New Orleans, with its unique history and culture, is often a destination planners select repeatedly to host events because there is so much to see and do. Credit: Gwendolyn Events

What better way for a group to connect with the culture of a legacy destination than to give a passé product a jazz funeral?

The meeting place, of course, is New Orleans, a city that’s been celebrating its dead for close to 300 years. The group, a pharma company that’s a regular in the Big Easy, relied on Bethany Lemanski, owner and creative designer of Gwendolyn Events, to give the product a proper send off.

“The culture in New Orleans is something that draws groups again and again,” she said. “Our job is to make a bridge between the city’s vibrant art, music and history scene and our corporate groups in ways that constantly surprise them.”

Legacy denotes staying power, a sense of place that goes beyond a generic hotel ballroom and convention center setting; a venue or destination that planners know to which they can return again and again for a successful event. Harnessing that energy in an era of digital connections gives the meetings industry the opportunity to connect on many levels: intellectually with the topic of discussion, personally with the local culture and fellow attendees and emotionally with the experience that energizes the meeting in memorable ways.

“The culture in New Orleans is something that draws groups again and again. Our job is to make a bridge between the city’s vibrant art, music and history scene and our corporate groups in ways that constantly surprise them.”
Bethany Lemanski

Why Planners Choose One Destination Over Another

When planning meetings for large liquid asphalt producers that make up the Asphalt Institute out of Lexington, KY, Natasha Pedigo, CMP, is charged with wowing as many as 1,000 attendees a year. The Asphalt Institute is the international trade association of petroleum asphalt producers, manufacturers and affiliated businesses. Pedigo, who brings 15 years of meeting planning experience to the task, has a definite checklist when it comes to giving one destination her business.

“We do have a small international contingency and a few partnerships in Europe,” she said of the companies that make up all aspects of liquid asphalt manufacturing. “We look for cities that have airlift for international visitors and are a reasonable distance to and from the airport, which is another consideration.” Naturally she wants to lock in destinations that are intriguing to the attendees. “A legacy city is a place where they’ll see things they wouldn’t see at home.”

As for hotels, she likes the idea of the group being the big fish, not getting lost in a large convention hotel juggling multiple conferences. “We don’t want to feel like a number,” she said. “We like to feel that we own the place; that both the destination and the hotel embraces us.”

A destination may tick some of the boxes, but the hotel has to close the deal, she added. “We have to have a lobby bar that is ready for us to be there in droves,” she said. “That spot is essentially our fifth meeting room, the place where so many connections happen. That networking is critical to our attendees, who genuinely like each other and want to connect.”

December’s meeting found the group at a hotel that didn’t take her heeding seriously — resulting in an understaffed lobby bar with harried employees running out of drinks. “We won’t be going there again,” Pedigo says.

On the other hand, as part of the Asphalt Institute’s 100th birthday celebration this year, she’s once again turning to the Hilton Lexington/Downtown, which is connected both to the Rupp Arena and the Lexington Convention Center. Lexington, like New Orleans, is a legacy destination for her. The hotel’s Bigg Blue Martini is a stellar lounge; a lively spot that creates a welcoming gathering area for meeting attendees to network.

When dealing with her corporate groups, what deeper appeal a destination offers besides the nuts and bolts of programming is always front of mind, Anna Visconti Peagler says. Peagler, who recently parlayed a career managing meetings for a large Pennsylvania-based bank and the University of Pittsburgh into her own business, Black Angus Corporate Meeting Planners, knows from experience that destinations that deliver beyond the usual guarantee better meeting attendance.

Lemanski agrees, adding that return on investment plays a big role.

“Every meeting planner weighs the basics — the costs of hotel rooms, food and transportation vs. the experience the attendee is going to have. What will the ROI be?” Lemanski asks. “We have it pretty good here in New Orleans because we have so much to offer. Everything is close and walkable, which helps. We can not only save on transportation, but we can move our attendees in a second line parade, from the hotel to the dinner venue, complete with a police escort and a brass band. It’s a comparable investment but the difference between a parade and a bus ride is a no brainer.”

Delivering New Orleans culture can come in myriad ways, from serving hot beignets at the coffee break to kicking off an early morning general session with a 15-person gospel choir, Lemanski added. “That always gets everybody wide awake. New Orleans makes it easy for planners to get to wow.”

Finding the Elements That Create a Lasting Experience

A destination and meeting that connects on an emotional level to an attendee is what will long resonate, Lemanski says. “New Orleans is able to hit all of the senses: hearing, sight, taste, smell and touch. Our great food is a given, and there is the amazing music, of course. Then there’s something to see like the Mardi Gras Indians — so colorful and culturally interesting — most people have no idea they even exist.”

One important thing attendees appreciate is familiarity after a day of traveling. “Our attendees travel a lot,” Pedigo says. “Giving them a sense of place is critical. In many hotels, for example, you could be in any city in America. For instance, in New Orleans, many hotels seem to have a passion for using local artists, not just generic art. If you’re traveling three weeks in a row, it’s great to know where you are when you wake up.”

