They must handle logistics as well as track, collect and report all forms of payments and “transfer of value,” including gifts, speaking fees, taxes and gratuities, involving doctors, researchers and other Health Care Professional (HCP) attendees.

They must report the data, including attendee credentials and demographic information, to client companies for reporting to regulatory authorities. They must comprehend and keep up with complex and constantly changing laws, rules and regulations governing HCP attendees. They must negotiate with hotels to surmount the combined challenges of a seller’s market for hotels; caps on F&B and guest room spending; limits on using luxury properties; and notoriously short meeting lead times in the pharmaceutical industry.

The obstacles will increase as the healthcare industry, the world’s largest employer, continues rapid growth, increasing demand for medical meetings. Planning medical meetings has so many obstacles that even veteran healthcare industry planners trip up.

“Another mistake some planners make is assuming that all companies’ business practices are the same. Be aware that there is an element of interpretation when it comes to some compliance issues. Practices may vary from company to company.” Amber Heintz

Training is Key

According to Jacqueline Beaulieu, HMCC, director of strategic marketing and client engagement with Poretta & Orr Inc., an event, exhibit and strategic marketing company, “One of the biggest mistake planners make is not being prepared and sufficiently trained. One way to address this to have a foundation of information and I think the HMCC course “Healthcare Meeting Compliance Certificate” that Meeting Professionals International offers is a must-have first step for anyone that is a medical or healthcare meeting planner,” Beaulieu says. “Many pharma companies are including in their contracts a prerequisite for planners to have the HMCC designation,” Beaulieu adds. Also, the Events Industry Council offers the CMP-HC certification.

In addition to obtaining training, planners must keep a keen eye on changes in regulations governing pharmaceutical meetings. According to Amber Heintz, CMP-HC, HMCC, account director at Bishop-McCann, a meeting, incentive and event company, “Be aware that what was compliant yesterday may not be compliant today, so stay plugged into resources that keep you up-to-date.”

Compliance Rules Vary

“Another mistake some planners make is assuming that all companies’ business practices are the same,” Heintz says. “Be aware that there is an element of interpretation when it comes to some compliance issues. Practices may vary from company to company.”

Indeed, one of planners’ biggest headaches results from the differing rules of the several authorities that govern the compliance and reporting of HCP spending. A key regulatory organization, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturing Association (PhRMA), limits transfer of value to physician attendees to $100 at HCP-facing meetings.

Other regulatory sources include the Advanced Technology Association Code of ethics; the U.S. Open Payments Laws, part of the Affordable Care Act, which allows the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to levy financial penalties for incomplete, late or inaccurate reporting; and the Sunshine Act, which requires public reporting of payments to doctors and hospitals. In addition, each U.S. state and foreign country have their own rules as do medical industry organizations within every nation.

According to Pat Schaumann, CMP, CSEP, DMCP, HMCC, president and CEO, Medmeetings IQ LLC, “There are 88 countries with some type of healthcare compliance-required reporting. Every country does it differently and every company does it differently.” Keeping up with all the regulations can make a planner’s head spin. No wonder medical meeting planners sometimes make mistakes.

Collecting, Reporting Data

Here are some common missteps, according to experienced pharmaceutical meeting planners.

Schaumann says a key error is not checking changes throughout the planning and meeting process that can change transfer of value. “Changes occur in registration, airfare, hotel etc. that may exceed the required limitations on transfer of value and this should be monitored throughout the planning process,” Schaumann says.

Waiting until the end to compile HCPs’ spending data is a big no-no. “Constantly monitor changes before, during and after meetings to catch potential infractions,” Schaumann says. “Know the compliance rules of companies, countries, and/or clients.”

Laura Konwinski, senior director, global compliance, BCD Meetings and Events, agrees. “Records should be checked frequently, especially when it comes to attendance verification and meal function participation,” Konwinski advises. “Incomplete or inaccurate documents can cause a lot of problems down the road.”

Tips From Experts

Heintz offers the following advice to help them HCP reporting process go smoothly. “Automating the process assists will avoid mistakes,” Heintz says. “Advising HCP attendees before the meeting what will be reported allows them to decide if this is something they want to participate in. Additionally, advise your vendors (venue, transportation, etc.) and internal teams at the beginning of the planning process what information you will need to collect.”

Schaumann, suggests taking the following steps before and during meetings to assure accurate collection of spending data.

Make sure all the pre-planning that includes budgets and compliance regulations are not changed by on-site planners or sales reps.

Pay attention to where HCPs are primarily licensed. This will affect what the limitations will be on F&B, hotel rates, gifts, etc.

Check international rules and regulations that foreign attendees must follow.

Determine if the state where the meeting is held has its own Open Payment regulations that differs from the U.S. Open Payment rules.

Track onsite anything that is perceived as a possible rule violations. Have a process in place to record the incident, time, parties involved and possible solutions.

Booking Headaches

Myriad laws on HCP spending is one of several issues that often make finding the right hotel a struggle. Planners must overcome the combined challenges of a seller’s market for hotels; limits on spending, room rates and using luxury properties; and lead times typically shorter than those for other types of meetings. Good communication with hotels from the start is crucial due to the complexity of medical meetings.

Says Beaulieu, “Yes, it is a seller’s market and some healthcare business is not as attractive as it once was to some properties.” Beaulieu’s advice: “Be up front from the start about the potential of short lead times. Have a plan to address it with the hotel,” she says. “One thing that could be considered is a multiple meetings deal. This could make it a bit more palatable for the hotel.”

According to Schaumann, upon first contacting a property the first question planners should ask is, “Do you have experience with medical meetings? If not, keep moving up the chain until you find the right person in the hotel to work with. If a property or venue does not have an experienced medical meeting contact, it would be advisable to choose another property,” Schaumann says. “This is hard to do but working with a hotel that does not understand the complexities of medical meetings will make the process harder.”

Too Luxurious?

Many properties are essentially off limits to medical meetings for two reasons: The properties are genuinely luxury properties with room and F&B rates that make it impossible or difficult to meet spending limits and caps. Or the properties only appear to be swanky and planners and stakeholders believe it might create the impression of excessive spending. The latter reason alone often causes planners to avoid a property.

According to Schaumann “It’s rather sad that some hotels and venues are overlooked because of the ‘business appropriateness’ of the properties. Resorts, gaming destinations and four- or five-star hotels, cruise ships, etc. work hard to overcome the stigma of perceptions.”

But it is getting somewhat easier for planners to deal with the perception issue.

“It has become somewhat better as medical companies realize that HCPs need to be engaged and there are ways that these venues can accommodate their budgets and preferred locations,” Schaumann says. “Planners should at least explore their options as many properties can show they are not ostentatious.”

Beaulieu advises planners not to categorically rule out luxury or luxurious-looking properties altogether. “Paying particular attention to how a property is marketed to attendees could make a difference,” Beaulieu says. “A hotel that is prohibited by one medical company may not be prohibited by all.”

Negotiation Frustration

Even after narrowing down choices, it can be unusually difficult to negotiate a contract due to the buyer’s market and complex needs of medical meetings. As result, planners of pharmaceutical meetings may face more rejection from hotels than their peers. “Planners need to understand that hotels may say ‘no’ to your business,” Schaumann says. “This should not be taken personally. Sometimes, with all the specialized requirements of F&B caps, room caps, non-disclosure agreements, short time turnarounds and space usage, it could be a loss for the property. Many hotels do everything possible to meet the needs but realize they can’t lose money.”

One approach all planners should take to tough negotiations is to try to create a financial win-win for both parties. However, that’s more difficult with medical meetings.

Heintz offers the following negotiation advice. “Be up front on your spending caps so the hotel knows what they are agreeing to and why the food and beverage minimum may or may not be an issue for you,” Heintz says. “If the room rate is an issue, be up front about it or choose a non-peak time of the week or year. Since lead times are getting shorter and shorter, know what you are looking for and only include hotels that fit this expectation,” Heintz says. “Be specific about what you need and what you are open to. Ask for concessions that will actually make a difference to the specific program without simply providing a general laundry list.” Finally, Heintz says, “Ask would I want my business? Is what I am asking for mutually beneficial?”

Hotel Partnerships

Properties that understand the complex needs of pharmaceutical meetings make a planner’s job much easier. “Such hotels are truly invaluable to the overall success of pharma meetings,” Heintz says. “They understand what is being asked of us and work side-by-side to find a solution that works for all. It saves time in trying to explain why we need the amount of space we do, why we need to stay within a certain spending restriction for F&B, and that understanding is everything.” Hotels that know little about how medical meetings function can contribute to compliance issues.

According to Beaulieu, “If hotels don’t understand the healthcare meeting planner’s world, it could cause problems down the line from understanding menu caps to how a company’s bill is broken out. Lacking understanding of the implications of not following a company’s requirements could cause costly difficulties such as fines.”

But it’s not easy for planners to find and establish good long-term working relationships with hotels knowledgeable about medical meetings. According to Danielle MacFarlane, CMP, director, meetings solutions with BCD Meetings & Events, “Finding these partners can be a challenge, but it’s worth the time to educate them to make future bookings easier.”

But it is getting easier to find knowledgeable hotels.

Hotels Seek Training

“Some hotel salespeople attend pharma-specific trade shows, and some national hotel sales contacts are great resources,” MacFarlane says. “Several hotel brands align their national sales offices by vertical markets including medical meeting markets and are knowledgeable about their assigned markets.”

According to Schaumann, “Many hotels are taking training and receiving their HMCCs to better prepare them for medical meetings. There are several hotel chains that offer HMCC training several times a year.”

Hotels are ramping up training because they want larger shares of the surging medical meetings market. According to Schaumann, “It is projected there will be over one million medical meetings within the U.S. this year. Hotels know that they need to capture this audience and be prepared to understand compliance and the terminologies that their medical client prospects will use.”

Properties must also understand the many medical-meeting rules that apply to F&B, an area that Schaumann says remains tough for hotels and planners to navigate. “When I wrote my first edition of ‘Breaking the Code to Healthcare Compliance” in 2013, food and beverage was the No. 1 challenge in planning medical/life science meetings,” Schaumann says. “As I write the fifth edition of the book now, it is still the No. 1 challenge in healthcare compliance reporting.”

Planners offer the following advice on how to plan meals that comply with medical-meeting regulations.

Keep in mind that spending caps don’t necessarily mean boring, tasteless food and beverage. “It simply means creative planning,” Heintz says. “Meal planning should be a partnership with the hotel chefs to ensure your program can benefit from their expertise in this important area.” Consult with a hotel’s chef after finding out what other groups are meeting on the property. “What are they offering?” Heintz says. “Could there be cost savings if menus are similar and can the chef buy in bulk?”

Schaumann agrees. “If anyone can manipulate the menu and work with pricing caps while being creative, it is the chef,” she says. “Ask the chef what is being served to other meeting groups within the hotel and, if possible, use the same menus. This could help with spending.”

Coping with Caps

There are several developments, Schaumann adds, that are making it somewhat easier to comply with meal spending caps. “Some companies set their own food cap limitations internally and share them with their HCPs (in the registration form) what they will be spending on meals,” Schaumann says. “They offer options where particular HCPs may exceed the internal limitations.”

“The HCP can then pay the difference on their own or the company will offer vouchers for the HCP to use at a food outlet within the hotel,” Schaumann says. “Or a medical sales rep may take the HCP to an appropriate restaurant.” Although assuring compliance with meal caps can be frustrating, Schaumann advises planners to avoid bending basic rules to comply.

“I would caution planners not to ask the hotel, restaurant or venue to upgrade their menus by having them charge a fee such as space rental when there isn’t a fee,” Schaumann says. “Any time you move monies you are creating a risk,” Schaumann continues. “Venues put the actual spend into the appropriate buckets (such as catering) once your program is over. They won’t lie about how money was spent. An audit would find that the actual spend on F&B was not accurate as reported. This could be construed as a violation (of spending caps).”

Pharma Meetings Grow

Expect the number of pharmaceutical meetings to rise due to the demand. Most HCPs receive an average of 16 event invitations a year but attend about eight, according to the report by American Express Meetings & Events titled, “In-Depth Look at Medical Meeting Content: What Drives HCPs to Attend, Engage and Learn.” Also expect rules and regulations governing HCP spending to become more numerous and complex. As a result, planners will need to work even harder to keep up with the growth in meetings and changes in regulations.

Schaumann’s advice to planners is: “Stay educated and know the best resources. Keeping current with changing laws and regulations is daunting.” C&IT

There are plenty of compelling reasons to consider a meeting or incentive trip at sea. “From the immersive exploration experiences at each destination to the spacious comfortable suites onboard, from the exquisite cuisine at all restaurants to the expert personalized service at every turn, your attendees will be able to experience the ultimate memory-making travel reward with every luxury included,” says Katina Athanasiou, CITP, senior vice president of charters, incentives and events for Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Add the image of blue-green water and the thought of salty sea air ruffling your hair, and booking an excursion on a cruise ship or charter vessel may seen like a no-brainer.

Things are Different at Sea

But organizing an event at sea has some major differences from doing one on shore, and planners need to be aware of them before they dive headlong into floating excursions. Unlike a meeting at a hotel, it’s vital that everyone arrive on time or they will literally miss the boat. Motivational speakers and trainers can’t fly in just for their session, which can limit programming choices. And most ships don’t have the same function and breakout space offerings as hotels, which can cause some headaches.

However, many of these difficulties can be overcome with some knowledge and advanced planning. “The most important thing is being open minded,” says Freddy I. Muller, vice president, charter and incentive sales for Silversea Cruises. “You’re not going to be working with a square box most of the time.”

“Cruising is something that’s relatively new. This goes on the leisure side and the meeting and incentive side.”
Freddy I. Muller

Whether you are putting together your first or fiftieth floating meeting or incentive trip, there are a few things that can make the experience easier. Don your sailor cap and get ready to set sail on an excursion through the world of planning meeting programs and incentive trips at sea.

Advantages of Cruising

“Cruising is something that’s relatively new. This goes on the leisure side and the meeting and incentive side,” Muller says. “One thing that’s helped build the popularity of cruising is the fixed cost and added value. If you were to compare a five-star cruise to a five-start resort, you could expect to save about 30 percent.”

That’s because many cruise lines offer all-inclusive packages for people participating in meetings and incentive trips. On a Regent Seven Seas trip, according to Athanasiou, packages can include all meeting space, A/V equipment and technology services, unlimited Wi-Fi, unlimited shore excursions, pre-paid gratuities, onboard daytime activities and evening entertainment.

“Attrition is much more lenient on a ship than a hotel, which is great for incentive programs when you don’t know how many winners you have until your program is complete,” says Gary Bertolucci, account manager with the meeting and incentive trip firm Gavel International. “The beverage packages are great. Everyone can drink what they like where they like. It’s not based on consumption if you do a package. That’s very helpful for controlling costs.”

Besides saving money, the all-inclusive nature of cruising events makes them easier for planners. “It’s a one-stop shop,” says Jerilyn Giacone, director, charters, meetings and incentives for Crystal Cruises. “If they go to a hotel that’s not all inclusive, they have to piece together hotel, meals, entertainment and more.”

Meetings at sea may prove less distracting than gatherings in other locations. “A benefit of having your corporate event at sea is that your attendees tend to participate in most to all of your functions because there isn’t the opportunity to wander off for competing experiences, like there is at a hotel,” says Athanasiou. “Also, on a ship, you know exactly who is on board at all times, so this offers more security, both for your event as a whole and for sharing confidential information with your group.”

Giacone adds, “Once planners get their group on the ship, there’s such a great opportunity for relationship building and bonding, whether it’s between their clients or their employees who have won the award,” she says. Whether they’re participating in activities on the ship or sharing the adventures they’ve had on off-shore excursions over dinner, attendees have plenty of shared experiences to talk about.

There’s another reason to consider hosting incentive trips or meetings at sea: People love them. “The evidence is in the repeat programs we get,” Giacone says. “We have companies that come to us multiple times and tell us that participants were motivated by a cruise. They worked hard for it.”

Entertainment Options Abound

From a pure entertainment standpoint, there’s a lot to be said for meetings at sea. Depending on the ship, the list of activities can read like that of a full-service resort with casinos, nightclubs, live music, dance performances, spas, fitness centers with exercise classes, pools and lounging areas, educational lectures and cooking classes.

The entertainment available on a cruise ship is only part of the equation, however. The opportunities for on-shore excursions are often equally, if not more, appealing to participants. “One of the great things about an incentive trip at sea is you can give your winners a great variety of destinations in a one-week period,” Giacone says. “You can see lots of different cities — more than you would ever be able to do on a land program, or that would cost a lot more to do through a land program.”

Bertolucci says it’s important to get on land occasionally. “We like to do something to get groups off the ship on certain days and nights by doing private excursions or private events somewhere,” Bertolucci says. “That can be dinner in a palace if you’re somewhere in Europe, or a beach buyout during the day, where you buy out a beach club and have activities and team building.” Organizing groups for activities such as boating, jet skiing and volleyball also provides great opportunities for networking.

