Table settings in the Marine Mammal Hall for the Site Classic event hosted by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Credit: © Monterey Bay Aquarium

Running environmentally responsible meetings is an ongoing challenge for planners who take that responsibility seriously. It seems there are always ways to reach a “deeper shade of green,” whether that means adding new eco-friendly practices at a particular meeting or expanding the practices to more of one’s events. The effort is always easier when a planner can partner with suppliers who also take sustainability seriously, or even better, a city or region known for its green practices.

A stellar example in this regard is Monterey County, California, where the first-ever Sustainable Hospitality Symposium was held on February 23. Local public officials, public policy experts, hospitality and tourism professionals, hospitality developers and contractors, and hospitality educators all gathered at the InterContinental The Clement Monterey with the goal of shaping “the future of the Monterey Bay region as the leading sustainable hospitality, eco-tourism and eco-recreation region in the country,” according to Shyam Kamath, dean of the College of Business at California State University, Monterey Bay.

“(When the distance…is manageable) use a pedometer for a walking challenge instead of having shuttles.”
— Nancy Zavada, CMP

While Monterey County may not yet be the official leader in sustainable hospitality, it is certainly among the leaders, and as such has been an ideal partner for San Jose, California-based Maxim Integrated. The integrated circuits manufacturer is among Silicon Valley’s greenest companies. To give one example, its LEED Gold-certified headquarters campus obtains approximately 80–90 percent of its electricity from an onsite Bloom Energy System, whose low-carbon units convert clean natural gas into electricity with no emissions other than water, explains Tim Warren, corporate director of environmental health and safety.

Pilar Gutierrez, the company’s senior manager, corporate events and trade shows, does her part to ensure the green initiative extends to events. In Monterey County, she has worked with several facilities that support her efforts, including the Monterey Marriott, The Portola Hotel & Spa, Folktale Winery & Vineyards, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Gutierrez describes some of the green virtues of these venues, beginning with the Monterey Marriott: “One-fourth of Monterey Marriott’s energy comes from clean windmill power. They recycle office paper, plastic and glass, and use only post-consumer paper. Their property is Energy Star-certified, and they have water-saving showerheads in all guest rooms,” she says. “They provide reusable, thermal lunch boxes. Their light switches in offices and storage rooms have motion sensors and timed light switches.”

The Folktale Winery, she notes, “supports local businesses,” is organically farmed and “uses natural cleaning products throughout their facilities.” Both are important to her, as she tries to keep her “groups and attendees healthy and away from as many chemicals as possible.”

As for the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Gutierrez points out that it “diverts approximately 90+ percent of their waste to be recycled and/or composted. They source their food within 30 miles of the aquarium to reduce their carbon footprint. And their chef’s food program is sustainable, organic and sourced locally.”

Green Meetings Are Found Everywhere

Indeed, keeping meetings green is greatly facilitated with the right supplier partners, such as the venues in Monterey. But sustainability-minded properties are not just found in cities and regions with a reputation for that value.

In Las Vegas, a city known primarily for lavish entertainment, MGM Resorts International is strongly committed to environmental responsibility with its Green Advantage program. The comprehensive sustainability platform integrates environmentally responsible practices that effectively lower the carbon footprint of the company’s hotel operations and hosted events. Green Advantage focuses on energy and water conservation, green building (CityCenter venues have received multiple Gold LEED Awards), maintaining sustainable supply chains, and recycling and water conservation.

“They do all recycling back of house,” observes Karen Zunkowski, director of global event marketing for ivanti, a South Jordan, Utah-based IT solutions company. “Many of the hotels that we’ve been using over the last 10 years have been MGM properties, where they have a pretty high standard” for sustainability.

Zunkowski plans the company’s Interchange conference, convening about 1,000 participants, as well as an annual sales kickoff for about 650 attendees. Like many planners, she considers a hotel’s level of “greenness” important, though not necessarily a deciding factor in site sourcing. “It’s definitely one of the considerations that’s part of our checklist as we’re doing venue searches,” she says. “I usually ask about their sustainability practices, but some have it somewhat buried in their website or conference materials. Others are very proud of their status and what they’re doing, and so they’re a little more obvious.”

Showcasing Sustainable Practices

In October, the Green Meeting Industry Council (an initiative of the Convention Industry Council) presented the results of a new research project, “Sustainable Meeting and Event Practices: The State of the Industry,” at IMEX America. Among the survey results, meeting professionals indicated their preference that their suppliers communicate sustainable practices at the RFP stage without being asked about them.

“One of the interesting things about the research was that there is a difference between planners and suppliers when it comes to communication on sustainable practices,” notes Mariela McIlwraith, CMP, CMM, MBA, director, sustainability, for the GMIC. “Planners want the information provided up front, while suppliers are waiting to be asked for the information. It’s a great opportunity for suppliers to deliver more than what is expected in a proposal by showcasing sustainable practices before being asked for them.”

Many suppliers will have no shortage of practices to describe to potential clients. According to the study, suppliers engage in more sustainable practices than their customers.

As far as which practices are most important to planners, the study listed the top 10 most requested as:

• Sorting recyclables.
• Donating leftover food to charitable organizations.
• Diverting food waste from waste stream.
• Linen and towel reuse programs.
• Using water glasses and filling stations (in lieu of bottled water).
• Offering vegetarian menu and allergy-friendly menus.
• Sourcing local food
• Using event apps (to reduce paper usage).
• Requesting energy-efficient lighting.
• Planning give-back programs for the local community.

Gutierrez cites several other practices that are important to her: “I like having the option to forgo daily room cleanings to save on wasting so much water on laundry, especially if the hotel uses chlorinated bleach, which is toxic for human health and the environment,” she says. “I also appreciate hotels that offer points instead of having your room cleaned.” Gutierrez, who uses Energy Star properties when possible, also prefers hotels that use solar power and those with programs for saving water (e.g., in the showers and toilets).

All of these qualities and practices are familiar to most experienced planners, and a variety of certifications and standards serve to indicate when a facility is performing well in these areas and others, when it is constructed in a sustainable manner, and when, and to what degree, a hosted event is environmentally responsible.

Education to Erase Confusion

The variety has apparently created some “confusion” among GMIC survey participants, who expressed that in their responses. McIlwraith feels education is needed to help relieve the confusion. “And we need to make the education about the standards easy to access and understand,” she says. Nancy Zavada, CMP, president and founder of MeetGreen, concurs, adding that “I don’t think there are too many certifications because they all basically (assess) something different. For example, LEED really helps because you know how the building was built, while Green Globe and Green Seal are for venue and hotel operations: what cleaning products they’re using, what kind of light bulbs. They might have built a recycling center, but are they using it? ISO 20121 is an event standard that deals mostly with systems management, while the APEX/ASTM (environmentally sustainable meetings) standards are more of a checklist.”

While the APEX standards are theoretically quite useful, Zavada observes that “they haven’t gotten really popular. They’re pretty rigorous, and planners are still looking for top 10 or top 15 (green practices), something less rigorous.”

Anecdotally, neither has she seen much traction among planners for MPI’s Sustainable Meeting Professional Certificate (SMPC), obtained after a three-hour course, the successful completion of which “will indicate that the holder is capable of planning an event compliant with ISO 20121 and APEX/ASTM standards and is able to meet the criteria for GRI reporting,” according to MPI.

While Zavada does not discourage planners from obtaining an SMPC or becoming versed in these standards, she does offer a more practicable route. “Planners can adopt their own sustainable events policy so they know what they’re going to ask for every single time, and they can use any one of those frameworks to start with,” she suggests. “They can pick the top 10 things and then next year add another, and so on.”

McIlwraith adds that planners already have the skillset to green their meetings, an initiative grounded in logistical thinking. “Fortunately, at its core, sustainability in the meetings industry is about making better choices and being more efficient,” she says. “The skills we use on a daily basis to produce events are the same ones we need to make them more sustainable. It’s just changing our focus a bit to consider the next steps, such as what happens to materials and waste after our events, and how we can intentionally design logistics to improve our environmental and social impact.”

Donations

One simple practice that can be added to most meetings is the charitable donation of reusable materials from the event. “We donate any leftover materials to local facilities, especially in Las Vegas where we host our Interchange user conference,” Zunkowski relates. “We work with an organization called The Teacher Exchange that (accepts)our signs, banners, leftover pens, folders, pads etc. They gather those things into a warehouse where local teachers can come and shop for materials for their classrooms.”

Food donation should be part of the event as well, and that can be coordinated through the host venue. “I think that’s a great one to institute,” says Zavada. “Make sure that the venue is donating food to a local food bank. I know there is misinformation regarding liability and health codes, but the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act holds you not liable for (the unwholesome condition of) any kinds of food donations made through a food bank,” except in cases of gross negligence. And if a venue is not already working with a food bank and begins doing so at the planner’s request, “you’re leaving a legacy behind in setting up those relationships,” she says.

In addition, McIlwraith suggests asking event technology providers to donate or recycle their batteries. It’s yet another simple green practice that is often overlooked.

Locally Sourced F&B

Here is a case where a culinary trend and a sustainability trend dovetail. Attendees increasingly want meals prepared with ingredients indigenous to the destination, and the use of such ingredients is ultimately better for the environment than using those shipped from far away. “Local, seasonal and sometimes organic food — all of those are sustainability initiatives, and they have gone mainstream,” Zavada observes.

And insofar as these kinds of ingredients are in the mainstream, many convention center and hotel chefs are focused on showcasing them. McIlwraith suggests that planners “be flexible and allow the chef to make decisions that meet your budget and sustainability goals.” Organic foods, for example, may entail costs that do not align with the F&B budget.

Gutierrez notes that some of her green initiatives have actually resulted in cost savings by an overall 15 percent in the last few years. These include ordering less food to minimize waste; ordering food in smaller amounts and “a la cart” items instead of huge buffets; offering attendees to-go boxes for lunch if they need it; ordering food that can carry over for a couple days; and opting for whole fruit, which can easily be eaten a day or two later, instead of an elaborate break with perishable baked goods.

Transportation

Clearly, using public transportation is greener than shuttles and rental cars, and planners can always encourage the use of the greener option when it is reasonably convenient for attendees. For ivanti’s sales kickoff in Salt Lake City, Zunkowski did just that regarding attendees’ short commute from the airport. “There is a light rail system that goes directly from the airport to downtown,” she notes. “Because it’s our sales kickoff and it’s an internal meeting, (the greener transportation mode) is a little easier to ‘enforce’: We’re not going to reimburse you for a rental car so find another way to get to the event.”

Walking, the greenest transportation mode of all, nicely coincides with the wellness trend. When the distance to an offsite venue is manageable for all attendees on foot and time allows, “use a pedometer for a walking challenge instead of having shuttles,” Zavada suggests.

Measurement and Reporting

Tracking one’s progress on the green front is essential for both improving processes and reporting them to one’s stakeholders. Zavada, whose company assists all clients in this regard, notes that savings can be quantified economically (e.g., dollars saved by avoiding bottled water) or environmentally (e.g., reduction in the amount of waste).

“We always tell planners to put the report in terms that are easy for people to understand or visualize: How many trees did you save, how many elephants worth of waste did you save, how many Olympic swimming pools of water, etc.,” she says.

Such results, which can be aggregated over one meeting or many throughout the year, can and should be prominently communicated. Options include digital signage at the event, internal and external newsletters, and as part of presentations on company matters. “Brief your official spokesperson on sustainability achievements,” McIlwraith advises. It’s worth touting, and can inspire attendees and other companies to follow suit in saving the planet. C&IT

Is your group motivated more by a big-city downtown hotel or seaside beach resort? How many break rooms are required? What do attendees like to do during their down time? Which property under consideration will best help to achieve meeting goals? Do you return to a known property or try something new?

Site selection is more complicated and time-consuming than ever because meetings are more complex, attendees have higher expectations and venues offer a greater diversity of options. Through it all, planners are expected to provide customized and unique attendee experiences.

