Technology security experts worry about meeting planners who fail to implement even the most basic of safeguards to protect attendee information on computers, laptops and handheld devices.

Such planners don’t include Cassie Brown, chief experience officer of Charlotte, NC-based TCG Events, which plans corporate meetings, events and incentives. Brown takes several basic measures to protect her own data and that of clients. “We use a technology company that deals with all of our computer issues. We change our passwords every three months, and they aren’t all stored in one place. Most of our information is on a server that is backed up twice offsite. When interns leave, we change passwords they used,” says Brown.

She also makes it a point to inquire about the security of meeting registration and management websites and software that TCG may use onsite to collect attendee and client information. “We have always asked a lot of questions and delved deep into the security of websites. It comes down to having a conversation about how they secure data and what happens to it at the end of the event. You also want to know if there is an online backup and how they secure credit card data,” Brown says.

According to security experts, planners must make information security a top priority for several reasons:

• They use a growing variety of PCs, laptops and handheld devices to store and transmit huge amounts of client and attendee data.
• They increasingly use standalone meeting planning and registration software available for free or for a fee.
• They hire third-party meeting management services that often use their own proprietary systems to manage meeting information.
• They hold meetings at the growing number of hotels, convention centers and other venues offering free and open Wi-Fi, which is notoriously vulnerable to hackers.

Needless to say, hacking is a growing problem. According to the latest study from the Identity Theft Resource Center, during the first six months of 2012: “Malicious attacks involving ‘hacking’ continue to represent an ever increasing growth, with 30.5 percent of the breaches so far this year identifying hacking as the root cause, up from the 27.7 percent reported for the same period in 2011. If this rate increase continues, 2012 will be on pace to have another record-high year in this category.”

Some planners, especially small independent shops, have weak information security measures because they lack computer savviness, are too busy to obtain it, or don’t have an in-house or third-party IT consultant.

However, securing information isn’t rocket science. Following are examples of actual information security practices and the areas they cover.

Robert Glowczwski, DMCP, director of operations, Access Destination Services–Orange County, describes practices for protecting his company’s information. “Our general practice is to use an enterprise anti-virus system because it’s easier to maintain at all work stations instead of having individual products that would have to be updated at individual work stations,” he says. “We have multiple backup systems on- and off-premises. A good firewall and password authentication are important as is a good spam monitoring system because there are many phishing emails and viruses.”

Access educates employees on anti-virus practices, creating strong passwords and avoiding unknown websites, pop-up ads and links. The company also uses third-party registration systems that follow industry standards for handling credit cards and have state-of-the-art security and efficiency, says Glowczwski.

He adds that Access works with IT professionals to ensure optimal security. “That would be a smart thing to do for those who aren’t technically savvy. If you can’t afford to have an IT person on staff at least try to have regular conversations with a reputable IT professional who can help you with the basics,” Glowczwski advises.

American Meetings Inc. (AMI), a Fort Lauderdale, FL-based meeting management and event marketing firm, guides its security practices with an 82-page security policy document. AMI, which handles meetings worldwide, provides the document to potential corporate clients who request it as part of an RFP, says CEO Andy McNeill.

The company continuously updates and strengthens its security policies following a few security close calls early on in the company’s founding. “We have independent, cloud-based servers for each client, and each one is an encrypted enterprise server to ensure 100 percent uptime,” says McNeill. “We have four levels of backup both onsite and at remote servers across the U.S. and in Europe.”

Unlike many companies, AMI doesn’t keep client information indefinitely because it’s a security risk. “We keep all data for at least 12 months, although some clients require up to 36 months. We deal with large corporations, and we are often the conduit between one division and another, one brand manager and another. They sometimes come back to us needing information for a program because they don’t have it internally, so it’s critical that we have it, and that it’s secure,” McNeill says.

AMI’s information security measures reflect those that large corporate clients typically require as part of master service contracts. “They might require us to have multiple backups of their content or attendee information they are using our servers to hold,” says McNeill. “That’s pretty common. Another question might address our policy on physically guarding computer equipment and information. We get asked that a lot. They ask what we do with credit card information and registration forms after the event. Some require us to hold the information and then delete it after a certain length of line, depending on their policy.”

The Perils of Free Wi-Fi

McNeill takes steps to ensure that any Wi-Fi network AMI offers is secure. “If we are providing a Wi-Fi network, we will make sure it has encryption and work with the venue to make sure that it’s in place. If you are on an open or free Wi-Fi network, you must assume that someone else is looking at your data,” says McNeill.

Many information thefts occur via Wi-Fi. Such thievery should be a big concern to planners due to the vulnerability and growing use of free Wi-Fi in a wide range of meeting venues, experts say. According to an ITRC survey, about 40 percent of people don’t know there are ways to protect data when using Wi-Fi, and nearly 80 percent believe that using the technology can lead to identity theft.

That finding isn’t surprising because it’s relatively easy for anybody with basic technology knowledge to obtain software online that monitors and “grabs” information via Wi-Fi connections, says Robert Siciliano, an identity theft and personal security expert, author, CEO of idtheftsecurity.com and a McAfee online security expert.

Siciliano explains that there are generally two types of Wi-Fi available to meeting participants. One type is free or public Wi-Fi that anybody can easily access. Free Wi-Fi usually doesn’t require a password and lacks encryption, says Siciliano. The other level of Wi-Fi requires a password or username, and usually includes encryption, which is often not an option at most large venues and functions, Siciliano says.

As a result, attendees and planners typically access the free variety. That is unsafe, says Siciliano. “If they have their devices set up in certain ways, for example if they are sharing files on their devices, they are at risk. Open wireless is generally subject to ‘sniffers,’ a hacking term for software that seeks out vulnerable connections to free wireless,” says Siciliano.

John Sileo, CEO of the Denver, CO-based Sileo Group, an information economy think tank that trains organizations to secure and leverage the power of their digital privacy, identity and reputation, is also an author and speaker. He describes the risk of using free Wi-Fi another way: “What’s free is not the Wi-Fi service, but your data because it’s beamed out with little or no protection. The issue is how to set up a secure connection between attendees’ computers and the device providing the wireless service. The ideal would be that every person registering for meetings gets a username and password. That’s time consuming and expensive, and that’s why people don’t do it,” says Sileo.

Most planners appreciate free Wi-Fi as an attendee convenience. However, planners typically don’t consider the security risks of Wi-Fi, says Brown. “For planners, using free Wi-Fi to access things like registration systems and getting into your own network or cloud to look at things like client information and budgets is just not a great idea. But it’s not uncommon to do so because of the cost of setting up hard lines in conference centers and hotels,” says Brown.

Remember these tips when dealing with free Wi-Fi:

Give attendees a heads-up. “Make them aware if it’s not secure,” says Brown. “You see it sometimes in registration and conference materials where it will say, ‘Free unsecured Wi-Fi available.’ ”

Turn off file sharing in computers and mobile devices. “You might have file sharing running in your home or offices so you can see files on other devices in your network. You want to turn it off because hackers may be able to access your files,” says Siciliano.

Use a virtual private network (VPN). Individual planners can do this by purchasing a wireless card to use in a computer. Or planners can use a smartphone with wireless service to “tether” to their computers, says Siciliano. The VPNs are considered more secure because they are encrypted by carriers. “There are also free and paid tools anyone can download that allow them to surf on Wi-Fi more securely using a VPN that basically encrypts communications,” says Siciliano.

Read the terms and conditions of Wi-Fi services to understand the risks and encourage attendees to do the same.

Don’t forget to ask questions. “Know what type of Wi-Fi security is in place,” says Brad Neuman, director, Attend-eSource Technologies, a suite of web-based planning solutions at metroConnections, a Minneapolis-headquartered company that plans corporate meetings, events, incentives and conferences. “Ask if anyone is going to help monitor activity on the Wi-Fi network so that you have assurances there are no hackers trying to get information from attendees. A monitored network helps protect users,” says Neuman.

Neuman also suggests asking: How many other groups will be using the network at the same time? Is there technical service available during the actual meeting and when planners are working? What is the maximum bandwidth we will use? Do you have the total bandwidth we will need?

There is one step that planners can take to limit the damage — minimize data collection and storage. “Planners are so used to collecting attendee information and keeping it for historic reference,” says Brown. “We don’t always go back and get rid of information we don’t need anymore. As an industry, we have always collected addresses, phone numbers, credit card data and other information. You have to be aware that you don’t need to keep some information,” says Brown.

Sileo agrees. “Planners tend to collect more personal information from attendees than they need. They may intend to use the information for marketing, feedback or future meetings, but for whatever reasons they don’t and end up keeping it,” says Sileo.

Change Passwords Often

Planners’ information can never be truly secure unless they have a policy for creating and securing passwords. “Creating safe passwords is a huge issue and managing it is even huger,” says Siciliano. “Managing several passwords correctly can be an overwhelming task for some people. One way to do it is have an IT person install password management software.”

Short of that, there are several basic precautions that planners can take to thwart password theft. Make sure that each password includes upper and lower case letters and at least one number and character. Never use the same password for two accounts. Many people create one long and complicated password and use it repeatedly, making only small changes at the end. Such passwords are relatively easy for hackers to exploit, says Sileo.

Technology experts also suggest that planners ask questions about the security of meeting management software they download online or use via third parties. The tip applies especially to free software available online, says Siciliano. “Generally with free software, they may not have allocated the resources for application security, which involves basically trying to hack the software during stages of development so that it’s relatively bulletproof when it’s ready for prime time. With free software, you want to know the pros and cons and ask questions,” he says.

Experts suggest asking: What part of the budget went into application security? What risks do I take by using the software? Is the software periodically updated or improved? Also read the terms of service agreement for any mention of security or encryption. The following question is especially important for registration systems: Does it comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard for processing, storing and transmitting credit card information?

Thieves Are Everywhere

There is more to information security than preventing access via technology. Planners must also guard against data thieves who pilfer laptops, computer notebooks and handheld devices at meetings, says Sileo. “If a thief can go to a conference where there are 1,000 executives and steal three or four devices, not to mention a planner’s equipment, why should he spend hours and hours trying to hack into a system that has security?” asks Sileo.

Sileo conducts tours of meeting rooms to show how vulnerable the equipment is: “Before speaking, I have somebody walk around the room with me, sometimes planners. I touch laptops and notebook computers, or pick them up and put them back down, to show how many I could have taken. At one conference, I touched 87 laptop bags, and told them during the speech,” says Sileo. He also sees planners’ printed documents and paper notebooks and files left unattended.

Brown agrees. “Unfortunately, it happens all the time. That (non-computer) notebook is a planner’s bible that has all kinds of documents. Sometimes planners have been working long hours and haven’t had a lot to eat, and as the conference progresses, they may leave it where someone can get it. You can lose client and personal proprietary information,” says Brown.

Implementing all types of information security measures requires planners to work closely with their clients. That will continue to be true for independent and corporate planners, says Neuman. “While many corporate planners have an IT team to guide them, both corporate and independent planners should know the meeting owner’s security policies and be an advocate for the owner when looking at protecting attendees’ private information. Be sure to capture best practices from each event so you can handle security better in the future,” Neuman advises. C&IT

The scenic mountain getaway Keystone Resort boasts the largest conference center in The Rockies. Credit: Keystone Resorts

Whether it’s the rustic Rocky Mountain landscape of Colorado Springs, the urban sophistication of Denver or world-famous ski resort towns such as Vail, Colorado offers a tantalizingly extensive list of memorably scenic settings for meetings.

Colorado Springs

Located 65 miles south of Denver and ranking as the state’s second-largest city, Colorado Springs is a favored destination for many loyal planners because of its spectacular landscape and roster of offsite venues and attractions.

Kevin Fleetwood, marketing director at Atlanta-based financial software provider CRIF Lending Solutions, used Colorado Springs — and Colorado — for the first time last September for a four-day, three-night user conference for 28 attendees.

“We have offices in five cities across the U.S.,” Fleetwood says. “And each year, we try to pick a location that is close to one of those offices. We happen to have an office in Denver, so we decided to go to Colorado this time around.”

After doing his initial research on Colorado destinations, Fleetwood chose the AAA Four Diamond Cheyenne Mountain Resort (316 guest rooms; 40,000 sf of IACC-certified meeting space) because of its unique rustic location and ambience. He also liked the offsite options available in Colorado Springs. “There are multiple venues in Colorado Springs for unique evening events,” he says. “For example, we did a behind-the-scenes evening event at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. Our theme for the meeting — which was about elevating the use of our products and elevating the bottom lines of our customers — was partly elevated by the fact that we were in Colorado Springs and could do an event at the Olympic Training Center. And it fit in very nicely because ‘stronger, faster, higher’ is a theme of U.S. Olympic athletes, and that really struck the tone we wanted during the meeting.” The U.S. Olympic Complex is home to the U.S. Olympic Committee and the Olympic Training Center programs.

The evening included a tour of the facility, as well as a sit-down dinner in one of the gyms. “We had a demonstration from the men’s gymnastics team, which had just returned from the London Olympics,” Fleetwood says. “We also had a fencing demonstration. So it was a very special evening.” The company also arranged local tours for small groups of attendees to the spectacular outdoor mountain venue Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak and the U.S. Air Force Academy. “Colorado Springs has many, many interesting tourist attractions that most people aren’t familiar with,” Fleetwood says. “That really adds to a meeting.”

Based on his experience, Fleetwood recommends Colorado Springs to planners who have never considered it. “Because of its proximity to Denver, Colorado Springs gives you multiple ways of getting people in for the meeting,” he says. “That means it’s very easy to get people in and out. And as I said already, there are just so many venues in town for doing special events or arranging tours for attendees. They have a lot of very nice restaurants. And it’s also just a pretty unique destination, so it turns out to be a very nice surprise when you get there and actually experience it. It’s a very charming, interesting place. We couldn’t have asked for a better destination for this particular meeting.”

Fleetwood also gave a glowing review to Cheyenne Mountain Resort, which completed a $20 million, property-wide renovation in 2011. “The property was just perfect for the size of our meeting, with just the right kind and amount of meeting space,” he says. “The sleeping rooms and meeting space are both very nice. And we liked the whole setup of the hotel, including the European Plan for meals and their AV facilities. In general, Cheyenne Mountain just had the overall look and feel that we wanted for this particular meeting.” A European Plan includes breakfast, lunch and breaks in the room rate. For Fleetwood, it represented great value. “Nobody ever wanted for food during the day,” he says. “And the food was excellent.

