February 22, 2012

New Site Research Shows Optimism and Technology Top-of-Mind

New Site Research Shows Optimism and Technology Top-of-Mind
The Site International Foundation has presented the ninth release in the Site Index series, the Site Index: Annual Survey 2012... Read more >>

Loudermilk Conf. Center Gets New Owners
Crestline Hotels & Resorts announced it entered into a long term contract to manage Atlanta's Loudermilk Conference Center... Read more >>

HQ Hotel Headed for Louisville
The Kentucky State Fair Board is seeking proposals for a luxury hotel... Read more >>

DFW Area Eyeing Conference Center and Hotel Complex
The City of Denton, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, is looking to partner with University of North Texas to build the town’s first conference center... Read more >>

Central West Florida
Tampa Bay is used to the spotlight. With four Super Bowls and a World Series under its belt, along with meetings and conventions of every size and theme... Read more >>

Charlotte
The votes are in, and the Democratic National Committee has chosen Charlotte as the venue for its 2012 Democratic National Convention... Read more >>

Louisiana
Meeting groups looking to take in some live tunes and let their hair down will be hard-pressed to find a better locale than Louisiana... Read more>>

Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia is just across the Potomac River from the nation’s capital, and the region offers business groups a wealth of sophisticated and memorable off-site meeting and event venues... Read more >>

Greater Raleigh

Greater Raleigh is a shining example of a destination committed to green practices—the U.S. Chamber of Commerce even named Raleigh the “Nation’s Most Sustainable Mid-Sized City.” Our commitment is evident from solar panels on the roof of the Silver LEED-Certified Raleigh Convention Center and vehicle plug-in stations to world-class universities and companies setting the bar on environmentally-friendly practices. See for yourself how you can use our commitment to sustainability to host smarter, greener meetings.

For more information, click here.

Hilton Hotel guests denied refund after Whitney Houston's death
Reports say some guests staying at The Beverly Hilton on the weekend of singer Whitney Houston's death in a hotel suite... Read more >>

Hotels, guests name Wi-Fi as top room amenity
Surveys have uncovered travelers' and hotels' views on the most important hotel-room amenities and came up with similar results... Read more >>

Dubai conference to discuss trends of food safetys
The seventh International Food Safety Conference and the First Middle East Symposium of the International Association for Food Protection... Read more >>

Hotel's bottle pricing doesn't hold water
Paying heed to a problem faced by many consumers who are overcharged for packaged drinking water... Read more >>

A Higher Calling
Some people like to run in their free time. Others enjoy reading, scrapbooking or maybe traveling or golfing. But ask Rev. Harry Schmidt what he does for fun, and he’ll say plan meetings... Read more >>

On the Upswing
Incentive and resort business is back. A recent survey by the Society of Incentive and Travel Executives found that over 80 percent of respondents plan to use motivational travel programs in the next one to three years. Hotels already see the upturn... Read more >>

What's That Meeting Worth?
Three years have passed since the global economic downturn pushed the meetings industry on its back.

Industry veterans and analysts say the 2009 fall happened largely because the industry didn’t have information about the value of meetings, with which it could counter criticism from politicians, pundits and business leaders... Read more >>

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Selecting sites & vendors by asking better questions
Last weekend, we saw "Red", the Tony-award winning play, now at Arena Stage in DC.... Read more >>

How well do you understand contracts?
In 1983, two years after I founded Eisenstodt Assocs., a client canceled a hotel contract... Read more >>

5 Elements of a Perfect Event: Inspiration
Before I tie this to our industry, some background:
Friday night, a group of us, including a number of industry colleagues... Read more >>

Alcohol: Complement to or distraction from learning?
On the way to San Diego for ESPA’s (formerly ACOM) Annual Meeting... Read more >>

Adventures in Beer
North Carolina is the craft brew capital of the South. With nearly 30 working breweries across the state... Read more >>

Happenings - Charlotte
The 172-room Hyatt Place Charlotte-Uptown (800.233.1234; www.hyatt.com) is scheduled to open by August at Caldwell... Read more >>

Short Takes
Museums & Attractions
The 80,000-square-foot Nature Research Center wing is planned to open in April at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh... Read more >>

Site Scene
Alabama
The former Clarion hotel in downtown Montgomery will undergo a $5 million renovation and reopen as a 130-room DoubleTree Hotel... Read more >>

Dallas Marriott City Center Completes Makeover - 2/15/12
Raleigh Convention Center Goes Solar - 2/8/12
Tempting Top Ten: Best U.S. Hotels Named - 2/1/12
Air Travel Rights Fly Into Place - 1/25/12
Orlando Getting Cluster of Biz Traveler Hotels - 1/18/12
HQ Hotel Shot Down in Va. Beach - 1/11/12
Houston Planning Major Convention Area Development - 1/4/12
Ft. Lauderdale's Airport Hilton Must Be Demolished - 12/29/11
Houston Again Mulls Conv. Center Hotel - 12/22/11
Northern Kentucky CVB Adds CEO - 12/15/11
Hilton Focused On Luxe Growth - 12/8/11
Cruise Meetings Picking Up Steam - 12/1/11

February 22, 2012

Remember the basics when advertising your meeting!

Meetings in a Minute Tip
Don't forget to include the basics, such as time and date, when promoting your meeting.

Click the map below to search articles, destinations and meeting facilities by state or region.

Contingency Planning: Preparation Pays

Wed. February 29, 2012
Years after terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, and hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and mere months since unprecedented droughts, hurricanes and flooding in the U.S, and a deadly outbreak of e-Coli in Europe, we still do little to protect meeting participants and property. The potential for weather interruptions, brown- and black-outs, food poisoning—even death—are real. Large or small—paper cuts or disasters—we are woefully unprepared for contingencies.

Sponsored by:
LOEWS Philadelphia Hotel
Kansas City Marriott Downtown
The Roosevelt Hotel
Hotel Contessa Suites on the Riverwalk
Hyatt Regency Dallas

“Does alcohol served during meetings complement or distract from learning? ”