Choose the wrong site and the meeting can bomb. “A well-selected meeting site can and should make your meeting,” says Katie Reitz, senior strategic buyer, strategic accounts at ITA Group, a Des Moines, Iowa-based company that manages corporate incentives and events. “Selecting the wrong site for your people or objectives can lead to poor attendance and a lack of attendee engagement,” says Reitz.

“As a planner doing a site evaluation and selection, you need to think like an attendee to determine how they will react or be motivated by the experience.”
— Judy Meyers

On the other hand, adds Reitz, “Doing your homework (destination and venue research, attendee demographic analysis and having a solid grasp on meeting objectives) can lead to record-breaking attendance and sales, and create engaged, motivated and satisfied attendees.”

Communication Snafus

According to Jeff O’Hara, CMP, DMCP, president, AlliedPRA New Orleans, the most frequent gaffe he sees planners make prior to site visits is a lack of due diligence with the meeting owner.

O’Hara has seen planners of all types make such a mistake. “There are lots of reasonable explanations (lack of time, meeting owner travel, the planner not wanting to burden the meeting owner, etc.),” says O’Hara. “But the result is, upon arriving onsite, we find that the meeting owner’s vision can be quite different than that of the planner. We then have to change the site on the fly.”

Failing to pursue due diligence with meeting stakeholders can lead to more difficulties: “Selecting a destination that is not centrally located or easily accessible is a common pitfall and can create traveler fatigue and attendee frustration,” says Reitz. “But choosing a site that is easily accessible but lacks overall appeal can be challenging to promote and (can) negatively impact attendance.”

Reitz has seen planners select a venue that is too small because of reasons such as budget constraints and venue availability. “That’s a big mistake, especially if the group has the potential to grow, and can negatively impact the overall experience of the attendees and wreak logistical havoc on the meeting staff,” says Reitz.

Inadequate site research is another common misstep. When an event goes wrong, the most common mistake the planner makes involves a lack of preparation. “Planners who don’t thoroughly research a group’s history and fully understand a program’s objectives relative to the physical limits of the facility will likely not have a smooth event or a happy client,” says Anthony Paola, CMP, managing director, Travel Leaders Group, a Plymouth, Minnesota-based corporate strategic meetings management company.

Prevent problems by inspecting “back-of-the house operations,” Paola advises. “Some of the most important issues can be made visible when taking a peek behind the curtains.”

Meeting Conflicts

Another site selection nightmare results from not knowing which other groups are meeting at the same time. Larger groups can overshadow yours and decrease onsite service levels. To help prevent this, planners can negotiate service-level agreements that guarantee contract items such as the number of servers, room service wait time and bellmen.

But suppose you know which groups are in attendance during your meeting, but a hotel books additional events during your dates after you sign a contract and doesn’t notify you?

That happened to Judy Meyers, owner of HPM Associates Inc., a Whittier, North Carolina-based meeting and incentive planning firm, during a two-night meeting at a hotel in Atlanta. “At the time of booking, there were no conflicting groups booked,” says Meyers.

That changed after her group arrived. “All went well on Friday, but on Saturday the hotel had taken two groups for meeting programs,” says Meyers. “One group had a space immediately adjacent to ours. It was a bible study and choral group that sang enthusiastically all day and evening. Their singing, while lovely, was very annoying to my client. They could barely hear themselves think, much less accomplish their goals.”

The second group was across the hall and spilled out into the common areas of the hotel. “It was a trade show exhibiting (revealing) clothing on live models,” says Meyers. “The bible group was not pleased with the trade show models prancing through the hallways. There were some loud and unpleasant conversations between the two groups. Food and beverage service suffered as a result, and the hotel was unresponsive in trying to solve the problems.”

Paola provides another example of the benefit of asking in advance about other scheduled meetings. “During a site inspection, I learned that a large convention was coming into the hotel on the last night of our event, which would have caused a huge disruption to our event due to the proximity of the convention space to the ballrooms,” says Paola. “Since I knew this ahead of time, I was able to work with the venue to plan how the convention could make the least impact possible on my group.”

Knowing which other groups are meeting in your venue isn’t enough. Also know what those groups have planned. “In New Orleans, we often kick off meetings and general sessions with marching bands, parades, gospel choirs and other ways of getting everyone engaged and awake at 8:30 in the morning,” says O’Hara. “Will you be in the midst of an important presentation in the room next door when this happens?”

It’s also good to know whether a group meeting at the same time is a competitor. “A successful event has a positive, confident vibe,” says Reitz. “It’s tough to get that vibe if there’s a competitor in the event space next to yours. It dampens the mood and puts you at risk of unintentionally sharing confidential or proprietary information. Our event best practices include advance inquiries to learn if a competitor is scheduled during our event, and projected venue occupancy levels during the event.”

Wear Your Attendee Hat

Above all, think like an attendee during site selection. “The purpose of any meeting or event is to create positive results — more sales, better customer service, better operational productivity, increased loyalty to the company,” says Meyers. “As a planner doing a site evaluation and selection, you need to think like an attendee to determine how they will react or be motivated by the experience they have at the hotel or venue. When thinking like an attendee, planners can gauge whether a site or experience would deliver enough value to draw an attendee in and satisfy their interests.”

O’Hara counsels planners to ask the following questions while wearing their attendee hats:

• How is the arrival experience?
• How far is it from guest rooms to the areas you will be using?
• When going offsite and arriving at another venue, how convenient is loading and unloading?
• Does this cause extra waiting time sitting in a vehicle without traveling?
• Are the offsite locations worth the travel time?
• If there is free time built into the program (even an hour), how would they prefer to spend it?
• Meyers advises planners to consider whether attendees will feel like a VIP on the property and ask:
• Would you be wowed by the appearance of the venue?
• Would you feel welcomed and comfortable?
• Would you be looking forward to your stay?

“If you can answer yes to all of these, you are probably on the right track,” says Meyers.

Planner References: What She Said

Planners can avoid many site selection pitfalls by seeking references from planners who have held similarly sized meetings at the same property. “Other meeting planners can be the best sources of information, which is a great reason to develop your network and be able to serve as a resource to others,” says Paola.

According to Paola, the top questions to ask other planners include:

• Would you use the facility again?
• Did you have any issues with the venue at your last event?
• Did the hotel respond adequately to alleviate issues for your group.

“Every event has its own list of important things, but those questions should be a baseline when booking any venue,” says Paola.

Reitz offers the following advice:

• Attendee feedback is top-of-the-list when getting references from other planners. Did attendees like the hotel and destination?
• Relationships and service also are keys. Was the hotel a good partner, and was the level of service and attention to the group favorable? Was the hotel flexible to your needs?
• Were the destination and the hotel budget-friendly?
• Finally, find out if there were any surprises that could be avoided during your meeting.

Also ask planners about issues that can impede a smooth setup and take-down. “Have a good understanding of the size and location of loading docks, elevators and staging areas in the venues you select,” says O’Hara. “How much equipment can fit in the load zone and how does that affect the speed of your loading? You should lean on your DMC for this information, as things may have changed since your planner reference used the facility. DMCs get lots of clients’ feedback on hotels, so use them.”

F&B: Don’t Leave a Bad Taste

Failing to diligently evaluate a site’s food and beverage services can leave a bad taste in attendees’ mouths. That’s why it’s crucial to screen a property’s F&B department. “One of the most important food and beverage considerations for me is to be able to work directly with the chef very early in the booking process,” says Meyers. “For certain clients, this is an essential part of “pre-site selection” in cases where budgets must be pre-determined in order to consider the property as a viable option. Most hotels do not like to do this, but for me, it has often been a deciding factor in which site to select.”

Paola suggests watching the venue’s food and beverage services in action. “Consider doing a site inspection during another group’s meeting so you can see how F&B service would be conducted,” says Paola. “Don’t overlook details such as options for dedicated F&B space. Look into issues such as distance to kitchen facilities or requirements to set up tables and buffets outside the meeting space. Ask what can be done if you are able to give meeting space back to the hotel. Will they offer a reduced financial threshold for food and beverage?

Evaluating a site’s food and beverage capabilities is largely about getting the best food at the best value. That’s why it’s crucial to ask about food and beverage minimums and determine the financial impact if the number of attendees grows. How far in advance do they require guaranteed attendance numbers?

Paola cites another key question to ask: “How much food and beverage is overprepared in the event of an unexpected attendance increase?” he says. “Other items to look for include menu pricing, special meal requirement policies, service charges and surcharges as well as a venue’s willingness to guarantee costs at contract.”

Site Inspection Tips

Diligent site visits go a long way toward inspiring confidence in a destination’s suitability. Here are tips from planners on how to get the most out of site visits.

• Try to do a site inspection when a similarly sized group is using the property. This way, it’s possible to get a good feel for what your group will experience.
• Observe the flow of guest traffic between the front desk, elevators, meeting rooms, restaurants, etc.
• Ask to taste the group’s meal and pop in during a meeting.
• Talk with line staff on all levels to discuss their attitudes toward service and experiences.
• Visit without advance notice as a regular guest. Get a feel for service and explore the property without it having been prepped for you by staff. Discretely observe the staff’s service throughout the site, including front desk, concierge, restaurants and ongoing meetings.
• Should you do a virtual site inspection? Every planner has had to book a venue without visiting it first. But do a virtual visit as a last resort. There are several things that a virtual visit won’t tell you, including the acoustics of meeting rooms and attendee flow throughout the hotel.
• Ensure that the site provides internet and cell phone coverage that meets your group’s needs. During the site visit, check the property’s bandwidth and test internet access using your own devices.
• Final tip: When you zero in on a property, don’t negotiate without an event history. Get top value by providing records of past attendance, room nights, food and beverage consumption and other details. A lack of meeting history leaves planners vulnerable to paying higher rates for rooms, meeting space, food and beverage service as well as additional fees.

Above all, allot enough time throughout the site selection process to see and experience everything that’s important to a group. It’s the key to choosing a site that can help achieve meeting objectives and lead to a satisfying experience for attendees. C&IT

Gloria Petersen, CPP, The founder and president of Global Protocol Inc., Gloria is an author, trainer and speaker on Professional Presence, Business Etiquette and Protocol. She is a graduate of the Protocol School of Washington and has received numerous certifications. Her four-book series, The Art of Professional Connections and SME training modules represent her 30-year legacy. Learn more at www.GlobalBusinessProtocol.com or email her at gpetersen@globalprotocol.com.

Ever wish that you could wave a magic wand and everyone would be respectful, civil and accommodating? Unfortunately, uncertain times brings discontent and confusion. Thus, it is more important than ever to deal with people, situations and one’s own behavior with diplomacy, dignity, finesse, tact and civility, thereby setting the better example. These are powerful “win-win” words. Here we will revisit the basics of effective communication.

Why and How

Why? Everyone’s basic need is to be respected, validated and liked. However, life happens and things can get out of control. People are human; they react (out of control) or they respond (in control) to a variety of situations. You are responsible for you!

How? Take the first step in handling any situation or individual by employing the appropriate tools: diplomacy, finesse, tact, dignity and civility. We hear these words, but do we know what they mean and how to use them effectively? Keep them in your “interaction tool box” and engage them as preventive measures for diffusing situations that could easily get out of control. This is especially true during these times of political uncertainly and international unrest. How a situation is handled, not the incident itself, is the key to a successful result.