“It’s the first time we’ve ever gotten a 97 percent approval rating on the hotel from attendees for any meeting or event we’ve ever done,” Fleetwood concludes. “And in fact, in my 30 years of doing meetings, it’s the highest rating I’ve ever seen a hotel receive from the people who attended the meeting. That pretty much tells you all you need to know.”

Denver

Thanks to the status of Denver International Airport as hub for United Airlines, the Mile High City delivers easy access. The consensus among planners who use Denver for the first time is that it’s a surprisingly cosmopolitan city, with world-class meeting amenities that include formidable airlift, an assortment of high-quality meeting hotels, and a local dining and entertainment/arts scene that makes for memorable offsite activities.

“I’m not a native, but I came here 20 years ago and never left, because I love the city and the community,” says Melissa Risteff, senior vice president, enterprise engagement, at locally headquartered social technology software provider NewsGator. “We’re blessed with access to the Rocky Mountains and temperate weather year-round. And because we’re centrally located, most people can get here pretty easily. We have a great airport and are a hub, so there are many different ways to get here. We have a great food scene and great museums. So it’s just a great destination.”

Risteff is also a big fan of Denver’s A-list hotels. For the last three years, she has hosted NewsGator’s annual user conference, as well as several other meetings, at The Ritz-Carlton Denver (202 guest rooms, 13,000 sf of meeting space, including a 6,264-sf ballroom and 1,960 sf junior ballroom), the city’s first and only AAA Five Diamond hotel. The company held its most recent meeting, its annual kickoff conference, for 100 attendees, in January. In March, Risteff will host her annual user conference.

Why Is she so loyal to The Ritz-Carlton? “Hands-down, it’s the service we get from the people we deal with,” Risteff says. “We’ve been dealing with the same team for three years now, and they do a great job because they have top talent. So that means I don’t have to start from scratch every year. But even back the first time we did a meeting there, it was probably one of the most pleasant experiences I’ve ever had — not just in making sure that everything has been put in place properly, but also onsite for the meeting. Their staff is just amazing. They anticipate your needs, and everything they do is spot-on. We’ve never had any kind of problem or issue.”

Risteff also cites the hotel’s convenient location, near the company’s headquarters, and praises its food and beverage. “The food is just incredible,” she says.

Risteff also gives high marks to The Ritz-Carlton’s meeting space. “Its configuration is perfectly suited to our meetings,” she says. “For example, we hold our general sessions and cocktail receptions in a ballroom. The hotel also has the right amount of space for the exhibition portion of our meetings sponsored by our partners. We also do a lot of boardroom-style executive meetings. And the hotel is a perfect fit for all of those.”

The Ritz-Carlton also projects the right image, Risteff says. “We cater to many of the world’s top brands, such as General Mills, Kraft and Proctor & Gamble, and we want them to feel cherished,” she says. “And part of that is taking them to a property where we know they will be treated well and get the kind of service that will make them feel comfortable.”

Because of NewsGator’s blue-chip client list, the upscale, sophisticated local dining scene is also an important attribute of their major meetings. Risteff goes offsite at least once for every meeting, often to the trendiest “foodie” restaurants. Among her recent favorites is Elway’s Downtown, a critically acclaimed steak-and-seafood house, located within The Ritz-Carlton and owned by legendary former Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway. The restaurant offers private dining for up to 50 guests.

Risteff also likes TAG, which offers a next-generation flourish on the small plates craze. “They do things like Kobe beef sliders,” Risteff says. “The place is very upscale and the food is just superb. They have a nice private room downstairs with a dedicated bar. We usually do heavy hors d’oeuvres there. That makes for a very nice evening.”

Rock On

Jeffrey Wood, vice president, product management, at Hewlett-Packard, based an hour north of Denver in Ft. Collins, CO, is another fan of the Mile High City. For the last seven years, HP has held its annual “Rock On” training event in Denver, bringing in 1,000 attendees from across the U.S. and around the world. Last December, Wood hosted the five-day event for the first time at the AAA Four Diamond Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center (1,100 guest rooms; 60,600 sf of meeting space).

Like Risteff and many other planners of major meetings, Wood finds Denver very convenient thanks to its access. “It’s easy for us to bring in a large community from around the world,” Wood says. “And that is increasingly important to us, because the meeting is growing in size.”

As a result, he says, for the December meeting the company moved up to the Hyatt Regency and into the adjacent Colorado Convention Center for its general sessions and breakouts.

“We simply outgrew the hotel we had been using previously,” Wood says. “And the Hyatt Regency is just a fantastic venue. They have enough sleeping rooms and suites to meet the exact needs of our group, plus they are located next to the convention center so that makes it very convenient. And moving the meeting itself into the convention center really allowed us to spread our wings.”

The event featured main stage presentations on two mornings, with more than 50 breakout sessions over ensuing days.

“The facilities at the convention center are fantastic,” Wood says. “But an ever bigger benefit is their ability to accommodate us from a food-and-beverage point of view with excellent onsite catering.” The convention center provided F&B services for daily lunches and breaks. The Hyatt Regency catered an opening night welcome reception in one of its ballrooms. “The food and the service were really excellent,” Wood says.

On the second night, attendees had free time, so small groups of coworkers or team members could go to local restaurants for dinner. “And there are a lot of good places to eat around the hotel and convention center,” Wood says. “That is a huge factor for us, because social activity and networking are important parts of the meeting. And Denver is a very good destination for that because attendees can walk to lots of places near the hotel. And that means you don’t have to coordinate transportation to move people around. And another thing is that we have people coming in from all over the world, including places like Asia. And there is a good restaurant close by to satisfy any type of dining or personal taste.”

For the company’s closing-night dinner and reception, Wood used The Cowboy Lounge, located near Coors Field, where Major League Baseball’s Colorado Rockies play. “We did a buyout and did an evening of dinner and dancing,” he says.

Hyatt Hotels also operates the AAA Four Diamond Grand Hyatt Denver, (516 guest rooms; 60,000 sf of meeting space), which is currently undergoing a $28 million renovation of its guest rooms, conference center, lobby and 38th floor Pinnacle Club. Last fall the hotel opened Skycourt, downtown Denver’s only outdoor rooftop jogging track and tennis court.

Mountain Resorts

Along with Aspen, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone, Vail is one of Colorado’s upscale, wildly popular Rocky Mountain ski destinations. But each of those locations also offers spectacular scenery and a pristine environment year-round.

For the last three years, Pearl Izumi, a Louisville, CO-based manufacturer of apparel for runners, bicyclists and triathletes, has held its annual sales meeting at tony Vail Cascade Resort Spa & Condominiums (292 luxury rooms, and 80 condos and private residences; 45,000-sf conference center). For the last two years, sales operation coordinator Kimberly Copanas has planned the important, much-anticipated six-day meeting, which is held in conjunction with parent company Shimano American Corporation, the Irvine, CA-based U.S. operation of global bicycling hardware manufacturer Shimano. In May, Pearl Izumi and Shimano will return to Vail Cascade for the fourth consecutive year.

“Vail is just a great location for our particular national sales meeting and for our company, which is deeply involved in the running, cycling and triathlon industry,” Copanas says. “So for our sales meeting, we need access to really good road riding for bicycling and mountain-bike riding, both of which are immediately accessible right off the Vail Cascade property. And for the size of our group and the length of our stay, and our specific needs for meeting space, which includes running a lot of breakout sessions simultaneously, Vail Cascade has a unique feel, unlike what’s generally in a ‘big box’ hotel. But it also provides the kind of meeting space we need that you don’t often find at smaller, boutique-style hotels.”

In addition to the facilities and amenities at Vail Cascade, Copanas and her attendees and management also like the cozy, exclusive Vail Village for its offsite venues including trendy local restaurants. One she favors is Mango’s Mountain Grill, in the nearby small town of Red Bluff. “And on the way there, you pass two old silver mines,” Copanas says.

She also likes Bōl in Vail Village, which serves creative Asian fare. “It’s a very stylish, contemporary place,” Copanas says. “And they also have a 10-lane bowling facility in the back. For the past two years, we’ve done a buyout of the bowling lanes and had our food served back there. And the bowling is a neat teambuilding activity.”

Although Vail offers a surprising number of offsite options for such a relatively small place, it is the atmosphere and amenities at Vail Cascade that keeps Pearl Izumi coming back.

“What we really like about it is that it’s a high-end property, but it’s also very comfortable,” Copanas says. “And when you have very little turnover in your company and you keep going back to the same place every year, that just creates a sense of comfort for our attendees because they are familiar with the facility and they know how to navigate it. It just works very well for us, also because I get to work with the same group of people every year. And every year, they meet or exceed my expectations.”

Largest Conference Center

Planners looking for spectacular mountain settings as backdrop for meetings large and small also would do well to consider Keystone Resort, which boasts the largest conference center in the Rockies. Combined, the Keystone Conference Center, the AAA Four Diamond Keystone Lodge & Spa and The Inn at Keystone provide 100,000 sf of meeting, exhibit and function space. A total of 1,200 lodging units are available across the area, as is world-class skiing, a state-of-the-art spa, two championship golf courses and more than 25 dining venues.

Keystone Meeting Planners can assist with meeting logistics as well as teambuilding programs that include Colorado-themed activities such as:

• Winter Olympics: Groups engage in a selection of activities such as the Snowshoe Shuffle, Nordic Express Tubing Challenge, Retro Ski Relay, Biathlon, and more.

• 4×4 GPS Road Rally Race: Teams compete in an accelerated take on the traditional scavenger hunt.

• Amazing Race: Teams race across town to solve riddles and compete in challenges.

In keeping with its pristine outdoor environment, Keystone Resort’s sustainability efforts over the past 15 years have prevented 138 tons of emissions from being released into the atmosphere, a plus for planners with a green meetings mandate.

No matter where a meeting lands in “Colorful Colorado” — from ski country to the Springs to the Mile High City — the highest of expectations are met — and often exceeded. C&IT

Brooke Sommers, CMP, CMM, owner of Strategic Conferences & Events LLC, has been planning meetings for more than 20 years and is currently focusing on Strategic Meetings Management and the value of meetings and events for corporations. Brooke left Sun Microsystems after more than 12 years, nine of which were with StorageTek prior to their acquisition by Sun. The events team at StorageTek managed 300 meetings and events per year. At Sun, Brooke project-managed the sales events for North America. Her article “Top 5 Meeting Planning Pet Peeves” originally appeared in the fall 2012 issue of Colorado Meetings + Events. www.strategicconferences.net

If hotels would take the time to bring local planners in for think tanks once a year, I’m certain that the valued information they get would grow their business. There is nothing a seasoned planner likes better than to talk about how to improve the hotel experience. There are so many great changes going on in our industry, let’s work together to make meetings the best that they can be. Here’s my top 10 list of pet peeves, David Letterman-style.

10.   Mentor, Mentor, Mentor.

We all have something that we can give back to the up-and-comers. Take the opportunity to put yourself out there as a resource. Each hotel sales organization should have a mentor program for new salespeople coming in to represent their properties. The same goes for planning companies and in-house meeting planners. Those of you who have been in the business for 10 years or more, shame on you if you are not mentoring.

9.  Wow! to Whoops! Site Inspections.

Site inspections with the entire staff clapping your arrival: AWKWARD! We know you are trying to show the value of our meeting to your hotel, but do you really want to make us feel uncomfortable the minute we step into the lobby? Instead, if possible, have the rooms set up the way we set forth in the RFP. Have your senior-level hotel staff there to show that you value the meeting. Give your Hyatt friends a call to learn how to do “wow” site inspections.

8.  Know Your Planner.

Take the time to research the planner who is coming to your hotel. If you know a little about them and the meeting they are potentially bringing, it will make a fantastic impression. Chain hoteliers, please don’t waste your time on cold calls to every planner in your Rolodex — we all go to the national sales rep, and they will send the lead that fits your hotel. Maybe you should get to know your national sales office.

7.  Hotel Brochures.

Why hotels produce brochures is beyond me. I do like the meeting space diagram printed on stock paper so that I can take notes and outline my specific space needs. Do not dare give me a glossy version that smears when writing with a pen. For the rest of the brochure, just have it online in a PDF as well as photos that I can put in my hotel site recap.

6.  Website Wakeup.

Hotels should have a quick fact sheet on the front page of their websites. Many times we have very basic questions we need to know right off the bat, i.e., number of sleeping rooms; number of meeting rooms; distance to the airport. Make it easy for the planner to find that information; it may even help your transient guests. Oh, and just a side note for the national hotel brands: Could you add a search button on your websites that allows planners to search by hotel size and number of rooms specifically? This would make our jobs so much easier if there were a way to get to those hotels that fit our needs without having to spend hours weeding through all the different brand types within the chain.

5.  E-proposals.

Why do hotels use e-proposals? As I sit on a plane writing this article, it just reminds me how irritated I get when I receive an e-proposal. First, you can’t open it on a plane, or if you aren’t in a wireless area, and, second, if you want to review it a few weeks later, many times the link has expired. If you are required by your management to send an e-proposal, do your homework and ask the planner first if they would like a PDF of the proposal to accompany the e-proposal.

4.  Wall Plugs or Lack Thereof.

It is time to put wall plugs by every bed so I don’t have to pull furniture away from the wall to find or unplug the clock to plug in my own charger or other device. And what about one on the blank wall so that we can iron our clothes somewhere other than the bathroom?

3.  Room Amenities.

Yes, I admit that many planners love a glass of wine, but do hotel sales people really think we need an entire bottle in our room for a one-night site? Especially after you took us to dinner and poured Cakebread all night. And what about the cheese tray that sits in the room because we are not there to enjoy it? Do your job salespeople, vet out your visitors.

2.  FAM Trips.

Do not have them, they aren’t really that ethical if you think about your audience. Wouldn’t it be better if you want to get a planner in your door that you offer some sort of educational enticement? Bring those 10 planners in for a round-table discussion with your senior management for a few hours. That will build a much more lasting relationship and get the A-list planner’s attention.

1.  Love ’Em and Leave ’Em. Sales 101 = build a relationship.

Each and every sale that the salesperson has could lead to a future booking, even a bigger booking. You must take every opportunity to build a relationship no matter the size of the current sale. You never know where that person will end up, and if you have built a strong trusting relationship, then you will have a partner for life. Also, how can you build relationships with virtual sales teams, especially teams that don’t know each and every property intimately? C&IT

Site selection used to be easy. There were a few simple ways to approach the task. Nowadays, however, conducting business according to the “new normal” creates new opportunities (and obstacles) for meeting professionals. To discover the best way to perfect the site selection process, we asked the experts.

