MAY 2013
HOSTED BUYERS
+
EMERGING DESTINATIONS
+
CANDY CHANG
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Go With a Sure Thing
®
May 2013 • Volume 6 • Number 4
WOULD YOU RATHER FLIP A COIN AND TAKE A CHANCE, OR GO WITH A SURE THING?
The sure thing, of course.
So why are so many businesses continuing to make connections the old-fashioned way—gather as many contacts as possible and then after the event try to find
the ones that fit best. That’s the new business strategy of 95 percent of businesses
today. Does it work? Sure, but there’s a better question—is it the best way to build
lasting relationships?
Relationships are clearly made even when we have chance meetings in hotel lobbies or on trade show floors, but they are often haphazard and almost always lack
substance. You know the drill—exchange pleasantries and business cards and then
it’s off to the next location. As the planner, or buyer, in the scenario, you’ve gained
no valuable insight into what the supplier has to offer, and as the supplier you end
up with a stack of business cards and an exorbitant amount of time spent calling to
re-introduce yourself to 100 people you “met,” of which maybe one or two might
turn into valuable contacts.
Trust me, there is a better way. Our cover story this month (Page 46) is about
hosted buyer events, and paints a clear picture of what these relationship-driven
events offer, how they work and how you can get involved. More importantly, I think
you’ll see that the “better way” of making connections is easier than you think.
Whether you hear the term “hosted buyer,” “appointment-based trade show”
or “appointment-based event,” the concept is the same—suppliers and buyers, vetted through a qualifying process and paired because of their shared business needs
and offerings, meet face-to-face for a set period of time allowing them to build a
rapport and discuss how they can help each other succeed.
What comes out of it? Business gets done. Here’s a great example. After the
hosted buyer program at last year’s World Education Congress (WEC) in St. Louis,
more than 94 percent of participants said they left with multiple new business
opportunities either
eith already done or in the works. At IMEX
America last yyear in Las Vegas, it was estimated that hosted
buyers there placed more than $2.2 billion in orders with
suppliers on site. That’s efficiency at its finest, and
the supplie
just two of the many hosted buyer programs in
those are ju
industry today.
our industr
Unlike chance meetings, hosted buyer events offer
opportunities
opportunitie to build strong relationships that will last
well into the future.
And we know it’s working because we
f
see the program
that was born in the meeting and event
pr
industry
now showing up in other industries as
indus
well. The secret is out.
we
So, if you’re a planner or supplier who is
tired of flipping a coin and hoping for the best,
ti
aallow our cover story to give you the confidence
to take the leap from the mountain of business
ccards piling up on your desk and start making
rreal, valuable connections—one appointment
at a time.
EDITORIAL STAFF
EDITOR IN CHIEF David Basler, dbasler@mpiweb.org
MANAGING EDITOR Blair Potter, bpotter@mpiweb.org
EDITOR Michael Pinchera, mpinchera@mpiweb.org
DIGITAL EDITOR Jason Hensel, jhensel@mpiweb.org
ASSISTANT EDITOR Stephen Peters, speters@mpiweb.org
DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR Jeff Loy, jloy@mpiweb.org
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jeff Daigle, jdaigle@mpiweb.org
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Javier Adame, jadame@mpiweb.org
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Holly Smith, hsmith@mpiweb.org
DESIGN AND PREPRESS Sherry Gritch, SG2Designs, sherry@sgproductions.net
COVER DESIGN Jeff Daigle, jdaigle@mpiweb.org
MPI ADVERTISING STAFF
Su Cheng Harris-Simpson, suchenghs@mpiweb.org, Phone: (10) 5869-3771 (Asia)
Katri Laurimaa, klaurimaa@mpiweb.org, Phone: (817) 251-9891
(AL, AR, CO, IA, IL, KS, KY, LA, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NM, OH, OK,
SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WI, WV, WY)
Jennifer Mason, jmason@mpiweb.org, Phone: (772) 233-0678
(FL, GA, HI, MA, ME, MI, NH, NY, RI, VT, Canada, Caribbean, Central America, Mexico,
South America)
Lori Stockman, lstockman@mpiweb.org, Phone: (401) 315-2192
(AK, AZ, CA, CT, DC, DE, ID, MD, NJ, NV, OR, PA, WA)
Roben Brannon, Manager of Strategic Partnerships, rbrannon@mpiweb.org,
Phone: (972) 702-3043
MPI EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT
Paul Van Deventer, Chief Executive Officer
Cindy D’Aoust, Chief Operating Officer
Sandra Riggins, Chief of Staff
Junior Tauvaa, Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships
INTERNATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Chairman of the Board
Kevin Hinton, Associated Luxury Hotels International
Chairman-elect
Michael Dominguez, MGM Resorts International
Vice Chairman of Finance
Kevin Kirby, Hard Rock International
Vice Chairman
Carl Winston, San Diego State University
Immediate Past Chairman
Sebastien Tondeur, MCI Group Holding SA
BOARD MEMBERS
Krzysztof Celuch, CMM, CITE, Vistula University
Jordan D. Clark, Caesars Entertainment
Ricardo Ferreira, GRUPO ALATUR
Hattie Hill, CMM, Hattie Hill Enterprises Inc.
Cornelia Horner, CMP, American Land Title Association
Allison Kinsley, CMP, CMM, Kinsley Meetings
Carol Muldoon, CMM, KPMG LLP
Fiona Pelham, Sustainable Events Ltd.
Alisa Peters, CMP, CMM, Experient Inc.
Darren Temple, CTA, Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau
Erin Tench, CMP, CMM, Penn State University
Stephanie Windham, CMP, ARIA Resort & Casino
Legal Counsel: Jonathan T. Howe, Esq., Howe & Hutton Ltd.
POSTMASTER: One+ (Print ISSN: 1943-1864, Digital Edition ISSN: 1947-6930) is printed
monthly, except the months of January and October, by Meeting Professionals International
(MPI), a professional association of meeting + event planners and suppliers. Send address
changes to One+, Meeting Professionals International, 3030 LBJ Freeway, Suite 1700, Dallas,
TX, 75234-2759. Periodicals postage paid at Dallas, Texas, and additional mailing offices.
SUBSCRIPTIONS: Members receive One+ as a membership benefit paid for by membership dues. Nonmembers may subscribe to the publication for $99 annually. “One+”
and the One+ logo are trademarks of MPI. © 2013, Meeting Professionals International,
Printed by RR Donnelley
CONTACT ONE+: Contact us online at www.mpioneplus.org or e-mail us at
editor@mpiweb.org. View our advertising, editorial and reprint policies online
at www.mpioneplus.org.
MPI VISION: Build a rich global meeting industry community
GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS:
Dallas, TX
REGIONAL OFFICES:
Doha, Qatar
Ontario, Canada
Luxembourg
Beijing
Magazine printed on FSC Certified Paper. The body of One+ is printed
on 30 percent post-consumer-waste recycled content. Please recycle this
magazine or pass it along to a co-worker when you’re finished reading.
DAVID BASLER is editor in chief of One+. He can be reached at
dbasler@mpiweb.org. Follow him at www.twitter.com/onepluseditor.
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MAY 2013
46
50
46 Hosted Buyers:
Coming Soon to a
Meeting Near You
BY PETER GORMAN
50 The Lure of the
Unique
Finding that special something to make
your meeting stand out is more important
than ever. Emerging destinations may do
the trick.
BY DULCY GREGORY
34
38
34 The ‘BIG’ Day
The Girl Scouts are about much more than selling
cookies, as they proved with year-round events in
St. Louis celebrating the organization’s 100th year.
56 Making Public
Space Personal
Artist and “Before I Die” creator Candy
Chang transforms space through
curiosity and humanity—and will teach
delegates of MPI’s World Education
Congress to do the same.
BY JASON HENSEL
BY ROWLAND STITELER
38 Let’s Dance
Penn State’s THON, a 46-hour dance marathon,
has been raising money for pediatric cancer
research since 1973.
BY KRISTY ALPERT
42
42 The Light Brigade
Calgary’s GlobalFest centers around partnership,
youth engagement and experimentation,
beneath a canopy of spectacular lights.
BY ROB COTTER
56
mpiweb.org
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MAY 2013
10
The BUZZ
A MESSAGE FROM THE CEO
We Are Here to Serve You
14 Leap of Faith
If you’re waiting for the perfect time to start your
own business, you’ll be waiting forever.
12
IMPRESSIONS
Musings on the “dance
floor of death.”
20
14
17
17 Art of Travel
There’s a fork. There’s a knife. There’s a pair of
chopsticks. Don’t leave home without your ForkChops.
TOP SPOTS
18 U.K. Economic Impact Revealed
A first-of-its-kind study finds the United Kingdom’s
meeting and event sector is big business.
A comprehensive
renovation is unveiled at
the Statehouse Convention
Center in Little Rock,
Arkansas.
22
IRRELEVANT
18
20
19 Agenda
SPINCon is an award-winning event designed exclusively by senior planners, for senior planners.
Uh oh!
Columns
60
YOUR COMMUNITY
24 When It’s Virtual, It’s Real
Getting to know MPI’s new
president and CEO, Paul
Van Deventer.
61
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Can virtual connections help pave the way to mindblowing corridor experiences that will make face-toface meetings superior?
22
24
BY JACKIE MULLIGAN
Participate in the MPI
Foundation’s exciting World
Education Congress events.
26 Connecting With Hosted Buyers
62
BY YVONNE NASSAR
Suppliers can’t view hosted buyer programs as onesize-fits-all propositions.
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
28 Walking a Fine Line
Good news for event
attendance.
88
How an event’s popularity can challenge its very soul.
26
28
BY DOUGLAS RUSHKOFF
30 The Six C’s of Sustainable Success
UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
How to lay the groundwork for framing event-based
CSR programs.
Face-to-face meetings will
always have a place.
BY ELIZABETH HENDERSON
30
60
61
88
mpiweb.org
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online:05.13
www.mpioneplus.org
Coverage of digitalNow 2013
M
eeting industry journalist Rowland Stiteler recently attended the digitalNow conference at Disney’s
Contemporary Resort for One+. The event featured a who’s who of professional associations, such
as the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the American Institute of CPAs and the Professional
Golfers Association. Digital media directors for the various associations conducted workshops and symposia,
and about a dozen corporate resource partners provided a trade show component. The following are excerpts
from Stiteler’s digitalNow blog posts. Visit MPIWeb.org to read full coverage.
Dr. Kaku on the
Value of Meetings
Dr. Michio Kaku, the
Henry Semat chair and
professor of theoretical physics at the City
College of New York,
as well as writer and
frequent reporter
and commentator on
CC-LWPKOMMUNIKACIO
technology for the BBC
and the Discovery Channel, is a prolific speaker at corporate and association events. At the 13th annual digitalNow conference, One+
caught up with Dr. Kaku to find out his thoughts about where
future technology will take the meetings industry.
One+: How do you envision the future of associations, and the
ways people congregate professionally, changing in the next few
years?
Dr. Kaku: Technology is a gigantic wave, and we have to be surfers
on that wave. Just as we have conferences today, we will have conferences in the future, but we will have to combine all of the latest
technology. Even today, we have conferences online and people can
ask questions online. But in the future, there will be holographic
images and people will appear as they appear in their living rooms
and their holographic images will “attend” the conference. And
then we will have the contact lenses with the Internet in them, you
will look in the room and it will appear to be filled with people,
but half of them will be holograms. But none of this will bring an
end to the need for face-to-face meetings, no matter the technology
advancement.
Social Media’s Impact on Profit Still
Questionable
If you’re looking for detailed specifics
about how social media impacts the profits
of your business or the membership levels
of your association, they may not be out
there yet.
That’s the conclusion of Susan Etlinger,
social media analyst and strategist for the Altimeter Group, a consulting agency with a Fortune 500 clientele.
“If you are looking for outside standards and outside benchmarks as to what constitutes an effective social media program,
right now you are wasting your time, because they are just not
out there…maybe two or three years from now, but right now the
standards are not out there,” said Etlinger, a keynote speaker at the
digitalNow conference.
Follow the #MPI Twitter stream for great links and timely information from our
community, such as the following.
@ConvIndustry
Economic growth at
3% in 1st Qtr, but
pace expected to slow
down http://on.mktw.
net/10uAXJa
8
one+
@MarketMyShow
The Top 35 Event
Designers & Their
Best Ideas http://buff.
ly/15AnOib
@rockettm
Two Extremes Of
Conference Content
Capture: Bite Size Best
http://ow.ly/kdTwv
@PMPI1
Nothing Can Substitute
for Meeting Face-to-Face
http://ow.ly/kg5sj
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MESSAGE FROM THE CEO
>
We Are Here To Serve You
SINCE BEING ANNOUNCED AS MPI’S NEW PRESIDENT AND CEO on April 16, your outreach via
email, phone calls and social media has been
overwhelming and has made me feel very welcomed into the MPI community. I would like
to thank all of you for your engagement and
the warm show of support I have received.
The opportunity to join MPI was attractive because of the strength of its brand, the
dedication of the community and the opportunities we have as an organization to expand
our reach and advocacy as an association, both
inside and outside of our industry. With my
past experiences and the passion that I have
for the meeting and event industry, business
travel, customers and employees, I believe
that this position is a great fit for me, and
I’m very excited to now be a part of the MPI
community.
Although I have only been on the job for
a short period, from Day 1
firsthand
I have witnessed firsthand
the passion and commitment that the members of
the board, the MPI team
here in Dallas and around
the world and you, the
members, have
for MPI as
an association and a community.
While I undoubtedly face a steep learning
curve, my goal is to quickly develop and communicate a clear vision that enhances the effective strategy that MPI already has in place and
positions MPI as the industry’s leading voice.
