All is well on Aruba, where the Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino boasts beautiful island event setups on the expansive beach.

Irma and Maria tore across the Caribbean in September and October of 2017. The damage to some islands was catastrophic, with full recovery still many months away. Other islands were completely untouched by the hurricanes. For them, bright sun and tranquil blue seas bring business as usual. And for a few islands, it’s a mix.

What stands out most in the aftermath of Irma and Maria is the resilience and heart of the people of the Caribbean. The stories told over and over about the hurricanes are of hotel workers staying in the hotels without water, power and little food to help the guests stranded there — even while their own homes were destroyed. The stories emerging now about the rebuilding of resorts, hotels, airports, cruise ports and other venues are how the people of these islands manage to see this as a gift, a chance to upgrade and improve, in order to better serve the visitors to come.

Tourism, including groups and conferences, is the lifeblood of this region and the truth is there is no reason to cancel many of the 2018 programs already booked. Much of the region is up and running. Even Puerto Rico, which suffered unimaginable devastation from Maria, has already welcomed its first conference of 2018.

True, not every hotel has reopened. But they will. The Caribbean is ready to welcome planners, to show them how things have already improved and how things will be even better in the months to come. Here are a few islands to consider.

Aruba

Well below the region’s traditional hurricane belt, Aruba had no physical impact from Maria or Irma. Planners can expect their 2018 experience to be very much what it has always been.

Kimberly Findlay, senior account manager with SDI Meetings & Incentives, brought a group of 110 from the Northeast United States to Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino in April 2017 for a premium incentive program. She mentions the quality airlift, nightlife, beaches and food as top reasons for choosing Aruba.

“The island is friendly, Dutch, and has great food and drinking water,” she says. “There are big, beautiful beaches and the palapas (thatched-roof tiki huts) are a big hit.”

In addition to functions at the hotel, the group also experienced dine-arounds and traveled on the island’s amusingly distinctive Kukoo Kunuku buses. She calls it all “exceptional.”

The resort gets excellent marks from Findlay for both price and location, but she also notes that it offers an abundance of ocean-view rooms, ideal for incentive participants. She really liked the “complimentary white-washed, family-style tables” they used and adds that, “The sushi bar and Starbucks were both big hits.”

Findlay says there were no real challenges in planning and executing a meeting on Aruba or at the Marriott. In terms of personnel, she says Jessika Panneflek, event manager on property, stands out. To other planners considering the Marriott she suggests, “Get some reserved palapas in your contract. Get as many oceanview rooms as possible in your contract.  Don’t do all-inclusive as there are so many great restaurants on the beach and surrounding area that you should try while you’re there. Definitely,” she adds, “do the Kukoo Kunuku busses — they’re so fun for people. Also, do the tattoos and party hats, and try kite surfing.”

Barbados

Sandy Lane in Barbados falls into the legendary category and has long upheld its reputation for quality, exclusivity and service, making it an ideal destination for incentives. Gai A. Spann, founder and “travel artist” at SPANNing the Globe Tours and a consultant for a meetings and incentive company, has high praise for the property and the island.

“For incentive groups, a unique, luxury destination is desirable. Barbados provides an upscale Caribbean experience and boutique luxury accommodations. The island has an excellent culinary reputation, amazing natural beauty and options for activities.”

She notes that the island and hotel lend themselves well to smaller groups. Recently she brought 30 incentive qualifiers from a U.S.-based pharmaceutical company to Sandy Lane. “You’re able to privatize experiences, meaning entire hotel buyouts, private restaurant dining and setting up beautiful tented events. All work well with a group not too large,” she says.

One off-property highlight is a function at a rum distillery on this island that claims itself as the birthplace of rum. “The facilities were gorgeous and unique as it’s set in what feels like a forest,” Spann says. “The staff, food and service were personalized and extraordinary.”

Sandy Lane’s attributes include, “the level of service, quality and location,” though Spann notes that planners should not be surprised that “everything is a la carte.”

She points out that most of the hotels on Barbados are small to medium size, so there’s rarely an issue with distance from guest rooms to meeting space. Shipping, however, can be an issue and Spann encourages planners to “make sure you send items ahead of time with enough time to clear customs.”

She has two other recommendations. “For catering, it’s good to include local cuisine in the offerings,” she says. “And definitely use a local DMC and start early in your planning cycle. Our DMC, Nicholas Alleyne from Blu Isles, made planning much easier. As a local business, I was able to have him on island to confirm certain requests. His knowledge of the island and relationships with key players made our experience VIP.”

Beyond that, Spann adds, it’s a good idea to visit Barbados early on to find out if offsite locations will work for your group or not.

Alleyne wants meeting planners and their groups to know that Barbados has even more to offer. “Barbados represents the best in authentic Caribbean charm, expertly blended with state-of-the-art conference facilities and an ever intriguing repertoire of attractions and events. This unique combination of a timeless je ne sais quoi, the warmth of its people, advanced development, high amenity value and the island’s security make Barbados a leading choice for the North American market,” he says.

He points out that Barbados is well connected in terms of airlift with direct flights from across the United States and Canada. “Once you get here, the quality mix of leading global brands and local hoteliers provide a range of options from the luxurious to the more traditional. The island,” he adds, “expertly blends modern amenities with an authentic Bajan experience.”

Just as important, Alleyne says the government is very supportive to the meetings industry. “There are duty waiver programs for incentives as well as other concessions.”

Blu Isles curates a range of diverse, culturally rich and fun experiences for groups, from culinary excursions to breakfasts with George Washington (sort of) who once visited Barbados to extravaganzas in the island’s evocative caves and more.

“We know the state-of-the-art facilities, the legal and economic concessionary infrastructure, financial planning, and the range of support services needed to flawlessly execute your conference. Details matter,” Alleyne says. “Leave them to us.”

Puerto Rico

Images of Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Maria were heartbreaking, and the road back has been challenging. But it has not broken the spirit of the island, and it’s important to note that parts of Puerto Rico are already welcoming visitors.

“Puerto Rico is open for business and ready to receive groups and conventions,” says Alma Pedrosa, CDME, acting president and CEO of Meet Puerto Rico. “Most of our hotels and tourist attractions are available to welcome group delegates, as our international airport and port, as well as other attractions, have been operating normally for a few months.”

Pedrosa notes that some hotels are still undergoing renovation, and will eventually open with something new to offer visitors, but emphasizes that major conventions are already returning. The first of 2018 was the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association Marketplace at the end of January. “In March, we will welcome the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN); and, we are proud to report that many of our clients have rebooked their business for 2018 and beyond,” she says.

“We feel proud of our people, our offerings and our determination. Puerto Rico continues to position itself as an ideal destination for meetings and conventions, offering the Caribbean’s largest and most technologically advanced convention center, a wide variety of hotels for all types of budgets and groups, together with a sophisticated business meeting destination.

“Puerto Rico has always been one of the most desirable meetings and conventions destinations,” she says, “and we look forward to the future with enthusiasm. We are moving into a new phase with astounding opportunities for our clients and we are thrilled to have them come and rediscover Puerto Rico!”

Christopher de Medeiros, account manager with San Juan-based Destination Puerto Rico, a DMC Network Company, points out that easy airlift is one of the island’s assets for North American groups. He worked with a group of 50 last March, based at the San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino.

“San Juan PR was the perfect destination for this group.  It offered easy airlift for the participants that flew in mostly from the Northeast. It was a warm break in their winter to enjoy culture, adventure, history and great gastronomical experiences. The San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino was the perfect property for this young group with plenty of restaurants, shopping and nightlife right outside their front door, and an amazing beach behind the property. The resort also has great meeting and function space with an amazing F&B department.”

One off-property function was a dine-around in Old San Juan, where participants branched off to the restaurant of their choice in small groups. “We tied the evening together ending with a party in one of the plazas in Old San Juan where they met for their return transfer to the Marriott,” de Medeiros says.

“Puerto Rico literally has something for everyone — sun, fun, adventure, culture, history, amazing gastronomical experiences — all amid the true gem of the island, its happy and hospitable people. We are a territory of the U.S., use U.S. currency and no passport is required.”

Among the properties to announce opening dates is the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Puerto Rico Golf & Beach Resort. In January, the hotel announced that it would reopen on March 1, 2018 following a multimillion-dollar renovation and refresh. Best of all, one dollar of every room night booked by all guests in March and April will be donated to the El Yunque Rainforest Restoration Fund.

The El San Juan Hotel is now scheduled to reopen on October 1, after a renovation of guest rooms, villas, pools, public spaces and landscaping. Since the hurricanes, the property has been hosting first responders and aid workers.

U.S. Virgin Islands

The USVI were among the hardest hit, and many of the larger group-friendly hotels will not open until late this year or even next year.

In September, Marriott International established a resource line for those looking for information about impacted hotels. Among the USVI properties closed are The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas, with an expected reopen date of January 2019; Frenchman’s Reef & Morning Star Marriott Beach Resort, which hopes to reopen December 2018; and The Westin St. John Resort Villas, closed at least through January 2019. Call 866-211-4610 for more information.

The Renaissance St. Croix Carambola Beach Resort & Spa on St. Croix is still closed, but as of October, reservations were cancelled only through May 2018. That could be revised as work continues.

Caneel Bay on St. John will be closed for the entire 2017/2018 season and there’s no current reopen date.

On the good news front, The Buccaneer on St. Croix welcomed guests back November 1, and Emerald Beach Resort on St. Thomas reopened in November as well.

The Cayman Islands

The three islands in this group were among those that saw no impact from the 2017 hurricanes. Conferences and incentive programs booked here will have no issues.

Looking forward, Hyatt announced in February that it will soon be returning to Grand Cayman. The 352-room Grand Hyatt Cayman Hotel & Residences, set on the island’s famous Seven Mile Beach, is slated to open in 2020.

St. Lucia

Like many islands in the Southern Caribbean, St. Lucia was not at all impacted by the two hurricanes. “Our hotels and businesses are all open and ready to welcome visitors,” says Prime Minister Allen Chastanet.

JetBlue currently has nonstop flights to the island from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, and a handful of other carriers offer connections through Miami.

St. Kitts

In November, Hyatt announced the opening of the first Park Hyatt hotel in the Caribbean. Park Hyatt St. Kitts Christophe Harbour debuts with 78 rooms, 48 suites, three restaurants, a Miraval Life in Balance Spa and indoor and outdoor private event spaces ideal for incentive groups. The resort has a deep focus on wellness and a commitment to local experiences.

St. Maarten/St. Martin

The dual Dutch/French island suffered significant damage but recovery is well underway. As of October 10, 2017, the Princess Juliana International Airport has reopened. Although the main terminal is not scheduled to open until some time in 2018, American Airlines and other carriers have already resumed flights to the island. The Dr. A.C. Wathey cruise terminal is also now reopened and the first cruise ships began to arrive in December.

Unfortunately, The Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa, St. Maarten, is still closed and has no current opening date. Riu Palace St. Martin, formerly the Radisson Blu, may reopen as early as April 2018.

Trinidad & Tobago

The tourism authorities for Trinidad and Tobago want meeting planners and others to know that these two islands sit below the hurricane belt and are fully able to welcome groups.

But there has been a change in how the islands will be marketed in the future. In January, the islands’ minister of tourism, Shamfa Cudjoe, announced the launch of a new newsletter, Things Tourism, to serve as the new source of news related to tourism and development on Trinidad and Tobago. The former Tourism Development Company Limited has also been split into two new entities to market and promote the islands: Tobago Tourism Agency and Tourism Trinidad Limited, both new resources for planners and their groups.

Among the properties to consider: The 423-room Hyatt Regency Trinidad. In November, the property completed an extensive upgrade that included guest rooms, lobby, the spa, dining venues and its 43,000 sf of flexible meeting and event space. Guest rooms feature useful workspace and multifunction areas. The overall design enhances the hotel’s connection to Trinidad and the local community of artists.

The Bahamas

Paradise Island and New Providence Island escaped damage from 2017’s hurricanes. The good news is that there are still deals to be had in part because of the perception that the entire region was affected, and in part because Baha Mar resort is new, having finally opened with two of its three hotels after long construction and legal delays.

The expansive Baha Mar resort’s first phase debuted last spring with the opening of the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, The Baha Mar Convention, Art and Entertainment Center and The Royal Blue Golf Club, featuring the only Jack Nicklaus-designed course in The Bahamas. The SLS Baha Mar opened last November and Rosewood Baha Mar is slated to open this summer.

Grand Hyatt Baha Mar’s two towers house 1,800 guest rooms and 230 suites featuring views of the beach, golf course, resort pools and fountain shows. Grand Hyatt Baha Mar manages The Baha Mar Convention, Art and Entertainment Center, the destination’s 200,000-sf indoor and outdoor convention facility, and connects directly to Baha Mar Casino, the largest casino in the Caribbean. Twenty various bars and restaurants will open in the Grand Hyatt under the leadership of executive chef Brent Martin.

On Paradise Island, Atlantis, continues to evolve, refresh and reinvent itself. The resort suffered no significant damage during the 2017 hurricane season. The Coral, one of the resort’s five distinct properties, was reopened in 2017 after a $20 million transformation. Resort-wide, Atlantis has put a renewed focus on programs that connect guests to Bahamian culture — such as the weekly Junkanoo Bahamian Fest & Feast and Art Walk in the new Marina Village that showcases the work of local artists and designers. Atlantis also announced the opening of five new outposts of popular Bahamian restaurants featuring fresh ingredients from local farmers and fishermen. The resort offers more than 500,000 sf of indoor/outdoor meeting and event space including the Atlantis Conference Center, with two ballrooms at 50,000 sf and 25,000 sf.

In December, Atlantis announced a new program that elevates the already ultra-luxury offered at The Cove, another of the Atlantis properties. It includes guests’ arrival via luxury, private wheeled or seaplane flights from Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and the Miami Seaplane Base. No traipsing through crowded airports. This service includes private departure lounges and private SUV pickup in the Bahamas, followed by VIP check-in service at The Cove, all perfect for incentive programs.

Finally, the resort has a menu of new experiences at Dolphin Cay, including paddleboarding, kayaking, and snorkeling — often in the company of the resort’s resident bottlenose dolphins. More programs are in the works, some appropriate for small groups.

