THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL
TM
INCENTIVE TRAVEL
■
HOSTED BUYER PROGRAMS
■
MEETINGS OUTLOOK
MAY 2014
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Volume 2, Issue 4
EDITORIAL STAFF
eople
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EDITOR IN CHIEF
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
MANAGING EDITOR
EDITOR
EDITOR
DIGITAL EDITOR
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
DESIGN AND PREPRESS
COVER DESIGN
COVER PHOTO
Rich Luna, rluna@mpiweb.org
Jeff Daigle, jdaigle@mpiweb.org
Blair Potter, bpotter@mpiweb.org
Michael Pinchera, mpinchera@mpiweb.org
Rowland Stiteler, rstiteler@mpiweb.org
Jeff Loy, jloy@mpiweb.org
Holly Smith, hsmith@mpiweb.org
Sherry Gritch, SG2Designs, sherry@sgproductions.net
Jeff Daigle
Jeff Loy
MPI ADVERTISING STAFF
ASIA PACIFIC
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suchenghs@mpiweb.org • 86-10-5869-3771
EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA
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Was taught not
to
speak to complet
e strang ers.
AL, AR, CO, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NM, OH, OK, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WI, WV, WY
Katri Laurimaa
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CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, MA, MD, ME, MI, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT, CANADA, CARIBBEAN, CENTRAL AMERICA, MEXICO, SOUTH AMERICA
Jennifer Mason Sanders
jmason@mpiweb.org • (772) 233-0678
lies
line rep
n
o
s
u
o
rdly—
anonym
Thinks meful and cowa inions”
are sha peop le offer “op d
el
the way having to be h
without table.
accoun
AK, AZ, CA, DE, HI, ID, NV, OR, PA, WA
Stacie Nerf
snerf@mpiweb.org • (972) 702-3066
MPI EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT
PRESIDENT & CEO
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Paul Van Deventer, pvandeventer@mpiweb.org
Cindy D’Aoust, cdaoust@mpiweb.org
Daniel Gilmartin, dgilmartin@mpiweb.org
INTERNATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Chairman of the Board
Michael Dominguez, CHSE, MGM Resorts International
Chairman-elect
Kevin Kirby
Vice Chairwoman of Finance
Erin Tench, CMP, CMM, Penn State University
Vice Chairman
Roel Frissen, CMM, Parthen
Vice Chairwoman
Allison Kinsley, CMP, CMM , Kinsley Meetings
BOARD MEMBERS
Amanda Armstrong, CMP, Enterprise Holdings Inc.
Krzysztof Celuch, CMM, CITE, Vistula University
Jordan D. Clark, Caesars Entertainment
Angie Duncan, CMP, CMM, BCD M&I
Hattie Hill, CMM, Hattie Hill Enterprises Inc.
Volunteere
d at a f
ood d
event hold
ing a sig onation
n saying
‘free lunc
h this w
ay
next to s
omeone dr ’ standing
essed as
polar bea
a
r. Still is
n’t sure
of the con
nec
polar bea tion between
rs and f
ood donat
ion.
Cornelia Horner, CMP, American Land Title Association
Gerrit Jessen, CMP, CMM, MCI Deutschland GmbH
Audra Narikawa, CMP, Capital Group
Fiona Pelham, Sustainable Events Ltd.
Alisa Peters, CMP, CMM, Experient Inc.
Darren Temple, CTA, Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau
Marti Winer, Wyndham Hotel Group
BOARD REPRESENTATIVES
MPI Foundation Board Representative
David Johnson, Aimbridge Hospitality
LEGAL COUNSEL
Jonathan T. Howe, Esq., Howe & Hutton Ltd.
The Meeting ProfessionalTM (Print ISSN: #2329-8510 , Digital Edition ISSN: #2329-8529) is printed monthly, except the months of January and October, by
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2 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL MAY 2014
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CONTENTS
FEATURES
50
INCENTIVES
THAT
DELIVER
THE WOW
Incentive travel is making
a comeback—of sorts.
The demand is there but
challenges persist.
54
59
THE SHOWS GO ON
MEETINGS OUTLOOK
The hosted buyer format has taken
root and continues to spread because
of the efficiency and productivity it
avails all parties involved.
The latest research predicts continued
growth in virtual and hybrid meetings and
slight shifts in budgets while reporting
on the overall health of the meeting
and event industry.
MPIWEB.ORG 5
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SFO MUSEUM
CONTENTS
34
THE LOBBY
18 ADOPTING THE FUTURE
Industry speaker James Spellos talks meeting
intel, Twitter and net neutrality in advance
vance of
the 2014 World Education Congress.
28
20 OUT OF THE SHELL
David Anderson, CMP, was terrified off
networking and meeting new people until
he was asked to get involved.
22 OPENING THEIR EARS
Veteran meeting planner Sandy Pizzarusso offers
advice for getting the attention of the C-suite.
20
VIEWPOINTS
32 A SUPER BOWL RISK
How a huge gamble reaped “suite” rewards
for an experience creator.
34 DISCOMFORT YIELDS SUCCESS
23 GET GROUNDED IN ANCHORAGE
Never underestimate the positive impact of
an uncomfortable moment.
An immersion course in all things Alaska turns
an overwhelmingly massive place far more
personal.
24 A CAREER-CHANGING EXPERIENCE
The Future Leaders Forum sparks career growth
and creates new opportunities for Paola Silk.
25 HOME SWEET HOME
The gym, home-cooked meals and quality time
with his partner help Terry Brinkoetter decompress after traveling or working an event.
27 A NATURAL FIT
Melissa Brown loves creating experiences where
people can connect and learn from each other.
28 TOY JOY
Travelers visiting San Francisco International
Airport encounter a plethora of Japanese toys.
40
SHOWCASE
40 A LASTING LEGACY
When the U.S. Green Building Council
comes to town, the already-green
Philadelphia steps up its game and
prepares for the future.
42 MEET UP ON AISLE FOUR
A grocery chain opens its largest-ever
supermarket inside the Colorado
Convention Center.
6 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL MAY 2014
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FROM THE EDITOR
TRACKING THE TRENDS
SPEND A FEW MINUTES with Christian Savelli talking data and meeting industry trends, and you will
quickly become enamored with
his passion for statistics.
Savelli, MPI’s senior director of
business intelligence, is one of the
driving forces behind the development of Meetings Outlook, a quarterly special report found in The
Meeting Professional.
The second installment (Page
59) explores the trends and
health of the global meeting and
event industry, and one focal
point predicts growth in virtual
and hybrid meetings. One of our
members, Cynthia Bullock, CMP
(MPI Eastern Great Lakes Chapter), shares how she kept her cool
when a snowstorm created havoc
for a meeting she planned. The
solution to utilize hybrid/virtual
meeting platforms and available
technology to pull off her meeting
resulted in success. It was smart
thinking, but it was also re lective
of a growing trend: more strategic
use of technology by meeting and
event professionals.
That’s one trend that we explore in Meetings Outlook, a product developed in partnership with
the Dallas CVB and supported in
partnership with IMEX.
Our research team includes Bill
Voegeli, who has conducted research and interpreted data for
MPI since 2002 and specializes in
detecting and planning for emerging trends in meetings, events,
hospitality and travel; Savelli, who
works on aligning the survey with
emerging trends; and our research librarian Marj Atkinson.
Together, they set the tone for the
key focus of each edition, and our
publications team then develops
the editorial angles and creates a
narrative that is rich and robust.
“Keeping up with the latest
business trends can be a daunting
task unless you can consistently
ask, ‘What is impacting the life of
a meeting professional?’” Savelli
says. “The value in Meetings Outlook is that by being quarterly,
you can detect changes in the
environment because we have
such a wide audience. Sometimes
it does take time to see the trends
taking shape, but we are able to
detect what matters faster.”
Meetings Outlook evolved from
a couple of previous products
(primarily Business Barometer). In
keeping with the redesign of our
member magazine, a key emphasis was to humanize the story
through our members’ voices. We
also wanted content that had a
greater sense of urgency—information in real time with real
voices.
A member panel was created to
help guide the questions, and the
panel has grown to 2,000 members
in six months.
“We want to be more proactive,
using Meetings Outlook as a strategy to help understand budgets,
productivity and other areas,”
Savelli says. “For each edition we’re
asking questions about speci ic
areas, and we change the questions
based on [what we learn from] a
panel of experts. The questions are
driven by the membership telling
us what matters right now, and
they have the unique view.”
To learn more about being a
panelist for Meetings Outlook and
other MPI surveys throughout the
year, contact research@mpiweb.
org. We’re looking for more voices
from across the globe. Our next
Meetings Outlook reports will appear in the August and November
issues.
Thank you for reading The Meeting Professional. Send me an email
and share your thoughts, comments and story ideas.
Until next time…
Rich Luna
Editor in Chief
rluna@mpiweb.org
8 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL MAY 2014
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FROM THE CEO
Our members and chapters are the
bedrock of MPI, and that is why we
will always listen to your input.
WE ARE LISTENING
TO YOU
I WOULD LIKE TO extend a special thank you to all of our members who completed the annual
MPI Membership and Chapter
Satisfaction Survey earlier this
year and also to those of you
who continue to share feedback
via phone calls, face-to-face conversations, emails and social
media.
The MPI global team and our
volunteer leaders all take pride
in being the leading industry
association for meeting professionals for more than 40 years.
Moreover, we understand that in
order to preserve this legacy we
must continuously improve the
way our association operates
with member feedback and
input in mind.
Our members and chapters are
the bedrock of MPI, and that is
why we will always listen to your
input. For example, we received a
tremendous amount of constructive feedback on planned changes to the CMM program during
the irst quarter of 2014. We
found a number of consistent
recommendations, and after
reviewing them with our partner,
the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), we agreed to
revise the program based on
your feedback. Speci ically, we
decided to retain the Certi icate
in Meeting Management name
and strengthen the program’s
eligibility requirements.
With this year’s membership
survey, you shared personal
feedback on a number of topics
including our World Education
Congress (WEC), job bank, networking opportunities and more.
Following are a few brief excerpts from member comments
about how we can improve your
membership experience.
• “Better and more active job
board.”
• “Please keep the education
coming.”
• “Better education at WEC, top
keynote speakers, bigger
names.”
We value your voice and take
all of your feedback to heart as it
helps shape the future of our
community. As such, we plan to
roll out several enhancements to
our member bene its later this
year based on your feedback—
including a new and improved
MPI Career Center and a new
speaker engagement tool. In
addition, we are planning more
CSR activities and will feature a
very prominent keynote speaker who will inspire you to discover the possibilities at WEC
2014, August 2-5 in Minneapolis. And there is more to come.
Please rest assured that we
are actively listening to you.
Keep sending us your feedback.
MPI is your community. We
want you to receive the maximum bene it for your membership investment. Furthermore,
we are committed to transforming our association so that the
experience for every member is
the absolute best it can be.
Paul Van Deventer
MPI President & CEO
pvandeventer@mpiweb.org
10 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL MAY 2014
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CONTRIBUTORS
MICHAEL PINCHERA is a
writer and editor for The
Meeting Professional. Read
more of his stuff at
whatmemeworry.com.
As the masses increasingly
find themselves trying to
manage and exploit the
latest proven technologies,
I’m mourning my lack of
Google Glass. I cannot
fathom experiencing an
Excel spreadsheet or a
PowerPoint presentation
through Glass—that touches me as way too invasive
for some reason—but regularly considering which
sci-fi toy or tool will become
the next reality leaves me
always wanting more. It’s
sobering to speak with an
expert such as James
Spellos (“Adopting the
Future,” Page 18) to
understand more about
how meeting professionals
are using technology and
how they need to prepare
for the future.
BILL VOEGELI has conducted market research
on behalf of MPI and the
MPI Foundation since
2002, and specializes in
detecting and planning
for emerging trends in
meetings, events, hospitality and travel.
“Meetings Outlook”
(Page 59) is the culmination of years of research
and planning by MPI to
keep meeting and event
professionals aware and
prepared for industry
change. The consistency
with which MPI has monitored the “macro” trends
within the industry over the
years and the flexibility MPI
has shown in pursuing
subtle changes in market
conditions and regional
variations provide a powerful foundation for Meetings Outlook. I’m proud to
say that this beautiful and
concise quarterly report will
help keep industry professionals in touch with the
current trends and ready
for what comes next.
MARIA LENHART is a
San Francisco-based
writer and former senior
editor at Meetings & Conventions and Meetings
Focus. Her travel industry
articles have won numerous awards, including a
prestigious Lowell Thomas
award from the Society of
American Travel Writers
in 2011.
After writing about the
incentive industry for nearly
three decades, it’s interesting to see how things have
changed. In the 1980s,
incentive travel was a
relatively new concept and
there was a good deal of
questioning about whether
it was worth the investment
or not. I remember one
corporate executive commenting, “If they don’t sell,
they’re out. That’s motivation enough.”
Now it seems that incentive travel has long proven
its effectiveness, although
economic conditions and
public perception issues
wield heavy influence
(“Incentives that Deliver
the Wow,” Page 50).
Incentive travel has rebounded from the recession, but has not returned
to the lavishness of earlier
years. Will it ever? Stay
tuned.
ELAINE POFELDT lives in
Northern New Jersey and
contributes to publications such as Fortune,
Forbes, CNBC, Inc. and
Money.
As a freelance writer who
covers career trends, I’ve
found that professionals
often share the same basic
challenges today, no matter what field: Working at a
faster pace than ever before
while mastering a constantly changing list of new
technologies to make work
more efficient. The meeting
professionals I interviewed
for this edition of “Meetings Outlook” (Page 59)
offered some great ideas on
how to do this in a way
that allows them to innovate and enjoy the playful
side of business.
ROWLAND STITELER is a
writer and editor for The
Meeting Professional.
In the two decades I have
been writing about successful meeting professionals, I
never met one who I felt
would not have been as
much of a success in the
19th century as in the 21st.
Smile and a shoeshine,
self-confidence and people
skills are timeless assets.
That’s why I had a true
epiphany when researching
the success of hosted buyer
programs (“The Shows Go
On,” Page 54), which came
to the forefront, in the U.S.
meeting industry at least,
a mere half-decade ago.
When looking at hosted
buyer programs closely, I
realized they are something
new and cutting edge and
not driven by technology at
all—just focused human
interaction. I really like that.
12 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL MAY 2014
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CONVERSATIONS
New ideas start with conversations.
This isn’t your typical letters page. We call it “Conversations” for a reason. We don’t just want you to comment on
our stories, we want to engage with you and share the resulting ideas with everyone. This page features what
you’re talking about and when the topic warrants, we’ll let you know our thoughts as well.
IN DEFENSE OF
POWERPOINT
SAME-SEX WEDDINGS
[Re: “Marriage Equality and the Local Economy,” April ’14 issue]
If I had to ind one reason as to why I’m going to continue to renew my membership in
MPI this would be it.
CHARLES CHAN MASSEY, CMP
MPI SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHAPTER
More people getting married means more events needing fantastic planners!
MEETING & EVENT PLANNING - SDSU COLLEGE OF EXTENDED STUDIES
I’m having a dif icult time trying to understand how an association that “believes in the
unequalled power of events and human connections to advance organizational objectives”
chose to make the burgeoning same-sex wedding industry the cover story of its lagship
publication The Meeting Professional. Which organizational objectives do weddings advance? I’m happy for everyone involved in this new wedding phenomenon but I’m confused
as to how this merits a cover story for the MPI community. Isn’t this more aligned to ISES?
DAVID RICH
MPI NEW ENGLAND CHAPTER | From the “Meetings Industry Friends” Group
I disagree, David. I think it has everything to do with our BROAD industry. If Roger
Dow can be a spokesperson for meetings from the travel side and DMAI for the
entities (.travel, .visit, etc.) representing cities and attractions, why not MPI for
the wedding side of the biz? Weddings are meetings with a more social aspect.
Maybe they’re more like “incentives.”
RESPONSE BY JOAN EISENSTODT
MPI POTOMAC CHAPTER
Is this a market you have tapped into yet? #MPI
@MPIGNY
MPI GREATER NEW YORK CHAPTER
What a great, well thought out and researched article! I will be sharing your article at an
upcoming 14 Stories Course!
HOLLY CARNEY
So, how can you start
a conversation?
Start a conversation with
an editor: @TheMeetingPro
[Re: “Should PowerPoint Be Banned During
Presentations?” April ’14 Pulse newsletter]
I’d like to know who is responsible for picking
the articles you link to, and why a front-page
article bashing PowerPoint?
Would you be interested in an article that
promotes how PowerPoint is used by 1 billion
people and can actually improve meeting
results?
It’s just another communication tool—that
too many lazy or overworked meeting planners
and organizations do not take full advantage of.
But when they do, it can produce real results
launching million-dollar products and billiondollar mergers.
If MPI was really about better meetings, they
would take a hard look at tools that produce
effective meetings and not promote the ban
of PowerPoint for all meetings. Sure there are
freeform discussion type meetings (as referenced in the article) that may be better off with
a white board discussion—it all depends on the
type of meeting, the content and the goals of
the meeting.
I’m very disappointed that an organization
like MPI, which I believed was at the forefront of
promoting effective meetings that produce
results, would buy into the anti-PowerPoint
nonsense.
MARSHALL MAKSTEIN
ESLIDE LLC
MPI GREATER NEW YORK CHAPTER
DIGITAL EDITOR JEFF LOY’S RESPONSE:
The main point of the article was to examine
the results of meetings when presenters tried
a different approach not using PowerPoint. At
no point did MPI or the article advocate
banning PowerPoint from all meetings, nor
did anyone dispute the value of the program
and results it has produced. In fact, a professor is quoted lauding PowerPoint’s usefulness
for presenting to large groups. One of the
goals in selecting articles for Pulse is to offer
alternative viewpoints for the reader.
