SlideShare ist ein Scribd-Unternehmen logo
1 von 27
Downloaden Sie, um offline zu lesen
TRANSPORTATION                                          TECHNOLOGY                                     INCENTIVE REPORT
                              Time for high-speed rail?                   p. 22       ‘Fast’scheduling software             p. 24    Escaping NYC—while in NYC           p. 32      CHEF TALK

                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Bringing



                                   MeetingNews
                                                                                                                                                                                                             Justice to F&B:
                                                                                                                                                                                                             William Justus
                                                                                                                                                                                                             makes his mark
                                                                                                                                                                                                               at Callaway
                                                                                                                                                                                                                Gardens.
                                     w w w. M e e t i n g N e w s . c o m                                                             S e p t e m b e r 22, 2008
                                                                                                                                                  July 16, 2007                                                   page 8




                             Thy Neighbor’s Planner                                                                                                 Hotels & Resorts
                                                                                                                                                  GAYLORD ENTERTAINMENT
                                                                                                                                                                                              International

                                                                                                                                                                                        COPENHAGEN BLENDS
                             Do meeting planners make it easy for                                                                                 LOOKS TO RAISE IN ARIZONA             OLD WORLD FLAIR & NEW
                             attendees to celebrate their various beliefs?                                                                        Land purchase in Mesa paves           Danish capital has plenty of
                                                                                                                                                  way for development of a resort       modern or renaissance options
                                              MeetingNews                                                 By Terri Hardin                         and convention hotel.                 for incentives and meetings.
                                           ExclusiveResearch                                              and Rayna Katz                                               see page 12                           see page 20
                                                                                                          If you ask meeting planners (as we
                              How often have you scheduled meetings                                       did) if they have ever scheduled
                                                                                                          meetings over a religious or signif-    DISNEYLAND MAKES IT
                              over a religious or secular holiday?
                                                                                                                                                  EASIER FOR CUSTOMERS
                                                                                                                                                                                         Destination Insider
                                                                                                          icant secular holiday, the majority
                                 Total Planners                                                           would say “never.” But does that        California theme park adds            SAN FRANCISCO
                                                                                                          really mean never? Or does it           Passkey online reservations for
                                                Occasionally      Never                                                                                                                 Bently Reserve Conference
                                                  27.2%           67.0%                                   mean “never—if I can help it”?          planners and attendees.               Center, Cavallo Point Lodge, &
                                                5.2%                                                         More than 300 of our readers                              see page 12
                                    Sometimes                                                                                                                                           Villa Florence feature high-tech,
                                                                                                          weighed in on this topic, which—
                                                                                                                                                                                        green elements; new museum
                                  Frequently 0.6%                                 Sometimes
                                                                                                          as America seeks consensus with-        Convention Centers                    funded by Gap clothing creator
                                                                                  3.6%                    in diversity—is more important
                                                                                                                                                                                        can’t find a home.
                                                                                                          than ever.                              GEORGIA INT’L CENTER:
                                                       Corporate                                                                                                                                             see page 28
                                                       Planners                                              Two-thirds of all planners (67%)     HQ HOTEL IS A MARRIOTT
                                                                                   Occasionally
                                                                                     25.9%                responding to MeetingNews said
                                                                                                                                                  Marriott, plus a SpringHill Suites,   NEW ENGLAND
                                                                          Never                           they have never scheduled a meet-
                                                                          70.5%                                                                   will give five-year-old venue
                                                                                                          ing over a religious or secular holi-                                         Skybridge between Dunkin’
                                                                                                                                                  on-site accommodations.
                                                                                                          day, with corporate planners and                                              Donuts Center and Rhode
                                                                                                                                                                       see page 16
                                                                                                          planners aged 51 or more being                                                Island Convention Center links
                                   Association
                                   Planners                             0.8% Frequently                   slightly more vehement (71%).                                                 Providence to citywide market;
                                                                     6.2% Sometimes                       Meanwhile, 27 percent of all plan-      BOSTON’S HYNES CENTER                 upscale Stowe Mountain Lodge
                                                 Never
                                                 63.3%                                                    ners said they have “occasionally”      GETS OK FOR F&B UPDATE                is anything but rustic .
                                                               Occasionally                               scheduled a meeting over a reli-                                                                  see page 34
                                                                 29.7%                                                                            Construction on two new
                                                                                                          gious or secular holiday, of which
                                                                                                                                                  restaurant areas has begun.
                                                                                                          the largest subgroup, 42 percent,                                             BERMUDA
                                                                                                                                                                       see page 16
                                                                                                          was twentysomething planners.
                                                                                                             The vast majority of meeting                                               Island officials cite U.S. double-
                              Source: 345 of MeetingNews survey respondents
                                                                                                                         continued on page 26
                                                                                                                                                              CVBs                      whammy of a slogged economy
                                                                                                                                                                                        and an election year as reason
                                                                                                                                                  TAMPA BAY & COMPANY
                                                                                                                                                                                        for meetings slide, but its two
                                                                                                                                                  EYES 2009 OFF-SEASON
                             Active Hurricane Season Clouds Destinations                                                                          Bureau wants to muscle up on
                                                                                                                                                                                        Fairmont resorts are doing well.
                                                                                                                                                                                                             see page 38
                                                                                                                                                  June-through-August bookings.
                             By Corrie Dosh                                                       onslaught, and the city was largely spared a
                                                                                                                                                                       see page 19
                             Three years and three days after Hurricane                           repeat of the Katrina disaster. Virtually no
                             Katrina overcame the levees of New                                   disruption to the city’s meetings calendar is
                             Orleans, causing billions in damage and                              expected, and area hotels, the
Volume 32/Number 16/$10.00




                             more than 1,800 deaths, Hurricane Gustav                             convention center, and the
                             barreled into the Big Easy as a fearsome                             Superdome emerged with just
                             Category 3 storm on Sept. 1. The city                                minor damage, said the New
                             implemented its new-and-improved disas-                              Orleans Metropolitan Con-
                             ter plan, and 1.9 million people fled in                             vention and Visitors Bureau.
                             anticipation of what Mayor Ray Nagin                                    The evacuation “went
                             called “the mother of all storms,” in the                            exceptionally well and almost
                             largest such evacuation in U.S. history.                             flawlessly followed the emer-
                                Thankfully, rebuilt levees withstood the                                   continued on page 40
INSIDE THE INDUSTRY                                TRANSPORTATION & SVCS                        FIRE AT FOXWOODS
                               PCMA out on an eco-drive p. 10                     GEP raises risk management p. 19             Three hotel floors shuttered        p. 40     NEWSMAKER
                                                                                                                                                                                                       Benchmark
                                                                                                                                                                                                       Hospitality’s



                                      MeetingNews
                                                                                                                                                                                                      Burt Cabanas
                                                                                                                                                                                                      recognized as
                                                                                                                                                                                                        influential
                                                                                                                                                                                                         Hispanic
                                                                                                                                                                                                     business leader
                                          w w w. M e e t i n g N e w s . c o m                                                       February 11, 2008
                                                                                                                                          July 16, 2007                                                   page 12




                     Inferno Chases Attendees                                                                                       Hotels/Resorts                                International

                     From Monte Carlo Resort                                                                                      FAIRMONT TO LOWER
                                                                                                                                  CARBON FOOTPRINT
                                                                                                                                  Teams with WWF to lay smackdown
                                                                                                                                                                           GERMANY SHOWS ITS
                                                                                                                                                                           DEDICATION TO GROUPS
                                                                                                                                                                           More than 50 new meetings hotels
                     By Robert Carey                                              chief building inspector said on Jan. 26.       on emissions through sustainable         will debut in the nation by 2011.
                     Las Vegas—On Jan. 25, the 3,213-room                            The resort’s facade is made of a foam        energy and conservation moves.                                   see page 21
                     Monte Carlo Resort & Casino caught                           material that “melted off the side of the                                see page 13
                     fire on its facade from floors 27 to 32,                     building and started a few fires below,”
                     sending one group that was on property                       according to Clark County Fire Chief
                                                                                                                                                                           LIVERPOOL CC OPENS
                     scrambling from its meeting room and                         Steve Smith. The foam is highly flamma-         MARRIOTT, SCHRAEGER                      WITH A ROCKING SHOW
                     shutting down part of the Strip.                             ble, requiring an outer coating such as         UNVEIL BOUTIQUE NAME                     Ringo Starr-led act breaks in the
                        According to Monte Carlo’s website,                       stucco to prevent it from burning. Sev-         First edition of “Edition”-brand         brand-new Arena and Convention
                     all individual and group/meeting reser-                      eral other resorts in Las Vegas use sheets      hotel is set for Paris; Miami, DC,       Centre Liverpool.       see page 22
                     vations through Feb. 6 were to have been                     or blocks of the dense foam to give the         and Los Angeles to follow.
                     honored at parent firm MGM Mirage’s                          appearance of heavier stone and brick.                                   see page 13
                     other nine Las Vegas properties. The                            Thirteen people were treated for                                                      Destination Insider
                     burned facade along Monte Carlo’s roof                       smoke inhalation, but the fire caused no        MEETINGS AT KIMPTON
                     must be removed or secured before the                        major injuries. Gordon Absher, an               EQUAL A GOOD CAUSE                       ISLAND INCENTIVES
                     property can reopen, the Clark County                                           continued on page 40                                                  Atlantis in Bahamas, Sandals all-
                                                                                                                                  “Great Meetings, Great Causes”
                                                                                                                                  program lets planners choose from        inclusive resorts, and Westin in the
                                     MeetingNews
                                  Exclusive Research
                                                                                  BCEC Swipes Away                                five green rewards.     see page 13      Dominican Republic make moves.
                                                                                                                                                                                                   see page 30