Cruise lines are even offering a way for participants to get involved in corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs on their trips. Celebrity Cruises recently started sailing on their new Celebrity Flora ship, which was built specifically to sail in the Galapagos Islands. “We designed our new ship with dynamic positioning to ‘anchor’ without anchors and solar panels to supplement electricity, and our guests have planted over 38,000 trees,” says Lisa Vogt, associate vice president, incentives, meetings and charter sales for Celebrity Cruises. Also available is the first-ever cruise ship glamping experience, which offers participants a chance to camp out under the stars on the top deck.

Cruise Your Own Way

Massive ocean liners loaded with thousands of leisure travelers aren’t the only option for companies hosting meetings and other events. Many cruise lines have ocean or river ships small enough that a single company can buy them out entirely. “The level of customization and branding opportunities are immense and the comfort and security of knowing 100 percent of the guests are your attendees is immeasurable,” Athanasiou notes.

A full-ship buyout may sound prohibitively expensive, but it isn’t always the case. Giacone works with a company that typically takes 100 people on its incentive program and needs 50 rooms. They typically bought a group room block on an ocean ship, but one year, she crunched the numbers and discovered they could buy out a river ship with 53 rooms for just a little more upfront cost. What made the difference, she noted, was that the river ship package included the cost of shore excursions, while the ocean ship did not.

An added benefit to doing a full ship charter, Bertolucci says, is that it’s easier to keep the group together and focused. There aren’t other people to strike up friendships with or activities planned for times when people are scheduled to be in meetings and classes.

Get Organized to Overcome Challenges

Cruises may be all fun and games for attendees, but they do present a few challenges for meeting planners. “Ships have limited real estate, so to speak,” Giacone says. “There’s limited space for meetings. Also, you can’t fly in speakers because the ship is always moving.”

To deal with that, it’s important to be flexible, she says. “Be prepared to think creatively, and be open to new ideas and maybe a different way you can program the incentive experience. Maybe we can’t do it the same way as a hotel, but we’re really open to working with planners and providing solutions. If you need to do a banquet and we don’t have room on a ship, we can help arrange a banquet during a shore excursion. Or can you do an awards cocktail reception instead of a dinner?”

Because the ship is going to leave on a certain day, make sure you bring participants in the night before or two nights before and do land events at a hotel prior to leaving,” Bertolucci says. In addition, create a backup plan for how to handle late arrivals.

Bertolucci once worked with a client who had 30 people arrive in Miami after their cruise ship had left because they were delayed by bad weather. As soon as they knew some participants were going to miss the boat, he booked them hotel rooms in Miami and began working on how to connect them with the ship. The firm was able to get everyone a flight to the Cayman Islands, the ship’s first port of call. A staff person traveled with the late guests and helped them get settled at a hotel on the island. The staff person also arranged for activities to keep the group busy. “They had a blast. Two days later they didn’t even want to get on the ship because they were having so much fun,” he says.

Ensuring people make it onto the ship is one thing; making sure items such as welcome packets, room gifts and program décor get onboard is another. “Incentive programs tend to have large shipments of program materials,” Athanasiou says. “The items not needed immediately can be shipped to a secure storage facility and loaded onboard the ship on the first day of the cruise. Items needed in attendees’ suites upon arrival can shipped separately and loaded on the cruise prior, allowing housekeeping to deliver them to guest suites prior to embarkation.”

Another aspect of meetings at sea that requires careful planning is guest documentation, Bertolucci says. Anytime participants have to travel to a foreign country to board the ship, it’s important to look into what visas or other documentation they will need to enter that country. Keep in mind that with incentive trips, winners may not know until late in the game if they’re going and may not have enough time to get travel clearance. Factor this into all timelines, and consider whether the cruise’s launch point might cause complications for certain participants.

Since resort hotels don’t move, they can typically offer similar amenities and offsite excursions anytime. That’s not the case with cruise lines, which may travel on certain routes only at certain times of the year. Companies typically publish their scheduled cruises for the next 18 months to three years, so planners can see when ships are planning to go to the destinations they want. If a desired destination isn’t being offered on the timeline you need, be prepared to be flexible, Giacone says. There are many destinations that offer desirable and similar traits, including warm weather and interesting destinations. A group may find they like the new route even better than the one they originally wanted.

As an alternative, remember that custom charters might be an option for groups that strongly desire to travel to a certain destination.

Tips for Successful Cruising

Anyone planning a meeting or incentive trip on a cruise line for the first time should travel the route on their own first. “Do a site visit on the same itinerary and make sure you know how the ship works,” Bertolucci says. “It’s very different than a land program.” Taking an independent trip will help you get to know the ports of call too.

When possible, look for a cruise line with staff that specializes in meetings and events and can speak the planner’s language, Muller says. Also look for one with tools to help with planning. “We provide a timeline, and it’s a document that really sets the tone and lets the planner know when and what information we need,” he says. The timeline helps trigger logistical questions such as when the event will take place and when the cruise line needs rooming lists, as well as bigger conversations about things such as dietary needs and assistance with onshore excursions.

Event planners who have never had a meeting or incentive trip at sea might ask the cruise line to connect them with professionals who have. “We’re always willing to introduce you to another planner who has done a cruise program with us to trigger conversations and talk about best practices and what they learned on their last voyage,” Muller says. Those conversations can be just the ticket to success with cruising events. C&IT

Effectively using technology is as important to meeting and event planners as to any Fortune 500 company — maybe even more because when planning an event every dollar counts. Technology has become a mission-critical tool for meeting planners and for many, the internet offers inexpensive, viable solutions for their technology needs. With each new day, combining technology with meeting planning tools — through web sites, apps, social marketing and other IT initiatives — brings planners exciting opportunities to make each meeting and event a memorable one.

It Started With Smartphones

“In the early stages, event apps allowed attendees to have an event agenda, program information and electronic note-taking abilities in the palm of their hand,” Michael Toyne

As Michael Toyne, event solutions technology strategist at BCD Meetings and Events explains, around 2010 smart phones became popular and everyone suddenly had a mini computer at their fingertips. With these phones and tablets, attendees embraced a paperless existence; in particular, when traveling for meetings, laptops, notebooks and paperwork began taking a back seat to mobile devices.

“In the early stages, event apps allowed attendees to have an event agenda, program information and electronic note-taking abilities in the palm of their hand,” Toyne says. “Social media further shaped how mobile apps affected events, allowing the apps to improve networking opportunities, further key messaging, enhance brand awareness and cultivate interest thanks to platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.”

Flash forward to today’s technology use, and the key word is “data.” As Toyne explains, by using technology to leverage integrations, meeting planners can now connect all aspects of event attendees’ interactions — before, during and after an event.

For example, exhibitors can use lead retrieval by leveraging the event app; information collected during registration can help tailor the attendees’ experience from personalization to targeted information; stakeholders can collect data, integrate with their CRM and analyze and track and support their return on event.

“They can consolidate lead retrieval from exhibitors, session check-in, mobile app usage, pre-event registration information and post-event surveys to create a true picture of an attendees’ experience, and tell a story based on their event goals,” Toyne says. “If their event goal is to generate more sales, they can track which attendees have an increase in sales after attending the event, and use data target behaviors to further drive revenue and support business goals.”

Lauren Caselli, meeting planner and owner of Lauren Caselli Events agrees. She says for a long time, the meetings and events industry lagged behind the general consumer industry with regard to event technology.

“It took what felt like forever to convince people to use such things as conference apps and on-stage Q&A software, because there was this feeling that meetings were supposed to be about people and not about technology” Caselli says. “However, now, with so much content being shared online, people don’t have to go to meetings anymore to get relevant content and so there is a push to now make meetings more fun, interactive; less slow-paced — which technology can help solve.”

This year, Cvent is celebrating 20 years in business and, as such, the Cvent team has been reflecting a lot recently on how the technology side of this industry has changed. What some people don’t realize is that Cvent’s CEO and founder, Reggie Aggarwal, actually started Cvent because he was planning events for a nonprofit and he knew there had to be a better way to manage them with technology.

“He has this terrible picture of his desk from that time that is the epitome of what event professionals loathe — disorder and chaos,” says Rachel Andrews, director of meetings and events, Cvent. “If anything, technology evolution within the meetings and event industry has been slow and steady. First it was the emailing of event invitations, then it was online registration, and then technology took over the onsite check-in and badging experience. More recently it was the addition of mobile event apps and virtual meetings. Only now, more than 20 years later, are we in a place where all of these things are expected. Event technology has helped to automate manual processes and streamline each piece of the event life cycle — but it’s taken a lot of time.”

Embracing Technology

According to Craig Dooley, senior vice president with SDI Meetings and Incentives, technology and new solutions in the meeting industry seem to follow a typical curve. “In early stages, there is a mad rush and confusion and predictions of seismic shifts in how we do business,” Dooley says. “As we gradually move through that curve, solutions rationalize, new ways of engaging and supporting customers are established and efficiencies are gained. In simple terms, we’ve moved from paper and manual management to cloud-based data and web programs to enable every aspect of the meeting industry — but ever-evolving and improving.”

For customer-facing tools, SDI is seeing web-based, self-managed registration is expected, and apps are quickly following for pre-event and onsite engagement. “Within SDI’s business, the back-end management tools in budgeting, space planning, resource management, reporting and analysis are all key tools that allow planners to be tremendously more efficient and provide greater customer service,” Dooley says.

Other key tools that have been embraced today with the corporate and incentives meeting segment and strongly in use are mobile apps. As Toyne explains, event apps have made strong enhancements to incorporate a full attendee experience such as polling, surveys, contact exchange, 1:1 meetings and more.

“Outside of also being a real-time communication platform, an attendee app can incorporate other technology needs, such as beacons, heat mapping, lead retrieval and more, to track and report back on an attendees onsite journey,” Toyne says.

Speaking as an event planner, there is a specific way Andrews like to do things and unless technology makes those things easier, she won’t use it.

“I think that’s how many of my peers feel. They don’t have the time to learn how to use a complex piece of technology — they need something they can use out of the box and that will help them work more effectively and efficiently,” Andrews says. “Website design is a big one. As one of the first touch-points event professionals have with their attendees, the registration website needs to deliver an engaging experience.”

But most event professionals do not have the coding needed to design the experience they envision. So tools that allow them to build a unique website that helps them drive more registrations and increase attendance are quickly adopted. Tools that automate data collection and organization are also key to a meeting planner’s success. For example, Andrews points to tools that automatically code and organize attendee information and session attendance, or that can automate email marketing messages based on geographic region or registrant title.

“Finally, floor plan and diagramming software and VR are more essential solutions that help venues and suppliers showcase event spaces or experiences, and help meeting planners design and map out an event without ever having to set foot in the actual space,” Andrews says. “There are so many moving pieces to planning and organizing events that any tool that can automate and reduce human error are widely embraced.”

In Caselli’s experience, online registration software has changed formerly clunky paper or phone registrations for events. Recently, there have been a slew of more affordable technology tools such as Eventbrite, Bizzabo and Ticket Tailor that have made it more affordable for non-enterprise businesses to host their events inexpensively and effectively.

“Additionally, I’ve noticed more conferences jumping on the conference app bandwagon, which is great since events are often marred by printed materials that become outdated by the time the event rolls around,” Caselli says. “Communication at events is always the biggest hurdle to creating a seamless attendee experience, so conference apps with push notifications have changed the game when conferences have onsite changes.”

Caselli adds that space planners have come a long way in the past few years. “Floor plans used to be a nightmare that we’d need to hand draw or hand create, but now, online software like AllSeated have made it easier to create a floor plan quickly and efficiently,” Caselli says.

In addition to the above, there are several ways in which these tools have improved the meetings and events landscape. Planners can:

Quickly communicate with their attendees important information, including last-minute changes.

Plan future events based more closely on what attracts and/or motivates their attendees.

Attract the attendees who meet their event and/or business goals.

Create targeted tracks and communication plans.

“Meeting planners should embrace technology because not only is it not going anywhere, it is constantly evolving and will only be expected to be used more and more in their events,” Toyne says. “Technology can be used to help define a client’s ROE by giving measurable data points to tell the story of how their event engages with attendees and drives the client’s meeting goals — be it sales, brand awareness, attendee engagement or more.”

Caselli agrees that technology is important to remove some of the less pleasant aspects of events. For example, Q&A and facilitated discussions are extremely important to attendee engagement and experience, but no one appreciates it when one person hogs the microphone.

“Using live streaming Q&A so that participants can pose questions via an app is better, allowing more questions to be asked and answered,” Caselli says. “All clients are looking for ‘the next big thing’ or ‘the best creative idea’ and what that really comes down to is making sure attendees have a truly seamless, engaging, fun event. A lot of times, those things can be achieved through removing friction points — a poor registration experience, poor communication, or poor onsite check-in — rather than bringing in fire-breathers and light shows, although those are helpful as well.”

A few years ago Andrews came across a tool called Passkey, which at the time, was offered by one of Cvent’s competitors. At its core, Passkey is a room block-management solution.

“Any event professional can tell you that room block logistics is one of the most tedious and time-consuming aspects of our jobs,” Andrews says. “I went to Aggarwal and gave him my business case for why I wanted to use it for our events. He was 100 percent on board and I’ll tell you what — it was life-changing technology. Now, years later, Passkey is an integral part of the Cvent platform. It came full circle. In short, it’s a combination of things that have made our jobs easier with the addition of technology. It’s the automation of manual processes, the reduction of human error, the consolidation of information and the collection and dissemination of data. When technology offers all of these things, there is no going back to Excel spreadsheets and sticky notes.”

Some of Cvent’s clients are seeing massive increases in attendee engagement with the implementation of a mobile app — while also reducing printing and labor costs. Mobile apps offer additional attendee touch points to gather session or event feedback, to drive engagement through gamification, or to highlight a unique offering by sending push notifications when an attendee passes by an RFID beacon.

“It all comes down to how the technology enhances the attendee experience. By delivering a more engaging and unique experience, attendees will become repeat customers and can become your biggest advocates,” Andrews says.

Newfound Challenges

While each technology tool used within the meeting and events arena makes one aspect of event planning easier, they also present a problem: data integration and tool fragmentation.

As Steen Tromholt, CEO of Conferize explains, the solutions are often not complete, resulting in a fragmented experience for both users and organizers. “I see bigger events invest a lot of budget into custom design and attempts to extend and increase the attendee experience,” Tromholt says. “Usually things look good, but the digital design extending the event experience is usually lacking. The reason is: It’s hard.”

As Tromholt explains, usually data is stored in different clouds with little or no integration. “That’s the real problem. You see organizers manually trying to update the data sets across their various tools such as tickets, websites, CRM, email marketing and social apps, etc.,” Tromholt says. “Of course there are ways to integrate though APIs, etc., but it’s usually a technical effort most organizers don’t have in-house. Or you’ll have to invest in an expensive high-end enterprise solution, that’s usually overkill for the needs of events.”

And while there are over 200 event-specific mobile apps, usually they’re hard to integrate with the core planning setup. “We think there are a few good ones, though we haven’t seen a ‘go-to’ social solution to improve the attendee experience,” Tromholt says. “You’ll need first to solve the core jobs-to-be-done of organizers before you can really improve the attendee experience, because it needs to be an integrated experience and rely on the same dynamic database across the various parts of the products suite.”

Although the meetings and events industry has come a long way from the days of Excel and long, paper to-do lists, there is still so much opportunity in the technology arena within the meeting and events industry. Attendee tracking and feedback, event reporting and delivering a better understanding of how to maximize event ROI are all areas where technology use is still in its nascent stages of adoption. “VR and AR offer different types of opportunities that are less focused on streamlining manual processes, but rather on increasing engagement and enhancing the overall experience — helping event organizers make a lasting impact with that elusive ‘wow’ moment that attendees will talk about long after the event is over,” Tromholt says. “It’s certainly an exciting time to be in the industry, and I see technology continuing to play a significant role.”

Caselli stresses that the point of events is to get people to engage with other, real humans. “I think people will continue bringing exciting technology to events,” Caselli says. “But I think that eventually, in order to be ‘different,’ which the meetings industry loves, planners and clients will start swinging back towards the center, limiting onsite technology usage for communication only, and encouraging fun ways for participants to connect face-to-face instead of through their devices.”

And Tromholt agrees when he says that the fundamental value of meetings is the absence of technology; meeting up in real life. As Tromholt explains, more than ever we need to discuss and solve important topics and advance quite a lot of discourses within climate, sustainability, business, financial, medical, etc.

“We can’t do that without better meetings. Today we get less than 50 percent of the value that we should’ve gotten as attendees,” Tromholt says. “We need carefully tailored tools that augment networking, knowledge sharing and active participation. To achieve that, you need a two-sided — for planners and attendees — holistic solution that doesn’t interfere with the core offline value of meetings, but significantly improves the value and effectiveness of meeting up in real life. So, good event tech is as little event tech as possible.”C&IT

You spend months planning a meeting and finalize plans shortly before the start date.

Days before the meeting, the corporate stakeholder wants to change the theme and replace some speakers.