My plan for the next 60 to 90 days is to
build on my past experiences in business travel
and meetings and events by taking the time to
reach out and listen to the team at MPI, our
key partners and as many of you as possible. I
want our success as the MPI community, and
my success as a leader, to truly be a collaborative effort.
One of the greatest rewards a person can
receive in life is the ability to provide service to
your community, and service is the backbone
of any association. Like every other member
of the MPI team here in Dallas and around the
world—including our many tireless volunteer
leaders—I
leaders— am here to serve you, the members
of this dynamic
association. MPI was founded
dy
with a vision
to serve the needs of our member
vis
community,
communi and I will work alongside the
knowledgeable
headquarters staff to continue
knowledg
that tradition.
tradi
I have
jumped into this role with both
h
feet, and
a welcome the opportunity to talk
with
wit as many of you as possible in the
coming
months—getting to know you
co
and
an how MPI can help you personally
and
an professionally. I also look forward
to meeting many of you in person
this July at MPI’s World Education
Congress in Las Vegas.
Thank you again for your warm
reception. I look forward to working
together.
The MPI Foundation continues its drive
to provide innovative, career-building
thought leadership development
through the following key industry
partnerships.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Future of Meetings
Quest for Talent
Strategic Meetings Management
PAUL VAN DEVENTER is president and CEO of
MPI. Contact him at pvandeventer@mpiweb.org.
10
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IMPRESSIONS
>>
Space to Fill
[Re: “Tapping Into Show Business,” April ‘13]
Some great tips on seating arrangements, Andrea. I’ve heard the large gap
between the stage and audience referred to by comedians as the ‘dance floor
of death.’ Many people would be surprised how many Las Vegas shows use
dozens or sometimes hundreds of seat fillers to make them look sold out.
They are usually locals who get in for free or at a huge discount.
—Larry Jones
Follow One+ and
MPI Staff on Twitter
er
Cindy D’Aoust:
@CindyDAoust
David Basler:
@OnePlusEditor
Jason Hensel:
@pimplomat
Jessie States:
@Jessie_States
Michael Pinchera:
@mpinchera
Jeff Loy:
@JeffLoyMPI
MPI Headquarters:
@MPI
One+ Staff:
@MPIOnePlus
Something to Try
Pushing the Envelope
Spoiler Alert
[Re: “Is Your Culture Infected?”
April ‘13]
I really like this suggestion: When
hearing an idea that sounds problematic, ask what obstacles or
adversity this idea would have to
fight through? I like to present ideas
and get so discouraged when the first
words out of my audience’s mouths
are negative or objecting.
[Re: “Curators in Chief,” April ‘13]
Eli, well said! I really have to thank
Joan for all her contributions to the
industry and to me, personally. I
love how Joan questions the status
quo, pushes the envelope and really
thinks beyond her community. Joan
continues to be the voice of reason!
[Re: “Using Brain Waves,” Oct. ‘12]
Reading other people’s thoughts
sounds quite far-fetched to me. Even
if it were possible, I don’t think I
want any part of it. That skill would
definitely spoil the fun for all of us.
Where will the challenge be if we
can all read minds?
tinyurl.com/FansOfOnePlus
E-mail the editorial team
editor@mpiweb.org.
12
one+
—Anonymous
—Kevin Priger
BLOGS
Like us on Facebook
—Sekeno Aldred
>>
▼ MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE
“Why Mindfulness Matters”
POSTED BY: Bridget DiCello
Our day will run without us and
take us with it, unless we are mindful. In fact, productivity increases
significantly when we are mindful. I
believe that the only thing you have
to do to manage your time well is
to make the right decision every
moment of every day.
▼ FIT TIPS
“Ways to Stay Healthy While On
the Road”
▼ PIRATED
“Beware the Room Block Pirates”
POSTED BY: Gregg Gregory
I just passed along information to
a conference we’re attending in August regarding hotel pirates. I know
housing doesn’t officially open until
May and I received seven calls offering me discounted rooms. It’s so
frustrating!
Great common-sense advice. I always get a fridge for my room for
yogurt and water. I also try to walk
the hall near my sleeping room purposefully for about 10-15 minutes
before going to bed.
POSTED BY: Dana Tilghman
05.13
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Leap of Faith
16
If you’re waiting for the perfect time to start
your own business, you’ll be waiting forever.
BY LIZ KING
17
18
19
14
one+
May One+Buzz.indd 14
In the process of determining the right time to leave my
day job and take my own company full-time, I learned
three invaluable lessons.
Many meeting professionals are balancing full-time
jobs while pursuing dreams in their spare time. Your
full-time job may be completely in line with where you
want to be, but for others, that’s not the case. Balancing
more than one job is often a way to start building your
own business without a large financial investment up
front. But figuring out when to take the all-important
leap to independence is one of the hardest moments
you’ll ever experience.
The Path is Not Straight
Before I opened my business, I envisioned a fairly direct
path. While working a full-time job, I would create my
own business and establish it legally, set up my website
and then start getting clients. I would have one client,
then three, then five. At a certain point, I would have
enough clients to take my own business full time—or
I’d have enough money in savings to support my fulltime efforts in growing my business. Those were the
goals I set when deciding to leave my job. I realized that
building a business is never so straightforward.
Over the course of the two-and-a-half years when I
was building my business, I became involved in all kinds
of projects. I learned the key to setting up a successful
business is partnering with the right people and taking
I set out to be an event
planner, but I also became a
blogger, a speaker and a coach
for other businesses.
chances and putting yourself out there in circumstances
in which you may not have initially felt comfortable. I
set out to be an event planner, but I also became a blogger, a speaker and a coach for other businesses.
I worked on a few events where things didn’t pan
out as I’d hoped. Sometimes, you take the risk to work
for an event that you think will grow bigger each year,
but it just doesn’t happen. Setting a goal for the number
of events I would be working on when I left my job
was not very realistic. I needed to figure out the right
balance between my projects, my client events and my
own initiatives. Especially in a down economy, I didn’t
feel comfortable relying on clients to choose to hire me.
So I started my own initiatives and programs to satisfy
my desire to host my own events. I needed to figure out
how to balance all of this to leave my full-time job.
Real vs. Potential
As I was gearing up to take my business full-time, I
realized the power of potential. While working a fulltime job, I had limited potential for my own business.
05.13
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4/16/13 9:08 AM
A friend in the industry once told me that You Will Never Feel Ready
he loved my work but would never take me I finally made the decision to leave my job
seriously if I didn’t take myself seriously. He in July, but I stayed until December—a final
meant if I couldn’t trust myself to do my six months to get everything in line. I made
business full-time, then he couldn’t trust me an extensive list of everything that I wanted
to do before I left my full-time job so I had
either.
This moment stuck with me because it goals to work toward. I broke down my
was the first time I realized how people could goals by month and then by week. I felt
perceive my split life. From my perspective, really great having a strong plan. It didn’t
the full-time job was just what I had to do as take long before I realized I would never
I built up my business. Over time, I realized get everything on my list done. I considered moving the date
that my clients and others
back again, but I just
in the industry needed to
You need to know
do it. I needed
see me take the next, conwhen you’re headed in couldn’t
to push myself to make
fident step.
My potential was also
the right direction so the jump, even though I
feel ready. I realbeing limited because my
that you can focus all didn’t
ized I would never feel
time and attention were
split and, eventually, I
of your attention and ready. No matter how
you wait, there’s
was working more than
energy on scaling up long
always something that
100 hours a week. How
you wish was more in
could I dedicate time to
to the next level.
line.
business
development
It’s been four months since I left my
or creating new relationships or working
on new ideas, when I didn’t even have time full-time job and so many incredible opto sleep? I needed to consider not only the portunities have come my way, partially
amount of business I was bringing in, but because I can now focus on generating new
opportunities instead of treading to stay
also my potential.
In order to pursue some new and excit- above water. Running a business has been
ing potential, I had to take the risk of jump- one of the most challenging and amazing
ing out into the business before I felt ready. experiences of my life and it has already
There would be some downtime, but I need- taught me many important lessons. Learn
ed that to finally work on so many initia- to trust yourself, set big goals and know
tives that were potentially game changing. that your hard work will pay off.
People talk about “the tipping point”—well,
I learned that you have to be able to identify your tipping point far before it actually LIZ KING took her own business, Liz King
happens. The resources needed to devote to Events, full time in January. For even more
your company before you actually can tip regular updates, follow @lizkingevents on
over are too intense to manage while pursu- Twitter.
ing two careers. You need to know when
you’re headed in the right direction so that Visit www.mpiweb.org/blog for more backyou can focus all of your attention and en- ground on Liz King and how she decided to
ergy on scaling up to the next level.
start her own company.
16
one+
May One+Buzz.indd 16
Staying Healthy
on the Road
University of Colorado Boulder researchers
recently released a study showing that
sleeping only five hours a night and having
unlimited access to food can cause people
to gain almost two pounds of weight a
week. The study suggests that getting
more sleep could help curtail the obesity
epidemic.
The researchers found that staying
awake longer requires more energy;
however, the quantity of food consumed
by the study participants offsets the extra
calories burned.
Meeting professionals are a ripe
workforce for insufficient sleep. Planning
and supplying meetings and events can
tax even the most healthy individual. There
are ways, though, you can keep your body
healthy and your well-being in shape.
“For me, a hotel with a 24-hour gym is
a must,” said Charles Massey, CMP, founder
and CEO of SYNAXIS Meetings & Events.
“On site and when travelling on a ‘regular’
business trip (whatever that is) I try to get
at least 30 minutes worth of cardio plus
some stretches in every morning. Some
mornings, that might require getting up at
4 a.m.”
Massey says hydration is also key to
keeping healthy.
—Jason Hensel
Read more blog posts at MPIWeb.org/blog.
05.13
4/25/13 2:04 PM
How Associations Can
Help Your Career
ART OF
TRAVEL
A co-worker passed along an article the other
day titled “10 ‘Sit Up Straight’ Exercises to
De-slump Your Career.” It included tips such as
“make learning a priority,” “adopt an attitude of
gratitude” and “pay attention when people make
suggestions.”
One suggestion, though, really stood out to
us: “Join an industry association.” The article
says that the “payoff in terms of networking
opportunities, early insights on industry
developments and heads-up on emerging
opportunities will be invaluable.”
Of course we agree with that statement, and
it’s not just individuals who benefit from joining
industry associations.
“Membership in trade associations not only
benefits employees of your company, but it
also projects a positive image of your firm to
your customers,” said Betsy Demitropoulos,
senior editor of American Business Magazine.
“Membership in associations shows a business’
initiative, its engagement in a particular trade
and its commitment to staying abreast of current
developments in the market.”
Staying abreast of current trends is one of the
many valuable benefits of joining (or retaining)
MPI membership. So, help take your career and
business to the next level and join or renew your
MPI membership. And while you’re at it, consider
volunteering with your chapter.
—Jason Hensel
Read more blog posts at MPIWeb.org/blog.
Forkchops
Inflatable Hangers
(ForkChops.com, US$5.00)
ForkChops 3-in-1 Eating Utensils are
three of the most common utensils all mashed into one. There’s a
fork. There’s a knife. There’s even a
pair of chopsticks. The tips of the
chopsticks are textured for better
gripping. ForkChops are made from
food-safe polystyrene and are reusable and dishwasher safe.
(Magellans.com, US$6.85)
The problem with drying clothes on
the road: half the hotels only supply
thin, wire hangers, while the other
half won’t let you take hangers from
their closet rods. So if you like to
wash out your clothes and have
them dry without hanger creases,
consider taking along these smooth,
durable vinyl hangers, which fold
into a tiny corner of your suitcase.
Two hangers per package.
SOSCharger
(SOSReady.com, US$29.99)
Ever been low on cell phone power
during an important call? Ever reach
for your flashlight just to find the
battery dead, especially during a
power outage? The SOSCharger
helps in both cases. It’s compact,
small and reliable—simply wind
the handle to generate the power
needed to make a quick call, send a
text message and light your way.
GSeat Lite
(GelcoProducts.com, US$69.95)
The GSeat Lite was designed specifically with travel and recreation
in mind, one pound lighter than the
original GSeat at the request of customers who were always on the go.
Lightweight and with the benefits of
the original ergonomic design.
mpiweb.org
May One+Buzz.indd 17
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4/22/13 10:17 AM
U.K. Economic Impact Revealed
A first-of-its-kind study finds the United Kingdom’s meeting and
event sector is big business.
In mid-March, at the International Confex
in London, the MPI Foundation released
its profile findings of the U.K. Economic
Impact Study (UKEIS)—the first of its
kind. The Foundation commissioned the
research team from the International Centre for Research in Events, Tourism and
Hospitality (ICRETH) at Leeds Metropolitan University, which has reviewed published reports and other secondary data in
creating the UKEIS.
In addition, ICRETH analyzed more
than 3,460 survey responses from venues, meeting organizations and destination management organizations across the
U.K.—as well as from attendees and exhibitors in the U.K., France, the U.S., Ireland
and Germany. The following are some key
findings.
• More than 1.3 million meetings
took place in the U.K. in 2001 and
attracted 116.1 million attendees,
who accounted for spending almost
US$60.79 billion.
• Meetings took place in 10,127 venues across the U.K., and the venues
occupied 645.83 million square feet
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May One+Buzz.indd 18
•
•
•
•
•
and offered a total seating capacity
of approximately 8.5 million seats.
On average, each venue was used
for 125 days in the year. Large hotels
with meeting facilities held all types
of meetings, conferences, consumer
shows, exhibitions and incentive
events.