                                                                                  Convention from
                            On average, per-night hotel room costs
                            are projected to rise in 2008. Have you
                                                                                  Ailing Javits Center                                       CVBs                          MEMPHIS
                            noticed or experienced this?                                                                                                                   New boutique hotel pays homage
                             Corporate                                            By Sari Krieger
                                                                                                                                  PORTLAND PUTS ITS                        to city; Hilton is getting $8M
                             Planners
                                                                                  New York—The American Federation
                                                                                                                                  BEST FOOT FORWARD                        spruce-up.                see page 32
                                    Yes                                                                                           Hires a branding agency to make over
                                               55.1%                              of State, County, and Municipal
                                                                                  Employees union recently announced it           its website; other changes to be         ATLANTA
                                                        38.2%          Not yet,   will hold its 39th international conven-        unveiled later this year. see page 18
                                            6.6%                  but I expect                                                                                             Boutiques are diversifying city’s
                                                                    to in 2008    tion at the Boston Convention & Exhi-                                                    hotel inventory; Coke museum
                                          No
                                                                                  bition Center in summer 2010, pulling           BERMUDA’S NEW HIRE                       welcomes meetings.      see page 34
                                                                                  the event from the Jacob K. Javits Con-         DRAWS CONTROVERSY
                              Association                                         vention Center on Manhattan’s West
                              Planners                                                                                            Tourism department staffers pan          NEW MEXICO
                                                                        Yes       Side. The group moved the biannual
                                                          56.2%                                                                   new acting head for North America,
                                           No 29.8%
                                                                                  event after the Javits’ initial, ambitious                                               Albuquerque’s famed La Posada
                                                                                                                                  who was handpicked by nation’s
                                                                                  expansion plan fell through.                                                             hotel is set to reopen after two
                                                                                                                                  tourism minister.      see page 18
                                                       14.0%                          “Obviously, with the expansion not                                                   years in the dust.        see page 37
                                   Not yet, but I
                                                                                  moving ahead as planned, there is going
                               expect to in 2008                                  to be some lost business coming out of
                             Source: MeetingNews survey of 257                    it,” admitted Chris Heywood, director
Volume 32/Number 3/$10.00




                             meeting planners                                     of tourism public relations for NYC &
                                                                                  Company, New York City’s convention
                              The Rising Tide                                     and visitors authority.“That’s an unfor-
                              By William Ng                                       tunate circumstance, but that’s now a
                              Planners are already dealing                        reality.”
                              with higher hotel room costs                            The original Javits expansion plan
                              predicted for this year. What                       called for doubling the convention cen-
                              budget-type moves are they                          ter’s space by 2010, but state officials
                              making to cope? see page 25                                            continued on page 41
INTERNATIONAL                                           GREEN BEAT                                 REGIONAL REPORT
                              Not deterred by Mumbai                          p. 21   The great compost giveaway         p. 22   Happenings in the East              p. 29     NEWSMAKER
                                                                                                                                                                                                         SmithBucklin
                                                                                                                                                                                                         executive VP



                                   MeetingNews
                                    w w w. M e e t i n g N e w s . c o m                                                               J a n uJuly 5, 2009
                                                                                                                                              a r y 16, 2007
                                                                                                                                                                                                        Michael Payne
                                                                                                                                                                                                        will helm PCMA
                                                                                                                                                                                                          Foundation.
                                                                                                                                                                                                              page 8




                                                                                                                                              Hotels & Resorts                      Destination Insider

                                                                                                                                            Q&A: BEAU RIVAGE IS BACK               LOS ANGELES
                                                                                                                                            TO ITS PRE-KATRINA FORM                New venues join Nokia Theatre
                                                                                  Education/       Extens
                                                                                                                                            Director of sales and marketing        at the City of Angels’ $2.5 billion
                                                                                   training       experie ive                               for the Gulf Coast casino resort is
                                                                 rd                                                                                                                L.A. Live destination complex;
                                                              oa                                  knowle nce/
                                                           t/b ings                                      dge                                bullish despite economic climate.      Long Beach freshens downtown
                                                         m t
                                                       Mg ee
                                                         m                                                     Just                                                see page 12     with series of light displays and
                                                                                         nal                 learning
                                                                                   natio
                                                                              Inter etings                      the                                                                upgrades to convention complex.
                                                                                me                                   s
                                                                                                             busines                                                                                    see page 26
                                                                                                                                            GAYLORD NIXES PROJECT
                                                 Time spent gs




                                                                                                                                            IN SAN DIEGO FOR GOOD
                                                                                                             eetings
                                                          tin




                                                                                         ows/         Sales m
                                                                                 Trade sh ons                                                                                      MEMPHIS
                                              planning mee




                                                                                                                                            Upon second attempt, company
                                                                                  conventi
                                                                 Inc




                                                                                                                                            gives up on Chula Vista hotel/         A leading bioscience hub, the
                                                                    ent




                                                                                                                                            convention complex.                    city attracts scores of research
                                                                       ive




                                                                                                                                                                   see page 13     and association events; the
                                                                          s




                                                                                                                                                                                   famous Peabody ducks still
                                                                                                                                                                                   swim in success.
                                                                                                                                                                                                        see page 34
                                                                                                                                                         CVBs
                            Martin Akel & Assoc.,                                                                                                                                     Incentive Report
                            with tabulations by                                                                                             DATA HELPS VISIT FLORIDA               FLORIDA
                            Wilson Research                                                                                                 HONE ITS GLOBAL TARGETS
                            Group, conducted a                                                                                                                                     In post-AIG climate, planners
                                                                                                                                            The tourism agency uses Visa’s         say the Sunshine State has
                            poll of more than
                                                                                                                                            impersonal billing tracking to         programs with the right image
                            1,300 meeting
                                                                                                                                            decipher where visitors are from       and price; South Beach has new
                            planners.
                                                                                                                                            and how they spend their money.        properties looking for winners;
                                                                                                                                                                   see page 16     Orlando spas use exotica and
                                    Planners Putting In the Time                                                                                                                   more to woo more women, as
                                                                                                                                                                                   well as men.
                            By Irene Korn                                                      on its most ambitious survey to date,        Convention Centers                                          see page 36
                            What creates a planner? Is it a vocation, a                        polling more than 1,300 meeting planners
                            skill, or just an accident of employment?                          to uncover the origins—and destiny—of        DALLAS PICKS OMNI TO BE                     Insider Report
                              MeetingNews discovered that it is all these                      the planning impulse.                        ANCHOR HOTEL OPERATOR
                                                                                                                                            Fending off a political action         GOLF
                            and more. In conjunction with sister publi-                          The survey, conducted in 2008 by Martin
                                                                                                                                            group against the hotel, the city is   A stronger U.S. dollar lifts
                            cation Successful Meetings, MN embarked                                                  continued on page 24   working out a final operating          overseas programs, especially in
                                                                                                                                            agreement.                             perennial-favorite Scotland.
                                                                                                                                                                  see page 17                           see page 44

                            Mumbai Train Attack: Can It Happen Here?
                            By Gretchen Kelly                                                  paredness in Mumbai, is the
Volume 33/Number 1/$10.00




                            As authorities and pundits debate a new                            nation’s passenger rail system
                            paradigm of terrorism after the three-day                          ready for an attack similar to
                            siege of Mumbai in November, security                              the one that struck a Mumbai
                            measures here in the U.S. at so-called soft                        train station, which was over-
                            targets, namely train stations, are being                          taken by highly trained, armed
                            ramped up.                                                         militants? Amtrak spokesper-
                               But in the wake of disclosures of unpre-                                 continued on page 20
INSIDE THE INDUSTRY                          TECHNOLOGY                                GREEN BEAT
                               AIBTM has early effects p. 4                 Pushing telepresence further p. 21        Florida’s Green Lodging               p. 24      NEWSMAKER
                                                                                                                                                                                                 Stephanie
                                                                                                                                                                                                  Linnartz,



                                    MeetingNews
                                                                                                                                                                                               Marriott’s new
                                                                                                                                                                                                VP of global
                                                                                                                                                                                                sales, stays
                                                                                                                                                                                                 true to her
                                                                                                                                                                                               industry roots.
                                     w w w. M e e t i n g N e w s . c o m                                               N o v e m bJuly 16, 2007
                                                                                                                                   e r 10, 2008                                                     page 5



