New Orleans offers a unique history and culture that keeps it at the top of the list of destinations for many planners and attendees. Photo by Paul Broussard

After a year that many might describe as “apocalyptic” for travel and tourism, and by extension, the meetings industry, signs of hope are on the horizon. And as event organizers look forward, cities such as New Orleans, Baton Rouge and the Shreveport-Bossier region in Louisiana remain high on their list of world-class meeting destinations. Here’s why.

New Orleans
Few U.S. cities rival “The Big Easy” for the depth of its rich cultural heritage, history and legendary hospitality. Vibrant, resilient, festive, optimistic — these are some of the memorable impressions attendees have voiced when describing the timeless appeal of New Orleans. Whether found in its iconic Cajun and Creole cuisine, jazz and blues musical traditions, or on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter, New Orleans offers a unique blend of elements that welcome leisure and business attendees alike.

As destinations reopen when the COVID-19 vaccinations are rolled out fully and restrictions ease, planners can expect to see exciting changes in the New Orleans meeting experience. “While you’ve been away, we’ve been busy,” says Stephanie Turner, SVP of convention sales & strategies for New Orleans & Company, the city’s rebranded convention and visitor’s bureau. “We have elevated the meeting experience in New Orleans with a new, 972,000-sf airport terminal at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, and a $557 million improvement plan is underway at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, including a new pedestrian park, turning 7.5 acres of Convention Center Boulevard into a lush green space.” Both sites “achieved GBAC STAR accreditation through the Global Biorisk Advisory Council, certifying that the facilities are implementing the industry’s highest standards of cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention for infectious agents such as COVID-19, and are the leading standard of prepared facilities,” she said.

The award-winning New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (ENMCC) provides planners with 1.1 million sf of exhibit space, with four unique spaces to accommodate meetings of any size. The Great Hall features a 60,000-sf divisible, column-free ballroom together with a rooftop terrace, indoor balcony and a 5,700-sf executive club lounge. The La Nouvelle Orleans Ballroom covers 36,000 sf of flexible, carpeted ballroom space, while the state-of-the-art New Orleans Theater can be separated into three sections or staged as one open space to accommodate up to 4,000 attendees. For an intimate dining experience, the Ma Maison VIP Dining Suite provides exquisite elegance in an old-world setting.

Recognizing that safety protocols at event venues remain top of mind among meeting planners, Turner offers this reassurance: “While our legendary hospitality will always be at the core of who we are, our efforts now are focused on safety as we prepare to welcome visitors to New Orleans,” she says. “We are leading the way in COVID-19 response as well as safety protocols. We understand the importance of social distancing, and our hospitality community, along with our city and state leaders, have been hard at work implementing new practices. Aggressive testing, masking and social distancing policies are working as we remain laser-focused on the safety of our workers, our residents and our facilities.”

Corporate planners also enjoy a wide variety of hotel options for their meetings and events. As some hotel amenities and services may have limited availability due to COVID restrictions, planners can confirm the most up-to-date information via the individual property sites or through the assistance of New Orleans & Company.

For Sally Mainprize, SMMC, CRP, DES, owner and “Event Yoda” for Iron Peacock Events, several factors led to her client’s decision to host their recent leadership group at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside. “Our group is unique in that guests visit another member’s successful business off-site in a particular destination — in this case, a landscaping company — so they can learn how to grow their own businesses,” she says. “It’s important that the weather is warm and that there’s plenty of outside space. The price, the location, hotel and the surrounding opportunities for our group were right.” And when it came to safety needs, she says, “The hotel sent out safety guidelines and protocols ahead of time, which were above and beyond the minimum requirements to make our client feel safe and to set clear expectations among members.” The hotel offers 130,000 sf of event space, and on-site venues include 37 meeting rooms, the largest — the Grand Ballroom — at 27,000 sf.

In the heart of the French Quarter, Hotel Monteleone radiates beauty, elegance and literary flair. The hotel is distinguished both for its five-generation, family-owned legacy, as well as its designation as a Historic Hotel of America with its authenticity, sense of place and architectural integrity. Its 570 guest rooms include 55 luxury guest suites and literary author suites that pay homage to such luminaries as William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Truman Capote and Ernest Hemingway, earning Hotel Monteleone distinction as a Literary Landmark by the Friends of the Library Association.

Room amenities include high ceilings, crown molding, and granite and marble bathrooms, with garden jacuzzi tubs in most suites. Additional amenities include a rooftop fitness center and heated pool; Spa Aria, featuring a full range of body and facial treatments; private dining in the Tennessee Williams room for up to 16 attendees; and the William Faulkner room for up to 12 attendees, as well as Criollo Restaurant. Popular with locals as well as guests, the 25-seat rotating Carousel Bar & Lounge features classic New Orleans cocktails, such as the Vieux Carré, and food fare, from crawfish and seafood gumbo to blue crab and corn beignets, and sweet potato pie. As the largest hotel in the French Quarter, Hotel Monteleone boasts more than 25,000 sf of meeting space covering 25 meeting rooms ranging in size from 270 sf for intimate gatherings up to 6,200 sf for much larger events.

Also located in the French Quarter, Royal Sonesta New Orleans presents a stylish, sophisticated vibe in the center of the action on Bourbon Street. Its 483 guest rooms include 36 suites, some with wrought-iron balconies, and stunning views of the lush courtyard or vibrant street scene below. Beautiful floral displays and an extensive art collection featuring 7,000 works of art by nationally and internationally acclaimed artists grace the premises. Furthermore, large windows and outdoor access are among the meeting room highlights at Royal Sonesta. With more than 20,000 sf of event space, including 20 separate meeting rooms and a 5,000-sf ballroom capable of accommodating up to 700 attendees for receptions, meeting planners have a range of client options. Acclaimed chefs John Folse and Rick Tramonto head up the culinary team at Restaurant R’evolution, which features classical Louisiana dishes suffused with the chefs’ own modern culinary reimagining. Six unique private dining rooms seat 10 to 40 attendees for special events and occasions.

Other popular hotels provide their own noteworthy distinctions, including The Roosevelt New Orleans, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel, once the home of former Louisiana governor Huey P. Long. It offers 504 guest rooms and 55,872 sf of event space in a luxurious and historical setting. The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans is housed in the beautiful 1908 Beaux Arts Maison Blanche building on Canal Street, with more than 35,000 sf of meeting and event space. Amenities include the city’s largest spa, with more than 100 treatments available, an afternoon tea in the Davenport Lounge, an intimate library lounge and courtyards.

In addition to other hotels, such as the Hyatt Regency New Orleans, Marriott hotels and Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, several new hotels have opened recently in the area. They include The Higgins Hotel New Orleans, Curio Collection by Hilton as the official hotel of The National World War II Museum; the boutique Maison de la Luz Hotel, featuring a new luxury guest house, and the Kimpton Hotel Fontenot.

The Southern University ‘Human Jukebox’ performs in Baton Rouge.

Baton Rouge
Located along the banks of the Mississippi River 80 miles north of New Orleans, Baton Rouge welcomes event organizers who are looking for “a smaller, bigger city with definitely a lot of charm,” says Karron Alford, director of marketing & technology for Visit Baton Rouge. “We value the relationships we establish with our clients and can provide attention to detail unlike in larger cities.” Her colleague, Geraldine Bordelon, CMP, director of destination sales & experiences, agrees. “Here, a client can be a big fish in a small pond. We are able to customize niches for their groups whether planning an authentic Baton Rouge experience or a meeting for young professionals.” Plus, within the city’s walkable downtown core, guests can soak up Southern hospitality and ambience while shopping and dining, or exploring museums, taking in nightly entertainment and more.

Baton Rouge, “America’s City by the River,” or “The Red Stick,” as the city is called affectionately by locals, offers several unique properties and venues for meeting planners to consider, from museums to golf resorts, to music halls to garden estates with catering facilities. At the 25-acre White Oak Estate & Gardens, Chef John Folse, CEC, AAC, highlights cocktail receptions, crawfish boils and picnics among his corporate offerings. In addition to serving as Folse’s vice president of communications at the property, Michaela York joined forces with Folse to create their company Taste & See: Culinary and Cultural Excursions for corporate groups.

The corporate gatherings generally serve 10 to 30 people, although the property can accommodate up to 600 attendees outdoors. “Our clients want Louisiana experiences,” York says. “The ambience of White Oak is complete with a potage garden; grist mill; smokehouse; distillery; a ‘sugar shack,’ where sugarcane is processed; greenhouse; ‘catch and release’ fishing lakes, as well as pens of rabbits, chickens and turkeys.” A favorite group activity is “cooking challenges,” York says, “where each person pulled a recipe, then made an exotic dish unique to the ‘Bayou State,’ including rabbit jambalaya and alligator sauce piquant.”

Renaissance Baton Rouge Hotel, located 20 minutes from White Oak, provides comfortable, spacious accommodations for guests and others who especially appreciate the hotel’s luxurious outdoor pool and quaint bar with local atmosphere at the end of a busy day.

For a luxury downtown hotel experience near the city’s waterfront, The Watermark Baton Rouge, a member of the Autograph Collection by Marriott, features 144 guest rooms and event space for intimate gatherings. Once the site of the Louisiana Trust & Savings Bank, the exquisite 1927 landmark celebrates its storied past in rich architectural splendor that includes hand-painted ceiling murals and marble walls and staircases. Meeting planners have a choice of mixed-use venues ranging from The Founders Room, for receptions or small corporate programs; The Vault, offering 544 sf of space for private dinners and board meetings; the Louisiana Purchase, another private dining room; and the The Depository, ideally suited for executive meetings.

For meeting planners seeking a business stay-and-play experience, L’Auberge Casino Hotel Baton Rouge, framed by the grandeur of the Mississippi River, fits the bill. Within the hotel, meeting space options include the Chatsworth Meeting Room, which can accommodate up to 75 attendees, and the Executive Boardroom, for up to 10 members of the C-Suite. At the Event Center, organizers have access to nearly 13,000 sf of flexible meeting space that can be separated into three rooms. Planners can seat as many as 800 people in a reception-room format up to 1,600 theater-style. After business hours, attendees can relax and unwind at the casino, which features more than 50 table games, 1,400 slot machines and video poker games, and the Red Sticker Poker Room when available. One of the newest amenities is an open-air smoking and gaming area, the Riverbend Terrace.

The Shreveport-Bossier area in the northwestern corner of Louisiana offers a refreshing change of pace and a small-town feel compared to the other areas of the state, such as New Orleans and Baton Rouge to the south. Photo by Kyle Johnson / Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau

Shreveport-Bossier
Convenience, flexibility and affordable prices are three top reasons why meeting planners host their events in Shreveport-Bossier, located in Northwest Louisiana. Add perennial local festivals such as the annual Bayou Classic, plenty of shopping and entertainment options, 24-hour casinos, and regional cuisine restaurants for after-business hours, and you have all the makings for an enticing meeting destination. What attracts people to Shreveport-Bossier, says Brandy Evans, vice president of communications with the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau, is what she calls “the Louisiana flair” that visitors find in “our festivals, music, food and culture.” As a further incentive to bring meetings and conferences to the region, Evans notes: “Right now, the Louisiana Office of Tourism has added what we call ‘lagniappe’ or a little something extra to groups. If a group books in Shreveport-Bossier for the first time, they can qualify for a complimentary Louisiana reception complete with seafood and a local musician or band. It’s a great deal.” With more than 11,000 available hotel rooms and eight large meeting venues, event organizers have a variety of room sizes and floor plans from which to choose to meet their client needs.

As the second-largest convention center in Louisiana, the downtown, 350,000-sf Shreveport Convention Center offers a multi-use state-of-the-art facility with 12 meeting rooms and 95,000 sf event and exhibit space. Adjacent to the convention center, the recently renovated Hilton Shreveport provides 313 guest rooms, and three meeting and event rooms larger than 5,000 sf. Hotel amenities include a rooftop pool and 24-hour fitness center.

Other available meeting spaces include the art-deco Shreveport Municipal Auditorium, which first achieved claim to fame as the launchpad for the king of rock ‘n’ roll, Elvis Presley. The building can accommodate more than 3,000 people in the 6,300-sf arena. For planners seeking a venue with proximity to casinos and horse racing, among other attractions, the Bossier Civic Center offers 24,000 sf of open exhibit space, a 7,000-sf banquet space and 635 free parking spaces as an appealing cost-savings group benefit. Meanwhile, the 30,000-sf Brookshire Grocery Arena includes seating for up to 14,000, and numerous local casinos provide additional meeting and conference space suitable for a variety of group gathering needs. C&IT

The Broadmoor, in Colorado Springs, has long been one of the most popular venues in Colorado.

Perhaps it’s the lure of the surrounding alpine mountainside. Or maybe it’s the unspoiled beauty of the area’s desert canyons or the eclectic urban environments, and charming small Western-style towns. Whatever it is, the attraction to Colorado for meetings and events is real.

Colorado has a splendor and peacefulness all its own. Along with the beauty of nature’s handiwork, Colorado has its fair share of lovely historic hotels and state-of-the-art event spaces that make it easy to spread out for socially distant meetings or events — be it for a weekend or an entire week.

Commvault, a New Jersey-based data management company held their annual conference, Commvault GO, at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center before the COVID-19 pandemic. The event, which hosted more than 2,000 people, had a Colorado/mountain theme as well.

As Janyce Harper, Commvault’s senior director, customer marketing, who organizes GO each year, explains, Commvault is a publicly traded provider of data management solutions. Commvault GO is the industry’s premier data software conference. Attendees of the three-day event included Commvault employees, customers, partners and industry influencers. “Commvault was looking for a large hotel and convention center to bring our community together in an all-in-one environment,” Harper says. “Gaylord’s setup, welcoming staff and eco-conscious approach offered the perfect match for the community spirit we strive to bring to GO. We have a long-term agreement with the Gaylord family, and trusted that the quality experience we enjoyed at other Gaylord properties would carry over to this property, and the team did not disappoint.”

The focal point of the conference is GO Village, where attendees come together to collaborate with the Commvault ecosystem, including many of the company’s partners and development experts. They can also see live demos, attend breakout sessions, participate in hands-on labs, and explore fun activities and other programming. “Each day of the conference opens with keynotes, which are attended by nearly all event participants,” Harper says. “The main ballroom at the Gaylord Rockies provided an excellent space for this. It fit everyone comfortably, and featured a stage with professional lighting and A/V equipment that enabled us to put on a real show for attendees.”

