Nestled between four mountain ranges, Tucson is the second-largest city in Arizona. Its temperate climate, stunning vistas, and year-round outdoor lifestyle make it an ideal meeting and event destination. Likewise, Scottsdale offers unprecedented beauty and amenities aplenty. Just ask Jill Philippe, national account executive for Kuoni Destination Management. The company recently hosted its annual leadership meeting at the Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, where 50 top executives networked, celebrated the successes of the year, and brainstormed future strategies.

A Unique Experience

“The event embraced Scottsdale’s southwestern influence with unique designs and a memorable cultural program that blended the Native-American, Mexican, and Western cultures,” Philippe says. “Our attendees had the opportunity to learn and buy from local artisans, including a Native-American sand painter from the Navajo Nation Reservation and a Hopi silversmith/jewelry maker.”

If Mother Nature is a source of inspiration for meetings and events, then look no further than Sanctuary. Terraced high on one of Arizona’s best-known landmarks, Camelback Mountain, the resort features compelling views of Paradise Valley from every vantage point. Offering 9,000-sf of indoor and outdoor meeting and catering space, Sanctuary provides the ideal venue for small groups, business professionals and associations seeking an exceptional attention to detail to ensure a productive, focused and well-orchestrated meeting.

“Spending time outdoors is a lifestyle that is enjoyed all year in Scottsdale,” Philippe says. With over 300 days of sunshine in Arizona each year, meeting professionals can take advantage of the variety of outdoor meeting and event spaces offered at Sanctuary, which includes two lawns and a garden terrace, totaling 5,500 additional sf. Along with the inviting weather, the greater Scottsdale area is home to world-class shopping, museums and professional sports, all just a 20-minute drive from Sanctuary.

Tracy Stuckrath, president and chief connecting officer at thrive! meetings & events, also recently hosted several events in Tucson, including a national franchise conference, an international senior management conference and a national sales/operations meeting.

“Tucson’s natural landscape is not only beautiful, it invites [attendees] to partake in its magnificence through a variety of outdoor activities — hiking, cycling, horseback riding, rock climbing, and astronomy.”
Tracy Stuckrath

Tucson Has It All

“For meeting planners, Tucson is great because it is small, yet also a large vibrant city,” Stuckrath says. “The hotel options give a variety of options to choose from to fit the groups. Downtown Tucson has a lot of great options for dining and the outdoor activities are endless. It affords the opportunity as well to have programs outside after a long day of meetings inside. For attendees, Tucson’s natural landscape is not only beautiful, it invites them to partake in its magnificence through a variety of outdoor activities ­— hiking, cycling, horseback riding, rock climbing, and astronomy.”

And food enthusiasts will revel in Tucson’s many offerings as the city is the first in the U.S. to be designated a City of Gastronomy by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), making it a true foodie destination.

“We held all of our events on-site,” Stuckrath says. “I did tour the Pima Air & Space Museum, which is a fantastic venue to host an off-property event. The outside facilities at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson also have venues that make it feel you are off-property, but are still on property.”

Located on 100 acres in the Sonoran Desert, the 398-guest room Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson is a warm weather, nature lover’s paradise that offers a little something for everyone. From the resort’s beautiful Window Walk nature trail and quick access to Ventana Trail and Sabino Canyon for hiking to the 80-foot natural waterfall, 36 holes of Tom Fazio golf and award-winning Lakeside Spa, meeting attendees can experience relaxation and adventure all in one place.

Brenda Klink, executive assistant and meeting planner with Broan, orchestrated a national sales meeting for about 120 people at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort. “The Tucson area is beautiful, the weather is sunny and amazing. There is great food everywhere and something for everyone — from hiking, to golf, to museums, to craft beers,” Klink says. “And the people are friendly and welcoming everywhere you go.”

Klink found that Loews Ventana Canyon Resort offers a great amount of meeting space with more than adequate space for any kind of event or display. “It also offers unparalleled, and professional support from every staff member,” Klink says. “They work with planners to get to really know their group, needs and expectations. Also, the resort is tucked away in the foothills, but still with plenty of things to do. It’s easy to keep your group together and happy.”

Stunning Accommodations

When planning a meeting or event at any resort, meeting planners’ attention is often focused on the type of accommodations available for attendees of all levels — from C-Suite executives to keynote speakers to team members who want to work a little and play a little.

Eight villas at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa are available to VIPs and executives who crave privacy or want to host smaller events and meetings. These multimillion-dollar homes feature exceptional décor, extensive patios, swimming pools and sweeping views of the desert landscape.

Also, Sanctuary’s intimate size reinforces privacy for each meeting group, with close proximity to guest casitas and facilities, including the acclaimed Sanctuary Spa, which offers group wellness programs designed to rejuvenate and inspire. For active groups, a vast infinity-edge pool, tennis compound, hiking and biking trails and fitness center are available along with golf privileges at Phoenix/Scottsdale’s most renowned courses. Sanctuary Spa underwent a top-to-bottom renovation and expansion in April 2018, introducing a fresh new look throughout and a brand new feature, the Women’s Quiet Room.

Affordable Amenities

Henry Kartagener, meeting planner and founder of Kartagener Associates Inc., operates a travel trade show, Tour & Travel Exchange, every year in Arizona. He brings together 50 tour operators based in the United States and Canada with 50 suppliers from Asia, Africa, South America and the Middle East. The show alternates between Tucson and Scottsdale.

For Kartagener, Tucson offers great weather and venues that ensure he keeps delegates in-house throughout the show, which maximizes the networking opportunities for all delegates.

“Major destinations offer far too many distractions, which do not allow us to ensure our delegates are interacting with one another throughout the three days of our show,” Kartagener says. “I would be remiss in not pointing out that value for money is a major factor in selecting Tucson. I have shopped the show in no less than 15 other cities and the savings is over 50 percent when comparing in the month of June.”

A Healthy Option

Keeping distractions at bay is the highlight of Canyon Ranch Tucson, which works with meeting planners to create meetings or incentive programs that inspire participants, encourage innovative thinking, reinvigorate their passion, and lead to increased productivity. Whether a meeting planner is looking for a corporate retreat, incentive or board meeting, Canyon Ranch offers extensive team-building opportunities, lectures that boost attendees’ brainpower and an environment that re-energizes attendees and fosters optimism.

In addition, Canyon Ranch can arrange special classes, events or excursions customized for group, such as a private outing with a Canyon Ranch chef to a local farmer’s market or specialty grocery store for tips on selecting the best fresh ingredients. Then there’s a cooking demo and private lunch featuring the ingredients gathered at the market.

Or perhaps an afternoon with a Canyon Ranch exercise physiologist would appeal to attendees. Each program could be tailored to topics such as “Exercise: The Fountain of Youth” or “Chasing Your Athletic Dreams at Any Age.” In addition, Canyon Ranch recognizes the stressful and demanding role C-Suite executives experience in their roles as company leaders. So the resort developed an Optimal Wellness Program specifically for company leaders, complete with one-on-one consultations, measurable and trackable results, ongoing support and take-home tools, and discounts for executives and their families.

Amenities to Satisfy All Attendees

Kartagener recognizes the importance of incorporating some fun and activities into each event he plans. For instance, at a recent trade show Kartagener developed, attendees enjoyed a food tour of Tucson, which Visit Tucson helped organize.

“Our delegates loved it and some who sell tours to Tucson are planning to add that activity to their tour program,” Kartagener says. “One evening at our outdoor dinner we had a few telescopes with an astronomer to explain what our guests were viewing. It was a huge hit!”

Offering a wealth of entertainment amenities is the cornerstone of Scottsdale’s Talking Stick Resort’s success. In addition to offering more than 100,000 sf of indoor and outdoor meeting space, Talking Stick Resort boasts six restaurants ranging from quick bites to fine dining, 11 bars and lounges, two retail outlets, a concert showroom, a cultural art display, resort pools and cabanas, and an award-winning casino.

Likewise, El Conquistador Tucson spans 80 acres and boasts award-winning amenities ideal for groups of all sizes. Some of the celebrated amenities include the resort’s own horse stables, a mini-Western village ideal for BBQ-centered team-building events, Native-American flute players, and three pristine golf courses. In addition, meeting planners can host a cocktail soiree at the resort’s sunset point, which showcases stunning mountain landscapes and painted sunsets.

Kartagener stresses the importance of meeting planners partnering with Visit Tucson or other tourism boards in the planning process of a meeting or event. “They are a wealth of knowledge and eager to work with any meeting or event planner,” Kartagener says. “In my 40+ years in tourism, Visit Tucson is without question the most helpful and pro-active CVB I have encountered.”

Stuckrath also recommends meeting planners work with Visit Tucson. “They were a great partner in searching for the venues,” Stuckrath says. “Make sure you check the airlift for your group. Tucson does have direct flights from a lot of major airports, but not all. That being said, I think it is worth the trip.”

What’s New in Tucson

Tucson is undergoing a wealth of development and exciting changes, all of which is sure to delight both meeting planners and attendees. In downtown Tucson, the number of locally owned small businesses at the Mercado San Agustin (MSA) food and retail complex has doubled. These 13 new shops and eateries are housed permanently inside converted shipping containers, next to a new 500-seat outdoor festival venue for public events.

Tucson’s all-new City Park is expected to open by fall 2019 on Congress Street in downtown Tucson. This multiuse complex currently under development will house a food hall, two restaurants, an entertainment venue with a bowling alley and a pinball arcade, a bar, a private event space, and connecting ground-floor patios. The top level of the five-story structure will offer a 2,600-sf rooftop deck for events such as concerts or conferences.

In March 2018 Tucson celebrated the completion of the Loop, a 131-mile system of paved, shared-use paths and short segments of buffered multiuse bike lanes that spans the metro area, allowing cyclists, pedestrians, joggers and equestrians an opportunity to enjoy the scenic Sonoran Desert on vehicle-free pathways. The Loop connects parks, trailheads, bus and bike routes, workplaces, restaurants, hotels and motels, and shopping and entertainment areas.

In the world of corporate and incentive travel, timing is everything. That’s why meeting planners should pay attention to the unique events happening in and around Tucson to make the most of attendees’ experience in this beautiful locale.

For instance, the Tucson Jazz Festival is the only major jazz festival in January in the country. It presents 10 days of live music featuring legends and emerging talents of all jazz genres — from straight-ahead to contemporary — at outdoor and indoor downtown venues such as the Fox Tucson Theatre and Rialto Theatre. There is also the free Downtown Jazz Fiesta presented on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The Tucson Desert Song Festival fills concert halls in February with singing in orchestral, chamber, choral and solo formats. Performers include internationally celebrated soloists and the Tucson Symphony Orchestra (Arizona’s oldest continuing professional performing arts organization, formed in 1929), Tucson Chamber Artists, UA Presents, Arizona Opera and others, in conjunction with master classes and lectures at University of Arizona School of Music.

Tucson’s Rodeo Parade salutes Tucson’s Old West spirit every February. The Tucson Rodeo is the first major outdoor event on the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association schedule and the parade is the largest non-motorized parade in the country. This event dates to 1925, when local ranch hands saddled their horses and hitched up their buggies for the annual “celebration of the cowboys.”

The Agave Heritage Festival is an annual weeklong fiesta on or near May 5 in Tucson for people 21 and older that celebrates the art, science and cultural traditions behind the production of agave-based spirits. The fiesta extols the indigenous agave plant with a tradeshow, seminars, and tastings of tequilas, mezcals, sotols and bacanoras at Hotel Congress and several other downtown Tucson venues. The full week allows for strong influences, such as guest speakers and cocktail-making demonstrations, from both sides of the United States-Mexico border.

Wine aficionados within a group of attendees in Scottsdale will be drawn to the city’s newest farm-to-table concept. Recently Scottsdale introduced five Arizona wine tasting rooms in Downtown Scottsdale. Each tasting room tells the story of the region’s 100 award-winning wineries. Called the Scottsdale Wine Trail, visitors from around the globe purchase a “passport” and receive reduced-cost wine tasting experiences.C&IT

John Tschohl is a professional speaker, trainer and consultant. He is the president and founder of Service Quality Institute (the global leader in customer service) with operations in over 40 countries. John is a self-made millionaire traveling and speaking more than 50 times each year. He is considered to be one of the foremost authorities on service strategy, success, empowerment and customer service in the world. John’s monthly strategic newsletter is available online at no charge. He can also be reached on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. ‘Start living your dreams. Whatever you choose, it should propel you out of bed every morning hungry to accomplish something.’ — Lou Holtz, from his book Winning Every Day

I have been talking and writing about customer service longer than anyone else in the world, letting both large and small companies know that it’s fiercely competitive out there and the only way to compete and win is with superior customer service. I, for one, am relentless in this. I work on it daily!