                                                                                                                                       Hotels & Resorts                          International
                             Green & Social Responsibility:                                                                          STARWOOD HOPES E-PORTAL               JAMAICA’S ROSE HALL AREA
                             The Year that Was in Meetings                                                                           IS SMALL MEETINGS UTOPIA
                                                                                                                                     Hotelier makes its southern U.S.
                                                                                                                                                                           BLOSSOMS WITH RESORTS
                                                                                                                                                                           Iberostar plus a new challenger
                                                                                                                                     properties’ small meetings rooms      to Ritz-Carlton are opening
                             By Terri Hardin                                     tives—as well as co-locating (holding sim-          available on Worktopia website.       properties in the enclave.
                             There’s buzz in the industry about incorpo-         ilar meetings simultaneously in one                                        see page 8                         see page 18
                             rating social responsibility and green initia-      venue)—into events. But are these trends
                                                                                 driving meetings, or are we paying lip serv-
                                                                                                                                     INTERCONTINENTAL O’HARE               EIBTM PUTS TOGETHER
                             MeetingNews ExclusiveResearch                       ice (and printing ink) to fads that aren’t sig-
                                                                                                                                     PUTS ART AT FOREFRONT                 AN AMBITIOUS PROGRAM
                                                                                            nificantly impacting business?
                                Total                                                      MeetingNews heard from 502 cor-                                                 Organizer says next month’s
                                Planners                                                                                             Art-centered activities can be
                                                                                          porate, association, and independ-         incorporated into group events.       show will have a wide mix
                                                                1 to 24%               ent meeting planners, who weighed in                               see page 10      covering industry forces, career
                                                                 43.0%                                                                                                     strategies, technology, ROI,
                                                                                     on these subjects. The result?
                                                                                          When asked, for example, if they                                                 green meetings, and more.
                                                                                        incorporated charity initiatives into this                                                            see page 18
                                  None
                                 29.5%
                                                                                          year’s meeting programs, only 5 per-       Convention Centers                     Destination Insider
                                                                                           cent of all responding planners said
                                                                                            they had done so for up to 100 per-      DALLAS AND PHILADELPHIA               FORT LAUDERDALE
                                                                                            cent of their programming in 2008,       MOVE ON THEIR PROJECTS
                                                75 to                                       while 51 percent of all planners said                                          City is loading up on luxury
                                                100%              25 to                                                              Dallas is finalizing the operator
                                                                  49%                      they had not done so—although the                                               properties.          see page 28
                                                        50 to                                                                        for its new convention hotel, while
                                                                                          number was lower (40%) for inde-
                                         8.6%           74%         11.7%                                                            Philly draws closer to bed tax hike
                                                                                         pendent planners. Only one-third of all                                           CLEVELAND
                                                        7.2%                                                                         to fund its building expansion.
                                                                                         planners said they had incorporated                                               Plan for the new convention
                                                                                                                                                          see page 12
                                                                                           charity into their programs up to 24                                            center has two site proposals.
                                                                                             percent of the time.                                                                             see page 30
                                                                                                Of those incorporating charity
                                                                                 initiatives, the most popular initiatives imple-                CVBs                         Incentive Report
                             What percentage of your meeting                     mented were related to health and education
                             programs this year incorporated                     (both 43%). For the participants, health-relat-     JACKSONVILLE MARKETS TO               MEXICO
                             green elements?                                                                                         MEDICAL, CULTURAL GROUPS
                                                                                 ed charity initiatives created the most positive                                          Acapulco’s Mundo Imperial
                             Source: 349 of MeetingNews survey respondents       experiences                continued on page 22     Bureau dubs the city “America’s
                                                                                                                                                                           complex debuts; planners straw
                                                                                                                                     Health Center” and launches
                                                                                                                                                                           poll shows Cancun and Cabo
                                                                                                                                     microsites with medical and
                                                                                                                                                                           are top destinations.
                             Incentive Special: Recovering from AIG                                                                  cultural group collateral.
                                                                                                                                                          see page 16
                                                                                                                                                                                               see page 32


                             Mitigating the bad publicity from the insurer’s
                             ill-timed incentive trip will take time and effort
Volume 32/Number 19/$10.00




                             By Leo Jakobson                                     grilled by the House Oversight
                             There may be a way to obtain worse public-          and Government Reform
                             ity for your company than treating a group          Committee, Saturday Night
                             to a lavish, half-million-dollar resort bash        Live, and every editorial page
                             just days after accepting $85 billion worth of      in the country for running a
                             taxpayer money to avoid bankruptcy, but it’s        $443,000 program at the St.
                             hard to imagine one.                                Regis Resort, Monarch Beach
                                Certainly the ex-leaders of insurer Amer-        in Dana Point, CA, from Sept.
                             ican International Group (AIG), who were                      continued on page 38
TRANSPORTATION                                       TECHNOLOGY                               GREEN BEAT
                             Talon Air digs into market                p. 26      Hotel Wi-Fi is big in the U.S.   p. 27   DNC will run on beer power         p.29        CHEF TALK
                                                                                                                                                                                                 Going for Gold:
                                                                                                                                                                                               Jennifer McCrary



                                   MeetingNews
                                     w w w. M e e t i n g N e w s . c o m                                                            August 11, 2008
                                                                                                                                        July 16, 2007
                                                                                                                                                                                                 is in charge of
                                                                                                                                                                                                the main dining
                                                                                                                                                                                                    hall at the
                                                                                                                                                                                               Beijing Olympics.
                                                                                                                                                                                                     page 12




                      Progress Over Protest                                                                                              Hotels & Resorts
                                                                                                                                       HIGH-END MEETINGS
                                                                                                                                                                                  International

                                                                                                                                                                            LATIN AMERICA BECKONS
                      MPI is forging ahead with meetings in overseas                                                                   FULL OF CONSCIENCE                   AS DOLLAR COUNTS DOWN
                      destinations that raise human rights questions                                                                   Both Fairmont and Ritz-Carlton       Central America and South
                                                                                                                                       introduce social responsibility      America emerge as go-to locales
                      By Rayna Katz                                                            Some members also are                   programs for groups.                 where buck goes farther.
                      Meeting Professionals Inter-                                          unhappy over an upcoming

                                                                       “                                                                                    see page 20                         see page 28
                      national is planning to move          I was taken into foray by MPI into South
                      forward with upcoming pro-            custody for 48                  Africa for hospitality train-                                                    Southern Meetings
                      grams in the Middle East and                                          ing, because the country’s                 ST. REGIS PULLS OUT;
                      South Africa.                         hours in Qatar                  president allegedly supports               RITZ-CARLTON STEPS IN                A TASTE OF HOLLYWOOD
                         There are, however, rising      because I have a Robert Mugabe, President of                                  Year-old property in Fort Laud-      From Louisiana to Florida,
                                                                                                                                                                            meetings at movie sites make
                      concerns from members                                                 Zimbabwe, who is known to
                                                      Jewish last name.                                                                erdale has its flag switched after
                      over perceptions of unfair
                      treatment of certain minori-
                      ty groups in those spots.
                                                               James Mendelsohn,
                                                             travel director, Chicago.         ”
                                                                                            deploy terror tactics.
                                                                                               But an MPI official said
                                                                                            there are chasms between
                                                                                                                                       Starwood contract dispute.
                                                                                                                                                            see page 21
                                                                                                                                                                            attendees feel like A-listers.
                                                                                                                                                                                                see page 32


                         At issue in the Mideast region is the               perception and reality.                                                                        NATURE HAS THEIR BACKS
                                                                                                                                        Convention Centers
                      alleged treatment of women as well as gov-                “I have not been able to reconcile peo-                                                     Venues by the lake offer natural
                      ernment stances on Judaism and Israel.                                         continued on page 66              SHREVEPORT’S OIL RUSH                beauty and ‘getaway’ meetings.
                                                                                                                                                                                                see page 35
                                                                                                                                       Energy firms setting up shop
                                                                                                                                       means bonanza of meetings.
                                         MeetingNews
                                      ExclusiveResearch
                                                                                       Reeling Regionals?                                                   see page 22      Destination Insider
                                                                                                                                                                            BOSTON
                             Do you see yourself as a planner…?                        Gas cards, free parking, hot                    OTTAWA SAYS GOODBYE
                                                                                                                                                                            Beantown remains hopping on
                                                                                                                                       Old convention center will be
                                                In Five Years’ Time                    dates are intended to add                       torn down for a new one in 2011.
                                                                                                                                                                            both regional and international
                                                                                                                                                                            fronts.             see page 63
                                     Age: <30                  Age: 31-40
                                                                                       value to drive-to meetings                                           see page 22
                                           Yes                     Yes                                                                                                      DALLAS-FORT WORTH
                                          75.9%                   78.3%                By Corrie Dosh                                              CVBs                     Irving Convention Center goes
                                                                                       Anticipating a drop in drive-to meetings
                                        No                          No                 demand due to high fuel prices, many                                                 after high-end groups starting
                                      24.1%                       21.7%                                                                ORLEANS CHANGES MULLED               in 2010.           see page 64
                                                                                       hotels and venues have begun to offer
                                                                                       incentives such as gas cards and free park-     NOCVB reportedly wants to
                                                                                       ing to attract regional business.               unify city’s marketing agencies.
                                                  In 10 Years’ Time                                                                                                         Meeting Planners Handbook
                                                                                          Starwood Hotels & Resorts last month                              see page 24
                                           Yes                         Yes
                                          58.6%                       57.3%            announced it will offer $25 gas credits and
                                                                                       reduced rates through Sept. 30 at more          ORLANDO’S SKY HOOK                   REAL LIFE LESSONS
                                    No                          No                     than 100 properties in the Mid-Atlantic,        Bureau stamps its new slogan on      By and for our readers.
                                  41.4%                       42.7%                                                                    AirTran plane.     see page 25                     starts on page 37
                                                                                       Northeast, and Southeast regions. The offer
                                                                                       is good for Thursday through Sunday stays
                                    Age: <30                    Age: 31-40
                                                                                       and requires a two-night min-
Volume 32/Number 14/$10.00