“There is a reason meeting and event planning is fourth behind fire, police and air traffic controllers in stressful jobs. When things threaten to fall apart at the last minute, it may seem like a plane is going down, but you can control things with communication and planning.”
Terri Woodin

Due to the changes, you must re-brand the meeting with new signage, change programs, notify attendees and alter several other details. Your stress levels rise as you undertake “last-minute madness.”

Late changes are inevitable, and some have little or no significant impact on attendee experiences and meeting goals. But other changes can threaten to derail a meeting.

The bigger and more numerous the changes, the more they jangle planners’ nerves.

Planning is one of the most stressful professions of all even without unexpected problems. However, last-minute changes can boost planner stress to an unnerving level.

A survey of planners shows that 76 percent of respondents cite last-minute changes as one of the most stressful aspects of planning.

According to Terri Woodin, CMP, vice president, marketing and global meeting services for Breckenridge, CO-based Meeting Sites Resource, “There is a reason meeting and event planning is fourth behind fire, police and air traffic controllers in stressful jobs. When things threaten to fall apart at the last minute, it may seem like a plane is going down, but you can control things with communication and planning,” Woodin says. “Remember, everyone is looking to you to lead them and if you freak out, so will they.”

Common Changes

Some last-minute surprises occur more frequently than others.

According to Maralynn Adams, CMP, owner and senior event director of Campbell, CA-based The Corporate Event Group, LLC, ”Changing agendas is very common, which can affect how many meeting rooms I need, timing and resources — and possibly my sanity, “ Adams says.

She cites a particularly stressful example. “Recently, a client suddenly needed six additional meeting rooms a few weeks before the event, and you can’t just pull those out of the sky.”

The meeting space in the hotel was booked. “We ended up having to use suites for meetings, which increased costs considerably because we had to book for two nights to secure availability,” Adams says.

She adds, ”Hotels typically won’t comp sleeping rooms as meeting space like they will for meeting rooms, especially when they know that you’re desperate,” Adams says. “And paying to change out the furniture in suites is no fun, either.”

Common late changes Woodin has faced include cancellation or addition of sleeping rooms; changing F&B counts and meeting space counts and sets; sudden changes in weather forcing outdoor events to be rushed inside; protests impacting the arrival and transportation of attendees; and cancelled flights.

Flight Headaches

A.J. Bownas, CMP, general manager of Washington, DC-based CSI DMC, says one the most common and frustrating late-occurring problems results from changed airline reservations.

“We provide support for arrivals and departures and, having put manifests together, it is expected that 20 percent of these flights will change,” Bownas says. “With VIP groups it’s more like 50 percent. A casual ‘I switched my flight’ has effects with greeter schedules at the airport, driver schedules and making sure manifests are updated for everyone in the chain.”

Bownas has also handled seemingly countless last-minute head-count changes.

“It is often the case that numbers creep up after registration for an event has ‘closed’ then drops off the day prior to the meeting and onsite,” Bownas says. “That’s why it’s important to get past meeting history to know if a group generally gets a 20 percent no-show rate, is always sold out or needs to add VIPs the day of the meeting.”

The most difficult last-minute changes are those that hardly ever occur and those out of a planner’s control.

According to Woodin, “These are ones that involve security risks, weather, strikes, etc. because there is only so much you can do, like managing what is in front of you.”

Bownas cites an example of a situation out of his control.

There are times when attendees show up at the last minute to gain entry to popular private tours or venues that are very protective about who enters.

“On these occasions, we give as much fair warning to attendees as possible, reminding them of deadlines for submitting details on attendance, and beyond that we have to respect the rules that are in place,” Bownas says.

A Near Disaster

Danielle Miles, manager of conferences and meetings for Minneapolis-based metroConnections, responded to a very unpredictable last-minute occurrence that nearly ruined a meeting.

“A water main broke shortly before the meeting was set to begin at a hotel,” Miles says. “I needed to source hotel rooms elsewhere. Luckily, I had taken 20 minutes out of my site inspection at the hotel we booked to also tour an adjacent property and meet with them. I knew before the panicked call from my client that the neighboring hotel had similar function space and room capacities.”

So, Miles called the nearby property. “It quickly provided accommodations for much of our group,” Miles says. “Once the water issue was resolved, we were able to resume the general session part of our program in the originally-contracted hotel space with a steep discount on all services.”

Adams thinks changes involving crowding more people into existing space not designed for the increase is one of the most difficult issues.

“I’m totally down with more attendees who want to attend your event but scrambling to accommodate 1,000 people with a space and budget that you have for 500 people can make me extremely twitchy,” Adams says.

Ignoring the meeting agenda can also bedevil planners onsite at the last minute.

“A well-crafted meeting is like a game of Jenga,” Adams says. “You start yanking out basic foundational blocks and all of the items that rely on them crumbles.”

Adams cites the following example: “What if your keynote speaker runs 30 minutes over on their session before lunch?” Adams says. “Can you guess how many attendees will remember the overcooked and lukewarm food over the 30 minutes of extra content they received?”

Lean on Experience

Last-minute changes can’t be prevented altogether. But veteran planners can use their experience to anticipate potential problems and have strategies in place to keep meetings on track.

Woodin offers the following advice, especially for in-house corporate planners who deal with executives known to make last-minute changes.

“You cannot prevent most unpredictable, last-minute changes because of what causes them in the first place,” Woodin says. “However, if you have an executive that always seems to make changes onsite, then manage the person’s expectations during planning to help prevent late changes.”

Woodin adds, “Also set expectations of what can be managed onsite, including the havoc created for the facility or hotel as well as costs that can be associated with possible changes. Communication is the key.”

Also, Woodin advises, ask yourself key questions in advance.

“If flights are cancelled how are you communicating to attendees and to the hotel for rooms, meeting sets and F&B?” Woodin asks. “If bad weather causes an outdoor event to be brought indoors, does your contract already include a backup room and can you make the call early enough so the hotel staff can make it happen?”

Changing Business Needs

Some last-minute corporate meeting changes are caused by the sudden sale or purchase of a business right before booked meetings take place. In that case, Woodin says, keep the following in mind when more or less space is suddenly needed.

“Businesses are in a constant state of change and hotels are full, so when an organization purchases other companies and suddenly you need more rooms and more space, think outside the box,” Woodin says. “Everything is usable space at a hotel. Work with them to modify sets and use restaurants closed during the day for a comfortable solution.”

Tracking the types of last-minute changes that occur most frequently can help anticipate and address chaos.

According to Miles, “Tracking changes is a design for operating better next time. In the over 20 years I have been planning, I’ve made many mistakes, but never the same one twice. It’s helpful to track changes and conduct a full post-meeting debriefing with internal and external planning teams on successes and improvements in the planning process moving forward.”

Adams agrees: “Tracking last-minute changes with a simple form listing the change, the date, the estimated cost if possible as well as what you did to affect things positively or even negatively can be valuable,” Adams says. “I hold a lot of that info in my head but logging them is more helpful.”

Adams doesn’t have a specific checklist that would help avoid last-minute changes, “but I do have a number of questions that I ask and items that I bring up through the pre-planning process that help guide me away from crisis situations I’ve survived in the past,” Adams says.

Budget Extra Funds

Having a contingency fund for last-minute and emergency issues is also helpful.

“I always have a contingency fund budget line,” Adams says. “I do my very best to use the last 25 years of planning experiences to think of all the things that could go wrong, but there are still surprises. More often than not, you’ll need money to deal with them. The fund has saved my butt and my client’s a number of times. There is always some unexpected cost or an ‘Oh, I forgot!’ item that pops up. Who thinks they’ll ever need emergency popcorn and machines wafting the smell of freshly popped popcorn into a room filled with a thousand people? It happened to me.”

Some of the trickiest last-minute issues result from requests which can significantly impact factors such as cost, meeting goals, attendee experiences and programs.

The late requests can come from an executive or stakeholder who has worked with the planner from the start, or another who hasn’t. In either case, planners must agree to the changes or explain how they can upend a meeting.

Jennifer Collins, CMP, president and CEO of Silver Spring, MD-based JDC Events, has dealt with last-minute executive changes several times. “We have worked with clients whose president or other leader would inevitably add a new session or other aspect to an annual event,” Collins says.

Anticipate Changes

Collins foresaw a last-minute change by keeping her ear to the ground, so to speak.

“Once, we heard that additions would be the result of the leader having met someone at a lunch or other event when out and about,” Collins says. “So, we came to expect that we would have to add a session or speaking arrangement at some point during the event. This expectation was helpful in that we were able to provide space holders in anticipation of it occurring. It didn’t entirely make it easy, but because we knew it would be a possibility, it helped to lessen the shock.”

Strategies for dealing with last-minute changes may be somewhat different for in-house corporate planners and third-party planners. It can be tougher for internal corporate planners to make the case against drastic last-minute changes, and they must typically comply or persuade the executive to compromise.

On the other hand, the concerns of external third-party planners include securing repeat business from the client and protecting the planner’s professional brand with a successful meeting.

Useful Advice

Both internal and external corporate planners can use the following tips to handle last-minute changes from corporate bosses and other stakeholders.

Keep records of last-minute changes and categorize them by type of meeting to determine which occur most often and why. For example, do the changes tend to be room counts, speaker cancellations, technology, set-ups, etc.

Create back-up plans for areas most vulnerable to last-minute changes.

Include stakeholders in key meetings to lessen the chance of surprise change demands. Getting continuous buy-in from stakeholders should be part of the planning process.

Designate an “emergency response team” to respond to last-minute changes and empower it to make quick decisions.

According to Catherine Chaulet, president of Washington, DC-based Global DMC Partners, “It may be incredibly useful to appoint a few people on your team or hire temporary staff to focus on troubleshooting changes or issues that may come up so that you have a dedicated staff ready to deal with last-minute changes.”

Chaulet says last-minute changes that aren’t actually difficult to handle may seem over-burdensome and stressful because planners have such heavy workloads. “So, pre-delegating last-minute changes to team members who have a slightly lighter workload or hiring temporary staff for this purpose could go a long way,” Chaulet says.

Speaker Issues

As a range of last-minute problems involving speakers can flare-up, use the advice below to help resolve issues.

Build extra time into the agenda, set-up, travel, logistics and other key elements.

Have a contingency plan for speakers and entertainers. When booking through a bureau, include in the contract possible replacements the bureau can provide due to a late cancellation.

Bring in speakers, especially keynoters, one or two nights before they are scheduled to speak. Allowing speakers to fly in at the last minute is asking for problems.

According to Miles, technological problems are among the most frequent speaker-related problems to flare-up at the last minute. “A presenter may have trouble loading content onto a screen, a Lavalier Microphone isn’t working, or a projector goes down and now everyone is uncomfortably shifting in their seats,” Miles says.

Having an overall program producer on hand can address such last-minute tech issues. “This role is invaluable in ensuring not only that back-up systems are in place but also that they are tested,” Miles says. “Working with presenters to rehearse presentations before they get on the big stage sets all players up for success.”

Consider in advance how to rearrange the schedule if a speaker cancels. Or have a company officer or local speaker ready to substitute.

Stand Your Ground

Some planners make themselves vulnerable to last-minute changes. Here’s how: Suppose, throughout the planning process, an executive or stakeholder makes suggestions that the planner approves. Suddenly, right before the meeting, the stakeholder makes another, more significant suggestion. The stakeholder, accustomed to planner approval of changes, expects acquiescence. But giving in could ruin the meeting.

When faced with such a situation, consider the following advice from experienced planners:

Don’t be a pushover simply to avoid making waves. In planning, the customer isn’t always right.

Listen carefully to the request and use it to start a conversation about possible compromise that will avoid ruining the event.

If you disagree with the change, explain in the most professional way possible its negative impact on the meeting and attendees.

Detail what’s needed to make the changes and what can and cannot be accomplished during the time remaining before the meeting starts. In other words, reset stakeholder expectations.

Handle Stress

The bigger and more complex the last-minute change, the heavier the stress and the greater the necessity to remain calm. Develop strategies to handle last-minute chaos. Here are tips from planning pros:

First, accept that late changes are a fact of planning life. Then, relax. According to Miles, “How you handle stress is what sets you apart as a planner. Pressing the pause button is always a good first best practice. Keeping a calm and cool front is the goal.”

Next, advises Woodin, “Breathe deeply and bring all your experiences to the situation to take control.”

Adams finds that follow-up on lessons learned after implementing nerve-wracking, last-minute changes can help anticipate potential issues and thereby reduce stress in the future.

When it comes to last-minute changes, Murphy’s Law rules. However, planners can use their experience and that of peers to anticipate obstacles and create strategies to resolve them.

As Woodin advises, “Think quickly, have alternate plans in place and connections in the destination that can help, and budget extra funds.” C&IT

A   business conference that includes family members, especially children, may seem counter-productive to work. Won’t parents be distracted and more likely to skip out on core conference events? Will parents who do attend daytime functions likely leave them early and skip important evening networking with colleagues? Don’t children add the necessity for more security, oversight or even insurance requirements?

Maybe. But many corporations and meeting planners have found that adding family can actually drive attendance at conferences and promote productive networking. Attendees can also stretch their hard-earned dollars by tacking a family vacation onto the beginning or end of a business conference for which their travel expenses are paid.

“The resort was chosen in part because of the proximity to our headquarters, proximity to an airport, quality of the event space and attractions in the area.”
Sam Solatycki

Setting is important for all meetings, of course, but even more so for those that include family. Fortunately for planners, there are slew of destinations and resorts that are both business- and family friendly.

Family Friendly Kalahari Resorts

Prince Corporation, a Wisconsin-based wholesale distributor and manufacturer of agricultural, lawn and garden, pet and wild bird products, believes in the value of family at its fall booking show. And Kalahari Resorts & Conventions in Wisconsin Dells, WI, is the perfect place for meetings at which attendees bring family along. In fact, Sam Solatycki, Prince Corporation marketing supervisor, says they’ve met at Kalahari approximately 20 times and the attendees love it.

“The resort was chosen in part because of the proximity to our headquarters, proximity to an airport, quality of the event space and attractions in the area,” Solatycki says.

Among its business attributes are the business center the group utilizes during the show and the fact that there are many different restaurants on property ideal for client meetings. “The location works great for us,” Solatycki continues. “The convention center at the Kalahari is state-of-the-art and keeps improving. The hotel rooms are great and Wisconsin Dells definitely doesn’t have a shortage of attractions.”

Not surprisingly, Solatycki points to the resort’s indoor/outdoor water park as the No. 1 attraction for his group. “A lot of our attendees come from out-of-state and nobody else has water parks like the Dells.” But his attendees also use the theme park, bowling alley and movie theater, among other amenities.

Family is included in every aspect of this event. “Allowing family at our meeting is an excellent way for us to incentivize customers to attend. The Kalahari resort is a great family location and it allows our attendees to take a mini-vacation with their families while also getting some work done.”

It’s a success for both company and attendees. “The majority of our attendees have their stays paid for by Prince Corporation, and the stay includes all that the Kalahari has to offer. We don’t plan other activities for families with children because there’s so much to do there already.”

Solatycki notes that some of the attendees even bring their families with them to the show floor. “But this doesn’t generally change the way the event runs,” he says. “We have food on the show floor for the entire event and children are allowed to come in without a name badge and enjoy that part of our show as well.”

From his point of view, there isn’t a tremendous difference between a meeting at which family attends and one that doesn’t include family in terms of the success of the event. “The main difference with a conference that families will attend is the choice in location. It might be slightly more expensive to host a conference at a premier resort like the Kalahari, but it makes the event that much more fun and our customers continue to look forward to the show every year.”

To other planners considering a family friendly meeting, Solatycki says, “I think the best advice is to choose a venue that already has activities for your customers. This will save you the headache of having to plan extra mini-events during your main event. Also, don’t skimp on the food. The last thing you want is hungry, unhappy attendees.”

Clark Sell, president and founder of THAT Conference, which is also very much about family and community, holds the annual conference at Kalahari Resort. Sell refers to the conference as “summer camp for geeks,” and including family in the core event was integral to the vision of the conference from the beginning.

“Technology is the theme that brings us all together,” Sell says. His goal with the conference, however, is not just to connect tech geeks, but to develop the common connections that link the community of professionals, families and businesses together.

Kalahari is an ideal setting for this conference and resort amenities are incorporated into the conference schedule. The conference is positioned as “the last chance to get away before summer slips away,” so Sell tells potential attendees they will “geek out on everything from writing some epic code to making paper airplanes,” and have time to cool off in one of the resort’s many pools.

The schedule includes sessions such as Intro to Hacking Web Applications, Scary Stories About Artificial Intelligence Gone Wrong and a data structures and algorithms refresher, along with a family track that provides hands-on, activity-based learning for kids of all ages and an entire track for spouses and kids. Each night there are different events to attend, from a pig roast to a game night and, of course, a water park party because this is Kalahari.

While the conference is aimed at developers and other tech professionals and enthusiasts, Sell emphasizes that a core value of the gathering is “shining a light on the importance of family and caring for yourself.”

