Greeting the day at the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa in Ojai, California. Credit: © Myles McGuinness

Finding the energy to keep up in today’s fast-paced world has led many Americans to improve their diets and increase their activity and exercise. According to the Global Wellness Institute, wellness retreats within the corporate environment now account for 14 percent of all tourism expenditures, and are expected to surpass 23 percent over the next two years. Indeed, today’s corporate environment has embraced the wellness trend — incorporating wellness and fitness activities, and healthful food options throughout all facets of their meetings.

Kial Afton, corporate meeting and event planner at the New York City office of NBCUniversal, is a perfect example of a corporate planner who tries to incorporate wellness options into many of NBCUniversal’s retreat and incentive programs.

“Exercising…offers a way for people to clear their heads, which allows them to look at a situation, business proposal or presentation with fresh eyes. In short, it helps people to be their best selves.” — Kial Afton

“Over the past 1 1/2 years, we’ve seen a surge in requests for fitness-based teambuilding activities, including group spin classes and morning hikes where attendees have a working breakfast upon arrival,” Afton says. “We also incorporate Radius, a fitness Internet subscription video service, into client programs to alert them to new ventures.”

Additionally, many of NBCUniversal’s programs offer optional activities — ranging from spa treatments to golf to early morning boot camp classes.

“As each client has different interests, we offer a wide variety to ensure there’s something for everyone to enjoy,” Afton says. “Aside from the health benefits, exercising on a regular basis has been proven to help people be happier and more productive in the workplace. It offers a way for people to clear their heads, which allows them to look at a situation, business proposal or presentation with fresh eyes. In short, it helps people to be their best selves.”

NBCUniversal recently held a retreat for powerful women within the industry at Cal-a-Vie, located just north of San Diego in Vista, California. Voted one of the top destination spas in the world by Condé Nast Traveler, the resort frequently caters to corporate and incentive groups for wellness-focused retreats.

“In just a few hours, we saw the women leaving stress behind, letting their guard down, letting loose and enjoying themselves,” Afton says. “Any destination where guests can be surrounded by colleagues and clients, and feel comfortable wearing no makeup and spandex while sprinting up a hill, is a rarity.”

Cal-a-Vie is a serene French Provencal-styled destination spa featuring 32 elegant villas surrounded by 200 rolling acres of citrus groves, vineyards and lavender fields. The private spa creates a serene setting for tailored incentive programs that ignite productivity, inspire teambuilding and bonding, recharge the body and rejuvenate the spirit.

“Companies are starting to realize the importance of investing in the health and wellness of their employees,” says Cal-a-Vie’s onsite group sales manager, Colleen Cosenza. “Planners are now more focused on booking experiences that will benefit attendees long after the retreat is over.”

Groups can personalize their Cal-a-Vie experience with professional guest speakers, tailored activities and the full range of Cal-a-Vie amenities and services such as more than 150 fitness classes, nutritional experts, sunrise hikes, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, tennis clinics, spa treatments and an 18-hole golf course. Group teambuilding activities can include sand and water volleyball, scavenger hunts, water relay races, obstacle courses, golf and tennis tournaments and interactive cooking classes.

“There is always a high level of interest in events that focus on wellness and exercise,” Afton says. For example, the chairman of NBCUniversal advertising sales and client partnerships incorporates exercise into her daily routine, as well as many of her client and senior leadership programs.

“We are currently planning to return for our third visit to Cal-a-Vie in February 2016,” Afton says. “The feedback we’ve received from attendees who have participated in Cal-a-Vie retreats in past years is unlike any other event we host. People find themselves interacting at a personal level, even if business is at the forefront, which allows for deeper and more honest communication moving forward, which ultimately is a win-win for all parties involved.”

Benefits Aplenty

By adding a health and wellness component to corporate retreats, companies can help employees jump-start a healthier, more productive lifestyle by teaching them how to eat better and incorporate fitness into their busy professional lives.

“Attendees appreciate the fact that their employers care about their health, which inadvertently creates a sense of loyalty to the company,” says Cosenza. “When employees are healthier, they have more clarity and become more productive, which in turn benefits the company as a whole.”

Libby Crooker, vice president of international support at Hastings, Minnesota-based Anytime Fitness, handles meeting and event planning for the company. Crooker agrees that incorporating wellness has long-term benefits. She brought 2,100 attendees to the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess in September for the company’s annual conference.

“Studies show that one’s ability to learn and retain information is increased with movement,” Crooker says. “Sedentary learning, while common, is simply less effective. Therefore, in a conference environment, our goal is always to offer activities that exercise the mind and the body.”

In addition to incorporating early morning workouts during their meeting and incentive travel programs, Anytime Fitness also arranges for at least one speaker to talk about a relevant medical advancement around optimum health.

“While in Scottsdale we hired Dr. Tieraona Low Dog, the chief medical officer of Well & Being, whose engaging message on nutrition was one of the most popular of all the sessions at our conference,” Crooker says.

Well & Being is an innovative spa/wellness concept at luxury hotels. Well & Being has developed a meetings-focused Wellness Menu for groups with a variety of fitness options and workshops on how to use packing items that can double as fitness equipment.

Brennan Evans, the managing director of Well & Being Spa at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess has found that corporations are looking for ways to entice their attendees with a unique point of difference that sets their conference apart from others.

“The opportunity to tap into the variety of fun and innovative health and wellness options is enticing to meeting planners as it allows them to use the spa facility as a true educational moment and not just a luxury amenity,” Evans says. “At Well & Being, we use a wide array of fitness programs and special wellness offerings to provide energizing educational and informative classes or teambuilding events to provide groups with networking opportunities in a less intimidating environment.”

The challenge courses on the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess property have been especially popular with large groups who want to provide a pre-meeting workout that is fitness-focused while helping guests improve their teamwork skills.

“One recent meeting group — Anytime Fitness — incorporated a session on aerial yoga into their day of meetings, and it was a big hit,” Evans says.

On the educational end, Well & Being has incorporated nutrition programs into group classes focused on education and teambuilding. Groups also can incorporate integrative health programs — such as mindful eating or women’s health — featuring insightful sessions with Well & Being coaches.

“Businesses have noticed a connection between a healthy lifestyle, employee productivity and a positive work environment — not to mention the financial savings that come to a company that has healthier employees,” Evans says. “Health education offers long-term, takeaway benefits. A wellness program during business travel allows guests to learn and experience wellness options that they can incorporate into daily life.”

Since the Well & Being program launched, Evans and his team have seen a significant jump in group activities, such as exercise classes and workshops, and a 50 percent increase in individual bookings.

“With this in mind, we’ve tripled the number of onsite group wellness programs,” Evans says.

Productive Synergy

Due to the nature of the industry in which they work — natural health products, health and wellness — a wellness component always has been integrated into the corporate and incentive travel programs for the Salt Lake City, Utah-based United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA), an international consortium of forward-looking companies dedicated to providing consumers with natural health products of superior quality, benefit and reliability, says Kira Olsen, director of operations and member services at UNPA, who plans the company’s meetings and events.

“Organizations are beginning to see the success of incorporating fresh, new elements into their conferences and programs,” Olsen says. “Years ago, we decided to incorporate the wellness concept into our annual member meeting, therefore morphing it into what we so proudly refer to as our Annual UNPA Members Retreat. That’s when we decided to step away from the typical conference and meeting format, and make our retreat a unique experience.”

In the past, Olsen has incorporated activities such as river rafting, river jetboat rides, golf, spa services, aerial hammock yoga, circuit classes and acupressure demonstrations into the company’s retreats.

“We’ve heard it said time and time again that our annual event is different than most due to the incorporation of wellness components,” Olsen says. “Our attendees look forward to it and know that they will not only receive valuable information but will enjoy themselves — that’s when the magic happens. We’ve found that combining business and pleasure is extremely rewarding, personally and professionally. It creates a very productive synergy. There are many workaholics out there that will discredit the activities by saying that they are not productive or necessary. I couldn’t disagree more; in my experience, incorporating wellness concepts really brings people together. It helps provide opportunities to practice what we preach.”

Immersion Programs

While some corporate and meeting event planners sprinkle various wellness components throughout a function, others incorporate complete wellness immersion programs. For example, The Ranch at Live Oaks Malibu offers an active and intense seven-day program along with education about health and wellness combined with measurable results and fat loss.

“Like The Ranch at Live Oak Malibu seven-day stay, the daily routine at The Ranch 4.0 consists of eight to 10 hours per day of rigorous exercise including four hours of morning mountain hiking and an afternoon full of exercise classes,” says Alex Glassock, co-founder of The Ranch at Live Oak Malibu. “The intense daily physical regimen is complemented by a daily 1,400-calorie diet of vegetarian fare served in a charming, private greenhouse setting.

The Ranch 4.0 program, while still strenuous, can accommodate larger groups than the traditional Ranch at Live Oak Malibu program, allowing for more flexibility in the programming.  The group-friendly option can work for groups of up to 200 or 300 attendees.

The program and daily schedule can be tailored for each group’s needs including breakout sessions during the day.

“Being in a group environment creates a special dynamic and bonding experience.  People tend to come away from the program with measurable results both physically and mentally,” Glassock says.

Corporate Culture Extension

Jack Ezon, president of NYC-based Ovation Vacations, believes wellness options at meetings and events breed all-around good will.  “Focusing on wellness shows participants that their company cares about them personally — their health, their well-being, their lifestyle,” Ezon says. “It shows that the company cares more than just their work output and wants to lend a hand in improving their lives beyond the office or bottom line. In addition, participating in challenging physical activity together brings people closer.”

Ezon says that adding wellness components to meetings he’s orchestrated has led to an overwhelmingly positive response. In fact, one company group experimented with a 7:00 a.m. yoga class. They expected five people, but 50 showed up.

Jeff Vivacqua, senior vice president of marketing at Fairfield, Iowa-based Cambridge Research, helps with the company’s corporate travel programs. Vivacqua notes that Cambridge has an active wellness committee, and the company’s events team is very mindful of wellness as a relevant aspect of the event planning process. The company is recognized for its culture and values, and their wellness approach is an extension of that.

“A focus on wellness communicates to our attendees that we care about all aspects of their lives while providing a well-rounded event experience. We seek to incorporate wellness in ways that make sense for our event attendees and their guests,” says Vivacqua. “We plan events for the whole person, which means more than providing content intended to stimulate thinking. We recognize that wellness is an important part of an attendee’s everyday lifestyle, and we want to reflect that in our events.”

Cambridge offers a variety of wellness-related activity options during events such as yoga and Pilates classes, sports and physical activity-driven offsite options, such as horseback riding, paddleboarding and bike riding.

“We also host an annual 5k fun run at our national conference, offer spa activities, as well as expand our offerings of healthy food at events,” Vivacqua says. “Our events team sees more companies incorporating exercise into their event schedules while more are getting creative with healthy menus for meals and breaks, as well as ensuring down time is available for individual or group exercise and use of spa offerings.”

Taking the Spa to the Meeting

JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa’s Mindy Miller worked with a corporate event planner who requested a wellness break to refocus the meeting attendees and provide them a relaxing breather during a long meeting.

“Our Lantana Spa, at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa, brought spa treatments to them at their meeting space and provided hand massages for tired hands that were taking notes or typing on laptops,” Miller says. “A scent journey of essential oils created an added element of uniqueness as employees could breathe in different essential oils to wake up the senses and re-energize before returning to the meeting.

Brain breaks with healthful, homemade granola bars, mixed nuts, fruits and smoothies is another popular option for meeting planners to request and fend off the afternoon slump that everyone can experience.”

For Jeffrey Cesari, CMP, corporate meeting planner at Philadelphia-based IHG Meetings & Events, wellness is something that is often forgotten about during corporate and incentive programs. By building an optional wellness plan to include food and beverage options and fitness, it allows those who want to do something healthful the opportunity to take action because it’s now easily accessible.

“Seeing a fitness option as an agenda item, one is more likely to participate versus hitting that snooze button one more time,” Cesari says. “Many of our clients are requesting some time of activity. It’s great for teambuilding and health. One new trend we’re seeing is to incorporate fitness with giving back to the community — as part of corporate social responsibility (CSR). We’re now talking with ZogSports to bring them in to help us with a client event. This company organizes sports like kickball or basketball, and the teams from the company compete and play to win a company-sponsored donation to a charity of their choice. It’s a great idea, and clients love it.”

Kavin Schieferdecker from Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas, agrees that there is a rising demand for health and wellness offerings, especially when the activities can be tied in to a larger community involvement component.

“Fitness culture has become an increasingly popular trend within the mainstream market, and it seemed only a matter of time before this trend permeated the meetings industry,” Schieferdecker says. “One experience that stands out in particular is an educational software company that utilized a portion of our outdoor park for a high-energy, deejay-hosted sunrise fitness class for 1500+ people — it was so much fun. It’s great when this emphasis can continue during that company’s corporate meetings or incentive trips, and hopefully serve as a tool to boost productivity and teambuilding.”

Resort Spa News

Surrounded by the inspiring Topa Topa Mountains of Southern California, the 31,000-sf day spa at Ojai Valley Inn & Spa is the focal point of this serene resort village, which includes two pools, a fully equipped workout room, Mind and Body Studio, Spa Boutique and Artist Cottage and Apothecary, one of the few authentic resort art studios.

The resort offers such Mind & Body programs as guided meditation, Pilates mat work, Pilates on the roller, Qi Gong and several types of yoga from gentle to strength and stretch.

In a setting as natural as Ojai, it is only fitting that it is home to one of America’s premier Southern California golf resorts and championship golf courses. This 18-hole golf course plays 6,292 yards with a par 70, rating of 71.0 and a slope of 132.

Forbes Travel Guide recently awarded Eau Spa with its Five Star rating. Situated on the grounds of Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa in Palm Beach County, Florida, Eau Spa is one of fewer than 50 spas around the world to earn the prestigious rating.

Catherine Warren, director of Eau Spa, said, “This reflects our team’s dedication to providing guests with unparalleled luxury spa experiences that underscore the ‘Pause, Play and Perfect’ vision — which is where time stands still, worries are forgotten and well-deserved “me time” is all that remains. An Eau Spa visit is a total sensorial experience that’s customized to what your mind and body need at the time with effective and precise technique…always injected with fun.”