The Tools You Need

Diplomacy is the skill of managing people, and the ability to communicate in a non-offensive manner. It also is the conduct by government officials to secure safe relations between nations. The way you present your views determines the outcome. When handling sensitive conversation topics or mistakes, a diplomatic approach allows you to remedy the situation without damaging the relationship. Instead of encouraging conflict, diplomacy resolves conflict. It consists of one’s mannerisms, demeanor, attitude and timing. Using personal diplomacy is your ability to get your point across without appearing pushy or dictatorial.
Diplomacy is the art of letting somebody else have your way. — David Frost

Dignity is an individual’s self-respect. It is something that should be given not taken. People need to have a sense of dignity about themselves regardless of what economic background they come from or awkward situation that just occurred. Maintain dignity (keep your head high) when things go wrong.
Freedom is the open window through which pours the sunlight of the human spirit and human dignity. — Herbert Hoover

Finesse is the skillful way you handle a difficult or highly sensitive situation. It is a technique that allows one to create a favorable or win-win result.
It’s best if you can do things with a sense of humor and finesse. — Eartha Kitt

Tact is the act of using gentle (non-offensive) language when dealing with controversial issues. Tact is knowing what to say to avoid giving offense, and how and when to say it. Tact is not just saying what the other party wants to hear, but it is choosing words that are not emotionally charged or confrontational, and are truthful. All the while demonstrating respect for the other person’s rank, position, stature, gender, age, nationality, ethnicity, whatever the case may be. Sometimes tact will mean not saying anything at all.
Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy. — Isaac Newton

Civility is politeness and courtesy in behavior or speech and is associated with good manners. A leader who has mastered civility can maintain balance in a disconnected environment. Civility creates a common bond and a more harmonious work environment. When you do not like someone, yet manage to treat him politely, you are being civil.
Politeness and civility are the best capital ever invested in business. — P. T. Barnum

Meeting an Immovable Object

You will come across people who are unchangeable, stubborn and a challenge to work with. Inflexible people use communication to be defensive, obnoxious or rude. They also find it hard to be open to another person’s point of view or way of doing things. An authentic professional does not react with the same behavior. It is hard to be difficult with someone who is respectful and in control. Keep the lines of communication open until agreements have been made or a situation has been remedied.

Consider the following scenarios:

Situation: You are asked in a meeting to give your opinion about someone else’s idea — an idea you do not feel is in the best interest of the organization, and you do not want to endorse it.

Diplomatic Answer: “I appreciate Jim’s idea. A strategy that I would like to employ involves…” (The answer should be the same whether this person is present or not.)

Situation: You are caught in a conversation that turns into a political debate on a topic about which you have strong opinions, and you do not want to add to the tension.

Diplomatic Answer: “I have strong feelings here as well; however, I feel it best to dwell on what we can control and keep our focus.” (You admit you have strong feelings; however, you elect to demonstrate respect.)

When to Avoid Politics

Professional meeting planners and their attendees would like to know how to deal with the elephant in the room — politics. They want to know how to avoid conversations that can turn heated and sometimes downright nasty. For instance, a colleague recently asked me how to tactfully avoid political conversations especially when diverse political decisions are creating new challenges and affecting our everyday effectiveness.

I suggested they listen carefully and respect other points of view! This is not easy. Especially when your viewpoint is strong and opposite. An exception may be if the situation warrants a debate, in which case it should be a healthy debate whereby points of view are shared and respected.

Here’s another question that is relevant today: How do you avoid crossing the line when the topics of racism, sexism as well as offensive terms always seem to come up?

Stay neutral! Realize that comments have a lot to do with how someone was raised or chooses to behave. Counter with a positive (non-defacing) comment. If you do not plug-in, the comment will lose its momentum. C&IT

Security has always been a concern in planning meetings. But in an increasingly complex world, few would argue that the need to keep information secure is taking on new levels of importance, especially when it comes to online interactions.

“Today, more than ever, planners are taking notice of security and risk management as it pertains to the planning of their own events,” says Matthew Marcial, vice president, education and events for Meeting Professionals International. He notes that while physical threats may garner the most attention, the occurrence of issues relating to cybersecurity are much more common.

The truth is, online crooks may be after much more than accessing your home computer or convincing you that a Nigerian prince needs to deposit big bucks into your bank account. For some, the meeting environment offers rich hunting grounds.

“Today, more than ever, planners are taking notice of security and risk management as it pertains to the planning of their own events.”
— Matthew Marcial, CAE, CMP

“Although it may seem like travel booking services, event planning services and conference organizing would not be a ripe target for cyberattacks, it would be incorrect to assume that these verticals are not targeted, oftentimes with success,” says Alex Heid, chief research officer at SecurityScorecard, a New York-based security rating and risk monitoring firm. Known as an experienced white hat hacker (one who hacks for the common good), Heid also has direct experience in planning meetings as an organizer with the HackMiami Conference that takes place every year in Miami Beach. He notes that hackers often target information that is not protected by advanced controls. This may include email address/password combinations, credit card data and other personally identifiable information that can be leveraged for underground criminal activities. Especially vulnerable is information basic to registration and payment processes.

Exercise Caution

Marcial says a high level of importance should be placed on ensuring that sensitive information such as credit card numbers and other personal information is securely stored, noting that many organizations no longer allow printing or e-mailing of this type of information. Too, planners as well as attendees and other stakeholders should exercise caution when using unsecured wireless networks, as this presents a greater risk for hacking and data theft. Advance work regarding compliance and emergency planning also should be undertaken.

“Planners should do their best to ensure that their organizations and suppliers are compliant with all local and federal regulations relating to their data management processes,” Marcial says. “At the planner level, this may mean only working with technology partners such as a registration provider whose systems are fully compliant with the latest security and data protection.” Every organization also should have a comprehensive crisis management plan in place in the event that reactive steps need to be taken, he adds.

“Cybersecurity is a critical issue that impacts this industry in many ways,” says Michael Lynn, co-founder of Dallas-based Global PEC and Professional Tradeshow Resources. “It’s especially critical in meeting and conference registration because name and credit card information can be hacked. The liability is costly and can have severe ramifications. Also, the hackers then can…cause overall havoc.”

Lynn recalls a meeting where an attendee inserted a flash drive with preloaded software into her computer, not realizing she had been set up for someone to access her personal and her company’s data and infect the overall system with a virus.

“I got a call and it turned out five computers had been affected so we had to destroy all five computers, including hers,” Lynn explains.

“Wireless security is typically the thing that meeting planners need to worry about the most,” says Tom DeSot, E.V.P. and chief information officer at Digital Defense Inc., a San Antonio computer security service provider. “More often than not, wireless networks are set up as open networks with little to no security so that it is easy for attendees to connect to and use the network.”

Meeting planners should go the next step, he suggests, by ensuring that the wireless network is set up with WPA2 security, and that the shared passphrase is provided only to the attendees and not to members of the hotel staff or other parties.

If a reliable and secure network is not provided, meeting attendees are likely to enable their own services such as mobile phone hotspots or other mobile wireless nodes. But this can cause problems, according to Ron Winward, security evangelist at Radware, a provider of cyber security solutions with North American headquarters in Mahwah, New Jersey. “When this happens, the wireless spectrums interfere with each other and everyone has a bad experience,” he says. To avoid this situation, he advises making sure to have a well-planned wireless network that supports both an encrypted protocol like WPA2 (and perhaps adding 802.1x), as well as an unencrypted service.

“When I attend conferences, my greatest info security concern is that my personal data is secure and that I have access to secure Wi-Fi, which also encompasses having working internet access,” Winward says. He notes that many events even publish their network topology for users to see, where they can ensure nothing unusual is happening to their data.

“Protect your customer registration data and provide them with secure networking during their event,” he says. “Remember that unencrypted Wi-Fi and even WEP can be easily decoded by hackers onsite hoping to capture user data.”

Alvaro Hoyos, chief information security officer for OneLogin, an identity and access management solutions provider based in San Francisco, says planners also should keep in mind that event spaces are used by many different entities before and after a given event and thus should be considered unsecured, similar to working with public Wi-Fi in a coffee shop.

“You have no guarantees that the same level of security measures your IT team put into your corporate network are available in these spaces,” he says. “Attackers focused on one company will find the path of least resistance, and attacking an event space, rather than the company network, is bound to be an easier target.”

In many cases, a major point of weakness is an unsecured network, according to Hoyos. He points out that most event spaces offer hardwired or Wi-Fi networks as a service, whether it’s for attendees to be able to get an internet connection, for presenters to be able to show their slide deck from their laptop, or for other media purposes.

“Knowing that these networks will be used by other entities, sometimes because the event space publishes this information, is a great opportunity to try to intercept corporate data or compromise a corporate device,” he says.

Heid notes that while online event planning tools may offer positives and that some providers attempt to provide security solutions, using them also centralizes information within an easily accessible interface. That means if the organizer’s credentials or the service itself becomes compromised, registration and payment information can still be obtained by interlopers.

On the other hand if an event organizer chooses to self-host registration solutions, then Heid advises leveraging a less-is-more approach to the technologies employed. This might include using static HTML websites as well as payment services for credit card payments that allow credit card processing without the need for meeting organizers to handle credit card data.

Too, if a planner chooses to make use of a third-party event service, the use of a continuous third-party vendor monitoring solution also is recommended by Heid.

“This solution allows users to keep an eye on the external security posture of any third-party company entity being utilized,” he says. You can respond to security issues before they have a negative impact.”

Awareness Is Key

“The importance of planning for cybersecurity is a risk management decision that should be based on the circumstances of the event,” says Christopher Wright, principal of Citadel Systems, an Arkansas-based cybersecurity consulting firm. “If the topics and information are more sensitive, the planner will need to make stronger plans to protect the information and the attendees.”  In planning sensitive events for larger companies, he adds, the planner should consider meeting with a corporate threat intelligence or risk management group in the planning process.

Awareness is the key, according to Wright, who suggests that meeting organizers take steps to emphasize security needs to attendees.

“Notify them that Wi-Fi is provided as part of the venue, but that users should take additional steps to ensure their information is protected,” he says. “First and foremost, ensure that attendees know the proper hotspot to use. Nefarious people can set up hotspots that advertise free Wi-Fi and may seem legitimate, but then falsify connections to steal sensitive information or passwords.”

Wright adds that for corporate events, organizers also should emphasize the use of company VPN (virtual private network) software. This practice adds another layer of security and reduces risk of data theft. For events requiring a higher than normal level of security, planners might want to work with corporate technical staff to provide dedicated and private connectivity for attendees. Beyond awareness, though, the decision is a risk versus cost one.

Hoyos notes that unsecured equipment also can bring challenges.

“Onsite equipment that will be used for media purposes can also be a big risk factor,” he says. “If a device is already compromised or not properly secured and you are saving files to it or logging into your accounts, you are introducing risks into your otherwise secured application or leaking internal information.”

Personal data also can be problematic.

“Guests signing in on tablets, pictures being taken and invites being sent out to personal email addresses are some ways personal data is picked up as part of an event,” Hoyos says.

He notes that understanding what data will be captured and what will reside with you versus the venue is important. “If any data will sit on the venue’s systems, even temporarily, you should have a process planned out to make sure you get verification that the data has been released to you or completely wiped from their systems,” he says. And since it’s your event, you will be liable for any personal data.

Beware of a False Sense of Security

Robert Siciliano, CSP, CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com, says a key to avoiding problems is conferring with hotel security teams to determine what systems they have or don’t have in place. If they have some type of crisis management response plan it may include information regarding cybersecurity threats as well.

“It’s equally important that planners provide information in meeting brochures and handouts, or on the website, in regard to the attendees’ responsibility for their own information security,” he adds.

He notes that when a group leaves a meeting room for lunch, it’s inevitable that attendees leave laptops and tablets behind. Yet these devices can not only be easily stolen, but also infected with malware.

Too often, both planners and attendees live under the false sense of security that “these things won’t happen here,” Siciliano says. But even when equipment is secured in physical terms, it may still be vulnerable.

“Planners and event attendees are at high risk when everyone has access to main frame, full data and wireless connection through the internet,” says Ann Windham James, owner of Texas-based trade show and event management firm Imagine Xhibits & Events. James also is the founder of TS Tech Summit, which will be held this year at host hotel Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. James and Michael Lynn are scheduled to give talks on cybersecurity and similar topics at the show set for April 20–23.

As far as best practices go, James says a registration computer should be preloaded with all related information processed on that computer, and it should not be linked to other computers. Similarly, planning staff should avoid using flash drives for transferring information to eliminate virus contamination from one computer to the next.

Often at conferences, lists are downloaded and shared across computers which can cause all computers to be infected.

Heid points to web application security for registration and payment processing as a major area to consider in achieving top security, along with secure storage and handling of registration lists and payment data.

“For web applications, ensure that all patches and updates are in place and configurations are hardened,” he says. “The use of a web application firewall service also goes a long way.”