There were also dozens of rooms used for additional sessions, media briefings and employee activity. The venue had enough hotel rooms to comfortably house all attendees, and a number of restaurants and shops on-site provided attendees with all amenities so that they did not need to leave. Commvault also made use of the venue’s recreational spaces. “On the first full day of the event, we held a welcome barbecue on an outdoor patio at the Gaylord Rockies with an excellent view of the mountains,” Harper says. “On the final night, a party was held in the Grand Lodge, ringed by the venue’s restaurants and styled with Colorado memorabilia.”

The theme of the conference was “More Than Ready,” which fit perfectly with the adventurous, mountain-climbing ethos for which Colorado is known. While the ‘Colorado’ theme was already unique, Commvault planned many other amenities and activities that went above and beyond technology conference hallmarks. The show floor featured a rock-climbing wall to tie into the Colorado mountain theme, and there were also fun activities such as a custom T-shirt printing station and a space for cuddling with “data therapy” rescue puppies. To expose attendees to the fresh air and healthy lifestyle that Colorado exemplifies, the conference offered morning yoga and a 5K fun run for attendees. On the last night, a party was held to close out Commvault GO, featuring music, a lot of food and drinks and carnival-style games.

Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center offers 60,000 sf of meeting and event space, including 35 meeting rooms.

Offering 500,000 sf of flexible meeting space with a wide range of unique networking venues, Gaylord Rockies offers everything meeting and event planners need to make a memorable event for all.  “Many of the attendees of our event live in the New York tri-state area or the San Francisco Bay area. Colorado is relatively equidistant from these two markets, and an easy direct flight from both,” Harper says. “The Gaylord Rockies is a 15-minute drive from the airport, making travel even easier. Most large technology conferences like Commvault GO are held in Las Vegas, which can be a hassle to navigate and feel redundant to attendees, making it hard to differentiate one conference from the next. Hosting an event in Colorado provides attendees with an interesting and differentiated experience. Colorado is rapidly trying to position itself as a state that is a hub for technology and business, so government and event officials will be eager to help and possibly even provide special deals.”

Wesley Guzman, vice president at E5 Events, a company that focuses on corporate events, large-scale conventions, conferences and incentive trips throughout Colorado, says that from a general perspective, the best thing about planning meetings and events in Colorado is that the state really doesn’t have a ‘slow’ or ‘off’ time. “The state offers plenty of activity and scenery in both the summer and winter,” Guzman says. “An incentive trip for employees or clients can enjoy all the splendor of the mountains in the summer with hiking and biking and, of course, all of the world class winter activities that Colorado offers. For large-scale conferences, we also have Denver, which has positioned itself as a convention destination. With the Colorado Convention Center, Colorado is able to host large city-wide conventions. Not many locations can host a large-scale convention with the intimacy of the Rocky Mountains just a stone’s throw away. We have both urban and mountain environments for all attendees and guests.”

One of Guzman’s favorite activities that E5 Events orchestrated was a wolf educator at Lynn Britt Cabin in Snowmass, Colorado. “We had an expert wolf educator lead the guests in a 30-minute background on wolves in the wild and behavior patterns, and how wolves impact the surrounding environment. Then, Spirit — a real wolf — made an appearance and all the guests were able to interact, take photos with and pet Spirit. We created a once-in-a-lifetime experience for each guest.”

Guzman recommends meeting planners research all of Colorado when planning an event. From each of the four corners, Colorado offers amazing event locations and activities. We have a thriving, contemporary city environment in Denver, the beauty of the Rocky Mountains with world-class destinations, such as Vail and Aspen, and the ranches and open space of the eastern plains,” Guzman says. “Colorado proves it has something for everyone.”

The Colorado Convention Center in Denver. Photo by Scott Dressel-Martin

Denver Delights

For Brianna Schachtel, former corporate events manager at USA Today Network, the Ritz-Carlton, Denver proved to be the ideal locale in Colorado for which to host an incentive trip for the company’s top salespeople before the pandemic. “We were looking for a spacious, modern hotel with nice amenities and meeting spaces,” Schachtel says. “We loved the location of The Ritz-Carlton, Denver because it was walking distance to the 16th Street Mall, and it had great amenities on-site, such as the spa and fitness center, restaurant/bar, business center, coffee bar, etc. The rooms were great, and the staff was very accommodating. We like staying at Ritz-Carlton properties because of the level of service and this stay was no different.”

USA Today Network offered attendees treatments at the hotel spa along with a welcome reception out on the terrace. A last-minute addition on one of the days included a happy hour at the hotel bar before an evening activity off-site. “There is so much to do in Colorado year-round,” Schachtel says. “We loved staying in Denver specifically because of its proximity to a major airport and it is not a long drive to some great outdoor activities. There is also a fabulous nightlife in Denver with the 16th Street Mall area and the Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Our event was in September, and the weather was fantastic. We did not have any rain, and were even able to host an evening reception outside, which was a nice change from a traditional ballroom.”

Because it can be many attendees’ first time ever in Colorado, Schachtel encourages offering some excursions for guests to enjoy. USA Today Network worked with a destination management company that helped put together some nice daytime activities for the group, such as guided jeep tours through the Pikes Peak region, scenic ATV tours and guided hikes to Boulder, Colorado.

Patricia Zutman, meeting planner of All Four Seasons Events in Golden, Colorado has hosted several corporate events — from intimate private parties to large corporate functions and nonprofit galas. “We have all four seasons here in the state, and you can get from downtown Denver up into the mountains pretty easily,” Zutman says. “In addition, the state offers a variety of ventures. Whether you want a secluded mountain escape, a rustic barn, historic building or a swanky downtown high-rise, we have them all.”

One of Zutman’s favorite event locales is The Buffalo Rose event venue in downtown Golden. This venue combines authentic Western American history with the convenience of a major metropolitan location. The unique collection of new, and historic, buildings features several interconnected indoor and outdoor options for private events, making it the ideal venue for parties ranging from as few as 10 to as many as 600 attendees. “Regardless of the Colorado town you’re hosting your event in, I would recommend checking out local breweries, and the Chamber of Commerce to see what events are happening during your event, as well as other local attractions,” Zutman says.

Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center offers dozens of fun activities.

Amenities Aplenty

Colorado’s larger cities, including Denver and Boulder, offer many options for events. The Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center is one block from the 16th Street Mall, and within walking distance to the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. With Rocky Mountain views aplenty, Hyatt Regency Center is a prime downtown location, offering up to 30,000 sf of event space.

Nearby, the Grand Hyatt Denver offers more than 52,000 sf of venue space. Located in the heart of downtown Denver, this hotel offers easy access to the 16th Street Mall, Coors Field and Mile High Stadium.

Whether a winter escape to experience Colorado’s winter activities is perfect for a corporate group, or a summer conference provides a chance to explore the state’s many golf courses, Colorado truly has something for everyone. The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs is celebrated as a preeminent golf resort — providing the opportunity for meeting planners to customize the golf experience for attendees. Situated in the Cheyenne Mountains, The Broadmoor offers a wealth of convention and meeting amenities for golfers and non-golfers alike. From menu planning with a chef to stair climbing at Seven Falls, to falconry, to a farm to table picnic, there are memorable activities aplenty.

With the recent addition of the 125,000-sf Bartolin Hall to the existing Broadmoor Hall, International Center and Colorado Hall, The Broadmoor now offers the Convention Center at The Broadmoor, which boasts more than 200,000 sf of flexible, prime exhibit space. The new space can service large conferences and trade shows. The exhibit hall will exclusively be available to multi-purpose exhibits and events held in conjunction with The Broadmoor for multi-day conferences. With the Italian Renaissance-style Bartolin Hall, the combined square footage of the entire center will be more than 300,000 sf. The facility also provide 32 breakout rooms, providing additional areas to hold smaller sessions.

Attendees looking to take advantage of the outdoors can enjoy The Broadmoor’s Wilderness Experiences, which totals 5,000 acres within the Pikes Peak region. There are also two championship golf courses, tennis, pickleball, horseback riding and even zip lining over the resort’s Seven Falls area.

Another memorable retreat experience is the Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs. Teeming with meeting venues aplenty, this resort has been offering world-class amenities for meetings and events for more than 30 years. In addition to several smaller spaces, the resort’s Cheyenne Courtyard is framed by gardens and offers 5,600 sf of space for receptions with attendees from 80 to 200 guests. For indoor soirees, the 3,200-sf Remington Room features floor-to-ceiling windows, offering up to 170 guests panoramic views of the beautiful surrounding area. The resort’s Centennial Ballroom is the largest space, with 4,600 sf of event space and 2,000 sf of pre-function atrium space. And the team-building options available there include activities such as Build a Beehive, Glow Golf, Iron Chef, Margarita Madness, Mountain Olympics, Cupcake Wars and a Chili Cookoff.

In addition to Colorado Springs, Aspen and Denver, Colorado’s Vail Valley also offers an array of meeting options. For instance, Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort and Spa, located at the base of Beaver Creek Mountain, is the ideal location for ski aficionados thanks to its ski-in/ski-out location. In addition to being adjacent to the ski school — a perfect starting point for ski novices in a corporate group — the resort is also home to snowmobiling, snowshoeing, fly fishing, river rafting and 4×4 rides.

The venue’s state-of-the-art conference center boasts classic lodge décor and floor-to ceiling windows that frame the adjacent mountains — making the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort and Spa an ideal spot to host inspiring events. What’s more, the resort offers more than 20,000 sf of flexible indoor and outdoor function space.

Celebrating History

Aspen’s charisma is hard to ignore. Delightful restaurants and charming shops — all adjacent to the region’s picturesque mountains — make the cozy town a relaxation-seeker’s Nirvana. In the heart of Aspen is the much-celebrated Hotel Jerome. Opened in 1889 at the height of the town’s silver boom, Hotel Jerome has proven to be an ideal space for corporate retreats, client meetings or smaller company events. Its outdoor and indoor spaces exude contemporary luxury, and historic heritage, allowing meeting planners to host memorable and unique events.

While the Hotel Jerome offers a grand ballroom, which can host 400 to 500 people for receptions, the hotel’s Antler Bar is a favorite among guests, thanks in part to its vintage rugs, rustic décor and mounted antler heads. In addition, the hotel’s Wheeler Room features a stunning antique hardwood dining table, while the Dunaway boasts floor-to-ceiling windows. Hotel Jerome offers a wealth of outdoor adventure excursions, including back-country adventures and alpine explorations — offering team-building options aplenty. C&IT

Colonial Williamsburg offers two award-winning courses, and top-notch spa services.

While last year effectively put much of the meetings industry on collective pause, this year finds destinations and travelers looking ahead with great anticipation. Among those destinations best poised to welcome back guests for meetings, conferences and events, golf & spa resorts offer enticing possibilities for renewal and rejuvenation in corporate and incentive travel.

Top of mind for returning business travelers remains the need for reassurance of health and safety protocols. Happily, many golf and spa resorts offer expansive properties with plentiful outdoor activities and attractions ideally suited to meet social distancing needs. At Boulders Resort & Spa Scottsdale, Julie Garber, director of sales & marketing, points out that “Even the 550-sf casitas accommodations are situated in clusters to the north and south of the main lodge, allowing ample social distancing.”

With crisis comes opportunity, the saying goes. And if there’s one silver lining of the past year’s challenges, it’s been the need to think differently, to reimagine destination amenities. As Garber says, “During this pandemic, the Boulders has had to think even more creatively with out-of-the-box ideas for safe meetings. We’ve all been forced to think out of the box more than ever, and that is exciting to us.”

Boulders Resort & Spa Scottsdale, Curio Collection by Hilton

Named a “Best Arizona Resort for Luxury Travelers” by Travel + Leisure and “Best Golf Resort in the Southwest” by Golf Digest, the Boulders Resort & Spa Scottsdale is framed by the beautiful backdrop of ancient boulder formations in the Sonoran Desert. Despite some limited availability in services since last year, golf courses have remained open during the pandemic according to Arizona Governor Doug Ducey’s guidelines. Consequently, the Boulders, with 36 holes of championship golf, is attractive to planners seeking a variety of venues for small meetings, intimate social day events, and micro-weddings. Coupled with “Arizona sunshine and blue skies 95% of the year, four swimming pools, five restaurants, tennis gardens and pickle ball courts,” Garber says, meeting organizers have a virtual playground for creating unforgettable team events.

The 1,300-acre resort offers more than 50,000 sf of combined indoor and outdoor event space designed to accommodate meetings of all sizes. Flexible indoor meeting spaces capitalize on the spellbinding outdoor views with floor-to-ceiling windows, while outdoor gathering spots take full advantage of the property’s singular, expansive meeting spaces, such as Promise Rock and the organic garden. Seasonally, from September through May, expert guides also offer boulder climbing, scenic hikes, and mountain biking to elevate the unique outdoor Boulder experience.

The Boulders follows the rigorous cleaning protocols of Hilton’s CleanStay program to “clean, disinfect, and seal” each guest room prior to arrival. In the second phase of Hilton’s CleanStay program, Hilton EventReady expands upon the sanitation standards to include all touchpoints of the meeting experience, from maintaining advanced cleaning protocols in function spaces to offering meeting planners flexibility in pricing, space and contract terms. The process includes complete inspection for each event, plus a designated individual to assist planners in ensuring health and safety standards throughout the meeting.

Beyond wide open spaces that lend themselves to best health and safety practices during the pandemic, golf and spa resorts such as the Boulders have implemented additional comprehensive protocols and procedures that expand upon CDC and state guidelines to ensure guest safety. “We’ve added special touches that enhance the attendee experience, in particular outdoor exterior private entrances, with plenty of space to spread outdoors and indoors,” Garber says. Also, “The Boulders golf staff has special procedures in place to schedule tee times and golf cart sanitation, and assist in tournament planning. We also added space for the events with varied meeting set ups that offered more distancing and flexibility. For one event, we used crescent rounds with fewer people at a table [or one person every 6 feet for classroom meetings].” Garber continues, “We have added service staffing, more food stations with added staff but with less staff interaction, and staff training. All meal functions are either plated or chef station-prepared meals. Hand sanitizing stations are available throughout the property.”

Currently, the 33,000-sf spa remains closed in accordance with the governor’s guidelines, while the 2,000-sf fitness center has reopened. Two restaurants are open for both in-dining and take-out. Garber says they’re ready for any meeting. “I would definitely still plan to hold the event,” she says. “Let us help you think ‘out of the box’ with events that work well with the Boulders property. Our experts thrive in offering very unique and memorable experiences.”