The Right Destination Matters

When it comes to family friendly cities, San Diego is high on the list, according to Martin Davis, DMCP, general manager of Hosts Southern California, a Destination Marketing Company. Last year, Davis worked with a company whose conference drew some 6,000 attendees, and family was very much a part of it. The attendees were lodged in nine different downtown hotels, all within walking distance of the San Diego Convention Center. “This made it easy for families to come and go from the center,” Davis notes. “Our clients engage their annual conference as an opportunity for many of their clients to come together and enjoy a sense of community. Many of the attendees are independent operators of businesses located in small towns throughout rural America. For a lot of them, the annual conference is a chance to bring their families to a top-tier destination where they can conduct business, learn, network and also enjoy a family vacation.”

Davis’ group assisted with many of the event’s details, functions and activities. “We provided airport arrival shuttles for five days and airport departure shuttles for two days. The weeklong duration for airport shuttles is uncommon but was offered so that families flowing in and out throughout the week would have transportation accommodations, ensuring a positive first and last experience,” he says.

Davis continues, “We also provided the transportation for our client’s children’s program, a four-day camp program during which 800 children per day were taken out to see popular attractions. Coach drivers were screened for security purposes, and the scheduling of drivers had to be consistent every day to ensure they were with the same group of children each day.”

Davis says optional activities were offered on the final day of the conference in order to “provide families with unique experiences that could not be found online.”

The customer appreciation event was the big offsite attraction. “Everyone brings their family members and attendance eclipses 5,000 guests. Menus are tailored to be child-friendly in both food and beverage,” Davis says. “And interactive entertainment was spread throughout the event to encourage constant flow into new spaces. A carnival packed with games along with a park of full inflatables were two major features intended to keep children engaged for the night.”

Davis points to San Diego’s many attractions as one reason it works so well for family inclusive meetings. The San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld San Diego, the USS Midway Museum and LEGOLAND California Resort are just a few of the options. “San Diego is a very safe city with an endless offering of family friendly activities, from theme parks to water sports and more.”

Menus, too, were created with kids in mind. “Our menus were tailored to be more child-friendly and included less ‘adventurous’ food,” he adds.

The group utilized the San Diego Convention Center, which Davis says, “has all the features of any modern convention center,” and is well set up to execute portions of this meeting. “The front driveway made it very easy for us to organize the motor coaches for the children’s program.”

In terms of planning the meeting, Davis says there are definitely differences from planning a more traditional meeting for adults only. “The biggest difference is in the proposal of food and beverage as well as finding ways to keep children engaged. Security for the children is a constant concern and must be addressed proactively and consistently. Parent attendees are much more apt to engage and enjoy the conference when they know their families are having a great time enjoying the destination.”

Davis says that when planning a meeting with family, “The more attendees the merrier. We find that many attendees are more likely to attend a conference when they can tie a family vacation into the travel plans. With families comes an increased sense of community and inclusion,” he says. “Planners should plan for the positives of that.”

There’s no question having children at a meeting presents some challenges. However, Davis says, “The opportunities that come with a family friendly program far outweigh the limitations.”

No matter where in the country a group wants to hold a family inclusive meeting, there are places to accommodate them, from the seaside to the mountain tops and from coast to coast. Here are several others to consider:

Sea Island A Five-Star Resort

Georgia’s Sea Island has been welcoming families to its lush environment for many decades and has received the Forbes Five Star designation 11 years in a row. It offers 42,000 sf of indoor meeting space able to accommodate groups of five to 500.

There’s no lack of activities for children to engage in while the adults are in meetings. To start, Camp Cloister provides age-appropriate fun and educational experiences for ages 3-14, many of them outdoors taking advantage of the resort’s setting on a barrier island. There’s a Junior Naturalist program as well as an activity titled Fish Dissection, during which kids learn the “ins and outs” of fish commonly caught off the coastline. Families can participate in activities together, too. Nature tours, dolphin tours, fishing trips, tennis and archery are all good choices.

Additionally, Sea Island offers options for groups when attendees bring children along. Camp Cloister is available, but there’s also Kid Fit, an Under-the-Sea workshop, Cloister Kids Crafts and Kids Night Out for those times when the adults are engaged in evening functions.

A Favorite at Walt Disney World

Camp Dolphin, at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL, is a supervised program for ages 4-12, and parents get two hours free with a dinner at one of the specified restaurants or a treatment at the resort’s Mandara Spa. Additionally there are games and activities scheduled throughout the resort, not to mention five pools and a beach.

The Dolphin recently added a new 1,600-sf meeting space, The Caribbean Room, bringing the resort’s total to 87 meeting rooms. The Swan is opening a new grab-and-go food venue in the lobby, much like the outlet in the Dolphin lobby so popular with meeting attendees. And planners take note: Shula’s Steak House at the Dolphin has been completely updated and refreshed and still offers a variety of flexible private dining spaces as well as the option of a buyout.

Loews Resorts at Universal Orlando

Attendees at any of the Loews Universal Orlando hotels have easy access to the Universal Orlando theme parks, restaurants, shopping and services. The parks alone offer plenty for spouses and children to do during meetings. Which hotel you choose may depend on the size of your group and your meeting space needs. Loews Portofino Bay Hotel features 750 rooms, three themed pools, a spa, eight restaurants and ample meeting space, including the 15,000-sf Tuscan Ballroom. Loews Royal Pacific Resort has 1,000 guest rooms a lagoon-style pool and beach and 85,000 sf of function space. The Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando features a 12,000-sf pool with a giant waterslide — who doesn’t love that? — along with 650 guest rooms. Meeting space includes the sleek Velvet Bar, accommodating 125 for a reception.

It goes without saying that this is the destination for those who love the Harry Potter series. Universal’s Harry Potter attractions are super popular, so consider providing attendees and/or spouses/kids with the Universal Express Pass, which includes both Harry Potter-themed lands.

The Broadmoor Has It All

Tucked into the base of Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs, CO, The Broadmoor has been welcoming attendees and families for a century. Golf, tennis, hiking, horseback riding, falconry, zip lining (that can include a 180-foot rappel), paintball, geocaching, laser tag and swimming — what’s your pleasure? The resort offers all guests junior tennis camps and one-hour tennis “PeeWee Drills.” And the historic bowling alley can be booked for events. Attendee spouses and teens should consider the resort’s highly acclaimed spa as well.

Many of the adventures fall under the auspices of The Broadmoor Outfitters, who supply the appropriate gear in addition to leading activities, so no worries if you packed light. Groups that book the resort’s intimate wilderness lodging options — Cloud Camp (say yes to the mule ride), The Ranch at Emerald Valley and Fly Fishing Camp — have activities and services already built in, many of them perfect for families.

The Broadmoor partners with an exceptional local DMC, meaning planners don’t have to think of everything. Staff at the Colorado Springs PRA office can provide pretty much anything groups want and need and can be onsite to work with planners before and during the meeting. A children’s program and a few swimming pools are no longer enough to make a resort a top pick for families. Ideal locations, great programming and convenient accommodations are a must when you’re traveling with little ones.

Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa

Aulani’s epic kid’s club ensures that parents and kids will have a perfect stay. Located on Oahu’s small, leeward Ko Olina waterfront community, the resort features 21 acres overlooking a quiet, calm beach ideal for kids. Disney touches are ample but subtle — character breakfasts and dinners, hidden Mickeys, sightings of Goofy by the waterslide — with numerous “regular” dining options available such as the Hawaiian-themed Ulu Café, ‘Ama’Ama fine dining, appetizers and cocktails at The ‘Olelo Room, a fish and chips shack and a shaved ice counter. A nearby off-property shopping and dining complex   provides numerous dining opportunities at every price point.

The complimentary kids club, Aunty’s Beach House, is a 5,200-sf kiddie paradise, complete with themed activities, superhero and princess dress-up, trivia, arts and crafts, fresh lei making, beach excursions, a movie room, video games and a backyard play structure. Attendees hoping for a bit of island culture can book the Ka’Wa’A lu’au, exploring the area’s island culture through a canoe exploration story, which can be enjoyed with or without kids.

While the kids are at Aunty’s, mom and dad can play a round of golf at the 18-hole, Ted Robinson-designed Ko Olina Golf Club or get a massage at Laniwai — and if the kids want to join, there are group massages and salon treatments for the whole family, too. And, of course, there’s the property’s water slides, lazy river, numerous pools, grotto, splash zones, and private snorkeling lagoon. C&IT

There are plenty of activities for attendees in Southern California. Hot-air ballooning is just one example. Courtesy of Visit Temecula Valley

Leisure travel is a top trend this year. As more business trips combine business with leisure, meeting planners and companies are looking to destinations that are capable of providing both. No destination does it better than Southern California.

From Los Angeles to San Diego and from Anaheim to Palm Springs, there are a host of venues to meet every possible need. Whether it is an executive retreat or a meeting with several hundred or several thousand, Southern California has the facilities.

“Add to that coastline views, ocean breezes, major meeting and convention hotels such as Hyatt, Marriott and Hilton and a multitude of independent and boutique hotels that cater to every possible demand, the choices are unlimited,”
Carroll A. Reuben

“While the major convention centers in Los Angeles, Anaheim, Long Beach and San Diego can accommodate some of the largest trade events in the country, many cities such as Pasadena and Carson have smaller meeting and convention facilities as well.”

As a corporate planner, Reuben has planned and managed many events in Southern California over the last 25 years and has seen some big changes in that time.

“Add to that coastline views, ocean breezes, major meeting and convention hotels such as Hyatt, Marriott and Hilton and a multitude of independent and boutique hotels that cater to every possible demand, the choices are unlimited,” says Carroll A. Reuben

“Improved facilities, transportation and services have all made my job a lot easier,” she says. “I nearly always start with the CVB in the selected city to secure the right venue for my needs and preferred dates. Destination Management Services such as ACCESS Destination Services have helped add interest to my programs by arranging offsite tours and activities such as the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, baseball games at Dodger Stadium and a tour of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar to name a few.”

Southern California has something for every taste and budget. Los Angeles, Anaheim and San Diego conference centers and adjoining hotel properties can handle meetings and conventions from large consumer shows such as Home and Garden and Comic-Con, to trade and professional conventions such as the Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers.

Independent and boutique properties can provide luxury accommodations and facilities for high-level executive meetings that might include some leisure time activities such as Terranea Resort poised above the Pacific on the beautiful Palos Verdes Peninsula. A hidden gem on the Los Angeles coast, this luxury Southern California resort destination is surrounded by tranquil waves and offers a whole new world of relaxation and adventure that words just can’t describe.

Stacey Crivello, director, national accounts for San Diego-based ACCESS Destination Services, says Southern California doesn’t just have something for everyone, it has everything for everyone.

“There are few destinations, if any, that offer the variety of venues, hotels, activities, entertainment and even geography that can be found in Southern California,” she says. “From the picturesque beaches of San Diego and Orange County to the desert and mountains of Palm Springs to the bustling metropolis that is Los Angeles, whether a planner is working on their first or 15th event in the area, it’s simply impossible to run out of unique and one-of-a-kind experiences to incorporate into a program.”

There’s lots of culture to enhance any program, such as concerts at the iconic Frank Gehry-designed Disney Concert Hall, downtown Los Angeles and the Hollywood Bowl, the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Orange County as well as several world-class museums. In addition, there are so many family activities to choose from — both Los Angeles and San Diego have well-established zoos, there is SeaWorld San Diego and close by, LEGOLAND California Resort.

“I can honestly say that I’m spoiled with the choices in Southern California,” Reuben says. “When working with a new client, I have to prioritize their wish list before I ever get down to the logistical and budgetary needs of their programs. Meeting space at most of the major hotels offer state-of-the-art audio visual support and broadband Wi-Fi. Gone are the days when I had to hardwire properties to run a computer lab.”

The Big Appeal

The climate in Southern California is the primary attraction as the temperature seldom drops below 50 degrees in winter, even at night, and one can choose just how warm they would like to be by staying close to the ocean with a balmy 80 degrees in summer or going inland to Palm Springs and basking in the 100-degree sunshine.

And while Southern California is big, attendees can usually land within just a few miles of their meeting venue thanks to major airports such as Los Angeles International Airport, Long Beach Airport, John Wayne Airport in Orange County and San Diego International Airport, which serve most major airlines. Car rentals and car services are readily available and the major hotels have airport transport buses.

“Everyone knows Disneyland Park and Universal Studios Hollywood offer hours of fun, but if your event doesn’t include time for a day off to play, then there are lots of offsite locations that can add interest to even the most formal agenda,” Reuben says. “Scripps Institute, the J. Paul Getty Museum or Temecula wineries to name a few.”

Southern California also has more than 600 golf courses, with such notable courses as Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, to Torrey Pines and the Bel-Air Country Club, home of PGA major tournaments.

“Every city has an active visitors and convention bureau always ready to help you find just the right spot and give you all the information you need regarding services, products, city information and possibly provide a concierge desk at your event to make reservations and answer your attendee questions,” Reuben says.

Crivello notes that conveniently, what’s good for planners is also good for attendees — ease of travel, exclusive and unique venues, activities, that laid-back ‘So Cal” vibe, and of course, the weather.

“Southern California is the most populous region of the United States. Why is that? Some might say it’s the weather, the attractions, the beaches, the food, the entertainment, the history, the culture … and they would be right,” she says. “It’s all of that and more.”

She also says Southern California chefs are on the cutting edge of every dietary need or trendy menu style. Sushi, Mexican, and just about any ethnicity you can think of, Southern California does it well.

Awesome Anaheim

Judy Payne, CMP, director, meetings and travel for GameStop in Grapevine, TX, says nobody sells sunshine and good times like Southern California, which is why selecting Anaheim for its annual conference is a “no-brainer.”

“You can always depend on great weather, great food and lots of entertainment in Anaheim. We like that our attendees can elect to Stay-n-Play and have so many cool things to choose from,” she says. “Our attendees like the ease of getting around Southern California and all of the fantastic things to do while they’re in town. You have amusement parks, great dining, beautiful beaches and tons of sports at your disposal. Anaheim is our favorite place to Stay-n-Play at our events.”

GameStop regularly works with Visit Anaheim and the Anaheim Convention Center for its events, with Payne calling them great partners who creatively think of new ways to help the company build a successful event.

For example, this past year the Anaheim Convention Center was host to GameStop’s annual conference with roughly 7,000 attendees.

“The campus around the convention center could house all of our attendees within a couple of blocks and had many restaurant options which we love,” Payne says. “We also had Downtown Disney at our disposal, which led to some fantastic events. It’s great to have a convention city that’s so walkable.”

Los Angeles Has It All

With 50,657 sf of meeting and event space, 41 modern meeting rooms, and 36 breakout rooms, The Westin Los Angeles Airport hotel is well equipped to execute the perfect meeting — big or small. Sean Steenson, director of operations at the venue, notes guests can utilize its 13,100-sf ballroom space with its 18-ft ceilings for an over-the-top business conference, capable of holding up to 1,500 attendees, or put on a lavish 300-person company soiree in the 5,340-sf outdoor terrace.

“Additionally, our Executive Chef James McIver is an École Supérieure de Cuisine Française-trained chef who offers thoughtfully designed menu options, aimed to fuel productivity and support meeting attendees’ overall well-being,” Steenson says.

Most recently, the venue hosted the Marriott Sales One meeting which had an estimated 350 attendees.

Steenson notes that Los Angeles is the ideal destination for “bleisure” — business+leisure — travelers. In addition to being a hub for large meetings and conventions, Los Angeles is filled with outdoor activities and wellness experiences that corporate attendees will appreciate and can unwind with.

“Specifically, at The Westin LAX, we’re located minutes away from Los Angeles’ best beaches where attendees can cycle, surf, or simply relax,” Steenson says. “We are also minutes away from entertainment complexes like the Forum, which hosts events like music concerts, sports events and panel discussions.”

Additionally, being in Southern California means having great weather year-round and more opportunities for outdoor meetings and events, something corporate meeting attendees will appreciate.

“The Westin LAX has a beautiful 5,340-sf terrace for meetings, breakouts and receptions,” Steenson says. “Additionally, our close proximity, only four blocks from LAX airport, and our 24/7 shuttle service make for an easy and seamless meeting experience.”

The property is just 15 minutes away from Los Angeles’ most beautiful beaches such as Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach, which is also home to music, food and art festivals such as BeachLife Festival and Fiesta Hermosa along with popular sports events such as the Manhattan Beach Open AVP Beach Volleyball tournament.

“We think no visit to SoCal is complete without testing out the world-class surfing scene and our Surf Concierge, Jenny Palomo, is ready to help with everything surf-related, from organizing surf lessons, to sharing the best hidden surf spots, or assist in surf gear rental,” Steenson says. “Our VIP Experience Manager Alexandra Kearns is available to recommend hidden, under-the-radar experiences that guests will appreciate.”

Loving Long Beach

Meeting Excellence has worked many events in Long Beach and Reuben is impressed by its vibrant waterfront scene; from its eclectic neighborhoods to sandy beaches, the Long Beach Marina and the Queen Mary Hotel.

The Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center includes 400,000 sf of exhibit and meeting room space, plus the Terrace Theater with 3,000 seats and the Beverly O’Neill Theater with 825 seats.

Steve Goodling, president and CEO of the Long Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau, says there are a host of restaurants all within walking distance of the convention center. The bright red Passport shuttle, which offers service to major Long Beach attractions, is free throughout the downtown area and whisks you quickly to downtown’s cultural spots.