He also advises employing third-party vendor risk-monitoring services to examine the external security postures of service providers offering business solutions such as registration, payment and mailing list service.

“Encourage attendees to use VPN services if they are going to use conference-provided Wi-Fi,” Heid adds. “Often the Wi-Fi is provided by the venue, and no special security controls are in place.

In looking out for the interests of meeting attendees, planners should be especially aware of possible security breaches at high-end hotels, according to Seth Ruden, senior fraud consultant for ACI Worldwide in Waltham, Massachusetts.

“Fraudsters will work harder to compromise a high-end hotel as the target, with the logic that more affluent customers’ payment cards fetch a higher price on the black market,” he says. “That does not mean economy brands have not been affected; they certainly have, but at a much lower rate than their higher-end peers.”

Regardless of the venue, Hoyos says an assertive approach is called for.

“Asking the right questions is paramount,” he says. “You should not go into an event space and assume they have taken care of all security matters.” Instead, it’s wise to obtain a full understanding of the devices that will be used, how they are secured and if Wi-Fi network passwords will be unique to the event.

“If you are asking security questions right off the bat, they will understand this is important to you and provide you with the right resources,” he says.

Mike Baker, principal of Mosaic451, a managed security services provider with headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, says a VPN is imperative for all corporate meetings where internet connections or access to a network are required.

“Today, it is far simpler for hackers to simply access devices through unsecure networks,” he says. “To make matters worse, victims of a hack attack may not even be aware that their sensitive data has been breached.” He points to recent news reports about “dark hotel” attacks on high-profile hotel guests through a simple Wi-Fi connection.

“Hackers prey upon the misplaced trust that guests or meeting/convention attendees have with the unsecured network connection,” Baker says. For example, unsuspecting guests at a hotel or elsewhere who are using shared connections on open Wi-Fi networks may be sent an update for their computer that looks to be something routine, so they accept. Then the moment the connection is made, every bit of information on a computer, from passwords to confidential business information, is vulnerable to cyberattack. Yet this could have been avoided with a virtual private network.

“That’s why a VPN connection is critical when connecting to the internet while on the go or while attending a meeting or trying to conduct business from a hotel,” he says. “VPNs offer total privacy to roam the internet freely without being tracked, monitored or having data collected and stored. VPN networks are designed to encrypt information before it goes through a network, thwarting potential attacks.”

Baker adds that encrypting data also can prevent information from being stolen or held ransom.  “Encrypting email is actually a secondary protection against corporate information being stolen or held ransom at an offsite meeting,” he says. Most companies have exterior protection such as a firewall, but very few take steps to protect data at rest inside of their infrastructure. Database files, documents and emails can be encrypted on disk so that if a device is stolen or compromised, the data that resides on it is still protected, Baker says.

Handling a Breach

Of course, even with the most diligent efforts, problems with cybersecurity may occur. What happens if a security breach occurs?

“If it’s discovered that there has been an information security incident surrounding an event, such as the compromise of registration data or payment data, then a rapid notification to the affected parties is the most important action item,” Heid says. He stresses that attendees should be informed that their email address, password and/or payment information has been recently compromised. They then can take proactive steps to monitor for suspicious login activity, incoming spam messages, unauthorized credit card activity and similar indicators of compromise.

“Eventually, everyone becomes the victim of an information security breach, especially with the trends indicating a growing reliance on third-party services. What separates the winners from the losers is rapid response and mitigation of potential future incidents,” Heid says.

In the event problems arise, planners should first work through any protocol that their organization has in place, Marcial advises. “The situation should also be reported to local law enforcement.” Another strategy: Have a communications plan executed so that all stakeholders, including those who are affected by the situation are kept up-to-date.

In planning to avoid such problems, James says it’s important to stress information security as a major part of the event planning process.

“Have a security expert on your advisory board, on retainer or on your team to protect from security threats and/or prevent breach issues.” She also advises having a plan in place with a checklist that includes steps to ensure against cybersecurity threats. Such details should also be included in requests for proposals to chosen venues so respondents can include steps they’ve put in place to prevent hacks and security breaches. In addition, she notes that meeting planners should keep their education and certifications up to date in the area of information security. C&IT

MGM National Harbor overlooking the Potomac River debuted in December with 50,000 sf of meeting and event space.

For many hotels in today’s casino industry, the tag “gaming resorts,” while technically appropriate, can be misleading. It suggests a resort whose focus is gaming, but it is clear that most of the gaming resorts in Las Vegas, Atlantic City and numerous other regions are equally focused on dining, shopping and entertainment, as well as top-quality meetings facilities and services. More than ever, planners have confidence that these properties will fully support their event objectives, even when the event has no particular connection to gaming. As the popularized slogan goes, the modern gaming resort “means business” — whether or not it’s in Las Vegas.

In the Game Back East

A prime example is the new, $1.4 billion MGM National Harbor in National Harbor, Maryland. Opened on December 8, the 308-room resort offers 125,000 sf of state-of-the-art casino space, a 3,000-seat theater, three celebrity chef restaurants among 15 dining options, 18,999 sf of high-end retail and a destination spa. Paired with all of those attractions and amenities is the MGM National Harbor Conference Center, whose 50,000 sf includes the 16,200-sf MGM Grand Ballroom (featuring a 6,000-sf outdoor terrace with views of the Potomac River); the 4,284-sf Bellagio Ballroom; three 1,838-sf meeting rooms — Aria, Mandalay Bay and Beau Rivage; and two Mirage Boardrooms. And the latest meeting technology has been incorporated: The boardrooms, for example, feature built-in, 90-inch screens with video/teleconferencing capability, and every room has fiber optic ports.

Farther north in the well-trodden Atlantic City gaming market, MGM Resorts is also making meetings a priority for its gaming properties with Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa’s new 18,000-sf Central Conference Center. Scheduled to debut in May, the $11 million facility features two stories of highly customizable event space including five meeting rooms, a boardroom and an office on the lower level, as well as a 6,500-sf clear span ballroom on the upper level. Like the MGM National Harbor Conference Center, the bilevel venue is equipped with the latest in technology, including high-definition digital projection, TV, and internet system capabilities paired with all digital distributed sound systems. Touch panel controls can be used to customize décor lighting experiences. The Central Conference Center will complement the 2,000-room Borgata’s existing meeting facilities: the 70,000-sf Event Center and 18,000-sf Water Club.

Further on the horizon is MGM Springfield, expected to open in fall 2018. The approximately $800 million gaming resort will include a 250-room hotel and is currently the largest construction project under development in Western Massachusetts.

Making It Happen in Las Vegas

But while the company is expanding into promising new markets, its home base remains Las Vegas, as the names for the MGM National Harbor’s meeting rooms suggest. Recently, MGM Resorts secured a major piece of corporate meetings business in Las Vegas, reaching a multiyear agreement with Microsoft. It will mark the first time Microsoft has combined four separate annual events, with as many as 30,000 participants, into one signature meeting. “With this contract, MGM Resorts is poised to deliver our third record-breaking meetings and conventions year in a row,” said Michael Dominguez, senior vice president and chief sales officer for MGM Resorts, in a statement. While the details of Microsoft’s property usage within the MGM brand have not been released, it is clear that the options are plentiful, including massive hotels such as the 5,044-room MGM Grand (602,000 sf of meeting space), 4,004-room Aria Resort & Casino (300,000 sf) and 3,211-room Mandalay Bay Convention Resort (more than 2 million sf).

“Caesars always comes in not only with the best value for our dollar, but they’re such a good partner that it’s hard not to go with that option.”
— Angela Baer, CMP

In the name of “due diligence,” Peoria, Illinois-based Caterpillar Inc. has inspected several of Las Vegas’ major resorts in trying to obtain the best value for its events surrounding CONEXPO and MINExpo. However, “Caesars always comes in not only with the best value for our dollar, but they’re such a good partner that it’s hard not to go with that option,” notes Angela Baer, CMP, corporate meeting planner for Caterpillar Inc. The company uses Caesars Palace as its “base of operations.”

“We have a huge block of meeting rooms and event space at Caesars Palace; we’ll hold our VIP event and our dealer customer hospitality event there, along with a myriad of ad hoc meetings throughout the week for Caterpillar employees, dealers and customers. On peak we’ll do about 3,500 room nights,” Baer explains.

The property comfortably accommodates the group and all of its functions with 3,792 guest rooms and 300,000 sf of meeting space, including the Forum Ballroom where Caterpillar holds hospitality events for three nights, bringing in machinery to display and entertainment for dealers and customers. Baer notes that Caesars’ “A-Z Guide” is a great resource for planners to source everything from entertainment to transportation vendors.

But more significantly, Caesars has been a longtime partner for Caterpillar because “whatever I need they make happen, whether I have it in the contract or not. We work as a team.” As a case in point, she cites a recent situation where Caterpillar gave away meeting space, contracted for the front end of its event, to another company that wanted the space. Subsequently, Caterpillar had a need for the space, and Caesars “worked with me and the company that wanted to use that space, and we were able to get what we needed while not upsetting the other company,” Baer relates. “And that’s a real testament to Caesars to be able to do that. They were under no obligation to help me at all, but they wanted my experience to be the best.”

Caesars also facilitates the process of booking restaurants, which is important for the variety of small gatherings of Caterpillar attendees that take place. “They have someone specifically dedicated to handling group reservations for any restaurant or venue inside any Caesars property,” says Baer. “So you don’t have to call these restaurants and figure it out.”

Given the number of venues within each of Las Vegas’ gaming properties, attendees have a wealth of options for impromptu onsite meetings outside the main program. The 1,506-room Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, for instance, is home to 35 Steak + Martinis, Nobu, Goose Island Pub and other F&B outlets that can host a casual business gathering.

That variety is ideal for the 1,000-1,200 mobile app industry leaders coming in for Grow.co’s Mobile Apps Unlocked conference at the property in May. “It’s a very social group, and they do a lot of business in the restaurants and the bars,” notes Michelle Troop, cofounder and COO/head of operations at New York, New York-based Grow.co. The event is returning to the Hard Rock after two years, in part because “the event worked really well there last time (2014),” she says. “We used their larger performance venue (the 4,000-capacity Joint) for the first-day general session, and it gives you the opportunity to have everybody together and feel like a really prominent event. And there is lots of breakout space for day two where we can do deep dives into their specific focuses.” The hotel’s recent meeting space expansion was another motivator for bringing the event back to the property. “We wanted to grow the event and (needed) added space,” says Troop.

In December, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas introduced its Artist Ballroom, which has added nearly 18,000 sf of meetings and convention space, along with new exterior signage along Paradise Road. The property now offers nearly 110,000 sf of contiguous function space, which can be broken down into eight separate and flexible configurations. The hotel also is known for its high-tech amenities, including Wi-Fi, CAT5 cabling and a program to create customizable AV packages.

Alternatives Out West

Groups who would more conveniently meet at a gaming resort out West need not be limited to Las Vegas. There are intriguing, lesser known gaming destinations in locations such as Scottsdale/Fountain Hills, Arizona, and Temecula, California. The former is home to We-Ko-Pa Resort & Conference Center, and the latter is home to the expanding Pechanga Resort & Casino. The resorts are operated by Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation and the Pechanga band of Luiseño Indians, respectively.

The Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation also operates Fort McDowell Casino, We-Ko-Pa Golf Club and Fort McDowell Adventures, affording groups who stay at We-Ko-Pa Resort several options in offsite activities. The 246-room resort itself has several virtues that have made it a great site for Bridgeport, New Jersey-based Dewatering Solutions’ events over the past few years. This January, the company held its Western and Central regional sales meeting at the property, following two years of hosting a distributor partner meeting there. “It ticks off a lot of boxes for us,” says Laura A. Gibson, strategic events specialist for the company. “The resort is close to the airport (20 minutes from Phoenix International), has excellent, flexible meeting space, and the service from everyone you encounter is like being in a five-star property. They are phenomenal to deal with.”