Broadmoor West#18

The Broadmoor

Located in Colorado Springs near the southern part of the Rocky Mountains, the Forbes Five-Star, AAA Five-Diamond golf & spa resort offers authentic western adventures in luxurious surroundings. Spanning more than 5,000 acres of pristine Colorado wilderness, the full-service historic hotel features abundant amenities and a trio of unique experiences in self-contained, secluded settings. Whether enjoying Cloud Camp positioned at 3,000 feet above the resort and presenting 360-degree panoramic views, The Ranch at Emerald Valley or a private retreat at Fly Fishing Camp, attendees of The Broadmoor can expect exceptional service.

As for golf, The Broadmoor Golf Club offers two courses for players of all skill levels — the East Course and the West Course — as well as professional  instruction. For additional splendor, nearby Seven Falls offers scenic vistas of a series of waterfalls with a 181-foot drop.

The Broadmoor hosts 10 restaurants and 10 cafés on-site, ranging from fine dining to casual poolside fare. Operating under current El Paso County’s COVID-19 protocols has limited inside dining to 25% capacity or fewer than 50 people, inspiring innovative dining solutions for small-scale client events. “Our clients have loved our bento box meals in particular, which allows for a three- or four-course meal to be served in a beautiful bento box that an attendee can carry to an outside patio, their meeting room, or their guest room,” says Pepper Dombroski, The Broadmoor’s director of sales. “We have also moved as many meal functions outside as possible; it lets guests enjoy the Colorado weather and helps them feel safe. The Broadmoor’s outstanding outdoor spaces help make that easy during the warmer months, and our ample indoor spaces of more than 90 meeting rooms of assorted shapes and sizes allow meetings to be spread out for social distancing, creating a safe and productive meeting environment.”

Last year, The Broadmoor welcomed the new 125,000-sf Bartolin Hall. Together with Broadmoor Hall, International Center, and Colorado Hall, the four conference spaces form “The Convention Center at Broadmoor,” offering a total of 184,500 sf of flexible exhibit and meeting space. This brings The Broadmoor’s total function space to 315,000 sf. In the spring, the grand reopening is set for The Broadmoor Manitou & Pikes Peak Railway, a $100 million renovation project of the highest railway in America at 14,115 feet above sea level.

The Broadmoor has sought innovative solutions for hosting meetings in today’s unique environment, “We have attempted to create the same elevated, engaging Broadmoor experience,” Dombroski says. “To accomplish this, we have customized each meeting and meal so they complement each other. For example, we designed our meeting room sets with a residential, airy feel. Because we are lucky enough to have an array of meeting rooms with natural light and adjacent patios, this was fairly easy for us to do. With a focus on our primary meeting area, ensuring it is a safe and inviting environment, attendees can also enjoy their bento-style lunch in the same space where they have already gained a level of comfort. Our baseline approach is: How will the most concerned attendee feel?”

Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa offers the Twin Warriors Golf Club, which has an 18-hole, championship course, within the 550-acre property.

Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa

For Britt Robinson, senior global account executive with Andavo Meetings & Incentives, the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa presented just the right venue for a large oil and gas client before the pandemic. Initially, however, her client voiced doubts about the location. “It was a new destination for not only the client, but also most of the 250 seasoned-traveler sales force. Most had never been to New Mexico. It was never even on the radar as a planner. The site visit was a necessity with the client, and they quickly realized how special Tamaya is,” says Robinson.

Located on the Native American Santa Ana Pueblo between the Sandia Mountains and the Rio Grande River, the 550-acre property features 350 guest rooms, including 23 suites, and 54,000 sf of indoor and outdoor meeting space. Amenities include five restaurants, three heated outdoor pools and a whirlpool, plus a 24-hour StayFit Gym, and the Twin Warriors Golf Club with an 18-hole championship course. Although the hotel has currently suspended operations temporarily due to COVID-19, the hotel is accepting room reservations for stays after March 1. The hotel follows Hyatt’s Global Care and Cleanliness Commitment for enhanced guest safety and health measures.

Robinson’s selection of the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa focused on a few different factors: “We chose this particular property because we wanted something we could ‘own’ and have full use of the space,” she says. “The hotel was extremely flexible in allowing us to take over the lobby, the bar, the terrace, the restaurant outlets – all areas that many hotels will not allow groups to use exclusively.” Besides the hotel’s flexibility, Robinson was impressed by the genuine care and attention of the employees on-site. “It is such a special place. The staff takes such pride in delivering exceptional customer service. It is not often a hotel has heart. Tamaya has heart and soul, and you feel it from the moment you arrive. It is the people who make it so special. Most of the employees have longevity of [more than] 10 years, and you can tell they are Tamaya. The staff welcomed the group with a large sign in the lobby that they all signed and wrote welcome notes and thanked us for selecting Tamaya. It was extremely heartfelt,“ as was “the corn necklace welcome from the Tamaya local tribe.”

Among the many other personal touches Robinson’s group enjoyed were “morning exercise programs with the spa staff in the special outdoor surroundings; bringing a very large semi-truck into the porte cochere for the client, which was a big plus for their marketing efforts; and use of the lobby, bar and terrace nightly, for s’more fun and games, with tarot card readers and entertainers from Santa Fe and local areas. Plus, we were able to plan tethered hot air balloon rides right off the back terrace for our welcome night.”

By the end of the weeklong meeting, Robinson’s attendees expressed their appreciation for Robinson’s site choice. “Many sought me out at the end of the event to tell me how special the event was and it was the best company sales and marketing meeting ever held. They all agreed it was a home run.” As a result, “We do plan to return with this same client in the future.” For any planners who may be considering this property for future meetings, Robinson says, “Go for it. I feel like the Hyatt Tamaya is a secret gem; and it has been around for more than a decade. Planners get in a rut of the same old places. Take a chance, and you will be pleasantly surprised. It is a fantastic value for the money, and they deliver an amazing experience.”

Atlantis, Paradise Island’s Ocean Club Golf Course offers an 18-hole, par 72 championship course stretching 7,100+ yards.

Colonial Williamsburg Resorts

Known as the largest-living outdoor museum in the United States at 301 acres, Colonial Williamsburg provides an authentic, immersive 18th-century experience. Located on the same campus, Colonial Williamsburg Resorts is within walking distance of outdoor Merchant Square with more than 40 shops and restaurants. Fourteen food and beverage outlets, ranging from quick grab and go to fine dining, span the campus. To enhance the visitor experience, the resort offers attendees five different hotel types, including one branded hotel and another Five Star/Five Diamond property, each with its own separate meeting spaces. The property also features an on-site spa, multiple golf courses, a fitness center, historic museums and multiple swimming pools.

The elegant and luxurious Williamsburg Inn is fit for a queen, as evidenced by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s stay here in 1957. Guests can select from a variety of rooms in Regency decor, including redesigned signature themed suites such as the Queen, Churchill and Rockefeller suites. For events, planners can customize meetings within 9,000 sf. of available space. The Williamsburg Lodge, a member of the Marriott Autograph Collection, offers 45,000 sf of flexible indoor meeting space. The lobby and dog-friendly guest rooms have recently been renovated, and a coffee shop added. The Griffin Hotel, Williamsburg Woodlands Hotel & Suites, and Colonial Houses round out the Colonial Williamsburg Resorts collection.

When it comes to events, Kathleen Hinger, conference services manager for Colonial Williamsburg Resorts, says: “We see a healthy mix of meeting types ranging from corporate, incentive, association, government, tour/travel and social. The same goes for the meeting sizes ranging anywhere from two people to 1,000 people. Our wide variety of conference space and style allows us to accommodate these various groups.” As such, Hinger notes several ways the property has adapted to meet CDC guidelines and protocols in the past year. For starters, “We have divided our conference center hallways to clearly allow for two-way traffic and encourage social distancing while traveling through the facility. Utilizing floor stickers reminds attendees of both traffic flow directions and 6-foot spacing particularly around any F&B stations or registration areas.” Space expansions and reduced seating capacities, “such as one attendee per 6-foot classroom table, allow for increased social distancing in event setups.” Hinger also mentions “the use of Plexiglas dividers at bars and F&B stations to further protect staff and attendees” while “identifying dedicated enter and exit doors to event space minimizes traffic jams and reduces opportunities for reduced social distancing.”

Beyond the general adaptations to public and meeting spaces, Hinger describes additional ways the property has enhanced the meeting experience. These include “working with our in-house A/V provider, The AV Company, to develop hybrid meeting solutions, [such as] the use of robotic cameras, which can rotate to various speakers, and allow for a more interactive and engaged experience for at-home attendees, versus a single, static wide view – adapting our food and beverage offerings to come up with creative and prepackaged break assortments that can be served individually to attendees to reduce cross-contamination; adapted and expanded outdoor locations for both food and beverage events, as well as meetings; and identifying and implementing specific room sets to promote social distancing throughout all of our conference spaces.”

Innisbrook, A Salamander Golf & Spa Resort

Set within Florida’s abundant natural beauty, Innisbrook, in Palm Harbor near Tampa, invites rest, fun and relaxation. With four championship golf courses, is it any wonder that here is where the golf pros play and host events such as the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship, an official 72-hole event in April?

Ramona Herald, director of public relations & membership for Innisbrook, explains the timeless appeal of the property and how the resort can host small socially distanced gatherings: “Innisbrook is located on 900 acres, which is perfectly suited to provide spacious options for all types of gatherings, making social distancing rules easier to accommodate and exceed. Our suite accommodations [with rooms ranging from 225 sf to 1,400 sf] are spread throughout the resort in 28 lodges, meaning guests never find themselves in a crowded lobby environment,” she says. Herald also cites the “numerous outdoor options and three spacious conference areas with multiple breakout rooms and patio overlooking the golf courses that provide multiple options for socially distanced functions.” Team-building activities on the large lawn areas and golf are popular group events.

The many standards and policies the resort has implemented to ensure guest health and safety include rigorous cleaning protocols, physical distancing, guest and back-of-house reminder signage, hand sanitizer stations, contactless guest services and temperature testing for all service personnel. Though “our spa and salon were closed for six months,” Herald says, “We are now slowly bringing back specific services that can be completed safely, while making sure our salon is taking appointments one at a time.”

Salamander Spa features 12,000 sf of indoor and outdoor spa and wellness space, 12 treatment rooms, and the resort has a 4,000-sf fitness center. For food and beverage, “We have limited inside seating according to guidelines, and increased outdoor seating while making sure all tables are social distanced. Menus can be accessed via QR codes on the table for no-touch ordering.”

To familiarize meeting planners with the resort, Herald offers: “Our staff will gladly talk with you initially via our virtual tours around the resort to show you the many options you might like to consider so you have a great idea of how our space can work for you before traveling for a personal tour.” C&IT

Celebrity Apex, AX, ship exterior, aerial, drone

Everyone is tired of the endless Zoom conferences. We’re all aching to meet in person.

As the U.S. nears the one-year mark of the pandemic shutdown, and vaccines move into broader distribution, the travel industry is evaluating how and where it can safely restart. For the meetings sector, the coronavirus has been devastating, as planners have contended with repeated conference cancellations and/or an ongoing series of pivots to online and hybrid events.

Staycations and regional travel have planted the seeds for opening up, and as airline routes come back and conference facilities find their way to the “new normal,” opportunities to meet face-to-face and interact with our work colleagues are starting to feel close at hand. Such green shoots bode well for the rebirth of the meetings and incentives industry this year. And right alongside, cruise lines are also readying ships to sail again, hoping to recapture their piece of the lucrative conference and incentive market.

This may seem surprising. Some of the more problematic instances of the coronavirus entering the U.S. originated on cruise ships at the beginning of the pandemic. On March 14, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a No Sail Order covering all cruises departing U.S. ports. Since, cruise lines have been cancelling departures one or two months at a time as the pandemic unfolded. On October 31, the CDC let its No Sail Order expire, replacing it with a Framework for Conditional Sailing Order which establishes provisions for the industry’s restart.

When it comes to getting out to see the world, the open ocean is calling, and Joyce Landry, CEO of Landry & Kling Global Cruise Services and Sustainable Ships, says she will feel much safer on a cruise ship than many other places in the post-COVID-19 world. “The cruise lines are being scrutinized more than anybody else,” says Landry, who specializes in cruise groups and charters. “They’re under the microscope, and there’s not going to be a hotel or a conveyance, or even an airport that’s going to be as tight as the cruise industry coming back. If I were a meeting planner and looking for a safe destination that I could really count on, it would be a cruise.”

But the CDC is not making the restart easy, having laid out a complex series of steps that must be navigated before sailings can resume from U.S. ports. “The conditional sail order outlined a very rigorous course for their return, and it’s going to take a while,” says Colleen McDaniel, editor-in-chief of Cruise Critic, the leading consumer information website for cruisers. “The ships will be required to do short test cruises. This will give cruise lines the ability to try things out, but they’re not going to be traditional pleasure cruises.”

McDaniel continues: “Every cruise line has said they’re going to take a staggered approach to their return. They’ll start with one or two ships and slowly add more; it won’t be the full fleet, and they won’t be sailing at full capacity. But Arnold Donald, [CEO of Carnival Corporation], said in his January earnings call that they wanted to have all of their ships sailing by the end of the year. I think that’s an admirable goal, and we’d all love to see that, but it is really dependent on how quickly they can move through the conditional sail order. There are things that are well beyond their control.”

Carnival offers the SkyRide on its three Vista-class ships, which are Horizon, Vista and Panorama.

Some Success Overseas

Still, the light at the end of the tunnel for cruising’s return is burning a little brighter with each passing week — overseas, at least. The CDC can look to the success of TUI Cruises as one guide for how cruise ships can set sail safely. Since the German line’s return to service in July, TUI Cruises operated 56 cruises last year carrying a total of 53,654 passengers. “There has not been a single positive case among guests during any of those 56 cruises,” says Marcus Puttich, head of port & ground operations for TUI Cruises. “The procedures we’ve used — before you arrive, inside the terminal, onboard, with tours, and with our transportation to the ship — show that cruising is possible under COVID-19 conditions.”

How have they done it? TUI Cruises’ crew was required to have a negative PCR test prior to the start of their contract and were then quarantined for 14 days in a single balcony cabin before interacting with guests. Passengers were required to have a negative test prior to boarding, and the ships’ 2,894-guest capacity was reduced by almost 50%. The initial cruises, ranging from two to seven days, offered no ports for disembarkation or shore excursions.