On average, meeting organizations
staged 147 events in the year.
64 percent of meetings were classified as small meetings, with fewer
than 100 attendees; nearly 30 percent were for between 100 and 500
attendees; and 6 percent attracted
more than 500 attendees.
The average length of a meeting was
two days. More than 53 percent of
meetings in the U.K. in 2011 lasted a
single day or less.
78.5 percent of people attending
meetings were from within the U.K.
In 2011, the total spending generated by international meetings attendees was $16.4 billion, while spending by national meeting attendees
was $32.37 billion.
• The largest expense for meeting
organizations in the U.K. was on
venue hire (17.4 percent); the most
prominent income was from delegate registration fees (38.1 percent).
• The largest expenditure for attendees was on accommodations (20.6
percent).
• U.K. venues spent most on salaries
and wages (18.6 percent), maintenance and repairs (17.8 percent) and
other administrative expenses such
as professional fees and contracted
services (17 percent).
• Out of the four key business tourism
markets surveyed, U.S. attendees
($5.93 billion) spent more than the
other business tourism markets Ireland ($3.8 billion), Germany ($1.82
billion) and France ($1.37 billion).
These profile findings are just the start
of establishing the full economic picture,
which will be announced at The Meetings
Show UK in July. For more information on
the UKEIS, visit www.mpiweb.org/UKEIS.
05.13
4/22/13 10:17 AM
SPINCon 2013
June 5-7
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Join senior-level industry peers at the
award-winning event designed exclusively by veteran planners, for veteran
planners. SPINCon is a one-of-a-kind
conference where planners outnumber
suppliers two-to-one and attendees will
be sure to walk away with new ideas,
energy, connections and a true sense of
community.
AIBTM
June 11-13
Chicago
AIBTM is a leading global exhibition
for the U.S. meeting and event industry.
This year, meeting and event industry
professionals from around the world
will come together in Chicago for three
days of focused business. Meet with
more than 300 leading suppliers to the
meeting industry.
FICP Education Forum
June 12-14
Park City, Utah
Building off a strong 2012 event, FICP
(Financial and Insurance Conference
Planners) design team members are creating a schedule of events not to be missed.
This unique event provides quality education in an intimate atmosphere ideal for
attendees to learn and network with
others, all while exploring a potential
conference site.
DMAI Annual Convention
July 15-17
Orlando, Florida
DMAI’s Annual Convention is the
leading event developed exclusively for
destination marketing professionals.
Gain insight through approximately
40 education sessions and spend time
with top suppliers and colleagues from
throughout the industry, discovering
new opportunities and making connections to propel you, your destination
and the industry forward.
WEC
July 20-23
Las Vegas
At the 2013 World Education
Congress in Las Vegas, you’ll find
solutions for the challenges you face
and a new vision for yourself and the
meetings you plan. WEC is designed
to inspire, challenge and promote
new thinking. You’ll learn what to
keep, what to leave behind and what
to simply make better. Our goal is to
revitalize you so your meetings will
revitalize others.
GBTA Convention
August 4-7
San Diego
The business of travel has brought the
world within reach, as borders blur
and people converge together. GBTA
Convention 2013 also puts valuable
industry insight and market knowledge within reach for travel managers
around the world. There is no limit to
the connections you’ll make with the
thousands of travel managers as well
as industry suppliers showcasing the
latest technologies, tools and trends.
mpiweb.org
May One+Buzz.indd 19
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TOP
Spots
Statehouse
Convention Center
The Statehouse Convention Center in
Little Rock, Arkansas, recently took
the wraps off of a number of comprehensive renovation projects, ongoing
since 2010. These upgrades include
new carpet, paint and wall treatments, as well as upgrades to the
sound system, lighting and security.
Additional air walls were installed
in the 18,500-sqaure-foot Wally Allen
Ballroom, expanding the meeting capabilities and space flexibility in the
facility. The ballroom can hold more
than 2,000 people in a theater-style
setting.
The convention center offers
250,000 square feet of public meeting
and exhibit space in heart of the downtown meeting and entertainment district. It also offers a 650-space parking
deck, located only one block south.
20
one+
Grand Hyatt
San Francisco
Orlando World Center
Marriott
Grand Hyatt San Francisco welcomed its
40th year by completing a US$70 million renovation. The transformation
boasts technology enhancements to
guest rooms and $14 million of upgrades
to its meeting facilities. A newly minted
meeting space on the 36th floor, which
opened in March, features 360-degree,
panoramic views of the city by the bay.
Phase one of a multimillion-dollar transformation is complete at the Orlando (Florida)
World Center Marriott. Extensive renovation enhancements have been made to the
North Tower’s 504 guest rooms and 10
suites, as well as the 14 Hall of Cities meeting rooms, which offer nearly 14,000 square
feet of meeting space. The hotel also features
230,000 square feet of ballroom space.
05.13
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Four Points by Sheraton Berlin Airport
Slated to open in 2014, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide will
debut its first Four Points by Sheraton hotel in Berlin (Germany).
The hotel will feature 253 guest rooms, two restaurants, a lobby
bar and a fitness center. In addition, it will have meeting and event
space and a fully equipped business center.
Baccarat Hotel, Rabat
Opening in 2014, the Baccarat Hotel, Rabat (Morocco)
will offer 130 guest rooms in
a courtyard setting of mini
villas. This property will be
the first of the Baccarat Hotel
brand in Morocco, with two
more set to open in 2015 and
2016. The Baccarat Hotel,
Rabat will feature meeting
spaces and ballrooms and
will be located adjacent to
the new business district. It
will have the latest in technology for guests, meetings
and business travellers.
Hilton Garden Inn
Gurgaon Banni Square
The Hilton Garden Inn Gurgaon Banni
Square in Gurgaon, India, is this second
Hilton Garden Inn hotel in the country. It is
a 10-minute drive from DLF Cyber City,
the central business hub in Gurgaon. The
hotel features 201 guest rooms, including
six suites and four meeting rooms, which
can accommodate 20 to 150 people each.
There is also an 18,000-square-foot conference and banquet facility.
mpiweb.org
pg20-21 Top Spots 0513.indd 21
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4/17/13 8:41 AM
T
N
A
V
E
L
E
R
R
I
UH OH!
Despicable Me 2 and Jurassic Park action figures
(Amazon.com, US$9.99, $19.99)
PHOTO: JEFF LOY
22
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May Irrelevant.indd 22
0 5.13
4/26/13 8:22 AM
0513_023.indd 23
4/22/13 8:50 AM
>> FUTURE OF MEETINGS
WHEN IT’S VIRTUAL,
IT’S REAL
Can virtual connecƟons help pave the way to the
mind-blowing corridor experiences that will make
face-to-face meeƟngs superior?
THERE IS A COMPANY HERE IN LEEDS
(26 Digital) that created an app
called iHobo for a homeless charity,
Depaul UK, some years back. People
would carry a virtual homeless person on their smartphone for three
days, and this virtual homeless person would require food, money and
shelter at all sorts of inconvenient
moments. The idea was to engage
people in understanding the complexity of the homeless problem but
also to raise funds for the charity. In
a YouTube clip, one of the final signs
held up by one of the app users describes the relationship with iHobo:
“when they’re virtual, it’s real.” This
phrase has stuck in my mind.
In the future of meetings (FOM)
study, many experts identified virtual
connections as very far from a threat
to real-life meetings. In fact, the
24
one+
majority shared the view that online
connections presented quite an opportunity. In the FOM LinkedIn
group, I have considered how good
it would be to meet these connections in real-time after so many lively
online discussions. I must be on
trend. As according to the FOM
study, the desire to make online
connections real will be a future
meetings driver.
Trendr, based in Canada, is one
of the first movers in the virtual-toreal-world connections that can be
made through social networks. The
company jumped on the opportunity
to transform online connections into
real-time meetings—their tagline is
“The simplest way for professionals
to meet face to face.”
Peter Davison, co-founder of
Trendr, says the idea came from the
BY JACKIE MULLIGAN <<
founder, Michael Beddows, who,
when he moved to New York City,
began to see important people that
would have an impact on his professional life were in close proximity to
where he was on an almost daily
basis. He investigated how to leverage LinkedIn and GPS functionality,
and the result was Trendr. The app
means business professionals are able
to connect with each other across
the cities they live in or travel to. For
example, Trendr has the functionality to have two professionals meet at
a cafe using the venue selection engine if they happen to be near each
other. They are not the only company to be seeing opportunities in social media for initiating meetings.
SeatID Travel is an application being
offered to airlines that promises to
“socialize the online ticket purchase
05.13
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4/16/13 2:53 PM
process and allows airline passengers
to choose a flight and a seatmate
based on their social network profiles.” Could your attendees start
their conversations on the way to
your meetings through software
like this?
The Trendr team has already seen
the opportunities within events and
meeting spaces to leverage benefits
for attendees. Davison explains, “We
just got back from CrossmediaTO
2013. We had people using Trendr
to meet with each other and did a
test drive of our Trendr Meeting
Zone services. We worked with the
event team to ensure that there were
calls to action and networking times
available for all.”
For Davison the technology will
speed up our abilities to connect in
real time and will enhance those
connections, particularly through
meetings.
“We can help solve that key pain
point that is being talked about,
written about and showing up on
survey cards—participant experience.
Trendr will have participants walking away from conferences with
valuable and meaningful exchanges.”
As well as highlighting new entrants into the meeting business, the
company demonstrates the opportunities that virtual connections can
provide to conferences to enhance
the benefits and richness of networking. In the future of meetings research, Jesse Schell, author of the Art
of Game Design: A Book of Lenses,
believed that more effective networking can and will be achieved through
technology.
“There are opportunities to have
smartphone systems to connect with
other people at the conference somewhat more efficiently than we do
now. Right now you kind of drift
around, you plan ahead to some
extent, and then you drift around
and you kind of bump into people,
but I know there are some companies that have started to create products that help you find people you’re
looking for at conferences and I
think that sort of thing is going to
start to grow.”
The importance of networking at
conferences face-to-face is a critical
factor and one that Dr. Graeme Codrington, in the white paper series
“From the Outside In,” believed
could not be ignored. Recognizing
the pressure within the sector to do
something that cannot be digitized,
he explains, “The default setting is
for meeting planners to say ‘yes, it’s
the corridor meetings that are the
most important,’ which is nonsense.
If the corridors are the real value,
then put effort into that. If the rest is
necessary in order to have a corridor
experience, at least build something
into the corridor experience. We
need to create the most mind-blowing corridor experience!”
Perhaps these new moves to make
more of our virtual connections can
help pave the way to the mind-blowing corridor experience that will
make face-to-face meetings superior?
It offers a good starting point for us
all to consider from our own business perspectives if we really are
doing enough to help our attendees
use our meetings to make their virtual connections real.
JACKIE MULLIGAN
is a principal lecturer in
events and director of enterprise for the International
Centre for Research in
Events, Tourism and Hospitality at Leeds Metropolitan
University UK, with more
than 20 years of experience
managing events, tourism
and communications. Follow
her on Twitter @jackiemulls
or email her at j.mulligan@
leedsmet.ac.uk.
mpiweb.org
May_Column-Mulligan.indd 25
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4/16/13 2:53 PM
>> MARKETING
BY Y VO N N E N A SSA R < <
CONNECTING
WITH HOSTED
BUYERS
Suppliers can’t view hosted buyer programs
as one-size-fits-all proposiƟons.
HOSTED BUYERS KNOW WHAT THEY
WANT; they’re looking for inspiration,
partners and possibly help to make
their events successful. Why do some
of us forget the basics of marketing
and mass communicate with hosted
buyers as if they are all the same?
Maybe we get greedy when we see the
hosted buyers list, or maybe we’re just
a little too lazy to qualify and focus on
relevant buyers.
If you have met Mr. Holland,
created by the Netherlands Board
of Tourism and Conventions, you
know there are suppliers who get it
right. Mr. Holland makes, on behalf
26
one+
of the Dutch suppliers, initial contact
with hosted buyers with event needs
that fit the Dutch offering. The type of
communication depends on the hosted
buyer’s profile, but it all starts with a
handshake. Before, during and after the
event, social media and direct contact is
used to keep the dialogue alive. Event
tips and tricks are shared, as well as the
Dutch hidden gems.
Mr. Holland is not alone in a strong,
focused hosted buyer approach. It’s
good to know there are great examples
of successful marketing campaigns to
connect and engage with hosted buyers.
This is what we can learn from them:
• Qualify the hosted buyers list. Who
are they? What type of events do they
plan? What might they be looking
for? And if you know them already a
bit: What makes them tick?
• Focus efforts on buyers for whom
you can make a difference with your
company. It’s better to personalize
your actions and reach out to a few
buyers than to contact all, clueless
about what’s important to them.
• Personalize your campaign to
individual needs. The more you can
connect on a personal level, the more
it’s about people being truly interested
in each other.
• Give buyers a good reason to connect.
Step in their shoes for a moment.
What can you offer to make their
event the best ever? Also think about
what challenges you could solve for
them. Or, what are the buyers looking
for at the event?
• Stand out in the crowd. Make it fun
and easy to connect with you. Be
transparent in your contact moments
and grasp the attention right from
the subject line, tweet, envelope or
telephone call.
• Engage! Before, during and after
the event. Engage with buyers that
showed interest in your company.
Social media is a great way to do that.
Make buyers feel welcome before and
during the event.
Remember to follow through after
the event. This is what reaching out to
hosted buyers is all about in the end: the
steps you take after your first physical or
digital contact moments.