“During summer months, you can also hail water taxis, the Aquabus and the Aqualink, with services between the Queen Mary and Alamitos Bay Landing,” Goodling says. “All shuttles and water taxis are bicycle friendly. If your attendees want to extend their stay they can take the Catalina Express to Catalina Island just 20 miles off the coast.”

Reuben worked nearly 10 years for Southern California Edison, the second-largest subsidiary of Edison International, both as an independent planner and as an in-house corporate planner responsible for its commercial and industrial events.

“I planned events both on the Queen Mary and in the Long Beach Convention Center with numbers ranging from 100 to 3,000, which included a major convention and trade show with the emphasis on energy conservation,” she says. “Long Beach offers nearly 5,000 hotel rooms, many within walking distance of the convention center. Educational programs, trade exhibits, hospitality functions and even dramatic program demonstrations were all possible in Long Beach right there downtown.”

Get to Know San Diego

Jen Singer, CEO of San Diego-based Jen Singer Events, which specializes in managing and arranging destination-based corporate events, says with a unique blend of outdoor activities and a dynamic city, San Diego is the perfect host to those looking for team-building opportunities on a spectrum of engaging scenarios.

“San Diego is well known for its sunny disposition and laid-back attitude with less congestion than its neighboring city of Los Angeles,” she says. “While also providing an environment where business casual can mean pairing your blazer with a pair of nice shorts.”

Access to local attractions such as the San Diego Zoo; the USS Midway Museum, a retired aircraft carrier; or Balboa Park all makes for fantastic onsite meeting opportunities as well as a chance to see some local landmarks. Plus, there are sun-soaked beaches with local eateries and shops right on the water.

“Having worked with multiple tech companies as they launch a new office space or host incentivized business meetings, we are here to curate a unique experience based on the goal the company aims to achieve,” Singer says. “We maintain a professional relationship with boutique hotels and local venues allowing us to easily host and book events with dynamic needs with a strong focus on the overall experience.”

San Diego also has an expansive culinary scene, and Singer has an extensive background in the food and hospitality industry, making her a fantastic resource on what venues offer the best culinary experience to serve your guests and colleagues.

“Right now, we are really loving Brick as they are making a big splash in the event venue space hosting approximately 200 guests at their flagship location here in San Diego and getting set to open a larger event space later this year right off the main drag near the San Diego International Airport,” Singer says.

A Destination Sure To Please

David A. Anderson, CMP, meeting planner with Los Angeles-based Eventive Group, a third-party meeting and event planning firm servicing corporate and association meetings, loves the variety that Southern California venues offer in terms of size, scale and amenities.

“You can have resort-style meetings or suburban-style meetings, and there’s a variety of traditional and non-traditional places to hold meetings,” he says. “Because the weather is usually great, we can produce meetings all year round and we rarely need a contingency plan.”

Recent events have been held at both the Pasadena Convention Center, which offers 125,000 sf of flexible meeting space, and the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, which offers 60,000 sf of event space.

Annette Brown, director of public relations for Visit Temecula Valley, represents the Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country, an emerging wine region with nearly 50 wineries, and says Temecula Valley is the venue meeting planners and businesses are looking for when they want something fresh and unexpected.

“Recently named by Wine Enthusiast as a 2019 10 Best Wine Travel Destination, Temecula Valley is attracting visitors from both leisure and business markets,” she says. “Corporate business is using this attractive, award-winning destination for incentive travel. Not only is it an inspiring and rejuvenating setting, there are so many outdoor activities and great dining options available.”

Since leaving Southern California Edison, Reuben continues to draw upon Southern California as the “go to” place for her national and international clients, holding events at the Rancho Bernardo Inn in San Diego, a destination resort known for its golf, spa and cuisine.

A true destination for meeting and incentive groups, the 265-acre property features luxurious guest rooms, three swimming pools, an award-winning spa and wellness center, signature restaurants, and extensive meeting and event facilities.

“I have held major educational programs and trade exhibits at the Disneyland Hotel and Convention Center — it’s always fun working with cast members,” Reuben says. “And, for true variety, the company holiday party for 100 employees and guests at the classic Culver Hotel in Culver City. As a National Historic Landmark and almost a century old, the Culver Hotel gracefully retains its prestige and nostalgia of days long past. It remains a true icon.”

Reuben adds, “Gender mix, age range and interests are important to the design of the program to round out the core content. I know I can incorporate those interests in any program I produce in Southern California. Companion programs, offsite excursions, golf tournaments and tours all help to enhance what would otherwise be just another conference.” C&IT

Nashville had 15.2 million attendees in conferences and meetings last year.
Courtesy of Jacqueline Marko PRA Nashville and PRA Louisvill

Planners need no introduction to Music City. Nashville’s reputation as a premier meeting destination extends across the globe. While country music put Nashville on the map, today the city’s music scene covers many genres — and it’s not the city’s only draw.

Keystone Automotive Operations Inc./NTP-Stag brought its 2019 Expo to Nashville earlier this year, an invitation-only event of more than 2,500 set at Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center. Melissa Holland, CMP, event manager with Keystone, says the city and hotel are an excellent fit for her group.

“Nashville is a return city for our event and attendees. It’s a great destination providing ease of access to and from the airport, Gaylord Opryland, downtown area destinations as well as many historical entertainment options. When our attendees and exhibitors were made aware of our return, they were excited about heading back to Nashville with its many offerings, including the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Bridgestone Arena and the infamous Broadway Historic District: Honky Tonk Highway,” Holland says.

“With the winter weather unpredictable, Gaylord Opryland offers an all-under-one-roof inclusive destination to our attendees. We enjoy working with the Gaylord staff. They go above and beyond to ensure we’re well taken care of, and the accommodations are second to none.”

“We knew it was the right destination for our event. Our January program rotates to various locations each year. Knowing the level of service, hotel and venue offerings and year-over-year satisfaction we get with growing with the Gaylord team and properties, it’s a win-win.”
Melissa Holland

Holland’s group has worked with Gaylord Hotels for the past 10 years in Texas. “We always find the property and services to be first class,” she says.

It was in 2011 that Keystone decided to try the Opryland property. “We knew it was the right destination for our event. Our January program rotates to various locations each year. Knowing the level of service, hotel and venue offerings and year-over-year satisfaction we get with growing with the Gaylord team and properties, it’s a win-win.”

Holland offers high praise for members of the Opryland team. “During our program, we had a banquet captain who was outstanding. Our food and beverage lead was new to the events team with this activity, and while she is very detail-oriented and knowledgeable, she was nervous about the biggest miss — not having enough food for our major events.”

The team, Holland says, pulled it all together, especially the banquet captain. “He made her feel at ease and updated her every step of the way. He went above and beyond in our opinion to put her and our worries at ease, and everyone raved about the food and beverage. Opryland truly has a well-oiled machine.”

Keystone primarily used the Ryman C Exhibit Hall for the Expo and meal functions. “We also had several meeting rooms equipped with seating, and a projector and screen set up to accommodate up to 250 attendees for our education series, which precedes our opening event. The staff was very hospitable, regardless if they were new or a seasoned event professionals, in working with each of our key event individuals.”

Holland says one thing planners and attendees should know is that there’s a lot of walking involved at Gaylord, but she has a suggestion about that. “It’s a huge property with several layers and additions. Get familiar with the property by visiting it a couple of times prior to your meeting so you know how to direct your attendees. The best way is to get lost in the property and find your way out. It will take just a few times around the property and you’ll find the shortcuts to get you and your guests through with ease.”

Exciting Closing Events

The Expo’s closing event was set at Wildhorse Saloon in downtown Nashville. “This multilevel venue is perfect for a group our size, offering food and entertainment along with several A/V multimedia options in a one-stop-shop environment,” Holland says. “We used this property previously for our 2011 event. It works well and allows for our guests to get a taste of downtown if they choose to after our closing reception. And the Wildhorse staff was great to work with. Jessica Sprouse, Chelsea Noyes and the entire Wildhorse team ensured our event went off without a hitch. We toured several other venues and were excited to learn that the Wildhorse was available for our event dates. Wildhorse Saloon is on our return list.”

Holland says one unexpected challenge did arise at the Gaylord: Wi-Fi interference on opening night. “Unknown to our internal IT events team, one of our exhibitors had equipment that was scrambling our show Wi-Fi, which is integral to our overall show success. Thanks to the fast-acting collaboration of the Gaylord Opryland IT team and our internal team, the intrusion was identified and we able to get back up and running as quickly as possible. The entire IT team was very responsive that evening.” And, she adds, “The fact that we had several visits from the Gaylord executive team to ensure that our needs were being met was refreshing.”

Holland says there are a few things about meeting in Nashville that planners should know. “Nashville is well equipped with meeting options from small to mega large. There are venues that will blow your attendees away, from the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum to small intimate restaurants on Broadway. Explore all your options,” she advises, “even if you think something is out of your reach as you never know what you might be able to negotiate until you try. As many planners know, get at least three estimates for comparison to ensure you’re making your company’s dollars stretch.”

Additionally, she says, use local resources. “Consider working with third-party partners to ensure you hit a home run with customer experience. Utilize the local convention and visitor’s bureau (CVB) to get a good overview of the city and venues. Utilize as many CVB services as fit your event, including staff for registration to mitigate overall expense, a branded microsite that will give your attendees all they need to know about the city, marketing tools to assist with your theme, discounted attraction tickets for guests to explore what the city has to offer, etc. Don’t let one stone go unturned.”

Meeting Venues Earn Praise

Patricia Farmer, trade show and events manager with Philips North America, Oral Healthcare, needed a more intimate space for a national sales meeting with 125 attendees last summer, and Nashville was a fit for that meeting, too. “It was a central location for our staff to fly into from all over North America and we knew the city would offer fun activity options for a corporate event,” she says.

The Philips meeting was set at Loews Vanderbilt Hotel. “The property has a more executive, exclusive feel to it as you enter,” Farmer says. “It isn’t as large and overwhelming as other hotel chain properties can be.”

Food and beverage at the hotel was definitely a highlight. “In a post-event survey sent to all of our guests, the No. 1 favorite was the food and beverage. It was absolutely the best we’ve ever had at any hotel in the country,” Farmer says. “By far. Big kudos to the catering staff. They were fantastic and deserve a five-star rating.”

Also deserving of praise was the A/V team. “They were so professional, knowledgeable and easy to work with, especially the team that helped us during our general session,” she adds.

Décor and restaurants in the hotel were another hit. “Attendees loved the décor in the music-themed rooms,” Farmer says. “And many mentioned the great food in Mason’s, a restaurant downstairs in the hotel, as well as the fantastic specialty cocktails at Mason’s Bar.”

Farmer has praise all around for all of the Loews Vanderbilt staff. “I wish I could remember everyone’s name as everyone at the hotel was incredible,” she says. “But specifically Taneka Benjamin, who was a wonderful planning partner, along with Shane Fortner, the sales lead. And there were so many others who helped us throughout the days onsite.”

Loews Vanderbilt completed a full renovation of its Symphony Ballroom last year, including a new pre-function area, carpeting, walls and fixtures to create a sleek, modern space. One of its new lunch offerings available to groups for catering or to-go orders on arrival or departure day is a “create-your-own-healthy-lunch-bowl” from a customized menu at Mason’s and Mason’s Bar on weekdays.

While destination is a key component of any meeting, it’s the hotel staff and relationships upon which planners so often rely. When Susan Moss brought a technology summit to Nashville related to intellectual and developmental disabilities, it was the staff at Hotel Preston that made all the difference. “The catering staff at Hotel Preston has done a great job on the latest projects I’ve worked on with them,” she says.

And though the conference space was undergoing renovation during last year’s meeting, it’s the service level of the staff, particularly the sales manager, that Moss thinks back on. “Our sales manager was very attentive,” she says, “continuously checking in to ensure everything was running smoothly — really going that extra mile.”

Shortly after that meeting, a full renovation of Hotel Preston was completed, including updates to public spaces, meeting rooms, outdoor spaces and all guest rooms. Among the new amenities: Guests can call down and have an acoustic guitar delivered to their room — the perfect way to practice for one of Nashville’s music-oriented team-building sessions.

Advantage to Using Local DMCs

Local DMCs always have their finger on the pulse of the cities in which they work, and thus can help direct planners to exactly the right venues, activities and services to elevate their specific meetings. Nashville is no exception. Robyn Bass, DMCP, owner and president and CEO of Maple Ridge Events, a Hosts Global member, is one such resource. She worked on an April event drawing 1,700 attendees, which used multiple downtown hotels and notably one of Nashville’s most famous streets.

“Nashville served as the perfect location for this group as it’s situated in the middle of the country and provides easy access with multiple direct flights from both regional and national locations,” Bass says. “Most guests were staying at hotels within walking distance of Broadway and the Music City Center, our amazing convention center. This saves on transportation costs and allows guests to experience the heart of Nashville at their leisure, beyond set activities.”

A significant element of the annual summit was a private street party. “The main event was closure of Nashville’s famed Broadway.” Bass says. “We closed it between 3rd and 4th avenues and bought out multiple honky-tonks to give attendees the exclusiveness of a Broadway street party and the ability to bar-hop like locals do. The street closure included a custom Beer Garden, five local food trucks, fair games and a photo booth. The honky-tonks were filled with additional custom branding, entertainment and Nashville-themed food and beverage.”

Closing any street in Nashville is not easy, according to Bass. “But the most popular one, Broadway, is almost impossible. So, knowing the city’s pain points and avoiding them all together can help for a smooth process and program.”

That’s where a DMC can pave the way to fulfill a group’s ideal in terms of a truly “wow” experience. “Nashville is a unique city, which presents some challenges,” Bass says. “Working with a DMC that has relationships with the city and a pulse on the ever-changing landscape of what is — and more importantly, is not — possible in Music City can save planners a lot of headaches.”

For planners and their groups, the challenge is often patience, as was the case for this client in terms of closing part of Broadway. “The city, even if verbally committing, will not issue the actual permit for public-property events until two weeks before the event date,” Bass says. “So, you have to remain patient as you cannot rush them — and then have a hell of a backup plan just in case.” One thing Bass hopes is that planners have an open mind when it comes to hotels in Nashville, perhaps especially budget-friendly hotels.

Incredible Destination Growth Continues

“There are so many new hotels popping up daily, many of which exceed what we may think of as their ‘brand standard,’” Bass says. “We’ve all stayed in the old Holiday Inn atriums with rooms facing the pool in the middle, but our new Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites Nashville Downtown-Convention Center is unlike any I’ve ever seen. The soon-to-open Drury Plaza Hotel Nashville Downtown also exceeds all preconceived notions of a Drury hotel. From meeting rooms to décor to quality of service, all of our hotels in Nashville go above and beyond to provide an experience you can’t get in any other city.”

Jacqueline Marko, CMP, DMCP, regional general manager with PRA Nashville and PRA Louisville, calls Nashville’s incredible growth and evolution an asset. “Nashville is known as Music City, so many visitors come for the amazing music scene. They’re hoping to hear the next ‘it’ artist at the honky-tonks on Broadway, which feature live music open to close from up-and-coming artists.”

In addition to music, she points out, “Nashville is becoming known for its quirky neighborhoods featuring local artisans and chef-driven restaurants, including some of the top-rated restaurants in the country.”

Nashville has seen record-breaking year-over-year growth since 2010, Marko says. “In response, the city is expanding its international airport with more direct flights, such as British Airway’s direct flight between London and Nashville launched last year. There’s also substantial hotel development underway. There are more than 5,000 rooms currently in construction in the metro Nashville area.”

Although music has been a staple of Nashville meetings for years, planners can find many ways to give attendees unique, even one-of-a-kind experiences. “That might be hosting dinner on stage at the world-famous Ryman Auditorium with an intimate performance from Grammy award-winning songwriters telling the stories behind the music they wrote, or a private concert at a honky-tonk with an internationally renowned artist,” Marko says. Bottom line: “Groups want, and attendees expect, experiences that are all about the music.”

Team-building Opportunities Galore

Music can be part of team-building, too. “While attendees certainly expect to hear music in Music City, they don’t always expect to make it,” Marko notes. “A popular team-building option we offer is a songwriting experience where we pair small teams with a local songwriter. They’re given a topic and about an hour, then perform the song they wrote in front of the rest of the group. You would be surprised how even those who usually shy away from the microphone let out their inner star in this friendly competition.”

Nashville’s evolving food scene is also fodder for team activities, according to Marko, from a cooking demonstration and tasting with a local top chef to a throw-down team-building competition on which a team can make the best barbecue sauce.

Marko points out that another positive for the city is that many venues and activities for groups are within about 20 minutes of each other. “We often hear from clients that they don’t want their attendees to sit on a bus for more than 30 minutes. From our airport to the convention hotels to the main attractions throughout town, everything is in close proximity, so attendees can spend more time in their cowboy boots on the dance floor than sitting on the bus waiting to get to their offsite event destination.”