Rich Luna, editor in chief
rluna@mpiweb.org • (972) 702-3081
Rowland Stiteler, editor
rstiteler@mpiweb.org • (863) 274-5212
Start a conversation
with MPI:
Blair Potter, managing editor
bpotter@mpiweb.org • (972) 702-3092
Jeff Loy, digital editor
jloy@mpiweb.org • (972) 702-3038
@JeffLoyMPI
Twitter: @MPI
Facebook:
www.Facebook/MPIfans
Michael Pinchera, editor (features)
mpinchera@mpiweb.org • (972) 702-3018
@mpinchera
14 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL MAY 2014
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WHO WE ARE 20 TOP SPOTS 23
YOUR COMMUNITY 26 HAVE A MOMENT 28
DECOMPRESSING
AFTER AN EVENT
For Terry Brinkoetter, it’s all about three things—the gym, homecooked meals and quality time with his partner. PAGE 25
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TECHNOLOGY
ADOPTING THE FUTURE
Industry speaker James Spellos talks meeting intel, Twitter and
net neutrality in advance of the 2014 World Education Congress.
BY MICHAEL PINCHERA
Q:
WHAT DO YOU SEE AS SOME OF THE MOST INTERESTING TECH TRENDS IMPACTING MEETING AND EVENT
PROFESSIONALS?
A:
I think that augmented reality (AR), beacons and geofencing (sometimes working together, sometimes working independently), in addition to the continued integration of mobile devices in
events/guest rooms, are in that category. Clearly, the capabilities of
AR, including Google Glass, have many folks polarized about its place
in our society, but there is no doubt that AR is coming and coming
fast. From marketing/advertising to the event itself, I think the conversation is going to continue to become more relevant to our community, as these tools start to show real usefulness at our event.
Q:
A:
WHAT ARE THE GREATEST CHALLENGES THESE
TRENDS POSE TO MEETING PROFESSIONALS?
The biggest challenge is keeping up with the changes, and then
trying to utilize them in a way that supports the goals and objectives of
the meeting. Almost every group feels that they are behind (sometimes
way behind) in the utilization of technology, but the reality is that there’s
a difference between using tech to be cool and trendy, as opposed to using
technology to further the meeting along. The former requires an exceptionally early adoption cycle, while the latter approach is not as reactive
to the hype and marketing of the new tool. There’s a ine line in today’s
tech workplace between patience and being “behind the times,” and that
puts everyone, not just planners, in an awkward acceptance cycle.
18 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL MAY 2014
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Don’t miss the always-packed World Education
Congress (Aug. 2-5 in Minneapolis) sessions led by
James Spellos. Visit www.mpiweb.org/wec14
for the latest information and to register.
Q:
A:
IN WHICH TYPES OF NEW TECH DO YOU SEE
MEETING PROFESSIONALS EXCELLING?
Q:
A:
WHAT DO MEETING PROFESSIONALS NEED TO
LEARN IN ORDER TO MANAGE THESE TRENDS?
We are great communicators, so once we’ve gotten past
our internal hurdles, any tool that facilitates better communications is one we’ll adapt to quickest. To that extent, even though
many did (and still do) more cautiously use social media, I think
when all is said and done that will have an easier adoption cycle
than using AR (until the killer app can be shown to be communication-based).
It’s essentially a twofold process. One is of education
about the trend itself. There is so much content available to
read and review, there is no reason why meeting professionals
shouldn’t be aware of what technology is on the horizon. The
trickier part is the integration of the technology within the needs
of the group. That is a balancing act indeed. How far ahead of the
curve do you need to be? Planners need to push the comfort zone
of the group so that adoption isn’t too late in the game. They need
to ind internal champions within the organization who can help
them “sell” the bene it of the tools to their colleagues. I’d rather
be a bit too early than too late to the tool, but if that is the space
in which you are playing, be sure not to ditch the technology if it
doesn’t get a high level of adoption in year one.
Q:
Q:
Q:
A:
THERE’S A PERCEPTION THAT MEETING PROFESSIONALS ARE LATE ADOPTERS WHEN IT COMES TO
CERTAIN TECHNOLOGIES. WHY?
A:
I really don’t think that is the case. To me, most industries are late adopters. The cycle of continuing adding new tech to
what we do in our industry crosses a lot of boundaries. We need
to be aware of it, see it in action, understand how it meets our
needs and be able to integrate the tool within the event’s bottom
line. And after all that, we need to become advocates for the tool,
pushing it out (even when there is much resistance internally)
and doing all that while the rest of our job gets done lawlessly.
Change is never easy...but it is exciting and invigorating...and totally necessary.
WITH SO MANY SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS, IS
THERE ONE IN PARTICULAR THAT YOU FIND ESPECIALLY
VALUABLE?
A:
To me, in today’s social tsunami of information, Twitter is the best social media. The fact that the company is trying to
make it more visually appealing will only help us be able to understand the power of that service. Real-time communications, great
capability of getting feedback from your customers and clients and
crowd-sourced news service—it’s my pick, hands down.
DO YOU THINK THE LACK OF NET NEUTRALITY IN
THE U.S. WILL IMPACT MEETINGS AND EVENTS?
It is depressing how we are moving to an Internet that
doesn’t use net neutrality as its guiding principle, but not really
surprising. It was a matter of time until large corporations and big
dollars started to try and create an economic caste system on such
a powerful tool. I look at the proposed merger of Time Warner
and Comcast as a lightning rod for this. Even before the proposed
merger, they both essentially had information monopolies, especially as it related to high-speed cable connectivity. If the merger
goes through, I can see tiers of content based on payment and advertiser support. There’ll be a backlash if that happens, so it’ll be
interesting to see how the battle is won.
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WHO WE ARE
20
0 TH
TTHE
HE ME
MEETING PROFESSIONAL AUGUST
MAY 20142013
3
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DAVID
ANDERSON, CMP
MPI SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHAPTER
While studying abroad in Spain during my undergraduate years at the University of California, Los
Angeles (UCLA), I met meeting planners producing a program in France. They introduced me to this
industry in 2000, and I’ve been hooked ever since. After I returned to the U.S., I interned with their irm
for one year. The irm had to close its doors immediately after my graduation from UCLA, and so was
birthed Eventive Group.
I am so proud to have been involved in meetings and events that range from eradicating breast
cancer to keeping our streets safe to sending people to the moon and beyond. We plan programs that
bring together great minds to connect, share, learn, problem solve and explore new futures.
It’s hard to be a guest at an event since I started in this industry. My instinct has changed to
absorbing, evaluating and contrasting the planning and production work others do in comparison to
the work I do with my team on a daily basis. I think this approach has always made me better, but it
can be exhausting.
When I first joined MPI, I sat in the corner and avoided others at all costs. Networking and meeting
new people terri ied me. It wasn’t until six years later when someone asked me to get involved and
volunteer that I actually stepped out of my shell and engaged with other members. That moment was a
game-changer for me. Within a year I was on the board of directors and eight years later I am honored
to serve as chapter president. As a small, independent planning irm, our resources tend to be limited,
but MPI gives our entire team the opportunity and ability to cultivate our leadership and planning skills.
I can’t see myself as a successful planning professional without MPI.
The MPI Orange County, San Diego and Southern California chapters produced similar and
competing single-day education and trade show programs for many years. It took a while to igure out
the best way to join forces, but we knew it would bene it all three chapters to co-host a single event. We
sought out a lot of feedback and advice from many of the chapters that co-produce programs such as the
one we were venturing to create: the SoCal EdCon & Expo. Last year, being the irst year, was an amazing
experience, and the feedback was incredibly positive. With this year’s event, we are excited to see how
the program has grown in scope, size and impact.
I believe cloud-based computing has changed our industry for the better. As planners we are an
incredibly mobile workforce. We are constantly on the go, and “setting up shop” in hotels and convention centers for limited periods of time. Having access to all iles at all times is
incredibly liberating and reassuring. Also, knowing they are always backed up
helps me sleep better at night. The availability, reliability and velocity of Internet services will continue to increase, while the price to connect goes down.
I’m crazy about riding my bicycle. Los Angeles may be a city controlled by
cars, but we cyclists are making headway to making this city safer and more
fun for two-wheeled creatures. About once a month I commute 18 miles oneway to work on my bike. It is not only a great workout, but it turns my normal
freeway scenery to the waterfront boardwalk of the Paci ic Ocean…an amazing
way to start the day!
David A. Anderson, CMP,
is founding partner of the
Eventive Group and president
of the MPI Southern California
Chapter. He has been a
member of MPI since 2001.
Photo by Jeff Loy
MP EB.O
MPIW
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PEER TO PEER
“How can I get the CEO
to take my advice?”
Don’t be afraid to ask a question, show confidence in your recommendations and have a thick skin.
I HAVE BEEN IN THE MEETING INDUSTRY FOR MORE THAN 25
YEARS,
and I pride myself on creating relationships
with the CEO of whichever company or client I work
for or with. I always make the effort to reach out to
the CEO as well as other C-level leaders whenever
possible.
It started when I worked for a inancial services
irm for many years, including two years directly for
the CEO and deputy CEO. They taught me all I needed
to know about working with that level. I was pretty
young in my career and made a lot of mistakes, but
built a strong attitude and a thick skin. I was screamed
at, things were thrown at me and they threatened to
ire me on more than one occasion. I realized that if I
stood, listened and took what they had to say without
bursting into tears, they eventually calmed down and
treated me with more respect—and I learned a lesson
from every situation. I’m not saying it is acceptable to
be screamed at, but we experienced planners know
how patient CEOs are, right?
You know the old saying, “If you don’t buy a lottery
Sandy Pizzarusso
(MPI Greater Orlando
Area Chapter) is
director of event
management, credit
union solutions, for
Fiserv. She has more
than 25 years of
experience in meetings, meeting
management and
hospitality.
ticket, you will never win?” Well, if you don’t ask the
CEO, you will never move forward. Another CEO I
worked with was a great person and we clicked immediately. I had planned several management committee meetings for him and in doing so built a strong
trust between us. I asked him if he would mind if I sat
in during the next management committee meeting,
explaining that it would help me better understand
what was taking place and that I knew it was all conidential and would not share anything beyond those
walls. I also made a point of always introducing myself to the other committee members and helping
them with reservations, memos and calendar items,
so they also got to depend on me while on site. None
of them had any issues with me sitting in the meeting,
so from that point on, I was able to listen to all of the
classi ied information and was looked upon at a higher level with a lot of trust as they thought it was interesting that I wanted to learn so much more.
Relationships and con idence are key when working with the C-level. While working as a third-party
22 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL MAY 2014
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TOP SPOTS
corporate meeting planner I reached
out to a client I had worked with in
the past. He and I worked very closely together before, and when I called
to see if he needed any current meeting planner assistance he asked if I
was still working with the C-level. He
hired me on the spot for an incentive
program that his CEO was running.
Relationships
and confidence
are key when
working with
the C-level.
I was told this CEO was the “intense” type, so I had an idea as to
what I was getting into. Once on site,
I met the CEO and his wife and immediately asked if he wanted to see
the meeting room where he would
be presenting. He followed me in and
asked me how I thought he should
handle the staging, etc. I could tell
immediately (after years of working
with CEOs) that he wasn’t looking for
me to say, “Whatever you think,” so I
recommended where he should
stand, how to face the audience and
how long he should speak. I also immediately let his wife know that I
was available for anything she needed, and by the next morning she was
calling me for everything. It might
sound silly, but if the wife or signi icant other likes you, so will the CEO.
I worked with this company as a
third-party planner for two years,
and then as a full-time employee
working with all of the C-level leaders. I succeeded in working with this
CEO and did not shy away from his
questions or his intense speaking
and ways.
I hope these small tips will help
some of you corporate meeting planners cross into the strategic CEO
world that we all seem to love and
can never leave.
GET GROUNDED
IN ANCHORAGE
EVEN AFTER 10 YEARS OF BACK AND
FORTH TO THE STATE—and now living in
Anchorage for eight months—there are
days that the idea of Alaska swamps my
brain. This place is life and beauty and
weather on a massive scale. On those days,
I turn to the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center. The museum is the best place in
Anchorage that I’ve found to ground myself
in all things Alaska. For that reason, it’s also
one of the places that I insist all irst-time
visitors swirl through. It’s also an easy walk
from Anchorage’s two convention centers
and all downtown hotels, so a quick museum getaway can it into even the busiest of
conference days. Better yet, schedule a private docent-led tour (US$100 per docent
for up to 20 people).
On my latest visit, I started up on the
fourth loor in front of the windows of the
Chugach Gallery. I look out and fall, again, in
awe of the Chugach Mountains. It’s a spring
day and the bright sun turns the mountains,
still dressed in their winter
white, nearly lat, like a massive movie set behind the
windows. But then the wind
picks up and there’s movement at the peaks, snow lying off is visibly glittery even
at this distance.
Over in the museum’s Smithsonian
Arctic Studies Center, a partnership with
the Smithsonian Institution, there are more
than 600 Alaska Native artifacts arranged
to tell the story of the people who made
them. But it’s the videos I’m after today. I
start to hear them before I even get to the
room, the voices of the modern-day Tlingit
and Haida and Tsimshian and Inupiaq—
the descendants of the people whose work
ills the loor-to-ceiling display cases. “The
candle of the culture became a bit dim at
times but it didn’t go out,” a Sugpiaq man
says in the video about his culture. The
voices tie then, now and the future into one.
Running short on time—the special exhibits will have to wait for another day—I
have one last gallery stop. There, hanging
near Sydney Laurence’s famous painting of
Denali, the work of Bill Brody (billbrody
artist.com), an artist I met a few summers
back in the town of McCarthy in WrangellSt. Elias National Park and Preserve. Just
like that, Alaska’s
massive scale feels
incredibly personal once more.
This place is life
and beauty and
weather on a
massive scale
—JENNA SCHNUER
u’re
While yeo...
her
Eklutna Lake, a day-trip-worthy lake 40 miles northeast of the city, overflows with opportunities. Rent a
kayak (lifetimeadventures.net) for an early-morning
paddle (winds often pick up in the afternoons) or, if
you’re after altitude, hike up the Twin Peaks Trail. After
your outdoor adventure, head over to the Eklutna
Historical Park to learn about the brightly colored spirit
houses that honor those buried in the cemetery.
Colony House Museum, a small museum in
Palmer, details the history of the Matanuska Colony,
established in 1935 when 200 families moved in
from the Midwest. The Matanuska Valley remains
the hub of Alaska agricultural activity (think giant
vegetables). The best bit: Most of the volunteers
at the museum were Colony kids. They know of
what they speak.
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FUTURE LEADERS
A CAREER-CHANGING
EXPERIENCE
The Future Leaders Forum sparks
career growth and creates new
opportunities for Paola Silk.
Be a Leader of
the Future
Apply for the IMEXMPI-MCI Future Leaders
Forum taking place
during MPI’s 2014 World
Education Congress
in Minneapolis, Aug.
2-5: Contact FLFWEC@
mpiweb.org.
Attending the IMEX-MPI-MCI Future Leaders Forum
(FLF) during MPI’s 2010 World Education Congress
in Vancouver proved to be a de ining moment in the
career of Paola Silk (MPI Toronto Chapter).
Her meeting industry career was kicked off with
a one-year contract at Tourism Toronto, the of icial
destination marketing organization for the city. She
was offered the job immediately after graduating
from Humber College with a post-graduate certi icate in Hospitality and Tourism Operation Management. This speedy entry was due in no small way to
her attendance at the FLF.
“Having known Julie Holmen (MPI Toronto Chapter), director of sales, corporate and incentive at
Tourism Toronto, for a number of years through my
college and also my MPI membership, I was able to
meet with her at the FLF in Vancouver in 2010,” Silk
says. “At the forum, she introduced me to other key
industry insiders and we discussed my career aspirations. When a suitable position arose in her company,
she approached me and the rest is history.“
Silk found out about the FLF 2010 via MPI,
where she’d been a member for several years.
She immediately recognized the opportunities
24 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL MAY 2014
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Just as Silk was
supported by experienced industry
insiders, she’s now
involved in sharing
her career experience with the next
generation.
available by attending such an event.
“When I read the communication from MPI,
I thought, ‘This is perfect, I need to go!’” she says.
“After many years of education, I was really keen
to experience the industry irst-hand and secure
a job. I’d anticipated the FLF would enable me to
network with my peers and introduce me to some
industry heavyweights. I wasn’t disappointed.
I met head hunters from major corporations who
shared what they were looking for in terms of
new talent. And the speakers also provided tips
on how to progress in [the] competitive industry,
including how to make a good irst impression and
gain con idence—particularly useful in interview
situations!”
Silk learned a great deal during the FLF and
is still in contact with many of the peers she met
there.
“This includes Holmen, who has acted as a
mentor for me,” she says. “Attending the FLF
also proved to be a useful talking point in interviews and has been an extremely useful addition to my CV.”
Just as Silk was supported by experienced industry insiders, she’s now involved in sharing her
career experience with the next generation. As
well as being a regular speaker at Humber College,
she’s been contacted by potential FLF attendees
seeking advice in the application process and how
to make the most of their time at the event.
“For me, attending the FLF was a career change
and a life change. I’d sum it up as a very rewarding
experience,” she says.
Silk is currently looking after her young family
while seeking new opportunities in the meeting
and event industry to start this fall.
HOW DO YOU
DECOMPRESS
AFTER AN EVENT
OR TRAVELING?
THREE THINGS BRING ME BACK—the gym, home-cooked meals and quality time
with my partner, Ron Reinhold.
Any kind of fitness regimen usually falls by the wayside in the days or weeks
leading up to a big event. And, let’s face it, we eat a little too well in this industry.
The sooner I can get back into a pool, a yoga class or a weight room, the faster I
bounce back from a time change, lack of sleep or days of nonstop activity.
I’m also really lucky that Ron is an incredible partner and cook. When I get home
we usually spend the evening making a nice dinner—actually, he makes a nice dinner and I get in the way under the guise of “helping.” We recently moved back to
Orlando full time, which means dinner out on our deck savoring great food and
conversation. It’s cathartic.
Ron works in the industry too, so we both know that even if you love bringing
events to life, you still need to sort of recuperate from them. Just knowing I’m coming home to that understanding helps tension start to fade as soon as it’s wheels up
for the flight home.
SO, WHAT IF YOU NEED TO DECOMPRESS
IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY DAY?
The Huffington Post recently offered three ideas.
• Break in the Middle of Tasks, Rather Than at a Milestone. It will make it easier to jump back in when you come back.
• Walk and Talk. If there’s a conversation you need to have with
someone on your team, use that excuse to take a break. Walk
around, outside if possible, and discuss the matter.