YVONNE NASSAR is head of
marketing and innovation at
Amsterdam RAI, the international convention centre in The
Netherlands. Based in the U.K.
and Paris for several years, she
was responsible for marketing
and PR in Europe for Dolce
Hotels & Resorts. Email Yvonne
at y.nassar@rai.nl and follow
her on Twitter @yvonnenassar.
05.13
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0513_027.indd 27
4/24/13 9:02 AM
>> SXSW
WALKING A
FINE LINE
How an event’s popularity can
challenge its very soul.
BY DOUGLAS R U SHKOFF <<
IT’S HARD NOT TO LOVE SOUTHBYSOUTHWEST (SXSW), the massive
late-winter convergence on Austin,
Texas, for music, film and, of course,
interactive professionals and aficionados. What started as a small, off-thebeaten track music festival in 1987 has
grown into one of the most successful,
well-attended and cross-promoted
conferences in the world. And that’s a
problem.
The sheer volume of people, companies, marketers and more hoping to
leverage SXSW into greater revenues,
exposure, partnerships and status
poses a challenge for a conference
28
one+
whose allure has always been its offbeat, countercultural and particularly
Austin, Texas, charm. The struggle to
remain true to its soul holds lessons
for anyone in the events industry or,
frankly, anyone who succeeds beyond
his or her own expectations.
The trouble started innocuously,
as it always does. I was there in 1994
when the music conference added a
little satellite event called “Film and
Multimedia.” We multimedia types
were the extreme minority back
then and lived in the shadow of real
media, like movies. But in some ways,
Austin’s countercultural vibe was the
perfect meeting place for hackers and
interactive artists and other members of
the fledgling cyberpunk community.
Then the dotcom boom happened,
and, just as the net overtook movies,
the multimedia part of the Film and
Multimedia conference overtook its bigger sister. Not a problem. SXSW simply
spun it off and became three separate
conferences under one roof: Music,
Film and Interactive.
SXSW’s Interactive conference was
like no other—Its origins in the location
of the movie Slacker. This wasn’t some
Silicon Valley venture capital swap
meet, and neither was it a Bay Area or
05.13
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4/16/13 2:59 PM
The struggle to remain true to its soul
holds lessons for anyone in the events
industry or, frankly, anyone who succeeds
beyond his or her own expectaƟons.
Seattle meeting of techies. It was the
place to build the culture of interactivity, nested in the original values of
cyberspace: working in our underwear,
at any time of the day and with the
ability to bring our wildest dreams to
the screens of the masses.
But like a computer virus run
amok, Interactive kept growing and
growing. Interactive technology had
become central to business, marketing and society itself—and SXSW
Interactive grew right along with it,
the only real anchor that many of us
in the expanding “industry” had to
what mattered. This became relatively
public knowledge.
So through the decade that followed, anyone and anything that
wanted to be associated with the
Internet came to SXSW. This year, I
even saw Cap’n Crunch walking the
street, peddling the cereal brand. The
world’s biggest corporations, from
technology firms like Samsung to
consumer brands like Pepsi, ran their
own pavilions and demos, either highlighting relevant technology products
or, in most cases, simply making their
brands relevant to technologists.
The downside, of course, is with all
this peripheral energy and corporate
hoo-ha, SXSW started to lose its soul.
Media companies and advertising
agencies came to do live broadcasting from the event, both to spotlight
emerging ideas and trends as well as
simply to associate themselves with
all this interactive energy. High-tech
businesses even began to time their innovations to the conference. This was
the place to introduce new software,
websites and apps. Or to come up
with an excuse to make an announcement, hold a press conference and
throw one of the hundreds of cocktail
parties competing for attendees.
Not that this was ever a problem.
For what plagues SXSW more than
anything these days is the size of the
crowds. Every panel and party seems
overcrowded, and even Austin’s
famous saloon-lined 6th Street gets
denser than New Orleans on Mardi
Gras. Worst of all, the heart and soul
of SXSW as an explosion of creative
arts became diluted by the evergrowing emphasis on big business
and promotion.
However, its organizers are on the
case. To begin with, they have worked
hard to keep the central focus on
members of its culture. Yes, there is
an exhibit floor and plenty of panels
on business, but the keynotes are from
innovators and thinkers, not corporate
shills. Moreover, the Interactive conference began a “Hall of Fame” through
which it inducts prized technologists,
academics and others whose particular
connection to interactivity exemplifies
the virtue at the core of net culture.
Finally, and most daringly, SXSW
has come to recognize and embrace
the massive unintended commercial
consequences of its interactive conference. Instead of trying to repress it
or distract us from it, organizers are
setting it free as a spinoff conference
for “innovators and entrepreneurs,”
called V2V. They’re not even doing
it in Austin, but in Las Vegas, which
seems better suited both physically and
temperamentally for the onslaught.
It’s a gambit, for sure, but it could
just relieve SXSW of the pressure to be
a servant of two masters and acknowledge the growing constituencies of
attendees who shouldn’t be punished
just for having a different agenda than
conference organizers.
By truly understanding and protecting the core values of your conference
and its community, you can come to
recognize and even serve those who
are there for something completely
different.
DOUGLAS RUSHKOFF
is the author, most recently,
of Present Shock: When
Everything Happens Now
and a regular, special contributor on CNN’s Opinion
page. He can be contacted
at www.rushkoff.com.
mpiweb.org
May_Column_Rushkoff.indd 29
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4/16/13 2:59 PM
>> CSR
THE SIX C’s OF
SUSTAINABLE SUCCESS
How to lay the groundwork for framing event-based CSR programs.
BY E L I Z A B E T H H E N D E R S O N < <
EVENT PROFESSIONALS ARE CONDITIONED to organize corporate social
responsibility using the familiar “triple
bottom line” or possibly the nine
APEX categories and their impact on
energy, waste and water. There are
other ways of describing the complexity that is CSR.
Let’s explore the six “Cs” based
on the ISO 26000 Guidance, which
take into account the expectations of
stakeholders and applicable laws.
Communication provides both
information and transparency. It will
differ based on whether the audience
is internal or external; on the medium
chosen, such as social media or print;
and on the objectives of the event,
such as to reduce waste or change the
behavior of attendees.
There is also the possibility stakeholders will view communications
as the primary objective—a situation called greenwashing. According
to MIT Sloan Management Review
Spring 2013 edition, this might result
in a “boomerang response,” where
organizations achieve exactly the opposite of what they had hoped.
Collaboration is essential to successful CSR through community
events. Event professionals need to
reach out and genuinely listen to the
people in the community and their
needs. The result can be what Bowen,
Newenham-Kahindi and Herremans,
30
one+
in their paper, describe as the difference between transactional CSR and
the more stakeholder-focused transitional or transformational CSR.
This raises the specter of another
“C:” compliance. For example, a corporation that sponsors a local charity,
which is the favorite of a local official,
may create the appearance of bribery
for the intent of creating a business
advantage. Event professionals should,
therefore, collaborate internally to
ensure that they are not contravening
any law before planning CSR events in
overseas locations.
The context will determine how
your CSR policy, goals and objectives interact specifically with the
local community. No CSR program
expressed through events happens in
a vacuum. The local context provides
specific stakeholders and locationdependent issues (e.g., the availability
of composting, regional water shortages or human rights issues).
Organizational commitment to
CSR is critical. The “tone from the
top,” or the messaging from the
organization’s top leadership, is an
important component of management systems such as ISO 20121
and reporting structures. If you have
made a commitment to reporting and
to frameworks including the United
Nations Global Compact, make sure
your decision process reflects those
commitments.
The comment “culture eats process
for lunch” was so widely repeated in
my recent MBA program I began to
watch more closely and concluded
that this is true. If the culture of your
organization, as influenced by the
leadership (both messaging and actions), does not support CSR and
the supporting processes, then you
will inevitably be perceived to be
greenwashing.
These create a type of decision
tree for event professionals. Decisions
depend on the type of organization for
which you are creating the event; existing laws and policies; stakeholders;
location; the culture, goals and objectives of your organization; and, finally,
the event’s location-specific context.
These don’t replace the concept of the
triple bottom line or take away the
importance of standards.
ELIZABETH HENDERSON, CMP,
CMM, ME Des., is the chief
sustainability strategist for
Meeting Change and the coauthor of Ethics and CSR in the
Meetings and Events Industry.
www.meetingchange.com
05.13
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0513_031.indd 31
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stays activated in the evenings, ensures
a great overall experience for planners
and attendees alike.
Indy After 5
Although best recognized as a sports capital and for the iconic Indianapolis Motor
Speedway, Indy offers so much more,
from world-class cultural institutions and
performing arts to six eclectic cultural
districts, and from Robert Indiana’s original LOVE sculpture to the world’s largest children’s museum. More than 200
diverse restaurants—many of the farmto-fork variety—80 bars and clubs and
50 major attractions are within walking
distance of downtown hotels, including
White River State Park, with a glimmering canal walk, one-of-a-kind museums
and a top-10 zoo. The park is home to
250 acres of urban green space, Segway
tours and gondola rides, the NCAA Hall
of Champions, the Eiteljorg Museum of
American Indians and Western Art, the
Indiana State Museum, the Indianapolis Zoo, Victory Field and the 6,000-seat
Farm Bureau Lawn concert venue.
Another prominent outdoor space
is Monument Circle, which serves as
the iconic heart of downtown and was
named one of the “10 Great Public
Spaces” by the American Planning Association. The 284-foot Soldiers & Sailors
Monument provides spectacular eagleeye views of the city. The Cabaret at the
Columbia Club is a swanky nightspot set
in an historic 1889 building, and Hilbert
Circle Theatre is home to the renowned
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and
special event space. Cafes, a news ticker,
horse-drawn carriages and a popular
underground cigar bar are other staples.
The new, internationally acclaimed,
$63 million, eight-mile Indianapolis Cultural Trail connects bicyclists and pedestrians to six distinct cultural districts,
each offering an eclectic mix of boutique shopping, dining, entertainment,
art galleries and live music.
The city physically removed a lane
of traffic along main thoroughfares to
make way for the trail that connects
visitors in a green way to restaurants,
attractions, hotels and meeting venues.
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It has garnered international attention
as a model for urban revitalization,
and city planners from Portland to Paris
have traveled to Indy to see the project.
Guided tours and bicycle rentals are conveniently available throughout the city.
Indianapolis offers diverse dining
options for all palates and price points.
With its rich soil and surrounding agriculture, Indy has been supporting farmto-table restaurants for decades, with
local farmers providing the freshest in
produce and protein to menus. International fare, world-famous steakhouses
and sports bars with plenty of televisions for viewing the big game are also
just around the corner.
When the workday is over and the
clock reads 5 p.m., Indianapolis comes
alive with hundreds of places for good
times, good drinks and good conversation. From happy hour hotspots to late
night live music venues, attendees will
find themselves in an activated downtown with endless entertainment and
networking options conveniently close by.
Bigger Than You Think
Indy is designed to host major conventions, meetings and events of all sizes.
Whether a venue that can hold a village, a hotel that can host meetings or
a unique space to create a distinctive
event is needed, Indianapolis has it all.
More than 4,700 hotel rooms connected to the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium (that’s more
than any other city in the country) and
7,100 rooms downtown creates the
most connected and convenient meetings package available. Included in
that connected hotel inventory is the
world’s largest JW Marriott with 1,005
rooms and 104,000 square feet of
meeting space. Skywalks also connect
visitors directly to the four-story Circle
Centre Mall and numerous restaurants
in the heart of the city.
A $275 million expansion of the convention center in 2011 nearly doubled
it in size to offer 566,600 square feet
of contiguous exhibit space in 11 halls,
71 meeting rooms, 49 loading docks
and three ballrooms (including the
33,335-square-foot, column-free Sagamore with sophisticated acoustics and
seating for 3,400), making it a powerhouse destination for the largest events
in the country. Connected to the center is
Lucas Oil Stadium, offering an additional
183,000 square feet of exhibit space, 12
meeting rooms, a retractable roof and
seating for 63,000. Three transformed
blocks of Georgia Street adjacent to the
convention center provide a unique outdoor event plaza and
a pedestrian-friendly
connector between the
center and Bankers Life
Fieldhouse, home of
68,000 square feet of
event space.
Indy is convenient
to get to as well. The
LEED-certified,
J.D.
Power top-ranked Indianapolis International
Airport is an easy 15
minutes away, and
Airports Council International just named
it Best Airport in North America. For
those arriving by car, the city is within a
day’s drive of over half of the country’s
population.
art by renowned artists, including graffiti art in the parking garage by leading
British artist Nick Walker and a mixology
lounge designed by MacArthur ‘genius’
award-winning artist Jorge Pardo.
Listed in the National Register of
Historic Places and recognized as the
nation’s first Union Station, the Crowne
Plaza will undergo an $8 million renovation in 2013. To expand upon an
already nostalgic lodging experience,
guest rooms, meeting space and restaurants will receive upgrades that preserve the architectural charm.
The luxurious Conrad Indianapolis
will conduct its first internal facelift,
installing $1 million in new furnishings and décor. This will complement
the hotel’s new Long-Sharp Gallery, an
inspirational meeting space showcasing works from Picasso, Andy Warhol,
Roy Lichtenstein, Salvador Dali and
more. And Indy’s longest-standing four
diamond hotel, the Omni Severin, will
complete a $15 million renovation of
rooms, meeting venues and restaurants in time to celebrate its 100th
anniversary.
Still Growing
The city’s newest hotel is a boutique
Dolce property, The Alexander. This
state-of-the-art
conference
center
opened in January with an emphasis
on art and design. The Indianapolis
To learn more about Indy’s innovaMuseum of Art curated the $44 million
property’s 60 works of contemporary tive growth, visit www.VisitIndy.com.