For example, she relates that the staff once worked a minor miracle in getting a piece of industrial equipment into one of the ballrooms that comprise the 25,000-sf Wassaja Conference Center. “We also did a themed pub night (with food stations and pub games) in one of the ballrooms, and they suggested, ‘Why don’t you just use the room behind it, too, and we can open it up?’ They’re always one step ahead,” Gibson adds. Apart from golf, casino visits, dune buggy rides and horseback riding, attendees of past events have enjoyed an outing to a nearby shooting range in Mesa, fully coordinated by her contact at the We-Ko-Pa Resort.

Van Nuys, California-based Consolidated Fabricators Corp. (ConFab), a manufacturer of steel fabricated containers, has a similarly strong partnership with Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California, where the company’s Garbageman’s Invitational Golf Tournament & Social Event has been held for seven years; the eighth installment will be in June. The charity event brings in about 300–350 attendees, a group of sponsors, owners and executives of vendors to the sanitation business.

“We have two days of golf, and then we have a cocktail party and golf awards dinner,” says Kerry A. Holmes, vice president of sales for ConFab, who founded the event. Guests challenge themselves on the 18-hole Journey golf course, explore the largest casino floor in California (200,000 sf), and enjoy fine dining in the rooftop Eagle’s Nest ballroom, where the awards ceremony is held. “Quite honestly, 80 percent of my guests are multimillionaires who belong to their own clubs, and I’m 100 percent comfortable that when they get (to Pechanga), they’ll get that private club treatment,” notes Holmes.

The resort’s expansion certainly will benefit the Invitational, he adds. “Our event has grown every year, and many (attendees) bring their spouses. So this expansion is really going to enhance our event because it’s going to be more of a destination. We’re going to have a property that will rival any top resort in terms of pools, restaurants, etc.” The $285 million project, set to be completed by year’s end, will add 568 guest rooms; expand indoor and outdoor function space by 70,000 sf; and add a luxury spa, pool complex and two new restaurants to the existing 11.

New & Noteworthy

The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino this year began offering business guests access to a unique “coworking space” in the heart of The Venetian/The Palazzo Congress Center. The 1,170-sf pop-up lounge offers spaces for attendees to recharge and informally gather, as well as a conference room for small meetings. “Our coworking pop-up taps into a growing trend of creating collaborative workspaces that can be used on a temporary basis in addition to traditional offices,” said Lisa Marchese, chief marketing officer at The Venetian and The Palazzo, in a statement. “Placing a coworking space in the heart of a meetings and convention destination combines two concepts that you do not often see together.” Indeed, it is refreshing to see a hotel the size of the 4,027-room Venetian cater to groups’ small-scale business needs.

It’s not all business at the property, of course. As a gaming resort and destination unto itself, The Venetian is home to restaurants by celebrity chefs such as Mario Batali, Emeril Lagasse and Thomas Keller; residencies by legendary musicians such as Diana Ross and Steely Dan; and the renowned Tao Nightclub. In December, the hotel introduced The Dorsey, billed as “the ultimate destination for cocktail enthusiasts.” The 4,500-sf space is accented with rich materials such as French oak, brass, leather and marble, supplemented by a separate library space.

Opulence brings to mind Wynn Resorts, featuring the 2,716-room Wynn Las Vegas and 2,034-room Encore. The two hotels’ combined 260,000 sf of meeting space is complemented by a vast selection of upscale amenities, from award-winning restaurants such as SW Steakhouse and Sinatra, to the Wynn and Encore Esplanades, the Spa and the Wynn Golf Club (designed by Tom Fazio and Steve Wynn). Groups who enjoy the Wynn brand can look forward to the proposed Wynn Paradise Park — which would replace the golf course with a 1,000-room hotel tower and 260,000 sf of meeting space with waterfront views — and Wynn Plaza, a retail hub debuting this fall by Las Vegas Boulevard.

Wynn is adding the Amazon Echo, a hands-free voice-controlled speaker, in all guest rooms by this summer. The device initially will control guest room lights, room temperature, drapery and the television. As the project evolves, future features such as personal assistant functions will be introduced.

This year also will see a new venue debut at Tropicana Las Vegas – a DoubleTree by Hilton: Celebrity Chef Robert Irvine’s first signature restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip. The host of Food Network’s “Restaurant: Impossible” is creating a modern American-inspired restaurant on the hotel’s casino floor. The 50,000-sf casino is just the beginning of what the 1,470-room resort has to offer. Other highlights include a 100,000-sf conference center with up to 38 breakout rooms; the 1,200-seat Tropicana Theater; the top-rated Laugh Factory Las Vegas; and Glow, a Mandara Spa.

Aria Resort & Casino is in the midst of a major expansion of its award-winning LEED Gold-certified convention center. The $154 million project will deliver an additional 200,000 sf of technologically advanced, flexible meeting space across four stories, highlighted by stunning indoor/open-air spaces and a glass-enclosed venue with views of The Park and new T-Mobile Arena. With the completion of the expansion, Aria will feature more than 500,000 sf of meeting space. Construction began in May 2016 with anticipated completion in February 2018. The Jewel Nightclub, a 24,000-sf nightlife destination, opened at Aria last May.

In February, a new Mandara Spa was introduced in a very different gaming market, Uncasville, Connecticut. The Earth Tower at Mohegan Sun is now home to the global spa brand’s 51st location, and the Sky Tower spa is scheduled to be renovated and rebranded as a Mandara Spa this year. Groups looking for a Northeastern gaming destination removed from the commotion of Atlantic City have long opted for Mohegan Sun, which offers 1,563 guest rooms and suites, and more than 100,000 sf of flexible meeting space, including the 38,000-sf, pillar-free Uncas Ballroom. CMM- and CMP-certified Event Service Managers are on hand to assist planners with the multitude of event design possibilities here. Yet the property also is well prepared to entertain attendees on its own, with ongoing shows at Mohegan Sun Arena, the Wolf’s Den, COMIX Comedy and several F&B festivals.

Developments like Pechanga’s expansion, MGM National Harbor and MGM Springfield show that the concept of the destination gaming resort is being implemented in many smaller markets outside Las Vegas and Atlantic City. The trend is welcomed by planners who prefer gaming as just one free-time option among many, thus catering to a diversity of tastes. C&IT

For the fourth year out of the last five, in 2016 Orlando ranked No. 1 once again on Cvent’s most recent list of the top meeting destinations in the U.S. “Orlando continues to raise the bar every year,” proclaims George Aguel, president and CEO of Visit Orlando.

Home to the country’s second largest convention center and the second-largest concentration of hotel rooms in the U.S., Orlando can hardly be said to rest on its laurels. The Central Florida destination continues to seek new ways to stimulate its convention industry, a crucial component of the city’s economy. At the Orange County Convention Center, total attendance in 2016 was 1,456,816, an increase of 6.5 percent over the previous year. The number of individual events was up 17.7 percent. The region’s hotel inventory has grown 37 percent over the least two decades, with 119,000 rooms today at a variety of price points, from budget to luxury.

For the full story, download our special 2017 Orlando Meeting & Incentive Planner Guide PDF. 

The private island resort One&Only is on Hayman Island, Queensland, Australia, in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef. Credit: Tourism Port Douglas and Daintree

The roll call of favored travel destinations in the Asia-Pacific region is an extensive list of countries that spark wanderlust. Among those favored for meetings and incentives, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Macau are all on the wish list of meeting planners and attendees everywhere.

Australia — Bucket-List Incentive Destination

For North American clients, incentives probably make up the bulk of corporate events in the Asia-Pacific region, and one country that tops the bucket list for many is Australia. Suzanne Markarian, director of planning and purchasing at Landmark Incentive Marketing, was tasked with creating an exceptional experience for an energy industry client. “Their objective was to find that place in the world where their guests and participants would not necessarily go on their own. Australia was what the client was looking for.”

Spanning an area almost the size of the continental U.S., Australia’s highlights are spread far and wide. But Markarian says that she had great planning support from Tourism Australia and Paul M. Griffin, business events manager for the Americas, and from local tourism authorities such as Business Events Sydney. “They helped us set up our site inspection, came out to greet our clients, and even helped to underwrite some aspects of our site trip such as transportation, etc.”

Markarian selected three disparate destinations to showcase the best of Australia: Sydney, Hayman Island and Uluru—better known as Ayers Rock.

“The trip moved quickly from city to city — via private charter aircraft on some legs,” explains Markarian, reviewing an itinerary that was packed with tours and evening activities. “At Uluru, the group had a private ‘Sounds of Silence’ dinner in the bush, under the stars with a backdrop of moonlight. The evening was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, with indigenous dancers and the storytelling of a stargazer. Many were hesitant about trying the kangaroo meat, but it was delicious and the participants loved the experience — and it is what you do here.

“Sails in the Desert is lovely, and the service is great. The hotel sees quite a bit of one- and two-night stays, so there is a lot of turnaround and excitement in the lobby. The hotel recently had renovations and all is done tastefully, and the food is very good in their all-day dining restaurant, especially breakfast. You want to make the most of your time here and experience everything outside of the hotel in the bush.

“One&Only Hayman Island is not the easiest place to get to, but it was more than worth the experience. It’s a remote island in the Great Barrier Reef, and the beauty of it is matched by the exquisite style and design of the resort. All the rooms are newly renovated with all modern and highly stylized décor. The property is lush, with one of the best gyms and spas I’ve seen. Although many come to get out to the Great Barrier Reef, I would recommend staying a bit longer and really enjoying the resort. You can come in from Hamilton Island either by the resort’s private boat or by helicopter, and then you are whisked away by a golf cart to the lobby entrance.”

Markarian continues, “F&B is excellent at the One&Only, and we provided a welcome buffet on the beach with firepits and some of the most beautiful food displays I have seen. One note for planners is that anything you may want to add has to be flown in or brought in, and it is difficult and usually not necessary. Stick with what the resort offers — they know how to deliver the best product, whether it be food, entertainment, or décor for their resort.”

The group also checked in at the Shangri-La Hotel Sydney, where they enjoyed a central location, fine dining and impeccable service that lived up to the Shangri-La reputation. “The sales team leading up to the event were excellent, and their staff, food and service delivered just as good as their promise. There’s an excellent restaurant on the 36th floor called Altitudes with breathtaking views, which we privatized for one dinner. The final evening was held offsite at the Waterfront Restaurant, in one of their historic rooms overlooking the harbor and the Opera House.”

New Zealand — Endless Wonder

A similar set of priorities faced Kim Hester, senior account executive at JNR Incorporated, as she was organizing an incentive trip for a TV broadcast media company. “First and foremost, we were shopping for a place during a time when safety and security was a big issue,” explains Hester. “We didn’t want to go to Europe — we wanted, no question, safe. And I thought, New Zealand — nothing ever happens there! We were going in November (2016), so it’s a good climate heading into their summer, there’s stunning scenery and a diversity of activities, everybody is friendly and speaks English, and Air New Zealand has direct flights from LAX, San Francisco and Houston.”

Hester had been on a FAM to the country three years ago, and worked “a little bit” with Tourism New Zealand, but hired a DMC to handle logistics for her nine-day incentive program, titled Endless Wonder. “It was purely a reward trip, to thank top advertisers for spending money with them — all about having a great time,” adds Hester.

“Amber Murrell was the coordinator for our DMC, Seasonz Travel, and she was phenomenal — the best DMC person I’ve ever worked with. She’s a Queenstown native, and her family goes back there for generations. But she’s so committed and passionate about the country, I want to invite her to work programs in other parts of the world for me! It taught me to trust your vendors, they know the destination well. Amber was so good at advising me on what was good, bad or indifferent — she always had the right advice. She was the glue the held the program together, and the swizzle stick that stirred the drink.”

For the flights, Hester did a contract with Air New Zealand, and they helped us book feeder air, coming from all over the U.S. “They were unbelievably helpful and cooperative, unlike any airline I’ve ever worked with in the world. They put our domestic carriers to shame. Their premium economy is a great option for people who couldn’t afford business, but most of our group traveled in business. They blocked seats for us and even did refunds when we had last-minute issues —who else do you ever get a refund from? They were incredibly flexible and easy to work with, and they have a beautiful new lounge at LAX with showers, a buffet and an outdoor firepit — it’s the nicest lounge I’ve been to in the U.S.”