We’ll start with Mike May, CMP, president of Spear One — a Dallas-based full-service meetings and event planning company, which in January merged with Sunbelt Motivation & Travel, a group incentive travel company founded in 1980 by Bill Boyd, CMP, CMM, CITE.

May, a board member of the In­centive Research Foundation and the Performance Improvement Council of the Incentive Marketing Association, says it’s difficult to ascertain which are the most important criteria to consider during the site-selection process. Goals? Cost? Location? Senior management preference? Amenities?

Houmas House Plantation and Gardens, located between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, is an ideal site for corporate receptions and outings. Credit: Custom Conventions. Inset photo credit: BBC Destination Management

Louisiana is arguably one of the most unique destinations in the United States because of its matchless mix of cultural influences, music, cuisine, hotels and venues. The state is home to perennially popular New Orleans as well as increasingly popular destinations, including Baton Rouge and Shreveport-Bossier City.

Last April, the 100 attendees at a telecommunication company’s incentive visited Houmas House Plantation and Gardens, a 38-acre antebellum jewel located about 60 miles outside of New Orleans. “We did a beautiful seated dinner on the front lawn at Houmas,” says David Rome, director of Sales, BBC Destination Management, a New Orleans DMC. “Ladies were decked out in antebellum dresses and men wore civil war uniforms of the North and South. We had one long table for everyone with one long tablecloth. There were several toasts of thanks to attendees. We had a full orchestra playing a mix of big band music during dinner and dance music afterwards. Everyone took a picture together in front of the plantation.”

The incentive group also enjoyed a dinner in New Orleans at Mardi Gras World, the leading maker of Mardi Gras floats, sculptures and props. “We picked them up from The Ritz-Carlton in a float, welcoming them with a band and had a parade in their honor,” says Rome. “They sat on floats with deejays playing and throwing beads to people on the roadside. When they arrived at the venue, they had a cocktail reception. We had extra lighting in the warehouse and glitter on the tables that picked up the lights from the floats and the tables. A band played zydeco music, and we had a seated catered dinner.”

New Orleans

Mardi Gras World figured prominently in another group’s experiences in New Orleans, which remains Louisiana’s superstar destination. Automotive Events Inc. selected New Orleans for a recent three-day business conference for 1,200 Subaru dealers nationwide. During one evening the group held a themed party at Mardi Gras World, complete with floats, costumed figures, a jazz band and food stations featuring local cuisine.
On another evening, according to Iain Dobson, senior vice president of automotive events and manager of the Subaru account, the dealers witnessed the exciting debut of the Subaru BRZ at the recently opened NOLA Motorsports Park. Just 20 minutes from New Orleans, the race track, which offers road racing, go karts and drag racing, also sports impressive meeting and event facilities. “Usually when we do these introductions, we have a vehicle in a large room with drapes over it that we lift to reveal the vehicle. This time, we chose to use a race track,” Dobson says. “The track, coupled with a great meeting venue at the nearby Hyatt Regency New Orleans, and an entertaining and iconic city, all added up to a unique package that doesn’t occur anywhere else.”

The Big Easy is the heartbeat of Louisiana’s effervescent culture. New Orleans is known worldwide for its mélange of French, Spanish, English, African, Creole and Cajun cultures; jazz; Mardi Gras; and the French Quarter with its hundreds of restaurants, music venues and bars.
Seven years after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, New Orleans is attracting a growing number of visitors. The city received 4.9 million visitors in the first half of 2012, a 2 percent rise over the same period in 2011, according to the University of New Orleans Hospitality Research Center’s 2012 New Orleans Area Visitor Profile. Visitors spent $3.4 billion, up 11 percent over the first six months of 2011.

Nikki Moon, vice president of sales, New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau, says New Orleans’ popularity is growing as a meeting designation. “Out of all our meetings, going into the future, anywhere from 50 to 80 percent, are smaller meetings,” says Moon, vice president of sales, New Orleans CVB. “We have a great package of hotel offerings, from big hotels and chain properties to wonderful independent hotels, and a citywide renovation program has been in effect in anticipation of the Super Bowl. Every single hotel has been refreshed, even after they were rebuilt following Katrina.”

New Orleans’ singular culture makes it a big hit with corporate meetings. “We are very much a popular corporate meeting city because we are so culturally endowed,” says Carling Dinkler, president, Custom Conventions, a New Orleans-based DMC that handles corporate meetings, incentives and conventions. “We are the most European city in the U.S. Corporate groups can come and have an exotic time without leaving the country.”

The plethora of cultural offerings in New Orleans allows planners to choose just the right activities to reach their meeting and incentive goals. “We weave New Orleans culture into the goals of corporate meetings and incentives, which is to get attendees excited about coming, and we have so many must-see and must-do things to get them excited,” says Dinkler.

An online encyclopedia company enjoyed a big helping of New Orleans culture during its three-day meeting at The Roosevelt New Orleans, a Waldorf Astoria Hotel, in January 2012.

The 250 attendees enjoyed a French Quarter-themed dinner party in a warehouse that serves as a meeting venue. “We tricked out the warehouse with street lamps, street signs, tarot card readers, sketch artists and a mime to make it look like the French Quarter’s Jackson Square,” says Dinkler. “We had creole food and a jazz band. At the end of the night, we did a second-line parade in which the band comes down from the bandstand and a grand marshal leads everybody in a parade around the meeting space waving their handkerchiefs. It went over big,” he says. The group also held a dinner in a private dining room at world famous Antoine’s restaurant.

New Orleans entertains attendees while bringing out the best in them. That’s the view of Seth Adler, general manager of Catfish Enter­tainment, a New York-based meeting and event planning company. “Everything about the culture of New Orleans lends itself to creativity and entertainment because it’s unlike any other city. It’s our job to make sure that the meetings and events are not only thought-provoking but extremely entertaining. If you are looking for that combination and you have the ability to choose the city you want, then New Orleans should be at the top of your list,” says Adler.

The Big Easy was at the top of the list for a media and entertainment company that held a strategy, networking and thought leadership meeting in the city in October around Halloween. The two-day meeting, which was the group’s first in New Orleans, included about 150 top executives. Attendees met at the 285-room Loews New Orleans Hotel, which offers 17,000 sf of meeting space. Adler and his staff brought in the famous Rebirth Brass Band for entertainment during sessions held in the hotel ballroom.

Outside of the hotel, the group gathered for dinner in Jackson Square at ever-popular Muriel’s restaurant, which serves some of the finest Creole cuisine in New Orleans. Attendees also visited Frenchman Street, home of a joyful enclave of jazz clubs, restaurants and bars. The group was wowed by the many revelers who took to Frenchman Street in wildly exotic costumes to celebrate Halloween, says Adler.

New Orleans offers so many alternatives that groups can have difficulty deciding what to do. That’s one reason why Dinkler sends sample activity programs to potential incentive and meeting clients. The sample programs include a wide range of popular activities. “We have the World War II Museum, the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and Mississippi River cruises on the beautiful Steamboat Natchez,” says Dinkler.

The sample programs also include walking tours of New Orleans. Such tours are popular among corporate groups, Dinkler says, “The cool thing about New Orleans is that we do a lot of walking because everything is so close. Corporate groups love that. They also love it when we move them from the hotel to a venue with a second line parade or with carriages.”

Many distinctively Louisianan activities are available outside New Orleans. “They can go fishing in the morning and then have a cocktail party where we serve what they caught,” says Dinkler. “We also have scavenger hunts using seaplanes. Some groups go to venues in bayou country for a Cajun pig roast called a cochon du lait; or they can visit a Creole plantation.”

No matter what activities groups choose, there is one that is always at the top of the list — dining. Planners can choose from several world-famous New Orleans restaurants such as Antoine’s, Brennan’s, Muriel’s and Arnaud’s, all of which feature spacious private dining rooms for groups.
Mix New Orleans’ food, activities and culture with the Super Bowl and corporate groups have all the ingredients for successful incentives and meetings. New Orleans, along with Miami, is the nation’s most popular home for the Super Bowl. The 2013 game on Feb. 3 was the 10th played in New Orleans, tying the city with Miami for the city hosting the most Super Bowls.

Once again, this year’s game attracted scores of corporations looking to entertain and reward employees, clients and business partners. During the game, corporations entertained in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome’s several renovated Club Lounge areas, each of which accommodates up to 500 people.

New and Noteworthy in New Orleans

The 1.1-million-sf New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Conven­tion Center — the sixth largest convention center in the nation — opened The Great Hall in late January 2013. The $50 million project encompasses 86,000 sf of flexible function space, including: the 60,300-sf, column-free Great Hall, the largest ballroom in New Orleans; 25,400 sf of multi-use prefunction space; a 4,660-sf junior ballroom with a 3,420-sf rooftop terrace called The Rivergate Room; a multipurpose lounge; and an open-landscaped pedestrian plaza. The Great Hall, named for the 1984 World’s Fair exhibit space of the same name, can be divided into multiple configurations, allowing for several concurrent but independent session rooms. The Great Hall debut follows $140 million of other post-Katrina upgrades to the 27-year-old facility.

New Orleans offers more than 35,000 hotel rooms and most of them have undergone renovations. For example, the Hyatt French Quarter opened in May 2012 following an $18 million makeover. Renovations included all 254 guest rooms, lobby and hotel exterior as well as the pool and deck area. A Hard Rock Café is scheduled to open in the Hyatt French Quarter in early 2013.
In 2012, the French Quarter’s Royal Sonesta Hotel New Orleans spent nearly $18 million in upgrades and improvements. Renovations included new furnishings and carpeting in all of the third-floor guest rooms; a brand new second-floor Acadia event space; new furnishings and carpeting in Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse; and an updated Fleur de Lis Suite. High-speed wireless Internet access was expanded and is now available throughout the hotel. Last May, chefs John Folse and Rick Tramonto opened the highly anticipated Restaurant R’evolution, a fine-dining establishment. The Royal Sonesta offers 483 guest rooms, 35 suites and 20,000 sf of meeting space.

Also last May, the 570-room Hotel Monteleone, with 24,000 sf of meeting space, completed a $10 million renovation that included updated guest rooms and meeting space, and the Criollo Restaurant and Lounge. In March, the hotel celebrated the grand reopening of its famous rotating Carousel Bar, which added a second, new stationary bar.

Following a $275 million redesign and revitalization, the Hyatt Regency New Orleans, featuring 1,193 all-new sophisticated guest rooms and suites and 200,000 sf of state-of-the-art, flexible event space, and expansive food and beverage offerings, reopened in 2011. The 32-story hotel — in the city’s downtown district and adjacent to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome — offers two 25,000-sf ballrooms, 64 versatile meeting and banquet rooms, 19 executive-level meeting rooms, seven permanent boardrooms, and more than 80,000 sf of exhibition space, highlighted by a new 50,000-sf exhibit hall. In addition to revitalizing its 1,193 guest rooms, including 95 suites, five meeting planner suites and four presidential suites, other highlights include 8 Block Kitchen & Bar, a 360-seat, full-service restaurant and bar; Vitascope Hall, a media/action bar outfitted with 42 flat-screen TVs; and Borgne, the latest restaurant by chef John Besh. Additional culinary options include a 65-seat Starbucks; Lagniappe Exchange, a 24-hour fresh market and convenience store; Whole Hog Café, featuring award-winning barbecue; and Pizza Consegna. “The re-opening of Hyatt Regency New Orleans is symbolic as it represents the end of a journey and the beginning of a new chapter for Hyatt and the city of New Orleans,” says Michael Smith, general manager. “We spared no detail in positioning ourselves to be the quintessential hotel for conventions, leisure and business travelers alike.”

New Orleans also is upgrading its transportation infrastructure. Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is undergoing a $300 million modernization, including expansion of Concourse D and the addition of six new gates.

Unique venues are a New Orleans specialty. Examples include legendary Preservation Hall, which offers top jazz bands five nights a week and accommodates groups of up to 125 people. The Cabildo, built in 1799 to house the Spanish municipal government, features reception space on three floors and a courtyard overlooking the Mississippi River. Smaller groups may enjoy The Musée Conti Wax Museum in the French Quarter, which accommodates groups of up to 200.

The National World War II Museum (formerly known as the National D-Day Museum), located in the Central Business District on Magazine Street, was designated by the U.S. Congress as “America’s National World War II Museum” in 2003. The museum is undergoing a $300 million expansion project — “The Road to Victory: A Vision for Future Generations” — which will eventually quadruple the size of the original museum.

The new 1,500-acre BioDistrict in downtown and mid-city New Orleans is home to a collection of biomedical research and development facilities, teaching facilities, clinics and hospitals. Completed projects include the BioInnovation Center and Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium. The U.S. Veterans Affairs Hospital, currently under construction, is scheduled to open in 2015; and the University Medical Center, also under construction, will open in 2014.

Baton Rouge

Located 80 miles from New Orleans, the popular city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s capital and most populous city, combines Creole culture, the charm of the Old South and urban style.

Baton Rouge is a popular destination. “We are coming off one of our banner years. We had an increase in leisure travel,” says Paul Arrigo, CDME, president and CEO of Visit Baton Rouge, the city’s CVB. “Our hotel tax receipts from leisure travelers are up over 25 percent over the last year. As the brand of Baton Rouge becomes more familiar and recognized, we will do considerably better in meetings, a lot of which center around Louisiana State University (LSU) sports, particularly football, which attracts corporate groups,” he says.

Baton Rouge’s growing meetings infrastructure is a plus for potential meetings. In late 2011, the 256-room Renaissance Baton Rouge Hotel opened near the LSU campus. It was the first newly constructed full-service hotel to be built in Baton Rouge in about 40 years. The Renaissance provides 13,000 sf of meeting space, including a 7,500-sf ballroom.

The city’s main convention facility, the Baton Rouge River Center (BRRC), is located a short walk from downtown. The BRRC offers more than 200,000 sf of new and renovated meeting and exhibit space, including the new 70,000-sf Exhibition Hall and 17 breakout rooms. There also is a state-of-the-art, 1,900-seat Theatre of Performing Arts. “The River Center was expanded to include a certain amount of public space about year ago. There is more versatility in the meeting space and we now have about 100,000 of exhibit space on one level,” says Arrigo.