• Schedule Breaks Ahead of Time. Plan for two or three each
day, or more if you work long hours, and make sure you take
those breaks when you scheduled them.
Terry Brinkoetter
(MPI Greater Orlando Area
Chapter) is the public relations
director for Disney Destinations
MPIWEB.ORG 25
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YOUR COMMUNITY
ATTEND WEC ON THE
MPI FOUNDATION
ARE YOU PLANNING TO ATTEND the 2014
World Education Congress (WEC), August
2-5 in Minneapolis, MPI’s premier event? If
you’re not sure yet, it might be time to consider applying for an MPI Foundation scholarship, which helps cover WEC registration
and travel.
There are 11 scholarships available for
this year’s WEC, but you must apply by May
30. Here’s a look at some of these opportunities (all amounts in U.S. dollars).
The Peabody Hotel Group Corporate
Planner WEC Scholarship. Open to MPI
corporate planner members. Three available scholarships for up to $2,800 each.
IHG Canada WEC Scholarship. Open to
Canadian MPI planner members. Two available scholarships for up to $2,800 each.
UR
MARKNYDOAR
CALa loEok at your upcoming
Here’s
vents:
industry e
Dusseldorf Congress Corporate Planner WEC Registration
Scholarship. Open to MPI corporate planner members. Two
available scholarships for up to
$750 each.
✓
AIBTM
.
Orlando, Fla .org/Events/
www.mpiweb
AIBTM2014
International Centre WEC Registration Scholarship. Open to Canadian MPI planner members. Two available scholarships for up to $500
each.
Hard Rock International WEC Scholarship for Students. Open to student MPI
members with a desire to deliver an education session at WEC 2014. One available
scholarship for a North American student and one for a European student.
Up to $2,800 each, deadline June 30.
2
JUNE 10-1
HSMAI
MEET W’S
EST
San Die
go
✓
www.m
HSMAI piweb.org/Ev
2014
ents/
JUNE
16-17
Please visit www.mpiweb.org/foundation to learn more or to apply.
✓
Minn
www eapolis
.mpiw
eb.or
g/WE
C14
AUG
UST
2- 5
✓MPI pro
EDUCATION IN A FLASH
THIS YEAR’S WORLD EDUCATION CONGRESS
in Minneapolis (Aug. 2-5) will once again
include the popular Flash Point Idea
Assembly—featuring 15-minute presentations on a wide variety of subjects. Here’s
a look at a couple of the 2014 speakers.
Much more info about Flash Point will
follow in the coming weeks, so stay tuned
to www.mpiweb.org.
“Discovering the Wild Side of Leadership: What Sled Dogs Know that Humans
Don’t” with Chris Heeter. Boring meetings?
Disengaged teams? Lifeless leadership? Then
shake it up with Chris and her dog, Tuu Weh,
who bring a refreshingly different perspective to the joys and challenges of leadership,
teams and diversity. (And in case you’re
wondering, Tuu Weh is an extremely mellow
rescue dog, not a sled dog, but he still
doesn’t understand the subtleties of carpets
and lunch buffets.)
“Know More! Discovering Relevancy in
Your Business Relationships” with Sam
Richter. This program will provide an over-
viding
educa
tion
view on how “Knowing More!” about prospects and clients ensures relevancy with
every sales call, every meeting, every time.
With relevancy, you connect on a personal
level, make the other person feel important
and receive permission to ask meaningful,
value-based questions. Most important,
when you “Know More!” and show you can
solve real problems, you win and keep more
business. Discover how to use the “impersonal web” to personalize your business
relationships.
26 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL MAY 2014
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tion scholarship and decided to
apply in hopes of building great
networks and experience,” she says.
Brown’s work in the industry
brings great satisfaction because
she’s able to have an impact not
just on attendees, but the world.
“I love helping create experiences where people can connect and
learn from each other, and then
take what they’ve learned to better
their lives, their communities and
the world,” she says. “With my
varied work history background—
including being an activity
director at a retirement community, working at a catering
company, being
MELISSA BROWN (MPI Washingan event lorist
ton State Chapter), project and
I love helping create
and teaching
registration coordinator for Mary
experiences where
English in South
O’Connor & Co., says the meeting
people can connect
America and
and event industry seemed like a
and learn from each
Africa—I’ve
natural it for her. That’s why she
found that all of
knew that earning the Helmsother, and then take
these experiencBriscoe Meeting Planner Member- what they’ve learned
es tie together,
ship Scholarship—in which the
to better their lives,
creating a diverMPI Foundation paid for a onetheir communities
si ied portfolio
year MPI membership—would
and the world.
that has made
make a signi icant difference for
me ready to
her career.
jump into any situation. My work keeps
“After researching ways to get inme on my toes and pushes me to excel
volved and learn more about the event
as I continue learning and shaping what
industry I came across the MPI Founda-
A NATURAL FIT
direction my career will take me.”
Brown says since receiving the scholarship she has met many amazing people
through MPI.
“I was able to volunteer as co-chair of
the Washington State Chapter’s June
Celebration, as well as chair the Annual
November Gala, which won an Emerald
City Applause Award for Best Event Produced for a Non-Pro it Budget Under
$25,000,” she says. “Through my networks I was able to obtain a contract
position at SH Worldwide helping coordinate registration for a multi-country,
multimillion-dollar event. That experience then led me to my current role at
Mary O’Connor & Co., where I assist with
conferences and conventions all over the
country. Each experience has helped me
grow and prepared me for the next opportunity. It has been quite a year!”
The MPI Foundation is passionate about
providing MPI members with professional development and career opportunities
through grants and scholarships. To learn
how the MPI Foundation can help you or
to make a donation, visit www.mpiweb.
org/foundation. If Melissa’s story resonated with you, join our conversation on
Facebook (www.facebook/MPIfans).
STUDY SHOWS STRENGTH
OF MEETINGS IN CANADA
THE CANADIAN ECONOMIC IMPACT STUDY
3.0 shows that the spend related to business events in the country are enormous.
Here’s a look at some of the key indings.
• For 2012, Canada hosted 585,000
business events in 2,176 venues. More
than 85 percent of the activity took place
in hotels and resorts.
• These events attracted 35.3 million
participants and involved CAD$29.1 billion in direct spending.
• Meeting organizers received a total of
$7.8 billion to host business events, including $4.5 billion from registration fees
and $3.3 billion from sponsors and other
non-participants.
• These events delivered $27.5 billion
to the country’s GDP in 2012, approximately 1.5 percent of total GDP.
• Business events supported employment of more than 200,000 full-year
jobs directly, and supported more than
340,000 full-year jobs when factoring in
indirect and induced employment effects.
The study was made possible through
the MPI Foundation and generous contributions from a number of Canadian
industry stakeholders. It is a continuation
of a study irst published in 2008 and
updated in 2009. To learn more, visit
www.mpiweb.org/ceis3.
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HAVE A MOMENT
28 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL MAY
JANUARY
2014 2014
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TOY JOY
EXHIBIT:
Japanese Toys! From
Kokeshi to Kaiju
WHERE:
Terminal 3, San Francisco
International Airport (SFO)
WHEN:
November 2013–May 2014
The SFO Museum features
rotating exhibits in galleries located throughout the
terminals, as well as interactive play areas. The
Japanese Toys! exhibit
included battery-operated
robots, vinyl kaiju figures
and a dress made entirely
from plush Hello Kitty
dolls. The San Francisco
Airport Commission Aviation Library and Louis A.
Turpen Aviation Museum
is a 7,000-square-foot
public exhibition space
available for group bookings of up to 250 attendees. It’s also the first cultural institution of its kind
located within a major
international airport.
SFO MUSEUM
WHAT:
MPIWEB.ORG 29
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VIEWPOINTS
A Big Game, a Big Gamble 32 | Never Underestimate Uncomfortable Moments 34
All sorts of situations
pull us from a sense
of comfort: new ideas,
direction, people, schedules and processes. And
just like the great teachers and lessons of our
lives, these sorts of things
often foster some of
our greatest joys.
DISCOMFORT YIELDS
SUCCESS
PAGE 34
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CREATIVITY
BY JOHN CHEN
John is CEO and The Big Kid for Seattle-based Geoteaming and
the VP of membership for the MPI Washington State Chapter.
He can be contacted at john@geoteaming.com.
A SUPER
BOWL RISK
How a huge gamble reaped “suite”
rewards for an experience creator.
THE ADVENTURE BEGAN with a staycaMichelin 3-Star La Bernardin, Lion King
could possibly go wrong. My team has
tion with my mom over the holidays. Our on Broadway, the Maxim party, an exclu- been “practicing” for 17 years, so I trustgoal was to spend quality time together
sive buyout of the NFL pop-up restaued we were ready. Worst-case scenario,
seeing the best of Seattle. After The
rant Forty Ate and more. Using my MPI
my family and team were going to have
Nutcracker and Oliver!, we went to a
connections, I quickly built a team and
the best Super Bowl party ever. BestSeattle Seahawks football game. We had
designed an “Adventure License” for
case scenario, we were creating an ensuch a great time that we attended subUS$30,000 that included all of the above tirely new product with huge potential
sequent games each weekend.
events, meals, lodging and being a guest
for our company.
At halftime of the NFC Championship in one of my Super Bowl
game, even though the Seahawks were
suites. The Geoteaming XLVIII
down, I had an epiphany: The Seahawks
Suite Adventure was born.
LESSON: Trust yourself, even if you know you
connected the people of Seattle, and we
We also opened a “fan
could fail. You deϔine success.
could connect the fans.
cave,” led by a former SeaThe Seahawks won the game and
hawks player, at the top loor
were now slated to play the Denver
of the Copacabana, so every
I set an intention so big that I had to
Broncos in the Super Bowl. I looked for
Seahawks fan could join in the fun for
level-up my game. Two months earlier, in
tickets to the coveted game—and found
only $12.
November, I set an intention to make $1
suites available. These suites
million in net pro it in three years.
are usually tightly controlled
by NFL teams and high-payLESSON: We change lives when we create
ing sponsors, but this year
meaningful connections and magic moments.
they were available to people
LESSON: Set big intentions and keep your eyes
like you and me.
wide open.
I texted the NFL and said
• I was open to taking this risk because it was
This was one of the biggest inancial
I’d buy all the suites they had. Over the
part of the answer to an intention I had set.
risks of my life. I was “all in.” I had to
next few days, we worked the inancing
• Build relationships long before you need them,
and locked three suites with a total of 88 trust myself. The risk was huge and a lot
so when you need them, people say yes.
seats. When I built my original company, of it was out of my control. The NFL
could reschedule the Super Bowl due to
I set out to create life-changing adventures for people. My dream was about to snow, we might not sell all our seats or
My team manifested my vision for
my adventure team might call me crazy
be played out in the biggest way I’d ever
this adventure in just seven days and
and quit. But I had a plan.
imagined—in New York City and at the
then magic happened…the Geoteaming
It’s the job of a meeting professional
Super Bowl (in nearby New Jersey).
XLVIII Suite Adventure went viral.
to anticipate and mitigate anything that
My vision included NFL Media Day,
32 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL MAY 2014
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4/15/14 12:37 PM
ALAN ALABASTRO / ALABASTRO.PHOTOSHELTER.COM (3)
I conducted 20 press interviews in six
days, including the Puget Sound Business
Journal, Forbes and CNN. People were
intrigued and excited about this epic adventure—and they wanted in on it.
We sold Adventure Licenses in cash
and trade. Crazy deals lew over my desk
including software, training and my favor-
ite, chocolate! We sold 85 out of 88 Adventure Licenses and gave away the last three
to members of the military and the most
passionate person who emailed me about
the desire to attend the Super Bowl, a
27-year-old Cuban immigrant named
Anthony.
We had an incredible week that left
many of us speechless. My personal highlights included front-row seats at the Lion
King on Broadway, Chef Éric Ripert’s amazing food and my mom being the star of the
Maxim party by dancing to Dirty Vegas. We
watched the Seahawks make history while
meeting Steven Tyler, Miss America and
Mack Strong. We surprised everyone with
Skittles cupcakes in our Super Bowl suites
as we celebrated the Seahawks’ win.
Yet, as I sit in my of ice and re lect on
this event, I realize watching the Seahawks
become Super Bowl Champions was not
my greatest gift.
The Super Bowl gave me my own
life-changing adventure. In debrie ing with
my team, I learned I put undue stress on
everyone. I let my excitement override my
team members’ needs. The biggest feedback I heard was: I need to be more
humble. I believe it took this event for
people who work with me to feel open
enough to tell me this.
I’m learning to slow down, be more
approachable and be sensitive to my team
members’ needs. I want them to be my
teammates not just for one Super Bowl,
but for life.
LESSON: Take time to debrief.
• Listen. Regardless of how you think things
turned out, listen to others’ perspectives.
• The keyword in meeting planning is “planning.” While we created the impossible, it’s
not sustainable.
• With every big risk comes a hidden reward. It may not be what you think it is.
As Macklemore says, “Make the money,
don’t let the money make you.”
We are already planning for Super
Bowl XLIX in Arizona and Super Bowl L in
San Francisco.
What risk will you take to play big in
the world?
MPIWEB.ORG 33
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MEETING DESIGN
BY BRIAN PALMER, CMM
Brian is president of the National Speakers Bureau, a 33-year MPI member and the
current president of the International Association of Speakers Bureaus.
In 2003, MPI named him the International Supplier of the Year.
DISCOMFORT
YIELDS SUCCESS
Never underestimate the positive impact
of an uncomfortable moment.
REAL LEARNING, GENUINE CHANGE
and signi icant progress usually
involve some measure of unease.
All sorts of situations pull us from a
sense of comfort: new ideas, direction, people, schedules and processes. And just like the great
teachers and lessons of our lives,
these sorts of things often foster
some of our greatest joys.
I make these rather obvious
points because of an important
disparity I’ve discerned in what
people are looking to accomplish
with their events.
Throughout my 35 years in the
events industry, I’ve noted a steady
march toward events with a clear
purpose and set of objectives. To be
certain, different events have different purposes, and sometimes they
are simply to reward, recognize
and have a good time. Yet often
contrary to the real reasons behind
having an event, people speak in
terms of comfort or wanting attendees to have a “wonderful” time.
It’s a mistake I see people at
all levels making—succumbing
to what I suspect is an instinctual desire to be hospitable, to see people you know
enjoying themselves and to
have people say it was a nice
event.
Hospitality is certainly
a component of our
industry, but it should
not be our primary
driver. Genuine leaders are driven
by learning, change, progress and
achievement. They are also accepting
of discomfort in business situations.
An executive known for his masterful
use of meetings suggested, “We want
the food to be right, but someone
exiting the ballroom a bit dazed is apt
to lead to progress.”
Genuine leaders
are driven by
learning, change,
progress and
achievement.
They are also
accepting of
discomfort in
business
situations.
The positive impact of an uncomfortable moment is rarely immediate.
Plenty has been written, though, to
support this notion and provide one
with strong backing to make this
argument.
A tool to manage around this
instinct exists in the events industry
literature about return on investment. I found the following questions
in the book Proving the Value of
Meetings and Events: How and Why
to measure ROI. Consider how they
might alter a plan and result.
• What emotions does your audience need to feel by attending
this event?
• What opinions do you need
attendees to form during this
meeting?
• What do audiences need to do at
the event in order to be motivated to act on the company’s objectives (pre-event, on site and post
event)?
These questions or something
similar ought to be among the disciplines used to conceive, plan and
execute events.
The realities of the classroom are different than those
for many events, but do consider the effects and outcomes of those great classes,
teachers or other learning
experiences you’ve experienced.
Chances are they were not a walk
in the…foyer.
34 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL MAY 2014
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SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT
Visit Indy
WWW.VISITINDY.COM
#1 Convention City in the U.S. Keeps Growing.
ndianapolis’ priority to serve as a worldclass meeting and event destination led to
87 percent growth in convention business
over the last decade and earned the recognition of being voted Best Convention City by
USA Today.
Indy understands the needs of meeting
planners and attendees, and both have taken
notice of how the city’s strategic design
makes it a premier destination for hosting
major conventions and events. And 2014 will
welcome continued growth and add to its solid
foundation of $3 billion in recent infrastructure investment.
Unmatched connectivity, walkability and
convenience make planning easy and create
a memorable and productive experience for
delegates. Indy now boasts 749,000 square
feet of exhibit space under one roof (566,600
contiguous) thanks to a 2011 expansion, more
hotel rooms connected to the convention
center than any other city in the U.S. (4,700)
and the highest-rated airport in North America
only 15 minutes from the central business district. Included in the connected hotel inventory
are favorite brands such as Marriott, Westin,
Hyatt, Omni and Crowne Plaza, all of which
have received multimillion-dollar renovations
recently. The largest connected hotel is the
world’s largest JW Marriott, with 1,005 rooms
I
Visit Indy Special Advertisement.indd 36
and 104,000 square feet of meeting space.
The convention center connects to Lucas
Oil Stadium, with an additional 183,000
square feet of exhibit space, 12 meeting rooms,
a retractable roof and seating for 63,000.
Whether a reception, trade show, concert or
general session, these connected facilities provide a convenient venue for an unforgettable
experience. Bankers Life Fieldhouse, a major
meeting and event venue home to the Indiana
Pacers and 68,000 square feet of meeting
space, is connected to the center by Georgia
Street. This three-block outdoor promenade
can be easily activated with bands, beer gardens and food trucks.
This irst-rate infrastructure is surrounded
by a surprising amount of culture, dining
and shopping. Networking after meetings
happens naturally, and transportation costs
are eliminated.
Hundreds of restaurants, bars, shops and
attractions are just steps from 7,100 downtown
hotel rooms. The innovative Cultural Trail, an
eight-mile urban greenway that caught the
attention of the New York Times and led them
to include Indy in their global list of 52 Places
to Go in 2014, connects bicyclists and walkers
with a variety of things to see and do in Indy’s
six cultural districts. A network of climate-controlled skywalks keeps the city walkable in all
seasons.
4/22/14 8:52 AM
Indy is well known as a premier sports destination, hosting numerous NCAA Final Fours, a
record-breaking Super Bowl and the world’s largest
single-day sporting event annually, the Indy 500.