Other procedures employed onboard include staggered and contactless embarkation, a secondary medical screening in the terminal if needed, physical distancing of approximately 5 to 9 feet, depending on where you are on the ship, and the addition of an infection control officer to monitor compliance and training. Face masks are required where physical distancing is not possible, such as in corridors and elevators.

Similar success has been achieved with Royal Caribbean’s relaunch of cruises out of Singapore on December 1, aboard the 4,180-passenger Quantum of the Seas. Following its overall success containing the coronavirus, Singapore health and tourism authorities worked with Royal Caribbean to develop procedures for the cruises, which included a wearable device for guests to assist with contact tracing in the event of an outbreak. Other protocols include pre- and post-cruise testing for all passengers, upgraded HVAC systems, capacity limited to 50% and stringent cleaning procedures.

McDaniel suggests the cruise industry has long been held to a higher standard than other tourism entities. “Cruise lines have always put health and safety as their highest priority,” she explains. For example, norovirus outbreaks are reported when they happen on ships, often becoming front-page news. Less well known is that, according to the CDC, a majority of norovirus outbreaks occur in long-term care facilities for the elderly. Hotels are another place where outbreaks can escape scrutiny.

Cruise lines have so far not shared much information about what new products they are investing in or how HVAC systems are being adapted to minimize the spread of the virus, but the industry’s sanitation protocols were ahead of other travel sectors even before the pandemic. Guests were required to use hand sanitizers before entering restaurants, and hand-washing stations have been standard in buffet restaurants.

The industry also funds the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program, which monitors and investigates gastrointestinal illnesses, trains crew on public health practices and conducts periodic, unannounced ship sanitation inspections on cruise ships operating in U.S. waters. Cruise lines pay for the inspections — as much as $23,920 for the largest vessels — and ships receiving a score of 85 or lower on a scale of 100 are deemed “unsatisfactory.”

Some cruise lines have a head start on some of the technology that will help keep the coronavirus at bay. “Cruise lines have used this opportunity to look at their products,” McDaniel says. “That’s the unheralded story in all of this. We’re going to come back and see their technology has evolved.”

Princess Cruises started to roll out its Ocean Medallion program a couple of years ago. The poker chip-sized device is carried by passengers in lieu of a room key, and each one is linked to a platform on the ship. The medallion unlocks the cabin door and, when connected to an app on a mobile phone, can order drinks to be delivered anywhere on the ship. Passengers can communicate with other passengers, and it serves as a wayfinder. But, while not specifically designed to cope with a pandemic, the Ocean Medallion will also serve as a vital tool for emergencies, such as contact tracing in the event of an outbreak, as it can locate any passenger on the ship and identify where they’ve been and with whom they’ve been in contact.

“Cruise lines are going to use technology in new ways,” McDaniel says. “The ships are moving toward a more touchless, seamless experience, and I think that’s what people are going to be craving right out of the gate. Traditionally, onboard, if you have a problem, you go to the front desk and wait in line to speak to somebody face to face. Now, people are going to be able to solve problems more efficiently using the app — they don’t have to wait on the phone or stand in line — and if there’s a medical emergency, they’ll be able to do contact tracing.”

The 100-passenger Silver Origin is set to debut this year, and will be dedicated to the Galápagos Islands.

 Cruise Ships Have Many Benefits

The benefits of using cruise ships for meeting and incentive programs aren’t new, and a growing number of companies are finding that ships offer an edge over traditional land-based programs. One reason is that cruise events can be more cost-effective, and myriad expenses are better controlled. “Venues on the ship are free to use, and so is most of the equipment,” says Diana Bloss, director of operations for Worldwide Cruise Associates. “With less staff needed on your part, and complimentary use of venues, a cruise is definitely cheaper than a land-based option. From experience, it is more streamlined, and there are fewer moving parts and people involved to produce a really successful event.”

A small incentive group of 32 top advertisers from a West Coast TV station are going forward with a sailing in May, using Windstar Cruises’ 312-passenger Wind Surf. Bloss says it was originally set for last spring, but was moved to this year. She adds, “The participants are well traveled internationally, they want luxury, an interesting destination and a ‘wow’ event. We suggested one of the sailing vessels of Windstar, the Riviera, and the Monaco Grand Prix. In prior years, the client had been to other major sporting events, so this was a perfect fit.”

Bloss says the group counts on networking, so social gatherings such as cocktail parties, group dinners and a shoreside event are key factors in planning. “Windstar’s sailing vessels are perfect for a small group — small enough that you still get the yacht-like intimate atmosphere and personal touch versus being on a larger vessel where a group can get lost. Service and food are excellent, with globally sourced ingredients crafted to highlight the regional flavors, and on certain itineraries, you can even accompany the chef to a local market.”

Bloss continues: “The ship’s crew gets to know everyone very quickly, but entertainment is not a big thing, as the key attraction is the small, quaint and out-of-the-way ports that they can go to. The itineraries are different, and you get the true feeling for the countries you visit, rather than the all-too-popular large cities. Of course, it’s always nice to take advantage of an event that is costing millions and being staged by someone else.”

Windstar’s trademark silhouette is offered by a trio of sailing ships, ranging from 148 to 312 passengers. A few years ago, the line acquired three 212-passenger ships from Seabourn. During the pandemic, all three have gone into dry dock for a multi-month lengthening process, a $250 million initiative to add 50 cabins to each ship. The extension includes two new dining options and new engines using cleaner technology. All three will reemerge this summer, and the entire fleet’s HVAC systems have been upgraded with hospital-grade HEPA filters and a UV-C air zapping system.

Landry is also sold on Windstar, having celebrated both her 40th and 50th birthdays sailing with the line. “For a personal vacation, when I want to get away from it all, I would look at Windstar as one of my top, top choices,” Landry says.

Another cruise line she looks to for her groups is Celebrity Cruises. “They’re very good to charter, with a charter department staffed with people who understand what it means — we don’t have to train somebody,” she says. “They offer flexibility in their pricing and processes, and they’ll bend those kinds of policies for us. Contractual policies are sometimes very hard and fast, but with certain cruise lines, we have direct contact with their legal team, and we can sit down with them and express why a particular client must have a clause in their contract.”

Landry notes that Celebrity shares a legal team with Royal Caribbean International, another line with which she often works. “The ships they build are out of this world for groups,” Landry adds. “There are so many entertainment venues that can be customized, that you can take over privately, so you don’t need to charter. We love the Royal Caribbean vessels that have the Studio B ice skating rink. You can put a wood floor over the ice, and bring a group of 400 in, and turn it into an event venue with stadium seating. The corporate meetings and incentive market doesn’t usually want seven days, and Royal Caribbean does a lot of short cruises. If someone is doing a large group or incentive program they usually want four or five nights.”

This past year, Landry & Kling has been doing a series of webinars on sustainability in cruising, focusing on lines Landry thinks are leading the way, in both sustainability and safety protocols. The small-ship French line Ponant is one she cites as a leader, along with Hurtigruten, which has grown from being strictly a Norwegian ferry operator into a leading expedition cruise company specializing in cruising to the polar regions. “Celebrity has also made a real statement,” Landry says. “Lisa Lutoff-Perlo [Celebrity’s CEO] wants everything that touches their ships to be environmentally sound and safe, with really good protocols. They’re doing a good job.”

Celebrity Cruises is poised to transform the way modern travelers experience the world Ð all over again Ð as the first piece of steel is cut on its newest ship, Celebrity Apex, at the Chantiers de lÕAtlantique shipyard (formerly STX France) in Saint-Nazaire, France.

New Ships Coming 

Although there has been a slow-down in ship-building, the industry will see important additions to the global fleets this year. Silversea, which has a fleet of nine luxury ships, specializes in charter and group business. The line’s largest three ships have a capacity of 600 guests each, while Silversea’s 380-passenger ships are most frequently used for charters, in part because there is almost nothing else in the industry at that size.

The 100-passenger, all-suite Silver Origin is set to debut this year, and will be dedicated year-round to the Galápagos. The suites are the most spacious in the islands, each measuring at least 325 sf, with butler service provided throughout, and the ship will have a 1:1.1 crew-to-guest ratio. For daily expeditions, the ship will also carry the highest Zodiac boat-to-guest ratio in the Galápagos — one for every 12.5 passengers. Silver Origin features two full-service restaurants offering gourmet cuisine and emphasizing a farm-to-table Ecuadorian focus.

This spring, Silver Moon is slated to arrive, sister of the popular Silver Muse, which debuted four years ago. Silver Moon will carry 596 guests in all-suite comfort, and will introduce the new Sea And Land Taste (SALT) program, an immersive culinary concept to enable guests to travel deeper into the destinations based on gastronomic experiences. A third ship in this series, Silver Dawn, arrives late this year.

Also happening this spring, Celebrity Apex will be unveiled. Sibling to the groundbreaking Celebrity Edge, Apex will continue many of the design concepts that made the 2,910-passenger Edge a hit — innovative accommodations that meld indoor and outdoor living, a terraced pool deck, rooftop garden, and a Magic Carpet that doubles as tender boat access, as well as a dining option. Both Edge-class ships — like most of the Celebrity fleet — have dedicated meeting venues; in this case, the 1,970-sf Meeting Place, situated to provide ocean views. The space can be configured for general sessions, conferences, banquets or cocktail seating, and is equipped with top-notch A/V.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises christened its second Explorer-class ship, Seven Seas Splendor, late last winter, but quickly put voyages on hold as the pandemic emerged. The ship will reemerge this summer and continues the opulence exhibited aboard 2016’s Seven Seas Explorer, and similarly boasts a $5 million art collection, lavish suites — including the 4,443-sf Regent Suite — and a Culinary Arts Kitchen with 18 stations for hands-on gourmet cooking demonstrations.

The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s much-delayed Evrima will finally set sail this summer. It’s the first of three planned new-builds for Ritz-Carlton, all catering to just 298 passengers, and offering five different dining venues and distinctive itineraries to offbeat ports. Landry says she has a group that has chartered Evrima for a seven-day Mediterranean voyage in August.

Other ships slated to take to the sea this year include Carnival Mardi Gras (May), Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas (May), Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady (May) and Valiant Lady (November), Holland America Line’s Rotterdam (November), and Seabourn Venture (December).

Landry suggests the “game-changer” as the industry emerges from the pandemic will be expedition cruises. “People coming back from this are looking for experiential travel,” Landry says. “The people we’ve been talking to, if they’re going to be doing an incentive program, they are really looking to be doing something much more exotic than they’ve booked before.”

Landry continues: “The exploration market is booming right now, with so many ships getting into that market. Adults come on and can feel like an explorer in areas of the world that are fast going away — bucket list destinations, like Antarctica and the polar regions. The Galápagos are beautiful treasures, and we’ve done more incentives in that area in the last couple of years than ever before. Coming back from COVID, people are going to be looking for those kinds of destinations.” C&IT

DepositPhotos.com

The good news is that the meeting industry will survive COVID-19: Many companies are planning for face-to-face meetings this year and beyond. The bad news, particularly for events happening this year, is that planners will face both logistical and budgetary challenges due to the pandemic.

The logistical hurdles of maintaining social distancing and ensuring proper sanitation are by this time quite familiar. But determining how budgets will need to be reduced, increased or readjusted is a process in which most planners are still in the midst.

Many factors can impact this new era in budgeting. Examples include the pandemic’s effect on room rates and airfares, specific expenses incurred by the company last year due to meeting cancellations and less available funds due to COVID-19’s impact on the company. Situations vary, of course. Companies that have been severely financially impacted may not be planning future face-to-face meetings at all, for example. “[Based on] what I’m seeing from my clients, companies greatly financially impacted by COVID are holding off on booking new programs,” says Amy Durocher, director, global accounts, with Scottsdale, Arizona-based Global Cynergies LLC.

On the other end of the spectrum is a company like Manchester, New Hampshire-based CCA Global Partners, a shared services membership purchasing cooperative of flooring/carpeting companies. Sharon L. Schenk, CMP, director of conventions and event management, notes that the home improvement industry “has not generally suffered during the pandemic.” However, “some of our vendors have banned travel. We’re hoping they’re going to be able to get back on the road by May and we’ll have a nice, robust exhibit floor.” At that time, the company will hold what would have been its winter convention, while the August 2021 convention has been cancelled. Next year, the plan is to go back to two conventions per year. “As a backup plan, we’re building a hybrid model for the foreseeable future,” Schenk says. “We expect reduced physical attendance this May at the Gaylord Rockies Resort compared to pre-pandemic attendance numbers, even though it will be members’ first face-to-face event since January 2020. We have a significant number of members in Canada, and we may have to build a hybrid option, or a central location for them to attend remotely from Canada, due to travel restrictions.”

South Jordan, Utah-based Ivanti, an IT software company, is also planning in-person meetings for this year, specifically customer-facing meetings for the end of Q1. “But we’re monitoring [the COVID situation] closely. We’re hopeful there will be some relaxation of travel restrictions,” says Karen Zunkowski, director of global event marketing. “We had already anticipated a change in our strategy with our large user conference [this year] with our new executive team in place. They wanted to offer training opportunities and other interactions, but more on a regional scale, which actually plays into a more COVID-friendly reentry anyway.” Like CCA Global Partners, Ivanti will also be offering a robust virtual component to its face-to-face events.

While major companies like CCA Global Partners and Ivanti are moving forward with in-person meetings, many companies are still in a holding pattern, awaiting further developments with the pandemic. Case in point, only 15% of the corporate clients of Dallas, Texas-based EventLink International Inc. are scheduling in-person events for [this] year, reports Teri Abram, president. “[Last year], 100% of our clients [went] virtual after the first week of March. Our clients that are currently moving forward with face-to-face meetings [this year] are having very high-level executive events. In this case, it is essential for the attendees to network with one another in person.”

Abram notes that, in general, her clients are allocating “only slightly lower budgets” to these future events. “We will be reviewing budgets regularly to determine if we need to cut expenses at any time,” she says. “At this point, the budget reductions or possible reductions we are seeing are due to the unknown. Clients are not sure how long the pandemic will last and what the future economy may look like. They are not sure if their internal budgets will be reduced or stay the same. So they are cautiously moving forward and trying to push out commitment dates and payment schedules.” She expects this cautiousness will last for at least the next couple of years.