The Caribbean and Bahamas remain a viable and important destination for North American groups, even as recovery moves forward. Planners have every reason to look toward these hospitable islands for 2018 bookings and beyond. C&IT

Marty MacKay, DMCP, is president, Hosts Global’s Alliance of DMCs. Marty has spent her entire career mastering the event world. Her professional background began on the client side, where she learned the event business from the ground up while working at a leading fortune 500 company. Since joining Hosts Global in 2013, she has more than doubled the size of the Alliance and introduced best practices and standards across the membership. Marty is the president of ADMEI and leader in the hospitality industry’s focus to drive emergency preparedness. www.hosts-global.com

No one is exempt from a disaster. They can happen anywhere, to anyone. Now more than ever, meeting planners are asking (and if they are not, they should be) their supplier partners about emergency preparedness. As your worldwide Destination Management Company (DMC), our team at Hosts Global brings to the forefront the need for this conversation between planners and DMCs far before programs occur. It is critical to address this topic in the early stages of planning a meeting, convention, incentive program or special event and with all parties involved to ensure clients are safe and all teams are prepared for various types of emergencies. We cannot say it enough. A communication plan is key in a crisis.

Dangers of Being Unprepared

It is extremely difficult to plan for the unknown. However, the danger of being unprepared for a potential crisis is an even greater risk for your meeting or event. These dangers include inadequately training your staff and not having a clear communication plan should an emergency occur. During a crisis, you must be prepared to make swift decisions in order to protect the safety of your guests and your teams. You empower your staff with the knowledge and authority to make these critical safety calls through advanced preparation.

High-level Goals and Measures to Consider

To initiate your preparedness plan, we have found it beneficial to consider the following high-level goals and protective measures:

• Protect the safety of employees, clients, suppliers and others at risk in the event of an emergency.
• Maintain high service levels by minimizing disruptions of business operations.
• Protect facilities, physical assets and electronic information.
• Protect the organization’s brand, image and reputation.

Some basic protective actions are similar across many different hazards:

• Physical safety is a concern for all hazards and may involve sheltering in place or evacuating.
• Develop a business communications plan that is shared with all employees.
• Make an emergency supply kit to be prepared for a variety of situations.
• Learn about receiving local advance emergency alerts, locations of nearby shelter and evacuation sites and creating a list of local emergency contacts.
• When recovering from a disaster, safety as well as mental and physical well-being must be considered.

How to Work With Your DMC for Local Emergency Preparedness and Crisis Management

Our team at Hosts Global believes in being proactive, and that extends to being prepared for various emergency situations that may arise. To do so, we’ve created an emergency action plan template, to ensure we can help keep our people and our clients safe, while protecting our business. We have made this template available for our DMCs across our 300+ destinations along with checklists and helpful information for them to create an emergency communication plan that reflects their destination’s needs. Although we all face the same accidental and terrorist hazards, not every location faces the same natural disaster threats. When working with your local DMC we recommend gaining their expert advice on local threats and focusing on communication as the first step.  In my opinion, the most critical communications document you can create is a one-page, high-level event overview. When the unthinkable happens, it is essential to have important facts when time is limited. This overview, at a minimum, should include information about your key decision-makers and their agreed upon triggers for action. This way, you don’t second guess yourself under pressure. An example of a situation where this document might be useful could be an outdoor event where weather might be a risk. In advance of the event, key decision-makers should decide what the trigger(s) will be for cancelling the event due to inclement weather. That way, during the event when emotions are high and there might be a tendency to push the envelope because you don’t want to cancel, you already have an agreed upon, reasonable risk threshold set when emotions were calm and collected.

Resources Available to Meeting Planners

Last year, as the president-elect of the Association of Destination Management Executives International (ADMEI), I had the opportunity to collaborate with fellow destination management executives and MSA Security, a global security firm, to develop the “Emergency Preparedness Certificate Program.” MSA was critical for establishing essential course criteria as well as creating planning checklists so course participants can depart with tangible templates to utilize. After completing our first certificate program, we quickly realized the need to bring in legal counsel to answer many questions, so we now partner with the seasoned team at Barnes & Thornburg LLP as well. The course has been very successful. To date, it is the only comprehensive event emergency preparedness and risk management certificate course customized for meeting, event and DMC professionals.

I encourage you to learn more about this specialized training opportunity. For details regarding the certificate program and upcoming training event, please visit: www.adme.org/aws/ADME/pt/sp/emergency.

Training

I’ve participated in a number of emergency preparedness seminars. A common theme in each training is the difficulty of knowing how you will respond in the time of crisis. My continued takeaway is that the more scenarios you can envision and discuss, however unpleasant, the more likely you are to make good decisions should you find yourself in one of those situations. Please remember, this type of scenario training should not just include immediate staff, but all field staff and partners who are essential to the successful execution of your event. I’ll close with a helpful tip: in the months leading up to your event, take time to talk through one scenario a week in your team planning meetings. Encourage each team member take a turn walking through a scenario and then openly discuss as a group. Everyone will provide different points of view and their diverse feedback will ultimately make your preparedness plan complete. C&IT

Dramatic views from Shannon Ridge Family of Wines’ vineyard in Lake County. Credit: Nathan DeHart Photography

To say that California is diverse is an epic understatement. At nearly 164,000 square miles, the third largest state in the union is a glorious mix of ocean, desert, bread-basket valleys, dramatic rock formations, imposing peaks, sublime sandy beaches, wild lands and singular cities that draw visitors from across the globe. Its West Coast location gives it easy access from Asia and the Pacific, and a collection of busy airports from north to south bring in non-stops from across the U.S. mainland and beyond.

The Golden State stirs the imagination. Even those who have never visited know it through its many film and TV appearances. Simply put, California is a place people want to be.

Los Angeles County

Los Angeles County is immense. Within its 4,750 square miles are 88 cities and a population of more than 10 million. Its star quality and more than a handful of its cities are legendary. There are literally thousands of places groups might meet within the county, including a few lesser-known options planners should consider.

Rancho Palos Verdes sits on an evocative stretch of coastline south of L.A., between Santa Monica and Huntington Beach. Among its worthy resorts is Terranea, the choice for Littler Mendelson’s shareholder meeting in January 2017 with 675 in attendance. Bob Treadway, owner of Treadway Meetings, calls Terranea the perfect location for this event.

“Los Angeles and Orange County offer two great airports for our attendees, who come in from the U.S., Canada, Latin America and Europe. The physical location, the views, the ocean and the wonderful Terranea team keep us coming back. Our group loves that we basically own the hotel for the three nights we are in town.”

Treadway says the group stays on property with the exception of two afternoons on which activities are offered in the general vicinity — on property, in Long Beach and Los Angeles.

“Terranea offers a total package,” Treadway says. “Flexible meeting space, top-notch banquet food and beverage, great restaurants, a spa and one of the best teams I’ve had the opportunity to work with in my years as a planner. We have become a family.”

Treadway made his first site visit soon after the resort opened. “The economy was shaky, my client’s upper management was worried that Terranea was not going to make it financially, and I was skeptical because it was so new. Melisa Rodgers at the resort told me it was going to happen for us, it did, and we start our 11th year this January.”

In terms of meeting space, Treadway says the AV and internet work well, and meeting rooms are well located in respect to accommodations. The larger picture for Treadway, however, is how the staff makes a difference. “As I always say in our pre-con, ‘This coming week we are a team, we succeed or fail together.’  We have succeeded every time. The property has always gone above and beyond.”

To others considering Terranea, Treadway says, “Be ready to ask for future dates once your conference ends. And ask for Courtney Gresham to be your Convention Services Manager.

Marina del Rey

If proximity to LAX is a priority, it’s hard to beat Marina del Rey, a waterfront playground just four miles north of the airport. Although only 1.5 square miles in size, Marina del Rey has six hotels — including a Hilton, a Marriott and a Ritz-Carlton — and 1,100 rooms, most providing walking access to almost everything the area offers. On-water activities give attendees plenty to do when not in meetings, from fishing and whale watching to kayaking, paddleboard yoga, parasailing and jet skiing.

Janet Zaldua, CEO of the Marina del Rey Convention & Visitors Bureau, says, “Our hotels have recently undergone renovations and upgrades that delegates are sure to love. Plus, they’ll appreciate Marina del Rey’s proximity to LAX airport, Venice Beach, Santa Monica, Playa Vista and popular L.A. attractions.”

In short, she says, “Marina del Rey is a smart choice for meeting planners looking for an impressive waterfront destination that offers clients the biggest bang for their buck.”

Long Beach

Sitting south of L.A., Long Beach is almost equidistant between LAX and Orange County’s John Wayne Airport, giving planners two good options for bringing groups in.

The city’s star attraction for groups is the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center with three adjoining exhibit halls, two theaters, an arena, four ballrooms, two VIP lounges and 34 meeting rooms for a total of more than 400,000 sf of space. Some $50 million has been reinvested into the center, perhaps most notably in upgraded technology, which was announced last April.

“Long Beach is proud to offer the best network experience of any boutique-size convention center,” says Steve Goodling, president and CEO of Long Beach Area Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. “The center and Smart City recently inked a deal to dramatically improve wireless connectivity for high-density groups. This means more people with more devices connecting faster.”

Last May the center started replacing core technological equipment with the most advanced wireless system available, with a goal of creating a network able to handle the needs of all major trade shows and special events. The new system increases the number of simultaneous devices supported by more than 350 percent.

“No other convention center will be capable of handling more capacity than Long Beach,” Goodling says.

In addition to technology, the center also has launched what it calls, “turnkey special event venues.” These venues offer built-in fixtures and amenities but allow planners to create and customize according to their imaginations and needs, while saving on costs. The newest turnkey space, The Cove, debuted last spring. Providing an “under-the-pier” fantasy aesthetic, the new space is located below the Terrace Theater.

Los Angeles

The City of Angels is always evolving, offering something new to planners no matter how often they meet there. In 2017, several hotels of note opened. Dream Hollywood Hotel welcomed guests in July. The 10-story boutique property features 179 “hyper-chic” rooms and 11,000 sf of dynamic event space in The Highlight Room, located on the hotel’s rooftop. Among the restaurants is Beauty & Essex, a bi-level indoor-outdoor space with a 20-foot skylight and dramatic crystal chandeliers.

In June, the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown opened at Wilshire Grand Center — all 73 stories of it with 889 rooms, a sky lobby on the 70th floor and 95,000 sf of meeting and function space. The hotel features a soaring open-air Skydeck, where a max of 548 guests can thrill to sunsets from the top of the tallest building west of Chicago.

Other 2017 openings included The Everly, a Kimpton property with 216 rooms; Hotel Indigo Downtown Los Angeles with 350 rooms; and for groups embracing the sharing economy, there’s the Freehand Hotel and Hostel, housed in the former Commercial Exchange Building in L.A.’s Historic Core, with 226 rooms ranging from traditional accommodations to haute hostel rooms (aka poshtels) with up to eight beds. The Freehand has a rooftop pool and lounge available for private events, stunning views complimentary.

“Our city’s unrivaled intellectual capital, incredible mix of ‘only-in-L.A.’ experiences and venues, and endless sunshine are fueling L.A.’s popularity as a premier meetings destination,” says Ernest Wooden Jr., president and CEO of the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board. “Fantastic new hotels are opening their doors with frequency, diverse chefs are exploring creative territories, and noteworthy cultural institutions are choosing to call L.A. home. A truly irresistible magnet for collaboration, Los Angeles is the perfect destination for both corporate and incentive professionals to connect individually and innovate collectively.”

If planners are hesitant because of the fires, Wooden puts fears to rest. “The recent fires that affected residential areas of the city had no impact on our meetings sector and there are no smoke advisories or road closures that visitors need to be aware of. The three temporarily closed attractions — the Getty Center, the Skirball Cultural Center and the Hammer Museum — are fully operational and have been re-opened for weeks. We are thankful for our first responders and firefighters for their truly heroic work.”

Ventura County

Ventura County and its namesake city lie between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. Among the meeting-friendly properties is the Ventura Beach Marriott, base hotel for two annual events of PanAmerican Seed, the breeding and research division of Ball Horticultural. Its industry-wide event, CAST, occurs in April with approximately 1,100 attending over five days, while the sales meeting runs in October, with 65 attending.

Janessa Bender, management team administrator and Spring Trials Event coordinator, says the location works well. “Because we have a breeding facility in Santa Paula, about 20 minutes from Ventura, it’s very convenient to stay in town. We love the downtown area of Ventura,” she says. “There are restaurants with all different price points where we can bring our customers during the CAST events, and the hotel is within walking distance to many of them. This is great for our staff who frequently travel to the area to visit our facility. And of course, having the beach nearby is a big plus!”

The group uses venues in the Marriott and outside of it. “We’ve had several big internal celebration dinners at Spasso Cucina Italiana,” Bender says. “We utilized one half of the restaurant for our group of 50. The food is always excellent and service is great. We held a scavenger hunt in downtown Ventura for our sales team one year, which was a lot of fun and we learned a lot about the city while looking for clues. We’ve done boat cruises in Ventura Harbor with Island Packers, and more recently a kayaking outing. All of these were excellent teambuilding activities. During CAST, we provide lunch onsite for our customers as well as some dinners. We’ve discovered an excellent caterer in the area, Season’s Catering, which we use now for all our catered events. The food is superb and customer service is top-notch.”

Bender says Ventura doesn’t have a lot of large indoor spaces for events but adds,” “The two main hotels, Ventura Beach Marriott and Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach, have large ballrooms that have worked perfectly for our meeting needs.”

About the Marriott specifically, she says, “Ventura Beach Marriott is within close proximity of our facility. The service is always great, and we love that it’s close to the beach and many restaurants. As a company, we’ve been staying at that property for approximately 23 years. I generally work with Marie Castillo, and she has great customer service and has helped me tremendously with reservations, room arrangements, menu planning and all my event needs. And the food is probably the best food I’ve had at a hotel. We always have a welcome dinner and everything the chef prepares is tasty.”

Bender says there are no major challenges except during CAST, when many rooms get reserved outside of the room block. “The Marriott Ventura works with us to try and get our customers booked at a reasonable rate once those are full.”

She advises planners to set their room block at least a year in advance. “July/August is the hotel’s busiest time and when Ventura County Fair is held each year.”

Monterey County

The most defining feature of Monterey County is arguably the vast bay from which it takes its name; however, the magnificent coastline south of the bay, stunning state parks and beaches, internationally acclaimed golf courses and several famed towns, including Carmel-By-The-Sea, all contribute to the powerful allure of this area. And a new draw for meetings is the newly renovated $60 million Monterey Conference Center, which celebrated its grand reopening in January.

Among the state facilities planners can consider is Asilomar State Beach & Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, a historic property with lodging and conference space that has been used by groups since 1913. In October 2017, South San Francisco-based Genentech, Inc. held its research conference at Asilomar with 1,224 attendees.