Last year, Visit Baton Rouge premiered a new website, VisitBatonRouge.com. The site was launched in conjunction with the state changing the name of the Baton Rouge Area Convention & Visitors Bureau to Visit Baton Rouge. The site features special offers, hotel rate listings and deals from local restaurants and attractions. Planners also can download the free Go BR mobile app and access customized itineraries.

Baton Rouge’s offsite venues reflects its Old South, Creole and modern influences. For example, the Magnolia Mound Plantation’s Hart House accommodates up 50 guests and its French Creole barn can host up to 250 people. The Old Governor’s Mansion offers a classic ballroom that provides an elegant setting for meetings. The LSU Museum of Art offers 14 galleries, including two that can accommodate 200 and 400 people, respectively.

Kerri Morgan, CMP, global account manager for Hotels for Hope, an Austin, TX, for-profit hotel booking company for planners and businesses that also matches clients’ contributions to selected charities, recently scheduled a three-day meeting in Baton Rouge for about 100 attendees of Professional Marketing International, a Lehi, UT-based real estate investment and online business consulting firm. The meeting, which involved intensive training courses, included about 24 room nights at various Baton Rouge hotels since most of the attendees live in the Baton Rouge area.

Morgan’s meetings are typically booked on a short turnaround of about four weeks prior to the meeting, and she often deals with groups that have people staying in several different hotels. That’s why Morgan finds CVBs such as Visit Baton Rouge to be very helpful. “We use them every time. They make sure that my RFPs get into the hands of the hotels on time. And they have all the connections to make sure we get sufficient bids from all the hotels we are considering. That’s very important for my clients. Plus they are experts on the city and a great resource for any additional information about the town,” says Morgan.

Shreveport-Bossier City

Shreveport and Bossier City, two municipalities located on opposite banks of the Red River, draw cultural influences from their locations in the northwest corner of Louisiana near the Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas borders. The slogan of the Shreveport-Bossier Convention & Tourist Bureau (SBCTB) is “Louisiana’s Other Side.” The SBCTB’s website describes the people of the area as “East Texas Cowboy with a Cajun Twist,” and suggests that “It’s that unique combination of two great American heritages that sets Shreveport-Bossier apart.”

Groups (of 10 or more) visiting Shreveport-Bossier may arrange a private Mardi Gras party on the parade route. The party includes food, band, specialty bead and T-shirts all under a covered, climate-controlled tent.
Aside from its singular culture, Shreveport-Bossier City offers approximately 10,000 hotel rooms and the second largest convention center in Louisiana — Shreveport Convention Center (SCC). The facility features more than 350,000 sf of meeting space including a 95,000-sf, column-free main exhibit hall, 15,000 sf of meeting rooms and the 18,000-sf Capt. Shreve Ballroom. The SCC is connected to the 313-room Hilton Shreveport Hotel. In addition, the Bossier Civic Center (BCC) provides 24,000 sf of meeting and exhibit space with an additional 7,500-sf banquet hall that can be divided into three breakout rooms.

Shreveport-Bossier’s offsite venues include five riverboat casino hotels open 24 hours a day on both sides of the Red River. The casinos are Horseshoe Hotel & Casino, DiamondJacks Casino & Resort, Sam’s Town Hotel & Casino, Boomtown Casino & Hotel and Eldorado Casino Resort & Hotel. Additionally, Harrah’s Louisiana Downs offers a horse-racing track and casino. Most of the properties are located just a few miles from the BCC, and they all have meeting space. The sixth casino hotel, the new Margaritaville Resort Casino, is expected to debut in the summer of 2013 on the banks of the Red River near the Louisiana Boardwalk. Developers say the project will feature a 396-room, 18 story hotel, a 900-seat entertainment venue, spa and fitness center, outdoor pool deck and dining area, and four food and beverage outlets, including the trademark Margaritaville Restaurant. Jimmy Buffett is expected to appear at the grand opening.

Offsite venues include the Sci-Port: Louisiana Science Center where groups can dine, enjoy an IMAX show and an open-access space planetarium. Attendees can enjoy plays and musicals at the renovated Strand Theater and hold receptions in the venue’s elegant foyer. Plentiful shopping is available on Line Avenue, a five-mile stretch of specialty shops, boutiques, antique stores and restaurants.

Louisiana’s destination trifecta — New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Shreveport-Bossier City — offers everything that planners need for a small or large meeting or incentive. Good times, sublime cuisine, elegant hotels and a one-of-a-kind culture bring joy and lasting memories to attendees. C&IT

Jeff Hurt is executive vice president, education and engagement, Velvet Chainsaw Consulting, and is based in Dallas, TX. Velvet Chainsaw Consulting exclusively services companies and associations with their annual meetings, conferences, education and events. They also help technology, service and membership organizations establish and execute plans and processes that result in improved business results. Hurt has worked in the events/nonprofit arena for more than 20 years including Keep America Beautiful as a consultant/trainer/writer; Keep Texas Beautiful as education coordinator; professional development manager for Meeting Professionals International; professional development manager for Promotional Products Association International; and director of education and events for the National Association of Dental Plans. Contact Hurt at 214-886-3174 or jhurt@velvetchainsaw.com. www.velvetchainsaw.com

It’s February, and I wouldn’t be surprised if those people who made New Year’s resolutions for January 1 have broken them already. But, it’s never too late to set goals for 2013.

Personally, I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. I make goals during the entire year. And I set personal commitments as I need them.

If one of your goals or New Year’s resolutions is to increase your personal and professional development, here are a few ideas that you might want to consider. (Thanks to Catherine Lombardozzi, learning and development consultant at Learning 4 Learning Professionals, who helped further this thinking.)

Top 10 List of Resolutions to
Increase Your Professional Development

1.  Identify what you want to learn.

If you’ll state your intentions in writing, you’ll be surprised at how often you’ll find resources that can help you. Books, blog posts, magazine articles, research documents, presentations and other like-minded individuals will cross your path.

2.  As Jennifer Lopez sings, “Follow the leader!”

Many thought leaders use social media to share their ideas. Find some in the areas of specialization that interest you and follow their information flow. Blog posts, white papers, research, tweets, and online and face-to-face presentations are a few ways to follow those leaders. Let them challenge you to think differently.

3.  Read, read, read!

I’m an information junkie! I read a lot from blog posts to books to research. The Internet makes it so easy to read in short spurts or extended time. Reading information outside of the meetings and hospitality industry gives me new ideas of what I can apply in my conferences and meetings. I also like Brain Pickings Weekly (www.brainpickings.org), which is a weekly review and summary of some of the latest and coolest writings on what matters in the world today.

4.  Find a mentor.

There’s nothing like having people around you who challenge your thinking, give honest feedback, and serve as a sounding board and source of inspiration! We all need that human interaction to accelerate our learning.

5.  Join like-minded communities.

Similar to finding a mentor, it’s great to be part of an online community that challenges your thinking and provides support. Join a community in the area in which you want to grow personally and professionally. Sit back and observe the conversations and jump in when you are ready to engage.

6.  Eliminate barriers.

Think about those things that keep you from reaching your development goals. Whether those barriers are your own habits, other people or circumstances, consider how to minimize their impact.

7.  Capture your thoughts, insights and reflections.

Write it down or type it. When you capture your learnings, it allows you to refer to those notes again and again. Consider journaling or blogging to share your thoughts. Comment directly on the pages of books that you read, write notes on top of blog posts and consider a bookmarking site of some type.

8.  Become a saver and sharer.

Create a good electronic filing system to keep track of those interesting articles, blog posts and Web pages that you discover. Share interesting posts with your like-minded community, friends, colleagues and mentors.

9.  Schedule daily time to think.

Find time and a space to think on a daily basis. When I was in an office, I would shut my door, open my blinds and just stare at the horizon. I’d let my mind drift and daydream. Sometimes I would think about a specific subject, meditate on it and chew the cud so to speak. It’s amazing what can become clear in moments of quiet reflection.

10.  Take time to smell the roses.

We Americans are taking fewer and fewer vacations. It’s important to take time off from work and restore your soul. Don’t get caught up in the fear that if you take a vacation you’ll lose your job. Your body and mind need the time off from work, so take those vacations.
What personal and professional resolutions would you add to this list? What tips do you have for ensuring that you grow professionally each year? C&IT

The statue of Spanish explorer Pedro Menendez de Aviles, who founded St. Augustine in 1565, stands in front of Flagler College, formerly the Ponce de Leon Hotel. Ponce de Leon claimed “La Florida” for Spain in 1513.

Landing on what he thought was an island beach on April 3, 1513, Ponce de Leon claimed “La Florida – The Flowering Land” for Spain. Historians dispute just where Ponce landed, some believing it was somewhere between St. Augustine and Ponte Vedra Beach, and others finding evidence he first found terra firma on Melbourne beach south of Cape Canaveral. No matter the longitudinal landing spot, Florida celebrates its 500th birthday this spring with a year-long commemoration called Viva Florida 500.

St. Augustine, of course, lays its own claim to Ponce de Leon fame with historical favorites such as the 125-year-old Ponce de Leon Hotel, now home of Flagler College; Fountain of Youth Archeological Park; the Ponce de Leon Landing Re-enactment; and more. Visit Florida offers more information about statewide events at www.VivaFlorida.org.

St. Augustine

Meeting planners have a long tradition claiming successful meetings from coast to coast across the state of Florida, and those who want to incorporate a little Viva Florida into their meetings might choose St. Augustine and the Renaissance World Golf Village Resort, Convention Center and Beach Club (301 guest rooms; 101,000 sf of meeting space). The AAA Four Diamond resort provides a complimentary shuttle to and from historic St. Augustine, America’s oldest city founded in 1565 and named to National Geographic Traveler’s “World’s Top 20 Places to See” list last December. Attendees can visit America’s only existing 17th century fort Castillo de San Marcos; quaint St. George Street, Old Town Trolley Tour, Spanish Quarter, St. Augustine History Museum, The Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse and more.

Renaissance World is next to the World Golf Hall of Fame, which together with the resort offers 101,000 sf of function space. La Terrazza is a recent addition to the resort’s outdoor event space, accommodating groups of up to 2,000 people and featuring advanced technology to rival an indoor ballroom. Groups now enjoy privileges at the exclusive Seranata Beach Club overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, an easy complimentary shuttle ride away.

Jacksonville Area

On Amelia Island, just outside of the city of Jacksonville, the Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort has embarked on an $85 million makeover scheduled to be completed this spring. The conference center will gain 30,000 sf — inclusive of a 16,800-sf ballroom and new prefunction and exhibit area — for a total of 80,000 sf of flexible meeting and event space. The addition of 155 new guest rooms including 26 suites will bring its guest room total to 404 oceanfront rooms. Directly off the hotel lobby, the new outdoor area will offer the largest pool deck in Northeast Florida with tiered lounge seating. The resort also will feature floor-to-ceiling windows with Atlantic Ocean views and additional restaurants.
Just south of Jacksonville in Ponte Vedra Beach is the famed Ponte Vedra Inn & Club (250 guest rooms; 25,000 sf meeting space) built in 1928 and joined by the Lodge & Club in 1989. The AAA Five Diamond property’s amenities include the largest spa in north Florida at 30,000 sf, 36 holes of golf, including links-style with ocean breezes, 15 tennis courts, an oceanfront gym, four restaurants, three lounges, eight shops and boutiques, and four heated pools in a beachfront setting.

Tampa

Michael Pelehach, president of Shuster Corporation in New Bedford, MA, used two words to sum up one of the top reasons he likes to meet in Florida. “Easy access,” he says. “From almost anywhere in the country you can get into Tampa or Miami without having to do a lot of bouncing around.”

Pelehach’s most recent Florida meeting experience was an April sales conference that he planned at Saddlebrook Resort (540 accommodations including hotel rooms and one- and two-bedroom suites; 95,000 sf of meeting space) while he was with his previous employer. His 65 attendees came from throughout the U.S. as well as from as far away as England. He came across Saddlebrook while doing a Web search and decided to give them a call. “The first person they put me in contact with was (senior sales manager) Mark Marker. His approach and tone were very welcoming, very warm, very open. There was no pressure at all on anything.”

Pelehach was initially concerned about how far the resort was from the airport (about a 30-minute drive, he says). “But Mark assured me that they could help us out with transportation. The more I thought about it, the more I liked the fact that it’s in the middle of nowhere, because sales guys, of course, like to stay up late when they’re at a sales meeting and head into town. I wanted to have a more controlled atmosphere. The resort had everything that we needed. It was remote so guys couldn’t jump into a car and go to the bars or anything like that, and it worked out very well.”

Saddlebrook’s room setup was also a major factor in Pelehach’s decision. “What we try to do to save money is put guys in the same room,” he explains. “You can’t really do that at a lot of these other resorts because you’ve just got a hotel room. In the case of Saddlebrook, we had two-bedroom units. They’re almost like a condo where each person had their own bathroom and bedroom so they had their privacy, and then the living room and the balcony were the shared spaces. Nobody had a problem with it. We were able to do it as economically as possible.”

The resort also worked well for all of Pelehach’s meeting needs. “We had some guest speakers come in. Saddlebrook had the flexibility to be able to set up for all of the different events that we were having, whether it was dinner poolside or guests coming in and utilizing the conference room. The setups were done very well. They were done very quickly and efficiently. All of that made for a very, very good meeting.”

Pelehach also liked Saddlebrook’s recreational amenities. The resort is home to two Arnold Palmer-designed golf courses and the Saddlebrook Golf Academy headed by Steve Bann and Dale Lynch. “We had a golf outing and the golf course was fantastic,” he says. “The staff at the golf course was terrific. They were very helpful, very accommodating. We had a couple of guys play tennis. The tennis facility is outstanding there.” The resort has a total of 45 tennis courts along with an extensive tennis program, which also makes it a tennis fanatic’s dream.

His group also enjoyed the food. “When people leave a sales conference and they go back home, the family doesn’t usually say, ‘How was the sales conference? How were the presentations?’ They say, ‘How was the food?’ Saddlebrook prides themselves in their food. They’ve got their own bakery. They’ve got their own butcher shop. They have the flexibility and ability to do pretty much whatever we wanted to do. Sometimes it was cooked right in front of you. We had a cookout where you went up and said, ‘I’ll take that steak’ and they’d grill it for you. The food was fantastic. I really think that’s one of the differentiators between Saddlebrook and a lot of the other places.”