Hester focused on two destinations, starting with two nights in Auckland, basing the group at the Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour. “There’s a nice Hilton in Auckland, and it sits on water, but it caters more to wholesale tour operators. The Sofitel has an Asian feel to it, and caters more to local meetings market.” The easygoing agenda for Auckland included a full day on Waiheke Island, located 45 minutes by ferry from the city, a haven of olive groves, wineries and a thriving community of artists. The second morning featured a choice of activities before the two-hour flight to Queenstown: a sea kayak adventure, a harbor sail on an America’s Cup yacht, or a city tour aboard Harley Davidsons.

“The Sofitel Queenstown Hotel and Spa has a completely different look and feel — something like a boutique hotel in a European ski town. It’s great because everything is walkable, everyone can do their own thing, and I absolutely love the GM at the Sofitel Queenstown, a charming Frenchman who is so involved and committed — always right there in lobby to greet me.”

Queenstown is nothing if not flush with activities. “You have great scenery and wine country for the sedentary types, then there’s high action and adventure — bungee jumping, white-water rafting, abseiling — tons and tons of hard-core adventure activities that take people out of their comfort zone, something they will never forget,” says Hester. “You take someone to (tourism adventure company) AJ Hackett Bungy who’s in their 60s or 70s and ask ahead of time if they want to bungee jump, and they say ‘no.’ Then they see all their colleagues and peers, and before you know it, everyone’s out there doing it. Most couldn’t wait to send pics back to their kids — it was so much fun to see that reaction.”

Hester cautioned that planners need to stay flexible in New Zealand, especially with regard to the country’s highly changeable weather. “You don’t how many people are going to bungee jump, you don’t know how many people are going to want to buy cases of wine. We planned a lot of helicopter adventures and events where you fly out to a remote place and do a function — these are very much subject to weather. We got lucky, everything went off pretty much as planned, but we had to cut one event a bit short because it got windy.”

Singapore — Top Hub for Business

For Cvent’s first-ever accounting of the top Asia-Pacific meeting destinations, it was Singapore that topped the list for 2016. Less than one-sixth the size of Rhode Island, the sovereign city-state edged out such established locations as Sydney, Bangkok and Shanghai.

The accolades aren’t limited to one source: In 2016, the World Travel Awards selected Singapore’s Suntec as Asia’s leading Meeting and Conference Center, while the International Congress and Convention Association ranked Singapore as the top city in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East region for meetings, far ahead of the ICCA’s next three destinations (Seoul, Hong Kong and Bangkok). And, for 21 years running, Singapore Airlines has been selected as the world’s best carrier by readers of Travel + Leisure magazine.

But big things, it would seem, can come in very small packages. Singapore’s GDP makes it the third-wealthiest country in the world, on a per-capita basis, and the port is the world’s second busiest.

According to Jeannie Lim, the Singapore Tourism Board’s executive director of conventions, meetings and incentive travel, there are three reasons the destination has an edge over other Asia-Pacific meeting options.

“We have a strategic location within Asia — Singapore is a hub for business. There are 7,000 multinational companies that have headquarters here, a mix of global and local companies, creating a pro-business environment.

“Second, we are very compact,” Lim explains. Located at the southern tip of the Malaysian peninsula, the island is just 26 miles across at its widest point, and most hotels are concentrated downtown. “Over 5,000 hotel rooms are located within walking distance of Suntec — you don’t have to travel two hours to reach a venue.”

“The third factor is that we have a strong ecosystem of players to help build successful meetings,” Lim adds. “There are 60,000 hotel rooms in Singapore covering all aspects, including mid-range and budget, and we have quite a good variety of meeting spaces.”

Among Singapore’s standout meeting facilities is Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre, centrally located in the heart of the CBD and offering more than 450,000 sf of meeting space. The six-story facility received a $130 million renovation in 2013 that automated many of the centre’s functions to improve efficiencies (for example, the kitchen relies entirely on induction cooking). Most famously, the main entrance to Suntec is nicknamed the Big Picture Wall, and features the world’s largest high-definition video wall — perfect for corporate branding efforts.

Singapore Expo, located just three miles from the airport, is the country’s primary exhibition center, with more than 1 million sf of column-free ground-level space in 10 different halls, up to four of which can be contiguous. In the convention wing next door, an additional 130,000 sf of meeting space is available. Although located 12 miles from the CBD on the city outskirts, Singapore Expo is served by the city’s comprehensive mass transit line, and two hotels offering almost 600 rooms are within walking distance to the Expo.

The 2,561-room Marina Bay Sands is without a doubt Singapore’s most eye-catching hotel, and sits adjacent to the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, operated by the Las Vegas Sands Corporation. With 1.3 million sf of meeting space, the largest ballroom in Southeast Asia, and 250 meeting rooms spread across five levels, the facility can accommodate up to 45,000 delegates, making it a prime target for U.S.-based meeting planners.

But the city also has a wealth of smaller meeting facilities ideal for more intimate gatherings. The 790-room Pan Pacific Singapore at Marina has an 8,700-sf ballroom and 24 function rooms, many of which are on the executive-level 22nd floor, with Herman Miller chairs and ample natural light. The 769-room Fairmont Singapore and its sister property next door, the 1,261-room Swissotel The Stamford, are tied to the Raffles City Convention Centre, which offers 70,000 sf of meeting space, including 27 meeting rooms and three ballrooms up to 24,000 sf and the largest chandelier in the world. The Fairmont lobby and all rooms in the north wing of the hotel were renovated in 2014.

Singapore’s location — a 17-hour flight from San Francisco — might be a deal-breaker for some North American-based meeting planners. With other Asia-Pacific cities reached by shorter nonstop flights from other North American cities, why organize an event in Singapore? “We take safety and security very seriously,” says Lim. “Meeting planners want to know destinations they are considering offer a stable environment.” Additionally, visitors from most countries are not required to obtain a visa prior to travel. “So you get the value of meeting people from across the region. If you want to do business globally this is the place to come.”

Macau — Beyond Gambling

Even smaller than Singapore and yet a powerhouse in its own right, Macau is an autonomous territory of China located 40 miles west of Hong Kong. With an economy driven largely by tourism, Macau’s gambling income is larger than Las Vegas’, and the city has a rapidly growing cache of large hotels with extensive meeting facilities, along with a history tied to the Portuguese Empire — sovereignty was handed back to China in 1999. As with Hong Kong, a Chinese visa is not a prerequisite for travel to Macau.

“Although Macau is only 12 square miles in size and has a population of 650,000, there are over 20 historic sites that are part of Macau’s UNESCO World Heritage status, and the destination hosts the Formula 3 racing event each November,” explains Gabriel Wong, head of meetings and incentives for Pacific World, one of the premiere DMCs in the Asia-Pacific region. Wong says that he often works with the tourist board to create a package to fit client expectations. “The Macau Government Tourist Office is very active in promoting Macau as an event destination, and often offers specials such as private immigration lines or a discount for groups staying more than three nights.”

And, following a Chinese anti-corruption crackdown that lead to 26 consecutive months of gaming revenue declines through last summer, Macau tourism is no doubt counting on the MICE market to help make up for a recent slowdown in business.

Last May, Wong oversaw a meeting for an IT group of 150 involved in computer processing at the Sheraton Grand Macao Hotel, Cotai Central, the city’s largest hotel (and the world’s largest Sheraton-branded hotel), with 4,001 rooms and a 52,645-sf pillar-less ballroom. “The extensive amount of space Sheraton Macao brings to the table makes it easy to accommodate large groups for meetings and breakout sessions,” says Wong. “As we required many breakout rooms for breakout sessions for different purposes, the Sheraton Macao could easily transform the function to satisfy our needs. Even if you have a huge setup with a large stage, or screens with rear projection, the hotel is able to cater.”

Wong noted the careful attention provided by the Sheraton’s event team. “They are very experienced and were always available to assist in any request, from AV technical support to catering. They were also detail oriented, from the digital signage arrangement, to a complex stage setup, where all hardware was always ready before arrival.”

The hotel has more than 20 check-in counters which can operate at the same time, along with a smaller check-in area, which is available for private group check-in. The hotel has interconnections to adjacent hotel properties such as The St. Regis Macao and Conrad Macao.

“Pacific World strives to offer authentic experiences that allow clients to live like locals through curiosity and discovery,” says Wong. “Sometimes we must think outside of the box, especially in smaller destinations such as Macau where options are limited, and it is necessary to go offsite. There are a few ideal venues and restaurants in Macau that suit our clients for offsite dinner purposes, and one of my personal favorites is the Pousada de Coloane. It’s a hotel with only 28 rooms, but they have a beautiful open area in the front of the restaurant, which can accommodate over 280 guests for a cocktail event.”

One recommendation Wong offers is to schedule events mid-week. “Hotels in Macau are always full on weekends, as there are a lot of tour groups coming in from China for gambling. The only challenge about the destination is that there is not an influx of international flights going directly to Macau. Most American and European participants will need to transfer to the jetfoil from Hong Kong, but this is a stress-free and quick process.”

That transfer will become even easier at the end of this year, when the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao bridge is scheduled to open. The 31-mile, $10.6 billion highway — which starts next to the Hong Kong International Airport — includes an undersea tunnel and an 18.4-mile-long bridge. The transfer time from Hong Kong to Macau is expected to be reduced to just 30 minutes.

New and Noteworthy

In December 2016, the 634-room JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach opened, located close to the Marina Bay entertainment and business districts. Consisting of both historic and newly constructed buildings, and with interiors designed by French designer Philippe Starck and architecture by British architects Foster and Partners, the hotel’s guest rooms are outfitted with smart technology, including up to seven USB outlets per room, and a Wi-Fi-enabled mobile phone that allows guests to receive calls anywhere within the property. The hotel has 18,400 sf of indoor and outdoor event and meeting space, including a 5,600-sf Grand Ballroom housed in a 1930s historic Drill Hall, which features a dramatic 11,520-light Forest of Lights design by Philippe Starck. The hotel’s 15 meeting rooms are housed in Assembly, one of the property’s restored historic buildings.

The hotel market in Macau is experiencing rapid growth. The $4.1 billion, 1,706-room Wynn Palace resort debuted last August and features a $125 million art collection, a Bellagio-style water show, an aerial tram system and giant shopping center. The resort, Wynn’s second in Macau, has a 17,373-sf Grand Theater, suitable for banquet seating up to 960, plus four breakouts and two boardrooms up to 1,615 sf.

In September 2016, Wynn rival Las Vegas Sands opened the $3 billion Parisian Macao, the company’s fifth resort in the city, and replete with its own Eiffel Tower replica. The hotel has 56,000 sf of meeting space, including a 36,600-sf Grand Ballroom, suitable for a gala dinner for 2,600 guests.

Currently under construction, the $3.1 billion, 1,500-room MGM Cotai is expected to open in the second half of 2017.

The Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta opened last June on Jalan Gatot Subroto within the city’s Central Business District, at the all-new Capital Place, an award-winning architectural landmark by César Pelli. The hotel offers 19,400 sf of flexible function space, including a Grand Ballroom with its own prefunction area and adjacent Garden Terrace.

With the December 2016 debut of the 1,360-room Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park, Marriott Hotels opened its largest property in the Asia-Pacific region. Formerly known as the Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, the property underwent a multimillion-dollar facelift and features 54,000 sf of function space across more than 30 different venues.

Scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2017, Hotel Jen Beijing will be part of the China World Trade Center development in Beijing’s CBD. The hotel’s facilities will include a coworking hub paired with creative meeting spaces, the only gastropub in the CBD and a 37,674-sf world-class health club with facilities to meet diverse fitness requirements.