“Asilomar Conference Grounds was chosen for this event many years ago due to its location and the conference center having meeting space to accommodate the size of the group,” says Elaine Taylor, Genentech program manager. “Pacific Grove is drivable from our corporate office. Using this location has to do with the culture and history of this conference, however. Attendees enjoy the beauty and laid-back environment at Asilomar.”

Taylor has been organizing the conference since 1999, but it was located at Asilomar long before that. “History dictates that our conference takes place at this location — the scientists love it.”

The conference runs wholly on the conference grounds with a couple of exceptions. “The first night, all attendees spent the evening at Monterey Bay Aquarium enjoying a private showing and strolling dinner. It’s a wonderful environment and allows attendees to feel special by having the entire aquarium to themselves.”

In addition, Taylor has to use several offsite properties for lodging as the group requires about twice the sleeping rooms available at Asilomar.

She says organizing a conference at Asilomar is different than at other places. “Asilomar is a grand, historic site, and you have to work within the parameters of the history and culture there. Meeting space is limited and spread out over the grounds. Depending on the size of your group, you have to be creative to make it work. We have a 100-by-100-foot tent installed for the extra space we require. We also use an underground parking garage and transform it into a very cool party space for evening events.”

Taylor calls the staff accommodating and easy to work with, and notes that all catering is handled through the property. “They do a very good job. They provide breakfast, lunch and dinner but also cater our special events. Everything has been well received by the group. For special events, I work with a party event decoration company. Outside vendors used are mainly local and know how to work within the special parameters of historic Asilomar.”

One “must” according to Taylor is that planners make a site visit and walk the grounds. “You need to see the conference rooms and lodging to get an understanding of the facility so you can make the most of what Asilomar has to offer,” she says. “It’s quite wonderful and different. Everything depends on the size of your group and what you’re trying to achieve.”

City and County of San Francisco

No California bayside city is more universally beloved and recognized than San Francisco, long a top meetings destination. San Francisco needs no introduction to planners; however, it always has something new, and the $551 million expansion of the Moscone Center is new in a big way, with completion expected this year.

The city calls it “more than an expansion. It’s an attention-grabbing, attendance-getting masterpiece on a grand corner of San Francisco.” When complete, Moscone will have an additional 157,000 gross sf of flexible meeting space, two new floors of column-free space including a 50,000-sf ballroom, expanded lobbies totaling 60,000 sf and cutting-edge technology. It will be at minimum LEED Gold certified.

Planners should keep in mind that the Moscone Center is within a few minutes of 22,000 of the city’s more than 33,000 hotel rooms, not to mention stellar dining and shopping.

Virgin Hotel San Francisco is scheduled to open in February with 196 rooms, while the Lodge at the Presidio should open this summer with 42 rooms in one of the city’s historic and most beautiful areas. As for renovations, Loews Regency San Francisco recently unveiled a transformation of its entire meetings and event space and rolled out a new program for groups on the 40th-floor Sky Deck, including breaks, morning yoga, and wine and cocktail events.

Lake County

Approximately two hours north of San Francisco, Lake County is within California’s wine country, adjacent to Napa and Sonoma counties. Among its historic properties is the stately Tallman Hotel, founded by 19th century pioneers Rufus and Mary Tallman. The hotel was renovated in 2003 and reopened to guests in 2006. In 2008 it was added to California’s Register of Historical Resources as a Point of Historical Interest.

Peter Molnar, partner, Obsidian Ridge Wine Co., has organized multiple events for eight to 50 attendees, including retreats for Obsidian Wine Co. and meetings of the Lake County Winegrape Commission.

“The Tallman Hotel boasts an incredible combination of factors for a small/medium high-end group retreat,” he says. “It has beautiful private rooms nicely located around a common courtyard, warm and engaging staff and management that is incredibly accommodating. The Tallman has allowed us to showcase our new and exciting wine region and wines to groups of discerning national and international writers, tastemakers and fellow vintners.”

While he often makes use of offsite tent events in local vineyards for some meals, Molnar says, “The Tallman is the anchor and focal point of our hospitality.”

He describes the hotel as, “A remote and quiet spot for great group focus in an upscale but relaxed setting — the best in our region.” The meeting space, he says, is ideal for a strategy session for a small- or medium-sized group of up to 20 people and the décor is exemplary. “The space is convenient to guest rooms, it’s very quiet, the coffee is great, as are snacks and the staff is very attentive.”

Molnar notes that the porch also lends itself to small groups gathering to meet or enjoy drinks together and calls the hotel “perfect for an overnight or a two-night/three-day event coupled with local wineries and outings. It’s hard to communicate just how much guests love the Tallman and its blend of remoteness and sophistication,” he says. “I would bring any level of client, guest or group to the Tallman — and have!” C&IT

The residential lobby at the Omni Louisville Hotel, which is topped with 225 luxury apartments. Credit: Omni Hotels & Resorts

Long-established meeting destinations such as Atlantic City, New York and Las Vegas thrive in part on a certain nostalgic appeal: Groups want to have those classic experiences, whether it’s the Boardwalk, Carnegie Hall or the Flamingo of Bugsy Siegel fame. But what’s new in these cities can be just as engaging, and hotel openings, expansions and renovations are often exactly the kinds of new developments that catch a planner’s eye.

Northeast

Such was the case in 2016 when Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City introduced the $125 million Waterfront Conference Center. According to Glendia Bursey, executive assistant to Jeff Bender, CEO of Harris Computer Systems, the conference space was the major factor in selecting Harrah’s for the 2017 Harris Customer Training Conference. “To date it was the best conference space that I have worked in. The overall feedback on the space was amazing.” Held in November, the conference brought 1,400 attendees to Harrah’s for the first time, and participants were able to experience the renovated Bayview Tower guest rooms. Completed last summer, the $30 million project redesigned and enhanced the 450 guest rooms and suites with fresh design elements such as a lavender and blue color scheme, and new luxurious bathroom amenities. All Bayview rooms and suites now feature high-speed internet access and accessible charging stations, in addition to 55-inch LG LED televisions. Besides the rooms renovation, The Pool at Harrah’s/The Pool after Dark received a $2.6 million redesign and a brand new, $300,000 fitness center was added.

An enhancement project at Atlantic City’s Resorts Casino Hotel, a Mohegan Sun property, somewhat parallels the developments at Harrah’s. Last year, Resorts renovated all 480 rooms in its Ocean Tower, and prior to that opened a new conference center in 2015. The guest room renovation was inspired by Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville, with sand-toned carpets, coral patterns and tropical dark woods. The new high-tech conference center offers 64,000 sf of meeting space, encompassing 24 meeting rooms, four ballrooms and a multipurpose showroom.

Wayne Feret, general manager of Praxair Distribution Inc., has been bringing sales meetings to Resorts for about 15 years, and truly appreciates the evolution of the property. He most recently brought a kickoff meeting of about 100 attendees to the hotel, and back in 2015 brought in one of the first groups to use the new conference center. The stage for general session “used to be like an old Vaudeville stage with curtains,” he recalls. “And when they rebuilt the conference center, it’s now much more accommodating and modern with the big screen, 90-inch TVs in each one of the breakout rooms. We had zero technical issues this year with our computers; we hooked them in and the speakers worked well, everything linked in. It was a picture-perfect event.”

The service, not just the new facility, also was conducive to the success of the program. “They went the extra mile because when you have these meetings, at the last second things change. Two other people needed to present, and they were able to accommodate me by adding extra breakout rooms very quickly,” Feret relates. On the F&B side, the group enjoyed the property’s Landshark Bar and Grill on the Boardwalk for the opening night reception of the last sales meeting. “It’s a great atmosphere,” says Feret. “We had an open bar, and they had the endless Jimmy Buffet mini cheeseburgers, pulled pork and more. People trickled in to the event between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. It was a great gathering place.”

The hotel renovations and conference center openings in Atlantic City should be on the radar of any planner considering the Northeast. Following is a selection of other significant hotel developments in various regions of the country.

Southeast

Atlanta is now home to a new offering from Omni Hotels & Resorts that will especially appeal to baseball fans. The 264-room Omni Hotel at the Battery Atlanta is a full-service hotel that serves as a cornerstone of the mixed-use community adjacent to SunTrust Park, future home of the Atlanta Braves. Groups can avail themselves of more than 20,000 sf of function space, rooftop hospitality suites and an elevated pool deck and bar with views into the Battery Atlanta.

In Orlando, work is progressing on the expansion of Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, the largest of the six convention hotels at Walt Disney World Resort. This year, the resort will complete a new 15-story, 500-room tower, along with a new rooftop restaurant and lounge atop the tower offering views of nighttime fireworks. Currently, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort houses more than 500 guest rooms and 220,000 sf of function space. At Universal Orlando Resort, two value-priced properties will debut in the summer of 2019: a 750-room hotel and a 2,050-room hotel, both located near Universal Orlando’s three theme parks as well as Universal CityWalk.

In September 2017, the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort in Orlando, Florida, completed a $150 million, three-year makeover that included a total redesign of all 2,270 guest rooms, renovation of the resort’s 331,000 sf of meeting space and a top-to-bottom, $12 million transformation of the lobby (for details, see page 44).

In Miramar Beach, Florida, the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort has announced a $2.7 renovation of its 15,000-sf Linkside Conference Center (for details, see page 42).

In Tampa on Florida’s Gulf Coast, the JW Marriott brand is making strides with the agreement to operate the new, 519-room hotel being developed next to the Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina. The 26-story hotel is expected to open in 2020. Together, the properties are expected to help the Tampa Convention Center book larger groups. In addition, it has been reported that Strategic Property Partners, a joint venture between Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik and Bill Gates’ Cascade Investment, plans to spend $40 million to renovate the 719-room Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina by early 2019.

South and Southwest

Hotel development in Music City has been in full swing with several major new openings, beginning in 2016 with the debut of the 453-room Westin Nashville, adding 20,000 sf to the city’s meeting space inventory. This year will see the 533-room JW Marriott Nashville open in July. The 33-story property will house 50,000 sf of function space, the award-winning Bourbon Steak by Michael Mina, a world-class Spa by JW and a collection of musically inspired contemporary art. In addition, by midyear a tri-brand hotel opens in Nashville’s SoBro neighborhood. The property will comprise an AC Hotels by Marriott that occupies 209 rooms in one wing, and a combined 125-room SpringHill Suites by Marriott and 136-room Residence Inn by Marriott in the adjoining wing.

“Nashville is under some massive construction in the downtown area right now, and they’re growing by leaps and bounds,” says Judy Payne, CMP, director, meetings and travel with GameStop. The GameStop Annual Conference in 2019, bringing in an expected 7,000 attendees, will utilize the new Westin and the AC Hotels property. “This will be our first event in Nashville in about a decade since we’ve grown so large,” Payne explains. “GameStop purchased EB Games in 2005 and immediately went from 2,000 stores to 4,000. We outgrew the Gaylord, so now that Nashville has that beautiful downtown convention center, it’s large enough to hold us, and they’re adding all these beautiful downtown hotels.”

When doing a site inspection for a new property, Payne observes certain best practices. “First, I try to reach out to a fellow planner who’s been there before me, and hopefully get their opinion on  what works best and what doesn’t, because nothing travels faster than word of mouth,” she says. “If I can’t get that, I post on forums and see what people have said who have (utilized) these brand-new hotels, like the ones that are popping up in Nashville.”

Ideally, a property would be open for at least a year and a half before her meeting, she adds. But in general, when onsite with her group at a recently opened hotel, “we’re going to go in wide-eyed and ready, knowing that there’s probably a few kinks they haven’t worked out yet. But we’re always willing to work with the hotel as a partner to get the best overall experience for our attendees.”

A newly built property that opened in late December in the city of Denton, Texas, makes that town more promising for meeting groups. The Embassy Suites by Hilton Denton Convention Center is built to LEED Gold specifications and features a 70,000-sf convention center that can divide into 22 separate meeting rooms. Amenities include an outdoor pool, 8,000-sf event lawn and 24-hour health club. The 318-room property is located in the heart of the up-and-coming Rayzor Ranch Town Center, close to a variety of shops, bars and restaurants.

“Having a business-class hotel and event space here in Denton expands Peterbilt’s options for hosting events locally,” says Robert Woodall, assistant general manager, sales and marketing, Peterbilt Motors Company. “We are pleased to see the hotel and convention center come to fruition and are excited to take advantage of this new local resource.”

Omni Hotels & Resorts is not only making an impact on Atlanta with the opening at the Battery Atlanta, but also in the Midwest. The 612-room Omni Louisville Hotel opens in March. Located in proximity to 4th Street Live, the Kentucky International Convention Center and Whiskey Row, the property offers groups approximately 70,000 sf of function space. The hotel is home to Bob’s Steak & Chop House, a rooftop pool deck, a Mokara Spa, and even a speakeasy with a bowling alley.

And in Austin, the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa has begun a $150 million renovation and expansion, expected to be completed by mid 2019. The project will redesign the property’s guest rooms, lobby, poolscape and golf course, add a new 180-room resort tower (bringing the total to 493), a conference center with six new meeting rooms and a new ballroom, an event pavilion, six dining outlets, Mokara Spa and tennis complex.

West and West Coast

Caesars Entertainment not only has been enhancing its Atlantic City hospitality product but also its considerable portfolio in Las Vegas. In 2016, the company upgraded more than 4,800 rooms at four of its Las Vegas resorts, including Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, Paris Las Vegas and Harrah’s Las Vegas. Last year, Caesars invested more than $100 million in renovating its 1,181-room Palace Tower, including the exclusive 29th floor with its luxurious villas. Through the second quarter of this year, the company continues its $90 million renovation of 1,270 rooms at the 3,460-room Flamingo Las Vegas, a project that began in August. The property’s 70-year history is being celebrated in the “retro-chic” redesign.  (Turn the page to learn about the new Caesars Forum.)

In Colorado, the 613-room Hilton Denver City Center debuted its $27 million renovation in December. The 20-story property affords Rocky Mountain views and is located near the Colorado Convention Center and Denver Art Museum. The hotel’s 32,000+ sf of meeting space is serviced by an in-house AV staff.

Planners who favor the Disney experience will have a new option in Anaheim, California, with Disneyland’s first new-build hotel in nearly 20 years. Construction is expected to begin this summer on the 700-room, AAA Four Diamond hotel, located at the north end of the Downtown Disney parking lot. A 2021 opening is expected. A tried-and-true Disney meeting hotel in Anaheim, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, recently finished remodeling its guest rooms, pool area, concierge-level Craftsman Club and updating lobby furniture. The Grand Californian houses more than 940 guest rooms and 20,000 sf of function space that includes the 11,900-sf Sequoia Ballroom.