Zunkowski’s team is in the position of being well under their meetings budget due to having converted last year’s meetings to virtual. Nonetheless, Ivanti leadership is exhibiting the caution Abram describes with regard to budgeting for future meetings. “Our leadership said that with the Q3 and Q4 budget allocations that we already have, don’t just automatically spend it, check with us before you spend it,” Zunkowski says. “For 2021, we’re budgeting according to our 2020 original budget, and also having a backup plan in case [funds] don’t loosen up.” Budget planning right now is “very fluid,” as Abram puts it.

COVID-Related Expenses

One source of uncertainty is the particular expenses that COVID-19 risk mitigation may bring the host organization. These expenses can change depending on the risk level at the time of the meeting. “What I am hearing a lot is that there is another line item in the budget that the clients are having to consider, which is related to COVID protocols,” Durocher says. “If you are planning for a larger event, [you may have] a line item in your budget for contact tracing, temperature checks — the technology and services that are going to help keep your group safe.” A host organization may even invest in on-site medical staff for large events. The desire or need to invest in such risk-mitigation elements, which enhance what the meeting facility already provides, may well fluctuate based on the state of COVID-19 this year.

Schenk describes the pandemic-related expenses her team is currently planning on for CCA Global Partners’ convention in the spring. “Right now, the plan is we’re going to purchase acrylic dividers for our exhibit floor, [positioned] between all of our exhibitors — a one-time big expense. And we’re not going to have one registration desk; we’ll have to spread it out, so maybe five desks” to allow for social distancing. A little added cost is also expected for signage and decals related to COVID-19 safety. “We’re also going to send boxes in advance to all of our members with sanitation kits, so that is an additional cost,” she says. Zunkowski adds that F&B costs may rise if more meals need to be individually packaged, and if more attendants are needed for buffets since they can’t be self-serve for safety reasons.

Whether travel costs will increase for companies who pay for their attendees to fly is also an important budgetary consideration. Abram reports seeing lowered airfares, but reduced service in some cases may mean that attendees incur additional ground transportation costs in traveling to different airports.

Copyright Clint Brewer | PHOTO and registered with the United States Copyright Office. All Other Rights Reserved.

Hybrid Meetings

Last year, many companies invested in new or enhanced virtual meeting platforms, and the hybrid meetings that will be prevalent this year will incur added technology costs. Some companies will be better positioned to absorb these costs — and the COVID-related ones described above — thanks to having saved on face-to-face meeting expenses in 2020. But companies whose in-person meetings were a source of revenue will not be as well positioned financially. Hybrid meeting tech costs may also to some extent be offset by airfare and lodging savings for part of the attendee base, assuming the host company pays those expenses.

“Our participants are responsible for their own airfare and hotel room, but we pick up the F&B,” Schenk says. “So if we have fewer people [on-site] in 2021, that gives us a little more money out of the F&B budget we can apply somewhere else. However, our technology budget has gone up because we’re building a hybrid backup in case not everyone can attend. In the end, it’s going to cost us more not just for the technology, but also for the production — bringing in extra equipment and extra labor. You have to have the in-person support; they’ve got to wipe down all the microphones, everything has to be cleaned and replenished and we’ll have to have more microphones. There are going to be additional costs to accommodate that.”

To secure the best value, Schenk’s team conducted an RFP process with six production companies for their virtual convention scheduled for early this year. Three were selected to pitch their platform for the hybrid meeting in the spring, which replaced the winter event. “It’s interesting because there are so many companies that claim to be ‘experts’ at hybrid when they only had six months to become experts,” Schenk observes. The high demand for that tech service in the coming years may well drive prices up, and planners should be prepared for that cost center to expand.

Engaging remote participants can be another cost center. For those unable to attend in person, Schenk plans to send them “mocktail” kits so they can join in virtual happy hours. And since virtual attendees will not be able to physically experience product samples on the exhibit floor, “We may end up sending them product samples in the mail so they can touch and feel the product,” she explains. “We also added money in our budget for speakers,” Schenk says. “We think that because we’ll just have the one convention [this year] and because the last one was virtual, we’ll have to have some dynamic speakers to make it more appealing for the audience to participate.”

Schenk predicts that budget cuts will come in 2022, when the company hopes to hold two hybrid conventions — thus incurring the additional expenses for hybrid twice over. “In my mind, hybrid is the way it will be going forward; we really have to accommodate the people that can’t or won’t travel,” she says. “We’ll depend upon the feedback of the May audience to see if they felt engaged and had any ROI. And if it was worthwhile for them and we have an even larger audience, then I anticipate that we’ll be doing hybrid going forward.”

At this stage, budgeting for hybrid meetings is still a learning process for many planners. “I think it will be complicated and challenging, but convention budgets always are. We’re just adding another component,” Schenk says. “After May, we’ll have learned what we need to spend money on and what we don’t. And in all of this, too, is the unpredictability of head count. Even if we now send a survey out asking, ‘Will you attend in May 2021?’ who knows [whether that will reflect the real attendance].”

One of the biggest new expenses with which planners will have to contend is increased cleaning costs.

Hotel Rates and Negotiability

While no one would have wanted the hotel industry to decline as it did due to COVID-19, the fact is that current market conditions favor the buyer. And the resulting lower rates will help many planners come in under budget for face-to-face meetings in the near future. Based on its recent RFP data, Cvent reported that rates at economy to upscale hotels were down 34% last year for September through December, will be down 19% for Q1 of this year, 10% for the entire year and 6% for next year — compared to the same arrival dates in 2019.

These market conditions go hand in hand with increased hotelier negotiability, particularly for early this year. “We are finding many hoteliers to be more negotiable and really partnering with us to come up with good solutions for all,” Abram says. “We have seen progressive attrition policies and concessions that will really help our clients in this environment.”

Zunkowski corroborates that trend. Hotels are “not necessarily coming out of the gate with rock-bottom pricing during peak times, but they’re definitely being more flexible with their attrition and cancellation terms,” she says.

In the coming age of hybrid meetings, it’s also critical to negotiate Wi-Fi. “We are trying to work with the property more on the cost of the Wi-Fi because we figure we’re going to need more bandwidth than what we’ve used in the past,” Schenk says. “They’re working with us, so we hopefully don’t pay two or three times what we normally do in order to livestream.”

While it’s accepted business practice to capitalize on market conditions, planners taking advantage of suppliers’ lower rates and/or increased negotiability do well to try to achieve a win-win situation. Negotiating for concessions that are within reason helps to preserve relationships that will continue when the pendulum swings back to a seller’s market. And in this era of the meetings industry, supplier relationships are especially critical when facing the new challenges posed by the pandemic.

Planners are sorting out the costs particular to hybrid meetings and COVID-19 event logistics, and contending with the indeterminacy of physical attendance numbers. In some cases, their company may have endured a financial blow due to the pandemic, and meeting budget cuts need to be made in the midst of dealing with uncertainty and new expenses. The silver lining to these challenges is the new opportunity they present for planners to once again demonstrate their worth to their organizations. C&IT

Matt Tuffuor, co-founder of Toasted Life, says demand for live events, such as this Fireside Chat, will increase when COVID-19 subsides. Courtesy of Matt Tuffuor

Here’s one thing we know: Sponsored events are prevalent in the current meeting and event climate, but there fewer during the COVID-19 downturn. Securing a sponsor for an event is still very much possible, but it will take more flexibility and research for event planners.

“Simply put, this has been a tough year for most businesses, especially those within the live in-person events sector, which could be one of the last industries to be able to open their doors or return to their ‘normal’ operations,” says Warren Jones, co-founder of Toasted Life, an event and lifestyle brand that produces events and experiences for young professionals across a number of key markets. “The pandemic has forced so many businesses to adapt, and we are seeing the effects of it in real time as restaurants and other traditional in-person related services are reworking their operations, systems and procedures. It is truly a time for innovation.”

Matt Tuffuor, also a co-founder of Toasted Life, adds that on the sponsorship side, he has seen a few different trends. For one, COVID caused a shock in our economy that not only wiped out large events, but also caused some companies to freeze their sponsorship budgets altogether. These funds went to spending on vital business functions to keep their business afloat. “On the flip side, there are a number of large companies that have immensely reduced their overhead now that their workforce is working from home. These extra savings have been making their way to support things like producing and sponsoring events,” Tuffuor says. For companies, work from home means no more paying for those free lunches that many tech giants provide, no more luxurious team off-sites and no more pricey team happy hours. A lot of companies also saved from the reduced work travel and were able to pocket big savings. “A lot of these savings have been reinvested into different parts of the company, especially around keeping their employees happy with producing digital events or sponsoring creative digital events,” Tuffuor says.

Rachel Nelson, public relations and events manager at Margaux Agency, a health and fitness digital agency in Los Angeles, California says that, from a business standpoint, it’s important for meeting planners to put themselves in the company’s shoes when approaching that company for event sponsorship. Research the company, the industry and how they’ve been impacted by the pandemic. Aim for companies that are digital e-commerce sites, brands  or other non brick-and-mortar businesses. “These companies are more likely to be ‘surviving’ the digital shift and be open to sponsorship opportunities,” Nelson says.

Carolyn Davis, CMP, president, and meeting and event planner, at Strategic Meeting Partners LLC, thinks COVID has given a silver lining to sponsors in that sponsors have never gotten the exposure they now have with virtual meetings. “Sponsors are slowly ‘dipping their toes’ into the proverbial virtual event waters and, as they are becoming familiar with the processes and the outcomes, they are getting more comfortable with the ‘new normal,’” Davis says.

Ann Bruttell, president of Meeting Coordinators Inc. says that the first problem of event sponsorship, of course, is that in-person events are very limited, so it is difficult to obtain sponsors since the exposure is low. “However, direct relationships seem to work well for those companies that want to sponsor event webinars and Zoom meetings,” Bruttell says. “This is especially true if you allow your sponsor to promote in advance and direct one-on-one follow-up after the event.”

Gail Bower, president of Bower & Co. Consulting LLC, and author of “How to Jump-start Your Sponsorship Strategy in Tough Times,” says organizations with sponsored events are all facing tumult since in-person events have been cancelled, postponed, condensed or converted to virtual. Some have successfully worked with their sponsors to transform sponsorship commitments of in-person events into commitments of the virtual or delayed versions. “Some nonprofit event leaders, for example, asked their sponsors to simply donate those investments, especially if their events were cancelled,” Bower says. “Many organizations, including my best clients, are creating brand new value and opportunities that are attractive to sponsors’ needs today.”

DepositPhotos.com

Re-Engaging With Potential Event Sponsors

If you had asked Keith Willard, president of Keith Willard Events, about the status of event sponsorships last spring, it would have been more about postponing events, but it became pretty evident that there wouldn’t be any large-scale events late last year in hopes that it could be held this year. “We [were] still getting some sponsorships because budgets state that it must be given [last] calendar year,” Willard says. “In these cases, we are using the funds to prepay vendors or using them for multiple smaller events. Specifically for the Southern Most AIDS Ride, which normally happens in November, we [changed] the format from 165 miles in two days to a three-day event where participants [were] connected via an app, and we changed the 165 miles to doing something 165 times — 165 pushups or 165 laps . . . but it [was] over three days.”

Due to the pandemic, a great deal of uncertainty exists for in-person events, and many states still have limits on the number of people who can safely gather until the vaccine is more widely available. “Until then, event planners need to get creative about what sponsorship value they have to offer, which is likely to be very different from value before the pandemic began,” Bower says. This focus on value will make all the difference when attracting sponsors. “Corporations, rightly, will be concerned about deriving return on their investments,” Bower adds. “Generic sponsorship programs, like gold, silver and bronze packages, will not cut it.”

At the forefront of an event planner’s future sponsorship pitch, Nelson suggests clearly communicating the event sponsors’ return on investment. Outline exactly what event sponsors will gain from participating in the event, then include the goals and details of the event. “Whether that is social media reach, increased revenue, attendees or other means of return, be clear and concise with how they will benefit from your event,” Nelson says. “The goal is to make the sponsor feel like they need to participate in your event, and that you’re doing them a favor by including them, rather than them helping you with funding. That isn’t to take away from being appreciative and grateful for their contribution.”

And remember that a lack of research, empathy and over-persistent follow up will be detrimental to a planner’s relationship with an event sponsor. That’s why Nelson recommends conducting research on how the company is being impacted by the current climate and only reach out if you know it’s within the brand’s means. “If the company is unable to contribute, be understanding and connect later down the line when things are better,” Nelson says. “Hold the rebuttals, say ‘thank you’ for getting back to you, and move on to the next opportunity.”

Bruttell adds that this is where it helps if a meeting or event planner has built strong relationships with sponsors before the pandemic. “People want to work with people they know and trust, especially when time and money is at a premium,” Bruttell says.

Indeed, Willard stresses that marketing is everything to event sponsors. Finding ways to bring a sponsor’s name up in articles, online podcasts, webinars and such is the first option to entice sponsors as the industry recovers. A second idea is creating several smaller events, so instead of the one big event, they get marketed to multiple smaller, and sometimes online, events.

Keri McIntosh, senior vice president of events at The Castle Group, says event planners should meet with sponsors, and potential sponsors, to get a deep understanding of their goals and objectives, especially if their industry has had significant changes. “When developing your program, take these goals into consideration and plan for all audiences — attendees, speakers and sponsors/exhibitors. Find creative ways to involve your sponsors into the program content,” McIntosh says. For example, when a New York City-based client of The Castle Group couldn’t host their live event, virtual attendees received a sponsored gift box with items to help make the most of their virtual experience. This included a pizza delivery gift card for a themed pizza party held during the event. The party, hosted over a lunch session, included several ice breakers as well as business content and a Q&A. “The sponsor was able to interact and converse with attendees in a casual setting, which was one of the goals,” McIntosh says.

Jennifer D. Collins, CMP, DES, president and CEO of JDC Events, agrees that future event sponsorship should start with asking what potential sponsors are trying to achieve. This will not only dictate how the event should flow — i.e., less or more content — but it will help identify the best platform to deliver the goal. For instance, at JDC Events, they had clients who were interested in networking, engagement and strong content for both their live and digital events. “However, how we delivered it digitally would be different than in-person. So we had to design an online experience for our sponsors that delivered these goals in a different way,” Collins says. “This was in the form of designing strategies where people could speak with each other via video throughout the event.” The JDC team worked with sponsors to feature a draw such as unique swag, a raffle or other items that participants could receive after the event. In order to be eligible, participants would share their information via an electronic business card. Collins created a networking directory where sponsors could reach out to participants directly to schedule meetings. There were also opportunities for sponsors to deliver introduction of keynote presenters or provide thought leadership in the form of videos and scheduled sessions.