The Amazon Approach

In 1994 Jeff Bezos quit his job on Wall Street and he and his wife started on their relentless journey to where he is today —the richest man in the world. Twenty-five years later, he shows no signs of slowing down. In his letter from 1998 he wrote:  “I constantly remind our employees to be afraid, to wake up every morning terrified. Not of our competition, but of our customers. Our customers have made our business what it is, they are the ones with whom we have a relationship, and they are the ones to whom we owe a great obligation. And we consider them to be loyal to us — right up until the second that someone else offers them a better service. We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It’s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.” — Jeff Bezos, founder, chairman, CEO, and president of Amazon.

Mr. Bezos has pursued this goal every single day. And isn’t it amazing that … he has no competition! He talks about better customer service and he provides it, always. He prides himself as being “obsessed” with awesome customer service.

Amazon can be described with a single word — relentless. They purchased the site of www.relentless.com long ago to connect directly with their company, Amazon and their customers. For 40 years, I have said the major reason organizations are not customer-driven is because top management has no grasp of how the financial impact affects employee performance. They are not relentless.

Value of Customer Service

Companies spend millions on the land, building the store, and stocking it with product, all for one thing — the customer. But when the customer actually appears, the companies fall down on the job. All that time, thought, and money is wasted if the customer walks out, never to return. No one appears to have been trained on customer service; the customer experience. The entire focus has been on advertising. Seldom do firms understand the power of a service strategy.

Another problem is that most CEOs are not relentless. What is worse is many firms who have a service culture when the CEO retires, but then delegate those duties to a financial CEO. They put blinders on and deal with numbers only, no thought to strategy and customer service. They don’t even pay any attention to the fact that it is very difficult to recover the service brand. Great leaders know that service is what your customer says it is, so they stay in touch with their markets and willingly spend the money to do so.

We are relentless: For 40 years we have been helping companies succeed. For 40 years, over 1 million people trained using our system. For 40 years we have tailored programs for motivating frontline employees. For 40 years we have helped companies save money and watch their profits grow with great customer service.

Generating excitement, innovation, and a focus on continuous improvement like we teach, has been used for centuries by the top companies in the world. It creates a culture that’s hard to build otherwise, and a true competitive advantage goes to companies that get it right. They make it easy for customers to communicate with the company.

The newsletter Quality Assurance Report states that only when a company knows exactly what kind of service its customers expect, delivers on those expectations 100 percent of the time, and at a price that customers are willing to pay — while still getting an acceptable return — can the company claim to excel in customer service. Amazon excels in the customer experience making Jeff Bezos the richest man in the world!

“They’ve known for years that customer service doesn’t cost, it pays.”C&IT

The Live! Casino & Hotel in Hanover, MD has a 4,000-seat arena for concerts. It’s where the Cordish Art Collection, which includes pieces by Andy Warhol, makes its home.

Labels can sometimes be misleading in the lodging industry: While a property with a significant amount of well-appointed meeting space relative to its guest room total may be labeled a “meeting hotel,” the same property with a casino added may become known as a “gaming resort.” The latter tag suggests the hotel primarily caters to casino-goers, when in fact it is extremely adept at servicing meeting groups. Beyond simply having great function rooms, the hotel staff knows how to bolster the ROI for a group client. A case in point comes from the staff at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino. The Biloxi, Mississippi resort recently hosted Bad Boy Mowers’ annual dealer meeting, and did it with flair.

Beau Rivage Resort & Casino

“We had mowers throughout Beau Rivage,” noted Sherrise Stephens, director, global accounts with HelmsBriscoe Performance Group, who once worked as a sales manager for the Batesville, AR-based mower manufacturer. “They put our mowers in their gardens, so when our dealers were walking through the parking garage into the lobby, they saw mowers all along the way.”

Pumpkins and orange flowers complemented the orange-colored mowers, making the display aesthetically appealing. Beau Rivage’s commitment to convention service was also evident in how the staff handled challenges that arose.

“We had packages shipped to the hotel and couldn’t find one. Not only was my sales manager and CSM in there on a Saturday looking for it, but the director of sales came to look for it as well,” Stephens observes. “I was very impressed with a team that would put that much care into it. And then the booth would not fit in the big ballroom, which was our fault not theirs, and so we had to move the group to another room. It was completely seamless, which hardly ever happens in my world. Something like that generally is a disaster, and they handled it beautifully.”

The resourceful service complements Beau Rivage’s 50,000 sf of flexible meeting space, including the 17,000-sf Magnolia Ballroom. And its 1,740 guestrooms nicely accommodated Bad Boy Mowers’ approximately 1,200 attendees. The dealers were able to try out mowers at the nearby MGM Park, enjoyed shows at the nearly 1,600-seat Beau Rivage Theatre, teed off at the Tom Fazio-designed Fallen Oak Golf Course, went deep-sea fishing on the Mississippi Sound, and of course, tried their luck in the casino.

“They hadn’t been to a gaming property before; it was a new thing for us. But we’ll go back. Our owner was so happy with how happy his dealers were that he opened the bar for anybody who wanted to drink for about two hours,” Stephens says.

ilani

Another prime example of a gaming property proving its meetings savvy comes from Ridgefield, WA, home of ilani. Located within the Portland metro region, the casino resort houses a 30,000-sf Meeting & Entertainment Center equipped with advanced AV and featuring the 2,500-capacity Cowlitz Ballroom. Waste Connections of Washington, Inc. recently brought about 150 attendees to ilani for the Columbia River Division’s annual Truck Rodeo, and the ballroom became the hub of activity for the program.

As Cyndi Holloway, community affairs director for Waste Connections of Washington, Inc. and organizer for the event relates, the staff at ilani was very attuned to her group.

“They really took the time to get to know us and the event itself, which was really refreshing,” she says. “They didn’t stereotype us as a bunch of truck drivers. They really wanted to know why we were doing this kind of event for our company; what did it mean to us. This event is very important for my president and vice president every year.”

The result was a multifaceted event in the ballroom that ensured guests weren’t entirely enthralled by the casino, which was a concern since this was the first time the rodeo was held at a gaming property. Attendees enjoyed an Eddie Money concert, buffet dinner, mechanical bull rides, a photo booth and other highlights captured by an on-site camera crew. The cuisine was also a standout.

“The trays were displayed beautifully; very inviting,” Holloway says. “The food was very Pacific Northwest; they brought in some local flavors.” And the staff was “really clever in [providing] recommendations for how to set up the room and how the décor would look for the rodeo,” according to Holloway. “They even said, ‘Hey, if you want to drive one of your trucks into our ballroom, you can.’”

That go-the-extra-mile service is a major reason why the Waste Connections group will be returning to ilani again this year.

Live! Casino & Hotel

One of the perks of meeting at a gaming resort is the live entertainment and state-of-the-art concert venues often found on-site. A prime example is Live! Casino & Hotel, in Hanover, MD. The property’s Event Center includes a 4,000 seat concert venue along with 20,000 sf of function space (set to double in size this year). The 310-room hotel tower also includes a 6,000-sf spa, fitness center, top-rated steakhouse and The Cordish Art Collection. Curated exclusively for Live! Hotel by Suzi and David Cordish, the collection includes more than 40 works by world-renowned artists, including Andy Warhol, Jennifer Steinkamp, Charlie Ahn, Robert Indiana, and Not Vital.

Complementing Live! Casino & Hotel is Live! Lofts, an elegant, 250-room boutique hotel with its own 3,400 sf of renovated function space.

Another advantage of meeting in many gaming resorts is the connection to Native American tribal cultures, which can be fascinating for guests.

ilani, for example, is a project of the Cowlitz Tribe and Salishan-Mohegan. In Scottsdale, AZ, Talking Stick Resort is accessible to Salt River, home of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.

Attendees can immerse themselves in the heritage of two Native American tribes: the “Akimel O’Odham” (River People) and the “Xalychidom Piipaash” (people who live toward the water).

Both Talking Stick Resort and Salt River are approximately 20 minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, and thus very convenient for corporate groups flying in from disparate parts of the United States and internationally.

The 496-room resort is well stocked in meeting venues, including the 24,556-sf Salt River Grand Ballroom; a Conference Center that can be divided into 12 meeting rooms; and a 650-capacity showroom.

For many attendees, Talking Stick Golf Club, offering two courses and views of the Sonoran Desert and Camelback Mountain, will create the ideal backdrop for informal networking and bonding.

Park MGM

When it comes to gaming resorts in the Western United States, MGM Resorts International’s properties are among the most progressive in offerings to groups. Park MGM is exemplary in this regard. In July, the hotel debuted the Madison Meeting Center, Las Vegas’ first executive meeting center. And in November, Park MGM added the 7,000 sf Ideation Studio. Now a member of IACC, the Ideation Studio makes Park MGM the first hotel to offer groups Cisco Webex Boards and Cisco Webex Teams. Park MGM has also installed the brand’s Stay Well Rooms and Stay Well Meetings, arguably the most comprehensive wellness room and meeting experiences in the industry.

The Mirage

The Stay Well Meetings offerings at The Mirage, another MGM Las Vegas property, are expanding with the recent conversion of Calypso Court to the Stay Well concept. Calypso Court includes seven meeting rooms totaling 15,000 sf. Last year, 121 Stay Well guest rooms were also launched at The Mirage. When lodging in these guest rooms and convening in Stay Well meeting rooms, attendees can expect increased energy, focus and productivity.

Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, ARIA Resort & Casino

Conserving electrical energy was the goal at MGM’s Mandalay Bay last year when it collaborated with business-to-business events organizer UBM plc to develop a new LED lighting system in Mandalay Bay Convention Center’s exhibit halls. The multimillion-dollar investment has resulted in less energy usage and a reduced carbon footprint.

Mandalay Bay is welcoming more meetings business following the 2016 expansion that added 350,000 sf of new exhibit space, the 70,000-sf Oceanside Ballroom and a 20,000-sf foyer. The Mandalay Bay Convention Center now has more than two million total sf of flexible  exhibit and meeting space.

Last December, MGM further enhanced its Las Vegas meeting space offerings when it debuted the expanded conference center at MGM Grand. With an additional 250,000 sf of meeting space, the facility now offers 850,000 sf. In addition, ARIA Resort & Casino recently added the Ironwood Terrace, completing its 200,000-sf expansion. The 8,000-sf outdoor space connects ARIA’s East and West Convention Centers, and overlooks the pool complex and mountains.

Caesars Entertainment

Caesars Entertainment has also been investing heavily in its Las Vegas gaming resorts, focusing on its guest room product. By mid 2018, the company renovated 11,348 rooms — more than half of its room inventory in the city. Highlights of the initiative include a $125 million redesign of 2,052 guest rooms and suites in the new Resort Tower at Bally’s Las Vegas; a $140 million transformation at Harrah’s Las Vegas, which includes 1,622 modernized guest rooms and suites in its Valley Tower; a $90 million renovation of 1,270 rooms at Flamingo Las Vegas; and a complete renovation of all rooms at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.

One of the earliest renovations took place at the Palace Tower in Caesars Palace. In October of 2017, the refurbishment of all 1,181 guest rooms was completed, and 10 luxurious new villas were added to the 29th floor.

This year, Caesars Palace plans to  debut the Vanderpump Cocktail Garden, bringing Lisa Vanderpump’s Los Angeles-based brand of restaurants and lounges to Las Vegas. The fresco-style garden can serve as a tranquil, informal gathering spot for groups.

M Resort Spa Casino

In nearby Henderson, NV, the 390-room M Resort Spa Casino also offers its share of distinctive event spaces. For example, the Villaggio Del Sole Pool and Entertainment Piazza spans 100,000 sf and is an ideal setting for scenic outdoor functions. Large-scale corporate events can also be held in the 25,000-sf M Pavilion, which accommodates up to 2,300 guests. M Resort’s 92,000-sf conference center is distinguished by its use of natural light and views of the Las Vegas skyline. After meeting sessions, guests will find many diversions beyond the casino, such as a 23,000-sf spa and salon.

Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort & Casino

Speaking of great spas, one of New Mexico’s finest gaming resorts debuted a luxury spa last fall. Inn of the Mountain Gods’ new oasis for guests offers an array of signature treatments and services within a facility designed to reflect the native culture of the Mescalero tribe. Last summer, the 273-room resort earned the AAA Four Diamond Rating for the second consecutive year and is the only resort in southern New Mexico to receive this designation.