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The ‘BIG’ Day
The Girl Scouts are about much more than selling cookies,
as they proved with year-round events in St. Louis
celebrating the organization’s 100th year.
BY ROWLAND STITELER
BECAUSE THE 100TH BIRTHDAY OF THE GIRL
SCOUTS OF THE USA was, by its very nature,
a once-in-a-lifetime event for those planning
its celebratory activities, it was filled with
huge upside potential and, of course, some
pretty daunting downside scenarios.
“I guess anyone responsible for something
this big is going to have worries,” said Mary
Ann Owens, director of member services for
Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri (GSEM), the
St. Louis-based council with 58,000 members, supported by 19,000 adults. “My big
fears were that we would give this big party
and nobody would come, or that we would
have terrible weather and it would get rained
out or something. As it turned out, neither
fear was realized, and our celebration was a
success beyond our wildest dreams.”
More than 35,000 girls and their parents
attended the Girl Scouts’ biggest celebration
in the city during 2012, the BIG (Believing
in Girls) Day on Sept. 22, which featured
a parade, a 100-plus-exhibit festival and a
concert by teen idol singers and other per34
one+
formers. Another GSEM event in the city in
spring of 2012, April Showers, set a Guinness World Record for most items contributed to a charity drive—1.4 million. April
Showers is an annual event in which the
girls collect new toiletry items door-to-door
that are donated to the needy. And a dance
party and birthday bash GSEM held midyear at St. Louis University attracted more
than 10,000 girls and their parents. All these
events were part of the big, macro celebration of Girl Scouts entering their second
century.
Owens says that success was due in no
small part to the fact that the GSEM turned
the planning and execution of this birthday bash into a two-year-long process with
very specific goals, and that GSEM brought
in professional help from Switch: Liberate
Your Brand, a St. Louis experiential marketing and event agency, working with a team
of professionals headed by Rosie Ford, account manager, and Lynn Jacobs, executive
producer at Switch and a member of the
MPI St. Louis Area Chapter.
“We could have never accomplished
it without the guidance and help from
Switch,” Owens said. “Their fabulous staff
opened many doors for us and always went
the extra mile to make everything perfect
and make our dream come true.”
Both Jacobs and Owens say the key to the
ultimate success of what would be an entire
year of St. Louis events conducted by the
Girl Scouts was the most basic element of
any truly successful event: well-defined goals
and a strategic plan for how to accomplish
those goals.
In this case, the goals all centered around
raising community awareness of the Girl
Scouts, reconnecting with Girl Scout alumnae and getting them involved in the organization again—and in doing the first
two steps, growing Girl Scout membership and adult sponsorship and volunteer
participation.
Jacobs says Switch provided a wide range
of services to GSEM, ranging from big-
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picture strategic planning and marketing
to re-branding a Girl Scout display tent the
girls use when going to other entities’ public events around the community. Switch,
a full-service event company located in a
100,000-square-foot headquarters in St.
Louis, used their in-house capabilities to
drive pre-event publicity for the Girl Scouts
through custom websites and social media
and provided complete event production
through their in-house technical services and
large-format print facility.
Another key partnership the GSEM
forged early in the two-year planning and
execution process for the anniversary celebration was with an even bigger entity with
huge reach—the community of St. Louis
itself.
“When you are going to pull off something this big, you first need the complete cooperation of the city, from the mayor down
to the parks department to the events department and more,” Owens said. “The city was
very open and welcoming to us and helped
Success was due in
no small part to the
fact that the GSEM
turned the planning
and execution of this
birthday bash into a
two-year-long process with very specific goals, and that
GSEM brought in
professional help.
us at every turn. They could have made my
life miserable; instead they made me very,
very happy.”
Rosie Ford, the Switch account executive
who was the GSEM’s primary and essentially constant contact for the whole two-year
period—and is also a veteran St. Louis-area
event planner—says what makes the city a
great place for events is a strong community
spirit focused on public events.
“This is part and parcel of what the community loves to do,” she said. “The community really likes to have lots of events that the
public can enjoy and attend for free; not just
to entertain themselves and have fun, but to
bond with each other.”
Owens says one of the community organizations Switch steered GSEM to early in
the planning processes is a uniquely St. Louis
group called the Mysterious Order of the
Veiled Prophet, founded in 1878 to enrich
the life experience of the citizens of St. Louis.
The Veiled Prophet is famous for its philanthropic work—and its spectacular July 4
parade, both of which date back to the 19th
century.
“Getting the Veiled Prophet on board
was key,” Owens said. “The opening event
for our BIG Day celebration in downtown
St. Louis was the parade. And thanks to
the help of the Veiled Profit, we are not just
talking about a few groups of marching Girl
Scouts and a band or two—we are talking
elaborate floats, dozens of units in what was
truly a spectacular parade.”
While the BIG Day was the culmination of the yearlong event in September, the
2012 celebration kicked off in February with
Dessert First, a new event created with the
help of Switch featuring high-profile chefs
presenting desserts created from Girl Scout
Cookies, in a culinary contest with local celebrity judges. The event also included a dinner gala and fundraiser, along with awards
to community supporters of the Girl Scouts
and the presentation of $5,000 educational scholarships to two St. Louis area Girl
Scouts.
“It was a wonderful event for us to kick
the year off, and what was really nice about
it is that it had a lot of elements to really help
get the community involved,” Owens said.
“It was a new event for us, but we will be
having it annually going forward.”
The February Dessert First gala was
followed in March with a Girl Scout birthday and dance party on March 31 at
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Chaifetz Arena at St. Louis University, in
which 10,000 girls not only got to have
all the birthday cake they liked but started
learning a dance they would later use in a
“flash mob” at the BIG Day celebration in
September. Switch helped by creating a micro website where the girls could go to see
the dance performed and practice it in the
months leading up to the BIG Day, Owens
said.
By the time the BIG Day was drawing
close, earmarks of success for the event
were starting to appear. More than 140 exhibitors, most of them offering interactive
experiences with appeal to kids and their
families, signed up. Ameren, the electric
utility that serves the St. Louis area, set
up a science exhibit that covered an entire
city block; other offerings ranged from an
antique car show to an endangered wolf
learning exhibit to a face-painting booth.
“The Soldier’s Memorial area downtown has a bunch of open areas and parks
that you can reserve for events,” Ford said.
“We ended up booking all of them for the
BIG Day events.”
For some, the highlight of the event was
the “flash mob” dance mid-afternoon, in
which thousands of girls performed the
dance they had been practicing for six
months. For others, it was the teen idol
singers, such as local star Nick Calandro,
Katherine Hughes of Disney’s “Next Big
Thing” and Ryan Beatty, a touring artist
who performs on Radio Disney.
But for the planners of this mega-event,
the highlight was the results.
“This is the biggest event the Girl Scouts
of Eastern Missouri has ever had, and probably the biggest event we ever will have,”
Owens said. “We definitely achieved our
goals. More girls are joining. And people
who used to just think that Girls Scouts
was only about selling cookies are learning
about the scope of what the girls really do.
It’s a huge payoff for us and well worth every bit of effort that went into it.”
ROWLAND STITELER is a frequent One+
contributor based in Florida.
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Let’s Dance
Penn State’s THON, a 46-hour dance marathon, has been
raising money for pediatric cancer research since 1973.
BY KRISTY ALPERT
BY R O B COTT E R
AS HE MADE HIS WAY THROUGH THE
STREET, lined with zealous onlookers and
cheering fans, that led to the main dance
floor inside the Bryce Jordan Center, it
wasn’t only the encouraging yells from the
student body that led Penn State University
senior Dan Bitner to press forward—it was
his sense of devotion to the cause.
In 2012, Bitner was one of the 700 student dancers among the 15,000 student
volunteers who helped raise more than
US$10.6 million for charity through the
46-hour, no-sitting, no-sleeping Penn State
InterFraternity Council (IFC)/Panhellenic
Dance Marathon, dubbed THON.
The culmination of an entire year’s hard
38
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work from nearly every student organization, fraternity and sorority at Penn State,
THON is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world. It started in 1973
when former IFC President Bill Lear proposed a dance marathon to raise money for
a worthwhile cause and add excitement to
a dreary February in central Pennsylvania.
Over the years, thousands of students
have volunteered their time and resources
to take part in this event, which strives to
fight pediatric cancer. All funds raised from
THON go directly to the Four Diamonds
Fund and its pediatric cancer patients,
families and researchers at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital. Charles and Irma
Millard established the fund in 1972 after
the death of their 14-year-old son, Christopher, to pediatric cancer.
The event is named after a story Christopher wrote shortly before losing his
battle with cancer, in which a brave knight
seeks to find the four diamonds of courage,
wisdom, honesty and strength so he can be
released from the captive powers of an evil
sorceress. The cause steadfastly upholds
Christopher’s four diamonds that remain
so vital to children hoping to overcome
cancer.
Fueled by Passion, Run by Students
Whether it’s mailing THONvelopes to
05.13
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4/22/13 9:09 AM
The culmination
of an entire year’s
hard work from
nearly every student
organization, fraternity and sorority at
Penn State, THON is
the largest studentrun philanthropy
in the world.
solicit donations, dancing in the event or
serving on the sidelines, THON has raised
more than $89 million for the Four Diamonds Fund since its inception, and has
provided an outlet for numerous college
students to pour their hearts and energy
into a greater cause.
“It was an absolute rush,” recalled Bitner, currently a pilot in the United States
Air Force and a Penn State University
graduate in energy, business and finance.
“I was blown away by the number of
people already in the stands to be there for
the start and to be standing by for moral
support for all the dancers. It was a surreal
feeling in that I knew I was representing
my organization (the Emergency Medical
Services Association). But really, when I
started walking through the human tunnel,
I realized I was representing so much more.
Everyone was looking to the dancers to be
that tangible part of the hope we bring to
the families who are struggling.”
Fueled by an intense passion “For the
Kids” (a THON motto), the student body
across the commonwealth of Pennsylvania has been the heart and soul behind the
true success of THON over the years. Although the event culminates in a 46-hour,
no-sitting, no-sleeping dance marathon of
gigantic proportions (drawing a crowd of
more than 16,000 annually), THON is
actually a yearlong fundraising and awareness campaign that fights against pediatric
cancer. To pull it off each year, the event
staff relies upon thousands of students to
keep the multiple facets of this mammoth
event running smoothly.
“Because of THON’s size, planning and
execution would not be possible without
teamwork,” said Cat Powers, executive
public relations chairperson for the Penn
State Dance Marathon (THON). “One individual could not execute the many facets
of THON, and volunteers must collabo-
rate to brainstorm new fundraising and
outreach techniques. The different committees rely on effective communication
and cooperation, and, with so many volunteers, THON stays connected through
its many liaisons and its consistency.
“Since THON volunteers are students
first, it provides valuable experience about
time management, and committees are encouraged to plan weeks in advance to work
most efficiently. While THON is a studentrun philanthropy, it strives to maintain a
level of professionalism and, therefore,
prepares students to be competitive in the
working world.”
Along with the ever-constant ebb and
flow of the student population at Penn
State, THON sees a unique set of volunteers that transition every year. With each
new set of volunteers, the need for leadership and communication is vital to success, so every year the Overall Committee—comprised of 15 chairpersons—that
will plan the next year’s event is selected
immediately after THON Weekend ends
in February. They then choose captains for
each of their respective committees by early September of the following school year,
sometimes even as early as spring so they
can start planning for THON weekend
over the summer break.
Rallying Support
Although college students generally lack
the funds necessary to provide for a charity’s financial needs, this generation’s passion and desire to impact change in the
world make them the perfect source for
volunteers in such a large organization.
In fact, according to a study by the
Corporation for National and Community Service, over the course of three years,
the number of U.S. college students who
volunteered grew from 2.7 million to 3.3
million.
Realizing their students’ passion for
philanthropy, the leadership of THON created more opportunities to get involved. In
addition to joining a THON committee,
students can get involved through their respective organizations (fraternities, sorori-
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4/19/13 8:58 AM
ties, sports teams, clubs, branch campuses
and other fundraising groups) to provide
support for the THON events and fundraising initiatives held throughout the year.
From bake sales to date auctions, students
all over campus have bought into THON
and embraced it as part of their campus
identity.
Powers suggests that participation in
THON Weekend remains so high due to
the continual motivation building all year.
By holding various events, such as the
THON 5K, 100 Days ‘Til THON and
Family Carnival, the leadership is able to
keep volunteers interested and inspired.
Each facet of the fundraiser captures a
part of the THON Weekend atmosphere
and is a constant reminder of the goal the
students are working toward…eradicating
pediatric cancer.
“Arguably the biggest benefit of THON
being completely student-run is the relationships that the students build with
the Four Diamonds families through the
Adopt-A-Family program,” Powers said.
“Penn State organizations, from athletic
teams to sororities and fraternities to major-specific clubs, fill out forms to be paired
May-Destination-Penn-Thon.indd 40
“While THON is a
student-run philanthropy, it strives to
maintain a level of
professionalism and,
therefore, prepares
students to be competitive in the working world.”
with a family based on the child’s interests. These are relationships that last for
years. Since students don’t have fulltime jobs, they have the opportunity to
put in time not just for fundraising, but
for building these close-knit relationships that really make THON unique
from other philanthropies.”
While the success of the event is
without a doubt the enormous amount of
funds raised, the other major gift THON
gives to children and their families is the
ability to forget about cancer for a weekend. It’s one weekend during which the
kids can see how much they are cared for
by such a large group of people, allowing
them the freedom to play carefree. Many
of the Four Diamonds children regard
THON Weekend as better than Christmas,
as it gives them the chance to run around
blowing bubbles, squirting water guns and
dancing for hours alongside their college
role models.