The Anabella Hotel near the Anaheim Convention Center is being replaced with the new 613-room Westin Anaheim Resort by 2019. Among several property highlights will be three restaurants, a resort-style pool with tropical landscaping and a rooftop lounge that allows groups to enjoy Disneyland’s nightly fireworks. The Westin Anaheim will also be well stocked with meeting space: 42,000 sf, including a 16,000-sf grand ballroom.

Also of note is an airport hotel renovation in Portland, Oregon: the Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel completed a $7.5 million improvement project in January. All 215 rooms and suites have been refurbished and now feature more media outlets, and the F&B offerings have been enhanced with the opening of Rose & Compass, showcasing Northwest cuisine. The hotel offers groups 22,500 sf of meeting space spanning 15 rooms.

Supporting the Small Gathering

The Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel also has introduced its “Meetings in a Minute” concept with several four-person meeting rooms equipped with business amenities.

Indeed, the idea of accommodating small and sometimes informal gatherings has guided redesigns at many hotels, Payne observes. “It could be expanding their bar with a lot of networking pods, or adding little cubbies to the common areas so people can sit down and have little impromptu meetings when they need to,” she notes. “One thing that I’ve seen at many of the newer hotels around the Dallas/Fort Worth area is that they’re creating the opportunity to have small, impromptu meetings. For example, the Courtyard Dallas DFW Airport North/Grapevine has in the restaurant area little booths that seat maybe four to six people. At the end of each booth there is a built-in monitor with dongles so you can easily plug in and put your PowerPoint right there on the wall, so you can immediately have a screen. You can have a conversation and a meeting without having to secure a room or going through the hoops of trying to find a location where you can put your PowerPoint up. It’s a fantastic feature.” C&IT

The concert venue at Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City seats 1,200 for special events. Credit: Meet AC

There are more reasons than ever to meet in Atlantic City. The destination has shed its decades-old reputation as only a gaming capital by expanding and renovating properties and meeting spaces while offering more activities, entertainment and dining options.

As a result, Atlantic City is attracting more families and meetings, including many groups from outside its traditional East Coast base of businesses and associations. Groups have a choice of gaming and non-gaming properties offering a total of about 7,000 guest rooms, 260 meeting rooms and 1 million sf of meeting space.

Non-gaming hotels include Sheraton Atlantic City, Showboat Atlantic City, The Claridge Hotel (now a Radisson property), Courtyard by Marriott and Stockton Seaview Resort. Gaming hotels include Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City, Caesars Atlantic City, Bally’s Atlantic City, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, The Water Club (Borgata), Resorts Casino Hotel, Golden Nugget Atlantic City, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Tropicana Hotel & Casino.

Many Atlantic City properties are undergoing improvements. The iconic Tropicana, for example, completed $40 million in renovations including 500 Havana Tower Hotel and the North Tower. Tropicana offers 122,000 sf of meeting space including an 18,000-sf column-free ballroom that accommodates up to 1,800 attendees as well as 50 function rooms and the Grand Exposition Center, which accommodates groups of up to 2,000 people.

The Tropicana Experience

In September, Five Below, a Philadelphia-based discount store chain, held its annual meeting for 900 store managers, district managers, regional directors and other employees at the Tropicana. “In the past, we have had smaller meetings at the Tropicana,” says Dennis Lattman, director, field human resources, Five Below. “We were excited to return with the entire Five Below team.”

Tropicana was a good fit for Five Below for several reasons, including the meeting space. “Meeting accommodations were perfect,” says Lattman. “We occupied almost 500 rooms and everyone was close to the meeting space and theater. Both were in close proximity so it was convenient and allowed us to network and communicate information to attendees in an easy manner.”

Location also was a big plus. “Being on the Boardwalk with the beach within walking distance was great for everyone,” says Lattman. “Tropicana also has many convenient restaurants, shopping and entertainment activities to choose from within the hotel.”

Five Below attendees enjoyed almost everything the Tropicana offers. “They utilized Tropicana gift cards that Five Below provided to them,” says Lattman. “We had our district manager happy hour at Jose Garces’ Olón restaurant, which provided great views of the beach and authentic food and cocktails. The entire group enjoyed meals at Tropicana’s other restaurants.”

Lattman plans to continue meeting at the Tropicana, partly because of its stellar service. “There are so many examples of this that it’s hard to limit it to a few instances,” says Lattman. “The food and catering department responded quickly to menu changes and event needs. The head of hotel sales ensured that everything was handled with pleasure, gratitude and smiles.”

Resorts Casino Shines

Another property that offers top service is Mohegan Sun’s 942-room Resorts Casino Hotel. The resort is re-establishing its reputation as a top East Coast beachfront property with a $100 million expansion and renovation, which included a recent facelift of all 480 rooms in its Ocean Tower (including 112 junior suites, 14 parlor suites and one presidential suite).

Other upgrades that are part of the renovation investment include $35 million spent on the Jimmy Buffett-themed Margaritaville entertainment complex, which features Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville restaurant and LandShark Bar & Grill. The new high-tech conference center, which was added in 2015, has 64,000 sf of meeting space, 24 meeting rooms, four ballrooms, a showroom and two theaters seating 300 and 1,350 people, respectively.

Wawa, a Media, Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain, held its first meeting at Resorts Casino Hotel in November after having met at other Atlantic City hotels over the years. About 1,000 Wawa sales employees attended.

Raechelle Jackson, Wawa’s meeting planner and public relations representative, was impressed by Resorts’ meeting space. “It was perfect for what we needed and within our budget,” says Jackson. “The hotel has plenty of space for different planning options. The open space, the ability to divide the space into smaller rooms, the larger conference space for receptions and the theater were perfect. We had three workshops that the space accommodated well. The flow of getting in and out of each room was good.”

Top-shelf Service

Jackson says that Resorts Casino is now her first choice for all of Wawa’s Atlantic City event space needs, and one reason is the property’s service, which, she says exceeded expectations. “The flexibility and the paying attention to detail were excellent,” says Jackson. “Everything was set and ready on time. The team was always available to make any changes or accommodate us. We booked the space a few weeks before the meeting date and we were able to meet with the property, plan and execute the event as if we did it for months.”

Groups looking for a Las Vegas-style experience can look to the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, which is a favorite of large and small groups.

John Boyd Jr., principal of the Princeton, New Jersey-based Boyd Company, a management consulting firm, has planned dozens of mostly two-day meetings in Atlantic City over the last five years involving groups of five to 15 client executives.

Boyd says his clients prefer the Borgata among Atlantic City properties. “When you talk to executives who have spent time in Las Vegas, they say Borgata is the most comparable property in terms of service and accommodations,” says Boyd. “Folks at the Borgata know who we are, and we have a good relationship with them.”

Boyd’s attendees typically arrive on a Thursday, have a group dinner that night, do business on Friday and then take in some entertainment. Many stay for the weekend.

Boyd uses mostly small, elegant spaces in the Borgata. “We need privacy for the sensitive nature of our work — advising companies on location decisions and cutting costs,” says Boyd. “Most of our meetings are held in private suites unless we are hosting an entire team of executives. Then we will use a conference room, and arrange for different activities, dinners and entertainment, including pursuits for wives.”

The Borgata’s gaming, entertainment and dining options remain a big draw for Boyd’s attendees. Boyd regularly holds dinners at the property’s Old Homestead and Bobby Flay Steak restaurants.

Off-property, dining and entertainment options are plentiful. “My favorite place to bring clients for dinner is Angeloni’s II Restaurant & Lounge because if offers a good private dining experience, has a real Atlantic City experience and an extensive wine list,” says Boyd. “Off-property entertainment has included Jerry Seinfeld, Don Rickles, Jay Leno and a country music festival.”

More Meeting Space

The Borgata is among the properties that have added meeting space with the opening of its new 18,000-sf Central Conference Center (CCC), increasing the resort’s total meeting and event space to 106,000 sf spread over three venues — The Event Center, The Water Club and the new CCC, which includes five flexible meeting rooms and a 6,500-sf ballroom. Borgata’s sister property, the 800 room Water Club at Borgata, features 36,000 sf of meeting space.

Harrah’s new 100,000-sf Waterfront Conference Center is the largest such facility between Baltimore and Boston. The modern facility boasts two 50,000-sf ballrooms, 64,000 sf of meeting space and LEED Silver Certification.

The 483-room Claridge Hotel, a Radisson Hotel, added 15,000 sf of conference space bringing the property’s total to 100,000 sf, including a 6,400-sf room and four smaller spaces. The Claridge, home to the Holtzman Art Gallery, recently renovated its ballroom and opened Atlantic City’s first rooftop bar, VUE, which features panoramic views of Atlantic City.

Atlantic City’s prime meeting space is the Atlantic City Convention Center (ACCC), the largest convention center in New Jersey and one of the biggest on the East Coast. The facility offers more than 600,000 sf of total meeting, exhibit and function space for small and large meetings.

Improvements to the ACCC include a $1 million Wi-Fi system upgrade offering attendees top-of-the line connectivity. The ACCC also installed a new marquee atop the facility to welcome people to Atlantic City. In addition, plans call for improvements to Exhibit Hall A and improved LED lighting in the exhibit halls.

Groups seeking “green” meeting sites will appreciate the ACCC’s environmental practices, which include retrofitting, recycling and energy alternatives. The facility has reduced its energy consumption each year since it opened in 1997. Planners can learn more about the ACCC’s green practices by contacting Meet AC, the destination’s sales and marketing organization that supports the facility.

What’s New

AC Ocean Walk has acquired the former Revel Casino Hotel and plans to open the property this summer as Ocean Resort Casino. Located along the Boardwalk, the 1,399-room Revel, first opened in April 2012 encompassing 6.4 million sf. Plans call for the Ocean Resort to retain its 165,000 sf of meeting and convention space, 138,000 sf of gaming space and 7,700-space parking facility.

Hard Rock International, new owners of the former Trump Taj Mahal, plans to open the renovated and refurbished property over Memorial Day weekend 2018. The renovation includes guest rooms and suites, new and upgraded dining options, meeting and convention spaces, performance venues and indoor pool. A Hard Rock Casino, Hard Rock Cafe, a full-service Rock Spa and state-of-the-art casino will also be included. Entertainment venues will include two 7,000-seat arenas.

Tropicana recently purchased the Chelsea hotel and plans to complete construction of its skyway bridge connecting the two properties. The hotels offer a total of 2,730 guest rooms.

Caesars Entertainment is investing $200 million to upgrade its Atlantic City properties. Harrah’s master plan includes its new Waterfront Conference Center, an upgrade to its 450-room Bayview Tower, new dining options and a renovation for the property’s nightclub, The Pool After Dark. Bally’s opened its new Wild Wild West bar to go along with its 1,760 guest rooms and 80,000 sf of meeting space.

Caesars Atlantic City Hotel & Casino offers 28,000 sf of meeting and event space, including its 17,135-sf Palladium Ballroom and 10 meeting rooms varying in size from 490 sf to 1,262 sf.

More Activities

New projects are aimed squarely at diversifying activities and attracting more families, including those who may visit with meeting attendees.

The Board of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) recently approved a 2018 Capital Improvement Budget of about $64 million for upgrades that include the Atlantic City Convention Center (ACCC) and Boardwalk Hall.

New projects also include the 200-foot observation wheel at Steel Pier, which opened in October 2017, featuring scenic views of the city’s skyline and ocean from enclosed, climate-controlled gondolas.

Another attraction, the 350-foot-high vertical Polercoaster roller coaster is scheduled to open in 2019 on the site of the former Sands Casino. Other planned family-friendly attractions opening near the coaster include a zip line, skydiving simulator, extreme ninja course, and bar and retail space.

Meanwhile, Atlantic City also is expanding culinary experiences. Restaurants feature celebrity chefs such as Gordon Ramsay, Wolfgang Puck, Guy Fieri, Michael Symon, Jose Garces and Bobby Flay. Attendees also can shop till they drop at trendy outlets on properties such as Tropicana and Caesars as well as off-property outlets. Golfers can enjoy more than 25 golf courses in the Atlantic City area.

In addition, Atlantic City’s gaming industry is growing and diversifying. By the end of November, total gaming revenue was $2.45 billion, up 2.4 percent from 2017. Online gaming accounted for most of the growth. Gaming will diversify further if efforts underway to approve sports gaming in Atlantic City prove successful.

Atlantic City offers everything groups nationwide need for successful, memorable, small and large meetings. Most groups meeting in Atlantic City, especially repeat visitors, are based in the Northeast within a few hours’ drive of the destination. However, more groups nationwide are discovering all that Atlantic City offers. C&IT

From New Orleans to Shreveport, Louisiana destinations distinguish themselves through the richness of their experiences, including unique venues, cuisine, music and colorful Cajun, Creole and French colonial-inspired culture and events such as Mardi Gras. Credit: New Orleans CVB

Like the tasty gumbo and jambalaya served across the state, the culture of Louisiana is a rich mélange of ingredients. It is Southern tradition spiced up with French, Spanish, French-Canadian and African heritage (among others), all set to a beat that makes you tap your toes and grin.

Louisianans love to celebrate — food, culture, irreverence, Fat Tuesday, blues, jazz, Cajun accordion riffs, marching down the street at any opportunity and life itself. To be in Louisiana is to embrace celebration. For corporate and incentive groups, that provides a float-load of possibilities with which to create a memorable program.

New Orleans

As its notable nickname assures, The Big Easy is a city that effortlessly delivers that over-the-top factor incentive programs require. Yet it’s a place where serious business is conducted, too.

“New Orleans inspires, which is why great American writers like William Faulkner, Mark Twain, Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams, to name a few, all lived here. We value those things that make our culture unique and visitors come here to bask in the riches we provide,” says Yvonne Collazo, DMCP, CIS, associate director of sales with Hosts New Orleans, a destination management company.

“Incentive destinations must be experiential, and in New Orleans people quickly understand that they have permission to be different here. They can eat a little more, stay out a little later than, drink a little more, and be adventurous — or at least a little less bashful — than they are at home,” she says. “When you are in the city that invented the word ‘cocktail,’ reveres the traditions of Mardi Gras, gave birth to jazz and produced Cajun and Creole cuisine, you are in a place that inspires creativity…a place that values and celebrates it. There’s no question of authenticity in New Orleans; you always know the feeling you get is unique, interesting and real. Southern hospitality is celebrated and widely apparent in New Orleans.”

As an example of the kinds of experiences and services Hosts New Orleans can create, Collazo recalls a company’s meeting her group was tasked with handling, which held its second annual “Connect” event in New Orleans in 2016. In addition to meeting services, Collazo and her team were responsible for booking the hotel, sourcing unique alternative meeting space, providing airport transfers, as well as creating evening functions and receptions.