But the city’s biggest surprise may be its thriving
arts and culture scene. The Indianapolis Museum of
Art is home to Robert Indiana’s original LOVE sculpture (it’s not in Philly) and 152 acres of beautifully
manicured grounds. Performing arts venues such as
Indiana Repertory Theatre and Hilbert Circle Theatre delight audiences with magical atmospheres.
And having more monuments and memorials
dedicated to veterans than any other city aside from
Washington, D.C., gives new meaning to hosting
monumental meetings.
White River State Park in the heart of the convention district features 250 acres of green space,
a beautifully landscaped canal walk and one-of-akind museums that double as special event venues.
Other must-see cultural districts include Mass Ave,
Fountain Square and Broad Ripple, where visitors
are greeted with boutique shops, craft breweries and
chef-owned dining options that take advantage of
Indiana’s rich agriculture.
In May 2014, the Indianapolis Zoo in White
River State Park will debut the International
Orangutan Center, a permanent exhibit where
eight great apes will freely roam the grounds via an
elevated series of cables and bridges and intimately
interact with visitors, something you’ll have to see
to believe. May will also see the grand opening of
Visit Indy Special Advertisement.indd 37
Indy’s irst bike share program anchored by the
Cultural Trail and the nation’s largest all-electric
car share program with 500 cars. These new modes
of convenient transportation will be available to
visitors at key locations throughout the city, including the airport, the convention center, hotels and
major attractions. Indy’s walkability remains a key
feature, but traveling around the city will become
even more convenient.
Indy will also celebrate a new luxury hotel opening in 2014. The Historic Canterbury Hotel in the
heart of downtown closed in December to undergo a
$9.5 million renovation. When the property reopens
this fall, it will be af iliated with Starwood and
branded the Le Méridien Indianapolis. This 100-room
hotel will feature a lobby full of prominent works of
art, signature sound and lighting and a coffee cultural
ambassador for those needing a caffeine ix.
Tying Indy’s meeting package all together is
legendary hospitality. The city is so friendly there is a
name for it—“Hoosier Hospitality.” With a visit to Indy,
you’ll quickly discover irsthand why it is the ideal
destination for conventions, meetings and events.
Visit Indy
Daren Kingi, Senior Vice President of Sales
dkingi@visitindy.com
(317) 262-8211
200 S. Capitol Ave. Suite 300
Indianapolis, IN 46225
www.VisitIndy.com
4/22/14 8:52 AM
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SHOWCASE
A Pro-active Green Community 40 | Convention Center Turned Mega-Supermarket 42
“This
event was
focused on food in
that the content followed
the philosophy that one
of our keynote speakers,
Dr. Oz, has stated many
times: The key to healthy
outcomes all comes
down to what food
you put in your
mouth every
day.”
MEET UP
ON AISLE FOUR
PAGE 42
MPIWEB.ORG 39
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GREENBUILD
A Lasting Legacy
When the U.S. Green Building Council comes to town, the alreadygreen Philadelphia steps up its game and prepares for the future.
BY ROWLAND STITELER
THE 2011 EXPANSION OF THE PHILADELPHIA
CONVENTION CENTER was intended to make it
one of the greenest of the green, worthy of the
U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Gold certiication. And after rentable space grew from
624,000 square feet to 1 million square feet,
the building found its place among the top
echelon of large, environmentally sustainable
convention centers in North America.
The process was not easy, at least in terms
of cost. The original center opened in 1993
and cost US$591 per square foot to build. The
new expansion, designed from the ground up
to meet LEED Gold standards, cost $797 per
square foot, for a total price tag of $786 million—the largest public construction project
in the history of Pennsylvania at the time. But
city leaders wanted to make their new center
worthy of environmental accolades, a monument to sustainability that would attract
green conventions and draw praise from internationally recognized green groups.
That’s exactly what happened last November when the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the organization behind LEED
(Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certi ication, held is annual convention
and trade show, Greenbuild, in the newly expanded Philadelphia Convention Center. The
event featured 739 exhibiting companies representing 86 countries, more than 100 education sessions and big-name speakers such as
former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham
Clinton.
“We had been looking at Philadelphia as
a destination for quite a while, and in 2013
everything came together to make it happen,”
says Kate Hurst, director, Greenbuild Conference and Events for the USGBC.
Part of what came together during the year
was Greenbuild’s acquisition by Hanley Wood
LLC, the premier media, event, information
and strategic marketing services company
serving the U.S. construction industry. In an
agreement announced in May 2013, Hanley
Wood acquired the Greenbuild International
Conference and Expo segment of USGBC and
formed a strategic partnership with USGBC
with plans to go global.
Hurst cites Philadelphia Mayor Michael
Nutter’s environmentally aggressive Greenworks program, which seeks to make the
City of Brotherly Love the greenest city in the
U.S. by 2015, and also the works of the
organization that is an af iliate of the USGBC,
the Delaware Valley Green Building Council.
“We always seek to meet in facilities that
are environmentally friendly, both in terms of
the building itself and its operating practices,”
she says. “But in the case of Philadelphia, not
only is the convention center environmentally friendly, but the community itself is very
pro-active about sustainability.”
In addition to the favorable logistical factors—1 million square feet of meeting and
exhibit space in the convention center, 10,000
downtown hotel rooms, a prime location in
the population-dense Northeast U.S. corridor—the city also offers some of the most historic buildings and greenest buildings on the
continent. Green buildings became the basis
for tours for some of the 23,000 Greenbuild
attendees.
Among the highlights of the green building
tours was Philadelphia’s historic “Workshop
for the World,” famous in the World War II era
as one of the world’s most productive manufacturing districts. The area has experienced
a program involving new construction and
retro itting to make its buildings green. Other
stops included Tastykake Baking Company,
40 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL MAY 2014
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An important and
potentially longlasting element
Greenbuild brought
to the Philadelphia
Convention Center
was its impact on
sustainable operating practices.
the world’s largest LEED Silver-certi ied food
processing center; US Airways’ LEED Silver
ground support equipment maintenance facility; the Energy Ef icient Buildings Hub at
the long-famous Philadelphia U.S. Navy Yard;
and the city’s tallest building, the 975-foot
Comcast Center, one of the tallest buildings
JACK
FERGUSON
MPI Philadelphia Area Chapter
between New York and Chicago to achieve
LEED Gold certi ication.
An important and potentially long-lasting element U.S. Greenbuild brought to the
Philadelphia Convention Center was its impact on sustainable operating practices. For
Greenbuild 2013, the center implemented the
following: a food donation program; expanded waste streams to include carpet recycling,
compost collection and plastic ilm recycling;
an exhibitor donation program; the procurement of 500 new waste bins to create a consistent three-stream presence in all public
space and exhibit hall areas; and the sourcing
of 100 percent compostable service ware for
the irst time. And in conjunction with Greenbuild, the center went from historically diverting 10 percent of its waste from land ills
(through recycling and reuse methods) to
diverting 66 percent.
Further, Greenbuild produced an extensive
after-conference report with a set of guidelines and suggestions for ongoing operating
procedures to allow the convention center to
become even greener going forward.
“The takeaway from this convention becomes a great legacy for our convention center and our community,” says Jack Ferguson
(MPI Philadelphia Area Chapter), president
and CEO of the Philadelphia CVB. “We were
not only lattered that the USGBC would
choose our city for the 2013 event in the irst
place; we are thrilled that they left us with
something that can help us further improve
the sustainability of our convention center,
and perhaps become a template for green operating practices in other facilities throughout
Pennsylvania.”
WHAT WE
LEARNED
“We are thrilled the U.S. Green Building Council left us
with something that can help us further improve the
sustainability of our convention center, and perhaps
become a template for green operating practices in
other facilities throughout Pennsylvania.”
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KING SOOPERS HEALTH & WELLNESS EXPO
Meet Up
on Aisle Four
A grocery chain opens its largest-ever
supermarket inside a convention center.
BY ROWLAND STITELER
IT’S A MEASURE OF GARETH HEYMAN’S
foodie credentials that he never looks at
a restaurant menu in his hometown of
Denver. He simply offers a personal request to the chef to cook something that
the chef feels is worthy.
And Heyman’s background certainly
gives him the reputation to speak “food”
on a high level. He is a graduate of the
University of Denver’s Hotel and Restaurant Management degree program, former food and beverage director at the
Adam’s Mark Hotel in Denver, former
assistant food and beverage director at
the Westin Hotel Denver and an executive who opened 42 Lone Star Steakhouse locations around the U.S. Heyman
(MPI Rocky Mountain Chapter) is now
vice president of global operations for
Denver-based MorEvents, an event
management company with a worldwide
clientele that values events in which food
and beverage are centerpieces.
“With all that experience, I must say
that an event we just produced for the
King Soopers grocery chain was something I had never done before, a truly
unique experience presented to me by
the client,” Heyman says.
King Soopers, a Colorado-founded
grocery chain that irst opened in the
Denver suburb Arvada in 1947, is now
a subsidiary of grocery giant Kroger, a
Cincinnati, Ohio-based Fortune 100
company.
The event Heyman planned was the
October 2013 presentation of King Soopers’ irst-ever Health & Wellness Expo at
the Colorado Convention Center.
“This event was focused on food in
that the content followed the philosophy that one of our keynote speakers,
Dr. Oz, has stated many times: The key
to healthy outcomes all comes down to
what food you put in your mouth every
day,” he says.
The scope of the food presented covered the entire gastronomical horizon.
“We’re talking produce, dairy, meat,
ish, prepared foods, whole foods—every food group you can name,” Heyman
says. “And the common denominator was that each item represented a
healthy eating choice.”
The Colorado Convention Center was
set up to resemble a real King Soopers
supermarket—only larger—with an
ocean of trade show booths and live presentations by exhibitors ranging from
Nestlé to Frito-Lay to Slimfast. In all,
42 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL MAY 2014
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What made this
expo different is
that it focused on
direct interaction
between the exhibitors and the
food-buying
public, which is
intended to not only
drive awareness and
demand of vendors’
products, but to
get direct feedback
from consumers
on the products
themselves.
there were some 200 exhibitors for this
irst-ever Denver edition of the show.
“I think what attracted all those exhibitors was the same thing that attracted me—the uniqueness of the show
concept,” Heyman says. “In the typical
trade show in the supermarket business,
various suppliers—vendors large and
small—will have their product on display for supermarket company buyers,
with the goal being to get orders and to
get better placement on the supermarket shelf.”
What made this expo different, Heyman says, is that it focused on direct interaction between the exhibitors and the
food-buying public, which is intended to
not only drive awareness and demand of
vendors’ products, but to get direct feedback from consumers on the products
themselves. Consumers are able to taste
samples, watch cooking demonstrations
and listen to presentations by health
experts.
The goal of attracting a big crowd of
food-conscious people was achieved
through not just promotion of the event
in advertising, but through signing
keynote speakers with strong celebrity appeal such as Dr. Stork of TV’s The
Doctors, Melissa d’Arabian of the Food
Network and David Katz, M.D., founder
of the NuVal system of nutrition and also
founding director of Yale University’s
Prevention Research Center.
Heyman says part of what made the
event a success—it attracted 12,000
people to the convention center—is that
the event became a spectrum of experiences ranging from scienti ic lectures
to cooking demonstrations to strolling
through what was, at least for that day,
the biggest King Soopers market anyone
had ever seen.
“Sometimes having a little something for everybody is not necessarily
the best strategy, but in this case it was,”
he says. “We had everything from a kids
area with fun activities for the children
to places to munch on healthy snacks
to lectures by some of the world’s most
prominent television health experts. It
just seems to strike a chord with everyone there.”
A 2014 version of the King Soopers
Health & Wellness Expo has already
been scheduled for Denver, and there is
discussion of taking the event into still
other markets around the U.S., Heyman
says.
“I think the key here is that the vendors loved it and the public loved it,” he
says. “It was a completely different direction in retail food product marketing.
I have even had one of the vendors tell
me that he is considering shifting more
of his marketing resources away from
the traditional grocery product trade
shows and more into shows where the
focus is on direct presentation to the
consumer and direct feedback about
what they think about the product. From
a marketing standpoint, it’s just a joy to
be a part of something like that.”
GARETH
HEYMAN
MPI Rocky Mountain Chapter
WHAT I
LEARNED
“Sometimes having a little
something for everybody
is not necessarily the best
strategy, but in this case it
was. We had everything
from a kids area with fun
activities for the children
to places to munch on
healthy snacks to lectures
by some of the world’s
most prominent television
health experts. It just
seems to strike a chord
with everyone there.”
MPIWEB.ORG 43
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SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT
MGM Grand Las Vegas
WWW.MGMGRAND.COM/MEETINGS
F
rom small gatherings to large conventions,
MGM Grand Las Vegas makes every group
feel like they are the only group on-property. All 602,000 square feet of meeting and
event space—including the 380,000-square-foot
Grand Conference Center and 92,000-squarefoot, pillar-less Marquee Ballroom—can lex to
it events of all sizes, and many of MGM Grand’s
award-winning staff of Certi ied Meeting Professionals are industry specialists to better meet a
group’s speci ic needs. Eco-minded groups will
appreciate that MGM Grand Las Vegas is one of
only six hotels in North America to have earned
ive Green Keys from the Green Key Eco-Rating
Program for its sustainable meeting practices.
Accommodations
MGM Grand’s diverse mix of accommodations
include rooms and suites in the Grand
Tower, Stay Well rooms, luxurious suites with
kitchens and balconies at The Signature and
two-story penthouses with 24-hour personal
butler at SKYLOFTS. The AAA Four-Diamond
MGM Grand Las Vegas now offers a number of
Stay Well guest rooms, which are designed to
enhance the wellness of guests who want to
keep their healthy lifestyle while on the road.
Restaurants, Bars and Lounges
MGM Grand has a variety of new dining experiences that are sure to satisfy any craving.
MGM Grand Special Advertisement.indd 44
From small gatherings to large
conventions, MGM Grand Las
Vegas makes every group feel
like they are the only group
on-property.
Post-meeting, the options for dining and imbibing are just as plentiful. Attendees can grab a
drink and play table games at Whiskey Down or
stop by CRUSH, the hotel’s new wine and tapas
restaurant. TAP offers a new sports bar and grill
experience with 60-inch lat-screen TVs and
more than 48 kinds of draft beer, and Hakkasan,
the hottest nightclub and restaurant on The
Strip, is renowned for its celebrity DJ line-up
and modern Cantonese cuisine.
Amenities
As for entertainment and relaxation, there’s a
venue to pique every interest. The Grand Garden Arena regularly hosts the world’s biggest
musical acts and championship boxing, KÀ
by Cirque du Soleil is a hypnotizing fusion of
acrobatics and pyrotechnics and the Hollywood
Theatre is home to entertainers such as David
Copper ield. Groups can also take over The
Grand Spa or take a dip in one of ive pools that
make up the 6.6-acre Grand Pool complex.
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FEATURES
“It’s not as if there is an absolute
guarantee of success for either the
buyer or the supplier. But the new
[hosted buyer] system is certainly
more efficient than the old days
of wandering around the trade show
floor to see what you could find.”
THE SHOWS GO ON
PAGE 54
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4/24/14 9:56 AM
TRENDS
Incentives that
Deliver the
Incentive travel is making a comeback—
of sorts. The demand is there but
challenges persist.
BY MARIA LENHART
50 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL MAY 2014
May_Feature-Incentives.indd 50
4/15/14 1:12 PM
key accounts for JNR Inc. in Irvine, Calif. “We’re trying to get the
word out about the need for early
booking, that it’s not a buyer’s market
anymore. But the window is usually still
inside of 18 months or even within the
same year. And procurement adds another
set of handcuffs to getting the green light.”
Rhonda Brewer, vice president of sales for
Maritz Travel in Fenton, Mo., is counseling clients
to book two or three successive programs at once,
either at the same property or at properties managed
by the same hotel company.
“It’s a way to lock in the space and rates you need,” she says. “Hotel
space is very tight now and both hotel and air costs are very high.”
D
emand is strong for incentive business these days,
with more organizations opting for international
destinations and content-rich programs. But while
the industry has bounced back from the doldrums of
recession, incentive planners also say they are challenged by rising travel costs and more limited availability.
“I see more con idence among clients, in that they are going ahead
with their plans and not cancelling as they once did,” says Nola Conway, president of Global Destinations Marketing in Los Angeles. “By
the same token, budgets are pretty much staying the same, and hotel
rates are soaring. Still, we’re expected to produce the same program
we did last year.”
THE SPACE RACE
Not only are travel costs rising, but availability is tighter, particularly at
hotels in popular incentive destinations. Among the greatest challenges incentive planners are facing is convincing decision makers to commit further ahead in order to get their top choices for hotels, resorts
and other components.
“Two years ago, the world was your oyster, but it’s not the same
now,” says Jenna Paseka (MPI Orange County Chapter), director of
MORE INTERNATIONAL SITES
Brewer is seeing a stronger trend for companies to opt for international destinations, in some cases even exotic locales.
“Destinations all over are being considered—Europe, Dubai, Australia, New Zealand,” she says. “Even companies who haven’t traveled
internationally for a long while are now looking at overseas destinations, particularly Europe.”
Amway is among the companies selecting more overseas sites
these days, according to Sheryl Korn, CMP (MPI Michigan Chapter),
a meeting and incentive planner for Amway Corp.’s Latin America
division.
“We’re heading out to places that are on people’s bucket lists,” she
says. “We’ve recently been to Prague, the Czech Republic, and Munich,
Germany, and are going to Dubai next week. China is being considered. Even though it means longer lights, we feel there’s value in motivating people to reach for success by offering these destinations.”
Kelly MacDonald (MPI Atlantic Canada Chapter), manager of industry relations at Fraser & Hoyt Incentives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, is
also inding that organizations are eager to try new destinations.
“We’re seeing a lot more interest in different places, particularly in
the Caribbean,” she says. “The Canadian dollar has been strong, so clients have been saying, ‘Let’s go to Europe or the U.S. while we can.’ Our
dollar is falling a bit now, so it will be interesting to see if this lasts.”
At the same time, MacDonald says concerns over perception continue to in luence site selection in some cases.
“We still have clients who don’t want to raise too many red lags
about what they are doing,” she says. “[These clients] won’t choose a
MPIWEB.ORG 51
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42%
9%
of incentive planners are
increasing their budgets
are decreasing budgets
destination such as Dubai for this reason.”
