Short Takes

• In March, Major League Baseball (MLB) teams will again convene throughout Florida to set their rosters and tune up for the regular season. The annual spring training season is one of Florida’s favorite pastimes, and games can serve as an affordable and entertaining excursion activity for groups. This year, 18 of the league’s 30 teams will compete in Florida’s Grapefruit League, offering fans a preview of the season to come with smaller crowds and better access to the game’s greatest talents than they will have during the regular season. MLB teams and their Florida spring training homes include the Baltimore Orioles (Fort Lauderdale), the Atlanta Braves (Kissimmee), the Boston Red Sox (Fort Myers), the Cincinnati Reds (Sarasota), the Cleveland Indians (Winter Haven), the Detroit Tigers (Lakeland), the Florida Marlins (Jupiter), the Houston Astros (Kissimmee), the Los Angeles Dodgers (Vero Beach), the Minnesota Twins (Fort Myers), the New York Mets (Port St. Lucie), the New York Yankees (Tampa), the Philadelphia Phillies (Clearwater), the Pittsburgh Pirates (Bradenton), the St. Louis Cardinals (Jupiter), the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (St. Petersburg), the Toronto Blue Jays (Dunedin), and the Washington Nationals (Viera). For more information, including individual team spring training schedules, visit the MLB website at www.mlb.com.
  
  
• The Tampa Museum of Art is presenting the exhibition Frederic Church, Winslow Homer and Thomas Moran: Tourism and the American Landscape through April 1. Consisting of pieces from the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum’s collections, the exhibition explores the promotion of tourism in 19th century America and features 70 landscape paintings, oil sketches and drawings from some of the period’s most accomplished American artists, including Church, Homer and Moran. For more information about the exhibition and the Tampa Museum of Art, including museum rental information, call 813.274.8130 or visit www.tampamuseum.com.

• The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun recently unveiled its $500,000 Culinary Center, a recreational kitchen facility overlooking the Caribbean Sea. With the opening of the Culinary Center, the resort can now offer private team-building cooking exercises for groups under the direction of Rory Dunaway, the Culinary Center’s chef de cuisine. Utilizing equipment from Viking Range, the facility includes a demonstration cooking area and four complete cooking stations. The facility specializes in culinary experiences that are unique to the region, including genuine Mexican cuisine, local wines and top-notch tequila. The Culinary Center can accommodate private groups of up to 14 people. The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun features 365 guest rooms, 27,000 of meeting and banquet space and numerous amenities, including a full-service spa. For more information, call the resort at 011.52.988.881.0808 or visit www.ritzcarlton.com/resorts/cancun.

• The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) recently released its Sourcebook for Meeting Planners 2007. The resource for meeting industry professionals features articles from 10 of the educational seminars that were presented during HSMAI’s 2006 Affordable Meetings shows presented in Washington, D.C., Chicago and Long Beach, Calif. To request a copy of the Sourcebook for Meeting Planners 2007, contact Beth Petersen by calling 914.421.3377 or by e-mailing beth_petersen@glmshows.com.

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