In the decade since MEETINGS SOUTH published its first issue in November 1998, many meetings destinations across the South have undergone a sea change of transformation. While the past decade brought some of the worst hurricanes in recent memory, it was also a period that brought reinvigorated downtown areas and an influx of impressive hotels and venues, both new and renovated, serving a wide range of meetings.
To gain some perspective on just how things have changed, both in the South and in the meetings industry overall, MEETINGS SOUTH sought the perspective of veteran industry executives throughout the region.
Alan Villaverde
1993-present: Executive Vice President, Peabody Hotel Group, Orlando
The growth of the pharmaceutical industry and the resulting proliferation of pharmaceutical meetings has been one of the biggest developments. It’s slowed down a bit, but in the late 1990s and early 2000s it was booming—much more than in the previous 10 years. Not only were there more meetings, but they got much more upscale.
The emergence of third-party planners, especially with the big firms like HelmsBriscoe and Experient, is another big change. When I started, many corporations had huge meeting departments. Now it’s often just one or two planners, with a lot of the work farmed out to third parties. It makes it harder to solidify group business.
Have you seen major changes in destinations where Peabody hotels are located, such as Orlando and Memphis?
Orlando has made a huge shift toward serving the meetings and convention market. We do about 80 to 85 percent group business at our Orlando property. A lot has to do with the size and quality of the Orlando Convention Center. And the airlift to Orlando is fairly reasonable and frequent, especially from the East Coast. While the cost of fuel has driven costs up, Orlando remains a reasonably priced destination, especially in comparison to places like New York, Boston and San Francisco.
Memphis has gone through a renaissance. There’s a new basketball arena and a new baseball stadium right across the street from the Peabody. Beale Street is a big attraction; Graceland still draws tens of thousands of visitors.
Lynn Bostian
1990-2007: Meetings Market Manager, Virginia Tourism Corp.; 2007-present: Manager, Business Development, Alexandria Economic Development Partnership, Alexandria, Va.
What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen in the meetings industry during the past decade?
A big change with meetings is that there is more emphasis on content and education. People attend meetings for different reasons now. They attend because they want to network and learn something. And so much more certification is required in many industries. So content has to be good. Another big change has been the green movement. I remember a hotel general manager telling me years ago that it would just be a flash in the pan. Well, it’s no fad.
During your years with Virginia Tourism, what kind of changes did you see with meetings destinations?
Meeting attendees have become more educated and much more demanding. They know what they want and nowadays they can usually find it. There are new and better convention centers; much more up-to-date facilities. Convention centers are not inexpensive for cities to build, but the CVBs have learned how to convince the city that convention centers are worthwhile. This no small feat. There is a lot more awareness among cities. They can see the tremendous advantage of having good facilities, even for smaller events.
Two places in Virginia that really did this right are Virginia Beach and Hampton. Hampton really did their research. They found out exactly what was needed and made it work. It was not a prearranged plan. They had lot of say in it.
Nikki Grossman
1995-present: President, Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB
How has Fort Lauderdale changed as a meetings destination over the past decade?
Ten years ago we were only a fledgling meetings destination. Our hotels tended to be leisure-oriented properties with little attention paid to meetings business. Nationally, we were Where the Boys Arere and where people went to find sun.
Since then there has been a 360-degree change. We did a major expansion of the convention center in 2000, but the real change is that our hotels are now built for meetings as well as for leisure. Not only do we have new properties like The Ritz-Carlton, but existing hotels near the convention center have invested over $150 million in renovations.
At the bureau we’ve made a strategic effort to meet the needs of planners. During the next 10 years we will refine this even more. In particular, we’ve seen growth with medical and pharmaceutical meetings because we now have the four-star hotels that this market requires. We’re seeing growth in corporate incentive business.
What impact have the hurricane seasons of the past decade had on business to your area?
People are much more conscious about hurricanes than they used to be. If we get a couple of quiet years, then business will go up during late summer and fall. But when there is hurricane activity, as there was this year, it impacts us even if the hurricanes were in Texas and Louisiana. The country gets hurricane fatigue. So we have to work to let people know we are 100 percent in business, all the while keeping our fingers crossed that no hurricanes will hit before the season ends in December.
Butch Spryidon
1999-present: President and CEO (since 2003), Executive Vice President, Nashville CVB
What are some of the major changes you’ve seen in Nashville over the past decade?
A lot of things have happened in Nashville. Ten years ago we started talks for a new convention center. Now a construction team has been hired and we’re focused on opening in fall 2012. I never would have thought it would take this long, but it’s happening. The Country Music Hall of Fame, Musicians Hall of Fame and a new symphony hall all opened in the last decade. A new arena and football stadium brought the NFL and NHL here. The destination has come into its own with great restaurants and a vibrant downtown scene.
Have expectations among meeting planners changed during the past decade?
Expectations among planners and attendees are higher. We’ve always strived to offer value, and I think that is getting more important than ever. People are willing to pay if they feel they are getting a good return on investment. It’s about value and the delegate experience.
People really want to experience a city. We’ve used our branding as the Music City to that effect. You can turn your delegates loose and they will be entertained. It saves money, saves on a planned function. This is even more important than it was.
Denny Edwards
2007-present: President and CEO, Greater Raleigh CVB; 1997-2007: Executive Vice President, Fort Lauderdale CVB
What are some of the major changes you’ve seen as a CVB executive during the past decade?