From a planner’s perspective, the resort is sound choice for intense business meetings, given its 40,000 sf of space comprised of 15 highly configurable meeting rooms. And a memorable teambuilding adventure is close at hand with the Apache Eagle ZipRider over Lake Mescalero.

Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa

Still the Northeast’s undisputed hub of gaming action, Atlantic City continues to improve and its dynamic properties do not rest on their laurels. One example is Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa. This summer, the resort will introduce an $11 million new bar and sports wagering experience.

Last summer, Borgata became the first Atlantic City casino to accept a legal sports wager under New Jersey’s new sports betting regulations. Meetings at the 2,000-room Borgata are certainly no gamble: The property houses 106,000 sf of varied function space, ensuring every group will find an ideal meeting venue. Possibilities include the 30,000 sf of ballroom event space, complete with a variety of small meeting rooms; the 18,000-sf Central Conference Center; and a 1,000-capacity theater.

Hard Rock Hotels

Hard Rock Hotels has been investing in major portfolio enhancements that present new options for corporate groups. Last June saw the debut of Hard Rock Hotel Atlantic City, yet another symbol of the city’s revival. The 2,000-room hotel offers more than 150,000 sf of function space, making it a great option for large corporate groups. In fact, Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena can accommodate a general session of 7,000 attendees or a trade show of over 300 booths. Another option is the 29,000-sf Seminole Ballroom, which is divisible into six sections.

In the Sunshine State, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL is preparing for the opening of its $1.5 billion expansion this fall. The project will add a 638-room, guitar-shaped hotel; 168 guest rooms in an adjacent tower; 120,000 sf of function space; a 41,000-sf Rock Spa; 13.5 acres of water activities; 30 restaurants and more. Currently, the Seminole Hard Rock houses 469 rock ‘n’ roll-themed guest rooms, complemented by 40,000 sf of meeting and exhibit space.

Grand Hyatt Baha Mar

For some attendees, gaming can be an escape from the pressures of the business world. But when a planner selects a gaming resort in the Caribbean, the entire meeting can feel like an escape. Still a fairly new option in that destination is the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, which opened in April 2017 on the island of Nassau in the Bahamas. The 1,800-room oceanfront resort is home to the Baha Mar Convention, Art and Entertainment Center, and offers  200,000 sf of indoor and outdoor event space. Other property highlights include the 30,000-sf ESPA Spa, Jack Nicklaus Signature Design golf course, and a multicultural selection of cuisine at more than 20 restaurants, bars and lounges. Attendees can easily get into the Bahamian spirit by relaxing at the nearby Beach Sanctuary or simply taking in the resort’s Bahamian art, courtesy of local artists.

Atlantis, Paradise Island

Paradise Island in the Bahamas is home to another top-tier gaming resort that also features formidable meeting facilities. The Conference Center at Atlantis, Paradise Island includes the 50,000-sf Imperial Ballroom, over 40,000 sf of pre-function space, 30 breakout rooms and three boardrooms. Ballrooms of 25,000 sf and 13,000 sf are also available.

Connected to the Conference Center is Coral Tower, where the attendees of Audubon, PA-based Globus Medical, Inc. lodged during their annual Global Sales Meeting in January.

Dianna Leigh, director of meetings, exhibits, and travel for Globus Medical, Inc. appreciated the logistical convenience within such a large property.

“We utilize breakout rooms and typically our agenda is so packed that we give them little time to get from one session to another. And we were really lucky that all the breakout space was connected to the general session area,” she notes.

An exceptional event during the program was a product fair held at the Café at the Great Hall of Waters. The marine habitat backdrop created a striking ambiance for the approximately 400 attendees as they explored product displays, networked and enjoyed food and cocktails.

In arranging this event and working on the program as a whole “the CSM was top notch,” Leigh says. “He was with us the entire time from morning until our events were over. With a large property like this, planners may fear that attendees are going to get lost in the shuffle trying to get from point A to B. Their team did a really good job of being there to navigate for attendees in case they should take a wrong turn. And there was one time when our general session had unexpectedly ended early and we were transitioning to another location, but we weren’t setup and ready. Convention services pulled everybody they had on the floor and put them at different points through the resort, so they made sure all of our members got where they needed to be. It was a last-minute rush with all hands on deck, but it worked out really well.”

The remarkable service quality helped to justify the three-year contract Globus Medical had signed with Atlantis.

“It was a little risky because we hadn’t been to the property before,” Leigh says. “But we are so excited because there are so many opportunities for us moving forward in the next three years; we have only begun to scratch the surface of what they have to offer. So every year is going to be something different for the attendees.”

To call properties like Atlantis “gaming resorts,” while technically accurate, the fact that they are home to diverse forms of leisure and entertainment can make each meeting a unique experience. Even more significantly, their convention staffers can be as proficient as those in any “meeting hotel.” C&IT

From the mountains to the prairies, and from tiny ski resorts to laid-back dude ranches, when it comes to hosting meetings against a variety of memorable backdrops, Colorado just about has it all.

Though solidly identified as one of America’s Western states, Colorado is not far from the geographical center of the countryFrom the mountains to the prairies, and from tiny ski resorts to laid-back dude ranches, when it comes to hosting meetings against a variety of memorable backdrops, Colorado just about has it all.

Though solidly identified as one of America’s Western states, Colorado is not far from the geographical center of the country, making it a prime target for a centrally located meeting site. The farthest major cities from Denver — Boston and Miami — are just a 3.5-hour flight.

“Hotel Talisa is an upscale, beautifully renovated hotel with gorgeous meeting, banquet and guest room space. The décor speaks of a calm stream in the Colorado mountains on a perfect day, with a soothing color palette and simply stunning design.
Bonnie Zeigler

But in the end it was strong support from the team at VISIT DENVER and other local players that ultimately sold the SAS Institute on the city — enough so that the analytics software developer subsequently booked two more conferences at the Colorado Convention Center, in 2024 and 2028.

Working With the CVB

I think it’s important to reach out to a local CVB,” says Ken Bland, principal events project manager for North Carolina-based SAS Institute. “A lot of people don’t use the local convention and visitors bureau. They’re not all equal, but they know how the city operates. We had one of our best experiences working with them in Denver. They introduced us to a lot of people, and provided a wealth of information.”

The company’s annual SAS Global Forum was held last April at the Colorado Convention Center, drawing 3,500 attendees. Bland says that Denver’s location and accessibility were important considerations for his event.

“We are a global company,” Bland adds. “Around 30 percent of our attendees are international, so we try to find destinations that would be a good draw for both our domestic and international attendees. Colorado is certainly a draw, and Denver is a good hub — it’s easy for our international guests to get to.”

How connected? In 2018, Denver International Airport celebrated a milestone when it became the fifth airport in the country to serve 200 destinations, with flights to 26 international cities. And in November, DEN was named the country’s best airport in The Wall Street Journal’s first-ever airport rankings.

Another criterion: walkability. VISIT DENVER reports that downtown Denver boasts 11,000 hotel rooms within walking distance of the convention center.

“We don’t want to provide mass transportation to and from hotels and a convention center, because that can get quite costly,” explains Bland, who says the SAS Global Forum spread guests into 28 different hotels at a range of price points around downtown Denver. “We want walkable cities.”

SAS Institute used the 1,100-room Hyatt Regency Denver at the Colorado Convention Center as the anchor hotel for the event. Bland notes there are no hotels connected directly to the convention center, but the Hyatt Regency is across the street, and the hotel gave SAS a large block, “almost 1,000 rooms on peak,” says Bland.

Although SAS used the Hyatt Regency for only one smaller partner forum, the hotel features more than 60,000 sf of meeting space, including the 30,000-sf Centennial Ballroom, with its 30-foot ceilings. Built in 2005, the hotel received a renovation last year. Bland calls the Colorado Convention Center “a beautiful facility,” and that it met all the needs of SAS Global Forum.

In December, the convention center drew national attention for allegations of collusion and bid rigging at the start of construction on a $233 million expansion. The work, originally projected to be completed by late 2022, was intended to add an additional 235,000 sf of usable space to the facility (which currently totals 2.2 million sf). As the scandal continues to play out in the pages of the The Denver Post, the project’s future is uncertain.

“At a lot of the convention centers we use Centerplate is the caterer and they have a lot of history and data about our event,” Bland says. “For example, Denver Centerplate was able to share data from our Dallas event — the number of meals served; the menus. They’re all independently managed, but when we run into Centerplate we alert them to our past events and they work their magic.”

DMCs Can Make a Difference

SAS Institute also worked with local DMCs.

“We don’t usually work with more than one DMC, but what we like to do is bid out all parts of the program,” Bland explains. “As we started going through proposals, it was very clear to us that some were stronger in one area than another. In the end we used Imprint Group for our welcome reception and Kick Back party, and then Access Destination Services had a really good proposal on airport greeters and temp staff. Another DMC, Max/Livie, Inc., was also able to provide us some significant savings.”

Bland says the SAS Kick Back party was held at Broncos Stadium at Mile High and offered gaming activities both virtual and physical. One corner depicted winter, and had skiing games; the corner for spring offered mountain climbing, etc.

“Our attendees loved that,” he adds.

But it was the support from VISIT DENVER that sealed the deal for SAS Institute.

“That’s one of the reasons we decided to sign two more years,” Bland says. “We had terrific service from corporate citywide sales manager, Tyler Adams and convention services manager, Theresa Blankenau. When you work with the folks who are trying to attract business for the town, they can offer a nice package from a branding perspective, and they were willing and able to step in for negotiations with individual hotels.”

Just a few decades ago, Denver was often mocked as a cow town. In 2016, U.S. News & World Report named the city the best place in the nation to live. Denver is also one of America’s fastest-growing cities, and its 12-city metropolitan area has become the nation’s 15th-largest, with a population of 3.5 million.

One of these outlying cities is Aurora, a major suburb, located southwest of the city, and roughly equidistant to both the Denver International Airport and Denver, the state capital.

First-Class Hotels and Resorts

The big recent news, of course, is the opening in December of the state’s largest convention hotel, Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center. Offering 1,501 guest rooms and more than 485,000 sf of meeting and convention space, Gaylord Rockies is situated just seven miles from the Denver airport (compared to 24 miles for the Colorado Convention Center). The resort works hard to capture the local setting, which includes waterfalls over boulders, elevators designed to look like old mine shafts, and guest rooms with aspen tree-inspired carpets. In the convention center, elements depict ski tracks, snow drifts and snowflakes. Gaylord Rockies features eight dining venues, and such local F&B partnerships as a collaboration with Aurora’s award-winning Dry Dock Brewing Co. Sprawling over an 85-acre property, the resort includes a full-service spa and fitness center, a 22,000-sf aquatic area with a lazy river and three waterslides, an arcade, miniature golf, and bike rentals.

But although much of the state is defined by what happens in the Denver metro area, there is much to draw meeting planners to other destinations spread around the state, including to the second-largest city, Colorado Springs. Located 72 miles south of Denver, the city is also home to one of the state’s largest meeting properties, the Broadmoor, the “grand dame of the Rockies,” built in 1918.

“The Broadmoor is a venue unlike no other,” suggests Cindy Wilhelm, executive assistant to president and CEO and special events coordinator for TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, the nation’s largest franchised local moving company. The company held its annual meeting at the resort in 2017 and returned this month. “We [went] back to the Broadmoor this year because we experienced the best customer service we have ever received and we absolutely love this property,” Wilhelm adds. “The accommodations are first class, the meeting space works very well for us, and there are so many fun things to do right on site.”

Wilhelm says the annual event draws between 450 and 525 attendees, flying in from across the U.S., and from Canada, Ireland and the U.K. The company typically alternates its meeting between the east and west, but the proximity to Denver provided an opportunity for some attendees to drive and save on airfare.

Although Colorado Springs is not the easiest airport to fly in and out of, Wilhelm notes that Denver International is not far from the Broadmoor, and flights are usually more affordable. Colorado Springs Airport has increased service and now makes the destination more accessible. The airport is now served by American Airlines, Delta, Frontier and United Airlines.

“The first year, we had a lot of attendees fly into Colorado Springs and there was some weather in the area,” Wilhelm says. “Several attendees were delayed due to cancellations and delays.”

This year, Wilhelm is recommending Denver as a gateway, and the Broadmoor offers shuttle service to and from the airport, which can be booked in advance.

“Once you arrive at the Broadmoor, all of your worries go away,” Wilhelm says. “The first time we went for a site visit, we were hooked.”