Eau Spa is a 42,000-sf adult retreat featuring personalized experiences that are fun and free of judgment. Guests are greeted by “spa fairies” offering gourmet cupcakes and chilled champagne. Nineteen treatment rooms set the stage for beauty and wellness treatments, with technology that customizes light and aroma therapy in addition to musical soundtracks to each guest’s specification. The expansive salon earned a perfect score from the Forbes judges. Relaxation areas include private garden villas with alfresco soaking tubs and waterfall showers; bath lounges; scrub and polish bars; and the Self Centered Garden with airy cabanas, dipping pools, suspended swinging chairs, music and refreshing cocktails.

In addition to the inviting spa treatments, the resort offers several wellness-themed teambuilding and meeting breakout programs, such as a professional deejay mixing class, artistic painting with wine-pairing and group fitness classes including chair yoga, group cycling and meditation.

Enchantment Resort & Spa in Sedona, Arizona is home to Mii amo, recently named one of the world’s top destination spas by Travel + Leisure.

Mii amo, a 24,000-sf destination spa at Enchantment offers full- 60- and 90-minute treatments, including massage, wraps, facials, Reiki, Aura-Soma, Watsu, and signature therapies. Highly trained therapists provide a number of restorative therapies using Mii amo signature blends of oils and lotions. Ongoing activities include high intensity interval training, yoga, Pilates, guided meditation, wellness lectures, and demo classes in cooking, juicing, teas and organic gardening and composting. An additional 16 guest rooms are located at Mii amo. These are available as part of an all-inclusive package, ideal for individual incentive and reward programs.

Enchantment offers guests the opportunity to play Seven Canyons, a private golf course designed by Tom Weiskopf. Tournaments and challenges may be customized for groups, and The Clubhouse offers a spectacular setting for offsite events.

Enchantment Resort provides an excellent location, atmosphere and facilities for teambuilding. Outdoor programs include golf challenges, scavenger hunts, Jeep tours, GPS missions and athletic challenges. Popular indoor activities involve music and film creation, and culinary-themed events such as chili cook-offs, margarita/salsa making and wine tasting.

Also, more than 100 activities are offered weekly, including guided hiking and mountain biking excursions, tennis and golf clinics, fitness classes, art classes, Native American programs and stargazing, all of which can be customized for groups. Area activities include jeep tours, horseback riding, hot air ballooning, aerial tours by plane and helicopter, Native American ruin sites, kayaking, wine-tasting, ghost town tours, Grand Canyon excursions, and boutique and gallery shopping.

The culinary team creates customized menus, artfully presented to complement the event’s theme and attendees. Meals can be designed to meet gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian or other dietary requests. Healthful, energizing breaks might include colorful handmade artisan sodas, nutrient-packed smoothies, and a tea bar featuring Mii amo’s private label white, green and black teas.

The Biltmore Hotel, located in Coral Gables, Florida, debuted the new Benessere at the Biltmore initiative, an ongoing series of interactive programming designed to inspire guests to pursue a healthful lifestyle. The new program includes fitness classes, healthful cooking courses, the latest trends in spa, tailored menu items within the hotel, and a robust selection of wellness activities throughout the property.

In the future, The Biltmore plans to add Benessere Breaks to its corporate group offerings, designed to provide unique experiences that nourish and motivate attendees ranging from meditation to Zumba. Benessere Wellness Days will include programming aimed at detoxification, enhanced energy and stress release, and will change seasonally. These days will begin with a targeted fitness activity and fresh juice from the Succo Juice and Smoothie Bar, followed by a carefully selected spa therapy that supports the day’s objective and a relevant interactive culinary class. The day culminates with a leisurely afternoon at the hotel’s iconic pool.

Marriott Caribbean & Latin America Resorts launched a new Fit in Paradise initiative with fitness personality Sarah Dussault also known as Sarah Fit.

As part of the initiative, Sarah Fit is visiting each of the collection’s eight resorts to film a series of workout and lifestyle videos, which will be rolled out across her social media channels, as well as those of Marriott Caribbean & Latin America Resorts.

Sarah also is developing property-specific fitness and wellness tip sheets, highlighting the coolest ideas to stay active and the most delicious ways to eat healthfully at each destination. In addition, Sarah is creating menu recommendations highlighted at a designated restaurant in each resort, in addition to crafting a signature Sarah Fit cocktail.

The Dolder Grand in Zurich features a new Meet in Balance package including a new Life Balance spa menu. Groups partake in one of four wellness programs: Relax, Beauty, Vitality and Detox, each of which are customized to meet the group’s needs. C&IT

The Naples Grande Beach Resort offers 83,000 sf of meeting space and a spectacular setting on the Gulf of Mexico.

Most people don’t think “diverse and varied” when they conjure up images of Florida — but they should. Jacksonville and Naples are nothing alike. Ditto Destin and Palm Beach. Orlando and the Florida Keys are worlds unto themselves — very different worlds. And the Atlantic Coast offers a completely different history, aesthetic and vibe than the Gulf Coast. Tying it all together is abundant sun and sand, and in Miami, a sizzling Latin beat adds spice to the mix.

ORLANDO

Inland and without the inviting presence of the ocean, Orlando sets itself apart with a heady mix of thrills, sports, theatrical entertainment, an ever-evolving dining scene, urban sophistication with international flair and, of course, magic — magic that includes all the ways Orlando and Walt Disney World combine to increase attendance numbers.

That was one reason Amanda Young, Americas event leader with GE Healthcare, set her annual IT educational conference Centricity Live at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel in May 2014. The conference offers thought leadership, best-practice sharing, interactive demos, continuing education credits (CEs) and more.

“Orlando gives you the chance to enhance the experiential elements of your event as well as use a geographic location to grow attendance.” — Amanda Young

“We chose the Swan and Dolphin because we thought it would not only provide the meeting space we needed to produce a conference for 1,700 people, but also because the hotel paid attention to our goals and objectives for the event and worked with us to ensure the hotel could help us succeed,” Young says. “Since Orlando is a tourist destination, it gave us a chance to provide our attendees a good experience with access to the amusement parks. We knew we could grow the attendance numbers in Orlando, so we made sure to produce a quality conference that attendees benefited from in terms of education and experience.”

The entire event was held in the hotel, including a performance and talk by singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge and an appearance by Mickey Mouse at the awards ceremony, as was 75 percent of the room block. Overflow housing was within walking distance. The hotel, Young says, “offered everything we needed.”

Including a top-notch staff. “The staff was so passionate about service and quality of product,” Young notes. “You could tell they enjoyed what they were doing. The GM was down to earth, the convention services manager had just won best CSM for Sheraton worldwide, and our sales manager had won sales manager of the year for Sheraton worldwide. Accolades aside, their expertise and professionalism really impacted our event for the good.”

Food, Young says, was integral to the overall success of the event. “The presentation of food was part of the experience. They used all the latest gadgets and presentation trends to feed our group. We hosted an interactive drink station at one of our receptions that customers are still talking about. You could rim your glass with different sugars, pop rocks or chocolate, and then the bartender would fill the glass with a drink. It was so clever. It shows you don’t have to spend a lot of money on food or beverage to have an interactive experience. They came up with those ideas for us.”

The hotel is not owned by Disney but they have a special relationship that allowed Young to get Mickey at her event, which she calls a “major hit for the audience.” The hotel and Disney also worked with Young to provide park passes and tour options and set up a special website that attendees could link to, and they made sure not to sell activities during meeting times.

Orlando, Young adds, proved to be customer-friendly in terms of access to the city and rates. “Orlando gives you the chance to enhance the experiential elements of your event as well as use a geographic location to grow attendance. Focus on those two areas when building your marketing plan,” she suggests. “But remember you have your own company and conference brand so don’t let your conference be overwhelmed by the Disney brand; use it to complement your conference experience.”

Then again, there’s no holding back on some Disney elements. “I got to meet Mickey Mouse in private,” Young says. “I was star struck!”

In addition to offering up Mickey and other Disney elements, the hotel, which is midway through a $125 million renovation, also offers a provocative and creative collection of spaces and venues for functions. Groups can hold events in the hotel’s giant freezers, banquet kitchens and back hallways, among others.

PALM BEACH COUNTY

Palm Beach County extends from Boca Raton in the south to Jupiter in the north. Its heart is Palm Beach, which has been a haven for the well-heeled since Henry Flagler opened his first hotel there in 1894.

Today, Palm Beach retains its Gilded Age glamor, but adds nature, sports, and contemporary aesthetics and amenities appreciated by travelers of all ages and interests.

Destinie Ames, executive assistant with Moe’s Southwest Grill, part of the Focus Brands group of restaurants, set Moe’s FAC Meeting at Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa in June for 26 attendees. One criterion for the meeting site: that it be on or near a Florida beach. Additionally, Ames was looking for an affordable room price and quality. With the help of Susan Raible from HPN Global, Ames found just that. Eau Palm Beach was exactly what the group wanted.

“Our event manager, Carrie Zimmerman, stood out,” says Ames. “Carrie was fun and helpful. She handled last-minute changes with ease and went above and beyond to ensure that our needs and expectations were met. The hotel is also a beautiful property, from the gorgeous spa to the fun and bright hotel décor.”

Ames lauds the room amenities (beach bag and flip-flops) and the fact that hotel staff was flexible, accommodating and helpful, including poolside servers whom Ames calls “attentive and fun.”

The hotel served as the primary meeting venue. “Our meeting was held in the Ocean II Ballroom,” Ames says. “Our breakfast and lunch were held in the other side, the Ocean I Ballroom, and we used catering for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We set a dinner in the Angle Restaurant one night, a night that the restaurant was closed so we had the place to ourselves. During the summer months, the Eau has a summer menu offering discounted pricing, which is helpful if you are working with a smaller budget.”

Ames says Palm Beach County was the destination of choice for several reasons, including the beaches and the variety of dining, shopping and activities. “On the nights when no group dinner was planned, smaller groups ventured to Delray Beach for dining,” she says. “Delray is about a 20-minute drive south and offers a multitude of restaurant options. Cut 432 is a modern steak house, Vic & Angelo’s offers classic Italian with alfresco street-side dining and Buddha Garden & Buddha Sky Bar had delicious sushi. John G’s, right near the Eau, was a popular breakfast spot for those days when breakfast wasn’t catered by the hotel.”

Among the highlights of the meeting was a group tour on a catamaran. “We used Kirkland Event & Destination Services for the excursion. It was a great way to cruise around Palm Beach County and see the beautiful homes and enjoy the water.”

Transportation was a positive as well. “Getting in and out of the airport was easy,” Ames says, as was travel around town. “There is little to no traffic and there are a multitude of transportation options including car services, taxis and Uber, which is what our group used to travel into Delray.”

While Ames calls the hotel “a gorgeous property with wonderful staff,” she notes a few things planners should consider when booking a meeting there.

“If you plan to have an evening event by the pool, it will require lighting. Due to its beachfront location and the preservation of the sea turtles, the hotel’s outdoor lighting is minimal and therefore requires you to purchase lighting,” she says. “Additionally, there are limited offsite restaurants within walking distance. Fortunately, the onsite restaurants are delicious, and both Delray and West Palm are just a short car ride away, but it is something to keep in mind.”

The hotel underwent a recent update of all 309 guest rooms, its fresh look created by potter, designer, author and part-time Palm Beach resident Jonathan Adler. Think Isle of Capri, Santorini and Palm Beach fused into one sophisticated seaside location — with every guest room offering a view of the ocean.

JACKSONVILLE

At the northern end of Florida’s Atlantic shoreline, Jacksonville gets much of its character from the 310-mile-long St. Johns River, which flows through downtown and out to Jacksonville’s beaches where it empties into the Atlantic. Many of the city’s top meetings hotels, including the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront, the region’s largest convention hotel, stand along the river’s urban banks, and the revitalized riverfront area offers plenty for attendees and planners. The hotel has just completed a major renovation of all 963 guest rooms, the rooftop fitness center and Regency Club Lounge. In addition, the Hyatt Regency, which boasts more than 110,000 sf of flexible meeting space, has added six hard-walled meeting rooms, located on the fourth level of the hotel’s Terrace Building. The 354-room Omni Jacksonville, with 14,000 sf of meeting space, is also located along the Riverwalk on the St. Johns River.

Jacksonville boasts 22 miles of beaches, providing ample opportunities for water sports and activities — one of the favorites being deep-sea fishing charters. Foxy Lady Cruises offers private yacht charters for up to 149 for corporate events. A popular oceanfront lodging option is One Ocean Resort & Spa in Atlantic Beach, which offers 193 guest rooms and 10,000 sf of meeting space.

Jacksonville claims a long and diverse list of unique offsite venues. Among those most frequently touted by Visit Jacksonville are the Epping Forest estate, the Atrium at the Jacksonville Main Library, Tap Room at Aardwolf Brewing Company, the rooftop at the Museum of Science and History, the Skyline Dining and Conference Center on the 42nd floor of the Bank of America building, the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum, The University Club of Jacksonville, The River Club, The Jacksonville Equestrian Center, The Ritz Theatre and Museum and the grounds at the Beaches Museum & History Park.

GULF COAST & DESTIN

Destin is part of Florida — but not. For one thing, it has more of a Southern vibe than the rest of the state thanks to its closest neighbors, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. Set between the striking green Gulf waters on one side and Choctawhatchee Bay on the other, the area provides extraordinary visual appeal. Among planners’ top choices for meetings here are Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort, which can accommodate groups of up to about 1,600 people, and Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa, which recently added a third ballroom to its meeting space and can accommodate groups of up to 2,000 attendees. The resort also expanded its spa and over the last three years has put more than $30 million into transforming much of its space.

Sanibel Island on Florida’s southwestern Gulf Coast sits just off Fort Myers, about an hour northwest of Naples. Connected by bridges to the mainland on one end and Captiva Island on the other, the 12-mile-long barrier island offers far more than its diminutive size suggests. There are plenty of hotels and restaurants to choose from, and enough activities and sweeping beaches to keep attendees well engaged.

“We had a lecture by a conch­ologist who later took the group shelling on the expansive beach at the resort.” — Sarah Brozna

Sundial Beach Resort & Spa provided a good base for Sarah Brozna, senior program manager with Road Scholar educational learning adventures, created by Elderhostel Inc. She brought a group of 34 to the resort for a week in February — just one of 12 Road Scholar groups at Sundial in 2015.