                             Source: MeetingNews survey of 273 meeting planners        imum stay. Conference center
                                                                                       chain Benchmark Hospitality
                             Planning The Future                                       International is offering a
                                                                                       complete meeting package at
                                                                                       the Chattanoogan Hotel in
                              Most planners envision them-
                                                                                       Chattanooga, TN, with
                              selves in the profession in five
                                                                                       reduced room rates and $25
                              years; beyond that is a more
                                                                                       gas cards. North of the border,
                              cloudy matter.         see page 30
                                                                                                 continued on page 26
TRANSPORTATION                                        TECHNOLOGY                                INCENTIVE REPORTS
                             Problems reach sky high                  p. 30        Americans finally Spotme         p. 32    Arizona,Hawaii, Scotland pp. 60-62              NEWSMAKER

                                                                                                                                                                                                    Back to School:



                                   MeetingNews
                                                                                                                                                                                                     Bjorn Hanson
                                                                                                                                                                                                    leaves PwC for
                                                                                                                                                                                                     professorship
                                                                                                                                                                                                        at NYU.
                                                                                                                                                                                                         page 21
                                     w w w. M e e t i n g N e w s . c o m                                                   S e p t e m b e r 8, 2008
                                                                                                                                        July 16, 2007




                      CA Hotelier’s Donation                                                                                                 Hotels & Resorts
                                                                                                                                           MARRIOTT MARQUIS IN
                                                                                                                                                                                      International

                                                                                                                                                                                STOCKHOLM’S GRAND PLAN

                      Draws Ire from Groups                                                                                                ATLANTA REFRESHES BIG
                                                                                                                                           A vital piece of Atlanta’s conven-
                                                                                                                                           tion inventory completes massive
                                                                                                                                                                                Historic Grand Hotel keeps up
                                                                                                                                                                                with the times.    see page 34

                      A property starts losing group business amid                                                                         $138M renovation. see page 24        Insider Report: Golf
                      controversy and works to restore its image                                                                                                                THE STATE OF THE GAME
                                                                                                                                           GROUPS CAN EAT ‘GOOD’                Economic slide has altered the
                      By Rayna Katz                                                    Prop 8 is to be voted on in November.               AT LXR LUXURY RESORTS                course of course play.
                      Just as a stone cast into water creates a rip-                      Subsequently hotel workers union Unite           High-end hotel chain rolls out                           see page 38
                      ple effect, one charitable contribution made                     Here allegedly have been calling meeting            Lifestyle Cuisine for banquet
                      by a hotel owner in San Diego has left some                      planners with events booked at the Manches-         and catering items. see page 24       Destination Insider
                      meeting planners responding to angry and                         ter Grand and requesting they move their
                                                                                                                                                                                FLORIDA KEYS
                      concerned attendees over the policies of                         programs; and it also has put the property on
                      their meeting venue—ultimately having to                         its website as one to boycott. Further, the hotel   Convention Centers                   Coverage includes the latest
                      cancel and re-plan a host of functions—                          was taken off an online list of “gay-friendly”                                           resort developments in Key West.
                      and forced the hotel to do damage control.                       hotels, operated by Community Marketing             LUCAS OIL STADIUM SENDS                                  see page 42
                        The proprietor of the Manchester Grand                         Inc., a San Francisco-based communications          INDY OFF TO THE RACES
                      Hyatt San Diego, John Manchester, gave                           firm. CMI collects a $159 annual fee from           Meetings-friendly stadium is a       WASHINGTON, DC
                      $125,000 back in March to Proposition 8, a                       hotels that are members of its program.             precursor for Indianapolis’ big      Hilton, Marriott, and Omni
                      ballot initiative in California that would ban                      At the same time, the Association of             convention package upgrades.         team with Destination DC on
                      gay marriage. Also known as the Protect                          American Law Schools (AALS), which is                                    see page 27     midsize package. see page 45
                      Marriage Act or the Same-Sex Marriage Ban,                                               continued on page 120
                                                                                                                                                                                CINCINNATI
                                                                                                                                                       CVBs
                                         MeetingNews
                                      ExclusiveResearch
                                                                                       Record Attendance                                   HAWAII’S TOURISM BUREAU
                                                                                                                                                                                Riding on robust convention biz,
                                                                                                                                                                                the city shrugs off airlift cuts.
                                                                                                                                                                                                    see page 46
                             How many offsite meetings do you plan both
                             domestically and internationally?
                                                                                       At MPI, But Some                                    HOLDS ONTO REX JOHNSON
                                                                                                                                           Board of directors docks pay and
                                                                                                                                                                                LAS VEGAS
                                                                                                                                           revises contract to one year after
                                                                                       Initiatives Greeted
                                  400,000
                                            368,619                                                                                        prez and CEO is caught with          Market, property, off-site, and
                                  350,000
                                                                                                                                           X-rated e-mails. see page 28         recreation news on the mecca.
                                  300,000

                                  250,000

                                  200,000
                                                                   Average

                                                                  Median
                                                                                       With Reservations                                   DALLAS RAMPS UP FOR
                                                                                                                                           AFRICAN-AMERICAN BIZ                 SAN DIEGO
                                                                                                                                                                                                    see page 48



                                  150,000
                                                      112,270                          By Robert Carey                                     Bureau creates cultural-centric      Downtown renaissance still hot.
                                  100,000
                                                                                       The World Education Congress of Meeting             campaign.           see page 29                          see page 58
                                   50,000
                                                                26,405 14,274          Professionals International (MPI), held last
                                       0                                               month, in Las Vegas, was designed based on
                                               Meetings         Meetings outside
                                            within the U.S.         the U.S.           an 18-month process by the
Volume 32/Number 15/$10.00




                             Source: 601 of MeetingNews survey respondents             association to improve the
                                                                                       breadth and quality of educa-
                             Over The Border Line?                                     tional content at its two major
                                                                                       annual events—WEC and the
                                                                                       Professional Education Con-
                              Planners of international meetings                       gress (PEC), which is held
                              cite the economy and geopolitical                        every winter. But some long-
                              volatility as the two biggest factors                    time members are not sold on
                              driving their work.      see page 36                               continued on page 121
CONVENTION CENTERS                                   TRANSPORTATION & SVCS                         GREEN MARKETING
                                NASCAR revs up Charlotte p. 24                       Experient prez & CEO exits p. 30              Paperless meetings are in           p. 54     NEWSMAKER

                                                                                                                                                                                                         The ‘Ed’ Guru:



                                      MeetingNews
                                                                                                                                                                                                        Graydon Dawson
                                                                                                                                                                                                          is reshaping
                                                                                                                                                                                                        MPI’s education
                                                                                                                                                                                                            products.
                                                                                                                                                                                                              page 14
                                          w w w. M e e t i n g N e w s . c o m                                                                   June 16, 2008
                                                                                                                                                   July 16, 2007



                      State of the Industry 2008                                                                                                    Hotels & Resorts                       International

                                                                                                                                                  PLANNERS DO A TAKE TWO             TIBETAN CONFLICT MAY BE
                                    T H E AW F U L T R U T H :                                                                                    FROM HYATT’S NEW PERKS             CHASING CHINA MEETINGS
                                Gender Bends Salary Curve

                                                                                                                      All
                                                                                                                                                  Take Two Meetings is a roster of   Attendance at major trade fair

                                What is your annual salary?                                             It’s                                      perks from which planners can
                                                                                                                                                  choose two.        see page 20
                                                                                                                                                                                     is down, while association group
                                                                                                                                                                                     abruptly cancels. see page 32




                                           $
                              Less than               6.7%
                                                                                                                                                                                     SWITZERLAND IS NOT ON

                                                                                                        About
                                  $30K               6.3%                                                                                         DETAILS OF LAS VEGAS’
                                                                                                                                                  CITYCENTER DIG EMERGE              NEUTRAL WITH GROUPS
                                              3.3%
                             $30-$39.9K                                                                                                                                              Numerous hospitality upgrades
                                                                           14.5%                                                                  Aria Resort & Casino will
                                                                                                                                                                                     are occurring as the franc trades




                                                                                                        You
                             $40-$49.9K
                                                               10.0%                                                                              anchor the complex under
                                                                                           22.0%                                                  construction, and the Vdara is     evenly with the dollar.
                                                                   11.7%                                                                          one of three non-gaming hotels.                        see page 34
                             $50-$59.9K
                                                                                         20.4%                                                                        see page 20