Wilhelm gushed enthusiastically about the Broadmoor’s meeting space.

“I can’t say enough about it. All the meeting space we need is available to us and is always in great condition and set up in a timely manner. We are considered a medium-sized group but we do require a lot of space — they offered us as much as we needed and we used it. I have never found this ideal of a space at any other venue in my 12 years of meeting planning.”

Wilhelm says the Broadmoor’s F&B offerings are first-class and she appreciated the resort’s on-site A/V services. But it was smaller touches — from booking certain attendees near specific facilities, or providing refrigerators in rooms — that won her over.

“We are a pretty easy group, hard-working and very appreciative, so any little extra things a hotel does, does not go unnoticed,” Wilhelm adds. “[Their staffers have] been a godsend. The experience these [staffers] have, and the knowledge, sets me at ease. I know they will take care of our needs, whatever they are.”

While TWO MEN AND A TRUCK did not use the space, the Broadmoor’s Cloud Camp provides an intriguing option for smaller groups looking to “head to the hills” for a quintessential Rocky Mountain experience. Perched at 9,200 feet, groups can stay and meet at Cloud Camp where 22 well-appointed lodge rooms, cabins and the epic one-of-a-kind Fire Tower Suite provide rest and relaxation in luxury accommodations.

The 1,500-sf Overlook is a dedicated space for small meetings of up to 60, with spectacular 360-degree views and guest/group activities such as pickle ball in the clouds, hot tubbing among the pines, hiking, and dining in grand style.

Although Colorado Springs is set against a backdrop that includes both the sculpted rocks of Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center and the massive flank of Pikes Peak, for a true Rocky Mountain experience you’ll want to head for the hills — to one of the resorts that caters to both skiers in the winter and hikers in the summer, and meetings and conventions year-round.

The allure of the mountains even inspired Denver-based online teaching company Pfiedler Education to review in-state options for a recent event.

Bonnie Zeigler, senior project coordinator at Pfiedler, says the company chose Vail and Hotel Talisa, A Luxury Collection Resort, for its Fellows Symposium in February.

“We rarely do meetings in our home state,” Zeigler says. “But Vail is a great destination, and preferred by our faculty. Hotel Talisa is not in Vail Village, but a little ways down the road. There is a shuttle that runs often from the hotel to the village, and I found this to be a benefit because it adds to the feeling of calmness and remote mountain feel. For a hotel to have both an airport nearby and be a ski location is somewhat unusual.”

“Hotel Talisa is an upscale, beautifully renovated hotel with gorgeous meeting, banquet and guest room space,” Zeigler adds. “The décor speaks of a calm stream in the Colorado mountains on a perfect day, with a soothing color palette and simply stunning design. Talisa has ski-in, ski-out capability as there is a lift right to the hotel, and a rental shop on site.”

With its 58,000-sf athletic club, Hotel Talisa is ideal for active meetings. In addition to ski slopes, the hotel offers snowmobiling and dog sledding. While in summer, cattle drives, mountain bike tours, fly fishing, golf and rafting round out the activities. The hotel has three restaurants, but with so many dining options in Vail, dine-arounds and progressive dinners are also popular.

The 285-room resort encompasses 40,000 sf of indoor and outdoor function space, and every meeting room has extensive windows providing natural light, many with views onto Gore Creek.

“There are numerous options within the hotel to host events of varying sizes,” says Zeigler, though she cautioned on the ceiling height in the Zermatt Ballroom, the middle-sized of three ballrooms. “We used a set screen from the floor but will use the drop-down from the ceiling in the future for better visibility. Zermatt isn’t a great choice for projection, as there is much natural light in the room. However, all that light and the views make for a beautiful meeting or reception space.”

Hotel Talisa had a variety of pre-set menus but created menus to fill the needs of Pfiedler. Zeigler adds that the restaurant menus and menus for private events went far beyond typical hotel food.

“I highly recommend the game sausage on the breakfast menu,” Zeigler says.

She also praised the resort’s conference services staff. “Alexis Mackintosh-Zebrowski, the conference services manager, is simply delightful. She was so helpful in choosing our menus and helping to accommodate our course director with some very specific requests. Every single staff person I interacted with was pleasant, friendly and helpful.”

Zeigler notes that the only potential challenge to conducting an event in Vail, especially in winter, is the weather. Here, the Coloradan offers sage advice:

“Keep in mind, if a flight is delayed, the shuttle companies cannot always make changes to reservations. I always recommend flying into Eagle/Vail over Denver, as a trip to Denver can become gruesome in the winter due to weather and or traffic. Google Maps will say Denver to Vail is a couple of hours. However, ski traffic with good weather can still make for a very long drive and it is not uncommon to be sitting still on the I-70. If guests do choose Denver International, make sure they leave five to six hours prior for the flight home.”

Ironically, a Colorado location was intended to be a punishment of sorts for one recent leadership meeting. The team of a dozen from medical equipment provider Agiliti was told if they made their fourth-quarter 2018 numbers, they’d enjoy a meeting in Florida.

“They didn’t make their numbers,” explains Todd Gabello, director of meetings and events for Minneapolis-based Agiliti. “But we still wanted to give them a nice experience following a trade show they were attending in Denver. It’s a great city, and we started talking with the Hilton in Denver. But I got a proposal from the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort and Spa and it intrigued me. Talking to Robert Rapp, the Park Hyatt’s meeting connection manager, about what the experience could be is what sold me. Rate-wise, they were higher than going to the Hilton, but when I spoke to our team leader he felt that it could be cool.”

Following the trade show in January the group drove to the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek, just west of Vail. The 190-room hotel offers a state-of-the-art conference center and more than 20,000 sf of meeting space, much of it with floor-to-ceiling windows.

“Because we were a group of 12 people in a resort that was large, I was concerned that we would be sidelined by a larger group that was spending more money,” Gabello says. “But although there was another big group in-house at the time, we weren’t overshadowed, and we felt like we were the only group in the entire hotel — we never felt ignored or that we weren’t important.”

A highlight for the group was an off-site team-building event with Sage Outdoor Adventures. The outfit operates a private ranch and offered a snowmobiling adventure for the Agiliti group, along with horseback riding, fishing and rafting in summer.

“The team loved every second of it,” says Gabello, who adds that he had only two weeks to turn around plans for the meeting. And yet, “I’ve been doing this for nine years and this was one of the easiest meetings I’ve ever done. Robert [Rapp] checked in with me every day, before he was going home — he’s one of the top three people I’ve ever worked with.”

“And at the end when I talked to our vice president he said to me, ‘Remember how we said we were going to punish them? They all want to come back here next year.” C&IT

Jack Warner is an accomplished cybersecurity expert with years of experience under his belt at TechWarn, a trusted digital agency to world-class cybersecurity companies. A passionate digital safety advocate, Jack frequently contributes to tech blogs and digital media by sharing expert insights on topics such as whistle-blowing and cybersecurity tools.
https://www.techwarn.com/author/jack-warner/

Corporate professionals who are frequent travelers must be well acquainted with free public Wi-Fi at airports and elsewhere, but many might not be aware of the cybersecurity risks of free Wi-Fi on both the individual and the company’s confidential communication.

Cybersecurity risks you’ve repeatedly overlooked

Before connecting to most public Wi-Fi networks, you are usually required to agree to some terms and conditions. That is the only hurdle to overcome before connecting, so most tend to ignore it in all eagerness to get online.

However, if you had taken the time to glance through a couple of sentences, you will understand why your data might not be secure once you’re logged in. In fact, the owners know their connections may be wildly unsafe and try to warn you so they are not held responsible for whatever happens afterward.

You don’t have to take my word for it. We can pick a few examples of businesses offering free Wi-Fi to the public and review their policies.

Starting with Suddenlink, they state of their Wi-Fi zones in the U.S. that ‘You acknowledge that the [Wi-Fi] service is inherently not secure and that wireless communications can be intercepted by equipment and software designed for that purpose.’

If that is not explicit enough, consider what Tim Hortons — the revered coffee chain from Canada — says. For one reason or the other, they state that ‘Your messages may be the subject of unauthorized third-party interception and review.’

Matters are not even helped when we move on to the likes of Arqiva. You should note this is a company dedicated to fitting the lounges of airports with a Wi-Fi network and would be expected to have the best tech in the game. Surprisingly, they admit that ‘the transmission of information via the internet and via the service is not secure.’

I can go on and on, but I believe you get the idea already. Even if every other bit of data I provide might not convince you, hearing it from the providers should set some bells ringing.

Network operators want to strip you bare

As if all of the above is no reason for worry already, another threat comes in the form of the network operators. Apparently, you could still be susceptible to internet privacy breaches even if the network was tightened against external attacks.

Again, the companies that give their customers free Wi-Fi don’t hide this. It is yet another common feature in their terms and agreements.

The U.S. District Court of Puerto says of its Wi-Fi network that ‘all communications over the [Wi-Fi] service may be subject to monitoring and should not be considered either private or protected.’ Coming from a court of law, isn’t that rather ironic?

Little wonder then that other firms can do the same. After all, Virgin Media holds the right ‘to monitor and control data volume’ while the guys over at the Oscars can also ‘monitor and collect information while you are connected to the [Wi-Fi] service.’

Possible attacks on public Wi-Fi

If you have not already started picking up on it, the biggest problem with using free public Wi-Fi connections is data leak. How does this happen?

• Man in the middle attacks

Experienced hackers can place themselves between two sides of a conversation. This allows them to intercept the messages being sent and received. They will also be able to hijack the conversation at any point, pose as either side and extract sensitive information.

• Rogue networks

Hackers may also set up rogue networks that will look legit and offer free connection to interested users. Once those users connect, they will be at the mercy of such a hacker who would now be able to access all of their activity.

This grants the hacker access to bank logins, forum passwords, sensitive data, emails and so much more.

• Malware attacks

Due to a lack of encryption on public Wi-Fi networks, hackers can freely upload malware to the server.

Everyone who connects to such a network faces the risk of downloading the malware to their computer units. This holds so much more significance since the hacker would still be able to maintain remote access to the computer  — through the malware — even after the user has disconnected from the network.

How you protect yourself better

There isn’t supposed to be any harm in just being able to enjoy your free Wi-Fi connection in peace. With a number of unscrupulous individuals hunting your sensitive data though, that is not the case.

The ideal thing to do would be to stick to your own data plans and do away with the free Wi-Fi in the first place. If that is not an option, getting a quality VPN would be the recommended line of action.

A VPN will allow you to connect like always. The difference is that you would be using a different server to send hackers on the wrong trail. That is not to mention being able to better mask data you send over the otherwise insecure network.

In addition to that, you also get to access content that might have been blocked on the Wi-Fi network.

With such procedures in place, you can keep enjoying your coffee shop freebie without having to worry about losing your bank login details or some other important data — to some snooper. C&IT

Jennifer D. Collins, CMP, is president and CEO of JDC Events, an award-winning event design company that strengthens brands and delivers impactful results. She is a sought-after industry speaker and internationally best-selling author of Events Spark Change: A Guide to Designing Powerful and Engaging Events.

When it comes to corporate training events, there’s a lot of talk these days about something known as experiential learning. So just what is it and what benefits does it offer corporations?

Experiential learning is a way for companies to help their team members gain real-world experience that they can transfer to their roles.

It’s about immersing them in an activity that can inspire them to think of ways to deliver results in their role with the company. The goal is to align with an experience that expands participants’ creativity while developing their skills and, ultimately, building a stronger team.

But, training today needs to be about more than a speaker at the front of a room talking through a slideshow presentation. That technique may be fine for part of a training event, but instead of telling employees new information, a better way to embed information for the long-term is to get people out of their chairs, on their feet and using their hands and minds.

Experiential learning events typically get team members out of the office for a few hours or a few days, and immerse them in situations in which they can create new memories and new sensations to draw on in their roles.

Often, those immersion activities involve some sort of interactive experience. More than a teambuilding ropes course, today’s experiential training events often take place in a similar industry, or even within the same industry.

For instance, call center employees may gain new insights into customer service by witnessing it firsthand in a hospitality-based business or by participating in an inspiration session or even training for employees that work at a help desk.

Make it Stick

Making the experience memorable is more likely to help the information stick. When someone participates in an activity that speaks to them on both personal and professional levels, they are more likely to find ways to use the principles they learned.

A study by the University of Chicago found that college physics students learned a science subject more readily if a hands-on approach was used as the teaching method.

The study found that hands-on learning made the sensory and motor areas of the brain more active when the concepts being taught were recalled. In one example, participants in a study used spinning bicycle wheels to better understand angular momentum.