Both MacDonald and Paseka note that all-inclusive resorts in
Mexico and the Caribbean are growing in popularity for incentives,
an option they ind delivers good value for clients with mid-range
budgets.
“The all-inclusive product has really gotten better—there are
plenty of really nice hotels out there that are fewer than ive years
old,” Paseka says. “The client can enjoy a nice, new property while
not breaking the budget. I have some clients who only want this
option.”
FRESH EXPERIENCES
As younger quali iers come onto the scene, incentive planners say
they are looking at ways to design programs with venues, activities
and gifts that appeal to a new generation.
“Reaching out to the under-35 age group is very much on our
radar, so we’re restructuring events to appeal to that demographic,”
Korn says. “Even though that group is still small, we know it’s the
future.”
May_Feature-Incentives.indd 52
As a result, Amway is adding some activity choices with a
high-adrenaline factor, which might take the form of a 5K run or,
in the case of its Dubai program, an excursion in the desert in fourwheel-drive vehicles. In Cancun last year, one evening event was
held at a lively nightclub popular with young visitors.
No matter what activities are planned, the overriding concern
is that the incentive deliver a “wow” factor that attendees could not
experience on their own, according to Korn.
“In Australia, we arranged for the group to go out to a ranch
to participate in sheep shearing,” she says. “When they turned the
sheep around, they saw the word ‘Amway’ on each one. You want to
provide something totally unexpected.”
The chance to engage with and learn about local culture is increasingly important during programs, according to Paseka.
“Clients will ask what is unique about the region, what they can
see or learn about,” she says. “It could be something to do with the
arts or an activity such as wine blending that combines fun with
learning.”
While corporate social responsibility (CSR) and other
4/22/14 3:30 PM
47%
of planners are including
corporate social responsibility
in incentive programs
Source: 2014 Trends in Engagement, Incentives, and
Recognition, Incentive Research Foundation
team-building activities are a staple offering in some programs, Paseka has found they are not appropriate for all groups.
“If it’s a group of employees, then bonding experiences are great,”
she says. “However, if the company has invited its top dealers—people
who compete with each other—then you are better off providing other kinds of experiences.”
Partly due to rising costs and partly because many attendees ask
for it, free time is becoming more prevalent during some programs,
according to Paseka.
“We used to structure every minute of a trip, but with budgets not
completely back to where they should be, it’s sometimes necessary to
cut out a day of activities,” she says. “It’s cheaper and allows attendees
a chance to enjoy the resort or destination on their own.”
In any event, providing an agenda that respects individual preferences is essential, says Jeff Broudy, executive vice president of
United Incentives and a former chairman of the Incentive Research
Foundation.
“It’s rare for the whole group to do the same thing these days,”
Broudy says. “It’s important to offer people a choice of activities, especially those that engage them and give them something to take away.”
NON-TRAVEL INCENTIVES
How popular are non-travel rewards versus travel incentives these
days? For many companies, it’s not a question of one versus the other,
but rather of using both types of rewards in their overall programs.
“A lot of our clients are using both,” MacDonald says. “What they
do is tier their programs, using travel for the top-tier quali iers. That’s
still the big carrot. However, rewards such as merchandise are great
ways to motivate people throughout the company.”
Brewer sees no signs of non-travel or even individual travel rewards replacing or overtaking the traditional group program.
“Travel with an experiential component is still the leader,” she
says. “Clients want to provide something that their people will talk
about year after year. That always stays top of mind.”
Korn agrees, adding that while Amway also offers cash awards,
travel remains the primary incentive tool.
“We really feel that it’s travel that motivates,” she says. “It’s about the togetherness,
learning from each other, the recognition
that it gives the quali iers. You lose that with
non-travel.”
No matter what activities are planned, the overriding
concern is that the incentive deliver a “wow” factor
that attendees could not experience on their own.
May_Feature-Incentives.indd 53
4/15/14 1:13 PM
MEETING DESIGN
THE
SHOWS
GO ON
THE HOSTED BUYER FORMAT HAS TAKEN ROOT AND
CONTINUES TO SPREAD BECAUSE OF THE EFFICIENCY
AND PRODUCTIVITY IT AVAILS ALL PARTIES INVOLVED.
or business professionals involved
in a lot of trade shows, both buyers
and suppliers, recent history can be
divided into “BHB” and “AHB”—“before hosted buyer” and “after hosted
buyer.”
This trade show format, largely a phenomenon of the second decade of the 21st
century, at least in the U.S. meeting industry,
has been just that signi icant. And it’s because
of a single reason: It is very ef icient and productive for all stakeholders.
“In the old format, before hosted buyer
came along, you’d go to the trade show booth
of a supplier you’d really want to connect
with, and there might be ive or six people
waiting in line at the booth to speak to the
supplier’s representative,” says Tracey Lane
(MPI Greater New York Chapter), president
of Fair Lawn, N.J.-based The Lane Group LLC,
which specializes in pharmaceutical meetings. “Or you’d walk by a booth and you would
not really know who was staf ing it. Are those
going to be the people who have the information you need? You really wouldn’t know. It
was a hit-or-miss situation.”
BY ROWLAND STITELER
54 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL MAY 2014
May_Feature-Hosted Buyer.indd 54
4/15/14 1:24 PM
But with the hosted buyer concept, in
which both the buyers and the suppliers have
been vetted for their ability to meet each
other’s speci ic needs, it’s a far more ef icient
situation with a greater likelihood that a mutually bene icial business transaction will be
the outcome, Lane says.
“It’s not as if there is an absolute guarantee of success for either the buyer or the
supplier,” she says. “But the new system is
certainly more ef icient than the old days of
wandering around the trade show loor to see
what you could ind.”
Proponents of the hosted buyer format—
and there are many—say the key lies in a couple of pieces of the equation. First, the vetting
of both the suppliers and the buyers as being
at least likely its for each other’s needs makes
for a far more ef icient use of participants’
time. And then there is the “hosted” part.
“I like hosted buyer because my company
would not be willing to pay for the expense
of my going to trade shows to do research
and ind the right suppliers that are a it for
my needs,” says Lacey Hein, CMP (MPI Washington State Chapter), events specialist with
Honeywell - Alerton & Trend. “But with my
expenses for attending the trade show being
covered by the hosts (the suppliers, who pay
either directly or indirectly), my company
does not have to pay.”
Various versions of the hosted buyer
concept are out there in the marketplace.
In some, suppliers directly host the buyers,
with the buyers
staying in hotels paid for by
the suppliers.
In some cases,
hosted buyers
attend evening
events at the
hotels at which
supplier representatives are in
attendance. At
other hosted buyer events, buyers are hosted by the group conducting the trade show.
Those sponsoring entities draw the funds
necessary to pay for the buyers’ expenses by
the fees paid by the suppliers who attend the
shows.
Purveyors of hosted buyer trade shows
say suppliers are more than happy to pay the
buyers’ expenses, not because the buyers are
required to buy from the speci ic suppliers
involved—which they are not—but because
there is a greater chance that the buyer-supplier interaction will result in sales than with
traditional trade shows where the buyers are
more or less “window shopping.” The ROI potential for this format is hugely attractive to
suppliers.
“It’s much more of a win-win situation
at the hosted buyer events,” says Chris Collinson, chief strategist for Norcross, Ga.-based
Collinson Media and Events, which holds six
hosted buyer shows a year. The Collinson
portfolio includes Rejuvenate, a trade show
for faith-based companies, and Connect
Sports, which pairs entities that conduct
sports events with suppliers that offer the
services and facilities necessary to conduct
those events.
“We got into hosted buyer events in 2006,
and our company has grown exponentially
since then,” Collinson says. “We call our events
reverse trade shows because the buyers are
seated and the suppliers come to them. The
buyers like that because they don’t have to go
walking around the show loor looking for a
booth, sometimes averting eye contact with
the people whose booths they don’t want to
go into—that’s just not a very appealing or
ef icient system. And the suppliers like it because they don’t have to put up booths and
incur the associated expenses—which helps
their ROI.”
Suppliers just go to the buyers with speci ic, targeted information and have focused
discussions that yield a greater likelihood of
actual business taking place. Buyers at Con-
“This created quite a buzz in the
middle of the room and the exhibitors
were asking, ‘What’s going on over
there?’ [I told them], ‘What you are
hearing over there is the sound of
business being done.’”
nect Sports include a spectrum of participants ranging from baseball tournaments to
Olympic-level competitions, and suppliers
include destinations, hotels, manufacturers of
sports trophies and even makers of portable
volleyball and basketball courts.
MPIWEB.ORG 55
May_Feature-Hosted Buyer.indd 55
4/15/14 1:24 PM
Hosted buyer trade shows in other industries have been around for years and are used
worldwide. Typical non-travel-industry hosted buyer trade shows include events such as
the Seafood Market Southern Europe (formerly Seafood Barcelona); SMMT Meet the
Buyer, an auto supplier trade show in London;
The Workboat Exchange, a Florida event that
pairs ocean-going workboat operators with
equipment suppliers; the Global Beauty and
Wellness Exchange, which puts salon and spa
operators and their suppliers together; and
Pet Fair Asia, held in Shanghai, which puts
Asian pet store operators together with suppliers from around the world.
In additional to hosting the travel and
lodging for buyers, another component to
attract buyers is education. No matter the
industry, hosted buyer trade shows typically
offer education that helps buyers sharpen
their business skills in their own professional ields, and motivational speeches may be
made by Olympic athletes, Hollywood stars
or others who increase the draw.
“It gives you a chance to learn something
or get inspired by something you might not
have access to otherwise,” Lane says. “That’s
very attractive to me from both a business
and a personal development standpoint.”
Long-time veterans of the meeting
and travel industries recall appointment-based buyer
systems in place
back as early as the
1970s, but typically
these did not include
hosting in terms of
paid expenses for
the buyers, and there
was no penalty if
buyers did not keep their appointments. Such
a system has essentially faded away over the
years.
What most in the meeting industry today
see as the sea-change event was the rollout
of the hosted buyer format by Ray Bloom in
1988 at EIBTM (European Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition) in Geneva. Bloom was looking for a way to get suppliers for the show the key thing he knew they
wanted: guaranteed, face-to-face meetings
with vetted buyers with a need for the products and services the suppliers had to offer.
Bloom’s efforts yielded great results, and
EIBTM was ultimately sold to Reed Exhibitions, which continued hosted buyer, also
with success. Bloom formed the IMEX Group
in 2001, and rolled out the highly successful
IMEX Frankfurt show in 2003. MPI rolled out
a hosted buyer program at the World Education Congress (WEC) in Vancouver in 2010—
an introduction to the format for many U.S.based planners. Reed Exhibitions brought
AIBTM (American Incentive, Business Travel
and Meetings) to Baltimore in 2011 and IMEX
America debuted in Las Vegas that same year,
both also with hosted buyer programs.
Because of the proliferation of hosted
buyer shows and the fact that there is at least
a slight variation in the rules and format with
almost every one, the salient question to
many planners is just which type of hosted
buyer event is best suited for them.
“There is de initely a learning curve for
everyone involved that has to be addressed
by your own personal experience with hosted buyer,” Lane says. “I think something in the
way of a mentoring program for those new to
the format might be in order, because there
is a lot to navigate to get familiar with what’s
out there and which programs best suit each
individual’s business needs.”
The major entities that conduct hosted
buyer events are addressing the learning
curve of planners in various ways. IMEX
Because of the
proliferation of
hosted buyer
shows and the
fact that there is
at least a slight
variation in the
rules and format
with almost
every one, the
salient question
to many planners is just which
type of hosted
buyer event is
best suited
for them.
rolled out a telephone concierge service for
hosted buyers at this month’s IMEX Frankfurt. Under the program, all buyers who sign
up to attend the show will get a phone call
from an IMEX representative who can explain
the intricacies of the system in place at the
show. MPI is in the process of educating its
members about how to choose the best hosted buyer events by going to its chapters with
presentations on how this format functions.
The lexibility and adaptability of the format is evident in the proliferation of hosted
buyer events organized by entities of all sizes—including individual MPI chapters.
“It’s really such a lexible format that
almost anyone can do it with the proper
amount of homework, and that applies to just
about any industry,” says Richard Miseyko,
CMP, CMM (MPI Tampa Bay Area Chapter),
president of Site Search Inc. and creator
of XSITE, which was the irst by-appointment-only, pre-quali ied attendee trade show
56 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL MAY 2014
May_Feature-Hosted Buyer.indd 56
4/15/14 1:25 PM
in Tallahassee, Fla., when it debuted in February 2013. The show had a second session
in February this year, and experienced the
kind of exponential growth that seems to be
commonplace with this new format.
Miseyko used the format to address
what was a logistical problem created by the
very geography of Florida. Most statewide
associations have their headquarters in the
capital (Tallahassee), in the far northern part
of the state. But the majority of suppliers
and facilities for meetings and conventions
are located hundreds of miles away, in cities
May_Feature-Hosted Buyer.indd 57
such as Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Orlando and
Tampa.
“Suppliers from around the state would
make their pilgrimages to Tallahassee to
meet with the various statewide associations and seek their business, but the cost of
getting to Tallahassee and making your pitch
to the association buyers was not something
that was a formula for success in terms of
ROI,” he says.
Miseyko met this challenge by partnering with the MPI North Florida Chapter,
which presented educational sessions that
were attractive to Tallahassee-based association planners who made many of the buying
decisions for statewide conventions in the
Sunshine State.
“It was a win-win-win situation,” Miseyko
says. “A win for the suppliers, a win for the
buyers and a win for the chapter, which was
seeking to expand its outreach to members and prospective members in the state
capital.”
The MPI Potomac Chapter is another entity that has had great success with what one
might call “boutique hosted buyer,” or hosted
buyer for mid- to small-sized entities.
“We had a traditional-style trade show
component when we rolled out our irst
MACE (Mid Atlantic Conference and Expo)
six years ago,” says Shannon W. Derrick, CMP
(MPI Potomac Chapter), senior director, global sales/specialty markets for the Wyndham
Hotel Group. “And the reaction we got from
exhibitors was, ‘Not much foot traf ic past our
booths; lack of ROI.’”
The following year, when Derrick was
chapter president, the chapter offered what
he called a “ ish bowl” model involving hosted
buyers—just 10 of them, seated strategically
in the middle of the trade show area.
“This created quite a buzz in the middle
of the room and the exhibitors were asking,
‘What’s going on over there?’” he says. “[I told
them], ‘What you are hearing over there is the
sound of business being done.’”
Since then, Derrick says, MACE has gone
to an all-hosted-buyer concept for its trade
show, which has become a great success, and
has been involved in sharing its experiences
and expertise with the MPI Georgia Chapter,
which is rolling out its own hosted buyer
concept.
“It is not an overstatement to call [the
hosted buyer format] the dawn of a new era
for the trade show concept,” he says.
4/15/14 1:25 PM
0514_058.indd 58
4/25/14 9:29 AM
DEVELOPED IN
PARTNERSHIP WITH
™
MEETINGS
The latest research predicts continued growth
in virtual and hybrid meetings and slight shifts
in budgets while reporting on the overall health
of the meeting and event industry.
2014 SPRING EDITION
Meetings Outlook_Spring-2014.indd 59
4/24/14 3:52 PM
MEETINGS
By Elaine Pofeldt
M
eeting professionals have become
more adept at mastering rapidly
changing event technology—from
hybrid/virtual meeting platforms to devices
that enable better networking—and the
unrelenting persistence of short lead times.
Cynthia Bullock, CMP (MPI Eastern Great Lakes Chapter),
didn’t panic when a snowstorm this past winter kept several
important attendees of a 60-person government meeting she
planned from reaching the scheduled location, a hotel in the
Rockville-Gaithersburg, Md., area. Bullock, director of meeting and event services at Oakridge, Tenn.-based Integrated
Solutions and Services, simply asked the attendees to join
virtually, from wherever they were.
“They went home or back to their hotel room and used
their laptop or iPad to work with us through Adobe Connect,”
she says. “It saved the day.”
Bullock isn’t alone in realizing that knowing how to pull
together a hybrid meeting—that is, one with both live and
virtual components—is a useful trick to have in her repertoire. More than half of respondents (51 percent) surveyed
for this report said their organizations use virtual and hybrid
technologies to enhance in-person meetings or to integrate
onsite and remote meeting elements.
In using such technologies defensively, as Bullock did to
keep participation in her meeting up, some planners realize
how they can also help stay within budget.
“You save all of the additional costs of having to delay a
meeting to another day,” Bullock says.
But she has also found that such technologies can be used
strategically, to attract presenters who may not be available
to ly to a gathering.
“It’s a great way to bring in some high-end speakers who
are only going to appear for 15 to 20 minutes,” Bullock says.
The widespread adoption of virtual and hybrid technologies is occurring at a time when technological innovation
has become an integral part of the lives of meeting and event
professionals around the globe. Many professionals in the
ield are on a constant hunt to ind better ways to integrate
tech-based tools into everything from proposal requests to
event registration to onsite attendee experiences—whether
to save time, make a gathering more memorable or add to
the value of an event.
LIVE ATTENDANCE
ATTENDANCE
PROJECTIONS
Respondents are optimistic about
growing attendee numbers in 2014,
especially on the virtual/hybrid side
of meetings and events.
33%
53%
of respondents
predict an increase
in live attendance.
of respondents
predict no
change in live
attendance.
14%
of respondents
predict a decrease
in live attendance.
60 MPI MEETINGS OUTLOOK: 2014 Spring Edition
Meetings Outlook_Spring-2014.indd 60
4/24/14 3:52 PM
Technology
and Event
Immersion
Sid Curtis, director of creative services at J&S Audio Visual in Irving,
Texas, often hears from meeting
organizers who want “immersive”
events.
“Once they walk into their
space, they want attendees to
forget about the world outside,”
she says. “They want them focused
on the meeting at hand and the
message at hand.”
Technology often provides the
answer, says Curtis, who worked at
MTV for nine years before joining
J&S Audio Visual. One popular
technique for engaging guests,
she says, is pixel mapping.
“It is video projection,” she says.