Sponsorship of Virtual Events

While in-person events are slowly regaining traction, for virtual event sponsorships, there are certainly unique issues regarding sponsorships that planners need to be considered. As Davis explains, with a virtual event, there is a tremendous amount of attendee data that can be easily provided to a sponsor that an in-person event simply can’t. “Provide sponsors with the number of air time minutes they will have with attendees,” Davis says. “Also provide them with a list of the ways they can meet with attendees: Can they own and moderate a breakout room? Can they have time with the whole audience? Are you offering virtual round tables?” And perhaps offer event sponsors visibility of their logo/branding on the main screen or surrounding the screen, and offer an event sponsor moderator position within the program.

An example of the type of brand-building opportunities virtual events offer to sponsors can be seen in an event by Willard. “We [were] working on a Spooktacular show that we [broadcast] on YouTube — think telethon kind of vibe,” Willard says. “[We connected] to multiple acts . . . with pre-recorded pieces in between, and a live emcee to connect the different segments. Before each segment, it [said] ‘the costume contest is sponsored by’ and [showed] the company. For a title sponsor, their logo [appeared] first before every segment.”

Bower says several issues that event leaders need to consider about virtual sponsorships include:

• Avoid videos from sponsor executives talking about how great their companies are. Sponsors need to focus on adding value to the event.

• Sponsorship is a face-to-face medium, not advertising, so event planners need to think about how to create a brand or product experience for the attendee event in a virtual setting.

• Guide sponsors in developing ways to engage the audience before and after the virtual event.

And remember that it is also important to recognize that there are not any printed materials used with virtual events. Normally, there would be a program, flyers, table tents and even rearview mirror hangers for cars that would help promote the sponsors. “In lieu of these items, you might suggest that their logo is placed in a prominent spot on the organization’s website for six months or a year,” Willard says. “Same would go for any email marketing collateral, and brought up during webinars — even if they are not connected specifically for an event.”

McIntosh points out that one pitfall is selecting a virtual event platform that does not satisfy the overall needs of the sponsors. There are literally hundreds of virtual event platforms on the market today. So, event planners need to make sure the capabilities of the platform match the goals of sponsors. For example, many sponsors are looking for a way to connect with audience members. If this is a goal, make sure the platform offers interaction in the form of chat features, one-on-one meetings, networking lounges, etc. “Also, another mistake event planners should avoid is not giving sponsors enough information, guidance or support about the platform/new virtual environment,” McIntosh says. “Make sure you offer an orientation to the platform you have selected to help them make the most of the virtual experience, and give them some tips and tricks to help them engage with your audience.”

The Castle Group generally offers a recorded orientation/tutorial video prior to the start of the program, which takes users through the platform and highlights the various features. This video can be sent via email ahead of the event and encourages people to log in and get comfortable in the platform. “During the event, offer on-site support,” McIntosh says. “Their success is your success. Become true partners in the process.”

Tuffuor adds that another suggestion is to not just chase the money. Some sponsors may be strapped for cash due to our current climate, but in-kind sponsorships are just as valuable and, in many cases, easier to secure. “These sponsorships can be anything from products to even donated services,” Tuffuor says. “In-kind sponsorships can offset some of your costs which, in turn, increases your event profits.”

Also, Tuffuor advises that event planners make sure to find the right stakeholder and be more patient than they may have been in the past. A lot of companies have downsized, and many people who were initially in charge of distributing or managing sponsorships may be long gone or in a different role within the company. “Once you do find the right person, be patient with cultivating the relationship. Your contact may be wearing more hats than ever before and ramping up in a restructured organization,” Tuffuor says. “And remember, sponsorships aren’t donations; they are investments. This means be sure to align the sponsorship with the new needs of your potential sponsor, which could have been different than before the pandemic. Ensure that their contribution is tied to ROI and true benefits.”

Future Outcomes

Bower says corporate sponsorship remains one of the most powerful marketing vehicles available to businesses. As such, event leaders who can create integrated opportunities that offer sponsors short-term results and long-term brand equity will win. Businesses and corporations that are great partners and provide value to the eventgoer will be seen as heroes among a community. “Meanwhile, some companies will miss opportunities because they’ll slash marketing budgets, requiring significantly greater investment in the future,” Bower says. “In-person events may be limited now, but humans are social beings, and we will clamor to be together as soon as we can. In-person events and sponsorship of them will resume. In the meantime, creative event producers will engage us through virtual and hybrid means, using technology with innovation, and sponsors will want to join us in these intimate settings.”

Davis recently participated in a virtual event that consisted of sponsor roundtables, which allowed her to hop from table to table, and from breakout room to breakout room. She found it “wildly effective” for both the sponsor promoting their brand as well as for herself, as she was looking to enhance her education. “I believe that forward-thinking sponsors understand the true value of meetings and will continue their support, whether it’s a virtual or face-to-face agenda,” Davis says. “The ROI is proven, so it’s just a matter of tweaking the formula to produce similar results.”

So what do event planners think this year is going to look like in terms of event sponsors? Willard actually thinks this year is going to experience an influx of revenue for sponsorships. “As the larger companies start to ramp up, there is more need than ever to be in front of consumers,” he says. “Also, a lot of the sponsorship budget for 2020 went mostly unused or reduced. There is also the possibility that [those who] pulled sponsorship dollars away from your event might have folded in 2020. Less competition may be a benefit in the coming year.”

Experts agree that the future is uncertain, but Nelson, strongly believes event sponsorships will be more powerful down the line. “The way in which we communicate and engage in partnerships will be more strategic, and therefore stronger than ever,” Nelson says. “This will elevate the success of the event and make objectives that much more attainable.”

When things open up for in-person events, as long as people’s safety is put first, there will be a lot of demand and eagerness for attendees to get back to a “normal world.”

“Attendees are itching for more human connection during this time,” Tuffuor says. “Event producers should be ready for the future high demand. Where there are numbers, the sponsors will follow.” C&IT

Martyn Jenkins, of Absolute Queen, performs at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, for AP ROCKS attendees. Victoria Genova Photography / Courtesy of Lisa Pierce Events

With COVID-19 impacting people’s ability to travel to meetings and events, more planners are orchestrating “drive-in” meetings — local or regional gatherings that are geared toward attendees who reside within driving distance of the event. So what do these meetings entail, and what do planners need to consider when planning drive-in meetings?

Regionally Focused

Until we have full roll-out of the vaccine, businesses will continue to be reluctant to send employees off on “non-essential” travel, such as attending events. To combat this, Liz Lathan, CMP, CEO of Haute Dokimazo, thinks the meetings and events industry will see more distributed activities that will connect nationwide. Even global participants can tune in via online content syndicated across multiple venues. All of Haute Dokimazo’s drive-in experiences they have created so far have been largely hospitality or planning meetings. “We are lucky to have an indoor/outdoor venue, so we can hold meetings with the garage doors rolled open and let the participants freely move in and out of the space,” Lathan says. “We have also run a number of drive-in concerts in our concert field that have been very successful. Each attendee gets two large parking spots — one for their car and one to bring lawn chairs — and they get to enjoy the concert with food and drink delivery to their parking spot.”

Keith Willard, president of Keith Willard Events, says the first thing meeting planners need to consider is space. If you have 20 vehicles or 300 vehicles, the amount of space needed will be dramatically different. “You will also need to include traffic issues,” Willard says. “Since most events have a fairly specific start time, you will need to account for a line of cars even if you have a truly efficient entrance.”

For potential attendees, the appealing aspects of drive-in meetings include that these meetings are more cost- and time-effective compared to airfare for the attendee or host who is paying. What’s more, during the pandemic, it can be safer to drive your own car and avoid large crowds in airports or train stations. In addition, each attendee has more control over when they arrive and depart. If the meeting ends early, they can depart without worrying about changing a plane/train ticket.

Weather also is always the variable that provides the most stress for drive-in meetings. Time of year is ultimately important, since you want to hedge your bets on conditions that allow for guests to avoid snowstorms, arctic temperatures, or tropical storms that may impede their ability to drive safely to the meeting destination.

Caytie Pohlen-LaClare, meeting planner and owner/president of The LaClare Group Inc., recommends meeting planners consider the start/end times of a drive-in event to allow people to drive at reasonable times of day, including avoiding rush hour and late-night driving. “We had a client whose audience was mostly from outside the metro area, and they were not familiar with the city center. They were intimidated at the thought of driving into the city with lots of traffic and one-way streets,” Pohlen-LaClare says. “This had a negative effect on attendance.” In another situation, a Minnesota client’s event was scheduled for 3 p.m. in late winter. “Unfortunately, a snowstorm started the morning of the event and the roads got worse throughout the day,” Pohlen-LaClare says. “The majority of their attendees stayed home because the driving conditions were bad.”

Indeed, Jennifer D. Collins, CMP DES,  president and CEO at JDC Events, agrees that one of the downsides of this model is weather. “So, as with all events planned, there needs to be backup considerations,” Collins says.

Attendees also need to know what safety measures are in place, so consider mailing a logo mask to all who register or give to them on-site at registration. “I also like the idea of providing logo gloves for those who would want that extra bit of safety or their own water bottle,” says Marla Harr, business consultant, meetings & events at Business Etiquette International. “You also want to provide examples of room set-ups on the event website. Planners need to create new, less-crowded room sets.”

Campo Grande, Brazil – August 16, 2018: Parked cars at Praca do Papa square to watch movies inside the car. Cine Autorama event, drive-in, open air cinema, open to public.

If You Host It, They Will Come

As the director of VIBE Agency, an event design and destination management company in Miami, Florida, Valerie Bihet stresses that, when planning a drive-in event, you should remember that people in the United States like to drive, so planners can expect some attendees to drive as far as four to six hours to attend. “It should definitely be more than two hours because that really isn’t that far and people regularly are doing that on their own for fun,” Bihet says. “If you make your meeting destination four to six hours away then it will be a real change of scenery for work purposes.”

You should give attendees something to do along the way to keep them engaged and excited about arriving. For example, Bihet suggests preparing a music playlist for them to listen to along the way so everyone at the company has the same music to set the tone. And it can be a conversation starter when they arrive on-site. “You can also have them do an activity at various stops along the way, like take a picture somewhere specific, buy something from a local shop or have them do a challenge,” Bihet says. “Then, when they arrive that night, you showcase it all for everyone to see what they did or earn points at various stops and win an award.”

Bihet recently orchestrated an incentive trip where the VIBE Agency team rented more than 100 convertible cars for the attendees to drive from Miami to the hotel in Key West to make the trip more fun. “We did some special stops and they had to try a [beverage] at one spot, one to take a photo in another, and then they got to see how each other did when they arrived,” Bihet says. “They really had fun with it.”

Lisa Pierce, of Lisa Pierce Events, says her drive-in event was a huge success because its rock ‘n’ roll theme was appealing to attendees. Victoria Genova Photography / Courtesy of Lisa Pierce Events

Pohlen-LaClare suggests considering where attendees are located and finding a fun location or venue that is easy to reach, centrally located for majority of participants, and possibly in the opposite direction of traffic. An example would be to go to a nearby small town or outer ring suburb instead of into a major city. “Nature and spending time outdoors also are more appealing to people now so consider a location next to a river, lake or ocean, in a beautiful forest or in the mountains,” she says.

At a recent dinner event in a downtown location, The LaClare Group chose a unique venue that had major appeal to the local attendees. They provided complimentary valet parking and made sure to publicize that fact in all pre-meeting communications. “And for a statewide group’s multi-day meeting, we chose a venue on the outer edge of the metro area,” Pohlen-LaClare says. “There was plenty of free, surface parking and no traffic hassles. This venue was near a variety of restaurants which allowed participants the convenience and flexibility to leave the meeting venue and dine within their budget.”

Lathan stresses that there are certainly cost considerations with drive-in meetings. The A/V needs and changes in how planners manage F&B are key considerations. In addition, meeting spaces must adhere to social distancing guidelines, which may require microphones for each participant in an interactive conversation-based session. Other A/V cost considerations include needing to rent larger or more screens for participants to view from farther away. “It’s imperative when meeting planners are mapping out the experience that they truly optimize for what needs to happen in-person rather than virtually,” Lathan says. “Focus on tactile and networking activities that benefit from people being together, but beware of alcohol and food-driven gatherings that require people to remove masks in order to participate.”

Lathan’s favorite way of organizing a drive-in event that has a hybrid component is to make the in-person portion attractive by setting the content up like a TV show and making the in-person audience who drove to the event feel like they are at a live taping or in a live broadcast studio audience. “This makes the content optimized for a digital audience — meaning they feel like it was made for them to watch at home, while giving the in-person attendees a special experience that they can only get in-person,” Lathan says. “It also helps the small, intimate gatherings feel purposeful, and not like outside forces made it limited.”

To create an informative, enticing, yet fun drive-to event, Lisa Pierce, event planner and “stress reliever” at Lisa Pierce Events, recommends creating a theme for the meeting or event to make it something people want to attend. “Create excitement with teaser videos or emails. Let attendees know you will also be following best practices for COVID-19 safety,” Pierce says. “This will boost attendee confidence. Keep the content informative and motivational. Bring in a great motivational speaker who really fits with the event’s mission statement or a band. Do something different and unexpected. This is 2021, we need to feel positive and have a renewed human connection.”

Pierce orchestrated a very successful corporate meeting late last year at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida with more than 160 attendees. They drove in from all over Florida, and they had attendees from Texas, California and Georgia attend virtually. “We planned events in their area at safe locations. Everything was branded the same to be cohesive and we gave them experiences as well,” Pierce says.

The theme at the AP ROCKS event was a rock ’n’ roll concert, and Pierce branded everything — the company logos, swag, their mascot, agendas, signs made for physical distancing, check-in, will-call, etc. “Attendees were in their own cabanas set 6 feet apart. All the individual rock ’n’ roll swag was pre-set in their cabanas following safety protocol,” Pierce says. To get attendees excited and eager to attend, Pierce had teaser videos, fun emails and let everyone know to come dressed in their favorite concert T-shirt. These teasers continued up to the day of the event to create excitement. “The moment attendees entered they were at their concert. Then attendees proceeded to will-call where they received individual lanyards with their concert ticket seating/preset,” Pierce says. They had the Absolute Queen tribute band, which also morphed into doing AC/DC, and had Triple P Entertainment as an emcee and DJ. “At the end of the meeting, attendees were invited to an outdoor movie experience in their cabanas. This event was magical,” she adds.

