I do, how do we do this, how do we bring it to life, here's my budget, and then that's the other piece is everyone's budgets are way different than they used to be. Now we're trying to pack a punch with a lot less money or because they're having to spend so much on staff or so much on transportation, the stuff in between, you really have to figure out what experiences are going to leave a lasting impression for the least amount of money.

Jonathan: 26:28

That's very interesting because I would imagine, obviously, that budgets have changed, and things just generally have gotten a lot more expensive over the past few years. But obviously people have to prioritize, right? You, you want to give Your attendees, the best experience possible, but everybody has to be more budget conscious than they used to. So I would imagine that puts a lot more pressure on folks like you to figure out how to stretch those dollars and how to give The best possible experience while maintaining those budgetary constraints, because I know years ago, right? Think 10 years ago, I remember in being in this industry, being interested in all of these things, but looking at the, the conventions or the retreats or whoever it was that was doing it, whether it was Apple or Google or Microsoft or any of those, you know, those big giant companies or the big national companies and the, the extravagance and the level of. You know, hospitality that they gave and flying people on private jets and, you know, renting out the best hotels entirely for, you know, weekends and experiences. You just don't hear about that anymore. You just, I don't hear about it at all. That, that level of excess just doesn't seem to be there right now. So again, a generational shift in a very, very short amount of time. And I'm not sure exactly, you know, how it's all going to play out as we go forward. I think some of that will depend on what the economy looks like going forward. And that's, that's an unknown day to day.

Jacquelyn: 28:09

Well, and that's the thing is in a personal level. We know how much flights have gone up. We know how much food has gone up. We know hotels have gone up and now everybody's doing Airbnb and all the other accommodation requests. So, you know, the companies look at the fact that they're still putting a ton of money towards this. but it's going into different aspects and so then what's left to try and fill the middle with all the frilly things is a little different.

Jonathan: 28:39

For sure, for sure. Well, you know, you mentioned earlier, you were talking about some of the business development and the networking and getting out there and getting your name out there and making those connections. And I wanted to bring that back just a little bit to talk about, you know, Houston Hospitality Alliance and, and other groups that you may be involved with in terms of, you know, what they're doing. What you see as the benefits and how you utilize those things and how how important that networking and connections piece can be in, in a market and in a business like yours.

Jacquelyn: 29:16

Yeah, and we, we've definitely touched on a lot of the, the aspects is, you know, first of all, it's not, you're not limited to just cold calling your clients anymore, or trying to figure out how to get that step in the door with certain contacts. And so having not only HHA and other organizations around Houston are also very well. You know, there's a lot of people in them, which is great is they're an active organization. And they're true to their goals, you know, providing those networking opportunities so that everyone has a chance to, you know, whether it's event, or Or push your business or just be with fellow peers. Cause that's the other thing is we're all in the hospitality industry and that face to face is why we're all here. So having those opportunities to have that with your peers is an amazing. Opportunity. But it also just gives a chance to really, you know, with everyone kind of, not everyone knows what access is, not everyone knows what a DMC is, not everyone knows the next up and coming supplier, you know, most of the new things that I hear about that are coming around town. Are because of either the networking or even the messaging that's put out there from HHA if it be a newsletter or social post or social sharing or whatever the case may be is it's just more of that again what we've come from is now we can get information from a lot of different areas and a lot more opportunities are available by being members of HHA and other organizations just to really get your face your name and having that face to face with others within the industry as well,

Jonathan: 31:05

Yeah, the communication cycle certainly has changed. Well, the way it's delivered, the way it's consumed, the way it's transmitted, I mean, all of those things certainly have changed. And, you know, from my perspective, there's still no better substitute than a face to face interaction. And, you know, the, the handshake or, or the, the exchange of business cards, even if it's electronic nowadays. But you know, everybody needs that opportunity to connect whether it becomes a business relationship or not. We, you know, we are social beings and we often, you know, mix the business with the social and that hopefully in many cases will lead to more business or if not, maybe a good friendship. You never know. There, you know, there's certainly nothing wrong with that and we see that as part of the value proposition of organizations like Houston Hospitality Alliance and others that provide you that venue, that platform, whatever it is to come together, share ideas, learn from each other. And as you said, there's definitely that process of education. In terms of getting folks to understand who you are, what you are, what you're doing and, and how you may find a mutually beneficial relationship which is kind of best case scenario on bringing people together and whether it's a networking event or a meeting or an educational session, whatever it might be. There's certainly those opportunities, which we, we hope to provide for sure. So, As we always do I want to pose three questions to you to get your opinion and learn maybe a little bit more about what makes you tick. Jacqueline Helton from AXS. Alright, here we go. Favorite travel destination? Anywhere, any reason, you get on a plane tomorrow, where, where are you going?