“Sometimes it’s done on the exterior of buildings, or you design
a set that has a lot of interesting
shapes and depths to it. Through
the technology you can really
bring an environment to life. If it’s
an old building with filigree work,
you can trace the outline of the
building with light. You can fill it in
with color and texture or make it
look like it’s melting. You really are
only limited by your imagination.”
Gaming has also sparked new
ideas, notes Curtis, who is always
on the lookout for technologies
to improve her meetings (she recently tested Oculus Rift, a virtual
reality headset for 3D gaming)
and says it’s possible to incorporate cutting-edge technologies on
a tight budget if you have creative
vendors and you challenge them.
“TECHNOLOGY AND
MEETING PLANNER
APPS FOR EVERYTHING
FROM PREPAYMENT TO
REGISTRATION ARE A
DAILY PART OF EVENT
PLANNING. WE TRY TO
CONSTANTLY UPDATE
OURSELVES AND OUR
EMPLOYEES ON WHAT’S
NEW IN THOSE AREAS. “
iPad
CYNTHIA
THIA
BULLOCK,
LOCK CMP
MPI Eastern Great Lakes Chapter
Integrated Solutions and Services
51%
of organiz
atio
use virtua ns
and hybridl
technolog
for meetinies
g
and events s
VIRTUAL ATTENDANCE
30%
66%
of respondents
predict an increase
in virtual attendance.
of respondents
predict no
change in
virtual
attendance.
5%
of respondents
predict a decrease
in virtual attendance.
Developed in Partnership with Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau
Meetings Outlook_Spring-2014.indd 61
61
4/24/14 3:52 PM
VIRTUAL IN DEMAND
HOW VIRTUAL/HYBRID MEETING OPTIONS ARE BEING USED
25%
To enhance faceto-face meetings.
26%
9%
40%
To integrate onsite and
remote meeting elements.
To replace face-to-face
meeting elements.
Virtual/hybrid options
are not in use.
As this
Economic conditions seem to have in luogies since the recession. Alise Long, CMM
represents a
enced the willingness to innovate. European
(MPI Netherlands Chapter), communications
6% increase
meeting and event market conditions lag bemanager, strategic meetings and events, irst
over the prehind the U.S. and Canadian markets in terms
used the company’s Tandberg Videoconfervious quarter,
of economic stability and recovery, with signifencing System—with help from the internal
icant government austerity measures taken by
ICT team—to connect employees to the irm’s
we’ll keep an
various E.U. member countries having a deep,
top management meeting in 2009. The virtual
eye on this
long-lasting effect.
meeting brought together 500 people from ive
data point.
In this climate, E.U. meeting and event prohubs around the world.
fessionals have embraced technology and in“It was an amazing production,” she says—
novation at a faster pace and are more willing
and it led to a huge increase in use of the vidto explore and adopt new technology—both
eoconferencing system internally.
for the sake of innovation and to improve ef iciency. This may
Long was so excited by how well the meeting went that
be due to the inancial pressure to do more with less, or cul- when it was again held in 2012, she opted for a hybrid aptural differences between regions.
proach, even though she had the budget to bring together
In contrast, Canadian meeting and event professionals 400 people at a face-to-face gathering at the Gaylord Nationhave been least affected by domestic economic uncertainty al Resort & Convention Center in Washington, D.C. In addition
and are seeing the least volatility in business levels among to the in-person attendees, she included 3,000 participants
these three regions. While they clearly express intentions who viewed the live-streamed proceedings and could subto keep improving the attendee experience and achieve bet- mit comments, chat-style, to the moderator via a jet commuter overall outcomes, they feel less pressure to rapidly inno- nication tool. If, for instance, a question came from a remote
vate technologically and to experiment with new tools and attendee in Brazil, the moderator might say, “Good mornsolutions.
ing, Brazil. I see so-and-so has a question,” Long explains.
DSM, a 23,000-employee irm in Heerlen, Netherlands, Then an executive at the live meeting would stand up and
has actively embraced virtual and hybrid meeting technol- answer it.
HOW’S
BUSINESS?
Respondents are predominantly
optimistic about overall business conditions for 2014.
13%
73%
of respondents
predict better
business conditions.
of respondents
predict no
change in
business
conditions.
14%
of respondents
predict worse
business conditions.
62 MPI MEETINGS OUTLOOK: 2014 Spring Edition
Meetings Outlook_Spring-2014.indd 62
4/24/14 3:52 PM
“WE NOW DO
MORE ONLINE
MAILINGS AND
HAVE A MOBILE
APP FOR ALL OF OUR
CONFERENCES. ALL OF
OUR HANDOUTS ARE
NOW AVAILABLE ON THE
WEB FOR ATTENDEES TO
PRINT OUT. WE ARE SAVING A
LOT OF TIME AND MONEY ON
PRINTING/MAILINGS. THE ONLY
DOWNSIDE IS GOING BACK TO
HOTELS AND ASKING THEM TO
GIVE US MORE COMPETITIVE
WIRELESS INTERNET. “
BARBARA SOLIS, CMP
MPI North Florida Chapter
Florida League of Cities
For the company’s 2014 meeting, Long is enthusiastically
planning a hybrid event.
“It is so much easier now,” says Long, who is investigating
ways to give remote participants an even more active role.
Virtual and hybrid technologies are far from the only way
that planners are integrating new technologies in meetings.
Brenda Carter, CMP, CMM (MPI Toronto Chapter), event
manager at KPMG Management Services LLP, was impressed
with how attendees responded to the use of MingleStick at a
1,400-person event for the irm’s alumni at the Sony Centre
BUDGETARY
MOVEMENT
Spend over the next year is still predicted
to grow, but will remain stale for many.
for the Performing Arts in Toronto. KPMG rented the digital
devices, which attendees could point at people they met to
download their contact info and access it later, in lieu of trading traditional business cards. (Each person’s data had been
previously entered into the system upon check-in.) Besides
being convenient, the MingleSticks were a nice icebreaker.
“Everyone thought it was fun,” Carter says. “We had people from their 20s up to their 70s. All of them were thrilled
with the whole concept.”
43%
of respondents
predict a budget
increase.
41%
of respondents
predict no change
in budget.
16%
of respondents
predict a
budget decrease.
Developed in Partnership with Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau
Meetings Outlook_Spring-2014.indd 63
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A Better Visitor
Experience
WI-FI DEMANDS
Free Wi-Fi in the U.S. is demanded
by some respondents—significant in
that it wasn’t a trending topic in last
quarter’s Meetings Outlook.
Shannon Guggenheim, CMP (MPI Texas Hill Country Chapter),
who recently joined EventLink International in Dallas as a senior
account manager after working at the tech irm Ixia, found that at
her previous employer, there was considerable demand for podcasts from clients, either because they offered a savings over live
meetings or were more convenient. Ixia also found there was demand among network engineers for webinars on topics such as a
network testing technology the company offers and subsequently made the webinars available on demand for the engineers’
convenience.
“It’s not like they can step away from the job for ive days and go
to an event somewhere,” she says.
Apps have become another important part of the meeting planner’s tool kit. At a 400-person
government event, for inThe increasing
stance, Bullock used a mobile
use of technology scanning system to check in
and found it worked
has in some cases attendees
well for the government orgarequired planners nizer.
“We were able to save them
to renegotiate
a
lot
of money by not having as
contracts to remany people on staff just to do
flect lower costs
registration,” she says.
for high-speed
Bullock also recently tested
Personify Live after hearing
wireless Internet
buzz about it among meeting
access, though
professional peers, but has yet
this isn’t always
to put it to work for her. The
videoconferencing tool lets usa top concern.
ers present virtually against a
backdrop of their own presentation materials, rather than showing the room they are in.
“Just to be aware of what’s out there puts you in the forefront in
this competitive market,” she says.
The increasing use of technology has in some cases required
planners to renegotiate contracts to re lect lower costs for highspeed wireless Internet access, though this isn’t always a top
concern.
“I don’t believe we’ve had to renegotiate any contracts,” says
Carter, though she notes she has seen growing attention in Canada
to getting the best prices for Internet services at conferences.
In addition to mastering a more tech-enabled world, meeting
One of the trickiest issues confronting convention centers these days is
offering enough wireless capacity to
keep digitally savvy attendees happy.
With many visitors toting a laptop
computer, a mobile phone and an
iPad, it’s easy to reach capacity, says
Ron King, executive director of the
Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention
Center in Dallas. That can lead to frustration when, for instance, a meeting
organizer suggests that everyone
download a new meeting app at the
same time.
“It has become an issue for a lot
of facilities,” King says. “It is difficult to
keep up with the bandwidth usage.”
To keep pace with the demand for
more wireless capacity, the convention center recently sent out an RFP
for a technology provider that can
offer solutions to help it keep pace
with growing demand.
“I don’t know if you could ever
have too much bandwidth or capacity,” King says. “Technology is growing
exponentially.”
Managing infrastructure costs is a
significant challenge. While the center
offers free wireless access in locations
such as its lobby area, there is a cost
to use it in the exhibition space.
“More and more often, we’re hearing that there is an expectation of free
technology,” King says.
To make sure visitors are happy
with their experiences, the center,
which now has two team members
monitoring social media, has also
been partnering with meeting
organizers to keep track of comments
attendees make on social media.
“We can see what they’re tweeting
and as a facility respond to issues we
might otherwise not know about,”
King says.
64 MPI MEETINGS OUTLOOK: 2014 Spring Edition
Meetings Outlook_Spring-2014.indd 64
4/24/14 3:53 PM
0514_065.indd 65
4/14/14 10:01 AM
IT’S (STILL) SO
LAST-MINUTE
HOW IS YOUR LEAD TIME WINDOW
CURRENTLY TRENDING?
52%
17%
Longer lead times.
Shorter lead times.
30%
Lead times
not changing.
professionals have had to tackle the continuing challenge of
short lead times. Fifty-three percent of respondents said lead
times are getting shorter, up from 46 percent in December
2013. As organizers’ budgets have increased in stabilizing
markets, planners have had
to arrange larger meetings
“We just find
and events in tighter time
that our clients
frames. Declines in room
availability in the U.S. have
may have something tentatively posed challenges for organizations accustomed to
on the calendar.
using short lead times to
It always seems
protect themselves from attrition. In some cases, planto be kind of
ners and suppliers have rerush, hurry up,
visited attrition clauses to
now we’ve got
ensure longer lead times.
Shorter lead times have
the budgeting
been the norm for many
approved. A big
meeting professionals in
part is funding
recent years, including Allyson Wagner (MPI Georgia
issues.”
Chapter), a project specialist at Omnience, an Atlanta irm that does traditional meeting planning and develops
tech tools to help clients handle registration and manage their
meeting space.
“WITH THE ECONOMY STARTING TO GAIN MORE TRACTION,
PLANNERS ARE SEEING HOTEL
RATES INCREASE, WITH SHORTTERM BOOKINGS SEEING SPACE
NOT AVAILABLE. IT WILL BE
IMPORTANT FOR PLANNERS
TO EDUCATE THEIR INTERNAL
CLIENTS ON THE IMPORTANCE
OF PLANNING AHEAD TO GET
THOSE BETTER RATES AND HAVE
SPACE AVAILABLE.”
CARMEN SMALLEY, CMP
MPI Wisconsin Chapter
Great Wolf Resorts
“We just ind that our clients may have something tentatively
on the calendar,” she says. “It always seems to be kind of rush,
hurry up, now we’ve got the budgeting approved. A big part is
funding issues.”
But, as in many situations that challenge meeting professionals, being prepared helps.
“One of the things that makes us able to respond so quickly is
that we have all of our technology in place,” Wagner says.
™
Meetings Outlook is developed in partnership
with Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Meetings Outlook is supported in partnership
with IMEX.
Research conducted by Association Insights.
© 2014 Meeting Professionals International
66 MPI MEETINGS OUTLOOK: 2014 Spring Edition
Meetings Outlook_Spring-2014.indd 66
4/24/14 3:53 PM
SPECIAL SECTION:
Tennessee
CONTENTS
LISA BUSH
Director of Sales and Marketing
Hutton Hotel
Tennessee Special Section.indd 67
PAGE 68
PAGE 69
Hutton
H
u
Hotel
The Country Music Hall
of Fame and Museum
“One of Nashville’s charms is its size―quite small for a major
city, so visitors receive a warm welcome and ease of access,
with all of the big-city attractions. Hutton Hotel is the perfect
example: Four-Star Southern hospitality at the city’s only
centrally located, contemporary, green luxury property.”
4/22/14 2:05 PM
TENNESSEE SPECIAL SECTION
Hutton Hotel
WWW.HUTTONHOTEL.COM
H
utton Hotel rede ines Southern luxury
with unparalleled service and elegant,
contemporary design. Named to Conde
Nast Traveler’s Hot List and Travel + Leisure’s
500, the Four-Star, Four-Diamond property
offers an ideal Midtown location for business
or pleasure and is nationally recognized for its
innovative green initiatives. The hotel is located
eight miles from Nashville International Airport
and within walking distance of many Nashville
attractions.
The hotel’s 13,600 square feet of lexible
meeting space is located on one dedicated,
private loor and can be divided into nine rooms.
Meeting planners receive personal IP phones
that provide direct communication to the conference and banquet team. Fourteen-foot windows
lood the ballroom with natural light.
There’s a complimentary manager’s wine
reception weekdays from 5-6 p.m. State-of-theart iber optic electrical, lighting and sound systems and bandwidth capabilities can handle any
meeting needs. The hotel’s nationally recognized
executive chef brings restaurant-style, FourStar catering to banquet events. Additionally,
the award-winning 1808 Grille offers an ideal
setting for private dinners or receptions. Courtesy use of a hybrid vehicle is available within a
three-mile radius.
Guest rooms are appointed for re ined comfort and modern convenience with lat-screen
TVs, media hubs and rain showerheads. Each
loor has complimentary Nespresso machines.
Multiple room types are available, including
suites and Cardio Kings equipped with in-room
elliptical machines.
68 ADVERTISEMENT
Tennessee Special Section.indd 68
4/22/14 2:05 PM
The Country Music Hall
of Fame® and Museum
WWW.COUNTRYMUSICHALLOFFAME.ORG
T
he Country Music Hall
of Fame® and Museum
in Nashville, Tenn., has
more than doubled in size,
with brand new event spaces
including the CMA Theater.
This remarkable Music City
venue is surprisingly intimate—the 17,000-square-foot
concert hall is designed for
optimal acoustics and offers
an unparalleled listening
experience. The CMA Theater
is a unique space and highly
adaptable, providing a perfect
setting for meetings, press
conferences, live performances and much more. The
CMA Theater also connects
to the Grand Foyer, ideal for
receptions, networking, event
registration and trade shows.
The CMA Theater is one
of several other new event
spaces at the museum,
including a breathtaking
10,000-square-foot Event
Hall and rooftop Carlton
Terrace, both overlooking the
downtown Nashville skyline. Existing museum event
spaces include the inspiring,
11,000-square-foot Conservatory; the 213-seat Ford
Theater; and the hallowed Hall
of Fame Rotunda, home to the
plaques honoring the legendary inductees. The museum
offers events of all sizes, from
small dinners to building buyouts, and has opened brand
new museum exhibits in April
2014, including interactive
experiences and contemporary artist exhibitions.
MPIWEB.ORG 69
Tennessee Special Section.indd 69
4/22/14 2:05 PM
0514_070.indd 70
4/25/14 10:07 AM
SPECIAL SECTION:
California
CONTENTS
PAGES 72-73
PAGES 76-77
San Francisco Travel
Diablo Valley
PAGES 74-75
Visit
V
isit Napa
Nap
pa Valley
JOHN REYES
Executive Vice President and Chief Sales Officer
San Francisco Travel
California Special Section.indd 71
“San Francisco
Fra
ancisco is an excellent fit for small and large
m
me
etingss alike. Images of the Golden Gate Bridge, cable
meetings
cars, world-class
ca
w rlldwo
d cl
clas
as shopping, unique dining experiences
an
nd a variety
va
ari
riet
etyy of famous attractions help produce recordet
and
brea
br
e ki
ea
kin meeting attendance. An abundance of
kin
breaking
hote strong air access and ample meeting
hotels,
sp
space
add to the overall ease and desirability
o meeting in the City by the Bay.”
of
4/22/14 8:38 AM
CALIFORNIA SPECIAL SECTION
San Francisco Travel
WWW.SANFRANCISCO.TRAVEL/MEETING-PLANNERS
S
an Francisco has been rolling out the
green carpet for decades to ensure that
the right environment for successful
meetings includes eco-friendly practices.
One might say that the city is LEED-ing
the way. With the completion of a $56 million
renovation, Moscone Center became the West
Coast’s irst LEED Gold (Existing Building)
convention center.
San Francisco also claims these green irsts
for two existing buildings: AT&T Park is the
irst major league ballpark to earn LEED Silver
and San Francisco International Airport’s (SFO)
Terminal 2 is the country’s irst LEED Gold
airport terminal. And the California Academy
of Sciences in Golden Gate Park is the world’s
greenest museum, having received a second
LEED Platinum rating from the U.S. Green
Building Council in 2011.
Now’s the time to also see what’s new in San
Francisco:
• The irst of its kind in the U.S., the SFJAZZ
Center opened in January 2013.
• The Bay Lights, which premiered in March
2013, was inspired by the 75th anniversary of
the Bay Bridge and is the world’s largest LED
sculpture.
• The Exploratorium, San Francisco’s internationally acclaimed museum of art, science
and human perception—at Piers 15 and 17—
opened in April 2013.
• San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge completed
a $6 billion seismic retro it in September
2013; the new east span features the world’s
largest self-anchored suspension bridge.
• A new cruise ship terminal at Pier 27 will
open in 2014.
In addition to its ample hotel supply (more
than 33,825 rooms of which 20,000 are within
walking distance of Moscone Center) and more
restaurants per capita than any other major city
in the U.S., San Francisco offers iconic attractions
such as the cable cars, Fisherman’s Wharf, Union
Square and Chinatown.
San Francisco is also taking care of the
customer well into the future. In February
2013 the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
approved the creation of the Moscone Expansion District (MED), which will provide the
majority of funding for the expansion of the
center. Moscone Center will add 350,000 to
400,000 square feet to the convention center,
including 80,000 or more square feet of contiguous exhibit space. Groundbreaking is slated
for December 2014.