                             $60-$69.9K
                                                                   11.7%
                                                                      12.9%
                                                                                                                                                                                      Destination Insider
                                                                                                                                                  MARRIOTT MAKES GOOD
                                                                           15.0%                                                                  ON ITS GREEN PLEDGE                NEW YORK CITY
                             $70-$79.9K
                                                            8.2%                                         Who are today’s meeting                  Groups can contribute to its       The venerable Guastavino’s
                                                               10.0%
                             $80-$89.9K
                                                     5.9%
                                                                                   Men                   planners, and what’s impor-              recently created Amazonas          event venue reopens; Sports
                                                                                   Women                 tant to them? That’s what                rainforest foundation.             Museum of America looks to
                                                                   11.7%
                             $90-$99.9K                                                                                                                               see page 20    score with events.
                                              3.5%                                                       MeetingNews set out to find                                                                    see page 44
                                 $100-           5.0%                                                    in its latest survey of more                        CVBs
                               $124.9K        3.5%
                                                                                                         than 300 professionals. We                                                  BERMUDA
                              More than                                    15.0%                                                                  DENVER IS IN PRIME TIME
                                 $125K       2.7%                                                        guarantee plenty of surprises.
                                                                                                                                                  Bureau is getting ready for the    On a tourism comeback,
                                      0%       5%           10%        15%          20%          25%       Turn to page 36 for                                                       Bermuda offers group deal and
                                                                                                                                                  Democratic National Convention
                                Source: MeetingNews survey of 315                                        in-depth reports on industry             in late August.      see page 26   a revitalized pair of Fairmont
                                meeting planners                                                                                                                                     meetings resorts.
                                                                                                         trends planners face.
                                                                                                                                                                                                         see page 48
                                                                                                                                                  ORLANDO ON AN OFFENSIVE
                                                                                                                                                  Roadshow in DC, Chicago, and
                                                              Nickel and Dimed                                                                    NY declares the destination’s
                                                                                                                                                  creative know-how for events.
                                                                                                                                                                                     NORTH FLORIDA
                                                                                                                                                                                     Beefed up inventory yields
                                     As cities feel financial strain from the sluggish                                                                                see page 28    more groups for Tallahassee;
                                                                                                                                                                                     Jacksonville increases dosage of
                                   economy, can rising hotel room taxes be far behind?                                                                                               medical meetings.
                                                                                                                                                                                                        see page 50
                                By Corrie Dosh                                                    proposal to increase the hotel room tax by
                                New York—Like car rental taxes or road tolls,                     2 percent to fund local schools. The propos-
                                taxes on hotel rooms are a way for cities to                      al was made as an alternative
Volume 32/Number 11/$10.00




                                make money without angering their local                           to a petition by the Nevada
                                constituents. On the plus side, these taxes go                    State Education Association to
                                a long way in funding convention and visi-                        increase taxes on gross gaming
                                tors bureaus and their meetings-related serv-                     receipts, but casino developers
                                ices. The disadvantage for planners, howev-                       suggested raising the room tax
                                er, is that they usually have no say (and often                   instead. At the same time, a
                                no warning) when cities decide to jack up                         budget forecast by the Las
                                room taxes to make up for budget shortfalls.                      Vegas Convention and Visitors
                                   In Las Vegas, city leaders are battling out a                            continued on page 57
Covers &amp; Charts
Covers &amp; Charts
Covers &amp; Charts
Covers &amp; Charts
Covers &amp; Charts
Covers &amp; Charts
Covers &amp; Charts
Covers &amp; Charts
Covers &amp; Charts
Covers &amp; Charts
Covers &amp; Charts
Covers &amp; Charts
Covers &amp; Charts
Covers &amp; Charts
Covers &amp; Charts
Covers &amp; Charts
Covers &amp; Charts
Covers &amp; Charts
Covers &amp; Charts
Covers &amp; Charts

Weitere ähnliche Inhalte

Andere mochten auch

1st report(anyong lupa at anyong tubig sa uong asya) Q2 2ndYear
1st report(anyong lupa at anyong tubig sa uong asya) Q2 2ndYear1st report(anyong lupa at anyong tubig sa uong asya) Q2 2ndYear
1st report(anyong lupa at anyong tubig sa uong asya) Q2 2ndYearApHUB2013
 
Mga Anyong Lupa at Tubig sa Daigdig
Mga Anyong Lupa at Tubig sa DaigdigMga Anyong Lupa at Tubig sa Daigdig
Mga Anyong Lupa at Tubig sa Daigdiggroup_4ap
 
Heograpiya Ng Asy - Klima at Vegetation Cover ng Asya
Heograpiya Ng Asy - Klima at Vegetation Cover ng AsyaHeograpiya Ng Asy - Klima at Vegetation Cover ng Asya
Heograpiya Ng Asy - Klima at Vegetation Cover ng AsyaSophia Martinez
 
Katangiang pisikal ng mga rehiyon sa asya
Katangiang pisikal ng mga rehiyon sa asyaKatangiang pisikal ng mga rehiyon sa asya
Katangiang pisikal ng mga rehiyon sa asyaJared Ram Juezan
 
Mga Vegetation Cover sa Asya
Mga Vegetation Cover sa AsyaMga Vegetation Cover sa Asya
Mga Vegetation Cover sa AsyaMica Bordonada
 
Anyong lupa at Anyong-tubig sa Asya
Anyong lupa at Anyong-tubig sa AsyaAnyong lupa at Anyong-tubig sa Asya
Anyong lupa at Anyong-tubig sa AsyaMica Bordonada
 

Andere mochten auch (8)

1st report(anyong lupa at anyong tubig sa uong asya) Q2 2ndYear
1st report(anyong lupa at anyong tubig sa uong asya) Q2 2ndYear1st report(anyong lupa at anyong tubig sa uong asya) Q2 2ndYear
1st report(anyong lupa at anyong tubig sa uong asya) Q2 2ndYear
 
Mga Anyong Lupa at Tubig sa Daigdig
Mga Anyong Lupa at Tubig sa DaigdigMga Anyong Lupa at Tubig sa Daigdig
Mga Anyong Lupa at Tubig sa Daigdig
 
Heograpiya Ng Asy - Klima at Vegetation Cover ng Asya
Heograpiya Ng Asy - Klima at Vegetation Cover ng AsyaHeograpiya Ng Asy - Klima at Vegetation Cover ng Asya
Heograpiya Ng Asy - Klima at Vegetation Cover ng Asya
 
Anyong Tubig
Anyong TubigAnyong Tubig
Anyong Tubig
 
Katangiang pisikal ng mga rehiyon sa asya
Katangiang pisikal ng mga rehiyon sa asyaKatangiang pisikal ng mga rehiyon sa asya
Katangiang pisikal ng mga rehiyon sa asya
 
Mga anyong tubig
Mga anyong tubigMga anyong tubig
Mga anyong tubig
 
Mga Vegetation Cover sa Asya
Mga Vegetation Cover sa AsyaMga Vegetation Cover sa Asya
Mga Vegetation Cover sa Asya
 
Anyong lupa at Anyong-tubig sa Asya
Anyong lupa at Anyong-tubig sa AsyaAnyong lupa at Anyong-tubig sa Asya
Anyong lupa at Anyong-tubig sa Asya
 

Kürzlich hochgeladen

5 Moments of Everyday Self-Loathing That Perfectly Describe Your Life
5 Moments of Everyday Self-Loathing That Perfectly Describe Your Life5 Moments of Everyday Self-Loathing That Perfectly Describe Your Life
5 Moments of Everyday Self-Loathing That Perfectly Describe Your LifeSalty Vixen Stories & More
 
Inside Look: Brooke Monk's Exclusive OnlyFans Content Production
Inside Look: Brooke Monk's Exclusive OnlyFans Content ProductionInside Look: Brooke Monk's Exclusive OnlyFans Content Production
Inside Look: Brooke Monk's Exclusive OnlyFans Content Productionget joys
 
Young adult book quiz by SJU quizzers.ppt
Young adult book quiz by SJU quizzers.pptYoung adult book quiz by SJU quizzers.ppt
Young adult book quiz by SJU quizzers.pptSJU Quizzers
 
"Quest for Knowledge: An Exciting Journey Through 40 Brain-Bending Questions ...
"Quest for Knowledge: An Exciting Journey Through 40 Brain-Bending Questions ..."Quest for Knowledge: An Exciting Journey Through 40 Brain-Bending Questions ...
"Quest for Knowledge: An Exciting Journey Through 40 Brain-Bending Questions ...RAGHURAMYC
 
Taylor Swift quiz( with answers) by SJU quizzers
Taylor Swift quiz( with answers) by SJU quizzersTaylor Swift quiz( with answers) by SJU quizzers
Taylor Swift quiz( with answers) by SJU quizzersSJU Quizzers
 
Carowinds 2024: Thrills, Spills & Surprises
Carowinds 2024: Thrills, Spills & SurprisesCarowinds 2024: Thrills, Spills & Surprises
Carowinds 2024: Thrills, Spills & Surprisescarawinds99
 
Holi:: "The Festival of Colors in India"
Holi:: "The Festival of Colors in India"Holi:: "The Festival of Colors in India"
Holi:: "The Festival of Colors in India"IdolsArts
 

Kürzlich hochgeladen (7)

5 Moments of Everyday Self-Loathing That Perfectly Describe Your Life
5 Moments of Everyday Self-Loathing That Perfectly Describe Your Life5 Moments of Everyday Self-Loathing That Perfectly Describe Your Life
5 Moments of Everyday Self-Loathing That Perfectly Describe Your Life
 
Inside Look: Brooke Monk's Exclusive OnlyFans Content Production
Inside Look: Brooke Monk's Exclusive OnlyFans Content ProductionInside Look: Brooke Monk's Exclusive OnlyFans Content Production
Inside Look: Brooke Monk's Exclusive OnlyFans Content Production
 
Young adult book quiz by SJU quizzers.ppt
Young adult book quiz by SJU quizzers.pptYoung adult book quiz by SJU quizzers.ppt
Young adult book quiz by SJU quizzers.ppt
 
"Quest for Knowledge: An Exciting Journey Through 40 Brain-Bending Questions ...
"Quest for Knowledge: An Exciting Journey Through 40 Brain-Bending Questions ..."Quest for Knowledge: An Exciting Journey Through 40 Brain-Bending Questions ...
"Quest for Knowledge: An Exciting Journey Through 40 Brain-Bending Questions ...
 