“Sundial is located in an ideal setting right on the beach, has nice-sized meeting space and is reasonably priced for Sanibel,” she says. “The staff went above and beyond to ensure we were accommodated. Given that many members of our group were seniors, staff went out of their way to assist them, using a golf cart for transportation on resort property. They were very pleasant to work with while planning the group events and took excellent care of our participants.”

Brozna used the resort’s meeting space for lectures and meals several times during the week. “One room we used for our private lunches had floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Gulf, which created a perfect setting and added to the special event. The rooms were comfortable and the resort had a variety of AV options.”

The catering staff worked with Brozna and the participants. “We had preselected meal options that the group was able to select from on the day of the event,” Brozna says. “Options were varied and featured a variety of local produce. The staff customized meals for members who needed to make modifications due to dietary requests and they were extremely attentive to our needs.”

Brozna also used offsite options. “There are many local venues that are able to accommodate groups for meals,” she says. “We particularly like working with Cip’s Place, George and Wendy’s Corner Grill and The Jacaranda. Also, Rosie’s Grill has the best ice cream on the island!”

Sanibel is known for exceptional shelling, something Brozna’s group took advantage of. “We had a lecture by a conch­ologist who later took the group shelling on the expansive beach at the resort,” she says. “Our marine expert was able to later describe and identify what the participants found. After the event, our expert mentioned that the beach by the Sundial had the best shelling on the island.”

Shelling wasn’t the only activity. “The participants enjoyed lectures about the history, nature and ecological challenges the island faces, and they were able to visit many of the local sites, including J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, the Bailey Shell Museum and Sanibel Historic Village, to name a few,” Brozna says. “The chartered Tarpon Bay Refuge Tram through Ding Darling was a standout activity for our group. The naturalists are knowledgeable, and the excursion featured local wildlife with many photo stops. Mornings are the best time for spotting wildlife.”

MIAMI & THE KEYS

Miami infuses its city sophistication with Latin heat. Add a long strip of beaches, bright sun, easy access, fabulous dining and eclectic nightlife options, and it’s a setting that easily draws attendees from the Americas and beyond. The city has multiple convention centers. Miami Convention Center is located beside the Hyatt Regency Miami while Miami Airport Convention Center is adjacent to the airport. Miami Beach Convention Center is currently undergoing a $500 million expansion and renovation. Phase one will wrap at the end of this year, phase two in December 2016, phase three a year later with final completion set for summer 2018.

Of particular interest to corporate and incentive planners is the 2015 suite upgrade at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach. Four luxury suites ranging from 950 to 2,400 sf now feature curated art, marble and a soft, neutral palette with sweeping water views.

The Florida Keys, where nature is front and center, could not be more different. Laidback and enhanced by national parks at both ends of the island chain and a marine sanctuary offshore, the Keys give planners opportunities to mix casual with quintessential barefoot elegance.

Key Largo, at the northern end of the Keys just 68 miles from Miami, is home to the Ocean Reef Club, a private membership facility that welcomes select groups for meetings, corporate retreats and conferences. The property — which has a range of accommodations that include 175 inn rooms, 100 spacious one-, two- and three-bedroom villas and private homes — spreads over 2,500 acres and boasts its own private airport and private 175-slip marina, two golf courses, tennis, croquet and 30,000 sf of meeting space, including a ballroom that can hold 700 and a rooftop terrace for 175 with views of the marina.

Attendees can take advantage of a range of group activities beyond golf and spa at Ocean Reef Club: Angling aficionados can experience deep-sea, flats, reef or backcountry fishing off the shores of the resort; other group activities can include chartered yacht dinners, beachside events, eco-tours and teambuilding programs such as golf cart scavenger hunts, cardboard boat regattas and beach olympics, to name a few.

In the end, Florida’s perennial sun, sand and surf are just part of the attendee draw. Creative meeting space, settings from low-key beachy to supremely elegant, Gulf and Atlantic and a range of amenities mean choosing just one city or town is the hardest part.

NEW & NOTABLE

ORLANDO

I-Drive 360 opened in May. The $200 million retail, dining and entertainment complex revolves around the 400-foot-tall Orlando Eye observation wheel. In addition to a range of restaurants the complex includes a 420-foot-tall spinning attraction, the StarFlyer; Madame Tussauds Orlando; Sea Life Aquarium; and Skeletons: Animals Unveiled.

Escapology Orlando brings a new kind of entertainment to I-Drive with its first U.S. location. The attraction challenges guests to be their own heroes in a thrilling game of adventure and mystery. Teams of up to six players are locked in a themed room with just 60 minutes to combine clues, solve puzzles and discover the key to escape.

The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel has completed the redesign of all 758 guest rooms at the Swan Hotel. It’s part of a multiphase, multiyear, $125 million renovation plan to transform every guest room in both the Swan and Dolphin hotels. The first phase of the 1,509-room Dolphin starts later this year.

Embassy Suites by Hilton Orlando – Lake Buena Vista South recently completed a $13 million dollar renovation to all 334 suites, creating the new prototype of the entire Embassy brand.

The 400-room Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek is currently undergoing a meeting space expansion set for completion in May 2016.

Opening in phases through 2016, Downtown Disney will transform into Disney Springs. The first two restaurants to be announced, The Boathouse and Morimoto Asia, will feature private dining rooms. Disney’s MagicBands, which attendees can use to make dining reservations and access attractions, also can be color-coordinated to a company’s brand or meeting theme.

Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista recently completed a large remodel of public spaces and guest rooms, and a $7 million renovation of the meeting space and function area. A new walkway bridge between the hotel and the new Disney Springs is set to be completed this fall.

Loews Sapphire Falls Resort will become the fifth onsite hotel at Universal Orlando Resort, featuring 1,000 rooms and suites with a casual Caribbean theme, when it opens summer 2016. That should be in time for the opening of Universal’s highly anticipated new attraction, Skull Island: Reign of King Kong.

Another entertainment option in town is SeaWorld Orlando, which recently debuted a new Clyde & Seamore’s Sea Lion High show in April. SeaWorld also has a variety of venues, and groups can book some of its furry and finned residents to make guest appearances.

PALM BEACH COUNTY

The new 400-room Hilton West Palm Beach, being constructed next to the 350,000-sf Palm Beach County Convention Center, has announced that it will open ahead of schedule in January 2016. The convention hotel, which will house 24,000 sf of meeting space, will be accessible via covered walkway from the convention center.

JACKSONVILLE

Several “Jax” hotels are getting an update. The Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Riverfront is undergoing a full-scale renovation and will be re-flagged as the DoubleTree by Hilton Jacksonville Riverfront when it reopens this fall.

The Courtyard Oceanfront in Jacksonville Beach completed a $1.3 million renovation in March.

As for new venues, the most intriguing may be The BARge, a floating, flexible rental venue on the St. Johns River, scheduled to open late 2015.

In nearby Ponte Vedra Beach, the AAA Five Diamond Ponte Vedra Inn & Club recently completed a multimillion-dollar renovation of its Peyton House accommodations and oceanfront Surf Club, while also introducing the new Tavern Lounge and upgrading the complimentary Wi-Fi system property-wide. The resort will complete a multimillion-dollar renovation of its Ocean House accommodations in fall 2017. Shoot for the Pin, a new interactive golf-oriented group activity is being offered to inject a little friendly group competition into the meeting agenda.

SOUTHWESTERN GULF COAST

Following an $18 million renovation completed earlier this year, the Waldorf Astoria Naples in Southwest Florida transitioned to the independently owned Naples Grande Beach Resort & Naples Grande Golf Course. The 474-room hotel has 83,000 sf of meeting space, five restaurants and bars, three pools and 100-foot waterslide. A scenic boardwalk to the beach winds through a protected mangrove sanctuary.

MIAMI AND THE KEYS

The Miami Worldcenter, which breaks ground later this year, will be anchored by a new, $750 million 1,800-room Marriott Marquis Miami Worldcenter Hotel & Expo Center that will include more than 600,000 sf of convention facilities, including a 100,000-sf ground floor exhibition hall, a 65,000-sf main ballroom, a 1,500-seat theater and 390,000 sf of meeting rooms and event space.

The hip YVE Hotel Miami recently added more than 2,000 sf of meeting space to its Bayfront venue, expanding to 3,000 sf in total.

Loews Miami Beach Hotel upgraded its 28,000-sf Americana Ballroom and additional indoor function space.

In May, Miami International Airport joined the growing list of airports using “Clear,” making it easier for passengers to speed through security.

Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo will unveil its newest meeting venue, Carysfort Hall, in February 2016. Able to accommodate up to 300 guests, the hall will include a 5,607-sf ballroom; five breakout rooms, all with natural light; an expanded, 3,000-sf interactive cooking school where up to 150 attendees can participate in tasty teambuilding activities; and wraparound outdoor decks with breathtaking views of the marina.

In the lower Middle Keys, Hawks Cay Resort on Duck Key has undergone a redesign with new walls, carpeting and even fixtures now reflecting the aquamarine ambience that surrounds the resort. Walkways and meeting room entrances are now located outside under a covered awning to better integrate the waterfront. For the first time, the resort can accommodate large groups of up to 600 people and provide the flexibility of the entire group being able to meet in one room and dine in another. A new Marina Walk, serving as an entertainment destination within the resort, will include the new Angler and Ale Restaurant, which will feature indoor and outdoor function space for groups large and small. The Marina Walk and restaurant are scheduled to open in January 2016. C&IT

Destination marketing organizations (DMOs), such as convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs) and tourism boards, have always served as prime sources of information for planners considering various cities for meetings. But now that we live in a digital world, and so much information is available online through websites and social media, the role of DMOs is evolving to meet the changing needs of its markets.

“The evolving role of destination marketing organizations is undergoing unprecedented shifts due to systemic changes in travel consumer behavior and expectations, advances in technology and digital communications, and market forces demanding that DMOs develop more sophisticated business models that can support their ability to meet these demands,” explains Michael Gehrisch, president and CEO of Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI). (Gehrisch recently announced that he is stepping down after 15 years with the organization.)

DMAI has responded to these shifts in the marketplace by launching a groundbreaking, three-year research project called DestinationNEXT. For the first phase of the project, DMAI sent an extensive survey to industry leaders in March 2014. The organization received one of its strongest responses ever: 327 DMOs from 36 countries responded, giving DMAI a wealth of information that they could use to chart its future course.

“So what does this mean for meeting planners?” Gehrisch asks. “DestinationNEXT signals a pervasive strategy realignment among DMOs globally to engage with their clients in new ways, promote their destinations more productively and offer a more well-rounded destination experience with better business deliverables. Planners live in the middle of all of that.

“DestinationNEXT signals a pervasive strategy realignment among DMOs globally to engage with their clients in new ways, promote their destinations more productively and offer a more well-rounded destination experience with better business deliverables. Planners live in the middle of all of that.” — Michael Gehrisch

“DestinationNEXT is about where the industry is heading,” he continues. “So what I would say to planners is, look at what the industry is recognizing and doing around these buckets of transformational opportunities, and then understand they affect you and potentially open areas for deeper collaboration with DMOs.”

DestinationNEXT Phase One

The phase one survey identified a number of key opportunities, including how DMOs can play an expanded role in the community on broader economic development issues, how they can improve the branding of their destinations in the leisure and meetings and conventions markets, and how they can capitalize on social media and smart technology to engage and access residents, industry and markets.

For example, when Alison Best took over as CEO of Visit Oakland just a few years ago, her first mission was to “reconnect Visit Oakland with Oakland” because she felt that tourism had never been understood or valued in her destination. Visit Oakland’s staff began reaching out to the city’s business owners and cultural influencers to encourage them to use the hashtag #oaklandloveit. This resonated with the community in terms of building community pride and enabled the DMO to discover stories about their city that they didn’t know. By focusing on a hashtag instead of a tagline, Visit Oakland has been able to bring more attention to its destination and showcase a variety of experiences. As Andy Levine, president and chief creative officer of the DMO consulting firm Development Counsellors International, noted in an ebook published by DMAI, “DMOs are becoming content curation platforms because content is experience-driven rather than product-focused.”

On to Phase Two

Phase Two of DestinationNEXT was unveiled during DMAI’s 2015 Annual Convention. “While phase one was all about research and uncovering the major opportunities in our industry, phase two is all about action and what steps different DMOs can take to meet these opportunities,” Gehrisch notes.

“It included the release of an online diagnostic tool which presents a framework that DMO leaders and communities can use to critically assess the destination. The tool is not intended to be a benchmarking index to rank DMOs or destinations. Instead, it measures the effectiveness of the destination as a whole and helps to start a conversation and provide focus on what needs to be done in the future. What makes this interesting is that because the destination is being assessed rather than the organization, DMOs, just as well as community stakeholders, can go through the self-assessment process. Everyone else, from convention centers, hotel/restaurant associations, city councils to economic development agencies, also can participate.”

Gehrisch continues, “Additionally, a comprehensive portfolio of DMO Practices was developed to help destinations capitalize on the three transformational opportunities outlined in phase one. Some practices are well established, but not necessarily universal, while others are more groundbreaking in their vision. Some are basic, others are complex and require significant resources. Some practices enhance internal capability, some create customer and stakeholder value, while others do both. Their relevance to a specific DMO will depend on the destination’s overall strategy and the position of tourism in the community.

“Overall, the response to phase two of DestinationNEXT has been incredibly positive,” Gehrisch describes. “One of the most profound shifts revolves around the important role of DMOs to convince governments and stakeholders that tourism promotion should be viewed as an investment in a destination’s economic growth and community well-being, versus an expense line item for ‘tourism promotion.’ Today, the DMOs with the highest impact in their destinations are actively engaged in destination development in collaboration with their city councils and economic development organizations, and DestinationNEXT is helping all DMOs gain a similar seat at the table.”