As the PyeongChang Winter Olympics approaches in February 2018, the Korea MICE Bureau announced international congresses and corporate incentive tours recently secured. Among them, the largest convention expected in Korea in 2017 will be the UIA 2017 Seoul World Architects Congress, which will be held in the COEX (convention and exhibition) complex in Seoul. The event is expected to draw 30,000 participants, 5,000 of which will be foreign delegates from 120 countries. Last year, Korea successfully hosted the Rotary International Convention at the Korean International Exhibition & Convention Center (KINTEX), bringing more than 21,000 international delegates to Korea. C&IT

Scott Steinberg is an award-winning professional speaker and among today’s best-known trends experts and futurists,. He is the bestselling author of Netiquette Essentials: New Rules for Minding Your Manners in a Digital World, Make Change Work for You: 10 Ways to Future-Proof Yourself, Fearlessly Innovate and Succeed Despite Uncertainty and Millennial Marketing: Bridging the Generation Gap. The founder of Select nightlife magazine, and host of “Next Up on NewsWatch,” his website is www.AKeynoteSpeaker.com.

Social networks are one of today’s most popular forms of online communication, as utilized daily by billions of users worldwide. So it’s no surprise to find that many organizations have jumped on the bandwagon as well. However, it’s important to note that from an organizational standpoint, certain rules of conduct and best practices with regards to corporate communications, must be observed when conducting outreach via these mediums. As we note in my new book Netiquette Essentials: New Rules for Minding Your Manners in a Digital World, (Lulu.com, 2013) planning an effective social strategy doesn’t have to be difficult, however. Following, you’ll find several hints and tips that can help your organization lead, succeed, communicate more effectively via high-tech channels and generally put your best foot forward online.

“Concentrating your aim makes it easier to hit your target than employing a shotgun strategy.”

Effective social media management is often a full-time job: Customers will expect dialogue not only to flow both ways, but also be timely and frequent — allocate resources, time and manpower accordingly. Ultimately, maintaining consistent, running conversation is key, as is regularly making note of and responding to incoming dialogue.

Consistency Is Key

Properly utilizing social media necessitates consistent and frequent commentary, and the use of postings that reinforce your expertise and thought leadership. Figure out what level of response (and response time) works best for your organization and commit to it, allocating time and resources accordingly.

Corporate posts do not have to be made by the same individual every time, or an officer of the organization — however, all should maintain a consistent personality, tone and level of value creation. Always be thinking of how you can contribute positively to public dialogue, and add information or insights of worth to social network connections. In every case, be sure that all representatives of your organization who do post are courteous, respectful and customer-focused, as well as cognizant of brand and style guidelines.

Before launching any social media campaign or presence, make a detailed study of the sites, platforms and services where your desired audience can be found, and that best align with your business’ long-term goals and objectives. Focusing attention and presence on these sites will help you maximize outreach efforts and user engagement (and use time and resources most wisely), rather than causing you to be spread thin and participate less effectively across a wider range of vehicles. Frequency and reach are basic marketing principles, as is audience targeting: Concentrating your aim makes it easier to hit your target than employing a shotgun strategy.

Make sure you or your team members have allocated and scheduled enough workday time to respond and engage within various social media communities. If you can’t post content or respond to incoming queries in a timely manner, your fans or customers may come to believe that you aren’t listening to them. Not responding to a tweet or a Facebook post can be seen by some as the equivalent of not returning a phone call or email — and while you can’t always address all, you can at least make efforts to speak to larger trending topics in public forums, helping assuage the broader user community’s concerns.

Study the Networks, Use Compelling Content

Remember that each social network has its own features, personality and community: Study the outlets you participate in, and understand the different nuances so that your message is not simply carbon-copied across each forum in the exact way. Audiences differ, as do consumption models across social media vehicles: A one-size approach won’t work here. However, while social vehicles may vary, make sure your message and brand are consistent and cross-promoted across channels: Establishing a style guide and dedicated social team or member can be tremendously helpful to maintain consistency of tone, image and overall user impression and takeaway.

The more compelling and meaningful the content you share via social media, the more your customers will engage with it. The key question to ask yourself at every turn: “What’s in it for them?” Encourage people to communicate, comment and interact with you: One example might include placing a call to action (i.e. a request for viewers’ thoughts and feedback) at the bottom of every post. Incentivization is key here — think about the action steps you want readers or viewers to take and what would drive users to take them. Create a two-way conversation that encourages your customers to want to help you promote your message. Simply blasting information out to them is less effective than soliciting their commentary and input.

Listen, Listen, Listen

Listen to your audience to discover its likes, needs and interests, then provide insights and information to match. The more you help customers, the more they’ll become advocates. Loyal and passionate customers should be responded to and engaged with — finding ways to reward and spotlight your community is vitally important. The more you extend the hand of friendship to end users and acknowledge their efforts, the bigger fans they’ll become, and the more goodwill you have the opportunity to generate. The key: to always be up-front and genuine with your audience and afford them the same respect and standing that they afford your business and brand.

Be a good go-to resource. Make sure your content is useful and informative, and give visitors tips, links to helpful articles and sites, and other pertinent information. Likewise, don’t be afraid to shout out or partner with outside organizations, individuals and influencers who share common philosophies and interests — win-win is always the way to go. Always make sure your content and outreach initiatives are relevant to, and create worth for, your customers. This necessitates looking at promotional efforts from new angles so that the focus is on them — not you.

Make sure your organization’s messages meet specific base criteria before posting, including: Is it fun and imaginative? Is it energetic and enthusiastic? Does it draw attention with cool and exciting details? The goal should be to make content inviting, interactive, and accessible — and to deliver a great deal of small, bite-sized items frequently, while encouraging others to interact with you around these pieces of content. Ask questions, start conversations, and otherwise encourage them to share and participate in dialogue.

Be cognizant of your organization’s voice and messaging strategy, and make sure you standardize posts to them. Have a standard messaging cadence as well, and make sure you supervise it, noting that it always can be modified. Keep in mind that social marketing campaigns are based on the idea that you are continuously optimizing, and oftentimes on the fly, as you never know when a specific piece of content will begin to trend. If a post does start to take off in terms of user awareness, be prepared and have a second post with further information ready to go shortly after to keep the conversation running. C&IT

A Celebrity Cruises ship arrives in the port of Labadee on the northern coast of Haiti.

Whether long and luxe or short and invigorating, incentive cruises offer corporate planners and their attendees a chance to experience a world where the only surprises are good ones.

Two If By Sea

“When a planner comes to me to say ‘we need to do something out of the box,’ I say ‘let’s look to see what’s in the box first,’ ” says Marisol Rangel, CMP, corporate meetings and events specialist with Aqua Global Events. The “box” can contain anyplace in the world that can be reached by ship. For 2017, it just so happens to include the Mediterranean for one of her recurring clients. Rangel has arranged some 15 incentive charters on Silversea Cruises, many of them for an East Coast corporate incentive group of about 260. The Silver Wind and the Silver Cloud, both of which hold 296 people, can perfectly accommodate her attendees, offering each a balcony room.

“For me, it’s a no-brainer; I always get better ROI on a cruise meeting than at a resort.”
— Sandra L. Barnhart

On their seven-night itinerary, the group will leave from Rome and return to Monte Carlo, with port stops in Sorrento, Amalfi, Portovenere, Livorno and Corsica. Attendees can spend a night on board before the ship leaves port, saving them the expense of a hotel room on the day of their flight.

Because Rangel’s attendees use Silversea’s charter option, they enjoy flexibility that groups on larger ships don’t, such as setting their own itinerary, staying late in one port and arriving later at another, choosing to dock outside of meeting times and holding a gala dinner. “My group can have a dinner on deck, which not a lot of ships can offer,” she says.

The group will hold one meeting in the theater-style show lounge with a guest speaker and will host a gala dinner in the dining room, which can accommodate a dance floor. The group needs to rent a sound system in addition to the one included with the charter to satisfy the dinner dance entertainer’s rider; it is Silversea that makes the arrangements beyond the rental fee: clearances, installation, disembarkation and clearing customs.

Rangel’s attendees rave about not only the high-energy, onshore excursions, which can include zip lining and helicopter tours, but also about the onboard culinary experience: choosing their own seafood during a buffet lunch with tour of the kitchen, for example, or cooking their own steak on a hot stone in the Pool Bar & Grill.

“If you have high-end clients, you can’t go wrong,” she says of the Silversea experience. “You know that nothing will happen. No one will complain.” The cruise is all-inclusive for the attendees, including drinks and tips; only the casino and the boutique shops require them, if they choose, to pull out a credit card.

“A cruise is really a less expensive alternative to a hotel,” Rangel finds. “When you are negotiating a hotel, there’s always going to be surprises later: menu, extra staff, things that would already be included on the ship. Once you’ve booked a program on a cruise, if you don’t change anything, you know exactly what you’re going to spend. Comparing apples to apples, it winds up being a savings. And no surprises.”

Entering Unchartered Waters

For all the benefits of chartering an incentive cruise, some planners find a set itinerary where attendees are a group within a group also has its advantages. In fact, for incentive cruises at Davie, Florida-based Team National, not chartering is actually preferable. “We like being on a ship with other people; a lot of people have joined our company having been on a cruise with our people,” says Dan Zintsmaster, vice president of events. “Cruise winners often become leaders and move up in the company.”

The direct selling company has offered incentive programs on Royal Caribbean for the past 15 years. “We do the three- to four-day cruises so they’re not out of the sales field for too long,” he says of the twice-yearly cruise incentives. “It looks a little overwhelming in the beginning, but once you get down to a routine, it’s one of the easiest, best-rewarding incentives we can do. We’ve done all-inclusives, but this one you see the hype, the excitement — land-based not as much.”

In November, he convened 1,500 sales contest winners on the Enchantment of the Seas, with an itinerary to CocoCay, Nassau and Miami.
Royal Caribbean sends a representative aboard with the group who already knows their agenda and routine — typically, a three-hour meeting in the theater or the ice arena where the CEO and owner can share experiences and galvanize the winners, and a bon voyage party toward the end. For the rest, the attendees are left to mingle freely. But it’s not that the group just blends in entirely, getting lost on the ship; he has colored T-shirts made up for them to announce their affiliation, and the cruise director sees to it that the group is mentioned in various contexts.

“When I do different events, I have to coordinate AV and food and beverage, whereas on the cruise ship, it’s all under one roof, done by one person ahead of time, all in your original contract. I really enjoy being able to have that one-stop shopping. Once I get them on the ship, we’re done. That makes it easy for me as a planner to know my budget,” Zintsmaster says.

And while he’s bullish on cruise incentives in general, he finds: “Royal Caribbean is higher-level than some of the others, with a nice range of cabins and options in a nice price range. You can upgrade to suite; you can have a small cocktail party in a suite. You can choose to leave out of Fort Lauderdale or Miami.”

Since his company holds biweekly contests, he finds cruises to be a scalable and essentially self-marketing sales incentive; the higher the sales once the cruise is already achieved, the more perks for the attendee: a stateroom with a balcony or view, a junior suite, the chance to bring additional family members.

“Royal Caribbean is great to work with. Their incentives team is awesome: hands-on and great. They can help with ground and air. We’ve had great luck, and they continue to make a great product that just gets better with new ships and retrofitted old ships.”

High Tech on the High Seas

That the cruise industry has come into its high-tech own was never more evident than at this year’s CES, where for the first time, the keynote address was delivered by a travel industry executive: Carnival Corporation CEO Arnold Donald. He extolled the virtues of the company’s new Ocean Medallion, a disc the size of a watch face that attendees wear or carry. The medallion links to the ship’s digital concierge system, Ocean Compass, through either one of the attendee’s own mobile devices or one of the ship’s. The complimentary Ocean Medallion is sent to the attendee’s home address, where he can key his dietary and entertainment preferences into the system, providing the crew with access to it for the duration of the cruise. The medallion acts as a de facto key card, check-in station, people-finder system, food and beverage delivery service to anywhere on the ship, and shipboard credit card, among other uses. Attendees can use the system to sign up for shore excursions and spa treatments, and to make dinner reservations. The Medallion Class Ocean ships also will have upgraded Wi-Fi and won’t actually cost more than other types of cruise ships in the fleet.