Taylor Swift quiz( with answers) by SJU quizzers
Taylor Swift quiz( with answers) by SJU quizzersTaylor Swift quiz( with answers) by SJU quizzers
Taylor Swift quiz( with answers) by SJU quizzers
 
Carowinds 2024: Thrills, Spills & Surprises
Carowinds 2024: Thrills, Spills & SurprisesCarowinds 2024: Thrills, Spills & Surprises
Carowinds 2024: Thrills, Spills & Surprises
 
Holi:: "The Festival of Colors in India"
Holi:: "The Festival of Colors in India"Holi:: "The Festival of Colors in India"
Holi:: "The Festival of Colors in India"
 

Covers &amp; Charts

  • 1. TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY INCENTIVE REPORT Time for high-speed rail? p. 22 ‘Fast’scheduling software p. 24 Escaping NYC—while in NYC p. 32 CHEF TALK Bringing MeetingNews Justice to F&B: William Justus makes his mark at Callaway Gardens. w w w. M e e t i n g N e w s . c o m S e p t e m b e r 22, 2008 July 16, 2007 page 8 Thy Neighbor’s Planner Hotels & Resorts GAYLORD ENTERTAINMENT International COPENHAGEN BLENDS Do meeting planners make it easy for LOOKS TO RAISE IN ARIZONA OLD WORLD FLAIR & NEW attendees to celebrate their various beliefs? Land purchase in Mesa paves Danish capital has plenty of way for development of a resort modern or renaissance options MeetingNews By Terri Hardin and convention hotel. for incentives and meetings. ExclusiveResearch and Rayna Katz see page 12 see page 20 If you ask meeting planners (as we How often have you scheduled meetings did) if they have ever scheduled meetings over a religious or signif- DISNEYLAND MAKES IT over a religious or secular holiday? EASIER FOR CUSTOMERS Destination Insider icant secular holiday, the majority Total Planners would say “never.” But does that California theme park adds SAN FRANCISCO really mean never? Or does it Passkey online reservations for Occasionally Never Bently Reserve Conference 27.2% 67.0% mean “never—if I can help it”? planners and attendees. Center, Cavallo Point Lodge, & 5.2% More than 300 of our readers see page 12 Sometimes Villa Florence feature high-tech, weighed in on this topic, which— green elements; new museum Frequently 0.6% Sometimes as America seeks consensus with- Convention Centers funded by Gap clothing creator 3.6% in diversity—is more important can’t find a home. than ever. GEORGIA INT’L CENTER: Corporate see page 28 Planners Two-thirds of all planners (67%) HQ HOTEL IS A MARRIOTT Occasionally 25.9% responding to MeetingNews said Marriott, plus a SpringHill Suites, NEW ENGLAND Never they have never scheduled a meet- 70.5% will give five-year-old venue ing over a religious or secular holi- Skybridge between Dunkin’ on-site accommodations. day, with corporate planners and Donuts Center and Rhode see page 16 planners aged 51 or more being Island Convention Center links Association Planners 0.8% Frequently slightly more vehement (71%). Providence to citywide market; 6.2% Sometimes Meanwhile, 27 percent of all plan- BOSTON’S HYNES CENTER upscale Stowe Mountain Lodge Never 63.3% ners said they have “occasionally” GETS OK FOR F&B UPDATE is anything but rustic . Occasionally scheduled a meeting over a reli- see page 34 29.7% Construction on two new gious or secular holiday, of which restaurant areas has begun. the largest subgroup, 42 percent, BERMUDA see page 16 was twentysomething planners. The vast majority of meeting Island officials cite U.S. double- Source: 345 of MeetingNews survey respondents continued on page 26 CVBs whammy of a slogged economy and an election year as reason TAMPA BAY & COMPANY for meetings slide, but its two EYES 2009 OFF-SEASON Active Hurricane Season Clouds Destinations Bureau wants to muscle up on Fairmont resorts are doing well. see page 38 June-through-August bookings. By Corrie Dosh onslaught, and the city was largely spared a see page 19 Three years and three days after Hurricane repeat of the Katrina disaster. Virtually no Katrina overcame the levees of New disruption to the city’s meetings calendar is Orleans, causing billions in damage and expected, and area hotels, the Volume 32/Number 16/$10.00 more than 1,800 deaths, Hurricane Gustav convention center, and the barreled into the Big Easy as a fearsome Superdome emerged with just Category 3 storm on Sept. 1. The city minor damage, said the New implemented its new-and-improved disas- Orleans Metropolitan Con- ter plan, and 1.9 million people fled in vention and Visitors Bureau. anticipation of what Mayor Ray Nagin The evacuation “went called “the mother of all storms,” in the exceptionally well and almost largest such evacuation in U.S. history. flawlessly followed the emer- Thankfully, rebuilt levees withstood the continued on page 40
  • 2. INSIDE THE INDUSTRY TRANSPORTATION & SVCS FIRE AT FOXWOODS PCMA out on an eco-drive p. 10 GEP raises risk management p. 19 Three hotel floors shuttered p. 40 NEWSMAKER Benchmark Hospitality’s MeetingNews Burt Cabanas recognized as influential Hispanic business leader w w w. M e e t i n g N e w s . c o m February 11, 2008 July 16, 2007 page 12 Inferno Chases Attendees Hotels/Resorts International From Monte Carlo Resort FAIRMONT TO LOWER CARBON FOOTPRINT Teams with WWF to lay smackdown GERMANY SHOWS ITS DEDICATION TO GROUPS More than 50 new meetings hotels By Robert Carey chief building inspector said on Jan. 26. on emissions through sustainable will debut in the nation by 2011. Las Vegas—On Jan. 25, the 3,213-room The resort’s facade is made of a foam energy and conservation moves. see page 21 Monte Carlo Resort & Casino caught material that “melted off the side of the see page 13 fire on its facade from floors 27 to 32, building and started a few fires below,” sending one group that was on property according to Clark County Fire Chief LIVERPOOL CC OPENS scrambling from its meeting room and Steve Smith. The foam is highly flamma- MARRIOTT, SCHRAEGER WITH A ROCKING SHOW shutting down part of the Strip. ble, requiring an outer coating such as UNVEIL BOUTIQUE NAME Ringo Starr-led act breaks in the According to Monte Carlo’s website, stucco to prevent it from burning. Sev- First edition of “Edition”-brand brand-new Arena and Convention all individual and group/meeting reser- eral other resorts in Las Vegas use sheets hotel is set for Paris; Miami, DC, Centre Liverpool. see page 22 vations through Feb. 6 were to have been or blocks of the dense foam to give the and Los Angeles to follow. honored at parent firm MGM Mirage’s appearance of heavier stone and brick. see page 13 other nine Las Vegas properties. The Thirteen people were treated for Destination Insider burned facade along Monte Carlo’s roof smoke inhalation, but the fire caused no MEETINGS AT KIMPTON must be removed or secured before the major injuries. Gordon Absher, an EQUAL A GOOD CAUSE ISLAND INCENTIVES property can reopen, the Clark County continued on page 40 Atlantis in Bahamas, Sandals all- “Great Meetings, Great Causes” program lets planners choose from inclusive resorts, and Westin in the MeetingNews Exclusive Research BCEC Swipes Away five green rewards. see page 13 Dominican Republic make moves. see page 30 Convention from On average, per-night hotel room costs are projected to rise in 2008. Have you Ailing Javits Center CVBs MEMPHIS noticed or experienced this? New boutique hotel pays homage Corporate By Sari Krieger PORTLAND PUTS ITS to city; Hilton is getting $8M Planners New York—The American Federation BEST FOOT FORWARD spruce-up. see page 32 Yes Hires a branding agency to make over 55.1% of State, County, and Municipal Employees union recently announced it its website; other changes to be ATLANTA 38.2% Not yet, will hold its 39th international conven- unveiled later this year. see page 18 6.6% but I expect Boutiques are diversifying city’s to in 2008 tion at the Boston Convention & Exhi- hotel inventory; Coke museum No bition Center in summer 2010, pulling BERMUDA’S NEW HIRE welcomes meetings. see page 34 the event from the Jacob K. Javits Con- DRAWS CONTROVERSY Association vention Center on Manhattan’s West Planners Tourism department staffers pan NEW MEXICO Yes Side. The group moved the biannual 56.2% new acting head for North America, No 29.8% event after the Javits’ initial, ambitious Albuquerque’s famed La Posada who was handpicked by nation’s expansion plan fell through. hotel is set to reopen after two tourism minister. see page 18 14.0% “Obviously, with the expansion not years in the dust. see page 37 Not yet, but I moving ahead as planned, there is going expect to in 2008 to be some lost business coming out of Source: MeetingNews survey of 257 it,” admitted Chris Heywood, director Volume 32/Number 3/$10.00 meeting planners of tourism public relations for NYC & Company, New York City’s convention The Rising Tide and visitors authority.“That’s an unfor- By William Ng tunate circumstance, but that’s now a Planners are already dealing reality.” with higher hotel room costs The original Javits expansion plan predicted for this year. What called for doubling the convention cen- budget-type moves are they ter’s space by 2010, but state officials making to cope? see page 25 continued on page 41