“Throughout the creative process, our task was to create a one-of-a-kind conference. We planned, coordinated and delivered the client’s entire program,” Collazo says. “The attendees from offices across the United States came together for networking and education. That this just was their second Connect convention, which meant limited history for the three-day program.”

The heavily millennial group settled on the hip Ace Hotel, which at the time of their site visit was still under construction and opened just 30 days prior to the event. Collazo says the hotel was a perfect fit except that it lacked the space for larger meetings.

The group asked for “unique alternative space at an untraditional venue,” which Collazo’s team found in a historic site that was primarily raw warehouse with both indoor and outdoor space. They completely transformed it with interactive stations, furniture, staging, AV, extensive décor, lighting and F&B, and it was just a 10-minute walk from the hotel.

Two evening functions also were created at two very different venues. “The first event was at Race and Religious, a compound consisting of several small historic homes built in the 1800s, with connecting courtyards and a pool surrounded by an old brick wall. It had a French Quarter tropical feel. The décor consisted mostly of candles and lighting with specialty linens, tables and bars. The client’s logo was subtlety displayed around the venue. Because of this specific venue, our caterer was chosen both on food quality and station design,” Collazo says.

“The second evening was held at Mardi Gras World, followed by a late-night after party at Bourbon Heat, a popular club with a balcony overlooking Bourbon Street. To start the night, we had a complete New Orleans fête including local food and beverage, costumed theme talent, voodoo characters and Mardi Gras décor,” she continues. “After part one, we whisked the guests away in buses to the next venue, the nightclub on Bourbon Street. The theme of this second event was Hosts and Heritage Fest, intended to give guests the feel of a real NOLA outdoor festival, such as Jazz Fest.”

The entire meeting was a success. “We supported the client’s meeting agenda and ultimate success through best practices,” Collazo says. “This meant constant open communication as well as the management of both expectations and budget. Key was the early incorporation of our supplier partners in the planning process, having them give their feedback on what items and services they had that would best fit the creative vision we had arrived at with our clients.”

Exactly how it’s supposed to work.

For planners wanting to book the latest New Orleans properties, there’s The Jung Hotel & Residences, which opened in December on Canal Street. It features 207 guest rooms in addition to residential apartments, more than 15 meeting rooms and a 12,000 sf exhibit hall.

The internationally acclaimed National World War II Museum has broken ground on The Higgins Hotel & Conference Center, part of its vision of offering more dedicated space to host educational programs for corporate groups and the military, among others. The 230-room hotel will be part of the Curio Collection by Hilton and is expected to open in 2019. It will feature a second-floor conference center and 18,000 sf of meeting space.

The new terminal at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is already under construction, but plans have been expanded to include more gates and more parking. The terminal is expected to open in early 2019, but new flights to Europe and South America are already available, providing even more ease of travel for international groups wanting to experience The Big Easy.

New Orleans is what comes to mind for most of us when thinking of Louisiana. But there are other cities planners should consider, too.

Baton Rouge

The capital and second-largest city in the state, Baton Rouge is Louisiana’s political hub, a thriving industrial center and one of the largest ports in the United States. It sits on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, about 80 miles from New Orleans and 55 miles from Cajun country.

With creative venues from stately historic mansions and nature conservation areas to escape rooms, museums and floating casinos, Baton Rouge offers planners much to choose from, not to mention don’t-miss events including LSU football and the city’s own annual Mardi Gras.

Law firm Hammonds, Sills, Adkins & Guice held its 504 Workshop for 188 attendees in Baton Rouge in January 2017. The group was based at the 256-room Renaissance Baton Rouge Hotel.

Kevin Silvio, workshop coordinator and assistant office manager with the law firm, says the best elements of the hotel are location, ease of access, the quality and age of the hotel, the quality of food and the staff.

“The hotel is located conveniently off of I-10 on Bluebonnet Boulevard in Baton Rouge, across the street from Baton Rouge’s largest shopping mall and just down the street from the second largest mall in Perkins Rowe. Our attendees have downtime after our workshop each day, and there are plenty of restaurants and things to do close by. There’s even a shuttle from the hotel that runs to the mall for those without vehicles.”

In addition to excellent meals and an expansive menu to choose from, Silvio says, “The hotel itself is newly renovated, and the interior is modern and fresh. Our attendees raved about the rooms and amenities within them.”

Price wise, he adds, “It was more expensive to do the various things we like to do, including meals and breaks, but our attendees seemed to greatly enjoy the Renaissance as opposed to other meeting areas and hotels in town.”

Silvio notes that the company does host events at other hotels in Baton Rouge on a regular basis, but calls the Renaissance “one of the best.” For this meeting, all events were at the Renaissance. “We used a majority of the hotel function and conference space,” Silvio says, “and to my memory, all of the meetings rooms were modern and in fine shape.”

For large meetings, he says, “I would strongly suggest scouting areas for registration and check-in tables, as well as developing a couple of plans to prepare for moving large numbers of people around the hotel in a short amount of time.”

One issue he had was conference-room setup, as well as some furniture/immovable structures that made sign-in difficult.

“Generally, we like to have a straight line of tables, with each one for a specific group. At the Renaissance, we had to adjust and put the registration tables at different angles and formations to make it work. With fewer than 200 people, this was one of our smaller workshops; however, at times the setup was a little too quirky for my taste,” he says.

“We were able to come up with a workable solution for our group, but depending on the needs of the conference, others may not be able to make it work. The best solution we found was to put the sign-in tables as close to reception as possible and have employees directing traffic to various locations, in addition to clear signage.”

Silvio recommends reserving all of the meeting rooms for any meeting over 100 people, “as the meal seating can get a bit dicey without a dedicated room.”

That said, he notes that the AV worked well, “and the company onsite, PSAV, met all of our needs and was extremely professional and ready when needed.”

In the end, Silvio says, “Compared to others in the Baton Rouge area, Renaissance checks off a lot of boxes and does a lot of the little things well. Melissa Silva, Jacob with PSAV, and all of the other staff were great at addressing our needs and consistently checking in on us to ensure that we had everything we needed. A nice perk was having access to the lockable bridal suite to store various things for our meeting, and to have a private restroom for our staff.”

Silvio calls the décor “modern with a nice Louisiana twist,” and says everything was in good condition. “From our workshop evaluation forms, we know that one of the most important things to conference attendees is the overall cleanliness and ‘feel’ of a hotel. The Renaissance checks off those boxes, and our attendees were very pleased with how the hotel was cleaned and maintained.”

To anyone considering Baton Rouge or the Renaissance, Silvio says, “The best advice I can give for this venue, or any for that matter, is to plan as far in advance as you can. Go onsite and scout the meeting areas and figure out the best way to smoothly move large groups of people from one area to another. I recommend using the in-house catering for meals, as it keeps the conference flowing and avoids overly long lunch breaks. Your attendees will enjoy all that the Renaissance has to offer. We enjoyed the Renaissance greatly and are hosting another large workshop there at the end of 2018.”

Lafayette

A planner would be hard pressed to find a more genuinely friendly and welcoming city than Lafayette; a little more than two hours west/northwest of New Orleans. Planners looking for a uniquely American, one-of-a-kind influence, to give their meeting extra richness and pizzazz will find that Lafayette’s deeply rooted Cajun culture is just the thing.

For Ken Dugas, manager of interactive events with Lafayette-based Stuller Inc., the city offers plenty of interesting venues and restaurants, and the 129-room Homewood Suites by Hilton Lafayette-Airport, with 3,384 sf of meeting space, provides a good base for attendees and functions. In October, the company held its Bridge event at the hotel.

“The Homewood Suites is conveniently located on a well-traveled road almost halfway between Lafayette Regional Airport and Stuller’s global headquarters. It includes well-equipped and comfortable rooms and a large common area with ample seating and meeting space. Guests are also able to enjoy a buffet breakfast and evening reception with a light dinner buffet option,” Dugas says.

“Bridge is a multisession event, so we utilize meeting space at both the Homewood and our global headquarters,” he notes. “The hotel’s meeting room can accommodate approximately 120 people depending on the seating layout. Overall, it provides a very intimate setting for the size and purpose of our event.”

As for meals, Dugas says the Bridge event incorporates a combination of catered meals at the hotel and at Stuller’s corporate offices, as well as dinner at various local restaurants that are able to accommodate approximately 160 guests. “We’ve utilized Abacus, Café Vermilionville and Social Southern Table, just to name a few, for their excellent food, facilities and service. More importantly, they all offer a taste of what Lafayette, Louisiana, has to offer through its cuisine.” As always, staff makes a difference. “Summer, the hotel’s general manager, is excellent,” Dugas says. “She’s very warm, accommodating, attentive and responsive.”

Though the hotel doesn’t have a full-service restaurant on property, Dugas points out that there are many excellent restaurants just a short drive away.

“Since this property is very popular with the business traveler,” he adds, “I suggest planning ahead.”

New for the city is that its signature venue, the Cajundome, has reopened following a $22 million makeover that included a new coating on the arena roof as well as new concessions featuring regional specialties and a greater number of healthful choices on the menu. A brand new venue, The Chandelier Room, also has opened, giving planners an upscale venue with 16,000 sf of space and services that include catering, signature drinks, premier entertainment, valet service, white-glove service and more.

There are currently three hotels under construction in Lafayette: Courtyard by Marriott, Townplace Suites and a new La Quinta hotel, and the New Orleans-based live music and bowling venue, Rock ’n’ Bowl, will open downtown in spring 2018 with a catering hall and suites available on the second floor.

Nearby, Tabasco will celebrate its 150th anniversary this year and is offering expanded Tabasco sauce factory tours and special group experiences and events — not to be missed.

For groups visiting Lafayette during Mardi Gras, the city’s convention and visitors commission, Lafayette Travel, now offers group and VIP seating for the event, giving visitors a close-up and comfortable way to join in the celebration.

Shreveport-Bossier

Tucked into the northwest corner of Louisiana, some five hours and more than 300 miles from New Orleans, Shreveport-Bossier lies near the Texas and Arkansas borders and can easily draw groups from all three states.

Among its newest attractions is the Shreveport Aquarium, which opened November 2017. In addition to giving guests up-close time with sharks, rays, jellyfish and other creatures of the deep, the aquarium also offers groups private event space and catering through its onsite restaurant, Salt. The restaurant’s contemporary menu includes cocktails and an eclectic selection of foods.

Also new is Gator Raceway at Gators & Friends, an exotic animal petting zoo and adventure park. The raceway opened in September, giving thrill seekers a chance to take high-speed go-karts for a spin around a twisting track that challenges drivers’ skills and nerves. It lends itself perfectly to a teambuilding or leadership-training activity.

There’s a lot to choose from in Louisiana. But wherever a group meets in the state, planners can count on a warm and friendly atmosphere with local people who can’t wait to show off their food, culture and full-on spirit of celebration. C&IT

The Regent Seven Seas Explorer sails into the Bay of Naples in Sorrento, Italy. Credit: Regent Seven Seas

Many companies and organizations may be surprised by all the ways cruise lines are now making it easier than ever to take a meeting to sea, from offering more three- to-five-day sailings from an increasing number of departure ports around the U.S., to a full menu of all-inclusive experiences and programs. Corporate meeting and incentive planners will find that compared to land-based programs, cruises not only simplify the logistics of planning for F&B, entertainment and event space, they’re budget-friendly.

Anthony Paola, CMP, who is managing director, meetings and management at Plymouth, Minnesota based Travel Leaders Corporate, notes that a cruise ship offers a wide variety of experiences for attendees.

“There truly is something for everyone, so meeting planners can offer every attendee a fun and useful experience,” he says. “Whether the event is designed around a high level of activity and teambuilding or for a group incentive with leisure time, a ship offers it all.”

The most obvious advantage, Paola adds, is the ability to meet in multiple ports of call.

“Not only do you have the ship’s facilities available for meetings, there are venue options in all ports, each providing unique experiences,” he says. “During free time, attendees have numerous activities available that can appeal to both their interests and budget.”

Mark Walker, senior global sales executive for Morris Meetings & Incentives, Salt Lake City, Utah, says that since most costs are included — meeting space, AV and food (and some drinks) — it makes things easier on the planner.

“Plus, the group can see multiple destinations in one week without having to unpack and repack,” he says. “The prices are usually less than land programs. It is easy and inexpensive to fly to a port in the U.S. to begin the cruise, as opposed to leaving the country.”

Another advantage is that many corporations choose to charter a ship exclusively for their program. This allows the planner to chart their own course, making the event unique.

Catering to Corporate Groups

Jerilyn Giacone, director of corporate meetings, incentives and strategic alliances for Crystal Cruises, notes a full charter buyout allows companies to “own” the ship and fully customize for the company’s needs and branding.

“Crystal’s all-inclusive experiences include shipboard staff gratuities, unlimited Wi-Fi and complimentary use of all standard audio-visual equipment for private meetings, which provides an easy ability to budget and great value upfront when companies and organizations are planning their offsite meeting events,” she says. “We also offer Michelin-inspired dining, the only river line to include European butler service for every room category, and a selection of complimentary Crystal Adventures shore excursions.”

The Crystal Signature Event on every voyage, Giacone notes, is a planner’s dream because the cruise line has created a beautiful off-the-ship experience at a unique venue with a cultural entertainment feature that is included in the experience features.

“That event would cost thousands of dollars for a planner to create and produce on other programs,” she says. “Crystal Esprit also includes a selection of shore excursion experiences and a luxury yacht experience that is ideal for full charters with fully inclusive on-board ambience including exceptional made-to-order cuisine, and a host of water sports used primarily on our West Indies voyages.”

Lori Cassidy, associate vice president, global corporate incentive and charter sales for Royal Caribbean International, Miami, Florida, notes the company’s fleet of 26 innovative floating resorts were built with business in mind.

“Every vessel has purposely built state-of-the-art conference centers and a wide variety of event venue spaces to conduct private events for all size groups,” she says. “Our ships range in size from 1,500 guests to 5,500 guests and we sail the globe on three-, four-, five- and seven-night cruises.”

She feels Royal Caribbean’s innovative ship design, wide range of award-winning entertainment and activity choices, myriad of culinary experiences and stateroom accommodations, plus technology that includes the fastest 4G internet at sea, all encompass the many reasons why more planners are choosing the cruise line for their meetings and incentive trips.

“In addition to our action-packed onboard programming and exciting ports of call, we work closely with event planners to customize private events/experiences both on ship and on land to make their trip meaningful and memorable,” Cassidy shares.