Teaming Up for Success

According to Richard Scharf, president and CEO of Visit Denver, DMOs have always been involved in economic development, but they are now becoming much more strategic and collaborative with segments such as the high-tech industry. Over the past decade, the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce has identified growth industries where Denver has a strong presence, such as aviation, aerospace, bioscience, energy, telecommunications, health care and information technology. Visit Denver is now targeting these industry segments, and one example is the close alliance it has developed with Anschutz Medical Campus in Denver, home of the University of Colorado Health Science Division, to identify and promote new sources of local expertise to international groups. This collaboration between the DMO, the local economic development team and the medical community resulted in bringing the World Conference on Lung Cancer to Denver.

Building the Brand

Tammy Blount, FCDME, is co-chair of the DestinationNEXT Advisory Group and president and CEO of the Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “DestinationNEXT has been an incredible source of inspiration,” she explains. “The three transformational opportunities (dealing with the new marketplace, building and protecting the destination brand and evolving the DMO business model) are key, and have been woven throughout our strategies for more than a year. In the fall of 2013, we launched our new brand campaign — in the consumer market the tagline is ‘Grab Life by the Moments,’ and in the meeting space, it’s ‘Inspired Moments in Meetings.’ In collaboration with our Customer Advisory Board, we have integrated brand messaging and content marketing strategies with traditional sales approaches to have a more personal relationship with our customers, both existing and prospective. We have enhanced our services, we have listened to our customers and implemented tools that help them have more inspirational and successful meetings, and we have seen business grow significantly.”

According to Milton Segarra, president and CEO of Meet Puerto Rico, some people simply have the wrong idea. He says, “The biggest misconception about DMOs is that we’re a room-night producing machine. And you know what, we’re not.”

Over the past decade or so, Meet Puerto Rico has kept its focus on promoting the island as a convention destination and touted its convention center facilities and hotel meeting space offerings. But that meant it was often shying away from the island’s real appeal: its unique culture and geography. So to remedy this, Meet Puerto Rico shifted its focus in 2014 and launched a new website and branding campaign called: “On a Tropical Island. In The Caribbean.” The goal of the campaign was to showcase the destination in a more experiential way by tapping into the island’s dramatic tropical environment, which is what makes it truly unique.

Connecting Like-Minded Attendees

The Singapore Tourism Board has taken the novel approach of helping convention organizers cluster their programs around similarly themed conventions to expand the networking and educational opportunities for visiting attendees. Each month, Singapore’s convention calendar has a specific theme such as sustainability, fashion, media, medical or automotive. This strategy is also good for the destination, because attendees often stay longer to see what the other events in their industry are all about.

DMAI asked Kershing Goh, regional director of the Americas for the Singapore Tourism Board, if companies are comfortable with sharing their knowledge like this, and her response was, “I think increasingly, events are beginning to feel that rather than competing with each other, they’re often complementary. In this time and age where obviously, it’s expensive to travel, and there’s so much digital technology, it becomes, ‘Why do I need to go?’ ” Goh says, “They want to come because the whole ecosystem is there, and everybody is in town for those two weeks.”

The Power of Technology

San Jose, dubbed the “smartest city in America” as the Capital of Silicon Valley, flexed its high-tech muscle in 2014 when it launched “Wickedly Fast Free Wi-Fi” at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, Mineta San Jose International Airport and within downtown San Jose — a smart marketing move to meet the ever-increasing bandwidth demands of meeting and convention attendees armed with multiple devices to stay connected. And as a further reflection of its culture of innovative thinking, San Jose boasts a unique, one-stop-shop destination marketing model, which allows planners to book the San Jose Convention Center, hotels, unique venues, menus, CVB services and more through one source: Team San Jose.

Other DMOs are developing more video content for the meetings market. Last year, Visit Anaheim launched the Faces of Tourism video series featuring real-life stories of local hospitality industry veterans who can promote the economic value of tourism on a very personal level. In one video, Judy Hamrick describes how working her way up over 25 years from a server to catering captain at the Anaheim Convention Center has helped her raise her three kids.

Visit Bloomington (Indiana) wanted to get the message out that Bloomington welcomes all people, so the DMO filmed a number of gay and straight local small business owners who wanted to communicate how their city is open for business for everyone. “We uploaded that, and we pushed that information out to communicate that Bloomington has always been a welcoming place,” says Erin Erdmann, the organization’s director of convention sales and travel media. “Our local industry partners were really appreciative and thankful that we actually put ourselves out there.”

Steady Support

CVBs and other DMOs continue to provide the types of support planners have come to rely on. “For me, CVBs and tourism boards act as a marketing arm for the destination — in raising awareness and providing a link to the local providers,” explains Tiffany Cohen, CMP, director, client services for the Beaverton, Oregon-based event marketing, management and production company Opus Agency. “I find many times that I start a conversation with a CVB long before I actually ‘need’ them — and that it’s through the relationship that I might consider the destination when it’s finally time to source.”

Allison Nunes, global internal events manager for LinkedIn in the San Francisco Bay area, explains, “I mostly rely on tourism boards or similar organizations when planning events internationally in countries I may not be as familiar with. I will also work with some of our partners in the U.S. if I need some specific information and guidance on a destination/venue in a short amount of time.”

Nunes shared details of a positive experience she had while working closely with the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board on a huge program that she ran in Los Angeles. “They were involved from the initial site visit and negotiations, all of the planning, and then post-event, providing support where needed. The team at LA Tourism was such a great partner that we viewed them as an extension of our own planning team. They had our best interests in mind while coordinating the many hotels and vendors we work with in LA. I’ve never worked so closely with a tourism board or felt so supported through the entire process and life of the event.”

Tracy Stuckrath, CSEP, CMM, CHC, president and chief connecting officer for Atlanta-based Thrive! Meetings & Events, says that she really appreciates it when CVBs send out RFPs on her behalf and then consolidate the responses into a single, manageable report that not only lists room rates, but other factors such as concessions.

In regard to the changing roles of CVBs and DMOs, Stuckrath has several requests. “I would really love it if the CVBs and DMOs would really get to know what hotels and restaurants are in town that accommodate different dietary needs,” she explains. “Who are your halal caterers? Who are your kosher caterers? Where are the best gluten-free and vegan meals found? This is especially important if the client is not hosting meal functions at their event and you need to provide options for the attendees. So I think that a CVB that delves a little bit more into their city to find out these things would be more valuable to planners.”

Stuckrath also would like CVBs to put together running and walking routes that attendees could use. ”Make it fun,” she says. “Maybe it goes by the top picks of the city, so attendees are also getting a good look at the city when they’re on their walks or runs. (CVBs) could be great advocates for wellness in their communities. We’re all trying to promote walking to venues as much as possible, so I think that’s a great opportunity for them.”

Susie Weibel, design and purchasing manager, event solutions, for Minneapolis-based BI Worldwide, sometimes relies on CVBs for collateral or digital images, or when her company is not using a destination management company (DMC) and needs expert recommendations for items such as local entertainment or venues.

She also appreciates the incentives some bureaus offer. “Tourism/CVBs promote their destinations and offer incentives, which we, in turn, pass on to our customers. For example, Maui CVB is offering incentives for 2016 business booked by December 31, 2016 (i.e., comped entertainment, hula dancers or lei greeting at the airport, etc.). We have also used comped air for site inspections offered by Irish Tourism. That was a stand out. We offered that as a concession in an RFP in a competitive bid situation during a proposal where bidders could present different destinations. BIW presented Ireland. We won the business. Others did not present Europe, and it helped us get Europe in the budget.”

So what’s next for DestinationNEXT?

“We understand that in order for DestinationNEXT to remain relevant, we must continually assess trends, adapt to changing customer expectations, and discover and drive new opportunities,” Gehrisch explains “When the travel landscape changes as quickly as it does today, a strategic road map needs to be constantly updated. Because of this, DMAI is committed to ensuring that DestinationNEXT is a living, active, ongoing initiative that blazes a trail for the road ahead.” C&IT

Jeff Hurt is executive vice president, education and engagement, Velvet Chainsaw Consulting, and is based in Dallas, Texas. Velvet Chainsaw Consulting exclusively services companies and associations with their annual meetings, conferences, education and events. They also help technology, service and membership organizations establish and execute plans and processes that result in improved business results. Hurt has worked in the events/nonprofit arena for more than 20 years including Keep America Beautiful as a consultant/trainer/writer; Keep Texas Beautiful as education coordinator; professional development manager for Meeting Professionals International; professional development manager for Promotional Products Association International; and director of education and events for the National Association of Dental Plans. Originally published by Jeff Hurt in “Velvet Chainsaw Midcourse Corrections.” Contact Hurt at 214-886-3174 or jhurt@velvetchainsaw.com.

Our linear and rational conference business models are our default thinking.

Unfortunately, those traditional models cause us to navigate in a fog when the conference challenge is less straightforward. There are better ways to understand how to grow your conference than what you’ve done in the past.

As conference professionals, we are inclined to continue to use models that have always worked enormously well for us. Yet our past has little relevance in the midst of an incredibly shifting culture and context today. We have to unlearn our old flawed assumptions about people — our attendees, exhibitors, sponsors, vendors and stakeholders.

“We need to start investigating the invisible background — that layered nuance behind what we perceive and what actually is.”

Hat tips to authors Christian Madsbjerg and Mikkel B. Rasmussen* for their insights into applying human sciences to today’s business models.

Our Default Thinking for Conference Business Models

Most conference growth plans use a linear model of improvement. They aim at getting the maximum growth and profit through rational and logical analysis. We turn our plans into tasks that use deductive logic, well-structured hypothesis and thorough collection of the evidence — the inputs and outputs.

This traditional linear model borrows business tactics from hard sciences such as physics and math. You learn from past experiences to create new opportunities that you test with your customers. It is extremely successful at analyzing information extrapolated from a known set of past data.

This default thinking helps us improve efficiency, optimize our resources, balance our offerings, increase productivity, improve operations and hopefully get more bang for our buck.

Using the Past to Predict the Future Provides a False Sense of Confidence

But what happens when our conference challenges involve people’s behavior? What happens when it involves people’s irrational decision-making process such as spending one’s personal money for conference attendance?

When it comes to cultural and contextual shifts, a hypothesis based on past examples will give us a false sense of confidence. It will send us astray into turbulent waters and uncharted territories.

Our traditional models of conference planning tend to tell us the way things are. Those take the center spotlight when we discuss our understanding of the conference audience and its stakeholders.

That default thinking shows us what exists in the foreground. We need to start investigating the invisible background — that layered nuance behind what we perceive and what actually is.

Introducing Human Sciences for Conference Improvements

How our attendees experience a conference may be as important as, or more important than, the hard objective facts about our past conferences. We cannot continue to use our past data as relevant to the future.

The human sciences look at the why of people’s decisions.

Why do we need this new conference business practice of the human sciences to understand our attendees’ behavior?

Human behavior can change — sometimes radically! During those changes, no amount of hard data can bring the invisible factors to the foreground.

Using human sciences does not provide us with a model, formula or quick equation to apply to our conference planning. It requires studying and making sense of artifacts, observed behaviors, conversations, emotions and images.

A Complementary Toolkit From Human Sciences

We need to combine our default thinking with a complementary set of tools from the human sciences.

• When we use past data to explore a new hypothesis we also need exploratory inquiry — examining attendees’ beliefs, attitudes and irrational decisions.
• When we use the past to answer what and how much, we need to ask and answer why.
• When we look at the data on what is and has been, we need to also research on what is to come.
• When we discuss hard, measurable evidence, we need to juxtaposition it with qualitative evidence.
• When we start talking about correctness and corrective measures, we need to discuss truth, not assumptions and beliefs.

What examples have you seen of conference organizers using human sciences to make decisions about their future conferences? What are some tactical questions from the human sciences that we can use?

What are some other ways to reframe common conference challenges as phenomena? How would you describe a premium conference experience? Send your comments to Jeff Hurt at jhurt@velvetchainsaw.com.

This article first appeared on Velvet Chainsaw’s Midcourse Corrections.

*Most marketers [including conference professionals] cling to assumptions about their customers’ behavior that have been shaped by their organizational culture, the biases of the firm’s managers, and, increasingly, the vast but imperfect data stream flowing in, say authors Christian Madsbjerg and Mikkel B. Rasmussen in “An Anthropologist Walks into a Bar,” an article published in the March 2014 issue of Harvard Business Review. Christian Madsbjerg and Mikkel B. Rasmussen are the coauthors of The Moment of Clarity: Using the Human Sciences to Solve Your Toughest Business Problems (Harvard Business Review Press, 2014), from which their article was developed. C&IT

Over the last several years, event marketing has become more important than ever before. What began as a fairly rudimentary process based on rather obvious tactics such as the use of a dedicated website or a Facebook page to generate interest in a meeting or event has steadily evolved into a more complex discipline that increasingly demands precise knowledge of the tools available and how to use them in an integrated way to create excitement and enthusiastic attendance at a company’s most important meetings.

“We don’t talk so much anymore about ‘events.’ We talk now about building communities that can be engaged over the long term. …It’s about creating those communities and keeping them engaged and connected 365 days a year.” — Kati Quigley, CMP

“Event marketing has changed over the last year or two, and it continues to change,” says Kati Quigley, CMP, senior director, partner community marketing, at Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft, whose Worldwide Partner Conference each July draws 15,000 attendees from 156 countries. “And there are a couple of things that I think stand out recently. One is around creating immersive experiences. Companies are getting better at thinking holistically about their meetings and events and how they get attendees to actually engage with them from start to finish — before, during and after the meeting. But the point is to have two-way conversations and not just the old one-way conversation.”

Another key requirement for successful event marketing today, Quigley says, is “thinking about every aspect of the event and how to ensure that all of them are connected in a way that immerses people in your brand and in the event. And it has only been fairly recently, maybe going back to last year, that more and more companies have really started to think that way.”

In a larger sense, that means not thinking of meetings and events as isolated incidents, but as part of the company’s ongoing annual and long-term marketing plans, she says. “We don’t talk so much anymore about ‘events.’ We talk now about building communities that can be engaged over the long term. And by engaging them over the longer term, you engage them with your brand and also with your overall marketing plans. It’s about more than whatever the next meeting is about. It’s about creating those communities and keeping them engaged and connected 365 days a year.”

Tactics and Tools

DG Garrity, CMP, corporate events manager at Chicago-based global business software provider Infor, thinks of cutting-edge event marketing in terms of technology. “For example, we now have pretty robust mobile apps for our meetings and events,” she says.