The combination of onboard sensors and the disc enables the ship’s system to essentially follow attendees around the ship; eventually, certain offshore areas — Port Everglades cruise terminal, some spots at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Princess Cruises’ private cays — will be wired for Ocean Medallion/Ocean Compass.

The new tech is the brainchild of a former Imagineer who developed a similar concept, MyMagic+ band, for Disney. The system will roll out in November on Princess Cruises’ Regal Princess, then on Royal Princess in January 2018 and Caribbean Princess in March 2018.

Separately, Carnival’s Hub smartphone app, which lets attendees keep apprised of onboard activities, chat with others on the ship and check out dining options, is being upgraded for more personalization and extended to the ships that don’t yet have it.

Royal Caribbean’s RFID-operated Wow bands also perform some of the same functions as the Ocean Medallion, namely, expedited check-in, key card, and credit card, and sister lines RC and Celebrity plan to revamp their current customer-centric phone app mid-year with more options and possibly to use voice-activated concierges on a new line of ships to debut in 2018, Celebrity Edge.

Onboard Foodie

As exciting as first-adopting new tech can be, nothing is quite as incentivizing as a world-class meal. Indeed, Oceania Cruises bolsters its trademarked claim to purveying “The Finest Cuisine at Sea” by having master chef Jacques Pépin as its executive culinary director. The line’s Marina and Riviera ships showcase his namesake restaurant Jacques, which serves classic French cuisine and features a show rotisserie where the night’s offerings slowly turn on the spit. The foodie spirit extends to shore excursions: Culinary Discovery Tours offer attendees the chance to visit local markets in the company of a chef and, back on board, take a hands-on cooking class at The Culinary Center. La Reserve by Wine Spectator, also available on Marina and Riviera, offers a small-group chef’s table menu paired with wine.

Celebrity, too, offers chef-based shore excursions through its Chef’s Market Discoveries program on European and Caribbean itineraries. Solstice-class ships on the cruise line feature cooking demonstrations and tasting events through the “A Taste of Caribbean” package. Still more incentive groups will have the option of experiencing Celebrity’s gourmet offerings during the 2018–2019 season, with the return of Thursday-to-Monday sailings on the Infinity from Fort Lauderdale to Key West, Nassau and Cozumel. As a Millennium class ship, Infinity will offer “Taste of Film,” which pairs an outdoor film screening with the cocktails and foods that actually appear in the movie.

When it launches in April, the 3,560-person Princess Cruises Majestic Princess will have two restaurants helmed by Michelin-starred chefs: classic Cantonese restaurant Harmony, by chef Richard Chen, once of Wynn Las Vegas’ Wing Lei restaurant, and La Mer, by chef Emmanuel Renaut of Alpine France’s Flocons de Sel.

But as Michelin stars go, the 600-passenger Seabourn Encore, which had its maiden voyage in January, may currently shine brightest. Its partnership with chef Thomas Keller of Napa’s French Laundry and New York’s Per Se has yielded at least two onboard eateries: The Restaurant, the ship’s main dining room and The Grill by Thomas Keller, a smaller, more casual space. The Ovation also will feature Keller offerings when it’s ready in spring 2018.

Certainly, it would be hard for the 750-person Regent Seven Seas Explorer to bill itself as the “most luxurious ship ever built” if it, too, were not consumed with proffering exquisite food. For now, this is also the only ship in the fleet to offer Gourmet Explorer Tours to various sites in Italy, Spain, Greece, Morocco, France, Portugal, Monaco and Slovenia. The cruise line celebrates its 25th anniversary all year with 25 chosen voyages across a variety of itineraries and all four ships (Explorer, Voyager, Mariner and Navigator). Among the festivities: Attendees can enter the galley along a red carpet to attend a lunch buffet with fresh bread, carving stations, pasta prepared to order and desserts as they mingle with the chefs. These same 25 sailings will offer Silver Anniversary Tastings: vintage and other top-shelf wine and spirits seminars.

Silversea’s 597-passenger Silver Muse boasts white-glove dining at La Dame by Relais & Châteaux. Given that the cruise line touts it as “the highest expression of excellence of French dining that Silver Muse has to offer,” this restaurant promises to exceed even the La Champagne Relais & Châteaux that will also be on board when the ship comes online in April.

Silversea Expeditions has two new Culinary Expedition Voyages for 2017 on the all-suite, 132-guest Silver Explorer. In October, the “Epicurean Adventure along the Humboldt Current,” a 14-day trip to Peru and Chile, will introduce attendees to pisco sours and fine dining in a restaurant located among the ruins of an adobe pyramid and to a gourmet meal in a 16th century monastery, among other delights. On board, guest chefs and wine experts from South America will participate in the culinary director’s workshops.

New Ports, New Experiences

On some cruises, enrichment activities aren’t just a happy offshoot but the central focus. Fathom cruises, for example, provide attendees the option to have “social impact” by providing community service as an offshore excursion in the Dominican Republic. While parent company Carnival Corporation is expecting delivery on 17 ships through 2022, among them the 3,934-passenger Carnival Horizon in March 2018, it plans to shutter its Fathom line in June and continue the CSR experience on some of its other lines.

Until then, six of the 704-person Fathom Adonia’s tours to the Dominic Republic also include a stop in Santiago de Cuba, and it offers several itineraries to Cuba through May 2017, with stops in Santiago de Cuba, Havana and Cienfuegos.

Over the past year, many Caribbean itineraries have come to include Cuba. Royal Caribbean’s Empress of the Seas will be the largest U.S. cruise ship to stop in Havana when it does so for the first time in April on a five-night cruise from Miami, with a later five-night and seven-night trip from Tampa.

May also will see the start of Havana overnights on NCL’s all-inclusive Norwegian Sky, which offers five four-day cruises from Miami. Attendees will have a chance to experience Old Havana’s art and music, along with “people-to-people exchanges.” The itinerary also includes a stop on NCL’s private Bahamas island Great Stirrup Cay. Regent Seven Seas Mariner has two sailings in April with overnights in Havana, leaving from Miami and also stopping on the line’s private island in Belize, Harvest Caye.

No-Brainer for Planners

One planner who’s found a way to make creative use of port stops for meetings is Sandra L. Barnhart, president and CEO of CruiseMeetings.com. For 2017, she’s working with a corporate group on a 76-attendee incentive at sea; she also often handles continuing medical education cruises and has often hosted groups on Celebrity. “We have found them very good to work with,” she says of the cruise line. “We have someone dedicated to us who handles our contracts. It’s really nice to have one person to handle the management.”

Celebrity also has a department dedicated specifically to handling planning at ports. “I’m dealing with a total of three people I know I can go to and they will handle everything I need,” she says of the line. “I won’t be sent down a phone tree. They’re very responsive; the same day I send a request. The service level makes my life a lot easier.”

For groups with certain needs, not chartering offers a challenge in that exhibit space is limited, and an awards dinner complete with speeches in the main dining hall is, obviously, untenable. For these situations, Barnhart has some go-to workarounds. For awards, for example, she plans a cocktail reception in one of the lounges, with either “freestyle dining” for the attendees afterward, or space blocked out in the dining room with set decorations and table assignments.

And while planners won’t always charter the ship, they can, in a sense, charter the port stops. Scheduled shore excursions aside, she often arranges events — teambuilding programs, barbecues, beach parties — in ports or on private islands. (Celebrity’s 2,886-passenger Silhouette, for example, stops on the private CocoCay on its western Caribbean itineraries.) “You can have something customized,” she notes. “Some ships will bring special entertainment to the port.”

And when she needs exhibit space, she’ll even plan an in-port exhibit day. In Nassau, for example, she planned a day in a hotel with music, exhibits set up and hors d’oeuvres. To deter attrition, she planned a drawing with the names of attendees who’d stopped by each booth to have their ballots initialed.

Barnhart has been involved in meetings on ships as either a purchaser or an organizer since the early 1980s, when ships didn’t have formal meeting space. But over the past 15 years, she says, cruise lines have adapted to the special needs of meeting groups with dedicated meeting space; even, on some ships, a conference center that offers a similar look and feel to a hotel ballroom.

But it’s on the balance sheet that the similarity ends. “The biggest thing is the controlled budget; no surprises. An organization goes in knowing what their end cost will be. Including meals, it is usually about the same as a resort would be for just the room.” Because cruise lines can source goods from any port worldwide, they can often pass along better deals, according to Barnhart. “So they can give away more and still make a nice profit themselves. You can negotiate all kinds of amenities for the organization: free cocktail party, etc.

“A resort is a lot more work, and your budget is always in question — they charge you almost by the individual bite,” she says. “For me, it’s a no-brainer; I always get better ROI on a cruise meeting than at a resort.”C&IT

Bonnie Boisner is the Vice President Event Management at Aimia Channel and Employee Loyalty US. Boisner designs, plans and executes client events that engage, inspire and educate attendees. She can be reached at bonnie.boisner@aimia.com.

Tina Gaccetta is the Vice President Sales and Marketing at Aimia Channel and Employee Loyalty US. Known for her creativity and innovation, Gaccetta designs event and engagement solutions that build stronger relationships with channel partners, employees and consumers. She can be reached at tina.gaccetta@aimia.com.

For seasoned event planners, we know smaller meetings require the same attention to detail as a larger event, just with a slightly different twist. While the landscape of small events continues to change, here is proven advice that makes planning small events successful.

Down and Dirty Advice for Planning Small Meetings

Think Economically

Don’t start from scratch every time. Create a template or process that can be easily replicated for each meeting to follow. One of our clients is a large automotive tire company that provides multiple training sessions for customers. The events are used to present the tires to sellers and resellers in the format of a driving school. In one year, 40 different groups were sent to various events all over the country. To simplify the planning and financial burden on the client, we followed the same process for each of the 40 events, from buying, logistics and customer service support.

Use Your ‘A’ Team

The fastest way to achieve consistency for small events is familiarity. If you can use the same vendors, hoteliers and/or destination management companies, do it. Keep a list of contacts and vendors for each of the cities in which you are planning events. Safeguard your list and update it regularly. These are essential, yet often overlooked, members of your team.

Communication Is Key

Proactively building an effective communication process onsite is critical to communicate logistics or attendee changes. Communication with the client’s trip leader must be frequent and consistent. Daily status updates should be requested to ensure the program is operating smoothly and no action is necessary by the planner.

Executive meetings require even more of a high-touch approach. Understand their expectations — both before and during the meeting — and adjust your communication plan accordingly. Know the medium in which your onsite contact and vendors want to be reached. Do they like in-the-moment text messages or prefer a phone call? These details matter for ease and efficiency.

“The fastest way to achieve consistency for small events is familiarity.”

One of our automotive clients experienced a situation in which a significant number of their small meeting participants’ departure flights needed to be rebooked at the last minute. Organizing this change required communication among air services, the meeting planner and the trip leader, who then had to communicate via email and face-to-face with all affected participants. It was an initial panic, but advanced planning led to positive results.

Bring All Logistic Vendors to the Party

For events that do not require an onsite third-party planner, planning a small meeting is like operating a drone. Planners need to be acutely aware of the buttons they are pressing because often they will not be able to fix the problem onsite after it has been made. Planners must work closely with all the logistic vendors and onsite clients to make sure the meeting is operating successfully.

Be Aware of Security Risks

Whether it is a meeting for 20 or more, shortcuts lead to mistakes. Ensuring that digital, financial and onsite security is consistent for every event is a must. Crisis plans need to be communicated well in advance of the event, and holding briefings onsite for the travel staff is necessary. By leveraging smart processes, planners can prepare for secure meetings while maintaining efficiency.

We plan hundreds of pharmaceutical meetings each year. While security is important for all of our clients, pharma companies have their own set of compliance rules to follow. In order to pick up any meeting materials, attendees must produce their IDs first, and materials must be picked up in person — not by someone else. Also, all meeting attendees are required to wear their name badge while attending the meeting. Security personnel also patrol the hallways overnight to monitor AV equipment and the integrity of the meeting rooms.

There’s no reason for meeting and event professionals to think small when planning a small meeting. The success of any event, whether large or small, depends on seamless coordination among all parties and communication before, during and after the event.
C&IT