Ann Sedgwick, CIS, division vice president, charter, corporate and incentive sales for Carnival Cruise Line, Miami, Florida, says the all-inclusiveness of the ship is what makes holding a meeting or incentive trip on the seas a perfect choice for meeting planners.

“Attendees tell us that they prefer the friendliness and professionalism of the staff, the choices on board for dining and entertainment, the comfort of larger staterooms and the unique and memorable atmosphere that truly engages them from the moment they step on board,” she says. “There is a non-intimidating, refreshing, inclusiveness about Carnival that makes our guests feel rejuvenated and simply happy to be on board.”

Incentive Trips

Cruise lines often demonstrate the “wow” factor, which is a requirement of all planners looking for a destination to host their next incentive trip.

Tanya Barnette, director, strategic key accounts, charter and incentive sales for Seabourn, Seattle, Washington, notes because the ships accommodate between 458–600 guests, they’re a perfect size for incentive trips.

“The Seabourn difference represents real value and budget control with pricing that includes complimentary inclusions such as meeting space with audio-visual equipment, receptions/cocktail parties, award-winning dining, open bars, gratuities, entertainment and much more,” she says. “In addition to our value, what better reward is there than sailing on the world’s finest ultra-luxury cruise line? Our size makes us ideal for private charter where we can fully customize a unique and exclusive experience for award-winners — everything from the itinerary, customized menus, shore excursions and adjustments to programming and entertainment.”

Since incentives tend to be more social in nature to “reward” employees for achieving their goals or customers as an appreciation, Giacone notes that Crystal can provide customization of shore excursion events, private Vintage Room food-and-wine pairing events for lunch and dinner, and receptions in its various lounges.

Freddy I. Muller, vice president of corporate and incentive sales, Americas for Silversea Cruises, Miami, Florida, says because of the intimate size of the company’s voyages, many are chartered for incentive programs.

“We can carve out something specific for the clients, and focus on the passengers,” he says. “Almost everything is included, and we have many of the same amenities for our passengers as our larger competitors — casinos, show lounges, multiple bars and lounges.”

Having a dedicated team that understands the incentive language is an important attribute of Silversea, and Muller notes that helps those planners who haven’t dealt with seagoing incentive programs.

The Cruise/Planner Relationship

The key to any successful program is the trust and bond between the planner and those running the show on the cruise line.

“It’s important to listen to their needs/program requirements and provide creative ‘outside of the ballroom’ experiences, demonstrating the value of your destination,” Cassidy says. “Hold their hand every step of the way and provide exceptional follow-up and customer service from start to finish.”

Sedgwick shares that a successful relationship develops through trust and commitment to the planners.

“We have many itinerary and ship options within the Carnival brand alone; however, if we feel that is not a perfect match for a program, we will engage our sister cruise lines for options,” she says. “Running a successful program is the utmost importance to us. We pride ourselves on handling the business correctly and have a goal that every meeting planner and company decision-maker is so completely satisfied that they will return to Carnival again in the future.”

Seabourn’s Barnette says that open communication and a focus on exceeding expectations is the key to perfecting a partnership with a planner.

“Pre-cruise planning is crucial. Work with your cruise contact to confirm all details of the program as far in advance as possible,” she says. “We tell people to partake in as many of the amenities the ship has to offer as possible. Seabourn offers an exclusive mindful living program by (alternative medicine guru) Dr. Andrew Weil. Our tour program features unique experiences with UNESCO, and our Seabourn Conversations program features lectures by visionary experts.”

Crystal Cruises’ Giacone feels the secret is an honest and open line of communication with full disclosure upfront on what the planner is hoping to achieve and if the cruise line can realistically deliver that experience and more with “surprise and delight” for their guests.

It also helps if a planner does a little homework before asking multiple cruise lines to bid on a program. After all, planners need to understand that this is not just a floating hotel. Cruise ships have full day-by-day agendas, and it is best if the planner doesn’t try to swim upstream and over-schedule the passengers.

Paola advises paying particular attention to the inclusions, which are dependent on the duration of the sailing.

“They bring tremendous value,” he says. “The inclusions can dramatically decrease the overall cost of the program.”

Tips for Success

Planners are more likely to succeed if they understand that while a cruise ship looks and functions very much like a hotel, there are still some basic differences that require a different approach, so flexibility is key. A planner’s daily agenda for a hotel is unlikely to work on a ship simply because the ports of call need to be factored into the agenda.

“Be open-minded to create and deliver a meeting or incentive event that is different than you are accustomed to on land at a hotel or resort,” Giacone states. “Give us all the details, your wants/needs and information we need to advise the ship so we can fully brief our staff on board before day one of the cruise. This way the planner walks on board from day one and everything will run effortlessly. However, we recognize that changes often are necessary while on board, and our shipboard team is fully ready to make as many adjustments as possible to accommodate the group. Just be open and flexible to ideas.”

Even the most experienced planners can make mistakes from time to time, simply because there are basic differences in planning cruise-based versus land-based programs.

“Planners should fully review all requirements in advance and review programming with our event planning specialists,” Cassidy says. “They should conduct a pre-con meeting, meet the key shipboard personnel, advance all events (in tandem with our onboard group coordinator), and communicate any concerns.”

Walker says planners should meet with their cruise planner/main contact every morning to review the day, and keep him/her posted on everything that goes on so they are in the loop.

“The cruise planner can be busy with other groups he/she is handling during the sailing, which is why it is good to try to get everything planned ahead of time before the cruise begins,” he says. “Another challenge is that Wi-Fi is often tricky on cruise ships. This is something that there’s not a great solution for.”

Paola states it is imperative to know the goals of the group and to clearly define those goals prior to contracting. And while cruise ships are often referred to as floating hotels, the logistics are vastly different.

“If the planner is sailing with the group, secure a ship phone to ensure availability to your guests,” he says. “Identify a meeting point (like the hospitality desk) that is easily accessible to your guests and plan to spend time there daily when not with the group. Arrange at least two full group gatherings. This enables you to touch base with participants during the course of the sailing.”

Additionally, he shares, make sure you design the program — both pre-cruise and onboard — carefully around the ship’s schedule as there is no flexibility in the ship’s timing.

Setting the stage early — months before sailing — is what Sedgwick recommends.

“For larger programs, we encourage ship visits or even sailings to meet with onboard staff,” she notes. “Our dedicated event staff on board have full programming and meeting requirements well in advance and daily meetings to review schedules for the day are recommended.”

One thing a planner should do ahead of time is go on a site-sailing and get to know the ship and destination so there are no surprises once at sea.

Utilizing all a ship and sailing has to offer can deliver an unforgettable program at an affordable price point.

Cruise News

The Carnival Horizon, currently under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy, will offer a bike-ride-in-the-sky attraction called SkyRide, an IMAX Theatre and a massive WaterWorks aqua park featuring a water tube slide called Kaleid-o-slide.

Sedgwick says a wide range of accommodations also will be offered, such as spa cabins with exclusive privileges at the luxurious Cloud 9 Spa, extra roomy staterooms in Family Harbor, and tropical-inspired Havana staterooms and suites with exclusive daytime access to a Cuban-themed bar and pool.

Royal Caribbean is in the process of a fleet modernization initiative that will introduce its fourth Oasis Class ship in 2018, the Symphony of the Seas, sailing from her new port in Miami beginning late fall. It also will be adding some groundbreaking technology initiatives.

Silversea will be serving up a new menu for its 2018 and 2019 Enriched Voyages, featuring enhanced onboard offerings with a culinary or wine theme, including five sailings developed in partnership with The Peninsula Hotels.

“Our culinary and wine Enriched Voyages are a wonderful way to blend together fascinating destinations with a generous serving of cooking events and demonstrations designed to entertain and enlighten,” says Rudi Scholdis, Silversea’s culinary director.

Seabourn will be launching a new ship in May 2018, the Seabourn Ovation, a sister ship to its prestigious Seabourn Encore, with 300 all-suite, all-veranda accommodations.

At Crystal Cruises, recent enhancements made aboard Crystal Symphony during her redesign in November 2017 also will debut aboard Crystal Serenity in November 2018, including expanded specialty dining options, an open-seating dining concept, cutting-edge technological upgrades, and more of the spacious, butler-serviced Penthouse accommodations.

Celebrity Cruises recently unveiled its 100-guest Celebrity Flora ship, dessigned expressly for the Galapagos Islands. One of the most energy-efficient ships of its size in the archipelago, Flora’s outward-facing design gives guests a 360-degree views of the islands, while personal suite attendants, new dining venues, an open-air stargazing platform, and expert-lead ecological seminars round out the experience.

Celebrity Cruises unveiled its new “Edge Class” design last March, with four ships ordered that will debut starting in fall 2018. The 2,900-passenger vessels are slightly smaller than Celebrity’s groundbreaking “Solstice Class” line, and will have several innovative features, including a movable deck and cabins with balcony-like spaces that convert from outside to inside. Celebrity Edge also will feature the Eden venue, which will span three decks at the aft of the ship with nearly 7,000 sf of glass — more outward-facing glass than any other room at sea.

In November 2018, Norwegian Cruise Line will introduce the Norwegian Bliss, a sister ship to Norwegian Escape, notable for the largest go-kart track at sea, an open-air laser-tag course, a high-end barbecue venue and water slides that send riders out over the ocean. The 4,004-passenger vessel will first head to Alaska, becoming the largest ship ever to sail the West Coast, before beginning service from Miami on November 17.

Oceania Cruises continues is focus on culinary by adding La Cuisine Bourgeoise by Jacques Pépin to its two newest ships, Marina and Riviera. Limited to 24 guests, making it ideal for intimate networking, the affair is a seven-course meal paired with fine wines and served in La Reserve, a private wine-tasting room. “Cuisine Bourgeoise is rooted in tradition and is one that shaped my childhood,” explained Jacques Pépin, master chef and executive culinary director for Oceania. “It is a cuisine to savor rather than admire or evaluate, it is simply happiness on a plate, and I am thrilled to share this with our guests.”

Oceania Cruises recently unveiled enhanced concierge level stateroom amenities, which include free laundry and in-stateroom dining service from The Grand Dining Room during lunch and dinner, with meals such as the Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb with Vegetable Ratatouille & Gratin Dauphinois and the mouth-watering Papuan Chocolate Volcano.

Pépin’s recipes are prepared throughout the ships, even in the main dining rooms, and Marina and Riviera also each feature a state-of-the-art teaching kitchen, where guests can embark on hands-on cooking classes. Limited to 24 students per session, the courses are ideal for group bonding.

In the first quarter of 2020, Regent Seven Seas Cruises will launch Seven Seas Splendor, the second Explorer-class ship with high-end features and amenities that have made sister-ship Seven Seas Explorer renowned as the most luxurious ship ever built with her launch in 2016. The new all-suite, all-balcony ship will have a gross tonnage of 55,254 and capacity of 750 guests.

And Regent has added Cuba calls to six itineraries in the cruise line’s 2018-19 Caribbean season. Travelers can visit Havana on select itineraries aboard Seven Seas Mariner, Seven Seas Voyager and Seven Seas Navigator, which depart Miami from October 2018 through March 2019.

Princess Cruises is debuting new features and upgrades onboard its Star Princess to start the 2018 Hawaii Season. Among the offerings are the addition of the Princess Luxury Bed, a Camp Discovery Youth & Teen Center and revamped Sabatini’s restaurant.

Holland America Line’s 99,500-ton Nieuw Statendam, the second Pinnacle Class ship for Holland America Line,  will celebrate her inaugural sailing December 5, 2018. The new ship will join ms Koningsdam, which launched in April 2016. A third Pinnacle Class ship will set sail for the cruise line in 2021. While much of the ship’s design will be similar to Koningsdam, Nieuw Statendam will have exclusive public spaces and its own style created by leading hospitality designer Adam D. Tihany, and designer and architect Bjorn Storbraaten. The ship will carry 2,660 guests and feature all of the hallmarks of Pinnacle-class design: grand light-filled spaces; visual drama; and sumptuous interiors inspired by the fluid curves of musical instruments.    C&IT

Brad Hauer, Director of Golf, Hammock Beach Resort, Palm Coast, FL Credit: Gregory Heck

Many articles have been written about the value of golf as a business tool. Certainly it provides several hours of networking between shots and facilitates face time between people in different departments or at different levels within a company. It can help forge or deepen relationships between colleagues, corporate management and clients, and buyers and suppliers. It can facilitate teambuilding and drive healthy competition.

It’s probably true that you’ll learn something about a person’s temperament, focus and integrity based on how they play golf. And tournaments are a proven platform for funding charitable causes.

All of that makes including a golf tournament in corporate events good business. But someone has to organize it, and often that person is not a golfer, which can be a disadvantage.

Fortunately, there’s plenty of help on hand. We asked experienced planners and golf staff for tips and strategies on how and where to create successful corporate golf events that drive business and fun.

From the Planner: Hammock Beach

Brenda Randolph, event specialist with MarketSource Inc., a Georgia-based sales and marketing company, has planned several corporate tournaments at Hammock Beach, a Salamander Golf & Spa Resort in Palm Coast, Florida. The tournament is part of an annual leadership conference for about 200 attendees.

The resort features two golf courses: the famed Ocean Course, designed by Jack Nicklaus, and the Conservatory Course, designed by Tom Watson. The Ocean Course reopened last fall after a 13-month restoration project.

Randolph says the goal of golf at this conference is teambuilding. Her top considerations when planning the tournament are customizing for the groups, options for contests and overall value. The MarketSource group played the Ocean Course.

About golf at Hammock Beach, she says, “Expect your golfers to be pleased with the course and the folks who make it happen,” noting that the resort’s golf staff assist with the right groupings for contests and play on the course. “Our folks thoroughly enjoy golf at Hammock Beach.”

There have been no challenges, and Randolph says there’s nothing she’d do differently. “We have over 10 years coming back because of the consistent partnership and outstanding customer service.”

In terms of the resort, Randolph says, “Location is important and pricing aligns; however, the value and customer service are what are key for our company. There’s a willingness to align with our budget, as well as to accommodate the needs of our attendees to make sure our program is a success,” she says. “Plus, everything we need is onsite — it’s the complete destination package for meeting planners.”

The company has a long history with Hammock Beach. “This is a property that delivers with a unique offering versus the standard hotel options. They truly partner with you through all facets of your event from start to end.”

Among the resort employees who stand out for Randolph are, “Stephen Baker, outstanding sales professional, Beth Townsend, providing incredible customer service, even down to the AV team under Glen, and the banquet staff under Sonny — all of these folks deliver!”