The goal, then, is to create an environment of self-discovery. An experiential learning event should not be designed to “tell” or necessarily even “show,” but to simply present information so that participants can make their own connections.

The idea is not to make the event just another mandatory meeting, but rather, make it a place where participants feel they can explore ideas, purpose and even emotions. They need to feel that they can get outside their comfort zone and connect, in some way, with their new environment, if only for the comparatively short time that the event takes place.

Planning is Key

The key to a successful event is to design a program that will indulge the curious natures of participants. That begins by defining the goals of the experience at the onset of planning.

A discovery session can help surface ideas, from the problem that needs to be solved to the anticipated outcome of the event. For instance, if better customer service to improve sales is the goal, then how many new or repeat customers should be gained within a certain time frame after the event? Defining the end goal first can help identify the purpose of the event, which is then used as the framework for all subsequent decisions.

Next, identify trendsetters that already excel at what the training is planned to deliver. If building a team that better understands change management is the goal, then what other organizations or companies excel at that skill?

Gaining access to such an organization may require exceptional partnership-building skills on the part of the event planners. But even companies in the same or similar industries are often willing to participate in experiential learning, and the prospect of “seeing how the other guys do it” on its own is enough to get some participants excited.

Planning for the event should also include an idea session after the event. More than just sharing notes after the experience, the idea session should work to flesh out how the information gained can be applied on the job.

Gather inspirational thoughts from participants while their experiences are still top of mind, and then overlay those on the problem that needs to be solved.

Brainstorm using a whiteboard or other ideation tool, and then share the results with participants. As ideas begin to gel into workable steps, processes, policies and programs, track the measures to help determine not only return on investment, but also whether the expected results are realized — or even exceeded.

Follow Up to Check Results

The results of any experiential learning event are best discovered down the road.

Performing an assessment six months after the event can help reveal whether learning has been implemented and improvements have been achieved. Successes should be shared with the team, and any new best practices being employed may also be used to strengthen other areas of the organization.

A New Working World

With baby boomers exiting the workplace and corporate offices filling up with inexperienced workers, there is an unprecedented shift taking place in the workforce. In today’s world, the skills and dedication of a team can make all the difference between success and failure, so keeping employees engaged and motivated is crucial.

Experiential events are an investment, just like any other professional development expense. But with a little forethought and good planning, the outcomes of an experiential learning event can mean a more efficient, productive, world-class team. C&IT

Steve Wildemann is president of Rental and Staging Network and president and owner of Advanced Staging Productions in Pennsylvania. With more than 30 years of experience in the event technology business, he leads RSN, a top-tier network of live event production companies throughout North America. For more information, visit www.rentalandstaging.net.

To make a convention or meeting memorable, attendees need to walk away feeling inspired with a renewed connection to each other and the company.

Create a connection with your attendees and make your company’s message stand out using audio-visual (AV) technology as an effective delivery tactic. AV technology can drive an entire conference in exciting new ways to engage attendees and deliver memorable results.

Leveraging AV as an engagement tool doesn’t have to cost a fortune. There are ways to maximize new technology, such as LEDs, to dazzle.

Technology advances have allowed audio-visual companies to deliver impact with a reasonable investment. Ask your AV partner for advice on how to showcase your company’s message in an engaging way.

LED Lighting

Bulky, power-hungry lights of the past are being upgraded to lighter, brighter, modern LED lighting systems. These efficient systems are more reliable than traditional incandescent lamps and offer brighter, cleaner light for all types of events.

The lights are also more compact, which gives more options for setting up in meeting spaces with a smaller footprint. In addition, they are much cooler than traditional lights, so spaces do not have to adjust for heat from the lighting.

LED lights also have many more features, including programmability, color choices, movement and shapes. Some lights are capable of having an image file programmed for projection in addition to just lighting a space. Interchangeable patterns often come with these LED lights, enabling a shape to be layered to create lighting textures.

Large-Format LED Panels Increase Floor Space, Attendance

The old-school tripod screen or rear-screen projection are no longer your primary options. Large-format LED panels are taking over with sleek styling and a smaller footprint. The demand for this equipment at events has been steadily increasing for many reasons, including:

• LED screen resolutions have increased, dramatically changing the quality of the presentation in the last five years.
• Panels can be put together to form larger, custom-looking screens for any space. Ultra-wide curved screens offer a cinematic look helping to create an immersive, theatrical experience for attendees, similar to how a large movie screen captures an audience.
• When using larger panels, don’t just think horizontal. Turning them vertical gives a whole new perspective to an image, especially with social media feeds.
• Leverage the larger screens as a platform to showcase your social media feeds, which will reinforce your relevancy and engage members, especially the younger ones, who prefer to connect virtually before they spend time in person.
• LED screens have a much smaller footprint than traditional screens and projectors. Space-hogging rear projection systems can take up a large footprint in a room; whereas, an LED panel can be placed against a wall with minimal intrusion. In most cases, this means a meeting planner can gain back one-quarter to one-third of their event space for more attendees. The slim profiles also allow for additional screens to be used within a space, allowing all attendees to have a perfect view of the presentation.
• Costs on this technology have come down so they can compete with traditional projection systems. Setup costs can be less than traditional systems, especially since venues are capitalizing on exclusive rigging rights that sometimes increase traditional costs. LED panels are so lightweight, they can be supported with ground-based stands instead of needing rigging.

Sound Mapping Directs Attendees’ Attention

Attendees usually hear something before they see it and naturally look to see where a sound is coming from. Sound mapping is a technique that balances the sound for wherever attendees are in the room.

For example, if someone is speaking from the corner of the room, the sound comes from that direction to draw attention to it, then the sounds move to the next spot in the room.

As an event moves around a room, the computer-controlled sound processor automatically adjusts the speakers for each cue, creating an immersive environment so the sound naturally appears to come from wherever the speaker or performer happens to be.

Projection Mapping as Event and Exhibit Hall Engagement Tool

Projection mapping is an opportunity to pump new, vibrant life into a space, which can add value for key presenters or sponsors, who want to maximize their visibility to potential patrons.

Projection mapping enables light to be mapped and projected onto any surface — leaving the traditional pipe and drape exhibit booth in the dust.

This tool allows three-dimensional objects of any size and shape to become canvases for images or video. Everyday objects come to life with color and the optical illusion of movement.

New technology is making projection mapping easier and faster to execute at events. Instead of taking hours to render an image, computers may take minutes or even seconds to process and have it ready for use, cutting down on time and labor costs.

The human eye is naturally attracted to light and movement, so projection mapping onto something within your event or exhibit space is an effective way to draw eyes to where you — and your clients — want them.

Partner with your independent audio-visual provider to collaborate about ways to integrate the latest technology to attract additional sponsors and attendees to your event. C&IT

Meister Meetings & Travel Corp. recently planned an 11-day Mediterranean cruise for 65 executives aboard the Celebrity Reflection. Among the attendees were (from left to right): Kim Nowicki, Mimi Haley-Meister, Louise Glove, Karen Knowles and Lee McLain. Credit: Dan Meister, CMP

It was once difficult to imagine that cruise ships would compete with hotels for meetings and events. However, in recent years, cruise lines have overcome perceptions that meetings at sea are too expensive, lack space and offer less than hotels provide.

Planners now have everything they need for successful meetings at sea because cruise ship companies are building larger vessels with bigger and more flexible event, conference and breakout spaces.

According to Dan Meister, CMP, owner of Boca Raton, Florida-based Meister Meetings & Travel Corp., “Newer ships are bigger, offering more dedicated meeting space, as well as flexible restaurants, intimate entertainment clubs, larger theaters and even dedicated outside space that all can be used for groups at some point during a cruise.

“There are more cruise ships options than ever, from megaships to smaller ultra-luxury ships, giving more choices than ever along with new itineraries and destinations,” adds Meister. And the wide variety of activities on cruise ships is a main reason why Meister says he is “a big fan of groups onboard cruise ships.”

More Meeting Space

Shari Wallack, president of Buy the Sea, a Plantation, Florida-based company that helps incentive and meeting planners create group cruise experiences, has seen firsthand how cruise lines have expanded meeting space over the years.

“Cruise lines are aware that groups require function space for private events,” says Wallack. “Royal Caribbean Cruise Line has always been the biggest proponent of having dedicated conference space onboard. And, on the new Celebrity Edge ship, there is The Meeting Place, a flexible venue that can accommodate privately catered meals. Specialty restaurants on many of the newer ships have been outfitted with audio-visual equipment.

“In addition,” Wallack continues, “cruise lines are more flexible in allowing groups to use their large theaters for day and sometimes evening functions. One of my favorite venues is the AquaTheater on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis-class ships. It’s a 600-person outside palladium with a stage and two Jumbotrons. It’s an out-of-the-box venue. For example, the stage can open up and have high divers splash into the water after a CEO finishes a presentation and exits.”

“Newer ships are bigger, offering more dedicated meeting space, as well as flexible restaurants, intimate entertainment clubs, larger theaters and even dedicated outside space that all can be used for groups at some point during a cruise.” — Dan Meister, CMP

Adding more meeting space improves the ability of cruise ships to help planners achieve meeting goals and provides a greater diversity of experiences than land-based events.

Cruises offer several destinations in one package — their privately owned islands, the ship itself and ports of call.

Cruise lines are expanding destination options while remaining generally less expensive than hotels of comparable quality, giving planners-at-sea budget-saving options amid the current seller’s market for hotels.

More planners are realizing they can meet budget and attendee needs on cruise ships.

However, flexibility is required because cruise lines still lack hotels’ cavernous conference centers and meeting rooms, and the vessels program activities differently.

Flexibility Helps

According to Eldon Gale, director of events, Scentsy, a Meridian, Idaho-based distributor of scent-based products, “You do need to be flexible and work with a cruise ship. If you try to dramatically change their actual programming to create something completely new and different just for your group, chances are you will meet with resistance. More than that, it really isn’t necessary.”

Gale adds, “Ships do their thing day in and day out, and they have it down to a science. Just go with the flow and trust that the things they do to entertain and delight their transient guests will work just as well for your group with very little effort on your part.”

Being flexible helped Gale to plan a successful incentive recently for 2,200 attendees aboard Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas.

“Because our group was so large, we divided it in half and held two rounds of all our events,” says Gale. “This included two back-to-back awards general sessions held in the ship’s theaters; two back-to-back welcome cocktail parties on the boardwalk; two back-to-back farewell dessert receptions in the onboard ice-skating rink and two dinners.”

Meister recently planned a Mediterranean cruise for 65 executives aboard Celebrity Cruise Lines’ Reflection. The goals of the meeting were networking, learning and fun.

“The group kept a dedicated meeting space throughout the cruise for impromptu and scheduled meetings and learning,” says Meister. “They enjoyed a dedicated area of the main dining room for early seating so guests could mingle and dine with different attendees within the dedicated area. There were also exclusive shore excursions and daily meet-ups on the ship.”

When attendees weren’t meeting in areas devoted to planned group functions, they networked with each other.

“It was interesting to see how attendees naturally got together on their own based on activities, games and facilities onboard,” says Meister. “We always had at least 25 people in the front row of the nightly show and another 20 in the Sunset Bar and Lawn Club on the top deck of the ship enjoying cigars. There was also a small group that met in the casino every night and another group that enjoyed Silent Disco.”

The cruise was a hit. “This was a well-traveled group, and they all really enjoyed this ship and thought this was one of their best trips,” says Meister. “I think cruising is perfect for groups and offers a little something for everyone.”

Advantages Galore

Meetings at sea can offer several benefits over hotels, depending on the needs of a group, its size, attendee makeup and goals.

The main advantage of at-sea meetings is they make it easier for planners to control costs and stretch budgets. Cruise ship meetings are typically 20 percent to 30 percent less than those of hotels and other land-based venues.

Meister cites an example of the savings: “We just priced a cruise incentive for Japan and China, and the savings were almost 40 percent less than doing the same program on land with country-to-country transfers and flights, etc.”

Cruises are cost-efficient mostly because they offer all-in-one pricing.

According to Meister, “Cruises offer incredible value over land programs by offering inclusive pricing for accommodations, meals, entertainment, transportation, beverages, etc. For all our cruise meetings and incentives, we always add another beverage package, pre-paid gratuities, Wi-Fi and often onboard credit as part of the cruise package — so guests receive more value and do not have to spend out of pocket.”

Gale also cites the advantages of all-inclusive cruise meeting packages.

