Pittsburgh CC Hotel Plans Move Ahead

Pennsylvania
Intellectual Capital

by JEFF HEILMAN

· Pennsylvania’s esteem in higher education was predestined by namesake founder William Penn. Even before King Charles II granted him forested "Sylvania" in 1681, Penn envisioned the prominence of education in the future state’s development. Another Pennsylvania champion, Benjamin Franklin, named "the good education of youth" as "the surest foundation of happiness."

Meetings East is now available in Digital Format!

Each issue contains content unavailable in our monthly print issues, so be sure to log in. Our additional format allows us to augment the ink-and-paper effort with a variety of expanded features along with active URLs and other interactive components. This digital distribution channel can also be shared electronically through the Internet, which opens up a whole new world of readers—participants, really—for all of our content. This month's issue offers an interview with Burt Cabanas, founder, president and CEO of Benchmark Hospitality International, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. A meetings industry veteran and thought leader, Cabanas shares his views on the current state of the industry as well as what to expect as far as rates and demand over the next few years.

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Happenings – Pennsylvania

Scheduled to open in March 2011, the expanded Pennsylvania Convention Center (215.418.4700; www.paconvention.com) will feature more than 1 million square feet of function space, including 79 total meeting rooms and 528,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space. Capable of hosting large trade shows or two major conventions simultaneously, the expansion also introduces the East Coast’s largest ballroom, at 55,400 square feet. The expansion continues to spur ancillary economic development, including new and renovated hotels.

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Meetings Media’s 2010 Best of the East.
Your Vote Counts! Vote now for your favorite properties in the East.

Meetings Media's 2010 Best of the East Ballot is waiting for you here: www.meetingstoday.com/BestOf. Select the top 15 hotels and resorts that went that extra mile—the ones that offered the best in rooms, value, service, F&B, amenities and activities. It's all up to you, so we need your help! All registered voters can be entered into a drawing for a new Amazon Kindle. Your fellow planners value your input and so do we, so give your favorite properties some love! Voting takes just a minute. What are you waiting for?

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Educated Planner
To Meet or Not to Meet

by LAIN HENSLEY

· The days of the "over-the-top" sales meeting are history as we know them. Or are they? The real question is, "How will you go over-the-top without going over the budget?" How will you continue to exceed the expectations of your participants without political blowback after the final gratuity is paid? Not only is the general public more interested in how big businesses are spending hard-earned profits, so are the employees and actual participants included in such meetings.

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