Her advice to anyone considering a meeting or tournament at Hammock Beach: “Definitely utilize the resort from indoor to outdoors to create a memory for your groups. The various settings for meals, teambuilding and breakouts, along with the amazing scenery, bring a relaxing element to an event yet excite attendees at the same time.”

Heather P. Allen, executive director of Flagler Hospital in St. Augustine, Florida, helps plan an annual gala for about 250 at Hammock Beach Resort each May. Her top three considerations when putting together a golf tournament are the size of the group, best course to accommodate the group, and additional amenities and activities available for attendees.

“We used the Conservatory Course to host our guests for an all-day Friday shotgun start with box-lunch option,” she says. “The courses are magnificent and our guests feel honored to play on either of the courses — it’s a very special treat.”

Allen calls Hammock Beach “a wonderful destination for us because it provides a little getaway for our guests close to home. The beautiful yet secluded resort provides many amenities that make for a fun and relaxing three-day event.”

Among the resort features Allen likes are the three-bedroom suite options and the golf courses, as well as “the ability to hold multiday functions all in different venues, which provides variety in our guests’ experience. We use the lounges, outdoor spaces, golf courses and formal ballrooms. In addition, the staff is extraordinary in their preparation, responsiveness, customer service, pride and overall level of excellence. The sky is the limit with the staff and their support of the overall event success,” she adds.

“Each year we do significant transformation of the ballrooms with the help of a local décor company, and the staff is all part of that experience. Give the resort a try,” Allen recommends to those considering bringing their groups here. “You will be a repeat customer!”

Off the Beaten Path

Exclusive and secluded in Central Florida is the 16,000-acre Streamsong Resort, which received golf accolades in April from Golfweek, which listed Streamsong Red and Streamsong Blue as the No. 2 and No. 3 golf courses to play in Florida. Built around the contours of former phosphate mines, the courses feature rolling elevation changes, native grasses and stunning views of ridges and the surrounding landscape — a delightfully distinctive golf experience unlike any other in Florida.

Debuting last fall, along with a new clubhouse and restaurant, is the third championship course, Streamsong Black, designed by Gil Hanse. Hanse also is the architect of the Olympic Golf Course in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and co-designer of Castle Stuart Golf Links in Scotland. With the addition of Streamsong Black, the resort is the only location in the world where guests can enjoy three distinct courses designed by four legendary architects, including Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw of Coore & Crenshaw and Tom Doak of Renaissance Golf Design. And the resort plans to add a second practice facility, clubhouse and restaurant to serve guests playing Streamsong Black.

Streamsong Resort features 228 guest rooms, 25,000 sf of indoor and 40,000 sf of outdoor meeting and event space, five dining options, conference and event facilities, the grotto-style AcquaPietra Spa and infinity pool. Streamsong’s Clubhouse includes 12 guest rooms, a restaurant and bar, an award-winning golf shop and meeting space with breathtaking views. In addition to golf, guests can enjoy such activities as bass fishing, sporting clays, nature trails and tennis.

From the Planner: Terranea

On the other side of the country, in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, is Terranea Resort, a Destination Hotels-managed property overlooking the Pacific Ocean on the Southern California coast. Terranea features a links-style course along the ocean presenting plenty of interest and challenge.

This unusual layout is a collection of nine championship-caliber, par-3 holes — enough to test the skills of low-handicappers yet provide fun and pleasant play for those with less experience. It’s exclusively a walking course, allowing only pull carts. An added positive to the shorter course is that golf doesn’t have to take up as much time on your agenda if you don’t want it to.

Maria Tapia, event planner and executive assistant with Hofman Hospitality Group, a family-owned restaurant group based in California, helped plan the 11th Annual HHG Leadership Retreat for approximately 195 attendees in October. It was based at Terranea Resort and included a golf tournament. She calls the location ideal. “This was the most convenient for many of our local and out-of-state participants. And the views from all over the resort are outstanding.”

Tapia says it’s critical to consider course condition, availability and weather when creating a corporate golf tournament, adding that Terranea’s Dan Marvosh went above and beyond.

Golf tournaments may be traditional but that doesn’t mean you can’t add something new to increase the fun and corporate teambuilding quotient. “Our golf tournament is a vendor and company social opportunity,” Tapia says. “In 2017 for the first time we added a foot-golf open for our company team members only, and it was a huge success.”

Tapia suggests letting players know upfront that the golf course is walking only. “A few guests were unable to participate due to the cart policy and one guest was escorted around the course during foot golf to support her team. Even though guests typically like to drive themselves on a golf course,” she notes, “it wasn’t really a problem. Our overall experience was absolutely outstanding.”

Marvosh and his team provided solid support in organizing the tournaments. “Dan and his team were amazing. We had several phone conversations to brainstorm ideas for tournaments, prizes, teams, rules, etc. At the end of both contests (golf and foot golf), we were provided with winning results to be announced that evening.”

In the end, Tapia says, “Everything about the event and tournaments was amazing.”

From the Planner: The Broadmoor

Golf at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is as impeccable as every other aspect of the resort. Amanda Crocker, meetings and events planner with Pinnacol Assurance, says the company runs a fundraising tournament every year to benefit the Pinnacol Foundation scholarship fund and calls The Broadmoor a perfect fit.

“Attendee experience is very important to this program. Where else can you have a 200-person golf tournament in Colorado with ample space for an awards luncheon and accommodations that welcome our donors, all at a high level of quality and service?”

The Broadmoor has three layouts: The East, West and Mountain courses. That’s another fit for Pinnacol’s tournament, which requires multiple courses. Crocker counts timing, weather, available space for lunch and an awards program and player experience among the primary considerations when planning a tournament, but notes that anyone planning at The Broadmoor has ample help.

“Use their resources,” she advises. “The Broadmoor service team is there for you and can help think through challenges and propose ideas. The tournament staff at the golf club is so helpful and experienced. They are there to help with everything.”

That service extends across the resort. “As soon as you step out of your car, you’re greeted with a high level of service and ambience,” Crocker says. “There’s something truly special about being on the property, no matter where you are.”

Crocker says pace of play is always an issue, especially with a 200-person shotgun start. “We worked with the tournaments manager to come up with ways to eliminate the bottlenecking on certain holes. They are the course experts, so I rely heavily on them when it comes to on-course challenges.”

Staff assists off-course, too. “They’re there to help from initial planning to the day of the program,” Crocker says. “They are 100 percent devoted to us during that time. They have hustled to help us with load-in, move items from the golf club to the course, with signage and to ensure our guests are happy throughout the day. If I need a cart, an extra hand or something last minute on the course, it’s done.”

One thing she’s learned since she started planning tournaments is that it’s important to know the courses. “I drive the courses before the tournament to review sponsor signage and on-course setups for our volunteers,” she says.

Her advice for anyone considering The Broadmoor is to work with a sales manager on what all of the meeting spaces offer because there are so many options. “And book early if you have a specific date in mind.”

From the Pro: Sea Island

At Sea Island, a Forbes Five Star resort on St. Simons Island, Georgia, senior instructor and group golf professional Chrissy Felton says tournaments require upfront discussions. “We ask planners several questions in front of the event to plan for their needs. Depending on the number of golfers, we offer standard tee times, a double tee start (off both No. 1 and No. 10 tees) or a shotgun start. It’s important to determine the format of the tournament (scramble, Ryder Cup, four ball, foursomes). This allows us to set up the event for success.”

Knowing the number of players is critical. If it’s fewer than 60, for example, Felton says, “A shotgun start is not always the best option. Depending on size, managed tee times can work just as well.”

Like other pros, Felton believes non-golfers can successfully plan tournaments — with help. “They may benefit from assistance and understanding of how the event will operate, and that’s where we come in. If they don’t know what they want, we coach them with our experience to ensure a successful event.”

At Sea Island Resort, every group is assigned its own golf professional at no extra charge, Felton says, “to assist with pairings, cart signs, scorecards, scoring and rules sheets. They handle the details relating to the golf portion of the event, which allows the meeting planner to focus on the rest of the program. The planning for a golf event starts with the contracting process. Our sales team works directly with the client and the golf staff to reserve the right format, whether with tee times or a shotgun start. This process continues with our conference service team as we get closer to the event dates.”

Sea Island has three championship courses, five-star accommodations and a magnificent setting, making it ideal for high-end incentive programs. It also has a Golf Performance Center.

“This is available for groups to enjoy full-swing instruction, putting lessons, golf fitness, course management and personalized club fitting,” Felton says. “We offer golf clinics before events to help make players feel more confident. The players then go out and play a scramble. We also offer pro-am scrambles so a less experienced golfer can go out with a pro and get some on-course assistance.”

In addition, Felton notes, the resort offers fun events such as glow-ball driving and putting tournaments as well as fun and challenging putting competitions. “Events such as these are great for teambuilding as well as relationship building.”

The resort can accommodate groups of from eight to 450 golfers, and Felton says scrambles and shambles are the best formats for corporate events. Her biggest challenge relates to weather. “Predicting the weather is difficult but it is something we have to deal with when planning an outdoor activity.”

Regarding timing, Felton says the earlier you book, the better. “This is especially the case if the group is interested in peak golf season, March–May and September–November. Tee times are blocked during the contracting process and details are worked out during the planning process.”

To planners she says, “Golf is a wonderful game that brings colleagues, clients etc., together outside of an office or meeting environment. When planning your golf event, always take into account the skill level of attendees. While this typically varies from group to group, you want to make sure the format sets you up for success. The main goal is to have fun!”

Work began in December 2017 on a $25 million enhancement program at The Lodge at Sea Island that will include six new cottages, a new state-of-the-art Golf Performance Center, an oceanfront pool and pool house, and a new putting course. The new additions are expected to debut in November 2018 in time for the RSM Classic, an official PGA Tour event held annually at Sea Island Golf Club.

Additionally, in December 2018, Sea Island’s Plantation Course will undergo a full renovation under the direction of Love Golf Design, reopening in October 2019.

From the Pro: Innisbrook

Bobby Barnes, PGA member, director of golf at Innisbrook, a Salamander Resort, in Palm Harbor, Florida, says providing accurate information is critical.

“The most important thing for me to know about a group in terms of assisting them in planning a golf tournament is first, how many players are in the field. This is critical to determining their rate and how many tee times are required to accommodate their event. Next would be what type of format and what assistance they’ll need from our staff, e.g. scoring, proximities on the course, prizes, etc.”

He says if he can get all details 72 hours prior to the tournament, that goes a long way to ensuring success.

Golf knowledge is helpful but not required. “If planners aren’t golfers there’s no reason to be intimidated, at least not at Innisbrook,” Barnes says. “Our professionals will assist and make sure the planning is easy for everyone. We’ll walk them through each step.”

That said, planners should be very organized and get everything in order early, including selecting the format, getting prizes, setting up rental clubs and providing all player names to the staff. At Innisbrook, golf staff helps by setting up a pre-con meeting to discuss all details. Barnes recommends a year in advance as a good timeline but says he’s run successful programs in less time. “The more lead time, the better,” he says.

In terms of numbers, Barnes puts the ideal at 120 players per course. “This allows for a full field to optimize revenues for the resort but doesn’t over saturate the golf course and allows for a good pace of play.”

He believes a scramble is the best format. “It allows everyone to participate despite their skill level and adds the element of teambuilding that I believe is important with corporate events. As long as I know ahead of time that a tournament will include all levels of players, and I have input regarding the type of format being played, player skill levels aren’t an issue.”

In addition to format, Barnes says it’s easy to accommodate groups of mixed skill levels by having “an A, B, C & D player in each foursome, which evens out the field and prevents a group of a low-skill-level players from holding up the entire field.”

Among Innisbrook’s assets are a staff that includes nine PGA members, as well as four championship courses, one of which has hosted a PGA Tour event for almost 30 years and another that has hosted LPGA and NCAA championships. That can be a big draw for corporate participants.

The biggest challenges in Barnes’ view are “last-minute changes leading up to and on the day of the event. If there are little to no changes,” he says, “tournaments usually go off without a hitch.”

From the Pro: Hammock Beach

Brad Hauer, director of golf at Hammock Beach Resort, wants to know upfront what a group wishes to accomplish with golf. Is it meant to be fun? Competitive? He lists scramble and captain’s choice as formats that work well for players and pace of play, but says, “We can do any kind of format they’d like and accommodate any number of players.”

Like the other pros, Hauer says his team is ready and able to help planners who don’t have deep knowledge of golf. “It takes more time explaining how golf tournaments work and about the potential challenges they may not understand, but our staff is here to educate and assist in every aspect of running the golf tournament. There’s nothing to be afraid of. Our staff is very knowledgeable and is happy to assist planners to make the experience as easy as possible.”

That said, it’s helpful if planners can enlist a golfer at the company to help, too.

Hauer lists poor communication as a challenge in the process, especially if planners don’t understand the inner workings of a large group tournament and what’s required to run it. From that perspective, planners are encouraged to ask questions, ask for assistance and provide as much detailed information to resort staff as possible.

“We have an inside team that works closely with the group after contracts have been signed,” Hauer says. They find out exactly what the client wants from start to finish. He suggests groups book at least a year in advance to secure the tee times they want.

“We have an amazing hotel, the beach, two golf courses, many activities and a great family atmosphere. Groups can expect service and experience to be top-notch.”

However you plan and play it and whatever the goals may be, one thing is sure: A golf tournament is another worthy business tool in a planner’s conference toolkit. C&IT

Dynamic online versions of physical events can extend the audience and drive in-person attendance the following year. Credit: INXPO

Doug McLain is vice president, sales, southeast for INXPO, the leading provider of online events, hybrid and live streaming solutions for the events industry. He is a seasoned meetings and events professional with more than 30 years of experience in the events space, including sales leadership positions with Hyatt and Wyndham Hotels and Resorts. Prior to joining INXPO, he served as senior vice president of the Palm Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau, Discover The Palm Beaches. In his current role at INXPO, he is helping event professionals embrace digital extension and reach of their content to larger audiences.  His unique physical and now online event experience position him as a true thought leader in the events industry. www.inxpo.com

The biggest and most profitable events in the world all have one thing in common. The Superbowl, World Cup, TED Conferences and many others have all grown their expansive following by sharing their content beyond the physical audience. These events extend their reach to national and even global audiences through content syndication to television, social channels and online.

With the technology accessible today, the same TV-style broadcasting achieved by the largest events in the world is available as a vehicle for your meetings, conferences and conventions. Cutting-edge advancements in video, audio and integrated communication technologies, such as webcasts, online events and livestreaming, have made it possible to do much more online.

Through Facebook, YouTube, company websites or even to 28 million home TV viewers across the U.S. via OTT (over-the-top) devices such as Roku, it’s now possible to broadcast selected content from your physical meetings to a global audience.