“With most traditional meeting locations, you are working with a blank canvas, and you build from the bottom up,” says Gale. “Cruise ships offer you an incredibly diverse amount of options for dining, entertainment and activities that are already created and generally included in the base cost of your cruise fare.

“Even if there is the occasional surcharge, it is usually very reasonable and much less than you would ever pay on land,” says Gale. “Options like live bands, comedians, lecturers, cooking demonstrations, etc., are all onboard at all times. Your time on the ship is efficient and cost-effective.

“Realistically,” Gale adds, “if you did nothing more than what the ship includes in your base fare, your group will have a great time. This makes planning and budgeting a breeze because you contract a set rate, and there really aren’t any surprises.

“That said, once you start to customize, enhance or upgrade your events, you will pay surcharges, but they are generally surprisingly affordable,” says Gale. “It really gives you the flexibility to make it what you need it to be.”

Attentive Service

Another plus of at-sea meetings: Attendees receive highly personal service because the staff-to-guest ratio is typically about three times that of most hotels and resorts.

Also, the self-contained environment of cruise ships encourages networking and tends to increase attendance at meeting functions. Wallack has seen how scores of meetings have benefited from cruise ships’ settings.

“You don’t have guests going ‘off-property’ when the ship is sailing,” says Wallack. “The crew can account for passengers at all times. A hotel never knows who is on-property and who isn’t. And consider that for evening events, dine-arounds and entertainment, your guests never need to be bussed to offsite venues. It’s all right onboard, and it can all be included in the cruise fare.

“Except for stops at ports, attendees are all onboard during their free time at the pool, spa, theater, casino, restaurant, etc.,” adds Wallack. “They are easy to find, and you know that no one has left to go elsewhere. It’s easier to get your group together for a meeting, party, meal or recognition event.”

Meetings at sea also offer wider generational appeal, which is important as groups become more age-diverse due to the growing millennial population, which now makes up nearly half of the workforce.

Millennials Love Cruising

A recent study by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) notes that millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) are cruising more than ever and rate the experience as better than resorts and other land-based vacations.

One-fourth of millennials have taken a luxury cruise within the last five years, a record pace, according to CLIA. And, the percent of millennials who say they “definitely will” book a cruise for their next trip increased to 70 percent in 2018 from 63 percent in 2017.

Millennials favor cruising partly because it offers the wide variety of activities and entertainment options they seek.

Groups can enjoy every type of show found in hotels and resorts, including Broadway-style performances featuring state-of-the-art sound, projection and light systems.

For example, Royal Caribbean’s, 18-deck, 2,775-room megaship, Symphony of the Seas, launched last year with unique activities, entertainment and services. These include the open-air AquaTheater, which showcases high-diving performances; the Ultimate Abyss, the tallest slide at sea; and the Bionic Bar with its robot bartenders. Several new food concepts are available in Symphony of the Seas’ 20 specialty and complimentary restaurants.

Symphony of the Seas also includes state-of-the-art mobile check-in technology that uses a combination of bar codes, beacons and facial recognition. Guests can check-in via an app and upload a photo to create an onboard account. After arriving, guests go through a security screening and then go to their staterooms.

The Symphony of the Seas also features seven distinct “neighborhoods,” each with its own unique décor and ambience. The neighborhoods are Boardwalk, Central Park, Entertainment Place, Royal Promenade, Pool and Sports Zone, Vitality at Sea and Fitness Center and Youth Zone.

Which activities did attendees of Gale’s meeting on Symphony of the Seas enjoy most?

“Goodness, the list is endless,” says Gale. “Pools, spa, rock climbing, zip lining, mini-golf, FlowRider (a surf simulator), sports court, ice skating shows, Broadway shows, concerts, comedy clubs, night clubs, parades, dance parties, dining, shopping and gym.”

Aboard Norwegian ships, the Norwegian Escape and Norwegian Breakaway, respectively, offer Broadway hits “After Midnight” and “Rock of Ages.”

Norwegian Getaway and Norwegian Epic feature “meals with amazement” — a unique dining experience featuring acrobats, aerialists musicians and audience participation. Fat Cats Jazz & Blues Club and Headliners Comedy Club are also available on Norwegian Getaway.

Bigger Ships, More Options

Larger-than-ever cruise ships are driving an increase in meeting space size and flexibility options for planners.

Meeting space at sea has come such a long way that cruise ship companies now do something that was once unthinkable — tout their meeting facilities in a manner much like that of hotels.

For example, here’s how Celebrity Cruises describes its meeting capabilities: “Perfect venues for larger conferences, presentations and ceremonies, our impressive theaters are modern, multifunctional and fully customizable for audiences from 200 to more than 1,000. Several adaptable conference rooms accommodate events of various sizes — intimate gatherings, meetings for 60 attendees, banquets for 100 diners, even conferences for 220 guests.”

Regent Seven Seas Cruises, a luxury four-ship cruise company, has a similar pitch: “From spacious conference and meeting rooms to state-of-the-art multimedia facilities, the six-star ships of Regent Seven Seas Cruises have been designed with full business capabilities. RSSC ships feature comfortable meeting rooms and multipurpose lounges to accommodate groups from 10 to 700.”

Regent urges planners to “think of our ships as floating conference centers furnished with sophisticated multimedia equipment to accommodate your business agenda.”

Some of the new megaships can carry up to 6,000 total passengers and accommodate groups of more than 1,600 attendees — even more for customized full ship buyouts, which allow planners to choose ports of call and cruise length. Another option is buying out a ship for an event.

Witness to Progress

Gale has watched cruise ship meeting space come a long way.

“When I did my first cruise ship event in 2011, we were on the largest ship in the world at that time,” says Gale. “That ship is still around but has been eclipsed by three others in the same category, and that’s just within the Royal Caribbean family.

“Cruise lines are much more aware of the value of large groups and are creating purpose-driven space that works for meetings,” says Gale. “Because it’s a ship, everything has to fill multiple purposes. If you are flexible, the variety of options is surprising.

“The number of new ships that join the marketplace each year is staggering,” Gale continues. “Each ship seems to be bigger and better than the previous, and each offers a new level of offerings that exceed the previous. Cruise ships are constantly innovating and pushing the limits of what’s possible — much more so than you get from a traditional hotel.”

Newer ships provide a variety of spaces for all types of meetings, events, incentives, board retreats, receptions, banquets, teambuilding, customer appreciation programs, new product launches and more.

There are dedicated conference centers with air walls, audio-visual and wireless capabilities. Most ships have theaters and some even have revolving stages.

For example, MSC Cruises’ four newest ships offer 1,600-seat pillarless theaters and dedicated meeting rooms, as well as lounges that can be converted into meeting space.

In addition, MSC’s new private island can host customized concerts and teambuilding events.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines offers state-of-the-art conference centers, theaters, lounges and outdoor spaces that accommodate up to 1,394 guests.

Cruise News

Cruise lines are rolling out new, meeting-friendly ships at a record rate.

According to CLIA, the industry launched five cruise ships in 2018 and will premiere 20 more this year. Another 32 ships will debut in 2020 and beyond. Additionally, Miami-based Landry & Kling Global Cruise Events says nearly 100 new vessels are expected to debut by 2025.

Gale is impressed by the amount of new ships coming on line.

“The number is staggering,” says Gale. “Each ship seems to be bigger and better than the previous. Cruise ships are constantly innovating and pushing the limits of what’s possible — much more so than you would ever get from a traditional hotel.”

In terms of meeting space, new cruise ships are light years ahead of where they were a few decades ago.

According to Wallack, “Years ago, groups held cocktail parties on the pool deck and formal meetings in a theater. Cruise lines have become far more flexible in allowing public lounge and restaurant usage. The ones who can think more creatively are the ones who win the business.

“Royal Caribbean’s Oasis-class ships offer Studio B, a 775-seat stadium that doubles as an ice rink,” says Wallack. “We have held private ice shows there, as well as after-dinner ‘glow’ dessert parties for more than 1,000 guests.”

The latest cruise line developments include the following:

Celebrity Cruises, which operates 13 luxury ships sailing to all seven continents, has launched a $500 million fleet revitalization program called “The Celebrity Revolution.”

The plan will transform Celebrity’s entire fleet with reimagined staterooms and spaces, redesigned restaurants and more destinations. Also, every ship will include The Retreat, a new addition for all Suite Class guests that includes The Retreat Sundeck and The Retreat Lounge.

Also last year, Celebrity launched Celebrity Edge, the company’s first new ship in six years and the first of a new class of vessels in more than a decade. Celebrity Edge offers the cruise line’s most comprehensive entertainment lineup ever, performing more produced shows than any ship in the company’s history, all in technologically advanced main theaters.

Sailing With Celebrity

Gale recently sailed on the inaugural cruise of Celebrity Edge, a 3,000-passenger ship, as it completed its first-ever transatlantic crossing and docked in Port Everglades.

“This ship is very cutting-edge and is a great venue for luxury incentives and meetings,” says Gale. “The ship is very modern and is beautifully designed with some dedicated meeting space, private club space, lots of nice-looking specialty restaurants for shows and nice areas on the top deck for outdoor events.”

Celebrity Edge’s sister ship, Celebrity Apex, will launch in 2020, and two additional Edge-class ships will follow in 2021 and 2022.

In other Celebrity news, Celebrity Flora, the first ship ever built specifically to sail the Galapagos Islands, recently introduced Glamping — a nighttime camping experience on the vessel’s top deck, allowing views of spectacular night skies.

Oceania Cruises’ Regatta, Insignia, Nautica and Sirena are undergoing the transformation of every suite and stateroom with new furnishings, fixtures, lighting and color palettes. The upgrades are scheduled for completion by 2020. Oceania, a leading culinary- and destination-focused cruise line, has added new vegan menus and more than 80 land tour options in several countries, including Australia, Asia and Europe.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises recently had the best single booking day in the company’s 26-year history, which was 32 percent higher than the previous one-day booking record in 2015. The record followed the opening of reservations of the first 10 voyages of Regent’s newest ship, Seven Seas Splendor, which launches in 2020 with 375 suites.

Regent Seven Seas has also completed a bow-to-stern refurbishment of Seven Seas Mariner, marking the final phase of the company’s $125 million upgrade program. The improvements elevated the elegance of Seven Seas Mariner to that of Seven Seas Explorer’s.

Norwegian’s Latest

Norwegian Cruise Line, which offers more than 65 itineraries in 52 countries, recently held a keel-laying ceremony for its newest ship, the 4,000-guest Norwegian Encore, which will debut this fall.

The ship features Galaxy Pavilion, a 10,000-square-foot, indoor virtual reality complex, an open-air laser tag arena, and it’s the only company to offer a go-kart race track at sea.

In addition, Norwegian will premiere six Project Leonardo Class ships in 2026 and 2027. Each ship will accommodate 3,300 guests. Norwegian now has a total of seven ships on order through 2027.

Long gone are perceptions that meetings at sea are too expensive, lack meeting space and too complicated to plan. Gone also are stereotypes that cruise ship meetings are boring and confining.

In fact, meetings at sea offer a plethora of unique experiences. Most of all, at-sea meetings provide distinctive and memorable ways for planners to accomplish their goals for attendees. C&IT

Hotel Xcaret Mexico is a new all-inclusive property in the Riviera Maya, near Playa del Carmen. Credit: Hotel Xcaret Mexico

Stacy Anthony, CMM, has plenty of good things to say about using new or recently renovated hotels for meetings.

“It’s exciting because people haven’t been there,” says the vice president, meetings and events for NFP, an insurance brokerage and consulting firm. (And in the age of Instagram and experiential events, letting people be the first to try anything new is a major plus.)

“There’s something to be said about going into a space and having everything brand-new. You know everything is going to be state-of-the-art.”

Many hotels also offer a special opening rate, which is typically more affordable than the property’s standard charges.

But there’s a reason new and recently renovated hotels offer discounted rates to companies that plan meetings soon after a property’s opening date.

Booking a hotel that’s mid-construction comes with the risk that the hotel won’t be ready in time for a schedule meeting — leaving the planner scrambling to find another venue at the last minute.

“There’s something to be said about going into a space and having everything brand-new. You know everything is going to be state-of-the-art.” — Stacy Anthony, CMM

And indeed, Anthony’s recent experience with the Fairmont Austin, a 37-story hotel with 1,048 rooms, 60 suites and direct access to the Austin Convention Center, is the type of nail-biter that might give other planners heartburn.

When NFP booked the hotel for its annual strategy summit, which was scheduled to take place last March, they were told the hotel would be open by June 2017. New construction properties like the Fairmont Austin typically leave themselves a buffer of three to four months before they start booking events (although Anthony’s person rule of thumb is to leave 10 months to one year between the opening and event dates), so she wasn’t concerned about having a place for the estimated 1,100 attendees to meet and sleep.