For their citywide user conference in New Orleans last year, which attracted more than 7,000 attendees, Infor created an event-specific, state-of-the-art website. “We built the buzz around our innovations as a company. We focused on our product innovations and the cutting-edge kinds of things we’re doing with the cloud. So we built our marketing plan around the idea of creating excitement about our products and the innovation that we bring to our products in a range of different industries.”

As primary marketing tools, Garrity and her team used the content-rich website, social media, blogs and email marketing.

Infor has been using an event-specific website for its annual user conference for nearly a decade, but has also worked steadily to improve upon it each year. The single most important evolution over the last year or two has been the increasing use of creative elements by Infor’s in-house design agency, Hook & Loop, which was launched in 2012. “They’ve continued to improve the website in terms of design and text and made it very easy to use,” Garrity says. “But it’s also beautiful. It just provides a great user experience. And that’s why it is so effective for us.”

In its social media platform, Infor used integrated event campaigns for Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. “And we tied them all together with imagery and messaging,” Garrity says. “We promoted every aspect of the event, from registration to speakers to educational content and the entertainment that would be presented at the event. We also promoted New Orleans as the destination. So we really focused on promoting all of the reasons why people should want to come to the conference. We didn’t just focus on any one thing.”

One major key to the success of the social media campaign was to create an interactive experience with customers, not just push out information about the meeting, Garrity says. And that strategy worked well in creating various kinds of conversation and feedback — and excitement — prior to the conference.

Microsoft is also making increasingly aggressive and sophisticated use of social media in the marketing and promotion of its major events, Quigley says. “We have a new strategy now where every single day we put out new content, both externally and internally, through a variety of portals. And those portals include social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. But it’s no longer enough just to say you have a Facebook page or a Twitter account. You have to be able to say you’re regularly sharing content that is actually important to people. And the frequency of that content is now more important than ever in terms of engaging people and keeping them engaged.”

The trick for a global behemoth like Microsoft is to create a sense of intimacy with the company and the brand, and not simply come off as an enterprise blasting out information to a massive worldwide audience, Quigley explains. “We have to get the message across to every single partner that they are part of our corporate ecosystem and that they matter to us. And that is not easy for a company the size of Microsoft to do. You have to really work at it. But we always strive for that personal connection with every partner. In our social media campaigns, we can’t just give the impression that we’re pushing out content. We also have to make it clear that when our partners are making comments that we are responding, that we are super-active in communicating with them every day. That’s why we have dedicated people that monitor and manage our social media channels. And they respond very quickly to make sure a conversation takes place. That’s what is required for real engagement. And that is a constant process that represents a lot of work.”

Another vital and highly effective weapon in Garrity’s Infor arsenal is blogging.

“In order to have consistent messaging, we used a lot of the same basic kinds of information we used on the website and for the social media campaign,” she says. “And we also focused the blogs on the same major milestones we did in the social media campaign — things like registration, education sessions, speakers, entertainment and the destination.”

Quigley is also finding that event-related blogging is now one of the most powerful ways to market an event. “The reason blogs work so well is that you’re hearing a personal voice, a personal message,” she says. “And we offer blogs from the executive perspective and the partner perspective. And a blog is yet another way to turn communication into a two-way conversation and allow people to respond.” And the steady trend, Quigley says, is now toward more and more response from and meaningful dialogue with partners.

Looking to the Future

As technology-based event marketing has matured over the last several years, many major companies have focused on being pioneers in the next generation of genuine innovation.

One of those companies is Cisco in San Jose, California. “What we have been doing over the course of the last 10 years is undertaking an evolution toward a more data-driven and strategic approach to our events,” says Mary Fehrnstron, Cisco’s director of global event strategy, global marketing and corporate communications. She oversees planning of about 110 meetings and events each year, both domestic and international.

“My job is to be the link between the integrated marketing organization and the global events planning team.”

Defining Success

Her team’s mission is to drive a portfolio of meetings that are most related to Cisco’s overall marketing plan. “And within that, we drive what we call the ‘experience design process’ for each of those individual events,” Fehrnstron says. “So we really focus on what events we want to invest our resources in, and then the next step is when it’s time to kick off the planning for that event, we focus on what we actually want to accomplish with that event. We define what success will look like. And then my counterpart on the planning side takes our blueprint and executes it.”

Fehrnstron believes that the most cutting-edge way to market meetings and events is to position them as a strategic marketing platform for the company as a whole. “We are the only discipline within marketing that actually has a very rich opportunity to engage directly with customers and partners, as well as the press and analysts,” she says. “Then we allow all of the other marketing disciplines within the company to take advantage of the foundational work that we do.”

She also believes that such a strategically focused meeting model is of extreme importance to the meeting industry at large, particularly since post-recession budgets are under more scrutiny and require more justification than ever before.

“That means that meetings need to be positioned as more of a strategic marketing asset and not just an event,” she says.

The key to future success, she says, is intense focus on key attendees such as major customers.

“I think the area where there is the greatest opportunity moving forward as an industry is much more of a targeted marketing approach for events,” she says. “For example, Cisco has identified about 526 companies that we care deeply about and which we consider ‘transformational accounts,’ or key accounts from a sales perspective. Those companies are the ones we focus on in terms of evolving our services and relationships over time. So what we try to do in the global events organization is to really figure out how to treat them differently and how to engage with them. We look at things like how we know when they show up at our booth and how we can engage with them when they do. We also look at what success will look like when they walk out the door after engaging with us.

“So based on the massive and growing amount of data we have been able to collect, we have a lot of important information before one of those customers ever shows up,” she says. “For example, we know what they care about, what is most important to them in terms of their relationship with Cisco. We also know what they worry about, what keeps them up at night in their business. We know the problems they are trying to solve. So we take the approach that marketing ourselves to them is about becoming a ‘matchmaker’ of solutions with challenges. That’s how we make sure we make their attendance at one of our events a really valuable experience for them.”

Laser-like Focus

That kind of laser-like focus on major customers is a fairly recent development, Fehrnstron says. “It takes time to be able to develop the resources to be able to do that in a way that is truly meaningful. But now, we’re able to get a lot of information during the registration process or from third-party trade show organizations so we are able to know who is showing up, who they are within their organization and what they care about. And then from there, we look at the best way to engage with them at the meeting in a way that is meaningful for them and successful for us. It’s almost like creating individualized little programs within the bigger picture of the meeting program.”

The bottom line result of such focus is more precisely targeted marketing based on a specific subpopulation of attendees. “Once the right customers have been targeted, then it’s a matter of creating the right content and having the right assets to delve even deeper into the customer-focused marketing strategy,” she says. “And those are the kinds of things we are working on now.”

That data-driven approach will continue to evolve over the next few years, with the clear objective being ever more granular data on customers and their needs, Fehrnstron says. “And in terms of my job and my team, the focus will be more and more on what are we doing for the targets rather than what are we doing for the masses? And that will represent a fundamental shift in the way we market our events.”

The innovative tactic will become increasingly dependent on the sophisticated use of data mining and analysis tools that are now being developed and brought to market under the banner of business intelligence.

“It’s sort of like creating a customer relationship management (CRM) system for our events,” Fehrnstron says. “And part of it is about deploying the latest marketing apps that determine who someone is before they even get to the company’s website. For example, you can now read from an IP address that the company is a health care provider. Then in turn, you see to it that the health care provider gets information and case studies and so on that are directly related to health care. And that makes their first landing experience on your website much more relevant and valuable to them. And from there, you just constantly look for ways to make your engagement with people more personalized and precise in terms of why they should come to your conference.”

Quigley agrees that the use of business intelligence technologies will ultimately become the most cutting-edge marketing tools of them all.

“In the future, that is the way more and more business at meetings will be driven,” she says. “And it will be about the fact that the more you know about people, the more likely you are to be able to do business with them at your events and maintain that relationship over time.” C&IT

According to IACC, “Digital information is No. 1 for providing planners with information they need to consider a venue for their meeting.”

Jeff Hiscox is president and CEO of Newmarket, an Amadeus company. He focuses on expanding Amadeus’ fast-growing Hospitality IT division. Jeff joined Amadeus in 2013 via the acquisition of Newmarket, which he joined in 2004 and where he has served as president and chief executive officer since March 2010. Prior to Newmarket, Jeff served as regional vice president of sales for Surebridge where he was responsible for growth and management of the Microsoft Business Solutions Group. www.newmarketinc.com

It is every meeting planner’s nightmare: hours are spent arranging the perfect meeting or event but a technical hitch or an unexpected dilemma means that the attendees walk away remembering the day for all the wrong reasons. Who can forget the failure of the Olympic torch to light at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony at Sochi, or problems with the live global Web stream of Apple’s launch of the iPhone 6 and Apple Watch? Certainly not an event or meeting planner. Today, as businesses globalize and planners increasingly work on events outside of their local area, the margin for these potential errors is widening.

“Venues that have creative and effective ways of presenting the best virtual experience will influence buyers and stand out from the crowd.”

Without an insider’s view of the meeting venue, how are planners to foresee any issues that may arise? Here’s how technology can provide this vital “on the ground” insight, instilling planners with the confidence that their events will run to plan and allowing them to form trusting relationships with the venues that facilitate them.

Keeping Planners in the Picture

According to research by CEB Inc., buyers are on average 57 percent into the buying process before engaging with a sales representative — meaning a lot of the legwork and decision-making has already been done by the planner before a hotel or venue has had any direct contact with them. Additionally, a recent generational preferences survey by the International Association of Conference Centres (IACC) revealed that “Digital information is No. 1 for providing planners with information they need to consider a venue for their meeting, and those who have creative and effective ways of presenting the best virtual experience will please buyers.”

Venues and hotels seeking to maximize their revenues through corporate meetings, conferences and events need to position themselves as reliable providers of meeting space and be able to demonstrate they can collaborate effectively with planners in the planning, management and execution of events.

There are a number of ways in which hotels and other venues can build up trust and form high-value relationships with planners — and some of them sound deceptively simple. For instance, hotels and venues need to deliver exactly what is marketed and expected by planners — and this means making sure that the planner is aware of the meeting space available, the setups they will support and the room capacities based on the desired setup style. Given the tight time constraints that are often put on meeting planners, venues that are able to provide this information, without the planner spending hours trawling through different pages of their website, will certainly set them apart from competitors.

For example, a planner who is tasked with arranging a corporate training session needs to be assured that all attendees will have an unobstructed view of the speaker and that the room setup encourages discussion and participation. Details such as room capacities based on seating options and seating options supported by each meeting room are must-haves for meeting planners, but often are a challenge as the information simply isn’t presented in a way that planners find useful. It can be hard to know how many attendees to seat at a table without visiting a venue, and cramming people in could be just as detrimental to the flow of a meeting as tables that are too large. Allowing the testing of different setup styles in the meeting space under evaluation, enabled by IT capabilities on the venue’s website, enables a planner to make this assessment during the evaluation process.

If venues can offer modern visualization tools that show what is on offer for corporate clients, from the seating options right though to different lighting modes, planners can feel confident that they have selected the right venue and can be safe in the knowledge that their attendees will be seated comfortably.

Collaboration Is Key

Once the venue is booked and plans are underway, a planner’s job is far from over. Often planners must see to last-minute requests from their clients or third-party attendees, such as providing seating for a high-profile attendee or adding a vegan lunch option, and having a quick reaction time is key to keeping everyone happy. In order to ensure everyone stays up to date and critical tasks and requests are dealt with swiftly, collaboration is fundamental, and technology can support this.

For example, successful collaboration between the planner and venue on the final room plan is critical. Through the use of technology, the planner and venue can quickly and effectively work together to make adjustments to the room plan to create a final version that fits the planner’s vision while being feasible for the room selected. This should eliminate the need for a room reset, which can be costly to the venue and create stress and dissatisfaction for the planner as their schedule must then adapt in order for them to problem solve. Increasingly, these collaboration tools are available on mobile devices, making the process even more effective. By enabling planners to use them on the go and keep up with the multiple events they may be working on, they can always remain one step ahead and respond to any issues in an agile manner.

In the “always on” digital world of today, we are accustomed to instant messaging and real-time information and collaboration, and there is no reason why these tools shouldn’t be leveraged by meeting planners. It is critically important that the whole travel and events industry works together to deliver the best experience it can to its customers and makes facilitating high-revenue events, such as corporate meetings and conferences, as simple as possible. As the IACC survey revealed, those venues that have creative and effective ways of presenting the best virtual experience will influence buyers and stand out from the crowd.

When working with planners, venues investing in collaboration tools will enable critical tasks to be completed faster and eliminate costly misunderstandings. This will enable the flawless execution of events that lead to satisfied planners who can trust in their partners, which can ultimately lead to more business opportunities. C&IT

Celebrity Silhouette.

Organizing a corporate retreat or offsite meeting? From the world’s oceans to quaint fishing harbors to inland lakes to rolling rivers, there are plenty of uncharted waters and ports of call for groups to explore onboard cruise ships, sailing vessels, river longships and more. These vessels offer unique accommodations and amenities for your group to work some and play some. Adept at accommodating groups as small as 10 and as large as a few thousand, these full-service craft are a great way to make the next business meeting or event you plan, a truly memorable one.

Unique Venues

When you think about cruise lines, what comes to mind? Luxury travel, certainly. Exotic ports of call, definitely. And the ships themselves: Huge, luxurious liners, with fine restaurants, pools, salons, fantastic nighttime entertainment, staff that attend to your every whim, allowing attendees to enjoy every event facet of their experience.

Recently Gregorio Palomino, CDMP, CEP, CMP, creative executive officer at CRE8AD8, partnered with a corporate planner at a Texas-based technology distributor to plan a meeting/incentive-based cruise for 2,400 attendees. In planning this meeting aboard Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas, Palomino needed to make it a two-part affair, with 1,200 attendees onboard one week, and the remaining 1,200 attendees attending the following week — each engaging in a five-day cruise to Nassau, two private island stops and Cozumel. “This company wanted something different than the typical hotel or tourist destination,” Palomino says. “They wanted to expand their options beyond the land.”