So, what are the real benefits of content syndication to a virtual audience?

• Cost-effective. Cost per acquisition of a virtual viewer is lower than that of your physical attendee, and the virtual event offers additional monetization opportunities for sponsorship or attendee packages.

• Global reach. Virtual extensions allow for people across the globe to attend the same event regardless of time zone or travel restrictions. This benefit could create efficiencies in the resources required to reach your dispersed audience.

• Unlimited attendance. While your physical event has space constraints, a virtual event allows you to host as many participants as you would like concurrently.

• On-demand access. Capturing your live content and making it available online extends the life of your content making it accessible and potentially “revenue generating” for as long as you desire.

• Comprehensive analytic data. One of the most advantageous aspects of virtual events is the depth and breadth of statistics you can gather by measuring and tracking participant activity using engagement tools such as participant polling, Q&A, document downloads, viewing preferences and providing comprehensive attendee activity data.

• Drive attendance to your physical event. Events that have a virtual extension see a 30 percent increase in physical event attendance the following year. Getting a taste of the buzz and excitement around your live event through a virtual extension acts as an advertisement to get more physical attendees the following year. Here’s how you can begin to develop a strategy of putting your live physical events online:

1. Identify your target audience. Ensure you understand the exact audience that you would want to reach: employees, suppliers, company stakeholders, members, non-member targets.  This will influence your decision regarding the format of your event and the promotion for the introduction of an online platform. Use your online events to generate interest in your physical events and create FOMO (fear of missing out) with highlight keynotes. People are more likely to believe things they’ve experienced, so why not make an online event part of your promotional marketing strategy?

2. Decide on a format. Before you choose a platform for your online event, you need to decide on the basics. Is this going to be an online event with the recorded content from the event or a live hybrid event where the content will be shared live at the same time as the physical event? Define and decide on your goals of the event to facilitate communication exclusively to your membership or broadcast to an external audience for new membership acquisition. For existing membership, you can monetize the content (pay per view) or share selected content openly to help promote the amazing content available for an attendee coming to view it all. And be sure to decide on what kind of budget you can allocate up front so that you can support your goals and objectives.

3. Get the right staff members on board. Getting the right people involved from the start will make a huge difference. If your company is going online with events for the first time, assign resources to those on your team who can handle the project management, event configuration and promotion for your event. If you do not have the resources, choose an online event specialist company that offers the full white-glove services that can help you end-to-end. A successful online event will require some of the same skills that you employ for your physical events, and you need to account for the time and personnel resources or rely on an online events company to do it for you.

4. Choose your platform. You will need to choose an online event platform that provides you with the technology needed to achieve your goals. A great platform will come with excellent services delivered around the entire process. It’s important to partner with an online events partner who will support you, your sponsors and your attendees during the live event. Also look for scalable technology that is feature-rich and supports full integration with your existing presentation methods (fully virtual, hybrid livestreaming or pre-recorded held simu-live).

In Summary

A successful event takes careful planning and practice. There is a learning curve with online and hybrid events, just as there is for physical events. Your first event will be more challenging to plan than subsequent events, and each event will be a learning experience. The analytics data which your platform provides will help you prove the ROI and improve your future presentations. Your online event partner should be an experienced, dedicated online events partner that provides, of course, the best technology. But, just as important, your partner should provide you with advice and service guidance on best practices to leverage the technology for your audience, your objectives and your organization’s maximized ROI. C&IT

Credit: Sam Morris/Las Vegas News Bureau

In December, for the fifth consecutive year, Las Vegas was named the world’s No. 1 meeting and convention destination by the World Travel Awards.

Despite such accolades, the city never rests on its laurels, notes Chris Meyer, vice president of global business sales at the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority. Meyer and LVCVA are currently focused on expanding the city’s already vast and solid base of domestic corporate meeting and incentive business. And although awards are flattering, Meyer says, it’s bottom line results that keep LVCVA motivated and on top of its game.

“We’re now seeing group business from virtually every sector of the U.S. economy,” Meyer says. “And we’re also seeing growth in major sectors of the economy, like the agricultural industry. We’re also seeing growth in citywide corporate meetings, which we define as using three or more hotels.”

That growth is being supported by significant and ongoing capital investment in meetings infrastructure. The Las Vegas Convention Center, promoted as the most technologically advanced facility in the country, is adding a new $1.4 billion building that will deliver 1.4 million sf of new space, including 600,000 sf of additional exhibit space, and will serve as the high-profile nerve center of the Las Vegas Convention Center District. The new complex is expected to open by late 2020, in time for the 2021 Consumer Electronics Show.

Meanwhile, a number of major hotels are expanding their meeting space. “Not only do we already have more meeting space than any other city on planet Earth,” Meyer says, “but we’re currently adding 1.2 million sf of meeting room space.”

Among the major projects underway, Meyer says, is approximately a $165 million doubling of the space at MGM Resorts’ Aria Resort & Casino to create more than 500,000 sf; a $130 million expansion of the conference center at the MGM Grand; and expansions of the meeting facilities at the JW Marriott and the new Park MGM, formerly the Monte Carlo, which opened a conference center in December.

Stephanie Arone, president and general manager of Activity Planners Inc., one of the city’s top destination management companies, says that such dedicated evolution of the destination is a major reason for its dominance in the corporate market. “The continuous expansion and improvement of our facilities is a major factor in our success,” Arone says. “That also means that we continuously increase the diversity of what we offer, and that also makes us very attractive to corporate clients. And then there is just the breadth of the meeting infrastructure we offer. It is second to none in terms of options and quality.”

A Dedicated Customer

Healthcare technology provider NextGen, based in Horsham, Pennsylvania, typifies the kind of corporate meeting client Las Vegas attracts today, for the very reasons cited by Meyer and Arone. NextGen has been using Las Vegas for its annual five-day, four-night November user conference, which draws an average of 3,300 attendees, since 2005, says director of marketing Lynn Belanger.

“One of the primary things that keeps bringing us back to Las Vegas is the partnerships we have established in the destination, particularly with MGM Resorts International,” Belanger says. “We have used and do use a number of their properties, including Mandalay Bay, The Mirage, MGM Grand and Aria Resort & Casino, for different types and sizes of meetings. When we started looking for a hotel partner in Las Vegas back in 2005, we did an exhaustive search. And we chose MGM Resorts because of the culture of their company and the way it fits the culture of our company.”

NextGen’s fierce loyalty to Las Vegas and MGM Resorts is also related to the fact that in post-event surveys, attendees consistently express their enthusiasm about coming to Las Vegas and their admiration for MGM properties. “The destination and the hotels consistently get high marks,” Belanger says.

For the last four years, she has used the sprawling Mandalay Bay resort complex as the venue.

“We like the easy access from the sleeping rooms to the hotel’s convention center,” she says. “We also like the fact that within the Mandalay Bay complex, we can offer our attendees accommodations at different price points. We use three of the individual properties within the complex — Mandalay Bay, the Delano and Luxor. We also like the variety and quality of the restaurants Mandalay Bay offers under one roof.”

Both Mandalay Bay’s room product, and food and beverage are exceptional, Belanger says. “Another thing we like very much about Mandalay Bay is the quality of its convention services team and the flexibility they can offer us. Because we have been back for four years in a row, it’s very important to us to create something new and exciting each year. And their convention services team has always helped us accomplish that. We work very closely with them to create an entirely new experience each year, including the customization of our menus and the creative use of the different venues within the hotel. And in general, when it comes to service overall, MGM Resorts is second to none. They are a committed partner.”

Not Just for Big Meetings

Although the size of NextGen’s annual conference is typical of many of the corporate meetings Las Vegas attracts, LVCVA’s Meyer stresses that the city also wants, and welcomes, small meetings. For years, the perception has existed among some planners that Las Vegas only gets excited about large meetings. But that is not true, Meyer says. “To the extent that perception exists, I think it comes from two things,” he says. “One is the notoriety we get because of all the big meetings we host. But the other reason people hear that is because some of our competitors like to say that. But it’s simply not true. We welcome small meeting business and we get a lot of it. For example, 78 percent of the meeting business MGM Resorts International gets for its 14 properties is for meetings of less than 200 attendees. That’s a good indicator of how strong we are in the small meetings market.”

Last year, Meyer adds, Las Vegas hosted more than 22,000 meetings, and many of them were small, hosted by organizations that return year after year for some of their most important events.

Regardless of the size of a meeting, one of the key reasons so many companies use Las Vegas regularly is the value it offers. “The strong value proposition is alive and well in Las Vegas, and it’s only going to get better, because we have an explosion of new meeting space coming online over the next year or two,” Meyer says. “And that is going to create more competition, which is going to drive more value. The value we offer is another of the factors that have made us so successful. And in the future, that will be more true than ever. But the other thing corporate planners like is the range of hotel options we offer at different price points.”

Dining and Entertainment

Yet another factor in the popularity of Las Vegas is its unparalleled dining and entertainment scene. “The constant evolution of our culinary scene is another thing that has driven our success as a meeting destination,” Meyer says.

And the dining scene continues to be dominated by the largest population of celebrity chefs anywhere in the world, Arone notes. “Every celebrity chef wants to have a flagship restaurant in Las Vegas,” she says.

Among the new restaurants she favors are “Food TV” chef Robert Irving’s Public House at the Tropicana. “It’s a real hidden gem,” Arone says. “It’s his first restaurant, and it basically serves pub fare like pulled pork and tater tots. It offers a very casual environment and it’s available for buyouts.” Another new eatery she likes is the new Las Vegas outpost of red hot Sugar Cane. It’s well known because of its flagship location in Miami.

Meyer also points out that precisely because Las Vegas offers such a sensational culinary scene, a very innovative new dining-related activity provider has popped up. That’s Lip Smacking Foodie Tours, which takes groups of up to 100 participants to five of the top restaurants on The Strip or in the newly rejuvenated downtown section of the city, according to the tour’s Founder and President Donald Contursi. Guests enjoy immediate seating (at often very crowded places), tastes of three or four of the signature dishes at each restaurant and a guided walking tour that uses “insider” information to explain the unique stature of Las Vegas as a place.

“We have had tremendous feedback from meeting planners who’ve taken a Lip Smacking tour,” Contursi says. “The evening is often the highlight to their meeting or incentive trip. That’s because we offer a truly unique experience that also means attendees can enjoy an environment that avoids the distractions, such as wrangling for a reservation or jockeying for the best seats in a crowded restaurant. At Lip Smacking Tours, we create a private, customized gourmet dining experience and walking tour that includes VIP treatment.”

Activity Trends

Just as it tends to set new trends in fine dining, Las Vegas is also regularly on the cutting edge when it comes to new and different kinds of activities, Arone explains.

Among the cool new things coming online now, she says, is the Esports Arena in the location of the former Lax nightclub at the Luxor Hotel & Casino. Opening in early 2018, the venue “will combine the best of interactive entertainment and Las Vegas nightlife,” according to Allied Esports, the world’s leading developer of “esport” venues. “The venue will be absolutely unique,” Arone says. “It will look and feel like a Las Vegas sports book, but offer interactive video games that are highly engaging and a lot of fun. And instead of betting on games, attendees will compete against one another, in a very cool venue.”

Another fresh and innovative activity that is currently trending with corporate groups are “escape rooms,” Arone says. “Escape rooms are a tremendous innovation. They’re popping up all over the place, and they offer a range of themes and story lines. They’re basically a new form of teambuilding opportunity. Imagine a staged room, where you’re put in with a small group of fellow participants. You’re given a puzzle, and you’re given a certain amount of time to solve the puzzle and escape the room. They’re very engaging and a lot of fun.”

The Mob Museum, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Las Enforcement, offers scavenger hunt teambuilding events. Participants scour the museum’s three floors of exhibits to be the first to discover answers to provocative questions about the history of the ongoing battle between organized crime and law enforcement.

Electronic scavenger hunts also are wildly popular at the moment, Arone says. “They allow attendees to get out of the hotel and move around the city, and again, they are highly engaging and interactive. And everything is within walking distance because of the way Las Vegas is laid out around the Strip.” Scavenger hunts, she notes, also are perfect for corporate meetings because they can also be tailored to corporate goals or interests, such as a new product launch or annual business objectives.

Property Happenings

Wynn Las Vegas plans to keep groups returning with several improvements, including the new $1.5 billion Wynn Paradise Park, which will begin phase one construction by January 2018 and is scheduled for a 2019 completion. The park will include a 1,000–2,000-room hotel tower and 260,000 sf of beachfront meeting and ballroom space overlooking a 20-acre lagoon with water sports activities, a 4,000-foot boardwalk and a white sand beach. Additionally, Wynn will offer more upscale shopping outlets with the construction of Wynn Plaza, a 75,000-sf Strip-front expansion scheduled for completion during the first quarter of 2018.

The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas recently completed an expansion of its meeting and convention space with the reopening of the 28,000-sf Artist Ballroom. The newly expanded Artist Ballroom can be divided into eight separate and flexible configurations. Ceiling heights in the new space reach up to 22 feet for optimal exhibition use. The property has added nearly 18,000 sf of meeting and convention space, new exterior signage along Paradise Road and the relocation of the fully functional Business Center. Hard Rock Hotel now boasts a total of nearly 110,000 sf of contiguous meeting and convention space.

The Hard Rock Hotel’s capital expenditure campaign, which began in 2015 and was completed last spring, featured the expansion of the Convention Center, a complete makeover of the 11-story, 640-room Casino Tower; a complete redesign of the famed Center Bar; and the addition of the acclaimed MB Steak, a wholly owned dining experience created by recognized restaurateurs, Michael and David Morton.

Other Hard Rock venues include the upscale 14,000-sf Vanity Nightclub, which can be reserved for private events and can accommodate from five to 5,000 depending on the seating requirements. In addition, Hard Rock has partnered with Hudson Group, the largest travel retailer in North America, to introduce six new retail shops totaling 14,500 sf.
Caesars recently announced plans to develop a 550,000-sf conference center in Las Vegas, named Caesars Forum, featuring the two largest pillarless ballrooms in North America. When completed in 2020, it will feature 300,000 sf of flexible meeting space, equivalent to more than five football fields and will be located east of the Las Vegas Strip with bridge connections to Harrah’s, the Linq and the Linq Promenade.

By the end of 2018, MGM Resorts will complete a $450 million project to transform the 21-year-old Monte Carlo Resort and Casino into Park MGM, replete with a brand new 77,000-sf conference facility. Offering both non-traditional spaces and flexible design, Park MGM is designed to fill an unmet need in Las Vegas for small groups, while also offering beautiful spaces for groups of up to 5,000 attendees. C&IT