“When asked why we dance, the answer is simple: it’s ‘For the Kids,’” Bitner
said. “I wanted to be part of something
larger than myself. Getting to spend a
large part of the weekend hearing stories
from the THON families and with the kids
themselves makes it all worth it. Exhaustion of course sets in, but there was never
a question about the importance of what
I was doing, and more importantly what
dancing represented.”
KRISTY ALPERT is a freelance contributor
based in Mississippi.
4/16/13 10:23 AM
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The Light Brigade
Calgary’s GlobalFest centers around partnership,
youth engagement and experimentation, beneath
a canopy of spectacular lights.
TRACEY BROSH
BY R O B COTT E R
AT THE NORTHERN FOOTHILLS OF THE
ROCKIES, the Canadian city of Calgary
is perfectly positioned for one of nature’s most dazzling performances.
During the spring and fall months,
when enough particles are fully charged
and colliding in the firmament, the city
often becomes bathed in the glorious
green glow of aurora borealis, the
northern lights.
Perhaps the sorcery of this empyrean spectacular was the secret force
behind the chance meeting of two Calgary organizations, whose respective
particles collided to charge up an event
that’s not doing badly in competing
with nature’s phenomenon. GlobalFest, a festival celebrating Calgary’s
cultural diversity and artistic excel-
42
one+
lence, was spawned from an unscheduled encounter between the Calgary
Fireworks Festival Society (CFFS) and
the International Avenue Arts and Culture Center (IAACC) and is rapidly becoming a calendar highlight taking
place under a canopy of extravagant
fireworks displays.
“Both organizations were interested
in beginning a multicultural festival
based in East Calgary, and the two
groups made presentations to the International Avenue Business Revitalization Zone on the same day,” explained
Bryan Francisco, forum director for
GlobalFest. “Discussions began, and
they soon realized the amazing impact
their events would have if they partnered together to give Calgary a truly
world class celebration of cultural
diversity.”
With a shotgun marriage of
IAACC’s cultural pavilions to CFFS’s
fireworks displays getting the GlobalFest celebration under way in 2003, little could the newlyweds have reckoned
on such an instant impact—a remarkable 100,000 visitors to its first outing.
“Our organization and the city
were overwhelmed by the volumes of
people we were able to attract,” said
Lindsay Dann, GlobalFest founder and
executive producer. “After the success
of the inaugural year, there were a lot
of lessons to be learned. We really had
to work with the city over the years to
garner support and refine the logistics
of a major event in an urban center.”
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“We want visitors
to Calgary to know
that we aren’t just
a cowboy-and-oil
province, but that
we’re also a hub
of culture and art
as well as a tourist
destination.”
These demands of instant success
were triggers for GlobalFest organizers
to be resourcefully innovative in building a platform from which the event
could really push on. In order to bolster their team in planning for an event,
centered on energy and creativity, they
turned to the most plentiful source—
young people, specifically students, attracted by establishing their Youth
Leaders of Tomorrow (YLOT)
program.
“Students that qualify for the
YLOT program must be enrolled in or
have recently graduated from a postsecondary institution with a relevant
degree or major,” Francisco said. With
a nod to its career springboard potential he added, “Our current director of
corporate partnerships last served as a
YLOT a few years ago, and a previous
YLOT now works for the Provincial
Government.”
Engaging students via the YLOT
program proved to not only be a boon
to the organizing team and foot-up the
career ladder for young event organizers, but also a rich vein of ideas to
brighten GlobalFest’s cultural agenda,
generating what has developed into
one of its central pillars and a CSR beacon, the Human Rights Forum (HRF).
“The HRF was created by a YLOT
student intern in 2007 with the intent
of sharing information about issues as
part of a larger international coalition
being promoted through UNESCO’s
Coalition of Municipalities against
Racism and Discrimination,” Dann
said. “It has been recognized as an excellent platform for sharing experiences, knowledge and practical solutions
necessary to address issues of racism
and discrimination in a positive and
safe environment.
“It can kind of be seen as the more
serious part of our mandate, where we
invite local, national and international
experts—such as former lieutenant
generals, child soldiers and other champions of human rights—to converse on
a variety of topics related to multiculturalism and human rights.”
Investing early in youth engagement
paid out a second dividend with the
creation of the Youth Forum, a spinoff
created in 2010 to take its core ideas
out to thousands of schoolchildren in
Calgary in advance of the event and
encourage them to express themselves
artistically, culminating in their own
dedicated arts stage during GlobalFest
and leaving another huge CSR
footprint.
“It’s since been very successful with
an annual tour featuring UNITY (Urban Non-violent Initiatives Through
Youth) Charity from Toronto visiting
Calgary schools and an after-school
program in various schools and locations in Calgary running 10-20 weeks
in both 2012 and 2013,” Dann said.
All of these major initiatives helped
ensure the success of GlobalFest’s 10th
anniversary outing in its Elliston Park
venue in mid-August, which was aided
by a number of operational strides tak-
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JEFF CRUZ
44
one+
latest stage of an ongoing experimentation with the event that organizers
have not shied away from over its short
life, in particular, testing the right blend
of facilities and activities to garner
success.
“We’ve experimented with the
numbers of the ethnic food booths, the
cultural pavilions, the format of a night
market, the performance stages and
also with a Kiddies’ Koral and an Aboriginal Tipi Village,” Francisco said.
“GlobalFest 2013 will see a similar
number of facilities, but slightly
smaller.”
Slightly smaller in numbers for this
year, perhaps, but with ever-increasing
ambition and expectations. With the
event’s place on the Canadian events
calendar already assured, the organizers are pushing for more international
recognition and constantly working to
get the news out to the widest possible
audience.
The participating
countries have their
appointed evening
in which to flaunt
their national choreographic skill by
illuminating the
night sky to the
accompaniment of
a musical program
rooted in their
native tunes.
“With our established reputation in
the city, we would definitely say we are
a success,” Dann said. “We want visitors to Calgary to know that we aren’t
just a cowboy-and-oil province, but
that we’re also a hub of culture and art
as well as a tourist destination. We
have two staff members dedicated to
overlooking tourism and corporate
partnership, who travel to trade shows
in Canada and abroad in order to gather ideas and spread information about
Calgary and GlobalFest.”
As the organizing team takes the
GlobalFest message out to the world,
the world brings its own message to
GlobalFest through the fireworks displays that bring down the curtain. The
participating countries have their appointed evening in which to flaunt their
national choreographic skill by illuminating the night sky to the accompaniment of a musical program rooted in
their native tunes.
As their fireworks rise higher and
explode in a riot of color, so too do the
many powerful ideas behind GlobalFest—the potency of event partnering,
the value of youth engagement, the
readiness to constantly experiment towards finding the successful formula
and the significance CSR takes on
when it’s fully integral rather than at
arm’s length.
There’s a lot to be said for event inspiration coming from the sky above...
the aurora borealis certainly hasn’t
done too badly for Calgary.
ROB COTTER is a frequent One+
contributor based in Germany.
PAULA TROTTER
en to elevate the event further. First,
among many of these, has been its
thorough greening—organizers set out
a Green Vision that was developed into
a Green Action program supported by
Green Team volunteers charged with
the maintenance and care of the park.
“We believe in protecting and preserving our environment, and we have
an all-inclusive program to encourage
our visitors to deposit their garbage
and recyclables in marked bins placed
throughout the park,” Francisco said.
“We have also taken further smaller
steps in this direction, including providing free bike racks and providing refillable water bottles and potable water
tanks for the more than 750 GlobalFest volunteers.”
Such a large number of volunteers
was required not only to assist visitors
but also to channel clear and consistent
information over a wide area. This
meant the increasing use of social media to get live information out, which
has turned out to be a particularly
valuable tool for an event that can be
held hostage by mother nature.
“We have made strides in recent
years in improving our social media
presence and find Facebook, Twitter
and our website to be invaluable tools
in providing information about the festival,” Dann said. “It allows us instantaneous interaction and feedback from
the public; for example, letting them
know about weather delays as soon as
they are called. We’re also considering
a mobile app that will allow visitors to
take surveys on their smartphone
devices.”
Introducing this app would be the
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Hosted
Coming Soon to a
IF YOU USED THE TERM “HOSTED BUYER” outside of
Europe three or four years ago, few people would have known
what you were talking about. These days, it’s become a buzzword,
and blown up for good reason. It’s a model of meeting that ensures top buyers attend events and meet with the right suppliers.
“When Ray Bloom, founder and director of the IMEX Group,
designed the hosted buyer program in the late 1980s, it was to
guarantee the best meeting planner buyers came to his shows,”
explained Kit Watts, media representative for IMEX Group,
which holds trade shows in both Europe and the U.S. “He wondered how he could know the buyers would really come and make
it worthwhile for the suppliers/exhibitors to enter the shows.”
Bloom’s plan started with visiting the editors of meeting industry magazines and identifying their best buyers. Armed with that
list, he took a financial risk and offered to pick up the cost of
travel and accommodations for select planner buyers who promised to attend his trade shows.
Since those early IMEX shows, the program has grown every
year.
“It’s become a very expensive program, because we’re now
bringing in people from 56 countries and arranging for their visas
as well,” Watts said.
But it’s worth it because of how much business gets done in
the few days the show lasts. As such, hosted buyer programs have
begun spreading beyond the meetings-for-meeting-professionals
market.
HOSTED BUYER BREAKS OUT
Brian Perkins, a partner in South Portland, Maine-based Highliner Events, has started utilizing hosted buyer meeting models for
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Buyers:
Meeting Near You.
BY PETER GORMAN
meetings in the perishables industry. The unique twist
Highliner Events adds is that buyers and suppliers don’t
get to talk with one another prior to the actual meetings.
“Since we’re dealing with food products, what is important are food tastings and presentations,” said Perkins, a former large trade show organizer. “And that is
done during our intimate two-and-a-half-day meetings.”
He reiterates what Bloom realized years ago: Real
business gets done with the hosted buyer model, noting
that two participants in his first hosted buyer meeting, a
seafood event, closed a US$8 million account.
The success of Highliner Events’ hosted buyer program is partly due to their small scope, generally 100-150
people.
“We have buyers who are absolutely aware of what
they purchase, but they’re not necessarily aware of what
else is available in the market,” he said. “And on the sellers’ side, what we’re finding is that while they might already do business with a particular buyer, they’re only
selling them part of their line—and our events allow those
buyers to see and taste the whole line.”
The result of that is a sizable expansion of product
and option awareness for Perkins’ attendees.
Meeting professionals must be fully informed and
more-thoroughly educated on the possible customizations and modifications that can be made to the general
hosted buyer model. Then the model can be effectively
pitched to their clients and rolled out in countless
industries.
“Then it will really take off,” said Meaghan Ferrazza,
manager of hosted buyer and marketplace for MPI’s
World Education Congress (WEC).
PROPAGATION OF THE MODEL
In 2010, MPI held its first hosted buyer pilot program in
Cancun—which drew 105 planners and 76 suppliers.
Fast-forward to the hosted buyer program at MPI’s 2012
WEC in St. Louis, Missouri, and those numbers were up
to 240 and 163, respectively.
But the WEC hosted buyer program features its own
twist on the IMEX model: no traditional trade show, just
face-to-face business meetings.
For planners—the buyers—to be hosted, they’ve got
to fill out an application that includes what events they’ve
worked previously and what they’re planning to execute
in the future.
“Our program gets the leg work out of the way,” Ferrazza said. “Long before the actual face-to-face meetings,
both planners and suppliers can see what products and
services work best for them and they can set up appointments, so they can prepare and speak accordingly upon
arriving at the WEC.”
Why no trade show component? For many suppliers,
this approach is simply more accessible, Ferrazza says.
This enables the cost for suppliers to drop (e.g. savings
in both shipping booth materials and marketing).
“Our matching software allows suppliers and planners to communicate before they meet, in order to understand their unique requirements,” Ferrazza said. “Then,
when it’s time for the face-to-face meeting they are making the most of their time.”
The hosted buyer model is also viewed as a logical
evolution in meetings according to Michael Dominguez,
senior vice president of corporate hotel sales for MGM
Resorts International.
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Each hosted buyer program is different,
but this year you have the chance to
experience the two prevailing models—
both in Las Vegas.
2013
World Education Congress
July 20–23 • Mandalay Bay • Las Vegas
Apply as a hosted buyer for MPI’s 2013
World Education Congress, July 20-23,
by visiting www.mpiweb.org/wec.
OCTOBER 15–17, 2013
LAS VEGAS
Stay tuned to www.imexamerica.com/
hostedbuyers.html to apply as a hosted
buyer for IMEX America, Oct. 15-17.
HostedBuyer.indd 48
“In the past, some companies didn’t do their homework and didn’t get the anticipated traffic, and then
blamed the show,” Dominguez said. “But with the hosted buyer model, the benefit is that it allows companies
to attend where they might not otherwise have been able
to due to budget constraints.”
For Marguerite Florsham, founder and president of
Strategy US and a meeting industry veteran with 30 years
of experience, the complimentary transportation and
accommodations that come with hosted buyer programs
are the least important elements of the program. The
value she recognizes in the hosted buyer model is in its
respect and appreciation of her time.
“Planners are inundated with invitations from hotels
and trade shows, so complimentary access is pretty much
taken for granted,” she said. “I probably get five invitations a week to go somewhere. But there are two hosted
buyer programs that I always attend, MPI’s WEC and
IMEX America, because those are the two standout
shows in North America. And WEC is the pivotal hosted
buyer conference in North America if you are a meeting
planner. Why? Because when you come to WEC as a
hosted buyer the suppliers take you very seriously.”