With all the positives, it shouldn’t be surprising that Nashville is popular these days, and that means planners have to be proactive. “Start planning early” is Marko’s advice. “Many are surprised by Nashville’s popularity and the fact that last-minute bookings can be difficult. If you know you want to bring your group to Nashville and you’re within a 12-month booking window, flexibility is key.”

Like other DMCs, Marko works with all of the city’s hotels but does have a preferred relationship with a few hotels in the city, which can mean savings for planners. “PRA has established preferred relationships with Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, Omni Nashville Hotel, Hilton Nashville Downtown, The Westin Nashville, Kimpton Aertson Hotel, Bobby Hotel, The Hermitage Hotel and Union Station Hotel Nashville.”

On the hotel front, there’s lots going on in the city. Hilton Nashville Downtown, adjacent to Bridgestone Arena, recently transformed its Trattoria Il Mulino patio into a fully enclosed space for year-round dining and events. In ideal weather it can be opened up via garage-type doors and windows, meaning planners don’t have to worry if the weather turns bad on their outdoor event — plan A and plan B are in the same spot. The patio accommodates 80 for a reception, 32 for a seated event.

Sheraton Grand Nashville Downtown has already completed a $35 million renovation that updated guest rooms, public spaces and meeting space.

Branson’s Virgin Hotels Nashville is slated to open in the historic Music Row area this December, while Margaritaville Hotel Nashville should open in SoBro this fall. A new W Hotel Nashville is among those scheduled to open in 2020.

And then there’s the Sinatra Bar & Lounge — a tribute to Frank Sinatra and the good music, good food and good spirits he loved. The venue, scheduled to open in early 2020, is set in a historic 19th century building in Printer’s Alley. Sinatra’s preferred drink, Jack Daniels, will be front and center on the “old school” cocktail list.

There’s a reason 15.2 million visitors headed to Nashville last year, many of them to attend conferences and other business meetings. The mix of music, history, a cutting-edge culinary scene, vibrant industry, a central geographic location and a creative, service-oriented CVB all add up to make Nashville a destination that should top any planner’s list.C&IT

Sun and Sand Sit Atop the List for Attendees at These Destinations

With sun-warmed beaches, iridescent waters and breathtaking sunsets, the Caribbean and the Bahamas is naturally linked with the ultimate personal and professional getaways. Within the last several years, these island destinations have become more than just a few moments in paradise. In fact, various locales within the Caribbean have turned into key destinations as meeting planners discover that they can double as the perfect meeting and event setting. Hosting meetings in the Caribbean and in the Bahamas offers a combination of adventure travel and memorable surroundings.

Resorts in such popular locales as the Bahamas, St. Lucia, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic are hastening to offer meeting and event packages for meeting planners looking for unique locales. Resorts throughout the U.S. Virgin Islands, including St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix, as well as Aruba, offer packages that can meet the needs of meeting and incentive events of all sizes.

The Bahamas Are Beckoning

Diane Murray, CMP, CIS, HMCC, president of SITE Chicago and president of Options4Meetings, recently organized a customer appreciation program for 65 attendees at the Sandals Royal Bahamian resort in Nassau, Bahamas.

“The closeness and ease to get to the islands from the U.S. is very appealing,” Murray says. “There are lots of flights, as well as English-speaking residents. Beautiful blue calm waters and sandy beaches, casinos, and friendly locals are also key.” In addition, Murray has found the Bahamas to be low-risk, safe, clean and well-maintained islands, offering both metropolitan areas as well as beach paradise locations.

To make a meeting or event in the Bahamas as streamlined as possible, Murray works with the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism to stay abreast of island developments, services and new venues. “There are numerous resorts with great meeting space options,” Murray says. “Since the Bahamas has been a destination for many years it has well-developed services.”

Lauren Grech, CEO and co-founder of LLG Events, says that in the Bahamas, the new Grand Hyatt Baha Mar resort destination is definitely a differentiator. “It’s a luxury collection of three oceanfront properties, offering an option for every preference,” Grech says. “Between this collaboration, there’s over 40 dining and nightlife options that are perfect for planners to create a unique experience, or for attendees to unwind after a day in a conference. Everything you need is onsite.”

According to Grech, the Bahamas was selected as a destination for an event the firm recently planned because traveling to the ocean oasis is as easy as domestic travel.

There are direct flights from a number of cities, and the destination takes care of customs and immigration before you fly home to the United States,” Grech says. “That way, you don’t have to worry about any travel stress after having spent a few days relaxing in the Bahamas sun.”

Bilingual Bliss

Puerto Rico has long been one of the world’s most popular destination locales. Offering high-quality facilities, stunning backdrops and hundreds of different activities, Puerto Rico is the perfect place for a meeting planner to find exactly what they want.

While many think of Puerto Rico as being strictly a “beach” destination, the country offers a wealth of options for those who seek more variety for their event. In addition to some of the world’s most celebrated locales — from golden beaches with turquoise waters, to old colonial cities teeming with charming buildings, cobbled streets, and classic archways — Puerto Rico gives planners the utmost in choice and opportunity for their meeting or incentive event.

Considered to be one of the most beautiful, culturally diverse and accessible islands in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico is a sunburst of tropical indulgences. If this is paradise — and many say it is — being a U.S. territory it affords all the advantages of U.S. travel, with plenty of exotic flourishes to savor. Even veteran planners, accustomed to crossing off names of destinations with “been-there, done-that” abandon, find themselves returning year after year to this palm-swept Caribbean jewel.

Old San Juan, an eight-square-block city that dates back to the early 1500s, is teeming with narrow cobblestone streets studded with cobalt blue stones and pastel-colored buildings with filigreed wrought iron adornments, statue-filled plazas, mosaic-tiled churches and chapels, and the red cupolas framing Spanish colonial-style buildings.

Condado is San Juan’s sophisticated mecca of glittering hotels, Las Vegas-style casinos, and Latinesque discos, with all of the high-rise hotels, haute couture boutiques, art deco buildings and white sandy beaches, Condado is the closest thing to Miami Beach in the Caribbean.

Looking for a fun group excursion? Castillo San Felipe del Morro, a six-tiered fortress, rises nearly 150 feet above the waves that lap at its base. For centuries, this monumental walled fort repelled raids of pirates and other oceanic marauders. Its labyrinth of secret tunnels, ramparts, vaults and dungeons beckons the adventuresome attendee to explore.

Just 100 miles long and 35 miles wide, Puerto Rico is compact, allowing visitors to venture into the island’s remote depths on day trips from San Juan. It is a magical destination, where the familiar mixes with the exotic and with its close proximity to the United States, Puerto Rico is the shortcut to paradise for meeting and event attendees.

Caribbean Gems

The Dominican Republic is truly a natural paradise and a wonderful, low-cost alternative for many meeting and event planners. This tropical treat offers world-class resorts, pristine beaches, off-the-beaten-path ecotourism opportunities and awe-inspiring undersea water life. Attendees can explore seaside villages, bike through jungles teeming with gushing waterfalls, or shop to their heart’s content in many of its charming historic colonial towns.

Nearby Jamaica offers a unique beauty all its own. All-inclusive resort amenities abound throughout this iconic Caribbean destination. A meeting mecca that celebrates the country’s spirited culture, Montego Bay is an ideal location for event attendees looking to work some and play some. With more than 3,000 species of flowering plants, Jamaica is a wonderland of “all things tropical” and truly offers an idyllic paradise for respite seekers and adventure lovers alike.

Michelle Esteban, CEO and lead planner at The Occasion, organized an incentive event in Jamaica for 120 top sales employees for a corporate client. “This was their annual sales incentive ‘President’s Club’ trip and the event was held at the Half Moon hotel in Montego Bay,” Esteban says. “This hotel is among the top three most luxurious hotels on the island and is a mixture of ocean view villas along with single guest rooms.” All activities held during the five-day event could be held on property because the venue’s expansive size allows for plenty of space.

“Jamaica is an amazing destination with spectacular venues. The vibe in this country is like no other Caribbean island,” Esteban says. “The food, the people and the beaches are only a few reasons why this destination is so popular.”

Over the five days, there were private events which included restaurant buy outs, private musical bands, iron chef competitions with local chefs as well as a few flown in from Canada. There were also personalized gifts and personalized company decor throughout the venue with specific directional signs for guests.

Like Jamaica, Saint Lucia is the ideal destination for meetings, incentive, conferences and special interest groups. With nonstop flights from major cities, Saint Lucia welcomes delegates from across the U.S., Canada and globally. The island has a diverse range of accommodations to fit all budgets and niches — from smaller properties where a group can do a takeover, to larger resorts that can accommodate 100+ rooms. Many of the properties offer state-of-the-art equipment to host meetings and conferences.

Saint Lucia offers conference facilities right on the beach at a wealth of resorts, hotels, guest houses and private villas tucked in the beautiful surroundings. And when meeting planners combine business with sightseeing tours and other activities, they can offer meeting and event attendees a balanced approach to work and relaxation. From the beach, to the famous mud baths, zip lines, cultural and heritage tours and street parties, attendees can find a variety of activities to enjoy.

For meeting planners looking for help in orchestrating a tropical getaway on Saint Lucia, there are several destination management companies with which the St. Lucia Tourism Authority works. They can help prepare itineraries to suit the needs of attendees, who can be as adventurous as they would like.

Aruba also has become a favorite among meeting planners who are looking for the wealth of culture and adventurous options for attendees.

Aruba recently hosted an annual incentive trip where 230 top-qualified sales executives attended after winning a trip for excellent performance. This was a five-day trip held in one of Aruba’s top resorts on Palm Beach. The meeting planner worked with a local DMC where they organized custom activities for the group, including a nice welcome experience on the beach and a “dine-around tour” where the groups were divided in three and rotated to experience a different culinary treat for each course.

The meeting planner also included an activity day where participants could choose between ATV rides, a catamaran trip, horseback riding, deep-sea fishing or kite surfing.

“The objective was to organize a trip that they cannot do on their own,” says Diantha Boekhouwer, conferences and events liaison at the Aruba Convention Bureau. For example, they organized a night at the Ayo Rock Formations, a unique experience in Aruba’s nature — which is usually only open during the day and hosted an original event at night with a band, fireworks, etc.

“The island of Aruba is very diverse and people love the fact that they can be on a 4×4 utility vehicle tour in the middle of the arid Arikok National Park in the morning and on the beach a few hours later,” Boekhouwer says.

Aruba is not a destination for very large groups. Since it’s a small island, it can comfortably host groups of up to around 500 people. While they do host some larger groups, the hotels are smaller and more focused on these sizes of incentive groups.

However, it an easy destination to plan for with experienced hotel staff and destination management companies on the island. A significant number of groups come year after year due in part to the ease of planning.

To make the most of a meeting or incentive trip to Aruba, meeting planners should reach out to the Aruba Convention Bureau. Their main objective is to make planning as easy as possible as they work with all partners on the island to ensure the best experience possible for every group.

Aruba offers a wealth of different types of meeting spaces, including executive boardrooms, expansive ballrooms, state-of-the-art multimedia theaters and many options offering wall-to-wall views of the Caribbean. More than a dozen properties can accommodate conferences as well, and each is equipped with banquet halls, meeting rooms and breakout venues for classroom sessions and smaller events.

And best of all, the island is situated outside of the “hurricane belt” which means visitors to Aruba can enjoy a wealth of outdoor events, activities and group excursions with very little rain or major seasonal storms impacting their experiences.

The U.S. Virgin Islands at Their Best

The U.S. Virgin Islands offer an idyllic Caribbean setting for meetings and incentive travel. Its various accommodation options, activities, attractions and island flair appeal to groups of all sizes. Also, with “no passport required” for U.S. citizens, the Virgin Islands are accessible for meeting groups seeking a hassle-free, Caribbean destination.

Although the islands is still recovering from past hurricanes, about 80 percent of accommodations across the U.S. territory are open and accepting guests; other properties continue to repair or rebuild.

Melissa Sparks, global account director with HPN Global, recently orchestrated a corporate incentive event for their top producers along with their spouses/guests. It was held for 35 couples at The Buccaneer in St. Croix for three nights and four days.

“All receptions and dinners were at the resort, which did an exceptional job of servicing the group,” Sparks says. “The couples had plenty of time to relax, gather and explore the island.”

The Virgin Islands destination was chosen by the company president, who was interested in the locale because he had spent a personal vacation there years earlier. At the time of booking, the resorts were limited due to the 2017 hurricanes, which hit the islands very hard. However, The Buccaneer was open and ready to accommodate them.

St. Croix, the largest of the three U.S. Virgin Islands, offers meeting and event planners a variety of options for meetings in paradise. Attendees can enjoy a horseback ride along scenic trails, play blackjack at the casino or relax on miles of barely touched white sand beaches. St. Croix features venues ranging from museums to historic forts, sugar mills and great houses for groups seeking to incorporate cultural elements in their itinerary.

The smallest of the three islands is St. John, which also provides many options for group activities. Countless beaches and offshore activities including Lime Out VI, a new floating taco bar, are available for groups to explore. Given that 2/3 of St. John is part of the Virgin Islands National Park, groups can enjoy the various hiking trails and ruins dotted throughout the island.

A selection of private settings for offsite offerings can be found on the island of St. Thomas. Paradise Point, which is 700 feet above the capital city of Charlotte Amalie, features multilevel decks and can accommodate up to 200 guests. Coral World Ocean Park is available for buyouts and Yacht Haven Grande and St. Thomas Yacht Club are ideal for corporate gatherings seeking great views.

In addition, the United States Virgin Islands Department of Tourism has launched Purpose in Paradise, a program that enhances the territory’s network of “community-based philanthropic activities and strengthens the region’s ability to attract visitors in search of purpose-driven travel opportunities” according to a news release. The initiative pairs visitors who are interested in helping the territory’s recovery efforts with local nonprofit organizations in need of assistance with specific projects.

In addition to the opportunity to participate in a purpose-driven project, Purpose in Paradise allows visitors who may not be able to donate time in person to contribute financially to the territory’s recovery. Groups such as Friends of Virgin Islands National Park in St. John, the St. Croix Landmarks Society and the Family Resource Center in St. Thomas are just a few examples of the many organizations that are performing essential community-based work.

The U.S. Virgin Islands are easy to get to and you do not need a passport,” Sparks says. “Needless to say, it is absolutely beautiful and perfect for an incentive retreat. I have personally been to both St. Thomas and St. John many times and St. John is my absolute favorite place in the Caribbean.” C&IT

Beach events are fun, but there’s a lot of planning involved. A local DMC can ensure things run smoothly. Credit: 360 Destination Group

As most experienced planners will agree, destination management companies are destination experts and far-sighted professionals who gather meeting planners’ visions and help pull the threads of an event together by providing creative solutions and event design concepts that truly “wow.” As Jennifer Patino, DMCP, CEO of Hosts Global explains, DMCs provide risk mitigation using trusted suppliers, venues and relationships to deliver a safe, effective plan for clients. Each program is developed with not only creative strategies in mind but also a sound logistical plan and attention to the potential what ifs — weather or other business disruptors — that could impact the outcome of a program’s success. While rarely needing to employ “Plan B,” the job of DMCs is to consider many factors to ensure they are proactively planning to execute seamlessly for clients.

“For planners, using a DMC is like having their own trusted VIP concierge,” says Catherine Chaulet, president of Global DMC Partners. “DMCs have a wealth of local connections to make sure attendees will experience the most exclusive activities their destination has to offer,” Chaulet says. “They know best how to showcase their destination and local culture to attendees, elevating the program for a truly authentic experience.”

Dan Tavrytzky, managing director of DMC Network, agrees that DMCs are an educated connection to a destination. Essentially they are the experts in the cities in which they live and work.

“In the DMC Network, we like to say that our partner DMCs are the mayors of their towns,” Tavrytzky says. “They know all of the key vendors, local hot and cold spots, key stakeholders and how to bring out the best in their destination to match the needs and budget of their client.”

As such, a DMC should be viewed as an event or meeting partner, creating a vision for a program in tandem with the client — namely a meeting or event planner.

“In the DMC Network, we like to say that our partner DMCs are the mayors of their towns. They know all of the key vendors, local hot and cold spots, key stakeholders and how to bring out the best in their destination to match the needs and budget of their client.”
Dan Tavrytzky

The value of a DMC is often best told by painting a picture. The Japanese DMC partner of Global DMC Partners recently managed an incentive program in Tokyo and Kyoto for 55 attendees from Brazil. As Chaulet explains, the planning of this incentive group was particularly challenging, especially where dining and gala dinner venues were concerned.

“Japan is known to have a very rigid structure in place with traditionally early closing times for restaurants and gala venues,” Chaulet says. “The Japanese tend to eat dinner early — between 6 and 8 p.m. — and the planner wanted to offer dinners starting later in the evening at around 9 or so, which is more typical in Latin America.” Destination Asia, a Global DMC Partner, not only worked closely with their connections at all the local restaurants to ensure the client’s specific needs and timing could met, but also sourced a traditional Japanese gala venue in Kyoto that was able to cater to a group wanting to party past midnight with traditional Japanese drumming as entertainment.