San Francisco also offers unparalleled
access to major destinations around the
world. SFO offers nonstop lights to more than
31 international points on 30 international
carriers. The Bay Area’s largest airport connects nonstop with 76 cities in the U.S. on 15
domestic airlines.
72 ADVERTISEMENT
California Special Section.indd 72
4/21/14 2:31 PM
0514_073.indd 73
4/14/14 10:04 AM
CALIFORNIA SPECIAL SECTION
Visit Napa Valley
WWW.VISITNAPAVALLEY.COM/MEETINGS
C
ome experience the Napa Valley—where world-class
wines, historic surroundings, miles of nature preserves
and a spirit of wellness set a slower pace, inviting you
to relax, savor and restore.
Receive a warm welcome in our winery tasting rooms,
where you will sip our superlative wines while you discover
the stories behind our legendary wine-growing heritage.
Our farm-to-table culinary scene will delight you, with more
Michelin-star rated restaurants per capita than any other
wine region in the world. A vibrant art, live-music and theater community will satisfy your cultural cravings. And our
healing hot-spring waters, crisp-clean air and luxurious spa
resorts will renew you. You’ll want to stay a little longer.
Meeting Space
The Napa Valley region offers more than 200,000 square feet
of meeting space, from ballrooms to barrel rooms and wine
caves to vineyards.
Accommodations
With more than 5,500 rooms in more than 150 distinctive
properties, the Napa Valley offers a wide variety of gracious
world-class lodging, ranging from ive-star luxury resorts to
intimate bed & breakfasts.
Dining
The Napa Valley’s culinary scene is thriving, with more than
120 restaurants. In 2013, Napa Valley restaurants were
awarded 11 Michelin stars—more per capita than any other
wine region in the world.
Airport & Transportation
The valley is accessible from four international airports: Oakland (50 miles/81 km), San Francisco (57 miles/95 km), Sacramento (64 miles/103 km) and San Jose (82 miles/129 km).
Offsite Experiences - Wine, Food, Arts & Wellness
The Napa Valley has been endowed with the perfect
environment to cultivate some of the world’s inest wine
grapes. There are more than 400 wineries, 95 percent of
which are family owned and operated, along with hundreds
of restaurants, art venues and a host of wellness activities to
enjoy for offsite experiences.
• Cakebread Cellars offers a range of hands-on cooking
classes for groups of nine to 16 looking to escape the
conference room.
• Groups at Raymond Vineyards can test their palates
and collaboration skills with the Winemaker-for-a-Day
Program. Participating guests learn the winemaker’s art
while blending a red wine from Napa Valley’s esteemed
appellations.
• Oxbow Public Market in downtown Napa is home to more
than 23 local food purveyors and restaurants. A guided
walking tour by Cooking with Julie lets groups meet the
purveyors and enjoy blending workshops, salumi tastings
and more.
• The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena welcomes groups for a range of events and hands-on
workshops, including culinary and wine education
programs.
• Napa Valley Bike Tours offers custom cycling tours that
can include a picnic lunch, wine tasting and riding among
the vines.
• The di Rosa originated as a shared vision of art collectors Rene and Veronica di Rosa. Their home and famed
vineyards around Winery Lake now house contemporary
and historic artwork, surrounded by lush Napa Valley
landscape perfect for group picnics and receptions.
We look forward to welcoming you!
Visit Napa Valley
Tel.: (707) 260-0075
Fax: (707) 265-8154
sales@visitnapavalley.com
www.visitnapavalley.com/meetings
74 ADVERTISEMENT
California Special Section.indd 74
4/21/14 2:59 PM
0514_075.indd 75
4/14/14 1:35 PM
CALIFORNIA SPECIAL SECTION
Diablo Valley
WWW.DIABLOVALLEYCA.COM
N
estled in the foothills of the majestic
twin peaked Mount Diablo in
Concord, Calif., is a lush and vibrant
open space: Diablo Valley. It’s better over
here, where it’s warmer and sunnier and
more of your team can gather and connect.
With the ultimate expansive viewshed,
second only to Mount Kilimanjaro, we give
new meaning to wide-open spaces for
big-blue-sky ideas. Defy your expectations
when you make Diablo Valley the setting
for your next event. Literally take your
team to the top of the mountain, where
clear vistas and hiking challenges abound.
Hikers and bikers, and horse riders, are the
main mode of transportation, with scenic
stops along the way to connect with fresh
air and fresh thinking. Fresh is a recurring
theme—with abundant produce from
farmer’s markets in Todos Santos Plaza to
exquisite farm to table feasting.
Dine at 54 Mint, the boutique eatery for
those in the know. The chef lives locally
and now San Francisco isn’t the only place
you can enjoy this made from scratch lour
and wine Italian eatery. Want your own
sampling trail of craft brews? No need to
crawl. Drop in to our three craft brewers
right here in the Valley. Sip and savor the
hops at Black Diamond Tap Room or sit
outside by the ire pit with your dog posse
at the Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar. Stroll the
plaza with its outdoor music concerts and
twinkling lights and sample a light at E.J.
Phair Brewing Company.
Or maybe proximity to wine country for
a day trip is another taste destination for
your palate. The other Valley, Napa, is just
a 30-minute ride for world renowned—
well, everything. More music than any
other Valley creates the backdrop for your
one-of-a kind event, from a music series
in the downtown plaza to concerts at the
mountainside Concord Pavilion. You can
meet and greet your rock star side and get
a backstage pass to the sound and the fury
of incredible music.
Location. Location. Location. It’s easy to
reach Diablo Valley by hopping on BART or
through nearby airports in San Francisco,
Oakland and San Jose, or by private plane
at our Buchanan Field airport. We await
your arrival with nine freshened hotels and
more than 75,000 square feet of expansive,
varied and team-ready meeting spaces.
Getting more out of your time and your
team is the key to a successful meeting.
Bring your team to the center of it all for
exceptional indoor meeting spaces and
spectacular group activity outdoor vistas.
Let us defy your expectations—as you
de ine them.
76 ADVERTISEMENT
California Special Section.indd 76
4/21/14 3:09 PM
0514_077.indd 77
4/24/14 2:03 PM
0514_078.indd 78
4/25/14 9:21 AM
SPECIAL SECTION:
Florida
CONTENTS
PAGES 80-81
PAGES 84-87
Ocean Reef Club
Greater Fort
Lauderdale CVB
PAGES 82-83
Rosen Hotels &
Resorts
Reso
ortts
JEFF HOMAD
Executive Director of Sales
Ocean Reef Club
Florida Special Section.indd 79
“Ocean Reef Club
C
and its 2,500 acres offer an amazing
tropical exper
experience that makes you feel as though you
are on an island
islan oasis, when you’re just 50 minutes
from Miami’s International Airport!”
4/25/14 11:16 AM
FLORIDA SPECIAL SECTION
Ocean Reef Club
WWW.MEETINGS.OCEANREEF.COM
S
ecluded on the northernmost tip of Key
Largo, Fla., Ocean Reef Club offers 2,500
pristine, secure acres less than an hour’s
drive from Miami International Airport.
Usually reserved strictly for members,
this exclusive club offers a rare opportunity for select groups to experience its
unique way of life irsthand. Over the past
three years, guest accommodations have
been thoroughly updated, the spa has been
expanded to 9,500 square feet and includes
a VIP suite and café and a state-of-the-art
Golf Academy has been added. Several of the
more intimate meeting rooms have recently
been renovated, allowing for lexibility in
breakout spaces and for private board meetings, all within the same building.
Meeting planners and guests may select
from one of 300 splendid accommodations,
including ocean-view rooms and suites,
spacious villas and beautiful homes. Blending contemporary comfort with advanced
capabilities, Ocean Reef now offers 30,000
square feet of meeting space, including a
7,500-square-foot ballroom perfectly suited
for a sumptuous welcome or inspiring sendoff. Overall, there is an eclectic variety of
meeting spaces, indoors and out, including
Buccaneer Island, featuring its own saltwater lagoon, sandy beach, pools and Jacuzzi—
it’s the perfect setting for cocktail receptions, dinners, theme parties and unique
team building events.
Beyond the meeting, there are a million
ways to play at Ocean Reef. A 175-slip marina
provides access to world-class ishing, snorkeling, SCUBA diving on North America’s only
living coral reef or kayaking through mangroves and bird rookeries. Ocean Reef has
the distinction of having two championship
18-hole golf courses—a rarity in the Florida
Keys. There are endless ways to spend the
day, with twenty tennis courts, dual oceanfront pools, a salon and spa, myriad restaurants and lounges and more than a dozen
eclectic shops.
From casual fare to multi-star gourmet,
guests can enjoy every possible culinary experience. One of Ocean Reef Club’s favorite dining
venues, The Ocean Room, features lavish
buffets by day and by night. The adjoining Reef
Lounge is a perfect spot to enjoy a morning
cup of coffee and the newspaper or to meet
friends for cocktails. The Raw Bar, Palm Court,
The Galley and the Islander all offer delectable
casual fare and extraordinarily fresh seafood.
And, when on a break, bond over the superb
ice cream, pastries and lattes at Reef Treats.
The culinary venues are limitless and the talented chefs and event planners can create an
unforgettable event on the beach, on the water
or any other spot on the island.
Contact Ocean Reef Club at www.Meetings.
OceanReef.com or (800) 843-2730.
80 ADVERTISEMENT
Florida Special Section.indd 80
4/22/14 11:30 AM
0514_081.indd 81
4/24/14 1:28 PM
FLORIDA SPECIAL SECTION
Rosen Hotels & Resorts
WWW.ROSENHOTELS.COM/40
T
his year, Rosen Hotels & Resorts in Orlando
celebrates 40 years of surpassing expectations
as Florida’s largest independent hotel chain. The
company is inviting meeting planners to share in this
milestone with exclusive “40th Anniversary Promotion” at its three convention properties—the 1,501room Rosen Shingle Creek, 1,334-room Rosen Centre
and 800-room Rosen Plaza. The savings include a 40
percent discount on some of the hotels’ most popular
services and bene its for groups who book and consume the meeting at one of the participating properties
by December 24, 2014.
Rosen Hotels & Resorts’ Anniversary Savings
program offers a menu from which the planner can
select several valuable special concessions such as a
40 percent discount on Millennium Technology Group
2014 rates and Shingle Creek Golf Club individual tee
times. The company is also giving away a gold necklace
featuring the 40th anniversary gemstone—the ruby—to
a lucky quali ied meeting planner each quarter of 2014.
Planners can visit RosenHotels.com/40 to learn more
about the anniversary specials, including how to enter
to win a ruby necklace and to submit an RFP.
“What a wonderful occasion to show our appreciation for meeting planners and group customers who
have played such an important role in the growth of
our convention hotels,” says Leslie Menichini, vice
president of sales and marketing, Rosen Hotels &
Resorts. “We look forward to providing our passionate
service and commitment to group customers for many
more years to come.”
Orlando, Fla.-based Rosen Hotels & Resorts
encompasses seven properties that total more than
6,300 hotel rooms and suites, all of which are located
within Orlando’s main tourism corridor including
the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) and
International Drive.
Rosen Hotels & Resorts’ three convention hotels
offer a trifecta of convenience with the most rooms,
meeting space and closest proximity to the Orange
County Convention Center. Combined, they lead the
local convention market with more than 3,635 hotel
rooms and 700,000 gross square feet of meeting and
event space.
Rosen Hotels & Resorts’ award-winning convention
hotels are also home to some of the destination’s most
highly rated leisure diversions. Rosen Shingle Creek’s
award-winning championship, 18-hole Shingle Creek
Golf Course and Brad Brewer Golf Academy are just one
mile from the OCCC. Guests of all three hotels receive
preferred tee times, as well as complimentary transportation from Rosen Plaza and Rosen Centre. All three
hotels offer access to world-class The Spa at Rosen
Centre and The Spa at Shingle Creek, state-of-the-art
itness centers at each of the three hotels, a variety of
tennis and sport courts and nearly two dozen total
dining, entertainment and lounging options.
In 2013, the company debuted the Gary Sain
Memorial Skybridge, an overhead covered pedestrian
walkway that directly connects Rosen Plaza to the
OCCC’s West Building for a safe, easy and weatherproof
commute. The Rosen Centre Skywalk offers a similar
direct connection from the hotel to the opposite side of
the OCCC’s West Building. Rosen Centre also recently
debuted a new, 18,000-square-foot ballroom and a spa
with seven treatment suites. A new poolside restaurant—Harry’s Poolside Bar & Grill—is scheduled to
open this summer.
For more information, contact (866) 337-6736 or
sales@rosenhotels.com.
82 ADVERTISEMENT
Florida Special Section.indd 82
4/25/14 11:27 AM
0514_083.indd 83
4/24/14 1:29 PM
FLORIDA SPECIAL SECTION
84 ADVERTISEMENT
Florida Special Section.indd 84
4/24/14 4:13 PM
Greater Fort
Lauderdale CVB
WWW.SUNNY.ORG/MEETINGS
M
eet Sunny
When it comes to meetings and conventions, planners ind a sunny state of mind
in Greater Fort Lauderdale. The LEED Gold-certi ied,
600,000-square-foot Broward County Convention
Center offers an ideal location on the Intracoastal
Waterway and a SUNsational service team. Plus, the
all-around accessibility and close proximity of Fort
Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport with
more than 600 daily lights to and from 60-plus destinations make getting down to business here easy.
Lauderdale Convention Collection
Step up to the lighter, brighter side of meetings in
Greater Fort Lauderdale. Meetings are convenient
at six premier hotels that are within two miles of
the Broward Convention Center. Included are the
Embassy Suites Fort Lauderdale, Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, Hilton Fort Lauderdale Maringa,
Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six, Renaissance Fort Lauderdale and Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel.
All deliver exceptional service, business-friendly
amenities and a combined 3,500 guest rooms.
Special incentives are available when you book the
convention center and a Lauderdale Convention
Collection hotel.
Unique Venues
Talk strategy growth in fragrant tropical gardens. Pick
up your 400 guests dockside from your conference
hotel and cruise the Intracoastal while networking
and dining. Host a dinner on stage at the Broward
Center for the Performing Arts when a Broadway
performance is not in-house. Or groups can sharpen
their cooking skills at a Chef’s Table at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, hold an Iron Chef
cooking competition at the Fort Lauderdale History
Center or utilize unique venues such as the Antique
Car Museum, Museum of Discovery and Science or the
Design Center of the Americas and many others. How
about a beach concert for up to 30,000? We can do
that, too.
Dinner is Served
From year-round waterfront dining spots to ethnic
eateries and top-notch steakhouses, opportunities
to wow the palate are endless. Discover New Florida
dishes such as stone crabs straight from the Atlantic
or Floribbean cuisine with its a lavorful blend of
island ingredients. Your group can also dine al fresco
or enjoy a “dock and dine” experience. Within the
convention center, Chef Henry Sanchez presents
imaginative, restaurant-quality dishes to groups of
20 to 4,000.
Downtime Options
From the seagrass to the sawgrass, it’s all about
the water in Greater Fort Lauderdale. Downtime is
perfect for exploring 23 miles of Blue Wave-certi ied
beaches, snorkeling, diving, deep-sea ishing and
kayaking. Explore the “Venice of America” via a catamaran, a luxury yacht or the Water Taxi. Find adventure in the exotic Everglades. Or dive into the vibrant
downtown Riverwalk Arts and Entertainment scene.
Attendees can relax at many area luxurious spas,
play a round of golf with more than 40 professional
courses available, hit the casinos or Thoroughbred
racing or take a shopping excursion to Sawgrass
Mills—the world’s largest designer outlet mall.
Stretch Your Budget
Another reason to meet sunny is cost ef iciency.
According to a study by the Global Business Travel
Association Foundation, Fort Lauderdale ranked
No. 1 out of the top 50 lowest tax-burdened cities
in America. This includes both general sales tax and
travel-related services such as hotels, car rentals and
meals. Catch the wave of savings when you plan your
next event in Greater Fort Lauderdale.
Your Partner in Meetings
Let the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau be your meetings partner. From helping
you ind your perfect event venue to connecting you
with key service providers in the area and helping
promote your event with various media elements
including photos, videos, printed materials and
public relations, we we’ll help make your meeting as
successful as it is SUNsational. Get down to business
at sunny.org/meetings.
MPIWEB.ORG 85
Florida Special Section.indd 85
4/24/14 4:13 PM
0514_086-087.indd 86
4/24/14 2:02 PM
0514_086-087.indd 87
4/24/14 2:02 PM
0514_088.indd 88
4/25/14 9:22 AM
SPECIAL SECTION:
Caribbean
CONTENTS
PAGES 90-91
PAGES 96-97
Baha Mar
Dominican Republic
PAGES 92-93
PAGES 98-99
Mexico Tourism Board
Palladium Hotels &
Resorts
PAGES 94-95
Meliá Hotels
IInternational
ntern
SARKIS D. IZMIRLIAN
Chairman & CEO
Baha Mar Ltd.
Caribbean Special Section.indd 89
“You can start with a very clear vision, but it takes tenacity
and ingenuity to create something that is truly transformative.
Baha Mar, as the name implies, belongs in The Bahamas.
Whether guests are here for leisure or business, every corner
of this 1,000-acre resort will amaze them.”
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CARIBBEAN SPECIAL SECTION
Baha Mar
WWW.BAHAMAR.COM
T
he US$3.5 billion Baha Mar, set along a white-sand
beach and turquoise waters in Nassau, The Bahamas, is the ideal setting for provoking new ideas
and cultivating great minds. We’ve gathered the world’s
most enviable hospitality and gaming brands into one
luxurious destination for a sensory experience that will
exceed the expectations of even the most seasoned jetsetters. With more than 2,200 elegant rooms and suites,
a commitment to impeccable service and countless activities to inspire, Baha Mar ensures that your corporate
events are as productive as they are memorable.
The centerpiece of Baha Mar, The Baha Mar
Casino & Hotel, will inspire and delight with its
authentic Bahamian charm and Vegas-style entertainment. In addition to housing the largest casino in the
Caribbean, this exclusive enclave boasts 30,000 square
feet of divine relaxation at the ESPA at Baha Mar. The
Baha Mar Casino & Hotel offers 911 guest rooms,
including 105 suites and villas.