Photo Courtesy of Keith Willard Events

On the Horizon

While COVID still impacts the meeting and events environment, resulting in more drive-in meetings, meeting professionals agree that drive-in meetings are not going to replace long-distance meetings anytime soon. “I don’t think they will stick around. In the U.S., people love to fly more than they drive, so when that is safe again, I think these will go away,” Bihet says. “There may be some companies where people are not comfortable flying for much longer, but in general, I think these will only be a big option for the next year or so. Then in 2022, people will fly again for work.”

However, a drive-in daytime event for a company locally could still work long term. “You don’t have to go further away for driving-related events to still be fun,” Bihet says.

For Collins, these types of experiences will be options to consider going forward — similar to digital events. “I believe our public health crisis is forcing meeting planners to consider an ‘all hands on deck’ model to become more creative in designing experiences, which is actually a great by-product,” Collins says.

Pohlen-LaClare thinks drive-in/drive-to meetings are here to stay. And really, those types of meetings have been a reality for decades, especially for state and local groups. “We already have clients who are re-thinking their one, big national meeting, and breaking it down to several regional meetings,” Pohlen-LaClare says. “I think we will see an increase in drive-to meetings in the future. Where and how we work has changed and is changing, which also means where and how we meet will also change.”

Lathan thinks drive-to meetings have a place during the pandemic. “I think they will be a necessity for 2021, but I think they are incredibly cost-prohibitive when attempting to scale,” Lathan says. “We’ll see many more small group gatherings in person this year, but the investment needed to do many small gatherings around the globe will prove not sustainable once we feel comfortable traveling freely again.”

One thing upon which everyone can agree is that meeting planners will need to modify their planning to have greater consideration of how attendees travel to meetings, as driving will be an increasingly common mode of transportation. Planners will always succeed when they put themselves in the “driver’s seat” and think about what they would want/need if they were driving to a meeting. “Don’t let your guard down and assume that local meetings are less work. The additional driving details must be considered to be the most effective for all attendees,” Pohlen-LaClare says. “To successfully plan your meetings and events, you need to focus on your attendees.”

Harr agrees. She suggests getting to know the attendees, perhaps by conducting a survey in advance to see what is important to them, then make adjustments. “Meetings are always about the attendees. The No. 1 responsibility of a meeting professional is the safety and security of their attendees, which has taken on a new meaning in 2021,” Harr says. “Also, find out what your speakers or presenters will require for them to show up. You may have to do a mix of in-person or use of technology to present from a remote location. In this case, the technology has to be almost perfect.”

Business professionals — and humans in general — are desperate to reconnect. Lathan stresses that meeting planners have an opportunity to get people out of their rut of daily remote life and into a memorable moment that will drive relationships in 2021. “Plan your locations strategically to maximize high-impact target customers, and don’t try to replicate the old way of doing things in a larger space,” Lathan says. “Think through the uniqueness and special reasons why people gather, and plan around that. Increase your budgets for this year, and be ready to enforce mask-wearing. It will be a challenge, but we’re all eager to take it on. Let’s get back to meeting . . . safely.” C&IT

Heather Pilcher is CEO & executive producer of Blue Spark Event Design. After creating events for more than 19 years ranging from 50 to 200,000 attendees, she has developed a business model that takes customer service one step further. With the help of thousands of licensed partners internationally, and her team, she has enabled Blue Spark Event Design to be a consistent collaborator to her patrons whether they meet in a virtual, hybrid or live event environment. Through thoughtful planning, elite CSEP and CMP designations, and sought-after awards, she has established her role as one of the industry’s top event professionals. For more, visit www.BlueSparkEventDesign.com

2020 has been a year of virtual learning for most businesses, and if you are anything like our other clients, you’re ready to get back to face-to-face meetings as soon as it’s safe for all involved. However, there will be lots of opinions and policies about how and when that will be. So, it makes sense that most of our clients are focusing on hybrid-style events for 2021 and beyond.

In hybrid events, where both in-person attendees and virtual attendees participate, the biggest challenge we see moving forward is how to give your virtual attendees a voice and connect them to the those attending in-person. Below are some suggestions we have made to clients for making a hybrid event an equally great experience whether your guests will be on-site or virtual.

Utilize a conference app that allows your attendees to interact as one connected group. Key app features that can cross-pollinate between in-person and virtual attendees include:

Polls — Because guests can watch live content through either the virtual platform at home or the conference app on their mobile device, all attendees can respond to polls and interact with speakers in real time.

Chat functions — This is a great way to encourage networking between in-person attendees and virtual attendees. Live meet-ups with virtual attendance can be arranged, as well as on-site meet-ups in designated spaces with monitors placed so attendees can virtually participate in discussions.

Social Walls — Personal interaction is one of the primary reasons people attend conferences, right? Social walls are an excellent tool for connecting attendees in personal ways, as well as providing that collective ‘large group’ feeling. For example, encourage both virtual and in-person attendees to post photographs in the app of something fun, like a favorite pet or animal. These images are consolidated in one large social wall for all attendees to enjoy.

Gamification — This is a common and easy tool that can be weaved throughout the various components of an event. Attendees accumulate points that are assigned for completing tasks, such as filling out a profile, adding a profile photo, participating in a one-on-one meeting, attending a session, answering a poll, and so forth The app generates and updates a leaderboard, visible to all attendees, and prizes can be awarded to the winners.

Feedback Surveys — Want to know how amazing attendees thought the keynote speaker was? Looking for feedback on the audio levels in the virtual platform? Do you want to hear from a specific sector of the audience or gain feedback on a specific topic? Conducting surveys from both in-person and virtual attendees can provide important insights on how much guests are enjoying event components or indicating where improvements could be made.

Push Notifications — These are easy and fun reminders that can be sent to all attendees, virtual or in-person, to announce something important during the event or share fun or timely reminders. This creates a single source of communication that can be created on the fly for last minute announcements or changes.

Consider utilizing audiovisual to help bring the virtual attendee experience into the live event. TV monitors with web cams can be strategically placed to allow for two-way communication between your virtual and in-person attendees. We also suggest placing additional monitors throughout the flow spaces to showcase the conference app social wall, or a real-time word cloud graphic of the most popular topics guests are discussing within the conference app.

Not all panelists need to be physically present. We have produced several events with virtual panelists presenting right alongside in-person speakers. A wide screen placed directly behind center stage is a great option to maintain a seamlessly integrated speaker group.

Want a really fun way to show a visual connection between in-person and virtual attendees? Try feedback signs for attendees to use to answer questions from speakers. Signs can be mailed to virtual attendees prior to the event and distributed to in-person attendees on-site. During the meeting, the virtual attendees’ feed can be displayed on screen during the general session. When a speaker addresses the combined audience, each attendee will respond by holding up their feedback signs (“Yes!”, “No”, “We Will”, etc.). This can be a colorful and clear way to gain quick visual feedback for the speaker while keeping both audiences engaged.

We’ve all seen the popularity of interactive activities such as crafted cocktail making, wine tastings, cooking demonstrations and chocolate tastings for virtual experiences. To make these types of experiences more balanced and fun for both in-person and virtual attendees, we would incorporate on-site stations with all the ingredients needed for on-site guests to participate. Virtual attendees would receive an engagement box containing the ingredients they need to participate as well — excluding any alcohol. The challenge then is to connect the two styles of attendees for the activity. This can be done by adding video coverage, and display monitors or screens on-site so everyone can see each other participating in the same activity.

For many conferences, recognition is a key purpose for the event. To recognize a virtual attendee who is receiving an award, place a monitor on stage that displays the honored attendee and have the speaker interact directly with them. They could even do a ‘virtual’ high-five where they both aim for their screen to connect.

And lastly, a virtual event tour guide/reporter working on-site can truly integrate the virtual attendee into the live experience. The guide mimics the in-person experience for the virtual attendee by walking a trade show floor, chatting with other attendees, and taking in all the sights and sounds the virtual attendee may otherwise miss out. We strongly suggest a professional event emcee who can keep virtual attendees engaged by popping on to the event app to key up the next session, convey housekeeping notes, encourage guests to fill out event surveys after sessions, and more. The guide could also conduct pop-up interviews throughout the event by walking the halls and saying hello to key people, just like a boots-on-the-ground reporter.

In all cases, when designing a hybrid event, it’s critical to remember that your virtual attendees will only get to see what you show them, will only experience what you connect them to, and can only voice themselves through the opportunities you give them. They are equally as important as your in-person attendees, so be sure to give them as much as your imagination allows.  C&IT

Howard Tiersky is the author of “Winning Digital Customers: The Antidote to Irrelevance.” He has been named by IDG as one of the “Top 10 Digital Transformation Influencers to Follow Today.” He has launched two companies that help large brands transform to thrive in the digital age: FROM, The Digital Transformation Agency and Innovation Loft. His Fortune 1000 clients include Verizon, NBC and Morgan Stanley, and digital leaders such as Facebook, Spotify and Amazon. Reach him at LinkedIn.com/in/Tiersky or via email at Howard_Tiersky@From.Digital.

Today’s customer is “digitally driven.” So, if your brand is going to thrive, digital must be at the core of what you do. Add-ons and tweaks aren’t good enough. To earn and keep customer love, you’re going to have to make sure they can access your products and services quickly and seamlessly. For most legacy companies, this requires total transformation. My new book, “Winning Digital Customers”, lays out a five-step process to help you make the shift.

Step 1: Understand Your Customer

Customer centricity is essential. You must understand your customer on a deep level if you are to create the kinds of experiences that will move their behavior in the right direction. This requires several types of research, such as:

Indirect Customer Research. You probably already have a wealth of customer insight tucked away in various, disparate places within your enterprise, from databases to PDFs to the knowledge in the brains of your customer-facing teams. Start analyzing it to understand what it means and how it relates to the research questions you defined earlier.

Direct Customer Research. Reach out directly to your customers using best-practices techniques, such as customer interviews, observational research, standardized measures and surveys.

Synthesis of Research into Customer Personas. The final step of understanding your customer is synthesizing the research and creating generalized composites of specific types of customers.

Step 2: Map the Customer Journey

After you complete Step 1, you’ll have the insights needed to draft a vision of a future experience that will inspire customer love and trigger the desired thoughts, feelings and behaviors. You can draft this vision in the form of a “customer journey map” — an infographic communicating the end-to-end customer experience you intend to create.

You’ll need to map your current state journey. This process visualizes the “real-world” experience customers and prospects encounter today as they try to purchase and utilize the products or services your company offers. This is important, because in most companies, nobody understands the whole customer experience. This helps you understand a) what’s good in your customer’s current journey and b) those areas where customers are having to exert a lot of effort or are experiencing “pain” in their current journeys.

Then, you’ll need to compose your future state journey. Future state journey maps document the vision you want to move toward — a “North Star” ambition of the way the future customer should experience your brand through all the stages of your journey life cycle. Customer journeys are tools for storytelling, and this is your chance to write the story the way it should be.

Step 3: Build the Future

Once you have the overall customer journey defined, it’s time to start driving the transformation necessary to build the future.

You’ll need to implement transformation of four supporting elements to achieve an excellent customer experience: technical architecture, robust and secure data, business operations and the organization’s economic business model.

Use Design Thinking 2.0 to build the future. Next, it’s time to embark on a more detailed product development process so you can document their exact features and interfaces with enough detail to implement them. In this updated version of Design Thinking, you’ll build upon the existing framework of the process by incorporating new steps that will take your customer journey map and make it a reality.

Step 4: Optimize the Short Term

Building the future can take quite a while. But there are usually some areas where you are currently “letting the customer down” that you can fix quickly. By focusing on “low-hanging fruit,” you can get quick results within your current reality — no matter how far along you are within your overall transformation.

Doing this work gives you quick, measurable, sustainable financial benefits that can help fund larger transformation as well as demonstrate to key executives that they have a “reason to believe” that your overall transformation program is capable of driving tangible business impact. Second, you improve your customer’s experience, which improves brand perception and demonstrates progress.

Step 5: Lead the Change

Perhaps most importantly, digital transformation requires bold, courageous and determined leadership. Here are the steps transformational leaders can do:

1. Overcome enterprise resistance to change. Most people actively resist change, often to their detriment. Leaders of transformation need to become experts at the various flavors of “resistance to change” and tactics to overcome them. To achieve this, you can create a burning platform for change, define clear goals and celebrate signs of success, sustain conviction even when things go wrong and much more.

2. Assemble transformational leaders and teams. Begin by finding your “innovation hero,” someone who has the vision and tenacity to make it their personal 24/7 mission to drag their enterprise toward digital excellence no matter how challenging or how much resistance they face.

As a leader, a key part of your job is assembling a leadership team of superheroes, all of whom embody core characteristics, but each of whom brings a special area of strength to the team. Some of the types of specialization you’ll need include: the business leader, the product leader, the user-experience leader, the technical leader and more.

3. Look to the road ahead. Choosing where to start depends on your situation. The good news is that there are many “right” answers. You might start by assembling an informal digital transformation leadership team. Or start by commissioning research to map out the current customer journey and use that to start building your platform for change. Or start with a specific new product that needs innovation and apply the principles of Design Thinking 2.0 to prove that it can work. Starting any place is better than waiting.

If you’re a legacy brand, you already have the talent, assets and history you need to thrive, but lack the customer love. These steps will set you on the path to adapting to meet your customers’ modern needs and stay relevant in the Digital Age. C&IT

Ponte Vedra Inn and Club

Florida may be wildly diverse geographically, culturally and ecologically, but one sentiment is shared by Floridians across the state: a deep desire to welcome visitors back in 2021.

JACKSONVILLE

Visit Jacksonville CEO & president Michael Corrigan is embracing optimism. “We’re very optimistic about the return of corporate events here in Jacksonville. Our city has already begun to safely host small to mid-size corporate meetings over the last few months. Our hotels, working with their brands, have established effective wellness procedures to ensure guests’ safety and comfort while still offering the genuine Southern hospitality we’re known for here . . . Drive in for your meeting and extend your stay to enjoy our beaches and outdoor activities, available year-round with our sunny Florida climate.”