Naples

On the Gulf along the Paradise Coast is the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club (317 guest rooms; 34,000 sf of meeting space), the only beachfront resort in Southwest to claim an onsite golf course. Originally built in 1927, the 18-hole championship course was enhanced and refurbished in 2011. HB’s on the Gulf is the city of Naples’ only beachfront restaurant and a popular draw for sunset-watchers. Another “only” claim to fame comes with the resort’s most recent renovation, just completed last month, which included the opening of Naples’ only Gulf-view, beachfront ballroom, the 5,000-sf Everglades Room, featuring a wall of windows. This latest project marks the completion of a three-year makeover of all guest rooms as well as the complete renovation of the resort’s Gulf-side meeting rooms and prefunction space. Upgrades over the last five years included the expansion of the Sunset Beach Bar & Grill and beachfront pool complex. The resort, family owned and operated for three generations, is nearby the tony 5th Avenue shopping and dining district.

The Panhandle

For Ron Black, director of human resources for Southern Pipe & Supply headquartered in Meridian, MS, the theme for his Florida meetings might as well be “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” His company has been hosting three recognition events at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa (598 guest rooms; more than 32,000 sf of meeting space), located in Florida’s Panhandle, an average of once every three years for the past 25 years.

“The primary events that we hold there are our recognition events for our top managers, top salespeople and top customers,” Black explains. “It’s a phenomenal location physically, and they do a good job. Needless to say, we would not return as much as we do regardless of how beautiful the beach and the grounds are if the people weren’t high quality and didn’t deliver a great experience for me as the planner, and, more importantly, for our guests attending.

“I think without question, the No. 1 thing about the resort is that it is directly on the beach,” he continues. “There’s a large section of beach. There is a resort area called Sandestin, so the Hilton is a resort within a resort. It is the only property of its type, literally from Pensacola to Panama City, that is directly on the beach, right on the Gulf.

Black’s three recognition events, which are typically attended by anywhere from 60–85 couples, include the Chairman’s Weekend for customer appreciation, the Champion’s Club for store managers and the President’s Club for the company’s sales team.

“Our events are strictly all fun,” he notes. “We believe in giving people a lot of free time. Typically, for our events down there we offer deep sea fishing trips, we offer golf. Within the Sandestin resort they have 72 holes of golf. You can walk out of the Hilton and practically be on the golf course, and they are great golf courses. We also offer visits to the spa, and sailing has really become popular over the last several visits.”
Black also puts a unique twist on the traditional hospitality suite. “They give us a part of the pool area that we rope off and call it Club Southern Pipe. Every afternoon that we’re there, from noon to five, they give us this area. We’ll put live entertainment out there, a guitar player doing Jimmy Buffett, James Taylor, that type of music, and our people just kind of come and go. We have dedicated servers. At all of these events, everything is carte blanche. They can charge anything to eat, drink — anything they do at the resort — to their room and we take care of it.”

He explained that the Hilton’s main bar and restaurant, Barefoot’s Beachside Bar & Grill, has been totally rebuilt after being destroyed by a fire about two years ago. “The fire at Barefoot’s offered them the opportunity to literally come back and redesign it. It’s 100 times better than it used to be. It’s now this massive open-air bar and restaurant with seating inside and tons of seating outside. It’s a great place.”

Black continues to tweak his programs. “We try to change things up, but at the same time we keep the constant things that we know people enjoy doing. We do take events to the beach at times. The resort does a great job of doing dinners on the beach. We’ve also taken folks down to the beach for a bonfire and to roast marshmallows and do s’mores. Instead of doing Club Southern Pipe up at the pool, we’ve done it on the beach and made it a sports theme with volleyball and races in the sand and sandcastle building competitions. They have a great recreation staff that’s got more ideas than you can possibly use.”

When guests want to enjoy some nightlife, Black explained that they can head to an entertainment district within the Sandestin resort area called Baytown Wharf. “If you’re staying at the Hilton, there’s a Sandestin shuttle that picks you up at the door of the Hilton and takes you to Baytown Wharf and brings you back. They’ll also take you to the golf courses.” He added that the hotel provides shuttle service to another popular attraction, the nearby Silver Sands Outlet Mall.

“We’re trying to give them the highest quality trip that we can give them. Once you set foot on the property, we pay for everything. You could eat and drink yourself into oblivion,” he laughs.

The Hilton Sandestin is completing a $5 million winter renovation project, which includes a redesign of its 32,000 sf of meeting space, a facelift of its signature AAA Four Diamond restaurant, Seagar’s Prime Steak and Seafood; and a completely redesigned Kids Krew children’s program area.
Ron Black summed up another advantage of holding his recognition events at the beachfront Hilton Sandestin. “You can get the best of both worlds. You can go there and have a very laidback weekend or you can leave there more tired than when you got there. It depends on what you’re trying to do.”

Orlando

Every five years, Southern Pipe takes its three recognition programs to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa (867 guest rooms; 40,000 sf of meeting space), the flagship resort at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, and children are included. “The only exception (compared to the company’s other programs) is that when we go to Disney World, we cannot afford to give everyone carte blanche charging privileges. We look at average costs per person that we spend at these other places, and we give people a Disney gift card that potentially has a value from $1,000 to $1,500,” he states, explaining that guests can then use the gift card to cover the cost of parking tickets, dining and other activities.

Walt Disney World Resort recently introduced several new entertainment options for private group events. The new Test Track Presented by Chevrolet combines the themes of innovation, performance and creativity into an activity where attendees create their own virtual car concepts then board “SimCar” ride vehicles to race through a series of performance tests. Another new option is the Splitsville Luxury Lanes located in Downtown Disney that opened in December. The upscale, retro-style boutique bowling venue offers more than 50,000 sf of entertainment space on two floors and includes 30 bowling lanes, billiards, live entertainment and upscale dining.

December marked the opening of the Storybook Forest and Enchanted Forest — the first phase of Disney’s new Fantasyland expansion project. The expansion — the largest in the 41-year history of the Magic Kingdom — will open in phases through 2014. Its new attractions, dining and shopping venues are set among waterfalls, grottoes, bridges, forests and circus big tops.

Universal Orlando Resort posted a banner year in 2012 with the debut of several new adventures and attractions. For example, last June, Universal Studios debuted Universal’s Superstar Parade, a daily affair with extravagant floats and hundreds of street performers; and Universal’s Cinematic Spectacular: 100 Years of Movie Memories, which brings to life some of Universal’s most iconic films on huge waterfall screens, with visual and audio special effects and pyrotechnics.

Other new additions: “Despicable Me Minion Mayhem” is a 3-D experience at Universal Studios that incorporates characters from the hit film of the same name. “The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man” at Islands of Adventure now features a state-of-the-art 3-D projection system, new music score and Spider-Vision glasses.

Universal CityWalk recently rolled out Hollywood Drive-In Golf, two 18-hole miniature golf courses based on classic drive-in era horror and sci-fi movies; and a revamped show from Blue Man Group, which now features a new show environment, musical score and interactive technology.

What really generates enthusiasm, however, is Universal’s wildly popular Wizarding World of Harry Potter in the Islands of Adventure. Groups can book specialized, catered experiences and entertainment at locations such as Hogsmeade, Hogwarts castle and Three Broomsticks tavern.

The three onsite Loews hotels are updating their offerings: Renovations to the meeting space and ballrooms at Loews Royal Pacific (1,000 guest rooms; 85,000 sf of meeting space) and Hard Rock Hotel (650 guest rooms; 6,000 sf of meeting space) were completed last September; and guest room renovations at Loews Royal Pacific will be completed in stages, with the first half scheduled for a 2014 completion and the rest in 2015. Hard Rock also will update its guest rooms at a future date. Loews Portofino Bay Hotel (750 guest rooms;. 42,000 sf of meeting space) finished renovations to all guest rooms last month, with some Kids Suites to be updated by this spring. Construction of the new, more moderately priced, family-friendly 1,800-room Cabana Bay Beach Resort will be completed in 2014.

For an overall meetings perspective of Orlando, Visit Orlando recently relaunched its meetings website (www.orlandomeeting.com) with the latest news on venues and attractions, plus accommodation listings, planning tools, online RFP submission forms and more. There’s also a link to Visit Orlando’s Twitter feed for industry updates and announcements.

More Orlando resort news of interest to groups:

Rosen Hotels and Resorts has renovation news to report for all three of their convention hotels, including the introduction of free wired and wireless Internet in all guest rooms and public areas. Rosen Centre Hotel (1,334 guest rooms; 124,000 sf of meeting space) recently completed a multimillion-dollar renovation of all guest rooms as well as the presidential and hospitality suites. Rosen Plaza Hotel (800 guest rooms; 60,000 sf of meeting space) recently completed a floor-to-ceiling renovation of all guest rooms as well as hallways and hospitality suites. Rosen Shingle Creek (1,500 guest rooms; 445,000 sf of meeting space) recently enhanced its 50,000 sf of outdoor meeting space with an additional 16,000 sf. There’s also a 40,000-sf outdoor event lot to take advantage of Florida’s great weather. Rosen Shingle Creek last year opened Banrai Sushi and Tobias’ Flats & Watering Hole. Later this year Mi Casa Tequila Taqueria will open, the resort’s 15th dining/lounging option.
The Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate just last month debuted the new 55,000-sf Osceola County Conference Center, which includes a 28,000-sf ballroom, open prefunction area and event lawn. With this new addition, the 720-room resort now offers more than 128,000 sf of indoor meeting space, including two ballrooms and 46 meeting rooms, and an additional 52,000 sf of outdoor event space.

Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek (400 guest rooms; more than 25,000 sf of indoor/outdoor meeting/event space), which opened in 2011, is offering several creative group activities to enhance teamwork and communications. For the “Krush!” activity, attendees are divided into teams that compete to create the perfect wine blend along with a name and logo for their new vintage. Wyndham Grand also can arrange an Iron Chef-style competition called the “Texas BBQ Brisket Challenge” as well as “Mixology 101” where groups of 40 or fewer compete to create a signature cocktail for their event.

Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center (1,406 guest rooms; 400,000 sf of meeting space) unveiled a $50 million renovation last spring that included upgraded guest rooms, networking venues and executive meeting spaces. New are the 10,000-sf Coquina Lawn for hosting outdoor events, the Cypress Springs Family Fun Water Park, Wreckers Sports Bar and adults-only South Beach Pool.

Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel (2,265 guest rooms; 329,000 sf of meeting space) rivals the Gaylord Palms for its ability to host supersized meetings. Meeting space includes 110,500 sf of contiguous convention/exhibit space and four ballrooms. Groups also have the option to use the expert services of Disney Event Productions.

The Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek (1,000 guest rooms; 122,000 sf of meeting space) borders Walt Disney World Resort and shares the adjacent Waldorf Astoria Orlando’s golf club and Guerlain spa.

Daytona Beach

A gem in Daytona Beach Shores is the luxury oceanfront Shores Resort & Spa (212 guest rooms; 20,000 sf of indoor/outdoor meeting/event space) the only AAA Four Diamond oceanfront resort in Central Florida. Meeting space encompasses ocean­side executive boardrooms, a private beachfront terrace, grand ballroom and sky-level meeting space with panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean and Intracoastal Waterway. Highlights for groups can include oceanside fire pits, the boutique Indulge Spa, surfing lessons, fitness-led beach walks and more. The Shores is now offering free round-trip transfers to the Daytona Beach Ocean Center convention facility just a short drive away.

South Florida

Jeff Nelke, vice president and general manager of Access Destination Services in Hollywood, FL, shared one idea that some of his clients have embraced during the past year. “We’ve seen some of our corporate clients taking advantage of doing evening activities to replace what were traditionally dine-arounds,” he explains. “They’re able to share in the bonding experience and collaboration, since spending time together is a goal of a lot of these meetings, particularly with mergers and acquisitions and things of that nature.”

He shared an example. “We do a Cuban heritage tour where we turn it into ‘Havana Nights’ where we’ve done dinner as a chance to get a little bit of the history, then salsa dancing at a fun club that I don’t think a lot of people would have visited on their own. We’re trying to create some unique experiences that way. We’re still dining at a restaurant, mainly just for budget purposes, and this creates the idea of doing an offsite event on a dine-around budget. It’s certainly something that was different and well-received.”

He also noted a change in booking windows that he has seen recently. “We have definitely seen a pickup in activity, and planning is becoming more paramount. Over the last two years, it’s been easier to get the things that you want in terms of availability, and we’re starting to see things book up much quicker. We’re starting to (say), “You’re coming in January, February or March? Great! Is that 2014 or ’15?’ Whereas in the past, you were able to go two to three months out and find availability for the venues and things that you would like. We definitely see that as a trend. Before, it was easier for meeting planners to pull that rabbit out of their hat at the last minute because of availability. It’s going to require a little more planning as we go into the 2013-’14 season. You just can’t wait as long if you know what you want.”

When asked which offsite venues are the most popular in South Florida, Nelke replies, “We’ve seen the use of a lot of our Miami Beach nightclubs, particularly Mansion, Opium and Bamboo here on the beach. They are great facilities if you need to take advantage of some audio-visual production because it’s built in and the nightclub scene doesn’t really get going until 11 o’clock or midnight, so we’re able to use the facility. Our corporate dinners would usually be from 7 to 10 or 7 to 11. It’s a great way to take advantage of high-end audio-visual production for entertainment, let’s say for an evening gala. To bring that into your hotel can be expensive, where this would be incorporated into your rental fee because it already exists, and many of those clubs are old theaters that are converted into nightclubs.

“They run the trend,” he continues. “Some are popular one year and out of business the next, so you have to make sure you’re working with good planners. As far as the facilities, you get a little bit of the vibe of the Miami Beach nightlife. When people come to South Florida, they think about the water, and the cosmopolitan culture, at least in South Beach. As you move up to Palm Beach, you have the rich history of the Flaglers, the Rockefellers, and the Kennedys, what they brought to the area. There are also the indigenous things like our Everglades, things of that nature. So (booking a nightclub) touches on one of those major experiences.”
Nelke discussed why it’s important to strike a balance between planning events at the host hotel and going offsite. “We always feel that part of signing a good hotel contract is keeping them involved in the hotel for a couple of nights to help maximize room rates. But the last thing you want to do is spend every waking moment in the hotel. This is a great way to see the destination, as well, for the evening events.”