“In the end, our experienced DMC partner was able to deliver the incentive just as the client desired,” Chaulet says. “And the guests left Japan with a glowing impression of what the country has to offer. “

As DMCs aren’t membership-based, they offer a complete, unbiased view of the market. Joe Fijol, managing partner, Florida, 360 Destination Group, explains that this comprehensive knowledge and experience enables them to give planners insight into the pros and cons of all the options based on their goals and needs.

“A good DMC will tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear,” Fijol says. “DMCs have their finger on the pulse of what’s new in the market and the experience and working knowledge of the details and logistics that can make or break a program. A good DMC knows how to make the walls disappear between a meeting planner’s office and theirs, providing transparency and serving as a seamless extension of the meeting or event planner’s team.”

Jeff Nelke, DMCP, partner – South Florida at ACCESS Destination Services, stresses that meeting and event planners could use more hours in a day and more hands to do the heavy lifting come meeting operation time. That’s where DMCs come in.

“DMCs offer planners a resource to expand their teams and local expertise needed to help pull that proverbial rabbit out of the hat,” Nelke says. “This can be accomplished via a myriad of services DMCs offer. The goal is always to add great efficiencies to the process.”

Imagine being in an unfamiliar, new destination where something goes wrong with your group. Or worse, imagine having to take an attendee to visit a doctor who does not speak your language. As Chaulet explains, common situations like these are when it’s crucial to have a DMC as a local partner. “Safety and security are top of mind for all DMCs,” Chaulet says. “They have local resources at hand to help put together the strongest contingency plans and be ready to take care of any emergency — big or small.”

Strategies to Take

Like any product or service purchase, doing your homework, asking for referrals and conducting research will give meeting planners the confidence to know they made the right choice in a DMC. The DMC world is proud to have an industry association — Association of Destination Management Executives International (ADMEI) — that supports and promotes the professional aspects of the work of DMCs and provides an accreditation that recognizes DMCs. This recognition means the designated DMCs have gone through the educational rigors and work history to show that they are professional and experienced experts in their field with staff who have a Destination Management Certified Professional certification (DMCP).

“These credentials certainly convey that a DMC is dedicated to its profession and craft and not just working from a kitchen table with a glitzy website,” Tavrytzky says.

Patino agrees. “Looking for an accredited DMC allows you to know that you’re working with a vetted DMC. Look for those companies that have singular focus around their respective destinations with staff possessing certifications such as DMCP, CMP or other such certifications that attest to ongoing education,” Patino says. A planner will be best served in finding a DMC that is client focused — demonstrating the necessary knowledge to deliver on expectations.

“Clients are particularly interested in working with an organization that focuses on account management, allowing each current and future destination to build upon the value of shared experiences and allows fluid engagement,” Patino says.

When establishing a potential relationship with a DMC, there are some key questions meeting planners need to ask, including requesting referrals and samples of past work, which will support the current proposal under review. Tavrytzky also advises meeting planners to ask an official at the DMC about its history, industry involvement, community engagement, insurance levels, accreditations and awards.

“This will also help paint a picture for the type of organization you will be hiring to execute your vision as it’s important that a rapport and trust are created to have a successful working relationship,” Tavrytzky says. “There’s also value in being part of a larger organization that further supports the DMC’s mission and value.”

Chaulet says the questions every planner needs to ask include: How is the DMC structured to be able to operate their program and manage the program until it operates? Can the DMC provide client and vendor references along with insurance certificates? Is the DMC part of a larger DMC network to have additional backing and support?

Additionally, working with a network such as Global DMC Partners, which has over 65 elite DMCs in over 500 locations, will ensure that a planner is working with the best DMCs in each market.

“Before they become a member, each of our DMC partners goes through an extensive vetting process to ensure they are financially sound, well-established, highly recommended and the most creative DMC in their market,” Chaulet says. Chaulet and her team go through the entire process of reviewing their insurance certificates, organizational structure and policies, proposal templates, client and vendor references and their membership in industry organizations.

“It is extremely time-consuming to assess DMCs on your own, so part of our value is that we take that first step — the DMC vetting process — off the planner’s hands so they can focus on other important aspects of their meeting or event,” Chaulet says.

Determining if a DMC has related experience either within a specific industry or the type of event or meeting being held also is paramount. “Find out if the DMC will be operating other programs or have commitments during that time, as that can impact how a meeting is managed,” Fijol says. “Also confirm they have an office in the designated market as that is an indicator of the depth of their relationships and knowledge.”

Be sure to also review a DMC’s staffing plan for a meeting or event program. “Unfortunately sometimes planners get sold the dream and delivered the nightmare, so taking time to ensure sufficient operations support is critical,” Fijol says.

After selecting a DMC, a meeting planner should have clear and transparent goals and shared budgets, both of which are vital for a successful program creation.

“Understanding the parameters of past program successes and failures will help to frame the work to be done and clarify the expected outcomes,” Tavrytzky says. “Also, open, honest and timely communication is key for both the planner and the DMC. Like any relationship, the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it. A great client and DMC relationship is the opposite of transactional — it’s collaborative.”

Fijol also recommends establishing a communication structure that includes regular check-ins to review important information and deadlines at each stage.

“Often a DMC will offer to travel to a planner’s office for a planning day, which is a great way to kick off the partnership and make them an extension of the meeting planner’s team,” Fijol says.

Also be sure to plan at the onset for the worst-case scenario. In doing so, the DMC should review all the potential things that could go wrong — weather, public health issues, or a government shutdown — and be equipped with processes and insurances to make sure the meeting and event is covered.

“Luck favors the prepared, and DMCs have firsthand experience should a planner be faced with a challenge or obstacle they can’t control,” Fijol says.

Once you select your DMC partner, one key way to get the most from the partnership is a “deep dive” conversation. As Nelke explains, this entails exploring a planner’s needs and meeting goals to assure alignment and prevent overstep. An example of this might be determining who is pulling a special event permit and managing the local regulatory obligations.

Patino and her team at Hosts Global have found that the smoothest and most effective relationships begin with adequate time allocated to discovery about the breadth of a meeting’s needs and goals as well as learning more about the various stakeholders for the client’s meetings.

“A proper intake question-and-answer session between the DMC and client allows the DMC to uncover pain points and opportunities to become a valued resource for the planner,” Patino says. “Understanding how the client will measure success for any program allows a proactive approach to the proposed services.”

Mistakes to Avoid

A DMC selection should be viewed similar to hiring an employee. As Fijol explains, DMCs work best with clients when the shared goal is to develop a long-term partnership.

“Treating a DMC like a vendor is short sighted and a planner will limit their team as they won’t achieve the benefits and efficiency that a deeper, trusted relationship can offer,” Fijol says.

One of the key mistakes meeting planners make when working with DMCs is offering minimal communication. “Clients who can openly communicate and share information in a timely fashion will be better positioned to get the full value and partnership from their chosen DMC,” Tavrytzky says.

Some planners also may not share the appropriate amount of information with the DMC, specifically around program budget, history and expectations. As Chaulet explains, attempting to get the best price by not sharing the budget or pushing too hard to bring the costs down can cause the planner to lose sight of the end result and the most important part of the program — the attendee experience.

“A DMC can provide exceptional options for a whole range of budget needs, but without any idea of the budget up front, the DMC doesn’t have any direction on how best to meet a planner’s needs,” Chaulet says. If there isn’t a specific budget, giving a range, or a couple of ranges is fine so a planner can see the different options at different price points. Ultimately, a DMC needs to know if they are working with a $5,000 budget or a $40,000 budget to know what options to propose so that they don’t get turned away prematurely with the planner thinking they are just too expensive.

Additionally, Chaulet stresses that sharing the program’s history is just as crucial. “Being too vague or using general statements around needing something new and creative isn’t enough,” Chaulet says. Planners must share past experiences, videos, pictures of the program, and how it was operated in the past so the DMC has a clear direction of what kind of elements the planner is looking to incorporate.

“What is new and creative to one client might be old and tired to someone else, so clearly outlining expectations is essential,” Chaulet says.

Underutilization also is one of the largest missed opportunities of working with a DMC. “Maximizing each other’s resources to come together under a common meeting goal can be the difference between a good and ‘wow’ meeting,” Nelke says.

The future looks promising for solid relationships between corporate meeting planners and DMCs. As such, Patino expects the role of DMCs to continue to grow and thrive in the meetings planning industry, especially for those that pursue best-practice development, ongoing education and a client centric approach.

“Good DMCs remain an essential extension and resource to planners,” Patino says. “The sheer number of hours it would require for a planner to conduct a thorough vetting of all local services and goods, establish the logistical plan and provide the proper team to execute on the vision of the program validates the value of a great DMC partner.”C&IT

Indianapolis is becoming more popular with the versatility of the Indiana Convention Center, which is adding a 235,000-sf expansion that includes a 50,000-sf ballroom. Credit: Visit Indy

There was a time when planners chose meeting destinations by selecting one of the biggest that offered the most of everything at the best prices.

Not anymore. Finding value in destinations of all sizes is more important than ever as meeting budgets shrink or remain flat while attendees’ expectations for unique experiences rise.

That’s why destinations aggressively seek to offer value by providing top services and building new hotels and venues while expanding and renovating existing ones.

Here are some of the destinations that are establishing reputations for providing value.

Indianapolis

When it comes to what Indianapolis offers planners, the Visit Indy website says it all: “If you can dream it, Indy can make it happen.”

Indianapolis made it happen last May for 2,500 software engineers and sales employees of Siemens PLM Software Inc.

Sally DeBolt, CMP, senior event manager, global events, Siemens Digital Industry Software, says Indianapolis was chosen for its value and other reasons.

“Indianapolis is a centralized location for many of our users, and offered a hotel package with a variety of service types and price points, and the affordability helped us sell the event as a whole,” DeBolt says.

“As a result, the decision to attend was a good value proposition,” DeBolt says. “Also, options for using venues such as Lucas Oil Stadium for our opening reception gave us the opportunity to provide some unique experiences for our guests.”

The Siemens Digital Industry Software citywide meeting involved half of the Indiana Convention Center (ICC) space and six hotels, and the properties were a perfect match. “We obviously fit very well in the vast amount of space available,” DeBolt says. “We are incredibly space heavy with 40-50 concurrent breakout rooms and exhibit space.”

Judy Payne, CMP, director, meetings and travel, GameStop, was also impressed by the meeting and hotel space in Indianapolis. Payne planned GameStop’s recent 2019 annual conference for 7,000 attendees.

“Our host hotel was the Marriott, but we also used the Embassy, Westin, Crowne Plaza, Hyatt Regency, and Marriott Tri-brand,” Payne says. “All of our meeting space was at the convention center. The beauty of Indianapolis is not only are all these hotels across the street from the convention center, but they’re also connected. Attendees can elect to cross the street outside or stay in the skywalk to get to the center,” Payne says.

The ICC met the conference’s needs in a way no other facility had. “GameStop has extensive A/V in our meeting rooms to support our gaming sessions, so we require a lot of space,” Payne says. “In most other cities we use the full convention center plus all of the space at our host hotels. Indy was the first city where we could put all of our sessions under one roof.”

“Not only was their more than enough space,” Payne adds, “Our attendees said that the ICC was the easiest center in which to get around. It’s well laid-out and has lots of common space for our crowd.”

Leonard Hoops, Visit Indy president and CEO, says more planners are discovering Indianapolis’ value, especially in hotel prices. Indianapolis’ hotel rates for comparable properties are consistently more affordable than cities that offer similar convention district amenities,” Hoops says.

The downtown Wholesale District also contributes to the value. “Indy’s thoughtfully designed district provides unbeatable value both to event decision-makers and their attendees,” Hoops says. “The event package includes a centrally located convention center with 12 hotels totaling more than 4,700 hotel rooms directly connected by enclosed skywalks.”

The district will offer even more after the ICC completes a 235,000 sf expansion that includes a 50,000-sf ballroom, the state’s largest, and 30,000 sf of additional meeting rooms.

The ICC will also add 1,400 adjacent hotel rooms after two Hilton-branded hotel towers are constructed by 2023. In addition, another 1,800 downtown hotel rooms are under development. The new properties will include the Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Aloft Hotels and west elm Hotels brands.

Milwaukee

There was a time when some people jokingly referred to Milwaukee as Chicago’s smaller, friendlier cousin. Milwaukee residents think there is some truth to the saying and would add that the city’s value is also something to brag about.

According to the VISIT Milwaukee website, “Milwaukee is an exciting meetings destination with an unexpected ‘wow’ factor, and all this at substantial cost savings.”

In addition, the website boasts about “5,000 hotel rooms located downtown at average daily costs of lodging and meals that are among the lowest in our competitive set.”

The hotels include The Pfister hotel downtown, which hosted a corporate meeting earlier this year for 125 attendees.

According to Tracey Bockhop, CMP, CEO of Meet Meetings, a Verona, WI-based meeting and event planning company, “The Pfister is laid out almost perfect for our group. We had all our meeting space on the same level and moving from meetings to meals went so smoothly. The hotel has a lot of spaces for this size group and was able to accommodate us while keeping costs affordable.”

In addition, Bockhop says, “Our attendees were in intense meetings all day long and having such beautiful space and natural light in the hotel really helped them stay engaged and productive.”

Meeting in Milwaukee — in February  — and possibly facing very cold weather did not deter Bockhop. “I know Milwaukee is usually not the first choice for a group in February, but we found it to be very beneficial,” Bockhop says.

Attendees enjoyed several offsite activities. “There were not a lot of distractions during the day and in the evening, we were able to load up buses and take them to the Harley-Davidson Museum for dinner and entertainment. There were so many other choices, but this fit our attendees best.”

Attendees also enjoyed activities within The Pfister. “With so many options in and around the hotel, they did not have to look to hard to find things to do,” Bockhop says. “The hotel has a bar on the top floor which provides amazing views and great drinks. They also made some new friends with another group in-house that was doing a scavenger hunt and some joined in.”

Paul Upchurch, VISIT Milwaukee president and CEO, says the city is appealing to more planners such as Bockhop.

“Consistently rated as a top destination among planners and attendees, Milwaukee is the city that planners want to work with, and attendees look forward to visiting,” Upchurch says. “Being within a single day’s drive of several Midwest cities and having an airport offering nonstop service from cities coast-to-coast, it’s easy to get to Milwaukee.”

“And once you’re here,” Upchurch adds, “it’s easy to get around our compact downtown area with our convention center campus and connecting hotels right in the center.”

Oklahoma City

Michael Carrier, CTA, president of the Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau, touts the city’s value for groups: “Our cost of living is one of the most affordable in the U.S. and visitors benefit from that,” he says.

Carrier has a simple strategy for spreading the word about Oklahoma City’s value and other strengths: “Tell planners in all markets what is being done in this renaissance city to serve their needs, and then do it all over again every day,” Carrier says.

Several factors contribute to Oklahoma City’s value.

“Oklahoma City is a large city with small-town feel,” Carrier says. “The friendly, down-home attitude is obvious to our visitors. Planners and their attendees get first-class service all over the city.”

Service standards remain high as the city expands its meetings facilities and infrastructure. “Many of our long-time customers remark how OKC has changed physically but maintains its small-town charm and care,” Carrier says.

Planners will have 200,000 sf of exhibit space when the new $288 million convention center opens in 2020 with 45,000 sf of flexible meeting space, including a 30,000-sf ballroom.

The convention center will have an adjacent, brand-new Omni headquarters hotel. The 17-floor, 605-room Omni will feature 78,000 sf of meeting, event and pre-function space. Completion is scheduled for 2021.

Other properties under construction include a six-story boutique hotel in the Midtown area. The property, which will be part of a national chain, will feature 110 rooms and 8,500 sf of retail space. Construction is expected to be completed by 2021.

The new hotel is part of Pivot Project, a Midtown redevelopment program that includes a new brewery, food hall and offices. The hotel will also be one of the 20 hotel stops for the new streetcar network that started operation at the end of 2018.

In addition, Will Rogers World Airport (WRWA) terminal launched an $89 million expansion project that includes four new airline gates, a consolidated security checkpoint and additional greeting lounge space. It’s the first major expansion at WRWA in 12 years. The project is scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2021.

Spokane, WA

Spokane is known for its plethora of outdoor activities, including 33 golf courses, 78 lakes and rafting on the Spokane River.

However, Spokane is also becoming known as an attractive meetings destination anchored by the Spokane Convention Center (SCC), which is connected to two hotels and offers 390,000 sf of total event space including 41 meeting and breakout rooms.

Last year, the SCC hosted 600 attendees for Reinke Manufacturing Company Inc.’s national sales meeting.

“Having direct access to the convention center — where all of our main events were held — from The Davenport Grand, Autograph Collection, which is connected, gave our attendees more time to enjoy Spokane as a whole,” says Stacey Bowers, Reinke meeting event planner. “They needed less time to transfer back and forth in between sessions and could get out and see the surrounding area.

The Davenport Grand, Autograph Collection had all the amenities the group needed. “We had one small meeting at the hotel prior to our event,” Bowers says. “The meeting space was great, and the food, beverage and service exceeded our expectations.”

In addition, the group took advantage of Spokane’s diverse activities.

“Our group enjoyed a trip to Coeur d’Alene for a lunch cruise, a golf outing at The Creek at Qualchan Golf Course and also a sporting clay tournament at the Double Barrel Ranch,” Bowers says.