“Going out to sail is a bonding experience similar to going on a road trip. When you’re sharing a limited space with the same person for several hours, you’re bound to learn a thing or two about them.” — Jessica Greenwalt

One of the great advantages of hosting a meeting at sea is that ships mostly provide all-inclusive options for corporate events — everything you could want has been attended to, and nothing has been overlooked. These vessels also are equipped with some of the most advanced audio-visual equipment, which can be utilized for events and meetings onboard.

Palomino utilized the cruise ship’s onboard meeting space for his large group.

“The cruise line is great at helping with the space needed, but if your group is larger than 100, you’ll always want your own planner to be with you as the cruise line may not provide a dedicated event manager throughout the cruise,” Palomino says. Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas offered six usable meeting/breakout spaces, plus a restaurant, theater and general areas that could be privatized.

“Since the entire company was coming on board the first or second week, we had two chances to modify and execute the events,” Palomino says. “Some of the space where it was more of a general session, we used the theater in waves and then broke out to the other meeting spaces for more specific topics on each person’s role in the company.”

According to Palomino, some of the unique attributes of hosting a meeting or event aboard a vessel is that all entertainment and dining is included, reducing the cost and need for additional entertainment options.

“The ship met needs on various levels,” Palomino says. “We needed private dining, group dining, activities, meeting space, plenty of balcony cabins and suites, plus the ability to get us the same program in back-to-back weeks. The ship offered us many concessions such as 24/7 dining options and beverage packages. The ship also had enough activities for at least 1,500 at any given time, so no one was going to miss a thing.”

There are hundreds of reasons to have a meeting at sea, but one of the biggest is that you can focus on the meeting itself and not the transport, entertainment, meal options and other factors that detract from the purpose.

“The cost is comparable to doing something on land as it can cost anywhere from $1,000–$3,500 per person,” Palomino says. “This ship was more accommodating for this size group. Each cruise line offers something different. There’s no wrong choice, but every ship may or may not be the best fit for a group.”

Ann Sedgwick, Carnival Cruise Line’s divisional vice president of charter, corporate and incentive sales, agrees. Because so much is already included in a cruise, ease of planning and the tremendous value are among the many benefits of hosting corporate meetings and incentives onboard.

“Planners should remember that the largest costs of a meeting such as accommodations, meals, meeting rooms and AV equipment are already included in the price of a cruise,” Sedgwick says. “In addition to having rooms, meals and activities readily available, being at sea makes the experience even more memorable for the participants.”

According to Andrea Giraldo, manager of special events at CruiseOne & Cruises Inc., inclusiveness of cruise line pricing, where meals and most entertainment is included in the booking price creates a streamlined cost for attendees. “Additionally, built-in excursions and entertainment options create great opportunities for teambuilding and networking events, to add a more engaging aspect to any event onboard,” Giraldo says.

Carnival works very closely with meeting planners in determining the specific event needs, and then they customize the event to make it productive and memorable.

“For example, we recently worked with a company that always had held an awards dinner. While this is a very common request, we suggested an awards reception ceremony followed by the gala dinner,” Sedgwick says. “They loved it, and so did their attendees. It allowed for them to really upgrade the overall experience and make the recipients feel even more special than they already did.”

Going Big, Going Small

While cruise ships are exceptional venues, some planners need smaller vessels to meet the needs of attendees. Jessica Greenwalt, CIO and co-founder of CrowdMed, a platform that solicits the wisdom of the public at large to solve difficult medical cases online, recently hosted a meeting aboard a 35-foot sailboat.

“We invited other health tech founders and tech experts with experience in building partnerships,” Greenwalt says. “Since we’re constantly working on partnerships, we wanted to learn from these folks. Rather than organizing one-on-one meetings with everyone, we thought it would be nice to bring everyone together and sail around the bay.”

Greenwalt says that by bringing everyone together at once — rather than arranging individual lunches, dinners and drinks — they were able to have discussions with a group and solve problems as a group.

“On a beautiful day, sailing is a relaxing experience that loosens everyone up and makes people feel comfortable to share deeper thoughts on a topic than they would have in another environment,” Greenwalt says. “Boat meetings tend to be longer than other meetings, which can be both a benefit and a drawback. Going out to sail is a bonding experience similar to going on a road trip. When you’re sharing a limited space with the same person for several hours, you’re bound to learn a thing or two about them. Everyone who went on our sailing trip loved it. We made valuable connections and got a lot of great advice. Our guests appreciated our departure from an ordinary business meeting.”

David Hartman, meeting and incentive travel specialist at Key Largo, Florida-based Cruise Planners, frequently uses cruise ships for many of his corporate clients for conventions, incentives, regional events and client/member appreciation. Hartman recently worked with planners at CKO to orchestrate an event for the company’s kickboxing membership cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas.

“The CKO cruise is a membership trip where local gym members, gym owners and parent company executives have a chance to spend time together and share their passion for kickboxing,” Hartman says. CKO Kickboxing is a franchise brand with more than 50 locations in the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut areas.

For Hartman, when working with corporate planners who are interested in cruise ships, the itinerary and type of ship are critical.

“The best and newest ships travel on seven-night cruises or longer, which is often too long for most corporate meeting clients,” Hartman says. “Shorter itineraries are available, but then sufficient meeting space is a concern and needs to be verified prior to booking.”

The size of the group also is a key factor. Cruise ships are not for all groups depending on the size and timing of meeting space required.

“Small to medium-size meeting groups are ideal for most cruise ships,” Hartman says. “Large groups require a balancing act between ships with available space and blocking the space for enough hours to satisfy the client. Most larger meeting spaces on cruise ships are also public venues, and meeting groups need to be flexible with their meeting time request and total hours.”

Karen Shackman, president of Shackman Associates in New York, says that in a company’s quest to find new and unusual venues to hold meetings and events, an ocean cruise or even a river journey aboard a vessel is definitely an out-of-the-box option.

“For meetings, groups are given their own specific areas, and generally the meeting and food and beverage component complement each other in terms of location,” Shackman says. “For events, a cruise provides a unique opportunity for guests to enjoy both the outside and the inside of the ship.  Different levels of the vessel can play to different themes for the event, and there is an opportunity for those who wish to enjoy what the destination has to offer.”

Shackman recently orchestrated a 10-boat flotilla on the Hudson River for a destination meeting group that ended up at the Statue of Liberty, where attendees were treated to an amazing fireworks show. They also organized a cruise from lower Manhattan to Liberty State Park, which included character performers reenacting life as immigrants coming to Ellis Island.

“There are several vessels in New York which we have used as creative alternatives for standard meetings, where there is also a higher networking requirement — so that the focus is not only on the meeting at hand, but an opportunity for guests to enjoy some highlights of the destination,” Shackman says. “In New York City, we generally propose a dinner or lunch cruise to every client. We believe it is important for clients to appreciate our city from all perspectives — and a perspective from the water is an important one for an appreciation of the scope and majesty of the city.”

For her clients, Shackman incorporates networking components into meetings at sea — so that the focus is not only on the meeting at hand, but also is an opportunity for guests to enjoy some highlights of the destination while getting to know other attendees.

Koncept Events partner, Hillary Smith, CMP, CSEP, says that hosting a meeting at sea forces a group to stay focused and stay together. Having no distractions and no escape can sometimes increase the interaction and networking value.

“The space challenges can also be used as an opportunity to shake up a stale, predictable agenda and create more engaging and intimate meeting environments,” Smith says.

Anthony Ragucci, director of events for Entertainment Cruises, Boston division, hosts many national conferences on ships every year. These events are typically full-ship charters, and they enable the client to customize their cruise times, menu, bar and décor.

“With most full-ship charters, clients choose signature food station menus. When clients host private full-ship charter events, they also receive two forms of live entertainment, several bars for guests to enjoy their favorite cocktail and of course, the best views of Boston,” Ragucci says. “We host numerous meetings every year and corporate meeting business is a primary focus of ours.”

Fly-Cruise Combo

Cruises are seen as first-class, all-inclusive journeys for corporate and incentive groups, and today’s fly-cruise itineraries make planning far simpler than in years past. In addition, many of today’s cruise companies are making significant strides in ensuring the travel aspect of cruising is streamlined and stress-free. They recognize the value of having your own sanctuary at sea with inclusive luxury amenities. One type of vessel attracting interest within the corporate meeting and incentive channel is the MSC Yacht Club — offering a unique “ship within a ship” concept. According to Beth Lindsley Elwood, manager of North America corporate and incentive sales at MSC Cruises, the MSC Yacht Club is an exclusive, private enclave of 69 butler-serviced suites located forward on the ship, on the upper most decks, which offer the best views.

“With key-card access only, guests enjoy VIP accommodations and service with 24-hour concierge service, a private restaurant, pool, pool bar/buffet area and lounge,” Lindsley Elwood says. “Beverages are included in all MSC Yacht Club areas. This is perfect for including a group of MSC Yacht Club suites or even chartering all 69 suites for complete exclusivity and privacy.”

Offering the wow factor is paramount for MSC Yacht Club and other cruise companies.

In fact, meeting the unique needs of corporate clients is the focus of Bruce Setloff, vice president of global charter sales and special projects at Crystal Cruises.

Recently Setloff worked with a corporation to help plan a combined meeting and reward incentive trip for the top sales leaders from a European automaker. This well-known luxury automaker chartered the entire Crystal cruise ship just to have the exclusive rights to the programming and onboard operation of the vessel.

“I noticed a feeling onboard that the guests were really excited to know every facet of this company’s new model automobile and noted everyone could not wait to show up for all of the meetings held onboard,” Setloff says. “The guests walked around the ship with a great sense of being proud to work for a company that always went the extra mile for them and did not do the same old thing every year. This was really a great marriage of a company not only having the perfect meeting but also a perfect venue to host it.”

Unique Challenges

To best work with the cruise line in securing meeting and event space, an event planner should consider the attendees of their group, the scope of the meeting they are planning and identify the most suitable options for networking or excursion events.

Of course, hosting a meeting or event onboard a vessel offers its own set of challenges — the primary concern being the lack of sufficient Internet access. However, many cruise lines are addressing this issue. For example, Carnival Cruise Lines recently announced its new social media Internet packages are available on more than half of the line’s ships with fleetwide implementation scheduled by the first quarter of 2016.

From emails and texts to tweets and Instagram posts, travelers want to digitally share and stay connected while onboard. While the perception may be that a cruise does not offer a chance to be accessible, the Cruise Lines International Association reveals that cruise lines have introduced a host of Wi-Fi capabilities and offerings on cruise ships making it easier than ever before to stay connected at sea.

The size of the group and purpose of the trip are key elements in selecting the right kind of vessel for a meeting. If your group is looking for a party, there are many options. However, there also are yachts available for rent to smaller groups looking for a unique corporate retreat.

As Shackman explains, the idea of hosting a meeting or event on water also can vary because some yachts and boats can accommodate incentive travel or brainstorming groups, and others are ideal for breakout sessions for 10 or fewer executives. Also, if groups want to be on the water in colder weather, some vessels provide huge windows so anyone can get great views from the warm interior.

When organizing a vessel-based meeting or event, departure port and the duration are both important but for many groups, they also need to be creative in programming and space usage. “For example, there isn’t a hotel pool or grand lawn that can accommodate the welcome reception, so meal functions must be approached with a fresh eye and open mind,” Smith says.

And once onboard a cruise ship, event planners need to have everything for their event with them, as options for last-minute additions can be a challenge.

“This can be easily overcome with detailed planning leading up to the event and working with a travel professional and the cruise line staff to determine what a group will need onboard,” Giraldo says. “There are many aspects of cruise line events to determine what cruise line and what ship are right for a group to host their meeting onboard, from cruise itinerary and length of sailing, to entertainment onboard.”

On larger vessels or longer cruises, you also can create your own activities on the ship, with the help of the cruise director who has done numerous events and come up with creative ways to utilize the ship.

“Whether it’s a group of 50 or 5,000, we’ve done them all,” Palomino says. “Most ships have the ability to do special things for groups depending on the event management company you select.  It’s all about relationships.”

New & Noteworthy

Planners seeking a more immersive and memorable experience in the Caribbean for their groups will be pleased to hear that Celebrity Cruises’ new “Evenings Around the World” shore excursions are designed to help groups experience the Caribbean — instead of just seeing it. At least three dozen Caribbean cruises will have access to more than a dozen new nighttime activities and events such as bonfires, live music, boat parties, wine-tastings and more.

Carnival Corporation recently launch­ed a new brand called fathom, defining a new travel category dubbed “social impact travel,” which will offer consumers authentic, meaningful, impactful travel experiences to work alongside locals as they tackle community needs. What sets fathom apart is the long-term, systematic partnership approach with its partner countries paired with the unique business model that allows for sustained impact and lasting development. Beginning in April 2016, fathom will embark on seven-day voyages from PortMiami aboard the MVAdonia, a 710-passenger vessel redeployed from Carnival Corporation’s P&O Cruises (UK) for the start-up of the new operation.

Norwegian Cruise Line recently announced exciting and exotic new itineraries for the brand’s fall/winter 2016/2017 deployment, including cruises to Asia onboard Norwegian Star, with itineraries departing from Istanbul, Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Sydney and Auckland — marking the line’s return to the Asia and Australia regions for the first time since 2001–2002 and first-ever visits to the Gulf and India.

Renowned for elite culinary enrichment programs, Oceania Cruises will continue to set the bar high in 2016, as it announces the upcoming launch of Culinary Creations Land Tours. The expanded collection of tours will be available beginning spring 2016 in parts of Europe and South America. The events will take place on select cruises aboard the Nautica, Marina, Riviera and Sirena.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises tailors every aspect of a corporate meeting or event, recognizing customization and flexibility is paramount. Customized charters about Regent Cruises including complete customization of your program and itinerary, unlimited branding opportunities, facilities to host teambuilding activities and events, and tailored shore excursions. C&IT

Corporate planners looking for exemplars in the area of green meetings may find quite a few in the technology sector. Many high-tech companies are ahead of the curve on sustainability, and when one wants to take the initiative to the next level, why not take a few tips from meetings that go far beyond recycling and eschewing bottled water? Oftentimes, these very eco-conscious events are not merely the brainchildren of individual meeting planners, but the products of companies whose core values include a respect for the environment.

