February 29, 2012

Benchmark Names Top 10 Meeting Industry Trends

Benchmark Names Top 10 Meeting Industry Trends
Benchmark Hospitality International—a hospitality management company that operates 35 award-winning hotels, resorts, and conference centers... Read more >>

N.C. Conference Center Cancels Events
Shortly after the $10 million Gastonia Conference Center opened last November, some dancers felt a vibration as they glided along the second floor ballroom... Read more >>

Westin Headed to Jekyll Island
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. has announced plans to open a Westin hotel in Jekyll Island, Georgia... Read more >>

Restoration and New Owners Planned at The Doral
The Trump Organization announced it will purchase Miami's Doral Hotel & Country Club for $150 million... 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 >>

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IHG launches health and fitness-oriented hotel brand
Do you sometimes wish it was easier to work out, eat well and generally feel healthy while on the road in your limited-service hotel? Read more >>

The Stafford London by Kempinski Exceeds Guest Expectations with Help of GoConcierge
“Knowledgeable and sophisticated” is how Executive Head Concierge Frank Laino describes the leisure guests... Read more >>

Group of 22 cruise passengers robbed in Mexican resort
A group of 22 cruise passengers have been robbed during a shore excursion... Read more >>

Hotels acknowledged for employee engagement
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. We’ve all heard this famous quote from The Shining. And some hotel companies truly stand by it... 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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Top Meeting Trends for 2012
Benchmark Hospitality International, a leading U.S.-based hospitality management company, which operates 35 hotels, resorts, and conference centers... Read more >>

Healthy Holidays
Holiday Inn’s parent company, InterContinental Hotels Group PLC, is forming a new hotel brand focused on working out and healthier dining... Read more >>

Five Tips for Planning Government Meetings
The government sales team at The National Conference Center has compiled five easy tips to simplify and streamline the many complex rules and regulations... Read more >>

Fishing for Savings?
Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf will soon be completing a comprehensive million-dollar renovation of the hotel’s 19,000-plus square feet of function space... Read more >>

Adventures in Beer
North Carolina is the craft brew capital of the South. With nearly 30 working breweries across the state and almost as many brewpubs enthusiastically serving up... Read more >>

Happenings - Charlotte
Westin Charlotte (704.375.2600; www.starwoodhotels.com) completed a multimillion-dollar renovation in 2011... Read more >>

Short Takes
Museums & Attractions
Dolly Parton plans to open a $50 million waterpark in Nashville in partnership with Gaylord Entertainment... Read more >>

Site Scene
Florida
A groundbreaking ceremony was held at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Orlando site selected by NASA as the future home of the space shuttle Atlantis exhibit... Read more >>

New Site Research Shows Optimism and Technology Top-of-Mind - 2/22/12
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

February 29, 2012

Meetings Focus: MPINCC Annual Conference & Expo in San Francisco - Sue Tinnish

Meetings Focus caught up with Sue Tinnish at the Feb. 16 MPINCC Annual Conference & Expo in San Francisco, and discovered that the CIC and Green Meeting Industry Council had just released seven of the nine APEX/ASTM sustainable meetings standards. See our story here.

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Negotiating: Driving the Deal, Part 1

Wed. March 14, 2012
In today’s difficult economic climate, organizations must reevaluate their approach toward negotiating and managing their meetings contracts. How should groups approach hotels if they need to “renegotiate” the terms of existing contracts in order to avoid attrition? And what terms should groups seek in new contract?

Sponsored by:
Wisconsin Dells
Hilton Milwaukee
Sioux Falls Convention & Visitors Bureau
Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau
Lago Mar Resort And Club
Bismarck-Mandan CVB North Dakota
Villas Of Grand Cypress Golf Resort
Las Vegas Hotel & Casino
The Inn On Fifth Old Naples, Florida

Negotiating With Convention Centers

• Build a solid, meaningful business relationship with Center personnel in a positive and knowledgeable manner and negotiating leverage can be increased. Negotiating leverage is greatly determined by the size of your events and the number of events that you book at the same Convention Center.

View full checklist >>