“They really enjoyed the walkability of downtown Spokane as well as the rental scooters,” Bowers says. “There are so many local shops and restaurants that it was actually hard to choose what to do some evenings.”

New construction will create more activities and venue space.

According to Meg Winchester, CMP, president and CEO of Visit Spokane, “Riverfront Park, adjacent to the convention center, is in the final phase of a $64 million upgrade that includes the addition of a 4,000-seat outdoor pavilion ideal for concerts and large gatherings.”

In addition, Winchester says, “The First Interstate Center for the Arts, which is connected to the SCC, opened in November after renovation. It has 2,700 seats and is the inland Northwest’s premiere theater facility.”

Mobile, AL

The cultural center of the Gulf Coast, Mobile, AL offers value its boosters say compares favorably to bigger-named competitors.

According to David Clark, Visit Mobile president and CEO, “I look at reports for our comparable cities. We are significantly below the average daily rates (ADR) for our ‘comp set.’ The value here is a great opportunity for meetings and conventions. It’s a big deal when your rates are better than almost everybody else’s.”

Clark says a variety of factors contribute to Mobile’s value.

“The value of the overall customer experience is significant when you tie in the things to do in Mobile, the walkability of our city and the iconic lodging that we have at very affordable rates,” Clark says. “We have about 1,100 hotel rooms within two or three blocks of each other, including Renaissance and Hilton brands.”

There’s also more to do in Mobile than ever. The city has opened more than a dozen restaurants, bars and shops in recent years. “The culinary scene is on fire with 62 restaurants within five blocks of each other,” Clark says.

In addition, many of the hotels are near the state-of-the art Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center (AOMCC), the city’s prime meeting space. Planners are attracted to the center’s two ballrooms, each with 7,750 sf of space as well as 16 meeting rooms.

“We have made a few improvements in the AOMCC over the last few years with air walls and things like that,” Clark says. “We don’t have to improve a lot there. It’s one of the most beautiful in the nation. There are lots of windows and lights. It’s walkable to all downtown hotels.”

Meanwhile, Mobile officials have also been working hard to recruit cruise traffic back to the city and the effort is bringing results.

More than 2,400 passengers pass through the City of Mobile Terminal each day. Cruise traffic received a boost when Carnival Cruise Line agreed to extend the Carnival Fantasy’s stay in the city through November 2019.

Detroit

Detroit’s meetings industry has come a long way since the city filed for bankruptcy in 2013.

Since then, the city has turned around financially and become an increasingly popular option for planners, including Stephanie Gillett, manager, internal communication and events for Livonia, MI-based Pet Supplies Plus.

The company held its Leadership Summit for 750 employees, store managers, franchise owners and operators at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center.

Gillett chose Detroit and the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center after a thorough vetting process.

“I am very careful about choosing our venues because I want our people to see the kind of customer service we expect them to execute on the sales floor,” Gillett says. “I do site visits to make sure the space is adequate, but I won’t work with a group that’s not going to offer outstanding service.”

The Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center delivered.

“The level of customer service was second-to-none, which was a great thing to see,” Gillett says. “I had a group of go-to staffers at the Marriott that drove the meeting forward, taking care of one need after the next without hesitation. They handled one crazy situation after another.”

The Renaissance Center’s self-contained activities matched the group’s needs perfectly.

“The RenCen is a city unto itself,” Gillett says. “Our guests had a variety of restaurants and bars where they could escape the bigger group but not have to go outside. “From our point of view, it was great to keep the team so contained and close.”

On the other hand, the atmosphere outside of the Renaissance Center offered enjoyable experiences for attendees.

“You can just step outside and you’re on the RiverWalk, watching freighters go by, saying ‘Hello!’ to people on their fishing boats,” Gillett says. “And, of course, you can practically wave to Canada right across the street. We have lots of attendees who don’t travel except to our event, so seeing Canada was very cool for them.”

Gillett considers the meeting a big success because the destination and hotel helped her enhance attendee experiences and achieve meeting goals.

“Our goal for the meeting was to increase our team members’ engagement with the company and drive behaviors that help them provide an excellent shopping experience for our customers,” Gillett says. “The Marriott staff did everything in their power to provide our team with an experience they wouldn’t forget, with great service, a great Detroit theme, food and a great place to put on a party after the learning was done.”

Baltimore

Planners looking to stretch budgets while obtaining everything they need for meetings need look no further than “Charm City.”

According to Al Hutchinson, Visit Baltimore president and CEO, “Baltimore offers the perks of a big city without the price tag, plus the bonus of being located directly on the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore’s affordability and walkability make it an easy city to navigate knowing that wherever you decide to explore, there is always something new and exciting to discover.”

Meeting space is plentiful. More than 8,500 hotel rooms are located near the Baltimore Convention Center (BCC) and Inner Harbor.

The BCC, with 85,000 sf of meeting space that can accommodate up to 75 percent of meetings and conventions, is undergoing a $20 million in renovations.

“We continue to work with the Maryland Stadium Authority and Baltimore Development Corporation on plans to expand the BCC,” Hutchinson says. “Not only would the current proposed scenario allow us to market to more and larger groups by added square footage in exhibit, ballroom and meeting space, but also renovate the facility and further enhance our overall competitive position.”

Completed upgrades to the BCC include additions that planners seeking green-friendly will find attractive.

Recently, the BCC completed its 27,000-sf Outdoor Terrace Green Roof atop the exhibit hall. In addition, the BCC is also the first convention center to implement SOMAT, a waste-reduction process that decreases solid waste up to 90 percent and converts it into a useable soil product.

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, an energetic mid-sized city with a small-town feel, has made great strides as a meeting destination and is gaining national recognition.

For example, Pittsburgh ranks No. 3 on National Geographic Traveler’s 19 for 2019 Cool List. The destination was the only U.S. city on the list. Also, af&co., a restaurant and hospitality consulting firm, named Pittsburgh the 2019 Food City of the Year.

According to Craig Davis, VisitPITTSBURGH president and CEO, Pittsburgh’s value is very competitive.

“We compare strongly depending on how you classify our market set,” Davis says. “We compare ourselves against other mid-size cities in the Northeast. We have great four- and five-star hotels that, compared to other cities, are very affordable. We are right in the middle in terms of hotel affordability.”

Hotel rate value, coupled with the Platinum LEED-certified David L. Lawrence Convention Center (DLCC), is a winning combination for Pittsburgh.

AE Ventures, a South Easton, MA-based technology company, held its Total Tech Summit at the DLCC last year for 850 executives who stayed at the Westin and Omni hotels near the convention center.

Nicole Dreher-Silvia, meeting planner and creative services manager for AE Ventures, found that the DLCC’s central location, accessibility by air and 1.5 million sf of meeting and exhibition space, including 53 meeting rooms, perfectly matched her needs.

“Ease of transportation to and from the airport and proximity of hotels to DLCC are important to our attendees,” Dreher-Silvia says. “We have guests flying in from all over the country.”

The DLCC’s space was also crucial. “We needed over 25 breakout rooms and the DLCC easily accommodated us,” Dreher-Silvia says. “We also used the exhibit hall and ballrooms. All of our events took place at the convention center.”

Service was top-notch. “The staff at the visitor’s bureau and DLCC were very professional and helpful in every step along the way, which helped us serve our guests to the fullest extent,” Dreher-Silvia says.

At the end of each meeting day, attendees enjoyed Pittsburgh’s bustling nightlife.

“We planned a pub crawl outing for attendees,” Dreher-Silvia says. “Downtown Pittsburgh has lots of restaurants and bars in a compact location, so that made our pub crawl easy to plan and no one had to walk too far. There was also a Pittsburgh Steelers game one of the nights of our event and several attendees went to that.”

Davis says Pittsburgh’s value proposition has grown with its guest room space.

“We have a lot of new hotel product that has come into our city in the last six years,” Davis says. “We’ve added about 6,000 rooms during that time. We have about 29,500 total rooms in the metropolitan area. The growth has been in all price points.”

Baton Rouge, LA

Louisiana’s capital city, located just 80 miles from New Orleans, appears on many “best of” lists, including National Geographic Traveler magazine’s “Best Small Cities in the United States.”

As Baton Rouge reaps the accolades, it is offering more of everything planners need to for successful meetings, including value.

According to Paul Arrigo, CDME, Visit Baton Rouge president and CEO, “Baton Rouge continues to be a city that specializes in experiences at reasonable rates year around. We will continue to personalize services based on planners’ needs. We also offer incentives to meeting planners based on their group’s needs without offering a one-size-fits-all approach.”

Meanwhile, Baton Rouge is adding more guest amenities.

“Over the past few years we’ve seen a lot of growth in the number of hotels as well as attractions and restaurants,” Arrigo says. “We don’t see this growth slowing down anytime soon. Being able to continue to offer different experiences is a reason to keep coming back.”

Reasons for planners to return include Baton Rouge’s meeting-space mainstay, the Raising Cane’s River Center (RCRC), recently underwent an expansion that transformed the downtown area.

The RCRC complex has the River Center Arena and River Center Theatre for the Performing Arts and a new exhibition hall, all of which offers more than 200,000 sf of meeting and exhibition space.

In addition to the RCRC, Baton Rouge offers many activity and venue options.

“We are a city that offers plenty of unique meeting venues whether you choose to meet over a game of golf, on a swamp tour, in Louisiana State University’s Tiger Stadium or in a traditional quiet meeting venue,” Arrigo says. “Meeting the needs of the planner is what we specialize in.”

Greenville, SC

Value along with all that Greenville offers as one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities is attracting more meetings from companies, including SYNNEX Corporation, which holds about 400 meetings a year nationwide.

The technology solutions company recently held a meeting in Greenville. Rae Hawkins, SYNNEX manager, conferences and events, says they chose Greenville partly because it encourages networking.

“For us, having events in a smaller destination like Greenville means more interactions between our attendees, which fosters better networking, partnerships and, ultimately, better business,” Hawkins says.

Attendees spent time together at the many local restaurants and bars within walking distance.

“For example, they socialized at the Orb Lounge or had dinner together in the Roost Restaurant or somewhere along Main Street,” Hawkins says. “In Greenville, our attendees could spend all their down time together because everywhere they went, they ran into other attendees. They didn’t get lost in the crowd, because they were the crowd in Greenville.”

In addition, Greenville offers a healthy variety of downtown hotels and meeting venues that accommodate groups ranging in size from 12 to 2,000.

According to Hawkins, “Some newer venues we used to great success are el Thrifty social club; Oak and Honey restaurant and bar in the newly opened SpringHill Suites Greenville Downtown; and the Bon Secours Wellness Arena, where we hosted a reception and concert for 800 people. Some hotels have great alternatives to a ballroom, like the Hyatt.”

In addition to plentiful hotels and venues, the Greenville Convention Center (GCC) offers 60,000 sf of meeting and conference space along with 280,000 sf of exhibit space. According to the VisitGreenvilleSC website, “The Greenville Convention Center offers unbeatable flexibility and value to people hosting any type of event.”

Hawkins plans to bring more meetings to Greenville partly because of its unique charm.

“The advantages to hosting a meeting in Greenville is that you get to be a part of this colorful and ever-changing southern tapestry,” Hawkins says. “There are so many award-winning restaurants, great breweries, unique venues and a walkable downtown.”

Richmond, VA

Don’t think of Richmond as a dowdy destination that isn’t accustomed to hosting a variety of meetings.

Richmond officials are the first to admit that the city traditionally hasn’t been top of mind for planners. But while planners may have focused on other destinations, Richmond was busy making itself more attractive for meetings.

Now, Visit Richmond, VA’s website boasts, “While you weren’t looking, Richmond got cool.”

It’s no wonder that Travel + Leisure named Richmond a must-visit destination, and the city ranked No. 7 on Travel + Leisure’s list of “America’s Favorite Cities.”

Indeed, Richmond offers everything planners need for every type of meeting.

Like many mid-size destinations, Richmond attracts a sizeable portion of meetings from companies within driving distance.

One such company, Wartburg, TN-based radio station WECO-FM, held a meeting last year for 65 employees and advertisers.

According to Ed Knight, owner of WECO Radio dba: Morgan County  Broadcasting and meeting planner, “We chose Richmond because it was the host city for a NASCAR race with several hotel options nearby, making travel logistics easy. We went to the race and watched from a suite and took garage and pit tours.”

The meeting was a success. “My clients were very happy. So happy in fact, that they renewed a large contract for 2019.”

The destination’s meeting space anchor, The Greater Richmond Convention Center (GRCC), is the largest in the state with more than 200,000 sf of convention, ballroom and meeting space, including 13,000 sf of newly renovated space. The GRCC is located within a short distance of most of Richmond’s 8,000 hotel rooms, which include brand-name properties such as Marriott, Hilton, Omni and Hyatt.

Atlantic City

Conventions and meetings continue to flock to Atlantic City, as the destination expands and refurbishes meeting space while setting booking records.

Meet AC reported a fourth consecutive year of higher convention bookings in 2018. Last year, Meet AC booked 238 conventions representing 371,996 hotel rooms through 2022. Meet AC aims to book 360,000 rooms this year.

As an example of the rising attendance, earlier this year the four-day Progressive Insurance Atlantic City Boat Show recorded a 2 percent increase in attendees.

Commenting on the bookings, Jim Wood, Meet AC CEO, told the organization’s annual meeting, “I think we as a group, we as a destination, as we continue to pour investment and add new products into hotel properties and casinos, continue to enhance their flavor and their offerings.”

Hotels and resorts, which offer a total of 18,000 guest rooms, are improving their properties.

Caesar’s Entertainment is financing a $56 million renovation of 507 rooms and suites in the Coastal Tower at Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City Hotel & Casino. The project is expected to wrap up by the end of the year.

Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa is undergoing an $11 million refreshing to integrate its sportsbook operation with a new bar. In addition, Borgata added a two-floor, 18,000-sf conference center.

The Ocean Casino Resort is undergoing a $70 million project that will add 500 guest rooms to the 1,399 currently in the property’s hotel tower.

The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City opened last year after undergoing a $500 million transformation. The Hard Rock offers 150,000 sf of meeting space and the 7,700-seat Mark G. Etess Arena.

Resorts Casino Hotel recently added 64,900 sf to its conference center.

Coastal Mississippi

Mississippi Gulf Coast Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau is now  Coastal Mississippi, according to Milton Segarra, CEO of Coastal Mississippi. The “recent rebranding has led to a shift in our value drivers as a premier meetings and conventions destination to destination influencers. We are positioning ourselves amongst the leading DMOs to provide meeting planners with the highest-quality service and strategic support.”

Coastal Mississippi targets a range of groups. “In terms of meetings and convention bookings, our sales and marketing strategy targets specific business in and around hub cities that have direct flights to and from our regional airport,” Segarra says.

Groups in industries related to the Mississippi coastal area are among the prime targets.

“Our marketing strategy leverages key industries that Coastal Mississippi has to offer, such as maritime biology research, nature-based organizations, aerospace, golf, and port-related and petroleum industries, in order to solicit and secure new business,” Segarra says.

Coastal Mississippi’s advantages include The Mississippi Coast Coliseum & Convention Center (MCCCC), across the street from Biloxi Beach, which features 400,000 sf of meeting space and can accommodate up to 6,000 attendees.

The MCCCC is also within walking distance of nine casino resorts with a total of 5,000 guest rooms. Some of the casinos have up to 66,000 sf of meeting space.

The resorts include: Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, Golden Nugget Biloxi, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Biloxi, Harrah’s Gulf Coast, Hollywood Casino Gulf Coast, IP Casino Resort Spa, Palace Casino Resort, Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort, and Treasure Bay Casino and Hotel.

Norfolk, VA

Planners seeking an affordable, friendly and accessible destination can meet these needs in Norfolk. According to Kurt Krause, VisitNorfolk president and CEO, “Norfolk is a vibrant, urban destination that provides unique value to planners.”

Krause says Norfolk provides value in several areas, starting with the destination’s 5,000 hotel rooms.

Primary meeting hotels include the Norfolk Waterside Marriott, which is undergoing a transformation that includes the renovation of all 405 guest rooms and suites and the M Club, an exclusive lounge.

The 468-room Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel, the city’s only waterfront meeting property, provides 46,000 sf of meeting space. Another property, the luxurious Hilton Norfolk The Main, is located downtown along the waterfront. It offers The Main Ballroom with 18,382 sf.

Beyond meeting properties, Norfolk offers many activities and top service to enhance attendee experiences.

According to Krause, “You can feel the Southern hospitality and creative grit when walking around downtown which is full of entertainment, shopping, attractions and delicious cuisine.”

Most of Norfolk’s dining, nightlife and entertainment options are located downtown within 12 walkable blocks. “Additionally,” Krause says, “Norfolk has 144 miles of shoreline to be explored so attendees will also never be far from the water.”

Destinations that have spent years under the radar are becoming more popular due to planners’ needs for more budget-friendly options.

Groups that have been priced out of costlier destinations or want a change of pace from bustling big cities can find everything they need at value destinations to achieve meeting goals and create unique attendee experiences.C&IT