Museums & Attractions
- The Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, S.C., is featuring Breaking Down Barriers: 300 Years of Women in Art. The exhibition, which runs through Jan. 8, 2012, begins with Henrietta Johnston, the first female professional artist in America, and continues to the present, examining the challenges faced by women artists over the past 300 years. Drawn from the museum’s permanent collection, the exhibition focuses on a number of influential women working in a variety of media and artistic styles. For more information, call 843.722.2706 or visit www.gibbesmuseum.org.
- The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is paying tribute to one of country music’s most versatile artists, Chet Atkins, with Chet Atkins: Certified Guitar Player, a biographical exhibit that runs through June 11, 2012. Museum Director Kyle Young credits Atkins with shaping guitar sounds for everyone from Elvis to George Harrison. As a producer, Atkins also helped define the Nashville sound. For more information, call 615.416.2001 or visit http://countrymusichalloffame.org.
Programs & Packages
- Kiawah Island Golf Resort, in South Carolina, is offering special meeting accommodation rates through the end of 2012. Additionally, the group sales staff will be able to offer a number of complimentary value-added enhancements. These special rates apply for meetings and conferences in both the Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort and in its nearly 500 villas and private homes. Rates vary depending on the meeting date. Value-added enhancements include additional accommodations based on the number booked, upgrades, food and beverage discounts, discounted or complimentary meeting space, discounts on audiovisual needs and discounts on contracted golf. For more information, call 843.768.2121 or visit www.kiawahresort.com.
- The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress is offering deals for groups when booking now through Dec. 31 for meetings taking place in May and June 2012. The deals include a 10 percent rebate to the master bill, triple Hyatt Gold Passport Points, one complimentary suite upgrade for every 100 booked, complimentary beverage service and one complimentary valet parking for every 50 booked. The resort offers 65,000 square feet of recently renovated meeting space and conference facilities. For more information, call 407.239.3921 or visit www.hyattgrandcypress.com.
Tech Update
- The user-friendly Pocket Travel Consultant app, released this month by the Signature Travel Network, aims to strengthen the relationship between the network’s travel consultants and clients. Upon logging in, clients will have access to a wealth of valuable destination information they can use in both the planning and travel stages of their trips. Information will cover accommodations, dining, history, entertainment, fun facts and maps, as well as customized trip planning resources. The app will be available in both Apple and Android formats and all content is available offline while travelling internationally. For more information, call 310.574.0883 or visit www.signaturetravelnetwork.com.
Kudos
- The National Conference Center in Leesburg, Va., is making an effort to serve locally grown food for upwards of 2,000 meals a day. The property recently invited all of the region’s farmers to discuss the community’s needs as well as the needs of the conference center. Producing appropriate quantities of certain produce can be a challenge for small local farms, so Executive Chef Craig Mason has to reverse engineer his menus and find out what’s available first. The NCC also has a large herb garden planted on-site, and provides local farms with its used cooking oil, which is used to power tractors and run greenhouses. For more information, call 703.729.8000 or visit www.conferencecenter.com.
- Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is offering a new, complimentary program for planning a green meeting or event. Greening Meetings is now available at all the company’s 85 hotels and resorts around the world, and offers a menu of flexible options to conserve energy, reduce waste and support sustainability at events large and small. The new program is available at no additional cost. Available options cover a wide spectrum of initiatives from food and beverage to meeting services and accommodations. In addition, each hotel has a Green Team that can assist planners with everything from booking zip-line eco-tours of surrounding forests to learning about sustainable development and experiencing agritourism by visiting nearby organic farms. For more information, call 416.449.1750 or visit www.fourseasons.com.
Event Calendar
- The 40th anniversary Chevron Houston Marathon and companion Aramco Houston Half Marathon and El Paso Corporation 5K will take place Jan. 15, 2012. In addition, the Houston Marathon Committee will host the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Marathon one day prior to the race. For more information, call 713.957.3453 or visit www.chevronhoustonmarathon.com.
- The Miami Design Preservation League is hosting its annual Art Deco Weekend Jan. 13-15, 2012. This festival celebrates the National Art Deco Historic District in Miami Beach and has more than 80 events, including art exhibits, musical performances, lectures, films, street theater, parades, antique auto displays, artists, merchandise and food. The festival was started in 1976 to attract visitors to raise awareness and appreciation of the arts and culture of the Art Deco era. For more information, call 305.672.2014 or visit www.mdpl.org.