Incorporating a city’s food specialties into the hotel’s buffets is another important aspect, Pedigo says. “In Minneapolis, we want to serve a Jucy Lucy, the legendary cheese-stuffed burger. You can only have chicken piccata so many times. If members don’t connect to the food in the meeting experience, they’ll skip functions and find it elsewhere.”

Food is a critical part of the experience, agrees Peagler. “Because it reflects the culture of a city. “I’ve had a great experience in Toronto in that regard. They did a super job bringing Canadian culture, food, local speakers and entertainment into the programming.”

Working closely with the local CVB is always a boon, Peagler says. “Although I always do site inspections and research in advance, the CVBs can really add that insider info into the mix. Finding the hidden gems, the unexpected places and experiences, can really make a big impression.”

Offsite programming can deepen the attendee’s experience in many ways. Pedigo, who likes to incorporate offsite venues into smaller meetings for manageability, agrees that moving the group away from the hotel is always a big hit. “In Boston, we took them to a Red Sox game,” she says.

Pedigo has learned over the years that while entertainment can be an important aspect of an offsite conference event, not everything works. For example, they don’t always want to schedule  a trip to a comedy show. “If the attendees genuinely like each other and want to visit with each other, we want to provide a space that allows them to talk while still soaking in some of the local culture.”

In New York, for instance, she brought in some students from The Juilliard School to play classical music during dinner. It was a big hit. “The idea is to find what in a city you can’t do anywhere else,” Pedigo says.

Offsite experiences in New Orleans run a wild gamut, Lemanski says. “In less than an hour we can be on a bayou having a crawfish boil, the attendees can hold a baby alligator and listen and dance to a Cajun band. In and around the city, there’s Mardi Gras World, where attendees make masks on a Mardi Gras float on the river front. A Mississippi river cruise can evoke the days of Mark Twain, with jazz music and local cuisine part of the experience.”

The renovation and revival of a handful of historic downtown theaters, including the Saenger Theatre, the Joy Theater and the Orpheum Theater, has expanded the offsite playing field. “These are beautiful historic buildings with tons of detail and stories. Add an old-style jazz band and characters in costume and you can really give attendees an enjoyable time.”

Lemanski has had great success using cultural experiences to punch home a conference theme. One example is the jazz funeral for a product that’s on its way out. “For a group that’s trying something new, or launching a new product, we can do a voodoo blessing of positivity. That involves using the elements of earth, fire, sky and water to bless the new product. The ceremony always makes a huge impression.”

Tapping Into Legacy to Create a Memorable Meeting

A legacy meeting delivers on all of these counts and so much more, says Pedigo, who associates the word legacy with longevity.

“I’ve seen so many meetings and events come and go with literally no footprint or staying power left behind,” she says. As the Asphalt Institute this year is celebrating its 100th anniversary, that adds both a fourth meeting and the importance of the group’s own legacy into the mix. “Part of our legacy is to really listen and pay attention to what our companies want. Our records go back to 1986, which is a lot of back story. We don’t want to have meetings just for meeting’s sake. We aren’t just checking a box.”

They held the meeting in New York to celebrate the organization’s manufacturing past, and upcoming centennial meetings include Chicago in August for a celebration of the organization’s present; a homecoming meeting planned in October at the Hilton Lexington/Downtown, their founding city; and finally San Diego in December, where the group’s future will be the theme.

Although legacy denotes a history, it isn’t something that ossifies, Pedigo says. “We have to listen, to pay attention and change as needed to stay nimble within that legacy. The whole ‘same as last year’ doesn’t fly with me. That’s when you get stagnant.”

The companies that make up the Asphalt Institute are themselves concerned with legacy, as many of them are multigenerational. “What might have been important to the first and second generation doesn’t matter as much to the third or fourth. We have to be open to that and continue to serve as change occurs.”

For some of Peagler’s groups, leaving a bit of themselves behind is a way to extend that sense of legacy. “They get involved in some kind of charitable community work that really touches the locals,” Peagler says. “We bring so much revenue along with our meeting, but this is a way to stretch that in a slightly different direction that in just hospitality.”

While there are elements of a meeting that Peagler can’t control — the quality of speakers and educational programming, for example — wrangling the bits she can influence is full-on her job. “I’m here to make everybody’s job easier, and handle any issues that come up seamlessly, behind the scenes. I want the destination to really shine and make that lasting impression.”

New Orleans, which just celebrated its 300th birthday in 2018, is certainly an example of a legacy destination with staying power, Lemanski says. “Our history stems from a gumbo of nationalities and influences that has created a unique and particular culture. And the city still continues to develop and grow. “

The ability of a destination to charm and surprise attendees makes the difference between a same-old meeting and one that invites attendees to ruminate on their experiences and be eager to return.

“New Orleans is always surprising attendees,” Peagler says. “That memorable moment might happen as soon as you get in the cab from the airport. People are so friendly here. The driver might start talking about his day, telling you about his favorite restaurants or bars; sharing stories about his life.” She continues, “Your New Orleans experience may have already started before you even get to the hotel. It’s that genuine interaction — with hospitality staff, locals, shop owners — that will stick in the minds of the meeting attendees. Every time they come to New Orleans, it’s a different experience. Which makes them want to extend, stay longer, or bring the family in for the weekend. That’s a win-win for everybody.”C&IT