One case in point is VMware, a cloud and visualization software company. Sustainability is “the way we do business,” states Eve Schmitt, senior manager of global sourcing for meetings and travel. “For instance, in 2007 we built our headquarters in Palo Alto, California, from the ground up, and recycling, reclamation, composting, etc. (at the building) was a major focus with our original CEO. Our tagline at one time was ‘Saving Energy, Saving People, Saving the Planet.’ ” That kind of corporate culture certainly supports a planner who wants to create the greenest events possible. “My focus within the organization has always been (sustainability) in our temporary environment that we hold meetings in, and it’s wonderful when you have that buy-in from the executive level.”

“Our tagline at one time was ‘Saving Energy, Saving People, Saving the Planet.’  My focus within the organization has always been (sustainability) in our temporary environment that we hold meetings in, and it’s wonderful when you have that buy-in from the executive level.” — Eve Schmitt

A Window on Your Brand

In the case of San Rafael, California-based Autodesk Inc., the company’s products have a connection to sustainability, lending even more support to the green meetings initiative. If the products themselves “promote” sustainability, then meetings and events, particularly customer-facing ones, should be a “window to your brand,” in the words of Laura Bell Way, senior manager, global customer events, field marketing, industry strategy and marketing. “Our software helps buildings be designed and managed in a way that is less taxing on the environment. So for us it’s an easy fit to drive for sustainability in our events.”

The high proportion of millennials in many high-tech firms, as well as the desire to attract young talent, also can drive a focus on sustainability. “I would say that younger employees coming into Oracle are to some degree quicker to recognize that we’re (adopting sustainable practices),” observes Paul Salinger, vice president, marketing at Redwood City, California-based Oracle. “And as Gen Y come into the industry, I think you’ll start to see more and more (efforts in sustainability) because it’s a value that aligns with the way they’re going to need to see the world. It’s becoming a bigger issue for them around climate change, diminishing resources and so on.”

Supplier Alignment

Of course, green meetings are not exclusively driven by the host company and its values; supplier partners must align with those values as well. To that end, a major component of the effort to optimize sustainability is to bring business, as much as possible, to eco-minded cities, convention centers, hotels, caterers and so forth. For Schmitt, one of the initial questions to ask when considering a site is, “Does the destination have a good sustainability structure in place?” That not only includes aspects of the meeting facilities, such as garbage diversion rates, and energy and water efficiency, but the layout of the city. “Is it a walkable location where we’re not going to be using a lot of transportation?” Schmitt asks.

This is a factor that is often overlooked by planners interested in sustainability, notes Nancy Zavada, principal of Portland, Oregon-based MeetGreen. “Look at your meeting neighborhood: Are the meeting venue and accommodations close to each other? Are there restaurants and shops close by, so attendees can walk or at least take mass transportation?” The more convenient it is to commute in these greener ways, the less tempted attendees will be to take cabs or rent cars.

When it comes to the sustainability of hotel partners, some aspects will be quite evident to the average guest, such as the presence of blue recycling bins in guest rooms, or cards in the bathrooms offering guests the opportunity to reuse their towels the next day without housekeeping washing the towels.

But then there are many “behind the scenes” sustainability efforts planners can inquire about, Schmitt notes. For example: “Is there an energy- and water-efficient washing machine used by the housekeepers? What are the cleaning chemicals that the housekeepers are using? Is the hotel involved in Clean the World (an organization that recycles and donates soap and shampoo used by the hospitality industry)? Does the hotel use solar or wind energy? Are they doing everything they can do to make sure they’re reducing the use of paper?”

Evaluating Hotels

Admittedly, trying to assess a hotel’s green status in such depth can be “overwhelming when you look at all the criteria involved,” Schmitt says. Thus, VMware deploys a short form at the RFP stage that includes questions about any credentials the property may have (e.g., LEED, Green Seal, state green lodging designations) that address numerous green features and practices. A very good sign is when a hotelier volunteers such information before a planner inquires, as that emphasizes their commitment to green meetings. “As a supplier, tell us even though we don’t ask, and if it’s your standard process, be proud of it,” says Schmitt.

Another good sign is an onsite sustainability officer. The Hilton San Francisco Union Square, where VMware regularly hosts events, employs such an individual, and “we engage with her quite a bit at the very beginning.”

There is also quite a bit of engagement with the catering department to optimize sustainability. It’s not merely a matter of using locally sourced, seasonal foods and avoiding bottled or canned beverages; many subtleties are involved. “We want nothing pre-poured,” says Schmitt. “And glass should be inverted, not facing up. When glasses are facing up, they have to wash them again regardless of whether or not they’re used, but if they are inverted, they don’t have to rewash them.”

And wherever possible, VMware tries to ensure that excess food can be donated, for example by opting for pre-wrapped foods instead of items exposed on a buffet that must be discarded if not consumed. In the same vein, the company looks to donate any non-digital signage used to local schools for art projects.

The Hilton San Francisco Union Square not only supports VMware in these efforts, but also continually refines its own eco-conscious features. Last September, for example, the hotel installed Hydration Stations that provide access to high-quality water from the pristine snowmelt in Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park. Stations were installed in each of the three towers of the hotel as well as the health club, and water bottles were removed from all standard guest rooms. Each hydration station has a small counter in the upper right corner, indicating how many plastic bottles are eliminated from landfill.

Planner Guidance

While circumstances sometimes do not allow for a certain sustainable practice to be implemented, it’s important that the planner at least make the effort by raising the issue with the supplier. For large corporations with many meeting planners, conveying that importance is an initiative unto itself. With assistance from MeetGreen, Autodesk is in the process of improving the sustainability of its small to mid-sized meetings, of which there are approximately 500 annually, and it is essential that all planners know what practices they should try to implement.

“We offer our planners a very simple program of questions to ask when they’re planning an event, and we leave it in their hands so they’re able to realize some effective sustainability practices even for small events,” Bell Way explains.

“Some of our key questions are:

• Were alternative transportation methods encouraged?
• Was recycling of event materials requested of the venue?
• Were individual plastic water bottles eliminated from this event?
• Were name badges and table tags collected and recycled?
• Was the caterer asked to design menus that included local, organic and sustainable choices?”

“So we’re not asking, did you succeed in these things? But did you bring up the question, was the venue asked? Because that empowers the planner to embrace sustainability and raises awareness of the requirements.”

Autodesk ran a “summer camp” with monthly sessions that covered such questions for audiences of 20–30 stakeholders, and the sessions were recorded and made accessible on the company’s global intranet site.

Tracking Results

Apart from companywide participation, another aspect of a mature green meetings program is the tracking and reporting of the results. Oracle developed that aspect through a partnership with MeetGreen, which began just after Oracle OpenWorld 2007. “Before we engaged with MeetGreen we were doing what I would consider the basics, the low-hanging fruit,” Salinger says. “We started looking at reducing paper and recycling to some degree, and worked with Moscone Center on waste management methodologies. We were also looking at ways we could do signage more sustainably with reusable materials.”

The partnership with MeetGreen not only expanded these practices, but also led to the establishment of key performance indicators. “We started to think about how we could make bigger impacts each year and improve our score against their MeetGreen calculator year over year, and really engage our supply chain.”

The advantage of measurement is that it allows quantitative answers to questions such as, “How green is your meeting?” and “How green do you want your meeting to be?” The MeetGreen Calculator scores events against 10 sectors of the supply chain, including destination selection, meeting venue, accommodations, transportation, AV, F&B, exhibition production, communications and marketing, onsite office and offsets. It also quantifies the success of specific practices related to air quality, waste management, water conservation, energy efficiency and environmental purchases.

“In 2007 we were at 34 on the scale of 100 on the calculator, but we quickly shot up into the 60–65 percent score,” Salinger says. “We’ve kind of plateaued at around 90 for the last couple of years, and we’re at the point when we really are looking with a fine-tooth comb for the areas where we can improve in order to get above 90.”

The performance data is reported to all stakeholders, including management and stockholders, and posted on the Oracle OpenWorld site and Oracle.com. “I generally try to disseminate it across the industry, so the Green Meetings Industry Council gets a copy, and they typically post it on their website,” Salinger notes. “We think there are two aspects to that: 1. We want to be as transparent as possible so that other people can learn from what we’re doing; and 2. We want to create a community of best practices here in San Francisco. As a big company, we can leverage those best practices across our supply chain and across the venues and hotels that we use, and that allows other people coming in behind us to take advantage of (the results).”

Standards and Certifications

The calculator reflects criteria from both the APEX/ASTM Environmentally Sustainable Meeting Standards and the ISO 20121 standards. “APEX is really just a checklist for your meetings, while ISO is focused more on how you measure and track sustainability and report to your stakeholders. They complement each other very well,” Zavada explains. “We’re seeing much more interest from meeting group clients in the ISO standards right now, while APEX/ASTM are being more readily adopted by facilities, convention centers and cities. There are 10 sectors, and a hotel would only have to comply with one or two of those sectors to get certification. If a meeting planner or an event is going to do it, they would have to comply with all of them, and the CIC is not certifying meeting planners in that yet. And it’s awfully rigorous for a planner to pull off. We have some clients that are incredibly green, more on the association side, yet they haven’t gotten to APEX/ASTM Level 1 yet.”

Part of the reason more suppliers are getting APEX/ASTM certification is that more meeting planners are integrating the standards into their RFP process. “If we know we’re looking at a venue that’s already certified against the APEX standards, it makes it that much easier for us,” Salinger says. “We went to Moscone Center and asked them to go through that certification process, and it’s starting to have kind of a snowball effect as you’re starting to see more and more venues now getting certified at least at Level 1.”

Similarly, Autodesk’s standard RFP asks whether a hotel has completed the APEX/ASTM Level 1 survey and references the World Travel & Tourism Council’s Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative, a methodology for measuring and communicating a hotel’s carbon emissions. “In many cases we may not get that information back from the hotels, but we feel that by referencing the standards and starting the conversation that we guide our procurement process toward hotels and venues that are more aware and plugged into the measurement standards,” Bell Way says. Hotels that show a sufficient degree of sustainable features and practices get designated as Autodesk Green within the company’s SMMP. “So when our planners are viewing the hotels in the system they’ll see that additional recognition and can make that choice.”

Room for Improvement

Making the choice to “go green” with meetings and events is a key first step that generally leads to some positive results, but there always seems to be room to become greener. Even companies that hold exemplary green meetings continue to refine that sustainability, whether it’s Oracle moving into the 90s on the MeetGreen Calculator or Autodesk extending the green initiative into their small meetings. Schmitt characterizes the initiative as a “journey” over many years, one that is eased by partnering with the right suppliers.

Fortunately, the final destination need not be reached for the effort to bear fruit; much benefit to the environment is accrued along the way. C&IT

The mighty Las Vegas meetings and events engine keeps humming along for a number of reasons: It offers a seemingly endless variety of luxurious mega resorts that are destinations unto themselves. Las Vegas continues to open new resorts while improving and expanding existing properties. Meanwhile, the city is adding several new non-resort attractions. As a result, Las Vegas offers what few other destinations in the world can ­— the opportunity for groups to return year after year and have totally new experiences each time.

That’s a big reason why, in 2014, Las Vegas was the No.1 trade show destination for the 21st consecutive year, according to the Trade Show News Network’s “2014 TSNN Top 250 Trade Shows in the United States” list. Another banner performance is expected this year thanks partly to 12 new and rotating conventions and trade shows that will draw a combined 242,000 attendees in 2015.

This year is also shaping up as a strong one for corporate meetings, including those that repeatedly return to Las Vegas such as a Fortune 500 consumer products business that met in July 2015 at Aria Resort & Casino. The seven-day combination meeting and incentive included 2,400 salespeople, employees and customers.

First Meeting at Aria

It was the first time the group met at Aria following meetings in previous years at other Las Vegas properties. “Las Vegas has a plethora of hotel options, but we narrowed it down to Aria and one other hotel,” says the company’s meeting planner. “We selected Aria because of its level of service and the Aria Convention Center.”

The planner was impressed by the uniqueness of the Aria Convention Center, a three-story, 300,000-sf facility. “It’s like no other,” she says. “It’s a beautiful, functioning space. The rooms are easy to get to. There is a patio where you can leave without exiting through the casino. I’ve seen convention centers that look like a dark basement. At Aria, you don’t feel like you are inside for the amount of hours you are.”

The group held most of its events, including several awards dinners at the convention center, mostly in the same room, transforming it to fit each occasion. “We kicked off with a Sunday night awards dinner, using several production companies to transform the room with a moving tri-level stage and special decorations and lighting,” says the planner. “Monday night we had an education dinner for 500 people. Tuesday night we had a sales dinner for the same 500 people. We also used some of the lounges, including Alibi Cocktail Lounge and Liquid Pool Lounge for receptions.”

Aria’s service, a deciding factor in choosing the resort, was top-notch even before the corporation selected the hotel. “During our site visit, the hotel salesperson and team we were assigned to stayed with us from the beginning through the end,” says the planner. “The way they toured the property with us, the touches they provided and the way they cared about our questions made us feel like it wasn’t the standard tour they give everybody.”

Dedicated Concierge

During the meeting, the planner was impressed by a unique service that Aria provided — a concierge dedicated to working solely with the group full-time for the entire event. “That is unbelievable, and it really stood out,” says the planner. “It surpasses anything we have ever experienced. This concierge ran the business center for me, made sure lunches were ready and offered to help by asking me questions like, ‘I heard you mention reservations. Do you want me to look something up for you?’ ”

The concierge helped with the many reservations that the group made at Aria’s restaurants. “Everyone ventured to at least one of the hotel’s restaurants at some point,” says the planner. “We used Javier’s Restaurant, the fine-dining Mexican restaurant a lot. That was a hit because it’s centrally located in the casino, has great food and service, and is perfect for people-watching. The Buffet at Aria was also popular with many people using pre-paid vouchers that we provided.”

Feedback from attendees after the meeting showed that they were wowed by Aria. That’s a big reason why the planner has been discussing possible dates with the property for 2016.

Overall value was another advantage. “Aria offered a great price point,” says the planner. “On average, most Las Vegas properties we visited came in about the same. Because Aria is so new, smack dab in the middle of The Strip and a five-star property, we knew that for the total value we wanted to pick Aria.”