Jacquelyn: 33:02

I'm going to Mexico.

Jonathan: 33:04

What part? Where?

Jacquelyn: 33:06

My mother is just outside of Progreso, so I have family there, which is first, the first go to. Second of all, it's a quick trip from here. I can, I can get there the fastest, have my bathing suit and my luggage and be on the beach in a New York minute. And The same reasons I love Houston, the culture and the food. It's all a one stop shop there. Family, fun, food, culture, done.

Jonathan: 33:33

And beach. And

Jacquelyn: 33:34

Yes, yes.

Jonathan: 33:36

That's awesome. Well, that leads very nicely and directly into the second question, which is, you know, you're talking to somebody in, I don't know, Dubuque or Minnesota or wherever, they've never been to Houston, and you got to tell them why they should come to Houston and experience it. What are you going to tell them? How are you going to convince them that Houston is worth the trip?

Jacquelyn: 34:01

I would first ask the same question that you just asked me, is what is their favorite destination? So that I can pull from that exactly what I can pull into from Houston because we've touched on it. You know, Houston has I mean, first of all, space. Space City is a huge component. The history, the art, the culture, the offerings, the experience, the food. There's so many things that Houston has to offer that I can't just blanket it in one thing. So I definitely want to find out. I mean, hopefully I know more about them so that I can kind of figure that way out, but just finding out what they. Love about a destination and then pairing Houston to meet, to meet that.

Jonathan: 34:46

Yeah, I would imagine that no matter what anybody would tell you, we've got something for that, whatever it is, we've got it covered.

Jacquelyn: 34:53

Yes.

Jonathan: 34:54

Okay, so last question for you obviously you've had a long history in business, done a number of different things over the years have always kind of gravitated toward hospitality. But think about what would be the most important thing that you've learned over the years in your business career, that you would pass along to somebody who is just starting out or somebody younger, or somebody who wants to follow in your footsteps, or you're just giving them Great business advice because you're a good person. What would you tell them? What, what have you learned over the years that you would want to pass along to the next generation of business people, particularly in the hospitality industry?

Jacquelyn: 35:39

It's all about the relationships. How many times have you been, especially in the hospitality industry, stuck in a situation and having, you've picked up the phone and called somebody that you've met along the years that helped you get out of this situation? If it be, you were looking for a new job, if it be, hey, I have somebody that's looking to do this, Whatever the case, I feel like it's more often than not that you pick up the phone with the relationship that you've built and ask for their advice. And a lot of times if you burn that bridge, that's not going to be there. So just keeping those relationships strong and continuing to build more just because you never know when you're going to need them.

Jonathan: 36:29

I wholeheartedly agree. And having that great Rolodex and people that you can lean on and reach out to and use as resources certainly invaluable. And I would say that holds true for any business, but certainly in the hospitality industry. There is no question. That makes a, a huge difference and something that has made a significant difference for me. I think even just being in the role that I am in today probably wouldn't have happened without participating in things that the networking that was involved and, and just, you know, staying active and, you know, Being participatory and caring about these sorts of things that go on in the industry. Everybody that stays engaged tends to excel over time. And I think your, your point is well taken that it is all about the relationships for sure.

Jacquelyn: 37:27

Agreed. Agreed.

Jonathan: 37:29

Well, I want to thank you so very much for being our guest today. This has been the business of Houston hospitality. We've been talking with Jacqueline Helton from Access, one of Houston's newest DMCs. And of course, many thanks to the Houston Hospitality Alliance for connecting, educating, promoting, and advocating for the entire Houston hospitality community. You can get more information on the HHA at www.houstonhospitalityalliance.com. Please join us next time as we continue to explore the people and the businesses behind Houston's amazing and diverse hospitality industry. Thank you again, Jacqueline.

Jacquelyn: 38:13

Thank you, Jonathan. I appreciate it. And I appreciate you.