One of the most significant developments in Miami’s meetings scene is Trump Hotel Collection’s purchase of the iconic Doral Golf Resort & Spa (700 guest rooms; 86,000 sf of meeting space) last summer. Through the fall of 2013, Trump will be investing more than $200 million in a property-wide renovation that covers the resort’s guest rooms, and all four golf courses including the legendary Blue Monster course. The resort will remain open during the renovation.

PGA National Resort & Spa (379 guest rooms; 40,000 sf of meeting space) in Palm Beach Gardens just north of West Palm Beach recently completed a comprehensive $100 million revitalization project. All guest rooms have received a complete makeover, and guest room corridors have also been refreshed with new carpeting, lighting, wall coverings and artwork. The Lakeside Lawn, which overlooks a lake and the resort’s golf courses, has been established as a permanent special event venue, and the Palm Terrace restaurant is now available as a poolside venue for evening events. In addition, Tom Fazio II has remodeled The Haig — PGA National’s original 18-hole course that was designed by his uncles. The resort’s 19th hole bar and grill, Bar 91, has also been completely renovated.

In Hollywood, FL, near Fort Lauderdale is The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (481 guest rooms; 40,000 sf of meeting space), a rare gaming opportunity for groups visiting the Sunshine State. The property completed a $7.8 million renovation of its guest rooms last year. Despite the laidback Florida environs, there is a certain Las Vegas-like energy at this resort, generated by 18 restaurants and lounges, the Body Rock Spa, 23 boutique shops, 13 nightclubs, the 400-seat Paradise Live theater and the 5,500-seat Hard Rock Live concert arena. The AAA Four Diamond resort is Green Lodging Certified by the state of Florida.

Key Largo

One of Florida’s most prized enclaves is the private, exclusive Ocean Reef Club (guest accommodations include 175 inn rooms, 100 spacious one-, two- and three-bedroom villas, and private homes; 30,000 sf of meeting space), located in Key Largo, in the Upper Keys about an hour south of Miami International Airport.

For 60 years, Ocean Reef Club has been a personal hideaway for titans of industry and other wealthy Americans who largely kept it a well-protected secret. Because of its VIP membership, privacy is paramount and security is suited to the world leaders who have vacationed or attended conferences there.

The complex, situated on 2,500 tropical acres, is a self-contained, member-owned property that features more than a dozen restaurants, a 175-slip marina, a private airport, 54 holes of golf, a shopping village, tennis courts, salt water lagoon, beach, pools, Jacuzzi and more. Charters for flats and deep-sea fishing as well as snorkeling and scuba diving at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park are popular one-of-a-kind adventures. Group activities also can include chartered yacht dinners, beachside events, eco-tours, and teambuilding programs such as cooking school, golf cart scavenger hunts, cardboard boat regattas and beach olympics to name a few. There also are plenty of options for events with a tropical backdrop, including the waterfront outdoor event venue Buccaneer Island.

The 8,000-sf Spa at Ocean Reef just completed its own multimillion-dollar makeover in December. The renovation has added 10 individual massage and treatment rooms, plus a VIP couples suite. The new suite includes two treatment tables and an outdoor terrace with whirlpool and dining area. C&IT

In the Meeting Village at Enchantment Resort, the Village Terrace offers breathtaking views of Sedona’s majestic red rock formations. Credit: Enchantment Resort

Arizona is the kind of meeting destination that if you haven’t been there lately, it’s time to schedule another site inspection trip. No matter how many times you may have brought a group to this sunny Southwestern state, there is always something new and exciting to discover.

Patrice Trusdell, CMP, vice president of the meeting planning firm Boggs Chung Incorporated in Norristown, PA, kicked off the new year by planning an internal business meeting in Arizona for one of her clients. The venue chosen for the 80-attendee event was The Wigwam, an iconic 400-acre resort west of Phoenix that was built in 1918 as a retreat for the Ohio-based executives of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber company. Times have changed a bit, though. Back then, guests were given a horse along with their room key when they checked in.

Trusdell hadn’t been to The Wigwam (331 casitas and suites; more than 100,000 sf of meeting space) for about 10 years, and she was very pleased with what she found. Last year, the luxury resort, which is under new management, unveiled a $7 million rejuvenation project. “All of it was well spent,” she comments. “They have a new entrance approach. They completely reconstructed and reconfigured the lobby. They’ve made it more like a living room would be when you walk in. It’s much more approachable and sets the tone for what the property is.

“The meeting space is outstanding,” she continues. “They have a lot of it. Their rooms-to-meeting-space ratio is phenomenal for a planner, and it’s in very good shape. The guest rooms are so large comparative to the square footage in most guest rooms. For standard rooms, they’re oversized, and they’re in the process of renovating all of their bathrooms. The guest rooms are all in pods laid out around the property around landscaped gardens and paths and pools, and the beautiful Red Door spa, which is just amazing.”

She also commented on the resort’s beautiful landscaping and gardens. “As you come up the front drive, it’s lined with huge, stately palms, but then they also have citrus trees. Off the front lobby, they have an enormous display of oranges that are there for guests to take that are grown on-property. It’s just a nice touch.”

Her client’s all-business agenda didn’t leave any time for the spa or the resort’s 54 holes of golf, but she did plan a special evening. “We took over Litchfield’s, their fine-dining restaurant on the last night of our program, and they did an excellent job. People walked out of there saying “That was such a great meal!’ It was a complete fine-dining experience.”
Trusdell had high praise for the entire staff, from the efficiency of the sales team to the attentiveness of the bell staff to the high service standards of the food and beverage team. She gave the example of an attendee who requested a brand of soft drink that wasn’t on the drink display. Not only was the requested drink delivered with a smile, but that particular brand was automatically made available at every meal thereafter. She also made a point of complimenting the resort’s front desk and housekeeping staffs. “They are phenomenal. Truly everything went so smoothly for our guests at check-in and checkout, and the housekeeping staff was superb. Since these departments don’t often get mentioned, I wanted to give them a shout out.”

More Phoenix

The Sheraton Phoenix Downtown (more than 1,000 guest rooms, 47 suites; more than 80,000 sf of meeting space) located near the Phoenix Convention Center, is offering two special services for groups: A link to e-dmc, a Web-based destination management service and “Onsite Specialty Events,” budget-friendly activities that eliminate the need to arrange (and pay for) transportation to offsite venues — ideal for planners looking to reduce their meeting’s carbon footprint.

Also located near the Phoenix Convention Center, the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel (428 guest rooms; 60,000 sf of meeting space) is offering special incentives for groups requiring 10 or more nights on peak nights for meetings that are booked by the end of the year. Qualifying groups can choose three incentives from a list that includes free Internet access in attendees’ guest rooms, triple Marriott points, VIP amenities and 30 percent allowable attrition.

The Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort (584 suites; more than 65,000 sf of meeting space) in Phoenix makes it easy to plan offsite tours and teambuilding activities, thanks to the resort’s partnership with Southwest Conference Planners. The offsite activities offered are as diverse as desert hikes, shopping tours and visits to Wrigley Mansion, the 16,850-sf, 24-room estate once used as a winter home for the chewing gum magnate’s family. Some of the choices for Southwest-style teambuilding activities include a chili cook-off, Wild West olympics (such as cowboy hat frisbee) and covered-wagon building.

The JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge (950 guest rooms; 240,000 sf of meeting space), which just celebrated its 10th anniversary, is an earth-friendly resort. Its long list of initiatives for green meetings includes extensive recycling (including in-room bins), the use of recycled paper products, electronic invoices for group events, water and energy conservation, and chemical reduction practices.

Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa’s (500 guest rooms; 100,000 sf of meeting space) signature fine-dining restaurant, Kai, was recently honored with its seventh AAA Five Diamond designation. The restaurant is renowned for its innovative, Native American-inspired cuisine that incorporates locally grown ingredients from the Gila River Indian Community.

One of the newest and most unique special event locations in Phoenix is the Musical Instrument Museum, a 200,000-sf venue filled with nearly 350 interactive exhibits showcasing musical instruments from around the world. The museum offers multiple areas for private events, including courtyards, the MIM Café and a 299-seat music theater equipped with state-of-the art acoustics and projection capabilities.

Scottsdale

As a meeting destination, Scottsdale never stagnates. New additions include the $20 million, 52,330-sf conference center recently unveiled at The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess (649 guest rooms). The new venue, which includes the 23,000-sf Palomino Ballroom, brings the property’s total meeting space to approximately 150,000 sf. In January, The Fairmont launched its new spa concept Well & Being at Willow Stream Spa, created by Trilogy Spa Holdings. As the first of its kind in the nation, the program draws from a wide range of health, wellness, nutrition, integrative medicine, fitness and spa offerings to create customized wellness programs.

Several Scottsdale properties are also sporting fresh new looks. Last summer, The Scottsdale Plaza Resort (404 guest rooms; 40,0000 sf of meeting space) completed a $3 million property-wide renovation project, which included updates to all guest rooms and suites.

The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa (732 guest rooms; 100,000 sf of meeting space) recently invested approximately $5 million to enhance its meeting space. The resort’s newest venue is the 11,300-sf Trailblazer Ballroom, which overlooks the golf course. The Westin also recently added the Flowrider, a new water-sport activity that looks like surfing but mimics the moves and ride of snowboarding. Group competitions can be arranged at the new water attraction.

Montelucia Resort & Spa (253 guest rooms and 40 suites, 100,000 sf of meeting space), a luxurious Mediterranean-style resort located in the shadow of Camelback Mountain, helps planners envision their next meeting setting with an “inspiration gallery” on its website, www.montelucia.com. The site also offers interactive floor plans to help planners visualize the flow of their meetings.

Scottsdale Resort & Conference Center (326 guest rooms, casitas and suites and 50,000 sf of meeting space) simplifies the budgeting process by offering the Benchmark Conference Plan. The all-inclusive package includes deluxe guest room accommodations, three meals per day, morning and afternoon breaks, standard audio-visual services, conference space and the services of a professional conference planner. The resort also has all of the elements needed to stage themed events such as a Polynesian evening complete with Tiki torches, a Tiki hut façade, carved wood artifacts and fishing nets. Another popular choice is the country-western theme, which features jail, hotel, livery stable, and saloon facades and props that include hay bales, saddles and split-rail fencing.

By day, Scottsdale’s Talking Stick Resort (497 guest rooms, more than 100,000 sf of indoor and outdoor function space) offers plenty of space for taking care of business, and when it’s time for leisure, the resort offers so many options that attendees won’t have to leave the property unless they really want to. There’s a 240,000-sf casino, a 14th-floor spa offering panoramic views of the Valley of the Sun, 36 holes of Troon-managed golf, and multiple dining and entertainment venues including a 650-seat showroom; and the Orange Sky restaurant and lounge on the 15th floor featuring outdoor patios with panoramic views of the surrounding desert landscape.

Scottsdale has long been called the “West’s Most Western Town,” and the city offers plenty of Western-themed activities to boot. Planners who want to help their attendees channel their inner wranglers can head ’em up and move ’em out to the Arizona Cowboy College for lessons on roping and herding cattle. Fort McDowell Adventures, located in nearby Fountain Hills, is a versatile indoor and outdoor special event venue offering multiple scenic settings, including the mission-style La Puesta del Sol (Spanish for “the setting sun”). Fort McDowell Adventures, which is conveniently located just four miles from the Radisson Fort McDowell Resort & Casino, also offers a wide range of outdoor activities, including trail rides, jeep tours, campfires and kayaking.

The Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau has released its 2013 Discover Scottsdale meeting planners guide, which includes details on accommodations, activities and amenities as well as a list of offsite venues, sample itineraries and incentive ideas. The new guide is available at www.MeetinScottsdale.com.

Sedona

Karen Birch, administrative assistant for Cobham Aerospace Communications, toured several properties to find the ideal location for the 10-person executive leadership team meeting she was planning. But once she toured Enchantment Resort in Sedona, she knew she had a winner. “There’s no other place like it up there,” she says. “The scenery is just gorgeous. Sedona is beautiful no matter where you are, but this kind of took your breath away when you drove in there.”

Birch was referring to the extraordinarily beautiful setting the resort occupies. Enchantment Resort (218 guest rooms; 13,000 sf of indoor meeting space plus 20,000 sf of outdoor event space) is set on 70 acres at the base of a secluded canyon and is surrounded by breathtaking red rock formations. Sedona is located just two hours north of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, and while Birch’s attendees simply rented cars, limousine service is available that will bring guests right to the resort’s front door.

Of course, it takes a lot more than breathtaking scenery to pull off a successful meeting, and Birch was also impressed with the service her group received. “I’ve got to tell you, Enchantment was just terrific in working with us. Everyone was very professional there, very helpful.
“They have all different sizes of conference areas,” she explains. “They could cordon them off for whatever size you needed. Our people had their own small building, actually. We had breakfasts there and had lunches brought in so they could work through their lunch.

“Everyone loved it,” she continues. “They thought it was the best thing since sliced bread! Everything ran very smoothly. I can’t say enough good things about the resort.”

Just last year, Enchantment wrapped up a $25 million renovation that included a $4 million expansion of the resort’s Meeting Village and an $11 million refurbishment of all 218 guest rooms. Improvements were also made to the clubhouse, pool, restaurants,zz and indoor and outdoor public spaces. The resort also recently introduced a service where guests are checked-in curbside by attendants using electronic tablets.

Another option for groups that want to bask in Sedona’s scenic beauty is the Hilton Sedona Resort & Spa (219 guest rooms and 20,000 sf of meeting space). The resort can host golf tournaments onsite at its championship golf course or attendees may prefer to indulge in the menu of re-energizing services offered at eforea spa at Hilton.

Tucson

“Oh, my gosh. They loved, loved, loved it!” says Karen Moody, event planner for the consumer foods sales division of General Mills. She was referring to Tucson as the site of a recent sales meeting she planned in this southern Arizona city. “We survey our people at the end of every meeting and the results were phenomenal in terms of the destination.”
General Mills chose the Omni Tucson National Resort (129 guest rooms; 15,000 sf of meeting space) as the meeting venue. “We had about 120 attendees, and so we pretty much took over the place,” she explains. Omni was fabulous every step of the way. Their service is just bar none. I’ve been to a few meetings like this, and this, by far, was best service I’ve ever received.