Contemporary chic meets timeless beauty at the
Mondrian at Baha Mar, perfectly capturing the quintessential lifestyle of The Bahamas by uniting its deeply
rooted appreciation of the outdoors with a pervasive
sense of magic and glamour in 300 guest rooms, including 107 suites.
One of the world’s premier luxury hotel collections,
Rosewood Hotels & Resorts®, will bestow its 200
guest rooms, including 87 suites, at Baha Mar with
one-of-a-kind ambiance and style, offering unparalleled
attention to detail and exceptional personalized service.
Grand Hyatt at Baha Mar will deliver casual elegance in grand style, boasting 700 guest rooms, including
102 suites. Global guests who expect nothing but the best
will ind their expectations graciously exceeded at this
hotel renowned for hosting sophisticated global business
travelers and international jetsetters with a taste for
stylish upscale accommodations.
Meliá Hotels International, one of the world’s largest resort hotel chains, will bring its upscale, all-inclusive
experience to the 694-room Meliá at Baha Mar, featuring
their signature unparalleled “Passion for Service” standards of guest comfort.
YOU CAN’T HAVE BUSINESS WITHOUT PLEASURE
Baha Mar’s innovative conference center will feature
approximately 200,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor, lexible, state-of-the-art convention facilities—
perfect for meetings, concerts and special events. Our
2,000-seat performing arts center will host top acts
while the unique gallery spaces in the convention
center will house the largest collection of Bahamian
art in the country.
Opportunities for unleashed revelry abound at
Baha Mar. Our world-class, 100,000-square-foot
casino featuring 1,500 slots and 150 table games
will be the largest in the Caribbean and rival gaming loors in Las Vegas, Macau and Monte Carlo. In
addition to unique destination spa experiences and
an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course, guests
will enjoy more than 30 high-end restaurants, bars
and lounges and upscale retail moments from international boutiques and local designers.
Visitors can also relax on a journey of discovery of
the beautiful native lora and fauna in the Beachfront
Sanctuary.
Baha Mar is creating a grand enclave of fun and
sophistication that will be a must-visit destination for the
well traveled and all those wishing to travel well.
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Mexico Tourism Board
WWW.VISITMEXICO.COM/MEETINGS
O
ne of the keys to Mexico’s success as a meeting,
incentive and trade show destination in recent
years has been literally billions of dollars in new
tourism infrastructure, and in 2014 the rollout of new
product continues. Here is a sampling.
New Hotels
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is investing US$500
million between 2011 and 2014 with the creation of 47
new hotels and about 5,000 rooms in Mexico.
Aloft Cancun Hotel is now open right next to
Cancun Center. Innovative and fun, perfectly located
in Punta Cancun, it is surrounded by shopping malls,
the best restaurants and bars in the area and entertainment areas. Stylish and lexible, the venue next
door offers meeting space, cutting-edge audiovisual
and fast and free Wi-Fi while accommodating theater,
classroom or U-shaped con igurations.
Pop over to W XYZ SM bar for a break, stay it 24/7
at Re:chargeSM gym, relax in Re:mixSM lounge and
much more.
Courtyard by Marriott strengthens its presence in
Mexico with the opening of a hotel in Leon. This destination is located in the central part of the country and is
known for the production of Leather; in fact, Leon just
won this event: V World Footwear Congress for 2014.
With 140 rooms, Courtyard by Marriott Leon is
next door to the Polyforum Leon, which offers 241,060
square feet.
The brand new Hilton Sta. Fe opened 260 rooms in
the prestigious neighborhood of Sta. Fe in Mexico City,
just a 10-minute drive from Expo Bancomer, which can
handle up to 35,000 people.
Every year more and more hotel investment
increases not only the number of rooms but the meeting facilities as well.
New Convention Centers
The new Los Cabos Convention Center opened in 2012
and hosted the prestigious G20 meetings and events
in June. The center has 56,000 square of meeting and
function space and the ability to accommodate 5,000 for
meetings and expositions and 3,000 in banquet-style
settings. The center is 10 minutes from the airport.
Los Cabos Convention Center represents a $100 million investment by the federal government and a $1.5
million investment from the State of Baja California
Sur. The municipality of Los Cabos provided a 15-acre
tract of land for the center, which is located alongside a
private golf community with magni icent views, and the
Los Cabos Tourism Board has also invested almost $1
million in the project. The convention center is designated a “green” facility, with energy ef iciency in mind.
The new, $51 million Baja California Metropolitan
Convention Center, located on the Tijuana-Ensenada
scenic highway at Rosarito Beach, held its grand opening in April 2013. The center, with a 100,000-squarefoot main hall that can be divided into multiple,
smaller spaces, offers an innovative and contemporary
architecture that utilizes the environment, providing
a sustainable open space area that harmonizes with
nature and landscape.
The center offers 40,364 square feet of space for
meetings and conventions with a capacity of up to
3,750 attendees, a 193,750-square-foot exposition area
that can hold up to 18,000 and 850 trade show booths
and a 16,145-square-foot business center that can
accommodate up to 100.
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Meliá Hotels International
WWW.MELIA.COM/MEETINGS
M
eliá Caribe Tropical sets the standard for
all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean.
Ideally located in Punta Cana on the east
coast of the Dominican Republic, the resort offers
impressive features with multiple pools, an expansive beach, countless activities, two YHI Wellness
Centers, access to the Cocotal Golf & Country Club
and a dozen restaurants with a vast variety of culinary options.
Blending the natural beauty of its surroundings
into the hotel design, Meliá Caribe Tropical is home
to 1,100 spacious suites featuring magni icent
views of the pools or gardens. This earthly paradise
pleases the most diverse tastes with three buffet
restaurants and 10 specialty a la carte restaurants
specializing in international cuisines including
Asian fusion, Italian, Mediterranean, French, Mexican and, of course, Caribbean.
The resort provides meeting and incentive professionals the perfect blend of design and functionality in one of the world’s top tourism and business
destinations, offering 12,000 square feet of meeting
space; 13 meeting rooms with capacity for up to
1,000; a business center with Internet access, fax and
photocopy services; a garden gazebo and a gazebo
on the beach for weddings and special events;
private garden areas for cocktail receptions; and two
beachside restaurants with a large staging area for
dancing or shows.
Most recently, Meliá Caribe Tropical launched
THE LEVEL and THE LEVEL Adults Only—a boutique hotel within the resort offering exclusive areas,
preferential services and amenities—and Cuatro, a
new adults-only dining establishment offering four
different culinary experiences. These new environments represent a unique opportunity to elevate the
level of service, luxury and comfort to any group.
Meliá Caribe Tropical is only 15 minutes from
Punta Cana International Airport, 40 minutes from
La Romana and two hours by land transportation
from Santo Domingo. Meliá Caribe Tropical also
offers a free shuttle to the largest shopping center
in the region: the Palma Real Shopping Village, with
more than 45 prestigious international brands,
restaurants, banks, a supermarket and the best disco
in the area. Surrounded by the crystalline waters
and the warmth of the tropics, Meliá Caribe Tropical ensures a luxury experience for any discerning
traveler. For more information, please visit www.
meliácaribetropical.com.
Meliá Hotels International is focused on providing
exceptional service to the meetings and conventions
sector. The company offers an online tool, www.
melia.com/meetings, that allows meeting professionals to search and secure the best rates available
as well as review competitive meetings packages. In
addition, planners can join Meliá’s loyalty program,
Mas Amigos, where they can accumulate points for
group reservations at more than 350 hotels throughout the world. The company is committed to providing sustainable events and is a certi ied Biosphere
Hotel Company, which includes social, environmental
and cultural requirements. For more information,
please visit www.melia.com/meetings.
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CARIBBEAN SPECIAL SECTION
Dominican Republic
WWW.GODOMINICANREPUBLIC.COM
T
he Dominican Republic continues to rank
among the Caribbean’s top meeting destinations and is often recognized for the local
vendors whose professional service and knowledge of the country and meeting industry provide
for an unforgettable experience. The country
welcomes meeting delegates with award-winning
hotels, championship golf, thrilling entertainment,
one-of-a-kind venues and more than 1,000 miles
of striking coastline, while unspoiled beaches,
rolling mountainsides, pristine waterfalls and
rivers and lush landscapes provide attractive
playgrounds for groups.
A few of the distinct advantages the Dominican
Republic offers include the following.
HIGH-QUALITY INFRASTRUCTURE – The
Dominican Republic offers advanced communications, travel and commercial infrastructure with a
fast-paced business culture, while newly constructed and renovated convention venues, hotels
and beachside group resorts continue to cater to
groups. The world-class resorts and convention
centers found throughout the country offer expansive meeting space, state-of-the-art technology and
affordable cuisine, and the friendly and professional
service offered makes any event unforgettable.
ATTRACTIVE EXPERIENCES – Delegates can
explore beyond the meeting venues as strategic
new roads and highways link diverse tourism
sites and destinations. From the pristine beaches
and world-class golf in Punta Cana to culture-rich
Santo Domingo and La Romana, up to the ecotourism sanctuaries of Puerto Plata and Samaná, the
Dominican Republic’s diverse destinations offer
attractions that pique even the choosiest visitor’s
curiosity. Whether they want to bathe in the sun,
tee off along the Caribbean Sea, horseback ride to
pristine waterfalls, indulge in Dominican cuisine,
dance to Merengue with the locals, zipline through
the mountainsides, visit the museums or go bird
watching, the Dominican Republic has it.
EASY ACCESSIBILITY – Diverse experiences and
meeting locales in the Dominican Republic are only
part of its appeal. Just a two-hour light from Miami,
the country’s key geographic location in the center
of the Caribbean basin positions it as a strategic
commercial and business center. Eight major
international airports plus daily and weekly direct
lights from many U.S. cities provide easy access,
while three international cruise terminals, seaports
and marinas add to arrival options.
The Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism’s
Congresses and Incentives Department works
to ensure all needs are met and exceeded. The
department offers promotional materials, destination displays, site inspections, opening and/
or closing ceremony sponsorship and more to
amplify in-country experiences. We encourage
you to explore these offerings and more at www.
GoDominicanRepublic.com.
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Palladium Hotels & Resorts
WWW.PALLADIUMHOTELGROUP.COM
S
and castle tournaments, Spanish classes, wellness and yoga sessions…these are just some
of the group activities meeting and incentive
planners can choose to include at Palladium Hotels &
Resorts’ ive star, all-inclusive properties in Mexico,
the Dominican Republic and Jamaica as part of a new
value-added bene its package for MICE bookings in
2014 and 2015.
In addition to one complimentary group activity,
the new bene its package provides one complimentary
room for every 35 booked and paid for, one upgrade
to the next room category for every 30 rooms booked
and paid for (up to four per group) and 50 percent
off the group rate for up to three staff rooms. Service
is included, and with a minimum F&B per day, so is
meeting space.
In addition, attendees can take advantage of the
group’s rate to extend their stays for three days before
and after the event and enjoy a 15 percent discount
at Zentropia by Palladium Spa & Wellness for spa
treatments booked prior to arrival. The value-added
bene its, valid on new bookings for travel through
December 31, 2015, are subject to availability and
cannot be combined with other offers.
Palladium Hotels & Resorts’ meeting space ranges
from new, expansive onsite convention centers with
ballrooms that can handle large corporate events of
up to 600 to intimate spaces ideal for brainstorming
retreats. Outdoors, tropical gardens, terraces with
panoramic views and seaside patios set the scene for
idyllic cocktail parties and social events.
Best of all, you’ll love working with Palladium’s
team of experienced MICE coordinators who will be
supporting you every step of the way, partnering to
bring your creative vision to life and ensuring that
everything goes according to plan. Meanwhile, your
attendees will be raving about the chic accommodations, indulgent spas, all-inclusive activities and, for
those who bring their families, the engaging age-speci ic kids clubs.
Each destination also has its own distinctive allure.
Does your group enjoy gaming? Consider Punta Cana,
in the Dominican Republic, where a new convention
center serves four Grand Palladium properties. There
are seven multipurpose halls with a maximum capacity of 500 theater-style. In addition to an onsite casino,
the resort encompasses a lush palm tree plantation
and there’s golf nearby.
Gaming is also on tap in Jamaica. Here, two sideby-side resorts share lexible meeting space for up to
250. The complex, located on a spectacular beach in
Montego Bay, has one of the island’s largest pools. Golf,
horseback riding and historic Great Houses are nearby.
Cancun Airport is the gateway to the Palladium
Riviera Maya Complex, which includes ive Grand Palladium properties, all connected by shuttles. Function
space includes a 505-square-meter convention center
and 11 multi-purpose halls with a maximum capacity
of 600 theater-style. A crocodile habitat is among the
exotic features on site, and nearby are the Maya ruins
of Tulum, golf and myriad adventures.
Just north of Puerto Vallarta, along the pristine Riviera Nayarit coast, sister Palladium resorts provide two
multipurpose halls with a total of 250 square meters
accommodating groups of up to 112 theater-style.
Nearby, you have golf, horseback riding, whale watching and thrilling jungle adventures.
Contact the group department at Palladium Hotels
& Resorts to start planning your next event. You’ll ind
that creating the extraordinary was never so easy.
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MPI Foundation Contributors
JULY 1, 2013 - PRESENT
The MPI Foundation would like to recognize and thank the following Contributors for their donations.
Through their generosity, the MPI Foundation is able to provide MPI members and the industry at large with
professional development and career opportunities through scholarships, grants and pan-industry research.
EDUCATION ENDOWMENT CONTRIBUTORS
($50,000 and above)
EDUCATION ENDOWMENT CONTRIBUTORS
($25,000 - $49,999)
EDUCATION ENDOWMENT CONTRIBUTORS
($10,001 - $24,999)
Air Canada
Cendyn
Freeman Canada
Hard Rock International
International Centre-Toronto
Loews Hotels and Resorts
MGM Resorts International
Newmarket International
The Parking Spot
Tourism Toronto
CORPORATE CONTRIBUTORS
($1,001 - $10,000)
AC Lighting
Associated Luxury Hotels
International
AV Canada
Caesars Windsor
Cantrav Services
Coast Hotels
Crowne Plaza Hotels Canada
DE Systems
Dusseldorf Congress
Edmonton Tourism
Excel
Fairmount Hotels & Resorts
Fort Worth CVB
Hello Destination
IHG Canada
M&IT
Marriott Canada
Meetings and Conventions Calgary
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
NH Hotels
Ottawa Tourism
Palm Beach CVB
Philadelphia CVB
Sonar Mediathink
Starwood Canada
STRONCO Group
Switzerland Tourism Authority
Tourism Montreal
Tourism Vancouver
Vancouver Convention Centre
Vancouver Hotel Destination
Association
Visit Orlando
Walt Disney Swan & Dolphin
PLANNED GIVING CONTRIBUTORS
Maarten Vanneste
Stephen Peeler
LEGACY
100 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL MAY 2014
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MPI STRATEGIC PARTNERS
STRATEGIC ALLIANCE
SIGNATURE PARTNERS
GLOBAL PARTNERS
PREFERRED PARTNERS
MPI MARKETSMART
BUSINESS SOLUTIONSTM
PREMIER PARTNERS
CHOICE PARTNERS
MPIWEB.ORG 101
May Sponsors.indd 101
4/25/14 1:47 PM
IN SUMMARY
TRENDS
MEETING DESIGN
TRENDS
“Incentives that
Deliver the Wow”
“The Shows Go On”
“Meetings Outlook”
By Rowland Stiteler
Page 54
Reading Time: 7 min.
By Elaine Pofeldt
Page 59
Reading Time: 10 min.
The hosted buyer trade show format is
replacing traditional structures in many
industries outside of our own, finding
homes in almost any setting which endeavors to have buyers meet suppliers.
This story reveals some key differences
in the multiple possibilities for the hosted
buyer format; some are nuanced, some
significant. Learn about this subject
through the tips and tales from your
peers, including Lacey Hein, CMP (MPI
Washington State Chapter), Tracey Lane
(MPI Greater New York Chapter), Richard
Miseyko, CMM, CMP (MPI Tampa Bay Area
Chapter) and more.
You’ll also explore a quick history of
the format. As Miseyko says, “It’s really
such a flexible format that almost anyone
can do it with the proper amount of
homework, and that applies to just
about any industry.”
Peer into the future and the health of the
global meeting and event industry in the
latest edition of MPI’s quarterly, forwardlooking survey. This report unearths
trends that will affect the industry—and
why you should begin to work with them
in mind today.
Of specific interest: the continued
growth in adoption of virtual and hybrid
meeting models. This past winter (the
time period during which this survey was
administered) was the worst on record in
the U.S. for flight cancellations due to
weather, leading some planners—such as
Cynthia Bullock, CMP (MPI Eastern Great
Lakes Chapter)—to defensively switch to
virtual or hybrid options rather than cancel affected events. Then there are the
planners strategically selecting virtual or
hybrid models.
In this report, you’ll learn about this
trending topic and other valuable business prognostications.
By Maria Lenhart
Page 50
Reading Time: 5 min.
Incentive travel, long recognized as a key
motivator, is changing in line with attendees’ desires and even making dreams
come true.
Learn how the market is adapting to
increases in travel costs and tighter availability by offering more and exciting (as
in adrenaline) activities and truly bucketlist destinations.
Sheryl Korn, CMP (MPI Michigan Chapter), says, “Even companies that haven’t
traveled internationally for a long while
are now looking at overseas destinations,
particularly Europe.”
Non-travel incentives are also still at
play, for instance, by offering tiered incentives programs wherein travel is the greatest reward—otherwise cash is king.
102 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL MAY 2014
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Midori Connolly
MPI Member for 6 Years
San Diego Chapter
My Story: www.mpiweb.org/stories
mpiweb.org
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UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
“Meeting a stranger can be totally fleeting
and meaningless, for example, unless you
enter the individual’s world by finding out
at least one thing that is meaningful to
his or her life and exchange at least one
genuine feeling. Tuning in to others is
a circular flow: You send yourself out
toward people; you receive them as
they respond to you.”
Experience Deepak Chopra at MPI’s World Education Congress
in Minneapolis this August. Visit www.mpiweb.org/wec14 for
more info.
(CC) YAHOO
– Deepak Chopra , from The Book of Secrets
104 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL MAY 2014
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