On a national level, all cities and governments have a better understanding of the importance of tourism as well as conventions. They are engaging CVBs a lot more. Infrastructure is being upgraded and is more visitor-friendly. It comes down to the cleanliness of the streets, good signage. This is a big thing for our industry. It started after 9/11. Cities woke up to the importance of tourism. So now CVBs have a seat at the table—even when it comes to transportation issues.
Another big change is that meeting planners are looking at CVBs and convention centers to be more of a partner. They want help with attendance-building and are looking to bureaus as a source for speakers. Because of our proximity to Research Triangle, we see this a lot. If we can make their program bigger and better, it benefits us. Twenty years ago, we’d just book the meeting and turn it over to the hotel or convention center.
What about changes in Raleigh?
We’ve had big changes here just in recent times. In 2007, the opening up of Fayette Street, which had been a pedestrian mall, and the new convention center and Marriott. The convention center has been a catalyst for $3 billion in new development here—restaurants, condos, office space. It really drove investment and it benefits residents and visitors alike. We have nine new hotels opening here this year alone.
Terry Epton
1981-present: President and CEO (since 2005), Executive Vice President, USA Hosts, New Orleans
Has there been a lasting impact from Hurricane Katrina on meetings business in New Orleans?
I was chairman of the New Orleans CVB for the year following Hurricane Katrina and that was quite a row to hoe. We’re still recovering and will be until we get to the numbers we had before the hurricane.
Some hotels, particularly those with a lot of meeting space, are doing better than ever. Smaller hotels without much meeting space are having a harder time. We used to have a steady amount of leisure business. We still get leisure business, but it requires a tipping point—people will come for a festival or big sports event like the Jazz Festival or Sugar Bowl, but they’re not coming ad hoc.
The market that’s increased is corporate meetings. We lost our position in the rotation for citywides after Katrina and are still feeling this. They had to go elsewhere. This has created availability for corporate groups during times that were usually booked up, months like October-November and April-March. As a DMC, we love this; corporate groups are our sweet spot.
How about changes in group activity preferences?
Hurricane Katrina changed the corporate meetings perspective on community service all over the country, not just in New Orleans. People coming in after the storm wanted to do a community service project—and they still do. Our company and the CVB have been very involved in finding and coordinating projects for people. The half-day of community service has become the norm for corporate groups everywhere. Getting a group of executives together to paint a high school gym is still a great way to foster bonding.
Another big change in 10 years is that people are much more concerned with possible accidents and liability issues. Clients have asked us not to propose things like hot-air balloon rides. And definitely no more alligator wrestling.
Burt Cabanas
1986-Present: Chairman and CEO, Benchmark Hospitality, The Woodlands, Texas
From a conference center perspective, what changes have you seen during the past decade?
In the past 10 years, the conference center concept of living, leisure and learning has been more effectively communicated. IACC and Benchmark have worked to promote this. Years ago, the word conference center conjured up images of a sterile extension of a university campus. It’s taken a long time to dispel this.
Also, meeting planners have much higher technological expectations. Conference centers have to provide a much higher level of technology and use of media than ever before, much more so than in the mid- or late- 1990s.
How about changes you’ve seen in the South?
In general, meetings destinations in the South have become much more geared for corporate business. We have three properties in Florida and Florida is much more of a corporate destination than it once was. Hotels there have really had to step up to take care of this business. I think this is true all the way up the Southeast coast as well, into the Carolinas and Virginia. And you really see the difference in Atlanta. When I lived there years ago, you didn’t have to drive far to be in the country. Now there are corporations everywhere in and around the city.
Anne Coggins
1995-present: Sales and Marketing Manager-Meetings and Conventions, Tunica CVB
How has your destination changed over the past decade?
We’re a lot better known than we were 10 years ago. Harrah’s opened here about 10 years ago and that made a huge impact. We now have many more amenities—not just gambling, but golf and off-site venues like the RiverPark Museum and the Tunica Queen. In general, we’re a much more sophisticated destination.
The challenge for the bureau, which was formed in 1994, has been to educate people about what we offer.
What has helped grow meetings business in Tunica?
We do a lot of trade shows, including national ones, but we target regional business. We’re primarily a drive market, but we also zero in on cities with good flight connections into Memphis, only 30 minutes away.
We got a big spike in group business after Hurricane Katrina because people needed to relocate their meetings away from the Gulf Coast. We got some of that relocated business, a lot of it from groups who had never met in Tunica before.
Bill Briscoe
1992-Present: Chief Industry Relations Officer, HelmsBriscoe (site selection firm), Naples, Fla.
What are some of the major changes that you’ve seen with Florida destinations?
What has happened with hotels and meetings facilities in Florida over the past 10 or 20 years is phenomenal. In fact, what has happened—and not just in Florida—is that resort leisure destinations have evolved as meetings destinations. It’s not just about the big cities like Chicago anymore.
The most obvious change is with Orlando. It’s got several properties that, if they were in a Midwestern town, could easily serve as the convention center. Orlando has gone way beyond Disney and Universal Studios.It rivals Las Vegas.
It’s also true for cities like Naples and Fort Lauderdale. Back in the 1980s when I was director of sales at the Registry in Naples, now the Naples Grand, we had very little competition. Now there are at least four or five great properties there. Places like Fort Lauderdale have gone from being 90 percent leisure to being much more meetings-oriented as well. It’s also happened up in the St. Augustine-Jacksonville area, where you’ve got the World of Golf and great resorts.
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