“What was really fun was that the golf course was very popular among our team and also the spa,” she adds. “The resort’s Catalina and Sonoran golf courses, which offer beautiful views of the Santa Catalina Mountains, have hosted many PGA championships.” The spa is huge, much bigger than some of the other resorts that were much larger as far as room size. There’s quite a few treatment rooms. It was nice seeing 10 people waiting around to have a massage, fitting comfortably in there. They weren’t crammed in by any stretch of the imagination. That was by far our most popular choice in recreation over the golf. I think we had 60 people that actually signed up for a spa treatment, so almost half of our people. There’s an equal amount of men and women attending.

“The meeting space was great,” Moody continues. “The conference services manager was spot on, had everything arranged perfectly, just the way we wanted it, and on time. We didn’t have any complaints.”

Also located in Tucson, The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa (387 guest rooms) completes a top-to-bottom, resort-wide $30 million renovation this month, adding modern upgrades and a contemporary flair to the iconic elegance the resort is known for. Enhancements to the resort’s 60,000 sf of meeting space include new floor coverings, chandeliers and state-of-the-art AV equipment. All 27 holes of La Paloma Country Club’s Jack Nicklaus Signature design links have been rejuvenated as well.

Service With a Smile

Location, amenities and beautiful views all can play important roles in making a meeting a success, but it’s great service that brings it all together. As Moody notes, “As an event planner, service is on top of our list. If you don’t have good service, you’re kind of sunk. Working with managers like Dan and Caroline (at Omni Tucson National Resort) was just a wonderful experience. They just made it so easy.” She had a few words of advice for other planners considering the resort. “I would say, ‘Book your group. Just do it!’ ” C&IT

It wasn’t that long ago, before the pervasive and cumulative powers of the Internet, social networking and mobile media began to transform the meeting industry in astonishingly short order, that destination marketing meant a well-rehearsed sales pitch from a DMO (a.k.a. CVB) or a slick Meeting Planning Guide in the mail. Today, however, destination marketing has taken on much more dimension — and that includes not just how a destination sells itself to meeting planners, but how planners, in turn, sell it to attendees.

At the moment, however, it’s still the Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) that have the most to gain — or lose.

“Meeting planners nowadays don’t have to be as reliant as they once were on CVBs for marketing information, especially before the meeting,” says Tom Martin, founder and principal of New Orleans-based digital marketing firm Converse Digital, which launched a Digital Strategy Practice customized for DMOs in 2011. “The key factor has been that there is so much information available from so many sources other than the CVBs in today’s digital world.”

But at the same time, Martin notes, the information-gathering process is time-consuming for planners constantly being tasked to do more with less. Therein, he says, lies the current opportunity for innovative DMOs to regain the high ground when it comes to tactical and logistical assistance. “And that’s why progressive CVBs are beginning to curate current destination information and provide it in a digital manner,” Martin says, “so that planners can just pull that information directly into their own marketing materials and push it right through to attendees in an almost frictionless way.”

Planner Appreciation

Cara Bergeson, conference manager at Portland, OR-based industrial business publisher Resource Recycling, agrees that such progressive services from DMOs offer distinct benefits to planners. The key to success for her and her attendees, she says, is a broader and more personalized sense of a destination. “I rely on a CVB to really learn what a city is about,” says Bergeson, who plans three major voluntary-attendance conferences a year that draw as many as 1,400 attendees and 140 exhibitors. “I want the CVB to really show me what my attendees can do in their city.”

And, she adds, because she has been getting just such in-depth insights from Orlando, she has brought one of her major conferences there five times since 2003, and also is booked in Orlando for September 2013. “The reason that kind of support is so important to me,” Bergeson says, “is that our attendees are very social, so having a city that offers good restaurants and bars and other activities is very important to us. But all destinations, even second-tier destinations, have restaurants and bars and attractions. The difference to me is between being left to your own devices to learn what those are and how individual ones might benefit your meeting, versus being given an in-depth portrait of the city, from the very beginning of the process.” The real practical benefits to her, she says, are a less stressful planning process and a more productive, enjoyable experience for attendees.

And by that measure, she says, “Orlando is probably hands-down the best CVB I have ever worked with. They know the city inside and out. But they also take the time to get to know me as a planner and what my meeting is really about and what my attendees are looking for. And in my experience, that extra level of knowledge and service is fairly unusual.”

Mark Champa, director of meetings and events at H&R Block in Kansas City, MO, enjoyed such comprehensive service when he booked his first-ever major meeting in New Orleans. “The role of the CVB and the hospitality community in general was definitely one of the influences on and benefits of our selection of New Orleans as the destination for our annual conference, which draws 3,000 attendees,” says Champa, who plans 35-40 meetings a year across the U.S.

“With the growing number of restaurants and the different price points that are available in New Orleans,” Champa says, “the CVB has really done an excellent job — both through their website and also through various forms of electronic communication — of giving us information we could take advantage of via our own convention website. So, rather than having to go out and research activities and all of the things that would be going on while we were there, including new restaurants and popular attractions and activities, we were able to tap into the CVB’s site to provide links to our attendees. And as they provided updated information, we passed that new information on to our attendees. The CVB just made it very easy for us to get the most up-to-date information to our attendees so they could plan their free time. That’s critical to us for our annual conference, because it’s an opportunity for all of our people to get together once a year and network among themselves, as well as with our vendor partners. So knowing as much as possible about what there is to do in the destination is very important to the overall success of the meeting.”

Raising the DMO Bar

Tammi Runzler, senior vice president of convention sales and services for Visit Orlando, is a prominent team member of one of the most innovative and effective DMOs in the country, especially when it comes to selling Orlando as a premier meetings destination. And she notes one simple but powerful secret to success. “The DMOs that are truly more successful than others today,” she says, “are those that have a history or a track record of working with the entire community as a whole. In Orlando, we have been doing that for a number of years. It has become a major focus for us whether we’re going after a major trade show-type event or a conference or a meeting. No matter what kind of meeting it is, if it’s a major event that we really want to pursue, we believe in getting the entire community involved, because we believe that enhances our chances of success for landing and hosting that meeting.”

She cites one major example from 2010. “We were working on a major meeting that involved a large number of attendees and a large number of exhibitors,” she says. “And there was a lot of competition among major destinations to get that meeting. And we could not have achieved the success that we did without working with the entire community as a whole. What that meant was that when we went to meet with the hosts and planners of the meeting, we brought a number of people with us, including a county commissioner, a representative of the mayor’s office, and a top local business executive in the company’s industry. We also brought our chairman and the vice-president/general manager of one of our major hotels, the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress. And we even went so far as to bring in a major food critic who could talk about Orlando as a culinary destination.”

For another meeting, a large healthcare conference, Visit Orlando leveraged the city’s growing medical infrastructure and brought in representatives of Florida Hospital and Orlando Health to explain the unique benefits that Orlando offers to medical and healthcare meetings.
The essential point, Runzler says, is to bring more scope and context to a destination’s selling proposition. “I can talk about the number of hotel rooms and our infrastructure and what we deliver for a major meeting,” she says. “But what I think really sells a destination today is an integrated community all singing from the same hymnal. And part of that is showing that a range of representatives of the community are all in tune with each other when it comes to showing what we can deliver for a meeting. And the other point is to bring in real experts to make important points about what sets a particular destination apart. It’s also one thing for me to talk about the culinary scene in Orlando. It’s another thing entirely for a recognized food critic to explain what the city has to offer. And for a meeting today, the quality and diversity of the food in a destination is an important part of a meeting, whether that’s a dine-around program or it’s a matter of attendees entertaining their colleagues or clients.”

Building Attendance

Closely related to such efforts, Runzler says — and a key benefit to planners whose meetings are voluntary in attendance, such as conferences for independent salespeople or customers — is a synergistic ability to help build attendance.

Nikki Moon, vice president of convention sales at the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau, agrees. “That is more important now than ever,” she says, “and for many clients that is an expensive and time-consuming process, so we have come to be known for doing a lot of that for them. We’re their right arm in terms of creating marketing tools and making the meeting a success.”

Moon preaches a doctrine of well-organized, community-based marketing efforts. “Today,” she says, “a good CVB is an important part of a company’s meetings department. And there are still a lot of planners who don’t realize that 99 percent of our services are complimentary.”
Moreover, Moon says, such comprehensive services, based on the most current information available, such as new restaurants or a particular attraction that will offer something special during a meeting’s dates, are especially important for a destination as diverse as New Orleans, whose broad culture and distinct individual neighborhoods require an education for planners. Given that, Moon says, the CVB works hard to match the destination to the needs of a particular meeting, then merchandises what it has to offer via micro-websites or electronic newsletters that keep attendees informed.

Getting Social

Although there are CVBs that are creating genuine innovation when it comes to marketing, the next great frontier will be innovative use of digital marketing and social media to drive attendee interest in and benefit from a destination before and during the meeting, says Martin.

“But at this point,” he says, “I would also say that even the most progressive CVBs that are doing it have only begun to scratch the surface. Right now, the innovation we’re seeing among CVBs is really around platforms and execution. So they’re curating information or bundling it at a platform level, like a website or a blog that a meeting planner can point to. But the reason they’ve only scratched the surface is that they’re not yet far enough along in the process to think behaviorally about a meeting attendee. They haven’t begun to really think about a meeting attendee’s behavior toward information, both in terms of searching for it and using it, and how that behavior changes through the entire lifecycle of a meeting — from when they’re making plans to go until they’re in the destination. And then there is the ‘day after’ or post-meeting piece, which is the big thing that no one is really looking at yet. And that ‘after the meeting’ piece represents an opportunity for destinations to convert attendees who have just left there into ambassadors for the destination.”

So, Martin says, CVBs and planners should not only be thinking about the most effective ways to get information out to attendees, they should also be thinking about truly creating memorable, exceptional experiences for attendees. “That means CVBs should be working with planners to really create those little memorable moments and experiences that attendees can’t wait to tell others about via social channels and when they get home,” Martin explains. “And that goes beyond doing the obvious things, such as going to Preservation Hall or Acme Oyster House in New Orleans. You have to go deeper into the destination than that, because those kinds of things are at the typical expectation of a tourist level. You have to help them discover ‘what’s around the corner.’ ”

To get to the next level of deriving maximum enjoyment from a destination, he says, “you have to understand that in a place like New Orleans, around every corner is some little mom and pop restaurant that the locals all know about, but tourists don’t. Take them in and let them have oysters in an oyster bar that isn’t so well known. Or better yet, take them somewhere that can teach them how to shuck oysters. Or take them to a local crawfish boil that is authentic. It’s about doing things that really allow people to attend something that is truly local and not the kind of things that tourists or meeting attendees normally do. The idea is to give attendees experiences that most people will never have.”

The Power of Random

In order to get to that level of individualized experience, Martin encourages truly forward-thinking CVBs and planners to embrace what he calls “the power of random.” And that’s because random experiences are where real memories are created, he says.

For example, Martin relates, instead of a traditional dine-around program that features the best-known tourist restaurants in a given city, give attendees the freedom to go out on their own, in small groups, and find their own memorable dining experiences where they’ll encounter locals instead of other visitors. Maybe even recruit locals to guide these mini-tours.

And such genuine innovation requires courage, Martin says. “The idea of random scares the hell out of people, including meeting planners,” he says. “And that is especially true of marketers, because we’ve been taught for 50 years to plan every aspect of what we’re doing.”

But once embraced, he says, social media can be used to aggregate enthusiasm for a particular place or activity and empower attendees to get together and participate with tremendous enthusiasm.

On yet another level, Martin says, the ever-increasing use of mobile media will be used to help meeting attendees have a better experience in the destination. As a result, CVBs and planners will soon come to realize that mobile platforms provide a new world of opportunities for enhancing the meeting experience. “It’s a conduit to an end-user experience,” Martin says.

For example, he predicts, the smartest and most innovative CVBs — or planners — will learn to use mobile technology to create a mobile-based wayfinder program around the convention center or hotel. And that information will be delivered simply and clearly via mobile platforms such as smartphones before and during the meeting. It will be like having a personal city guide (a person not a book) in your pocket.

Another example: In a destination such as New York, where there are not many restaurants within walking distance of the Javits Center, a mobile app could show attendees where to get a taxi — and where the best restaurants are for the lowest fare. Or where to get a subway train and which one to take to get to and from the hotel.

Yet another example: at a major conference, provide a mobile platform listing of where all of the evening’s social events are and how to best get there including maps, key contact information and maybe even the ability to have your ticket (if required) saved on your phone.

“That’s the kind of information that needs to be focused on in the future,” Martin says, because that really enhances the meeting experience from a purely practical point of view.”

Although he knows of no CVB actively doing those kinds of things, or helping planners do them, Martin predicts that such innovation will really start to gain momentum in 2013 and become a relatively common practice over the next 18 months. “You’re going to see a couple of really smart, innovative CVBs leverage the first mover advantage of digital innovation to capture the minds and business of meeting planners before the rest of the industry figures it out,” says Martin.

Putting It All Together

As destination marketing becomes more innovative, it is really the attendees who will benefit most, everyone agrees. “Eighty percent of our attendees are men, so they are interested in steak houses and bars and the best golf courses,” says Bergeson, who agrees that such information on what’s best or new and hot in the destination will become more and more important to attendees. And like many other planners, she is now looking to have social media play more of a role in getting that information to attendees — before and during the meeting.

“A lot of our attendees are not familiar with a particular destination for a particular meeting,” she says. “So they rely on me and my team to know what’s really going on. And I rely on the CVB. In that sense, a good CVB today is like a concierge service.”

And in turn, she is using social media like Facebook and Twitter, as well as an electronic newsletter and a message board during the conference, to keep attendees informed and excited about what there is to do in the destination. And, she also concurs, such proactive marketing is also helping to drive stronger attendance.

And for DMOs, Runzler says, there is also new reality. “As a DMO, we no longer control the brand identity of our destination,” she says. “In the era of social media, that control is in the hands of planners and attendees. Our brand is being shaped now by those who use the destination and communicate that experience, not what we say about it. So, that fact also makes it more important than ever that we do everything we can to make sure that planners and attendees have a good time in the destination. Now our goal is to turn every meeting planner and attendee into a brand ambassador.” C&IT

The new Carnival Breeze, shown here cruising in St. Thomas, features six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises out of Miami. Credit: Carnival Cruise Lines

When it came to cruise ships as a venue for incentive programs and meetings, the potential was long acknowledged, but far from being maximized. The cruise lines seemed to settle on an industry-wide attitude of benign neglect towards this market, even as a loyal and steadily increasing (although still small) portion of incentive travel program managers and meeting planner professionals continued to select the cruise ship option.