Off The Strip

While some planners prefer resorts in the middle of The Strip, others seek properties away from the action. Cindy Kravitz, meeting planner for Moen, which is headquartered in North Olmsted, Ohio, held the company’s Global Supplier Conference at the Green Valley Ranch Resort, Spa & Casino located off The Strip. The three-day meeting in May 2015 included about 200 of Moen’s suppliers, employees and executives.

It was the fourth consecutive time that Moen has held the conference — which meets every other year — in Las Vegas. “We like Las Vegas because it’s a big draw for suppliers coming from Asia and other countries,” says Kravitz. “We get a higher attendance rate when meeting in Las Vegas. We also like it because the group can focus on the conference instead of the nightlife.”

Green Valley Ranch Resort’s conference center also was a plus. “We used three of the ballrooms, and the corridors were good for prefunction activities,” says Kravitz. “All of our breakout rooms were around the corner from our major general session room, so we didn’t have to worry about getting lost. The general session room and pool were close to the terrace, where we ate most of our meals.”

Like a growing number of meeting planners, Kravitz used an app to help attendees get the most out of the meeting. “They used it to give feedback during breakouts,” she says. “We put our schedule and agenda on it so we no longer had to print all of those materials. It included speaker bios and attendee contact information to encourage networking. They started that networking before the meeting because we provided the app prior to their arrival.”

The app contributed to an enjoyable experience for attendees, and that was evident in the post-meeting survey. “They liked the app, the venue, the food and service,” says Kravitz. “Most people said they liked the fact that it’s off The Strip and quieter. Several people said it was the best conference ever. There is a good possibility we will go back next year.”

A Favorite Resort

Another corporation held its annual conference for sales agents at Caesars Palace for the last four years and is considering returning in 2016. “Every year I ask does everybody really want to go back to the same property,” says the company’s planner. “I ask in surveys if there is something we can do to change things up, but they always want to return because they have a fabulous time.”

The planner cites one huge advantage of returning to Caesars Palace: The property’s staff knows the group’s needs. “They still have the same people we have worked with for three or four years, from those working at the pool to those in the conference office,” says the planner. “They know us by name. I don’t have to go through lengthy explanations of our needs because they already know. It takes a lot of stress out of planning.”

Meeting at the same property every year also provides good value. “I don’t pay for meeting room space,” says the planner. “We rent the same hospitality suite every year and get it at a tremendously discounted rate. This year we got some show tickets for free. Every year we return, they are willing to do more because they want the repeat business.”

Another plus of meeting in Las Vegas is higher attendance. “We probably added a good 25 percent to attendance after we started meeting in Las Vegas,” says the planner. “People tend to bring their spouses more and turn it into a vacation. They also tend to stay on afterwards and some people come up to a week early.”

New and Noteworthy

Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino is redesigning more than 3,000 guest rooms and suites as part of the final phase of its resort-wide renovation. The rooms will feature modern furnishings, and new colors and designs. Plans call for the $100 million remodeling to be completed by spring 2016. Mandalay Bay recently opened the 350,000-sf expansion of its convention center, bringing total space to 2 million sf. The second and final phase of the convention center’s expansion will transition existing space into a 70,000-sf ballroom.

This year, the final phase of the multi-year renovation of The Venetian and The Palazzo Congress Center and Sands Expo was completed. Recent improvements at Sands Expo included a new $6 million 12,000-sf kitchen designed to provide higher quality food for trade show attendees, support show growth, and increase energy efficiency by 35 percent. This is in addition to the recent total remodel and redesign of all lobbies and common spaces; construction of a 60-foot central atrium with a 30,000-sf, 3-D articulated ceiling; reconstruction of meeting rooms and business center; renovation of the building facade and porte cochere; and upgrades to the exhibition halls. Also, attendees will find upgrades to the technology and Wi-Fi infrastructure throughout the resort and convention center.

Encore and the Encore Tower Suites at Wynn Las Vegas will complete a design refresh by this fall. The project includes additional amenities such as 55-inch 4K TVs, convenient USB ports, and outlets for mobile phones and tablets.

The Mob Museum introduced a new display that explores the alleged corruption of the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the world’s governing organization for soccer. The display, entitled “The ‘Beautiful Game’ Turns Ugly,” features photos, media clippings and cover stories about FIFA’s alleged corruption. The exhibition comes after U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch charged FIFA officials with taking bribes and kickbacks.

Aria Resort & Casino recently introduced Sky Pool, an upscale pool offering personalized service, including complimentary refreshments, a private guest entrance and 125 single and 15 double chaise lounge chairs.

The Delano opened its new Delano Beach Club, a South Beach-inspired outdoor venue with a luxurious pool and 16 private cabanas. The entire venue is available for evening group rentals.

The New Tropicana Las Vegas – a DoubleTree by Hilton introduced new Wi-Fi service that offers one of the fastest Internet services available in a Las Vegas property. The property also expanded its Trinidad Pavilion, increasing the resort’s total convention and meeting space to 100,000 sf.

South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa opened a new 60-lane, state-of-the-art tournament bowling and event center. As part of a partnership between the United States Bowling Congress and the LVCVA, the venue will host 122 days of professional bowling tournaments through 2017.

The Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas introduced The Gallery, a loft-style meeting venue that offers 1,900 sf of space accommodating up to 200 guests for a reception and 80 people for a seated dinner.

The new Lavo Casino Club is a modern gaming experience fusing blackjack table games with Vegas-style VIP bottle service, mixology and Italian cuisine. The new concept will launch in partnership with The Palazzo Las Vegas in September. The Lavo Casino Club will create a new type of nightlife and gaming experience where guests can enjoy a deejay and dancing, along with amenities not offered in typical nightclubs or on the casino floor, such as classic premium cocktails served directly to the gaming table from a butler’s cart; an opportunity to order from Lavo’s award-winning Italian menu; and featured sporting events, including college and NFL football games on the flat-screen TVs.

Red Rock Resort’s Race and Sports Book announced new cutting-edge video displays — just in time for football season. The 2.5MM Nanoslim Engage LED displays are the largest of their kind ever installed in North America, and take the viewing experience to an unparalleled level with a sharpness and clarity that brings all the action on the screen to life. The new displays, measuring 17 feet tall by 31.5 feet wide each, which totals nearly 32 yards of wall-to-wall race and sports book action, replace projector screen technology. The screens showcase 4K video content for viewing in ultra high definition, which is the most sophisticated and best viewing technology currently available.

Big Projects

Genting Group recently broke ground on Resorts World Las Vegas, a new $4 billion, Chinese-themed resort on the site of the former Stardust Hotel. The property will include three hotels with more than 3,500 rooms; more than 100,000 sf of gaming space; several retail outlets; and an outdoor amphitheater. Genting Group, which operates casino resorts worldwide, plans to open Resorts World in 2018.

Caesars Entertainment has completed its Linq Complex with the opening of The Linq Hotel & Casino after renovating all 2,253 guest rooms and adding two loft-style penthouses and 25 poolside guest rooms. The Linq Hotel also added an automated valet retrieval system, an automated check-in process and a new lobby bar. The Linq complex also includes the Linq Promenade and High Roller observation wheel.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority plans to build the Las Vegas Global Business District. Once completed, the district will host the largest exhibition and meeting space in North America and is within a short distance of more than 150,000 guest rooms and just minutes from the world-famous Las Vegas Strip. The project will add 100,000 sf of general session space and 100,000 sf of meeting space to the Las Vegas Convention Center.

MGM Resorts International plans to build a 5,000-seat theater at Monte Carlo Resort and Casino. The new theater will anchor the burgeoning entertainment district on the west Las Vegas Strip and feature special appearances by top music performers. The theater will be adjacent to the new Las Vegas Arena that MGM and AEG are developing on Las Vegas Boulevard. The Arena is expected to open in April 2016, while the theater opening is planned for the end of 2016.

Speedvegas was recently given approval to transform 100 acres of South Las Vegas Boulevard into the destination’s newest, adrenaline-inducing supercar experience. The Speedvegas experience will feature a welcome center, event center and supercar course. Located just 10 minutes from the world-famous “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign, Speedvegas is scheduled to open in January 2016.

Dining News

Las Vegas keeps them coming back to sample new dining options such as the following:

Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino recently opened Edge Steakhouse, a fine-dining restaurant with a new twist on the traditional steak house concept. Award-winning chef Nick Lees and his staff blend traditional American steak house dishes with creative entrees, specialty appetizers and innovative side dishes.

Aria will debut its own version of New York City’s critically acclaimed Carbone restaurant, a finalist for the 2014 James Beard Award for “Best New Restaurant.” The Italian-American restaurant serves classic dishes from the mid-20th century such as Fra Diavolo and Chicken Scarpariello.

Red Rock Resort will introduce Salute, an authentic Italian-inspired restaurant that will feature traditional Italian dishes. Internationally known chef Luciano Sautto, a native of Naples, Italy, will offer cuisine passed down through Italian generations and focus on freshness.

Delano Las Vegas will introduce Rivea, a restaurant featuring casually elegant but simple Mediterranean cuisine from the French Riviera and Italian Riviera. A 50-seat dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows will offer views of The Strip.

Therapy Las Vegas recently opened in the Fremont East Entertainment District of downtown Las Vegas. Therapy combines the best elements of downtown dining and imbibing into one destination complete with an American gastro-style menu by executive chef Daniel Ontiveros and a full bar program with more than 40 craft beers and signature drinks.

Anchor Bar, the iconic Buffalo, New York, institution opened its first West Coast outpost in the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian. Inventors of The Original Buffalo Wing, Anchor Bar boasts creating the prized recipe that started a nationwide sensation. Anchor Bar Las Vegas will serve the classic wings in mild, medium, hot, spicy hot barbecue along with the signature celery sticks and blue cheese dressing.

Although Las Vegas is the gaming capital of the United States, it is as close to a sure thing as planners can get when it comes to meetings and incentives. Planners are perpetually pleased with increased attendance and post-meeting surveys of groups meeting in Las Vegas. That is very unlikely to change, and that is why groups keep coming back year after year.  C&IT

Laura Stack is America’s Premier Expert in Productivity. For 22 years, her keynotes and seminars have helped leaders, teams and employees execute efficiently, improve output and build high-performance cultures. Laura is the president of The Productivity Pro Inc., a training company helping professionals achieve Maximum Results in Minimum Time. She’s the author of six books from major publishers, most recently, Execution IS the Strategy. To invite Laura to speak at your next event, visit www.TheProductivityPro.com. © 2015 Laura Stack.

Few things kill productivity faster than toxic team members — workers so awful they poison the workplace environment. You can work around or repair a lack of resources, poor training, terrible leadership, an uncertain future, shoddy work processes, even micromanaging; however, toxic workers destroy from the inside out. Like a cancer, their dissatisfaction and distrust eventually metastasize to others, leading to a sick team that nothing short of radical surgery can save. A bad attitude is contagious and spreads quickly.

How to Identify Them

Unfortunately, team-wreckers aren’t always obvious. Gossips, saboteurs and unhappy loudmouths usually make themselves known quickly, so leadership can deal with them directly before things go too far. But the disengaged — those who don’t care about their jobs — clog up the workflow process because they miss deadlines, miss work often, arrive late and refuse to pitch in during crunch periods. I call them Toxics. Toxic team members can cause cracks in the foundation of the team work ethic. If not repaired, the cracks can spread, until the whole structure teeters on the brink of collapse. After all, if Bob the Toxic doesn’t care about his job, or Andrea the Toxic regularly takes two-hour lunches, why should anyone else try so hard or take their work seriously? You can try to just ignore their behavior and continue to do a great job and not let them rub off on you. But what if their poor performance impacts your work?

“Believe me, the short-term pain of confrontation is worth the long-term peace and sanity.”

Leaders should catch and correct toxic behavior. But at least for a while, you may find yourself stuck with a “Quiet Toxic” you can’t get rid of. Possibly your manager just doesn’t notice the problem. Could be the Quiet Toxic is related to the owner, belongs to a powerful family or union, or the manager is a friend. Possibly, your team simply feels it should police itself before turning to higher authority for help. In such cases, team members can confront the toxic team member themselves.

Clearing the Air

Are you the only one who has a problem with The Toxic? Has anyone else mentioned frustration? Have several people called out The Toxic in a recent staff meeting? If not, it might be you. Could you change your attitude and see what happens?

But if you know you’re not the only one, you can’t be afraid to step up because you think you might anger The Toxic. Many people don’t say anything, because they are worried about rocking the boat or causing trouble. Believe me, the short-term pain of confrontation is worth the long-term peace and sanity.

Take The Toxic to Lunch

Invite The Toxic to lunch and discuss the situation. Make it clear things have to change if you continue to work together, or you’ll never get anything worthwhile accomplished.

Meet in a public venue to limit the likelihood of them causing a scene,and keep your voice low and reasonable as you explain the problem. Ask why they feel dissatisfied, and offer to help if you can. The Toxic may not realize their disengagement has damaged the team. Once you bring it up, The Toxic may promise to shape up and engage with the rest of the team. On the other hand, you might be told in no uncertain terms to buzz off. Well, at least you tried.

The next level of escalation involves a meeting with other members of your team who are having problems with The Toxic — again, ideally offsite, just in case the person goes off on a rant. Think of it as an intervention, like family members might perform with an addict or someone with dangerous depression. If the entire team goes in determined to help, you may just pull off a miracle, and you may get agreement.

Final Options

If that doesn’t work, volunteer to serve as a spokesman to your manager and/or HR and take it to the next level. What if you discover at this point The Toxic is untouchable? If that’s the case, work around the person. Discuss ways to limit the damage with your other team members and take care of things yourselves. You can still get your work done — perhaps not as efficiently as before — but better than not. (Basically, you’ll be like a lame horse in a thoroughbred race, doomed to straggle in at the back of the pack, but hey, you’ll finish.) Hopefully, The Toxic will get the point and notice he/she is being left out.

Ultimately, however, I believe it’s always less painful and faster to lance a boil rather than let it fester, so to speak. You can simply refuse to work with The Toxic. Be aware that this last resort can backfire, depending on the toxic person’s untouchability. But if The Toxic is so unbearably awful, leaving the team might prove beneficial to you.

Have you ever had a Toxic on your team and how did you handle it? If you have a workable secret without betraying confidences, we would love to hear it. Contact us at www.TheProductivityPro.com. C&IT