Dominguez sees the shared hosted buyer expertise of
the IMEX Group and WEC as a force that can only drive
more innovation in this meeting model.
“WEC will continue to increase marketplace oppor-
4/22/13 8:44 AM
tunities which allow for ever more interaction and engagement with and between all WEC planner attendees
and participating suppliers,” he said. “It doesn’t have to
be all or nothing; you can have a hybrid model in certain
situations.”
Gregg Herning, vice president of Peabody Orlando,
reaped the benefits of his company’s involvement with
the 2011 WEC, including its hosted buyer program. The
Peabody was a host hotel for the event and between the
hosted buyer program, site tours and an RFP Lounge, his
sales team identified $18 million in potential meeting
business and expects to
close on up to $8 million
of that, more than tripling his expectations.
That is a lot of business. And he’s not alone.
When IMEX America
launched in 2011, and
began working with MPI
and other leading industry associations, an exit
survey of hosted buyers
revealed that total business placed on site
amounted to $281 million, with an expected
HostedBuyer.indd 49
$1.9 billion worth of business to be placed in the following nine months.
When buyers and suppliers are happy, organizers are
happy. IMEX America has grown each year and, Watts
says, they are now bringing in Latin American and Brazilian buyers—so the show will continue to grow.
The next step for smart meeting professionals is to
show the value of the hosted buyer meeting model to the
C-suite and clients—highlighting the opportunities for
customization and flexibility of the model—and we’ll
then see a significant transformation in the meetings
landscape.
PETER GORMAN is an award-winning investigative
journalist.
4/22/13 8:44 AM
the
Lure
Unique
of the
Finding that special something to make your meeting
stand out is more important than ever. Emerging
destinations may do the trick.
BY DULCY GREGORY
Y
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he mere thought of planning an event in an unfamiliar locale generates
excitement. Many planners
say the best meetings they’ve executed have been in up-and-coming
locations. In today’s world of information and opportunity overload, the chance
for some attendees to visit a place they’ve
never been could be the deciding factor as to
whether they go to your event or that of a competitor.
Before deciding to shake things up, consider what you
know and don’t know about emerging destinations.
There is rhyme and reason to choosing a great location.
Don’t abandon an existing rationale just to trade a familiar city for an unfamiliar one; however, that theory is
certainly open to adaptation.
hot. The World Travel & Tourism C
Council (WTTC,
www.wttc.org) provides economic data on travel and
tourism industries. Tracing the paths of behemoth events
such as the Olympics or the FIFA World Cup—the locations for which are decided years in advance—will give
insight into up-and-coming destinations. FIFA’s 2022
World Cup, for example, is set to take place in Qatar, a
country that already reports 95 percent of its international visitors come for business, meetings and/or events. Accordingly, Qatar is investing US$20 billion in its tourism
infrastructure.
Smart planners will also look at the concept with an
open mind. “Emerging” doesn’t solely refer to exotic
places tucked into a corner of the world where no one
has dared to plan events. There could be a blossoming
events mecca in the city next door, such as Cedar Rapids,
Iowa, where the U.S. Cellular Center is expected to bring
in more than 375,000 visitors (and $34 million) annuUNCOVERING THE BASICS
ally after it opens later this year. Remember that destinaDestinations are typically viewed as emerging when they
tions tend to go through cycles, which makes re-emerging
experience a notable increase in the number of meetings
locations just as relevant as those that might be fresh on
hosted. This growth could be due to expanding or develthe scene.
oping infrastructure, a political shift that supports new
Many times, cities and locations new to the spotlight
meetings or even placement on one of many travel and
are simply looking for ways to gain exposure. Events go
tourism Top 10 lists. Such locations have a strong
a long way in helping these places break stereotypes and/
potential for growth and
or reinvent themselves.
usually offer good ROI.
“As long as there is
Identifying these places,
accessibility, there is opporEmerging doesn’t solely
however, takes a little
tunity,” said Eli Gorin, vice
refer to exotic places tucked
research.
president of global client
“Where business goes
relations at ABTS Conveninto a corner of the world
meetings follow,” said Pation Services, who has
where no one has dared to
tricia Durocher, CEO of
planned events throughout
Global Cynergies, an inSouth America.
plan events. There could be
ternational hotel and vena blossoming events mecca
ue sourcing company that
WHEN MEETING SEEKS
w
works in more than
DESTINATION
in the city next door, such as
450 destinations in 65
Let’s talk about the advanCedar Rapids, Iowa.
wa.
ccountries.
tages of holding an event in
an emerging destination.
Following travel
and tourism trends
When convincing clients to
is anoth
uproot, money always matanother way to
get a pulse o
ters. Evaluate the benefits
on what’s
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4/17/13 11:35 AM
related to the bottom line. With price points in major cities only getting higher, second- and third-tier cities have
the chance to offer the same services at more reasonable
rates. Some countries even have government funding
available to entice planners to book events in up-andcoming cities. And, of course, VAT refunds.
Sonia Camara de la Fuente, president of Connecticutbased Eventful Minds, witnessed cost savings and
enhanced engagement first-hand when she executed an
incentive meeting in Uruguay. By the numbers, the Uruguay event had 37 percent more attendees and cost 35
percent less than the previous year’s event held in Miami.
De la Fuente did her homework—speaking with references, reading news about the region, examining online
venue reviews and conducting a site visit nine months
before the event—to ensure the country’s infrastructure
could sufficiently handle the 250-person group.
But she also understands that money isn’t everything.
Planners who have worked in emerging locations say that
the real added value has to do with the attendee experience. Unlike major event hubs, which offer everything
from an established infrastructure to the latest equipment, reliable vendors and plenty of ground personnel,
“an emerging destination has an innocence,” de la Fuente
said. “As professional as veteran destinations are,
sometimes they don’t have the heart.”
Although she had no destination management
May-Feature-Destinations-butterfly.indd 52
company in Uruguay to assist, the hospitality of the local
people far outweighed the short-lived effects of any
hiccups in the program. According to de la Fuente, the
novelty of the experience made the event one of the most
memorable meetings she’s planned.
“That’s the thing to remember,” she said. “In emerging destinations, it’s the culture that makes planners and
attendees want to return, not the quality of Wi-Fi or
number of adequate hotel options.”
It’s worth noting that these locations are, generally
speaking, more accommodating and flexible than others.
This applies to a range of event logistics, from F&B to
finances. However knowledgeable they might be, cities
that have been through the mill when it comes to meetings often have structured formulas—a “this is how we
do it” mentality—wherein the planner’s job becomes
more about fitting the program into the mold of the
destination rather than allowing meeting and destination
to evolve and adapt together (a more likely scenario in
emerging areas).
And emerging locations can make up for a lack of
experience with a determination and willingness to make
anything work.
“They won’t nickel and dime you,” Gorin said,
remembering a meeting in Colombia. “The group didn’t
pay anything upfront to the hotel. I had never seen such
faith and trust from a destination before.”
4/17/13 11:35 AM
WHEN DESTINATION SEEKS MEETING
This willingness and flexibility works both ways. Perceptive planners understand they aren’t the only party that
has a vested interest in a meeting’s success. There’s something in it for destinations, too, and emerging locations
could stand to benefit more from certain types of
meetings and events.
Consider attendee demographics. Are participants
open-minded or well traveled? Meetings tailored to
younger generations or groups that hail from fairly
innovative or forward-thinking industries might be more
willing to travel long distances, be amenable with
expectations and understand nuances in the local culture.
“Attendees are getting tired of well-known event locations or those that are full of luxury,” de la Fuente said.
For such groups, an emerging destination makes for
a refreshing change of pace.
Success also depends on what the conference is about.
If impoverished communities surround a destination, a
luxury event or an expensive exhibition won’t exactly fit
in. The same thing goes with the need to have specific
brands and/or products, which might not be available in
a particular location.
Lastly, planners should evaluate the complexity of
their event program. In some cases, there might be fewer
choices for event venues or hotels. Accordingly, a small
meeting housed under one roof may provide greater ROI
May-Feature-Destinations-butterfly.indd 53
Top 5 Emerging Destinations
As Shared by Global Cynergies CEO Patricia Durocher
1.
Brazil
2.
Johannesburg, South Africa
Ramping up quality level and infrastructure
for the 2016 Summer Olympics
World-class accommodations with evolving
understanding of the meetings market
3.
Panama
Growing awareness of meetings’ needs with
established international business history
4.
United Arab Emirates
5.
Colombia
Growing infrastructure, airlift and midway to
blossoming Indian and Chinese businesses
Safety well beyond its decades-old reputation
and a service level based on client success
4/17/13 11:35 AM
and engagement than a large meeting with multiple room
blocks, venue sites and a layered program. Properly
ascertaining the size and type of event that an inexperienced destination can handle gives the local people a fair
chance to impress and meet all deliverables.
While some components might be tricky, it all comes
back to the readiness to make it work. If the audiovisual
equipment isn’t cutting-edge or has some hiccups, wise
venues in emerging destinations will make up for it.
Many times what might be seen as a disadvantage
actually turns to your favor.
A WIN-WIN MODEL
While all meeting professionals strive for a successful
attendee event experience, it’s an even greater accomplishment to execute an event that is mutually beneficial
for both meeting and location. Veteran destinations have
a plethora of successful meetings taking place daily and
have demonstrated professional and technical capabilities
time and time again. An emerging location, on the other
hand, has something to prove and the most to gain.
Meetings can help break lingering stereotypes for
emerging and re-emerging destinations, too. A successful
event experience can transform attendees into brand
ambassadors for the destination.
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“Colombia was a very unsafe place a few decades
ago,” Gorin said. “It’s known to many as the drug
capital of the world. But those numbers have dropped
and [the country doesn’t] deserve that reputation. Events
can help prove these antiquated reputations false. People
think they know a place, but then they visit and realize
they [were wrong].”
As the movement from Wall Street to Main Street
gains traction, so does the notion that meetings don’t
always need to happen in major metropolitan areas.
“Bottom line, people want to go where their neighbors
haven’t been,” Durocher said.
Planning events in Uruguay, Colombia or Cedar Rapids, Iowa, can make this friendly competition a reality for
meeting-goers everywhere, but location and meeting need
to work together in order to make it memorable. Emerging destinations have plenty of potential for Cinderella
stories. The magic can happen, but the shoe has to fit.
DULCY GREGORY is a freelance writer and event planning
consultant with a knack for balancing creativity and organization. She received her MFA in creative writing from The
New School in 2012. For more information, visit
www.dulcygregory.com.
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2013
World Education Congress
July 20–23 • Mandalay Bay • Las Vegas
here was a house in New Orleans on
Burgundy Street in the Marigny neighborhood, and for months it stood abandoned, a community blight. Candy
Chang decided to change that. On one side of the
building she placed huge chalkboards with a phrase:
“Before I die, I want
to_____.” Soon, passersby picked up chalk
and wrote in wishes
that, if fulfilled, would
offer happiness or satisfaction.
“How it developed
in New Orleans, during
the next seven months...
people young and old
took pieces of chalk,
people cried alone
and laughed together...
neighbors introduced
themselves to each other,” Chang says.
Before installing the
project, Chang spoke with neighbors who indicated
that, at the very least, the house wouldn’t be any
worse off.
“A grandmother across the street said people are
around all the time, the block is safer now,” Chang
says. “[That’s] one of the most meaningful things to
me; this place was very down and out, a lot of crime,
[but now there were] more people around.”
Getting people
to talk to one another is one of
Chang’s specialties.
Candy Chang will be speaking during
MPI’s 2013 World Education Congress in Las Vegas, July 20-23. Register now at www.mpiweb.org/wec.
One of her early public space projects started conversations about rental differences among New York
City residents. Another project had people post “I
Wish This Was_____” stickers—styled after “Hello,
My Name is” badges—onto abandoned buildings
and undeveloped projects in order to elicit civic discussions about neighborhoods.
Chang’s ultimate goal is to improve well-being by
creating conversation opportunities. Public spaces
offer that opportunity.
“I was recently at the Greenbuild conference in
San Francisco where I made a ‘Before I Die’ wall just
outside of the Moscone Center,” she says. “When
walking into the event, there was a giant wall out in
public space, and people started to write their hopes
and dreams. A lot of them were very green-oriented.
There were also more
emotional
goals—
‘Before I die I want to
stop being afraid,’ ‘…
enjoy waking up early’
or ‘…quit worrying
about money.’”
Chang
noticed
something else as she
watched
attendees
write on the board.
“People started to
have
conversations
with one another,” she
says. “The board was a
kind of icebreaker for
people from around
the world who were all
alone at this giant conference. Having this kind of
project in a public space helps people to open up.”
Chang was born in Pittsburgh, received her Masters degree in Urban Planning from Columbia University in New York and has worked as a designer
for The New York Times, as a field researcher for
Nokia, for a record label and with community
groups worldwide. All of these experiences helped
shape her into the person she is today, providing a
unique perspective of her place in the world.
She currently lives in New Orleans’ Bywater
neighborhood, an area that houses a creative
“I think public spaces have
the potential to do a lot.
They are shared spaces, they
have power to nourish our
well-being and help us see
we’re not alone and help us
make sense of our lives.”
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4/25/13 11:02 AM
community that is welcoming and open to
new experiences.
“New Orleans is very incubating,” she
says. “I feel like I have the space to step
back and reflect. The city helps me slow
down a bit. It’s also very stimulating;
there’s always something strange and wonderful going on down the street, always
something interesting happening.”
A city like New Orleans, capable of offering a sensory overload and a respite
Great artistic projects
are expressions of struggles. They’re a form of
self-help—helping the
artist understand her
place in the world.
from life—sometimes at the same time—is
exactly what she needs.