In recent years, that attitude has notably changed. Cruise lines are now actively cultivating the meeting and incentive (M&I) market with new onboard amenities and services designed specifically for meetings and events. The proactive attitude towards planners is now undeniable among floating facilities.

The cruise line industry — both as a coalition of companies and individual providers — has increased its presence within the meetings industry in multiple ways, including increased exhibition at industry conventions. The latest generations of luxury liners and other vessels have been designed to include conference facilities and technological capabilities, making the Complete Meeting Package now available at sea more competitive with the traditional CMPs on land. Cruise lines have added scores of executives whose main duty is to target and accommodate planners, which includes not just sales and marketing but devising packages more conducive to the unique demands of the incentive and meeting industry.

“The industry is very interested in this segment, and I feel that in 2013 we will see continued growth in this segment of passengers,” says Christine Duffy, president of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). “New ships have been built with innovative audio-visual technology and meeting space capacity. The product lends itself to incentive and meeting travel.”

Growing Market

Although still a small percentage of overall cruise ship passengers, indications are that the numbers of M&I passengers onboard are growing. Few quantifiable figures on the market — either its size by number of M&I passengers or the dollars being generated by them — are currently available. Informal estimations from cruise lines indicate that between 5–10 percent of passengers currently fall into the M&I category. In truth, most cruise lines are only now adequately tracking these figures. Distinguishing different categories of group travel passengers — which some industry observers estimate to account for more than 25 percent of all cruise passengers — and clearly identifying who are incentive and meeting travelers remains a relatively new enterprise.

In 2010, a study by PhocusWright “Groups and Meetings: Driving Success in Business Travel’s Most Complex Segment,” for the first time queried planners about cruise ships as meeting venues. The report stated: “Six percent of meeting planners/overseers reported using a cruise ship as a meeting venue in 2009, versus 8 percent who planned to do so in 2010.” Although still single digits, this figure does show a year-to-year increase of nearly a third. The study surveyed 630 planners; it is unclear how indicative this sample size is of the meeting planner profession, which a 2011 PhocusWright study estimated to number 90,000.

Duffy came to CLIA last year, after serving as president and CEO of Maritz Travel, one of the world’s largest M&I travel management companies. She not only is optimistic about the untapped potential of the M&I market, she has the experience and motivation to lead the industry to better tap into that market.

Cruise Meetings Taskforce

In 2011, Duffy organized the Meeting, Event & Incentive Taskforce (ME&I Taskforce), made up of incentive specialists from CLIA member lines, with the specific mission of “building stronger relationships and partnerships with meeting and incentive industry leaders…develop and deliver education and research to raise the cruise industry’s visibility and overall profile in this market.”

During its inaugural year in 2012, the ME&I Taskforce partnered with Meeting Professionals International (MPI) Foun­dation, and hosted two focus groups with MPI corporate meeting professionals: one onboard the Celebrity Silhouette and another conducted at MPI’s 2012 World Education Conference (WEC).

The taskforce was a step in the right direction, but its initial accomplishment was finding out how much more there is to do in order for this segment to grow. “We had a lot of basic questions, like how do you book a cruise, and how is that different than booking a hotel. A lot of the planners were shocked about what is available; there were a lot of ah-ha moments.” Duffy adds, “We recognize the need to provide a lot more education for meetings and incentive professionals, who are booking groups, about the benefits of a cruise.”

M&I Hybrids

The overall trend in 2012 was that incentive travel grew faster and accounts for a larger percentage of passengers than pure meetings bookings. “Incentive travel by ship has grown,” says Shari Wallack, president of Plantation, FL-based Buy the Sea. “The ‘build it they will come’ adage applies. Years ago, the corporate decision-makers were not experienced cruisers. Today’s CEO is young, well-traveled and likely cruise-savvy. This decision-maker’s understanding of the industry is vastly different, and he or she is more open to a new experience.”

The dominant trend in the incentive market is to interweave meeting components into an incentive program, a kind of two-for-one hybrid that also creates more teambuilding, morale-boosting and even networking opportunities. “Cruising is becoming part of the rotation of more planners for incentive travel and a meeting program,” says Jo Kling, president of cruise specialist Landry & Kling and CEO of the cruise meeting resource Seasite.com. “They are looking for something a little different. Programs can be customized to meet different needs of the planner, for whatever size group.”

As overlap continues to blur the lines dividing incentive and meetings — and planners of all variety of events continue to seek out innovative settings that will spur attendance — onboard meetings are gradually becoming more the rule than the exception. “Cruise meetings are getting more popular,” adds Kling. “But not in one specific segment as in the past when cruise venues were used mainly for incentive travel programs: Now it’s an ever widening variety of meetings or events.”

“Planners are now realizing that a cruise can support their new meetings needs, whether it is more a strict meeting or a meeting-incentive hybrid,” says Duffy. “The ships today have the meeting space, the technology, the Wi-Fi. People were assuming there was not enough variety, but the fact is that most corporate groups contain different demographics, and there are activities for people who are more sedentary to full-blown spas, fitness centers, rock climbing and a range of options.”

Cruising Covers All Clothier’s Bases

The potentially wide appeal of cruising is why Jonathan Kierman, senior director of store operations for Catherines Plus Sizes, has planned his programs exclusively with cruise ships for the last three of the past 15 years. “We have a very diverse work force in terms of age — we have baby boomers to Generation Y associates. “Finding an incentive that is attractive to all is a challenge. We have discovered that by offering a cruise, the options of what our associates would be interested in participating are tremendous and give us a broad base to work from.”

Like most incentive programs, a ship must accommodate meeting components for Kierman’s program. “We need a meeting room with AV capability for our ‘town hall meeting’ as well as an upscale venue for our awards ceremony.”
In addition to having the facility to accommodate meetings, cruise lines offer streamlined pricing, inclusive packages and other aspects that enhance the return on investment (ROI) of an event. Compared to other venues, Kierman calls cruising, “extremely affordable and in a lot of cases it is cheaper. Our intentions for 2013 are to keep our budget flat to 2012. It seems like there are more options today than four years ago when I first began exploring these options. I believe this is because of the economy and more venues looking to acquire corporate business.”

Unlike other destinations that Kierman has utilized, which include popular resorts and cities, he discovered that cruising offers a built-in motivation for the targeted employees, eventually optimizing ROI. “Achieving the status of President’s Club has its own inherent ROI, but over the last three years since we have changed our venue to a cruise, we have seen a much larger ROI and even more so, it has become a driver of our culture. The phrase ‘Are you on the boat?’ is alive in all of our stores and a big motivator for the teams.”

Value and Flexibility

Simplified pricing — as opposed to à la carte — is an in-demand contracting issue in an era of widespread belt-tightening and heightened emphasis on ROI. “Planners understand that (with cruises) there are so many more inclusions, and it becomes unnecessary to bring in décor, entertainment, AV, etc.,” says Wallack. “What they may not know is how much more flexible the cruise lines have become in terms of confirming exclusive group events, offering alternative restaurant dining buyouts, customizing group shore excursions, allowing complete takeover of the conference space.”

Cruise lines are now also able to handle the needs of large groups. “Some programs have gotten so large that only a mega ship can accommodate everyone at one time,” says Wallack. “If you look at Mexico and the Caribbean, there are only a handful of hotels that work for large groups needing over 1,000 rooms for example.”

Unlike what is often the case when an event grows, making vendor and venue negotiations more complex, cruising contracting can remain less costly and convoluted. “A cruise is generally less expensive and is by far more inclusive,” says Wallack. “One rate covers meals, entertainment, onboard activities, port charges, taxes and gratuities. There is one rate for inclusive liquor. Onboard credit can help a client handle spa treatments, shore excursions, alternative restaurant charges, etc. It is very simple.”
The cost differential between a land-based and sea-based M&I program is significant. “Costs can range from 15–40 percent less with a ship, but participants feel they’re getting more,” agrees Kling. “Planners save time and shrink budgets, because there’s no need to plan menus: Multicourse meals are provided in a lovely dining room where there’s no need to pay for centerpieces or lighting, or linens or AV equipment. It surprises us to see the many ‘gotcha items’ that planners have to try to negotiate from the resort fee to the Internet, AV services, charges to pick up packages shipped for your trade show, parking. Whereas there just aren’t that many negotiable items with the cruise structure.”

For Duffy, the ME&I Taskforce was only the beginning of conveying the value of cruising to the planner profession. “Planners aren’t aware of how an event can be customized on a ship, or the air-to-sea options available that make flying into one destination and out of another affordable, or that cruise lines can work with you on how close to the date you need to book. Planners assume their needs cannot be accommodated by a cruise, and the opposite is true.”

International Reach

International cruising options are a natural fit for companies that are expanding their global reach and international work forces. “We are seeing more globalization of companies, and cruise ships cater to that global market,” says Duffy. “You rarely see pure incentive programs, so as the popularity of meetings-incentives hybrids grows, more companies are running these programs around the world. The companies themselves are now global. The ships not only go around the world, they are able to accommodate all the language and food demands of international attendees and participants more easily than any other venues. As companies become more global, cruise ships as settings for events will grow.”

Cruise News

Celebrity Cruises. In 2012, Celebrity invested $140 million to update its four Millennium-class ships, adding several popular Solstice-class dining venues and other enhancements. In the summer of 2013, Celebrity Cruises will be offering its broadest lineup of modern luxury options in Europe, and bringing Solstice Class style to Alaska for the first time. The newly “Solsticized” ships will visit 25 countries from seven departure ports and a total of 88 destinations in Europe alone. Celebrity Solstice, the sleek, 2,850-passenger flagship of the Solstice Class fleet, will become the first of its class to offer Alaska excursions, joining Celebrity Century and Celebrity Millennium in pairing Celebrity’s signature cuisine, activities and service with the region’s breathtaking scenery. Rounding out Celebrity’s 2013 summer season will be the Celebrity Summit, which, in February 2012, became the third in Celebrity’s Millennium Class fleet to complete the brand’s noted Solsticizing initiative — for voyages to Bermuda, Canada and New England beginning in September. The intimate, 96-guest Celebrity Xpedition, ranked among the top small ships, will continue to offer experiences in the enchanting Galapagos Islands.

Carnival Cruise Lines. “At Carnival, we’ve seen an increase across the board with all types of meeting requests including small board meetings, corporate meetings of all sizes and those that actually have a large enough program to charter the entire ship,” says Ann Sedgwick, senior director, corporate and incentive sales. “We saw an increase with both meeting and incentive programs in 2012. We anticipate this trend to continue.”

The Carnival Breeze, which debuted late last year, is a 3,690-passenger, state-of-the-art ship featuring year-round six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises from Miami, becoming the largest Carnival ship ever based in South Florida. In addition to many popular features that debuted on Carnival Magic — including the Caribbean-inspired RedFrog Pub, Cucina del Capitano family-style Italian restaurant, and SportSquare outdoor recreation area — Carnival Breeze features the first Thrill Theater. Carnival Destiny will undergo a $155 million makeover incorporating all of the “Fun Ship 2.0” dining, bar and entertainment features, as well as adding 182 new cabins, new dining choices, a three-level Serenity adults-only retreat and a massive racing-themed water park. The ship will be renamed Carnival Sunshine following a 49-day dry dock this spring, then operate a summer schedule of Mediterranean voyages before repositioning to New Orleans on year-round Caribbean cruises in the fall.

Carnival Cruise Lines will expand capacity on the West Coast with the introduction of year-round three-day cruises to Ensenada, Mexico, and four-day cruises to Ensenada and Catalina Island on the 2,052-passenger Carnival Imagination from Long Beach, CA, beginning January 26, 2014. The move will bring the total number of Carnival ships operating from Long Beach to three.

Disney Cruise Line. The Disney Fantasy set sail last year, a sister ship to Disney Dream, and the fourth ship in the fleet. Among the ship’s new features are Europa, a nighttime entertainment district exclusively for the over-18 crowd; two Broadway-style shows; and AquaLab, a water play area. Both ships have 1,250 staterooms and suites with a 4,000-passenger capacity. The Disney Fantasy also features the 1,340-seat Walt Disney Theatre, the 399-seat Buena Vista Theatre, plus other venues for group events and a full-service onboard events team.

Royal Caribbean International. “We are seeing more and more meetings/conferences/leadership retreats being booked on Royal Caribbean due to the fact that we have dedicated conference center facilities on all 22 of our ships,” says Lori Cassidy, director, corporate, incentive and charter sales. “Our overall M&I booked business increased in 2012 over 2011. We anticipate additional growth in 2013.”

The state-of-the-art, 5,400-passenger Oasis-class vessels — Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas — in the Royal Caribbean fleet offer meeting planners the most versatility available in the industry. Meeting facilities accommodate from 16 to 1,400 guests, and setups range from boardroom to classroom to theater to mini-trade show configurations. Four dedicated conference rooms can be configured to suit 18–330 attendees. Royal Caribbean invested $300 million to add popular Oasis-class features fleet-wide, including additional dining venues, more entertainment options, new staterooms and advanced onboard technology. By summer 2013, guests will have access to ultra-fast Internet, thanks to a new agreement with global satellite service provider O3b.

Royal Caribbean recently announced names and launch dates for their new Quantum class of ships: Quantum of the Seas will make its debut in 2014; and Anthem of the Seas in spring 2015.

Norwegian Cruise Line. “Based on the tremendous value that a cruise offers, we are definitely seeing an increase in interest from both corporate meeting planners and buyers,” says Camille Olivere, senior vice president of sales. “With the addition of Norwegian Epic to our fleet in 2010, we saw a definite increase as soon as the ship was launched.”
The Norwegian Breakaway, the newest ship in NCL’s fleet, debuts this spring in New York City and will feature an exciting fireworks show on every cruise, a grand finale to a 1980s-themed deck party. The 4,000-passenger ship will arrive in her year-round homeport of New York City on May 7 and begin weekly summer seven-day cruises to Bermuda on May 12, 2013. The vessel’s groundbreaking design features The Waterfront and 678 Ocean Place with shops along an oceanfront boardwalk and three decks of dining and entertainment. The top decks of Norwegian Breakaway will feature the first Aqua Park at sea, and a three-story sports complex with the largest ropes course at sea. C&IT