  • 3. INTERNATIONAL GREEN BEAT REGIONAL REPORT Not deterred by Mumbai p. 21 The great compost giveaway p. 22 Happenings in the East p. 29 NEWSMAKER SmithBucklin executive VP MeetingNews w w w. M e e t i n g N e w s . c o m J a n uJuly 5, 2009 a r y 16, 2007 Michael Payne will helm PCMA Foundation. page 8 Hotels & Resorts Destination Insider Q&A: BEAU RIVAGE IS BACK LOS ANGELES TO ITS PRE-KATRINA FORM New venues join Nokia Theatre Education/ Extens Director of sales and marketing at the City of Angels’ $2.5 billion training experie ive for the Gulf Coast casino resort is rd L.A. Live destination complex; oa knowle nce/ t/b ings dge bullish despite economic climate. Long Beach freshens downtown m t Mg ee m Just see page 12 with series of light displays and nal learning natio Inter etings the upgrades to convention complex. me s busines see page 26 GAYLORD NIXES PROJECT Time spent gs IN SAN DIEGO FOR GOOD eetings tin ows/ Sales m Trade sh ons MEMPHIS planning mee Upon second attempt, company conventi Inc gives up on Chula Vista hotel/ A leading bioscience hub, the ent convention complex. city attracts scores of research ive see page 13 and association events; the s famous Peabody ducks still swim in success. see page 34 CVBs Martin Akel & Assoc., Incentive Report with tabulations by DATA HELPS VISIT FLORIDA FLORIDA Wilson Research HONE ITS GLOBAL TARGETS Group, conducted a In post-AIG climate, planners The tourism agency uses Visa’s say the Sunshine State has poll of more than impersonal billing tracking to programs with the right image 1,300 meeting decipher where visitors are from and price; South Beach has new planners. and how they spend their money. properties looking for winners; see page 16 Orlando spas use exotica and Planners Putting In the Time more to woo more women, as well as men. By Irene Korn on its most ambitious survey to date, Convention Centers see page 36 What creates a planner? Is it a vocation, a polling more than 1,300 meeting planners skill, or just an accident of employment? to uncover the origins—and destiny—of DALLAS PICKS OMNI TO BE Insider Report MeetingNews discovered that it is all these the planning impulse. ANCHOR HOTEL OPERATOR Fending off a political action GOLF and more. In conjunction with sister publi- The survey, conducted in 2008 by Martin group against the hotel, the city is A stronger U.S. dollar lifts cation Successful Meetings, MN embarked continued on page 24 working out a final operating overseas programs, especially in agreement. perennial-favorite Scotland. see page 17 see page 44 Mumbai Train Attack: Can It Happen Here? By Gretchen Kelly paredness in Mumbai, is the Volume 33/Number 1/$10.00 As authorities and pundits debate a new nation’s passenger rail system paradigm of terrorism after the three-day ready for an attack similar to siege of Mumbai in November, security the one that struck a Mumbai measures here in the U.S. at so-called soft train station, which was over- targets, namely train stations, are being taken by highly trained, armed ramped up. militants? Amtrak spokesper- But in the wake of disclosures of unpre- continued on page 20
  • 4. INSIDE THE INDUSTRY TECHNOLOGY GREEN BEAT AIBTM has early effects p. 4 Pushing telepresence further p. 21 Florida’s Green Lodging p. 24 NEWSMAKER Stephanie Linnartz, MeetingNews Marriott’s new VP of global sales, stays true to her industry roots. w w w. M e e t i n g N e w s . c o m N o v e m bJuly 16, 2007 e r 10, 2008 page 5 Hotels & Resorts International Green & Social Responsibility: STARWOOD HOPES E-PORTAL JAMAICA’S ROSE HALL AREA The Year that Was in Meetings IS SMALL MEETINGS UTOPIA Hotelier makes its southern U.S. BLOSSOMS WITH RESORTS Iberostar plus a new challenger properties’ small meetings rooms to Ritz-Carlton are opening By Terri Hardin tives—as well as co-locating (holding sim- available on Worktopia website. properties in the enclave. There’s buzz in the industry about incorpo- ilar meetings simultaneously in one see page 8 see page 18 rating social responsibility and green initia- venue)—into events. But are these trends driving meetings, or are we paying lip serv- INTERCONTINENTAL O’HARE EIBTM PUTS TOGETHER MeetingNews ExclusiveResearch ice (and printing ink) to fads that aren’t sig- PUTS ART AT FOREFRONT AN AMBITIOUS PROGRAM nificantly impacting business? Total MeetingNews heard from 502 cor- Organizer says next month’s Planners Art-centered activities can be porate, association, and independ- incorporated into group events. show will have a wide mix 1 to 24% ent meeting planners, who weighed in see page 10 covering industry forces, career 43.0% strategies, technology, ROI, on these subjects. The result? When asked, for example, if they green meetings, and more. incorporated charity initiatives into this see page 18 None 29.5% year’s meeting programs, only 5 per- Convention Centers Destination Insider cent of all responding planners said they had done so for up to 100 per- DALLAS AND PHILADELPHIA FORT LAUDERDALE cent of their programming in 2008, MOVE ON THEIR PROJECTS 75 to while 51 percent of all planners said City is loading up on luxury 100% 25 to Dallas is finalizing the operator 49% they had not done so—although the properties. see page 28 50 to for its new convention hotel, while number was lower (40%) for inde- 8.6% 74% 11.7% Philly draws closer to bed tax hike pendent planners. Only one-third of all CLEVELAND 7.2% to fund its building expansion. planners said they had incorporated Plan for the new convention see page 12 charity into their programs up to 24 center has two site proposals. percent of the time. see page 30 Of those incorporating charity initiatives, the most popular initiatives imple- CVBs Incentive Report What percentage of your meeting mented were related to health and education programs this year incorporated (both 43%). For the participants, health-relat- JACKSONVILLE MARKETS TO MEXICO green elements? MEDICAL, CULTURAL GROUPS ed charity initiatives created the most positive Acapulco’s Mundo Imperial Source: 349 of MeetingNews survey respondents experiences continued on page 22 Bureau dubs the city “America’s complex debuts; planners straw Health Center” and launches poll shows Cancun and Cabo microsites with medical and are top destinations. Incentive Special: Recovering from AIG cultural group collateral. see page 16 see page 32 Mitigating the bad publicity from the insurer’s ill-timed incentive trip will take time and effort Volume 32/Number 19/$10.00 By Leo Jakobson grilled by the House Oversight There may be a way to obtain worse public- and Government Reform ity for your company than treating a group Committee, Saturday Night to a lavish, half-million-dollar resort bash Live, and every editorial page just days after accepting $85 billion worth of in the country for running a taxpayer money to avoid bankruptcy, but it’s $443,000 program at the St. hard to imagine one. Regis Resort, Monarch Beach Certainly the ex-leaders of insurer Amer- in Dana Point, CA, from Sept. ican International Group (AIG), who were continued on page 38
  • 5. TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY GREEN BEAT Talon Air digs into market p. 26 Hotel Wi-Fi is big in the U.S. p. 27 DNC will run on beer power p.29 CHEF TALK Going for Gold: Jennifer McCrary MeetingNews w w w. M e e t i n g N e w s . c o m August 11, 2008 July 16, 2007 is in charge of the main dining hall at the Beijing Olympics. page 12 Progress Over Protest Hotels & Resorts HIGH-END MEETINGS International LATIN AMERICA BECKONS MPI is forging ahead with meetings in overseas FULL OF CONSCIENCE AS DOLLAR COUNTS DOWN destinations that raise human rights questions Both Fairmont and Ritz-Carlton Central America and South introduce social responsibility America emerge as go-to locales By Rayna Katz Some members also are programs for groups. where buck goes farther. Meeting Professionals Inter- unhappy over an upcoming “ see page 20 see page 28 national is planning to move I was taken into foray by MPI into South forward with upcoming pro- custody for 48 Africa for hospitality train- Southern Meetings grams in the Middle East and ing, because the country’s ST. REGIS PULLS OUT; South Africa. hours in Qatar president allegedly supports RITZ-CARLTON STEPS IN A TASTE OF HOLLYWOOD There are, however, rising because I have a Robert Mugabe, President of Year-old property in Fort Laud- From Louisiana to Florida, meetings at movie sites make concerns from members Zimbabwe, who is known to Jewish last name. erdale has its flag switched after over perceptions of unfair treatment of certain minori- ty groups in those spots. James Mendelsohn, travel director, Chicago. ” deploy terror tactics. But an MPI official said there are chasms between Starwood contract dispute. see page 21 attendees feel like A-listers. see page 32 At issue in the Mideast region is the perception and reality. NATURE HAS THEIR BACKS Convention Centers alleged treatment of women as well as gov- “I have not been able to reconcile peo- Venues by the lake offer natural ernment stances on Judaism and Israel. continued on page 66 SHREVEPORT’S OIL RUSH beauty and ‘getaway’ meetings. see page 35 Energy firms setting up shop means bonanza of meetings. MeetingNews ExclusiveResearch Reeling Regionals? see page 22 Destination Insider BOSTON Do you see yourself as a planner…? Gas cards, free parking, hot OTTAWA SAYS GOODBYE Beantown remains hopping on Old convention center will be In Five Years’ Time dates are intended to add torn down for a new one in 2011. both regional and international fronts. see page 63 Age: <30 Age: 31-40 value to drive-to meetings see page 22 Yes Yes DALLAS-FORT WORTH 75.9% 78.3% By Corrie Dosh CVBs Irving Convention Center goes Anticipating a drop in drive-to meetings No No demand due to high fuel prices, many after high-end groups starting 24.1% 21.7% ORLEANS CHANGES MULLED in 2010. see page 64 hotels and venues have begun to offer incentives such as gas cards and free park- NOCVB reportedly wants to ing to attract regional business. unify city’s marketing agencies. In 10 Years’ Time Meeting Planners Handbook Starwood Hotels & Resorts last month see page 24 Yes Yes 58.6% 57.3% announced it will offer $25 gas credits and reduced rates through Sept. 30 at more ORLANDO’S SKY HOOK REAL LIFE LESSONS No No than 100 properties in the Mid-Atlantic, Bureau stamps its new slogan on By and for our readers. 