But when the hotel still hadn’t opened by December 2017, she started to worry. She went to her executive team and told them they had to make a decision. Did they want to stick with the Fairmont Austin and hope everything was ready in time? Or did they want to pull out and start looking for another hotel?

The staff at the Fairmont Austin had done a phenomenal job of keeping Anthony updated on the hotel’s progress, she says, and they were confident they could get the property open in time for her event. In the end, the company management decided to take a risk and stick with the hotel.

It paid off. The Fairmont Austin officially opened on March 5. NFP arrived for its event a week-and-a-half later.

“The group thought it was the most amazing event,” says Anthony. “People love Austin, and they loved the property. When they walked in, all the TVs and other stuff in the rooms were new. Sometimes you go to hotels and the décor is outdated, there aren’t enough plugs or the internet is not working well. Here, the Fairmont thought about everything. They knew what people needed, and they took that information and addressed it in this hotel.”

Guest amenities include five restaurants and bars, the largest pool and full-service spa in downtown Austin and a high-tech fitness center. People who stay in rooms designated as Fairmont Gold have exclusive access to lifestyle hotel benefits, with their own concierge service, private check-in and checkout, and four complimentary culinary offerings daily, including deluxe breakfast complete with made-to-order omelet station, afternoon snacks, evening canapés and house-made seasonal desserts.

The venue had also designed the meeting rooms with many modern amenities, which made those spaces comfortable, easy to use and filled with the latest technology.

Although the hotel was still working out a few kinks with the lighting and other systems while Anthony’s group was there, she says the overall level of service was elevated because Fairmont had brought in their top teams from other properties across the country to work the opening.

Anthony’s advice to other planners considering a new property or one that’s being renovated is to read the contract very carefully.

Review what flexibility the company has if the hotel is not ready in time. Ideally, the property should work with you on any relocation costs if the event must move within the city or to a new destination.

If you have any concerns that the hotel will not be ready in time, it’s important to make the decision to move the event before registration materials are disseminated if possible, Anthony advises. That way people don’t have to change their airline reservations.

The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown Houston is another notable recent opening. The city’s only AAA Five Diamond hotel offers all of the glamor one would expect from such a property.

Accommodations range from 500-square-foot luxury rooms to the 5,000-square-foot Presidential Suite, which includes a media room and private elevator. Rooms have large windows with beautiful city views.

Meeting spaces include large pre-function areas for receptions or casual conversations.

There are seven dining and drinking options onsite, as well as a spa, salon and pool with private cabanas. The hotel has a luxury car dealership with plenty of Rolls-Royce and Bentley vehicles on display, and staff can even arrange for guests to arrive via helicopter.

The Conrad Washington DC, which is expected to open later this month, is another brand-new property that has many of the amenities modern planners and guests are looking for.

The 360-room hotel is conveniently located near many businesses, government agencies, stores and cultural institutions. A rooftop bar and other outdoor spaces will provide millennial-friendly places for receptions and other informal gatherings.

The larger event spaces include pillar-free ballrooms with floor-to-ceiling windows. Smaller rooms have private bathrooms and access to a well-stocked pantry. Sakura Club rooms on the 10th floor provide a VIP experience for guests that includes access to a curated Japanese whiskey collection and an afternoon tea ritual.

Fun in the Caribbean

What better incentive than the lure of the warm sun and white-sand beaches of the Mexican Caribbean?

Designed with Mexican culture and heritage in mind, Hotel Xcaret Mexico is an all-inclusive resort in the Riviera Maya, very close to the center of Playa del Carmen. The property has 900 rooms distributed in “Casas,” different buildings that pay special tribute to the Mayan region.

The variety of meeting spaces range from a large convention center to multifunctional rooms and venues. In addition, Hotel Xcaret Mexico offers unique outdoor venues like the Hacienda Henequenera. The Hacienda has a sliding roof, and its patio can accommodate up to 500 people. The Hacienda also has a room with capacity for up to 1,420 people that’s divisible into four spaces.

The resort offers a one-of-a-kind experience — an opportunity to visit the best parks in Riviera Maya and Cancun. All-Fun Inclusive by Hotel Xcaret México is the only all-inclusive concept in the Riviera Maya with unlimited access to Xcaret, Xel-Ha, Xplor, Xplor Fuego, Xavage, Xoximilco and Xenses parks, as well as tours to Xenotes and Xichen, food and beverages, transportation between parks and airport shuttle. Other luxurious amenities include infinity pools, three gyms and 10 restaurants.

Renovated Hotels

Planning an event at a hotel that is currently being renovated or has recently undergone a remodel has many of the same benefits and drawbacks as new hotels, as well as some notable differences.

Many properties that are mid-renovation can offer special pricing to groups, which is a plus. Because the hotel has already been built, there’s less of a risk that the entire property won’t be completed in time, which would force an event to relocate.

Like a new venue, a renovated hotel can offer updated facilities and amenities — often in an environment with added charm.

The Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa has been a destination in Point Clear, Alabama, since it opened in 1847. It became part of the Marriott Autograph Collection last year after going through an extensive renovation.

Among the many changes are six new restaurants and lounges, a refurbished fishing pier, new beachside and pool cabanas and an updated spa. The 18-hole, 72-par Dogwood golf course has already been renovated and the Azalea course is being updated this year. On the other hand, some things at the resort haven’t changed in decades.

“People talk about farm-to-table or garden-to-glass, and that’s nothing new at the Grand,” says Kevin Hellmich, the property’s director of sales and marketing. “We’ve been doing it for over 100 years. Our estate garden has 72 different edibles that our culinary team uses. The bartender goes outside every day and selects different herbs they can use in the cocktail of the day.”

The culinary team does the same thing. Bucky’s Lounge, which was named for an associate who worked for the hotel for 60 years, still has rare whiskey, cocktails and live entertainment daily. The jazz brunch is still available on Sundays, and a military cannon salute takes place every afternoon.

One of the advantages to utilizing a renovated hotel as opposed to a new one is that if the firm has been there before, there are existing relationships that can be built on to pull off a fantastic event.

i4D Event Services, an event management firm based in Crown Point, Indiana, has been hosting events at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas and its recently remodeled luxury hotel, The Palazzo, for the better part of a decade.

“The (sales) team has grown with our group … and has listened to our goals and helped us mitigate issues as a true partner,” says Kristi Calhoon, managing director, global conferences and CEO keynote programs. “They’ve worked with us to provide options to help get the best experience for our clients and attendees. We share feedback from our surveys, and the team works with us in partnering on how to create options to increase survey results year-over-year.”

i4D recently traveled to The Palazzo for its annual conference, where approximately 8,000 customers, partners and employees came together for four days to learn about the company’s offerings and mission. Calhoon says the results of the renovation were notable.

“The casino floor felt much more upscale and provided multiple areas for people to gather.” (One of the biggest changes at The Palazzo is the addition of the Electra Cocktail Club, which is located on the casino floor and offers the highest-definition video display on the Strip, chic décor and furnishings and quality drinks.) “The flow is way better as well, capturing people on their way to their rooms, but providing many incentives to stop before heading up,” she says.

Each of The Palazzo’s suites got new wall coverings, lighting, flooring and fixtures. “The hotel room refresh fells much more modern,” Calhoon says. “The colors and new fabrics pull together the rooms and give an airy quality that is hard to find in Vegas. The brighter color pops on both the casino floor and rooms and make the visitor want to stay longer.”

Signing a contract with a hotel that’s undergoing renovations still involves some caution, of course, because remodels can take longer than expected, just like new construction.

Calhoon recommends asking properties for their construction time lines and any limitations that will affect attendee movement if the renovation is not finished on time. Get a description of the changes the property is planning for the meeting space, common areas and sleeping rooms so you know what areas will be affected — and what you can expect from the updated property.

“Ask about opportunities that are available for VIP experiences that were not available prior to the renovation,” she adds. There may be new ways to wow your most important customers or executives.

That was the case when Walter Ejnes, CHCP, president of the Continuing Education Company, which hosts educational programs for the medical community, held a recent event at the remodeled Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa.

The company is a frequent visitor and has planned two events a year at the property for the past eight years.

“It’s one of the oldest properties in the Kaanapali area of Maui, and it hadn’t changed much in all those years that we had been there, although they always did a great job of keeping it well-maintained,” he says. “You didn’t notice or think, ‘This place needs a renovation.’”

But once the property was completed, “We didn’t realize what we’d been missing. The renovations are like the icing on the cake. It’s that much more beautiful.”

The Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa’s $26.5 million remodel touched all 508 guest rooms and suites, bringing new furnishings, décor and artwork into each space. For Continuing Education Company’s most recent event, the property arranged to put a VIP in one of the recently completed overnight rooms. “He was raving about it,” Ejnes says.

Other guests were impressed by updates to the 142-yard lagoon-style pool and the addition of ROCKsalt, a restaurant with a seasonal menu and cocktails featuring spirits produced on-island. The property also beefed up its internet access, which is a major plus for meeting planners.

“We stream our conferences, and we have heavy use of not just the Wi-Fi but the internet,” says Ejnes. “We definitely noticed that system had been upgraded.”

Maintaining regular, open communication with staff at any hotel undergoing renovations is his top tip for planners. He really appreciated that the Sheraton’s staff went out of their way to keep him informed of what was happening throughout the remodeling process.

“It’s an important property for us,” he noted. “We’re contracted out with them for the next couple of years every October and February. When we learned about the plans for the renovation, it was from the general manager. When they had their first model room available, he gave us a tour of it. He always kept us in the loop about the progression of the renovation. It was great to see how personally involved he was in the progress.”

For his most recent event, Ejnes worked closely with the Sheraton’s staff to ensure that both the sleeping rooms and meeting spaces were away from any construction taking place.

“We were concerned that any type of renovation would affect not only the event but our guests,” he says. “When they’re not at our meeting, what’s happening? Are they next to a room that’s being renovated and they can hear drilling and banging? We were aware of that and wanted to make sure their experience was perfect.”

From all accounts, it was, even as the hotel was being transformed into someplace even more enjoyable. C&IT

Many people saw 2018 as the Year of the Woman, be it because of fighting back against injustice and gender inequality, achieving new heights in several industries or just being the incredible people that they are.

Those in the corporate and incentive travel industry have long championed female leaders, and the industry possesses some amazing influencers. Here’s a look at some of the great women who impact our industry every day.

Chandra Allison
Senior Vice President, Sales, Venetian Resort, Las Vegas

Chandra Allison officially entered the industry when she was 18, taking a job as a front desk agent at the Reno Hilton while still in school.

“At the Reno Hilton, I spent approximately four years in different capacities, front desk, VIP front desk — and last, casino marketing special events, where I fell in love with events and working with guests in the hospitality/gaming industry,” she says. “I then transferred to the Flamingo Hilton in Las Vegas, where I held a position as a salesperson that operated everything I sold. I learned a lot about selling and executing events.”

Allison joined The Venetian preopening team in 1998 as an assistant, where she worked on contracts and was responsible for cold calling and working a trade show floor to identify prospective exhibitor companies to book their rooms and events at the hotel once it opened. Shortly after the resort opened in May 1999, she was promoted to sales manager developing the Northeast.

Today, she serves as senior vice president of sales, where her responsibilities include developing sales and marketing growth strategies for MICE segments, training and development, quota development, identifying new revenue opportunities, developing strategic partnerships for business growth and working with the corporate global strategy team to provide insight of its business to support the global growth and desire to enter key markets.

“There is no typical day, which is part of what I love about what I do,” Allison says. “I’ve been very fortunate to meet some amazing people in my career that have truly influenced my life in such a great way, and I hope to be able to return that. I love identifying opportunities to grow our business, developing new strategies and working with creative people that have new ideas that we can bring to life. I don’t like things to stay the same for too long, otherwise we will get passed by.”

Finding success as a woman in the industry came from building a strong network of people — both professionally and personally — for support, advice, resilience, preservation and hard work. Her advice for other women in the field is to find a company and a boss that will allow them to grow, gives them space to accomplish and fail, and flexibility to have a life and career — they are not independent of each other.

“Always find ways to learn new things or challenge your assumptions and be willing to take some educated risks — and assess along the way,” she says. “Get involved in the industry, and give back when you can. Provide an environment where other women can thrive and create a culture of diversity. The results are always better.”

It wasn’t an easy path. In 1998, when she started working at The Venetian, meetings and events were not an easy sell.