Julie W. Nee, vice president of training with the Jon Gordon Companies, booked a September Leadership Training event at One Ocean Resort & Spa. “Atlantic Beach is the perfect location. The beach is awesome, clean and not crowded; it’s great for business, families, all. The Town Square environment has everything you need right there — great restaurants, coffee shops, shopping and more — no need to get in a car once you arrive.”

As for meeting during the pandemic, that, too, was largely about the staff. “The One Ocean team did so much to make our group feel safe. They have all the normal protocols like masks and sanitizer everywhere, but they also sanitized all of the tables and pens, and any surface our guests would be touching.”

As the pandemic forges on, Nee looks for ways to make meetings viable. “Right now, better room rates and flexibility with room guarantees are everything for us. We’ve found that we’re getting more people local or driving distance for our events, so getting a large number of hotel rooms booked is a bit more difficult during the pandemic.”

The area has much that’s new. There are more than 3,200 hotel rooms planned or proposed in Downtown Jacksonville across 35 new projects in 2021 and beyond. Opening in spring in Jacksonville Beach is Margaritaville Beach Hotel, with 202 rooms, and multiple indoor and outdoor function spaces, including the two-story LandShark Bar & Grill, complete with observation deck. In the summer, an 80-room Element by Westin will open, and in the city’s Rail Yard District, The Glass Factory will undergo renovations allowing the 24,000-sf event venue to stay open year-round. The recently opened Brumos Collection Museum, which is temporarily closed, features multiple meeting spaces, indoor/outdoor options, a 22-seat theater and acclaimed car collection.

Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach Resort and Spa

SOUTH WALTON

Drive a few hours west along Interstate 10 to discover the Gulf Coast and the South Walton area, which consists of 16 beach neighborhoods. Each offers sun-splashed venues situated on sugar-white sand, and are all connected by more than 200 miles of hiking and biking trails. There are venues that run from little-known boutique hotels to big-name resorts with small-town amenities to satisfy any taste. Some of the brand names include: Courtyard Sandestin at Grand Boulevard, within walking distance of Grand Boulevard at Sandestin, which offers premier shops, fine dining and entertainment options; Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa, which offers more than 60,000 sf of indoor and outdoor event space; Embassy Suites by Hilton Destin Miramar Beach, which offers access to a private beach; and Hyatt Place Sandestin at Grand Boulevard, which is only a short distance away from Topsail Hill Preserve State Park.

The Caribe Royale Orlando is undergoing a major renovation. An additional 50,000-sf ballroom and meeting space are scheduled to open in 2021.

ORLANDO

Just before COVID-19 swept across the nation early this year, the Center for Public Safety Excellence, which provides education, technical consulting, and accreditation for fire and emergency service organizations, held its 2020 annual conference at Caribe Royale Orlando. The location, says Debbie Sobotka, chief operating officer at Center for Public Safety Excellence, is perfect. “It’s close to a hub airport, and if our attendees want to bring family, there’s lots for them to do within a few miles of the hotel — amusement parks, shopping, etc.”

The conference takes place in March. “It’s a great escape for many of us still in the cold of winter,” Sobotka says. “Our attendees love when networking events are held on the Boca patio and pavilion, providing the getaway from winter everyone is looking for.”

The resort meets the needs of this weeklong event. “Everything is located on property, from the convention center to the hotel and restaurants. The Caribe Royale is an all-suite hotel, which provides the perfect environment for catching up on work when not at the conference. There’s a living room for relaxing and watching movies, TV, etc. The villas are newly renovated, gorgeous and modern with lots of amenities.”

Sobotka’s organization has been meeting at the resort since 2009. “It’s such a pleasure to return each year and work with the same staff from catering and sales to A/V. They take the time to get to know your group. As the meeting planner, they’ve always made me feel part of the Caribe family.”

The 220,000-sf Grand Caribe Convention Center is ideal for Sobotka’s group. “Our programming includes a general session, concurrent breakout education sessions, recognition lunches, an exhibit hall with 20 tech vendors and a formal accreditation hearing. We serve attendees a morning, and afternoon, food and beverage break; and one night we host a fundraising event. With our mobile app, attendees can enjoy the Wi-Fi available to them. Prior to the start of each education session, an A/V representative checks in with the speaker to ensure equipment is working. Catering has our schedule to have the food and beverage in place as sessions break. Sometimes,” Sobotka adds, “it’s the small things that matter. The separate registration area is awesome. It provides the space needed to store giveaways, and allows for organized registration and information.”

With the pandemic still a factor, Sobotka is grateful for a hotel partner willing to work with her. The group was scheduled to meet in March 2021 at the Caribe, but with uncertainty around the pandemic, including not knowing if attendees would be able to travel, the decision was made to go virtual. “The Caribe was willing to work with us in extending the due date in incurring the lowest bracket cancellation amount. When we made the decision to cancel, they worked with us to apply a portion of the cancellation fee toward a smaller in-person meeting scheduled for October.”

Sobotka notes that the Caribe is undergoing a major renovation. “An additional 50,000-sf ballroom and meeting space are scheduled to open early 2021,” she says. “All suites are in the process of being renovated. They’re renovating one tower at a time so there’s no worry about hearing workers or walking through drywall dust. That hasn’t been the case in other hotels I’ve stayed at. I’m looking forward to our return in October 2021.”

The final elements of Caribe’s $125 million renovation are slated for completion in fall 2021.

In the face of the pandemic, hotels nationwide are taking every step to ensure the safety of meetings. In Orlando, perhaps none so comprehensively as Rosen Hotels & Resorts, which had a significant head start on the process. As Leslie Menichini, VP, sales & marketing, points out, Rosen Hotels & Resorts’ dedication to health and wellness goes back 30 years. “In 1991, Harris Rosen placed his company’s wellness into his own hands, creating a self-funded, highly-regarded healthcare program called RosenCare.”

The program provides participating Rosen employees with preventative care, low premiums and all the benefits of the on-site Rosen Medical Center. There’s also a fitness center, a nutritionist and other specialists available. The center benefits hotel guests, too. “Intimately familiar with the company, its guests and associates, the RosenCare team, along with hotel management, was uniquely qualified to swiftly create Rosen’s Total Commitment, a cohesive safety and security plan for the protection of guests and associates in response to the coronavirus pandemic. As part of the plan, the Rosen Medical Center was one of the first entities in Orlando to facilitate access to rapid turnaround PCR testing, and since then also has secured access to rapid antigen COVID-19 testing,” Menichini says. “Rosen’s Total Commitment also includes an accreditation process by the Global Risk Advisory Council (GBAC) STAR Facility Accreditation, known as the gold standard of prepared facilities,” Menichini continues. “This elite designation provides planners and attendees an assurance that the company’s three convention hotels—Rosen Shingle Creek, Rosen Centre and Rosen Plaza—are implementing the industry’s highest standards for cleaning and disinfection of infectious agents like the novel coronavirus.”

Menichini encourages planners to learn more about the Total Commitment program on the Rosen Hotels website.

Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate, with 248,000 sf of flexible indoor and outdoor function space, recently wrapped up a renovation that includes fully reimagined guest rooms and villas, and updates to public spaces and meeting rooms. All 720 guest rooms and suites were updated with new furnishings, carpet and décor, including lighting, paint, artwork, linens, drapery and bathroom restoration. All 49 villas were refreshed with new light fixtures, chandeliers, furniture, new larger TV’s and interior design.

Also of note in the Orlando area is the 349-room Walt Disney World Swan Reserve, scheduled to open summer 2021. The 14-story hotel will be topped by an expansive event space with floor-to-ceiling windows and views across the resort, and over Disney World’s Epcot and Hollywood Studios theme parks. In total, the Reserve will feature 22,000 sf of function space, along with access to all the space within Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort.

The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood offers gambling, shopping, swimming, fine dining, live entertainment and more.

PALM BEACH

“Backed by the unwavering support of our hospitality and meetings community, Discover The Palm Beaches’ (DTPB) group sales and destination services team continues to meet new client needs with award-winning service, industry-leading safety measures and creative approaches that support hybrid, virtual and in-person meetings,” says Jorge Pesquera, president and CEO of DTPB. “Re-engineered programs and tools — from our destination-wide GBAC STAR Accreditation and technological innovations to our Destination Champions talent pool of nationally acclaimed speakers and volunteers — allow us to host inspiring and energizing meetings while ensuring the highest safety standard along every step of the attendees’ journey.”

Georgia-Pacific held its 2019 annual sales meeting at Boca Raton Resort & Club. That was pre-COVID-19, but Wil Bates, CMP, manager of events for Georgia-Pacific, has been impressed with the CVB’s strategy throughout 2020. “DTPB has been a great communicator through the pandemic. I’d venture to say I’ve heard from them more than any of the other CVBs. They’ve kept us abreast on what’s happening in the area, updates on hotels, etc. Discover The Palm Beaches is a great team.”

Bates is a longtime fan of the area and resort. “Our company is headquartered in Atlanta. The Palm Beaches area is convenient for the majority of our attendees. The airlift is great. Weather is warm. Beaches are beautiful. Boca Resort offers a luxurious experience and optimal meeting space. Our meetings have been successful there, which is why we’ve come back some five times for all sorts of events,” he says.

A plus for Bates is the large amount of meeting space all on one level, and the fact that multiple ballrooms and breakout rooms are ideal for the group. “In addition,” he says, “the overall level of service and luxury hotel experience has enticed several of our groups to return to the resort. Boca Raton Resort is great for large national sales meetings, but also for smaller incentive meetings. It’s unusual for a hotel to be able to do both . . . easily.”

One venue in particular stands out. “Hosting evening receptions at the Boca Beach Club overlooking the water was breathtaking and attendees loved it,” Bates says. “I would recommend the area to planners and Boca Resort should definitely be a consideration.”

Although he hasn’t yet hosted a pandemic-era meeting, he’s had to renegotiate a contract, which went well. “They were extremely flexible and worked with us to shift the meeting dates.” That said, Bates understands that sourcing and executing meetings has changed. “We have yet to source anything during the pandemic, but when we do, flexibility on the contract, force majeure, etc. will be critical and the deciding factor as to where we ultimately book.”

In addition to offering world-class golf, the Trump National Doral Miami boasts more than 100,000 sf of meeting space and elegantly designed ballrooms.

MIAMI/HOLLYWOOD

“We’re taking advantage of the momentum spurred by our annual meeting to highlight the health guidelines that will help business travel return to Miami safely and responsibly,” says William D. Talbert III, CDME, president & CEO of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB). “Hybrid will be the name of the game in 2021, using Miami’s resources to facilitate meetings, including outdoor spaces and venues, to hold smaller meetings across the city.”

One of Miami’s significant safety initiatives is the Miami Shines Pledge. “The GMCVB and our dedicated partners have committed to the pledge,” says Ed Beaman, VP of operations with Florida Meeting Services, a Global DMC Partner. In concert with showcasing the diversity and vibrancy of Miami’s people, places and experiences, Beaman says the pledge is a commitment to provide a level of comfort that will put visitors at ease while enjoying the destination. “We vow to mitigate any risks by achieving proper sanitation standards suggested by the CDC, and to make leisure and business travelers, as well as meeting planners, aware of our promise in making Miami a clean and safe retreat.”

The bureau’s partners include Miami-Dade County, the Greater Miami & The Beaches Hotel Association, Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation, Taxicab Authority, Uber, Lyft, restaurants and retail outlets. “All have guidelines designed to inform and educate guests on optimal sanitation/hygiene practices,” Beaman says. “Together, we can all do our part to make Miami Shine even brighter, and offer a better tomorrow to our travel and hospitality industry.”

For its part, Beaman’s company has implemented a new position, Health and Sanitation Supervisor. “The purpose of this position is to oversee all employees and suppliers, and make sure they’re adhering to procedures regarding the safety of all guests. Based on the size of an event, additional staff may be added to assist the supervisor.”

What hasn’t changed, Beaman notes, is Miami’s vibrant mix of hip urban culture, laid-back seaside vibes and Latin and U.S. traditions. “The city is known for its world-class beaches, internationally acclaimed nightclubs and year-round sunshine. It’s also the only U. S. city surrounded by two national parks — the Everglades and Biscayne National Park. Guests can enjoy year-round outdoor activities with an average daily temperature of 74 degrees. And Miami International Airport provides access from across the world with over 400 flights daily.”

Perhaps the biggest step toward enticing groups back to in-person or hybrid meetings has been showing planners how it can be done. GMCVB held its own hybrid annual meeting in the fall with 200 attendees, giving staff unique insight into executing hybrid meetings. “It went flawlessly because we had enough space for everyone — one table per person, lots of sanitizers and ambassadors who were watching and could assist if needed,” says Sonia Fong, vice president of convention sales & services with GMCVB. The event was held at Miami Beach Convention Center, and Centerplate executed the ballroom meal in which all items were pre-packed and handed to attendees from behind Plexiglas. “People who were initially nervous about attending ultimately felt OK and stayed,” Fong notes.

She calls the CVB meeting “proof that it can be done safely if you prepare and have staff that’s ready and educated. We are event ready for people to come. We’ve tested it and we know what to do.” As for the digital portion of the event, Fong says they received great reviews from participants. “They were able to see what was actually happening in the room. They didn’t just see the stage; the camera showed the whole room so there was high engagement.”

The biggest challenge for Miami, Fong thinks, is that many groups remain on hold. “They don’t want to commit right now. Low confidence is a factor. They’re waiting for the vaccine. On our side, showing that we can do meetings safely is a big plus.” To help alleviate attendees’ fears, Fong says the CVB is sharing its meeting with customers. “I personally posted it on my LinkedIn and got 25,000 views in a week. Right now, there are more than 26,000 views from all over — from hoteliers and planners, from New York, DC and Chicago. I’ve received comments saying this has given people confidence to move forward — seeing an actual meeting taking place has boosted confidence.”

Another incentive: a zero cancellation/zero attrition policy. “We started it in June and we’re extending it to March,” Fong says. “Many of our hotels have agreed to it.” Fong is also already hosting multiple site visits and encouraging mini FAMs of three or four planners. “I know we have to take baby steps,” she says. “But, I’m really looking forward to people coming back.”

Just a few miles north sits Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood. The venue underwent a $1.5 billion resort-wide expansion and now boasts 120,000 sf of meeting and convention space. Under the stringent “Safe+Sound” program guidelines, Seminole Hard Rock continues to be South Florida’s premier, one-stop destination for fun and entertainment with 24/7 action. Its amenities include an expansive gaming floor, food and beverage outlets, luxury spa and salon with high-end gym, retail shops and more. C&IT