41.4% 42.7% AirTran plane. see page 25 starts on page 37 Northeast, and Southeast regions. The offer is good for Thursday through Sunday stays Age: <30 Age: 31-40 and requires a two-night min- Volume 32/Number 14/$10.00 Source: MeetingNews survey of 273 meeting planners imum stay. Conference center chain Benchmark Hospitality Planning The Future International is offering a complete meeting package at the Chattanoogan Hotel in Most planners envision them- Chattanooga, TN, with selves in the profession in five reduced room rates and $25 years; beyond that is a more gas cards. North of the border, cloudy matter. see page 30 continued on page 26
  • 6. TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY INCENTIVE REPORTS Problems reach sky high p. 30 Americans finally Spotme p. 32 Arizona,Hawaii, Scotland pp. 60-62 NEWSMAKER Back to School: MeetingNews Bjorn Hanson leaves PwC for professorship at NYU. page 21 w w w. M e e t i n g N e w s . c o m S e p t e m b e r 8, 2008 July 16, 2007 CA Hotelier’s Donation Hotels & Resorts MARRIOTT MARQUIS IN International STOCKHOLM’S GRAND PLAN Draws Ire from Groups ATLANTA REFRESHES BIG A vital piece of Atlanta’s conven- tion inventory completes massive Historic Grand Hotel keeps up with the times. see page 34 A property starts losing group business amid $138M renovation. see page 24 Insider Report: Golf controversy and works to restore its image THE STATE OF THE GAME GROUPS CAN EAT ‘GOOD’ Economic slide has altered the By Rayna Katz Prop 8 is to be voted on in November. AT LXR LUXURY RESORTS course of course play. Just as a stone cast into water creates a rip- Subsequently hotel workers union Unite High-end hotel chain rolls out see page 38 ple effect, one charitable contribution made Here allegedly have been calling meeting Lifestyle Cuisine for banquet by a hotel owner in San Diego has left some planners with events booked at the Manches- and catering items. see page 24 Destination Insider meeting planners responding to angry and ter Grand and requesting they move their FLORIDA KEYS concerned attendees over the policies of programs; and it also has put the property on their meeting venue—ultimately having to its website as one to boycott. Further, the hotel Convention Centers Coverage includes the latest cancel and re-plan a host of functions— was taken off an online list of “gay-friendly” resort developments in Key West. and forced the hotel to do damage control. hotels, operated by Community Marketing LUCAS OIL STADIUM SENDS see page 42 The proprietor of the Manchester Grand Inc., a San Francisco-based communications INDY OFF TO THE RACES Hyatt San Diego, John Manchester, gave firm. CMI collects a $159 annual fee from Meetings-friendly stadium is a WASHINGTON, DC $125,000 back in March to Proposition 8, a hotels that are members of its program. precursor for Indianapolis’ big Hilton, Marriott, and Omni ballot initiative in California that would ban At the same time, the Association of convention package upgrades. team with Destination DC on gay marriage. Also known as the Protect American Law Schools (AALS), which is see page 27 midsize package. see page 45 Marriage Act or the Same-Sex Marriage Ban, continued on page 120 CINCINNATI CVBs MeetingNews ExclusiveResearch Record Attendance HAWAII’S TOURISM BUREAU Riding on robust convention biz, the city shrugs off airlift cuts. see page 46 How many offsite meetings do you plan both domestically and internationally? At MPI, But Some HOLDS ONTO REX JOHNSON Board of directors docks pay and LAS VEGAS revises contract to one year after Initiatives Greeted 400,000 368,619 prez and CEO is caught with Market, property, off-site, and 350,000 X-rated e-mails. see page 28 recreation news on the mecca. 300,000 250,000 200,000 Average Median With Reservations DALLAS RAMPS UP FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN BIZ SAN DIEGO see page 48 150,000 112,270 By Robert Carey Bureau creates cultural-centric Downtown renaissance still hot. 100,000 The World Education Congress of Meeting campaign. see page 29 see page 58 50,000 26,405 14,274 Professionals International (MPI), held last 0 month, in Las Vegas, was designed based on Meetings Meetings outside within the U.S. the U.S. an 18-month process by the Volume 32/Number 15/$10.00 Source: 601 of MeetingNews survey respondents association to improve the breadth and quality of educa- Over The Border Line? tional content at its two major annual events—WEC and the Professional Education Con- Planners of international meetings gress (PEC), which is held cite the economy and geopolitical every winter. But some long- volatility as the two biggest factors time members are not sold on driving their work. see page 36 continued on page 121
  • 7. CONVENTION CENTERS TRANSPORTATION & SVCS GREEN MARKETING NASCAR revs up Charlotte p. 24 Experient prez & CEO exits p. 30 Paperless meetings are in p. 54 NEWSMAKER The ‘Ed’ Guru: MeetingNews Graydon Dawson is reshaping MPI’s education products. page 14 w w w. M e e t i n g N e w s . c o m June 16, 2008 July 16, 2007 State of the Industry 2008 Hotels & Resorts International PLANNERS DO A TAKE TWO TIBETAN CONFLICT MAY BE T H E AW F U L T R U T H : FROM HYATT’S NEW PERKS CHASING CHINA MEETINGS Gender Bends Salary Curve All Take Two Meetings is a roster of Attendance at major trade fair What is your annual salary? It’s perks from which planners can choose two. see page 20 is down, while association group abruptly cancels. see page 32 $ Less than 6.7% SWITZERLAND IS NOT ON About $30K 6.3% DETAILS OF LAS VEGAS’ CITYCENTER DIG EMERGE NEUTRAL WITH GROUPS 3.3% $30-$39.9K Numerous hospitality upgrades 14.5% Aria Resort & Casino will are occurring as the franc trades You $40-$49.9K 10.0% anchor the complex under 22.0% construction, and the Vdara is evenly with the dollar. 11.7% one of three non-gaming hotels. see page 34 $50-$59.9K 20.4% see page 20 $60-$69.9K 11.7% 12.9% Destination Insider MARRIOTT MAKES GOOD 15.0% ON ITS GREEN PLEDGE NEW YORK CITY $70-$79.9K 8.2% Who are today’s meeting Groups can contribute to its The venerable Guastavino’s 10.0% $80-$89.9K 5.9% Men planners, and what’s impor- recently created Amazonas event venue reopens; Sports Women tant to them? That’s what rainforest foundation. Museum of America looks to 11.7% $90-$99.9K see page 20 score with events. 3.5% MeetingNews set out to find see page 44 $100- 5.0% in its latest survey of more CVBs $124.9K 3.5% than 300 professionals. We BERMUDA More than 15.0% DENVER IS IN PRIME TIME $125K 2.7% guarantee plenty of surprises. Bureau is getting ready for the On a tourism comeback, 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% Turn to page 36 for Bermuda offers group deal and Democratic National Convention Source: MeetingNews survey of 315 in-depth reports on industry in late August. see page 26 a revitalized pair of Fairmont meeting planners meetings resorts. trends planners face. see page 48 ORLANDO ON AN OFFENSIVE Roadshow in DC, Chicago, and Nickel and Dimed NY declares the destination’s creative know-how for events. NORTH FLORIDA Beefed up inventory yields As cities feel financial strain from the sluggish see page 28 more groups for Tallahassee; Jacksonville increases dosage of economy, can rising hotel room taxes be far behind? medical meetings. see page 50 By Corrie Dosh proposal to increase the hotel room tax by New York—Like car rental taxes or road tolls, 2 percent to fund local schools. The propos- taxes on hotel rooms are a way for cities to al was made as an alternative Volume 32/Number 11/$10.00 make money without angering their local to a petition by the Nevada constituents. On the plus side, these taxes go State Education Association to a long way in funding convention and visi- increase taxes on gross gaming tors bureaus and their meetings-related serv- receipts, but casino developers ices. The disadvantage for planners, howev- suggested raising the room tax er, is that they usually have no say (and often instead. At the same time, a no warning) when cities decide to jack up budget forecast by the Las room taxes to make up for budget shortfalls. Vegas Convention and Visitors In Las Vegas, city leaders are battling out a continued on page 57