“We had to convince companies that Las Vegas — known for only leisure — was a place to host meetings, events and trade shows, and that business would get done,” Allison says. “We are one of the top destinations in the country, and our property is host to more than 1,000 meetings per year.”

Allison is proud to be a successful professional woman, wife and mom — and to provide an environment for other professional women who may want the same. ￭

Christine Erickson
Senior Vice President, U.S. Event Solutions, BCD Meetings & Events

As senior vice president, U.S. Event Solutions at BCD Meetings & Events, Christine Erickson heads a team of 75 event specialists with expertise in planning, procurement, creative design, business development and operations, producing more than 300 events globally. She also sits on the company’s global executive team and reports directly to the global president.

“I am accountable for the sales and operations of our event solutions business,” she says. “Under that umbrella, my key focus areas include: developing and executing our strategic growth plan, building and supporting a culture of happy, engaged and high-performing employees and enabling innovative and impactful solutions for all our clients. I’m also accountable for the financial health of our business.”

Erickson knew early in life that she wanted to pursue a career in the service and hospitality industry; hence, her decision to get a degree in Hotel & Restaurant Management from the University of Wisconsin-Stout.

“At the time, there were not the same academic opportunities that exist today in the industry. I was lucky, I discovered the industry through word of mouth and knew immediately that I wanted to dive in,” she says. “It was definitely a calling. I loved the idea of expanding my horizons in not only the world of travel, but also with Fortune 1000 companies. I took a position as a trip director, and the role was the perfect gateway into the industry. That was the starting point in my career and through it, I experienced firsthand the value of incentives, sales meetings and all types of face-to-face events while gaining incredible exposure to various industries and functions with some of the biggest companies in the U.S.”

Even today, she draws from those life lessons and applies them to her current role. “In navigating my career, there is one commonality to be found: unpredictability. And, truth be told, I thrive in this type of environment,” Erickson says. “One day, I may find myself supporting the team and client with onsite operations, or I could be facilitating a workshop with a client, key stakeholders or in a sales pitch. On another day, I might be in back-to-back calls and meetings — action planning, brainstorming sessions, solving a challenge or HR/legal/finance-related items.

“I am very fortunate to be surrounded by the brilliant minds of our leadership and sales teams, and my role is often to help them accept new challenges and work through them.”

The key to being a strong influencer as a woman in this industry, she notes, is finding your voice. “Take time to genuinely understand your purpose, your role and the impact your role brings to the business. That knowledge allows you to be thoughtful around your contributions and to set clear goals for yourself,” she says. “Then, own your plan fearlessly. Seek support in your peers, management and senior leaders. Remember, attitude reflects leadership. Surround yourself in a culture that supports growth, mobility and brave conversations … and share your aspirations. Take some risk, trust your intuition and speak up.”

Erickson says there are many trends in play that the industry will need to be mindful of as it launches into 2019.

“Our focus continues to be on elevating the power of face-to-face experiences and impacting the way people think, feel, behave and perform,” she says. “As such, the use of technology continues to be a key enabler for us in our space. It is essential for us to advance our work in this area.

“Data and analytics with a focus on audience segmentation is another area of increased focus that will allow for a more targeted and intentional approach to the attendee journey and the design of an event,” she says. “Lastly, we continue to focus on personalization and our ability to connect with each attendee to create a DFY (do for you) experience similar
with what we see in the business-to-consumer space.” ￭

Charlotte Smith
Manager, Conferences, Incentives & Events, Giltedge DMC

Charlotte Smith has been working for Giltedge DMC for 10 years and is now the manager of the company’s conferences, incentives and events. She’s excited about Southern Africa’s corporate and incentive travel industry and has been able to indulge her passion for travel since the 1980s.

“In the 1980s, I started working as a retail travel consultant and traveled around the world,” she says. “After many years, I eventually found my niche in FIT inbound travel for Southern and East Africa. Nowadays, I manage the Giltedge DMC division based in Cape Town that is part of the award-winning Giltedge Group.”

Over the years, she’s worked with top brands like Old Mutual, Danone, BHP Billiton, Citroen, Amicorp, BMW and Toyota, among many others.

“I’m in charge of a team who specializes in organizing conference, incentive trips and events to Southern Africa, East Africa and the Indian Ocean islands,” Smith says. “My management of groups includes all aspects of travel from accommodations, transport, special events, client liaison, security, activities and VIP service. I often accompany groups and manage all onsite arrangements.”

She understands that every event requires passion, energy and excitement, as well as care of and commitment for each client.

“To be a strong influencer, you need to pay attention to details and have the ability to see and solve problems before they even occur,” she says. “You have to work as a team with the hotel/venue staff and suppliers, ensuring open direct communication all the time. As a woman in this industry, I think it’s important to empower my team to always give their best and to go the extra mile.”

Some of the things she is most proud of from her career include working on key corporate clients during the World Cup in 2010 and escorting a group to the semifinal game in Cape Town; hosting a mini children’s World Cup soccer tournament in Langa, a township on the outskirts of Cape Town and donating soccer kits to each participant; and hosting the first Crystal AirCruises private jet charter in Africa with 84 guests on a private safari in the Maasai Mara in Kenya.

“I love helping groups experience the diversity of Southern Africa with its abundance of natural attractions, wildlife, friendly people and extraordinary cultures,” Smith says. “I love a challenge! I also enjoy working with guests from different cultures and ensuring that every event is a success. My satisfaction from work stems from the certainty that guests will always return home with memories they will never forget.”

Smith’s view of the industry today is that multi-day conferences are becoming less popular, and clients are preferring to incorporate both work and pleasure in one location. She also sees wellness as a growing trend, and her clients are interested in healthy food options and offerings like yoga classes or spa sessions.

“Creativity is in the spotlight. Groups who come to Southern Africa and East Africa want to have fun, energetic and bespoke team activities that are tailor-made for their group’s needs,” she says. “The emphasis is on unique and memorable trips. Less traditional conferences have been popular for a while, but now some groups/companies are integrating festivals or live music events into their trips.” ￭

Lauren Grech
CEO and Founder, LLG Events

LLG Events is a self-funded international event planning and design firm striving to incorporate altruism in every aspect of its business. It has garnered industry-wide recognition by coding its own event-planning portal that streamlines the planning process and manages tasks, guest lists, budgets and proposals, establishing the ability to plan a destination event from anywhere in the world.

Lauren Grech, CEO and founder of the company, started in the business in a very unconventional way. She earned her degree in biology/pre-med at Binghamton University, followed by an M.S. in forensic science at Pace University. Post-graduation, she began a career in research and development, studying autopsies, running toxicology reports and determining how people died.

“As I was planning my own wedding, I was planning my exit strategy from R&D to start my own business. I told my husband one month after we got married that we were going to start our own business, and he was 100 percent on board,” she says. “We sat at my mom’s kitchen table planning it all out. We agreed that our first step was to go back to the place where we got married and ask to shadow the maitre d’. It was brilliant. I would work 40 hours a week at my day job, and then volunteer every Thursday and Friday evening when they had an event, and every Saturday and Sunday when they had a wedding.”

She admits it was exhausting, but they did this for four months until finally they went out on their own, succeeded in their first event, continued the momentum and expanded into New York City. Today, she is a powerful influence in the industry.

“As CEO, I am responsible for delegating tasks among our senior staff, finding and pursuing new business opportunities, curating the strategic direction of the business and setting budgets for new initiatives and sales,” Grech says. “On a day-to-day basis, not only am I responsible to all my clients and their planning tasks, but I have meetings with our creative director to discuss our brand, content strategy and what we’re showcasing to our audiences; and our PR and marketing director to discuss and review press releases, media kits, social media strategy, new business opportunities and speaking engagements.”

Additionally, she is always running from client meeting to client meeting. “Being a successful woman in any industry requires grit, and lots of it. It takes great courage and humility to continue pushing forward when every opportunity has just collapsed right in front of you,” she says. “I remember one year when I thought I was about to make $100,000 in sales in just one week, and literally every single contract fell through.”

But she was able to escape the mind-set of failure and kept going. The trick was accepting her shortcomings, learning from mistakes and recognizing when someone was doing it better.

“Being a strong influencer requires constant hard work, determination and sacrifice. And unfortunately, this means choosing your business over anything else — that any spare moment you have, you are focusing on the company,” she says. “It’s hard work, I’m not going to deny it. But I was determined to be successful, and that is what enabled me to wake up every morning to pursue my dream.”

Looking ahead, Grech thinks experiential marketing will really take off this year. “I think we saw exponential growth in 2018, but now that multiple companies have seen the benefits of interactive audience displays, more will continue and ‘pop up,’” she says. “I truly love how busy I am, and I thrive when I am constantly doing something. My job exposes me to so many exciting and new opportunities.” ￭

Henrietta Balint
Director, Global Meetings and Events Sales, Radius Travel

As director of global meetings and events sales for Bethesda, Maryland-based Radius Travel, the world’s leading travel and meetings management network, Henrietta Balint has launched a proven, successful meetings and events business line.

“We have best-in-class agencies in our network who deliver superior meetings and events services, and the strategy involved pulling together their strengths in the aggregate to help organizations better manage their category, improve visibility and attendee experience,” she says. “I am focused on further developing our global meeting and events offerings and creating innovative solutions for customers, as well as bringing insights and thought leadership to customers and the industry.”

Balint started in the industry more than 25 years ago, when she was presented with the opportunity to do a one-week work experience program at a flight center store in Sydney, Australia.

“I immediately fell in love with the idea of helping people plan their trips and achieve their goals,” she says. “A lot has changed since then in the industry. I have had the wonderful opportunity to work for amazing organizations and teams in many different roles and cities around the world in both business travel and meetings and events.”

To be a successful woman in the industry today, Balint notes you must be active and have your voice heard.

“It takes self-confidence and believing in yourself that you can contribute and make a difference,” she says. “It will make people listen and take notice.”

In her career, there have been many achievements both personally and in developing team members that standout as favorite memories.

“In general, what continues to make me proud is that I am brave enough to get uncomfortable, and I am incredibly persistent in pushing through tough situations,” Balint says. “These attributes have presented many learning and growth opportunities.”

Looking at 2019, Balint believes the convergence of the travel and meetings categories and the emergence of meetings technologies will continue.

“Our focus will be to continue to disrupt traditional global meetings management programs, help planners create better attendee experiences and organizations to achieve better ROI with direct linkage to their organizational objectives,” she says. “We are an incredibly creative, agile and flexible company and can truly create customized solutions.” ￭

Danielle Babilino
Senior Vice President, Global Sales and Marketing, Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos

Danielle Babilino is a fierce female leader in the hospitality industry, with nearly two decades of experience in various upscale brands, including Wynn and Encore Las Vegas, where she oversaw a sales operation that resulted in a great increase in sales revenue over a five-year period.

Today, she serves as senior vice president of global sales and marketing for Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos, critical to the success of expanding the Hard Rock brand. During her tenure thus far, Babilino has demonstrated a tenacious work ethic, with the ability to drive sales to a limit that was previously perceived as impossible.

“I grew up mostly in Las Vegas and was attending UNLV as a psychology major, but needed some cash flow, so I worked for a company doing meet-and-greets at hotels,” she says. “As an outsider watching the hotel industry, it looked like a fun and exciting industry, so I decided to change majors.”

Back then, it was a male-dominated field, and it took her a while to get into hotel sales, but she got her big break at the original MGM.

“They saw something in me — my persistence and desire to succeed, and a natural-born instinct to be a hospitality professional,” Babilino says. “I spent 13 years at the property, and when I left, I was overseeing the sales and marketing for Bally’s but also working on the preopening project of Paris.”

Babilino was in demand around Las Vegas and was part of the opening of the Mandalay Bay Resort in 1999. She was instrumental in the opening of the convention center a few years later.

“I love working with an opening team and building something from the ground up,” she says. “It’s an incredible experience, and you build a special bond with those you go through it with.”

At Hard Rock, the company is going through a large growth spurt, and she expects the addition of five to six hotels to the portfolio each year in the next five years.

“My team’s responsibility, whether for group, leisure or corporate travel, is to grow brand awareness and, ultimately, drive business volume to the properties,” she says. “In tandem with that, I am involved with all of the sales teams as we open projects.”

At the core of what she does, Babilino says the industry is built on strong long-term relationships, and that has helped her to be successful.

“Those are built on integrity and built on solid business practices and professionalism,” she says. “As someone who has been in this industry for a long time, I have had the good fortune of being around many great mentors, and I try to pay that forward as a mentor and coach.” C&IT