“That’s one of the most important
things of all, and that’s where my projects
are going, related to health and well-being,” she says. “I believe in a future where
more of our public spaces can be these kind
of profound sanctuaries to help us become
our best selves. I feel like these days people
are always talking about how we’re more
connected than ever. Because of the Internet, because of technology, we’re connected to more people, more everything, all of
the time. Part of that is very exciting; it can
also be distressing, because it’s much harder to make that space you need for solitude
and the time to pause, step back and be
quiet and reflect. I think right now, because
of all this connectedness, it’s more
important than ever to find ways to be able
to maintain perspective on what matters
most to us. I think public spaces have the
potential to do a lot. They are shared spaces, they have power to nourish our wellbeing and help us see we’re not alone and
help us make sense of our lives.”
Great artistic projects are expressions of
struggles. They’re a form of self-help—
helping the artist understand her place in
the world. Questions are raised with the
work, and often, answers are found within
the same piece. Upcoming projects will
take Chang to the Deep South and the desert Southwest to explore how public spaces nourish well-being.
“The Almanac of Self-Neglect,” an installation at the Centre for the Living Arts
in Mobile, Alabama, aims to “help us see
that we’re not alone as we try to make
sense of our lives,” she says.
“It will have a giant field of red
umbrellas, then one singular colonnade, a
cleared white path, a clearing in the middle
with a singular desk and a chair and a
book,” she says. “You can walk into this
field with umbrellas and have this kind of
sublime solitude for a moment where you
can open up the book and share your deepest needs for personal well-being. Over the
year, the Almanac will grow into a collect58
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ed record of things we need to shield from
our chaotic environment in order to become our best selves.”
Chang’s other project, “Library of Reinvention,” will be set in a Mojave Desert
ghost town on Route 66. There, she and a
partner will assemble a library.
“It will be about pilgrimages, and the
books in the library will be about pilgrimage and the idea of taking new trips to reinvent yourself, to change your life, to
make yourself better,” she says.
Appropriately, the Mojave Desert is one
of Chang’s favorite natural spaces. Growing up in the U.S. Midwest and on the East
Coast, the vast, varied landscapes of the
country continue to inspire her.
“The West has always had this wideopen romantic feel to me,” she says. “I just
took a road trip again; this is something I
do regularly, to step back and get away
from it all, mentally and physically, to restore perspective and think deeply about
Profile-Chang.indd 59
my life. I love the desert for that, and
there’s a great spot in New Mexico, the
Valley of the Gods, that just feels like
you’re on Mars. There are few countries
that have such a wide range of landscapes
from the deserts to the beach to the mountains to everything in between, and it’s
wonderful.”
Chang has also found inspiration in a
creative 19th-century gardener, Sir Joseph
Paxton, and sees his story as a lesson for
the ages.
“We can all learn from creative people,” she says.
Paxton was the first person in England
to grow the giant water lily pad. In doing
so, he realized it had a specific rigid structure that made it incredibly strong. To test
the plant’s strength, he placed a child on a
lily pad…and then more children. It was
clear the plant’s form enabled it to support
significant weight, so he began applying
that knowledge to other things, including
experimental greenhouses.
From his observations while growing a
lily pad, he eventually designed The Crystal
Palace in London, a celebration of the latest technology and the industrial revolution. The curious gardener became an
architect.
“It shows how small or big we want to
make our disciplines, how your work and
life can change depending on your attitude,” Chang says. “It wasn’t some unattainable flash of genius. He was just curious, he tried things out and kept an open
mind—because of that he did really great
things. That’s something we can all do.”
JASON HENSEL is multimedia editor for
One+.
4/18/13 9:29 AM
>
YOUR COMMUNITY
Getting to Know MPI’s New CEO
The MPI board of directors named Paul
Van Deventer as the association’s new CEO
and president on April 16. Let’s learn a little
about him.
One+ multimedia editor Jason Hensel:
Whose style has inspired you as a leader?
Paul Van Deventer: For personal leadership
inspiration, I say the style of my parents and
what I’ve learned from them. For business
leadership inspiration, the most significant
is Kenneth Chenault, CEO of American Express, because of his focus on the people and
leadership development side of the business.
JH: What’s your management style?
PVD: I’m a manager who likes a collaborative approach and to empower leaders by
giving them a clear definition of expectations
and the tools to get things done.
JH: Do you volunteer or work with any
charities?
PVD: I have worked in several different
charities, engaged on boards for my kids’
school systems, as well as a group called Go
Lightly Travel, an educational academy built
in the Detroit inner city to help underprivileged students find a career path. Other travel
executives and I made a commitment to hire
students from the academy as they came
through the school. It was inspirational to
be involved with it. Currently, my family is
engaged in supporting a homeless shelter for
men in Carlsbad, Calif., by helping deliver
food to them.
JH: What will you bring from your previous
business experience to the association world?
PVD: My work experiences have been primarily working in the B-2-B environment,
working with large employers, specifically
in lots of cases, travel providers. When you
look at what we’re doing at this association,
it’s very relevant from a B-2-B perspective,
because the funding source is primarily com-
ing from large employers and corporations,
including travel providers. I think those
relationships I built and my understanding of
those industries will be very helpful for us.
The other side of my business experience
has been very customer and relationship
focused. The association business is all about
leveraging relationships, building value for
our members and being able to engage and
leverage the skill set of volunteers. I’ve done a
lot of that in my career.
JH: Any other thoughts you’d like to share
with the members of the MPI community?
PVD: Well, I’m excited to be back in the
travel community, and I’m excited to be a
part of the MPI organization and working closely with the community, and I look
forward to meeting everyone face-to-face at
WEC this summer in Las Vegas.
There’s even more to this exclusive with Van
Deventer at www.mpiweb.org/blogs.
Act Quick, Proposals Needed
At the end of this month, the 2014 European Meetings and Events Conference (EMEC) call
for speaking proposals will come to a close.
MPI is looking for presenters who can bring a unique focus to education and professional development at EMEC. The person is someone who will innovate with new topics, be engaging in presentation style and can surprise and inspire participants attending the event.
More details and requirements can be found at www.mpiweb.org/Events/CallForSpeakers.
If you have someone in your portfolio of speakers who could make a big impact on the
audience of meeting and event industry professionals and can present a session that will
create an unforgettable learning experience, please contact mpispeakers@mpiweb.org. All
proposals are due back to MPI no later than close of business on Friday, May 31, 2013.
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>>
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
The Best Networking Payout in Vegas
The MPI Foundation will be in full swing with its mainstay of
WEC fundraiser events in Las Vegas this year.
The very successful Silent Auction, sponsored by Benchmark
Hospitality, will be available throughout the entire conference, July
20-23. Throughout the last 10 years, the Foundation has raised
more than US$700,000 in donations as all funds raised go directly
toward MPIF’s ongoing commitment to investing in programs such
as research, scholarships and grants.
The Foundation will also be holding the Players Golf Tournament: Ryder Cup Style in an East vs. West showdown. Enjoy a
challenging round of golf on Saturday, July 20, at the Rio Secco
Golf Club set at the foothills of the Black Mountain Range. Try
your luck at winning a new set of clubs and US$1,000,000!
The ever-exciting The Big Deal on Sunday, July 21, at Caesars
Palace is back with a night of high rolling networking, gaming,
celebrities and giveaways. Planners will get in free as spectators
and one lucky player will win a seat at the 2014 World Series of
Poker (WSOP) Main Event. Trevor Lui won the 2012 Big Deal in
St. Louis and will compete for millions at the WSOP Main Event
in July.
Last, and certainly not least, is Rendezvous on Monday, July
22, at the Voodoo Lounge, Rio Hotel and Casino. Come dressed
and prepared to get your groove on with a throwback to the 70’s.
Rendezvous is one of the can’t-miss events at WEC, with great networking, live music and dancing. A quiet area is designated at the
exclusive ‘Wine Cellar.’ Your ticket gets you in to both events.
For more information about all of these events or sponsorship
opportunities, visit www.mpiweb.org/wec.
Peabody Offers Scholarship for WEC
The Foundation continues to roll out scholarship opportunities for those wanting to attend the World
Education Congress (WEC) in Las Vegas. The Foundation has a new scholarship thanks to the support
and investment by the Peabody Hotel Group.
Three scholarships will be provided to corporate planners for each of the next three WECs, which
includes conference registration, hotel accommodations, airfare and a daily per diem, which totals up to
a US$2,500 per stipend.
For corporate planners interested in taking advantage of this—and many other scholarship opportunities—visit www.mpiweb.org/MPIF/Scholarships.
INVESTORS The MPI Foundation thanks the following organizations and individuals for their generous support.
THOUGHT LEADER
Active Network
Freeman AV
Gaylord Entertainment
IHG
IMEX
Jumeirah
Marriott International
PSAV
Wyndham Hotel Group
INNOVATOR
Dallas CVB
Hyatt Hotels & Resorts
Las Vegas Sands Corp.
Rosen Hotels and Resorts
San Francisco Travel
ADVOCATE
Abu Dhabi Tourism Culture Authority
AT&T Park
AVT Event Technologies
Caesars Windsor
Canadian Tourism Commission
Las Vegas CVA
Loews
MCI
Mediasite by Sonic Foundry
GATEKEEPER
Disney Destinations
HelmsBriscoe
Travel Alberta
ASSOCIATE
AC Lighting
Aimbridge Hospitality
M&IT
CONTRIBUTOR
Destination Halifax
Direct Energy Centre & Allstream
Centre at Exhibition Place
CHAPTERS
Arizona Sunbelt
Chicago Area
Middle Pennsylvania
Montréal & Québec
Northern California
Ohio
Orange County
Philadelphia Area
Potomac (D.C. Area)
Rocky Mountain
Tampa Bay Area
U.K. & Ireland
Washington State
mpiweb.org
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INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
>
Why, Hello People!
Does it seem like there are more people at your event this year? There are. Just 15 percent of industry professionals have
seen decreases in their attendance over the last year—and they project even better numbers for the next 12 months—
according to MPI’s April Business Barometer. The full report goes live May 14 at www.mpiweb.org/barometer.
Favorable:
57.41%
Favorable:
52.25%
Flat:
Flat:
32.43%
32.41%
Negative:
15.32%
Negative:
10.19%
Change In Attendance Since Last Year
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Projected Change In Attendance Over
The Next Year
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MPI STRATEGIC PARTNERS
STRATEGIC ALLIANCE
GLOBAL PARTNERS
MPI MARKETSMART BUSINESS SOLUTIONS
TM
PREMIER PARTNERS
SIGNATURE PARTNERS
PREFERRED PARTNERS
CHOICE PARTNERS
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SPECIAL SECTIONS
Golf
PAGES 66-67
Kalahari Resorts
PAGES 68-69
Geneva National Resort
Tennessee
PAGES 70-71
Country Music Hall of Fame
PAGE 72
Hutton Hotel
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GOLF RESORTS SPECIAL SECTION
Kalahari Resorts
kalaharimeetings.com
Featuring authentic
African artifacts,
artwork and furniture,
these state-of-the-art
convention centers
are also home to
America’s largest indoor
waterparks and awardwinning outdoor and
indoor attractions.
I
nspired by the adventure of Africa, Kalahari
Resorts and Convention Centers, located
in Wisconsin Dells, Wis., and Sandusky,
Ohio, offer guests one of the Midwest’s most
unique event and trade show destinations.
Featuring authentic African artifacts, artwork
and furniture, these state-of-the-art convention centers are also home to America’s largest indoor waterparks and award-winning
outdoor and indoor attractions. With everything conveniently located under one roof,
Kalahari Resorts provides an amazing mix of
business and social amenities for a memorable meeting or event experience.
Sandusky, Ohio
Located midway between Cleveland and
Toledo, Kalahari Resort and Convention
Center in Sandusky features more than 800
individually appointed guest rooms and six
4,100-square-foot, standalone entertainment
villas that can accommodate up to 22 people.
The completion of a $22 million expansion
brings the total square footage of meeting and
exhibition space to 215,000 square feet, making the Kalahari Resort in Sandusky the only
under-one-roof complex in the Midwest to
offer a resort convention center of such scope.
Designed to host the best in regional and
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national conferences, conventions, consumer
and industry trade shows, Kalahari Resort and
Convention Center in Sandusky has exhibit
space for more than 400 booths, 39 meeting rooms and three exquisitely appointed
ballrooms.
Conference attendees will find the latest
audiovisual technology available, including
interactive whiteboards, video conferencing
options, high-end acoustical sound systems,
HD-quality projectors and formatted screens,
advanced lighting control systems and digital
signage. Meeting planners will also appreciate
smart design elements, such as electronically
lockable built-in-bars and registration areas, as
well as added warming kitchens in key areas
to enhance food and beverage service options.
For business travelers accompanied by their
families, Kalahari Resorts boasts the nation’s
largest indoor waterpark, a 77,000-square-foot
outdoor waterpark and the 115,000-squarefoot Safari Outdoor Adventure Park.
Wisconsin Dells
Located immediately off I 90/94 at exit 92,
the Kalahari Resort and Convention Center
in Wisconsin Dells is just a short drive from
Madison, Chicago, Milwaukee, Green Bay
and Minneapolis/St. Paul. Guest accommodations include 756 guest rooms and suites and
16 five-bedroom entertainment villas, many
with kitchens, fireplaces and balconies.
Distinctive meeting and exhibit space covers 100,000 square feet and features 35 meeting rooms, two ballrooms and space for more
than 300 booths. Admission to Wisconsin’s
largest indoor and seasonal outdoor waterparks is included for all registered guests. In
an area carved by glaciers, nearby Trappers
Turn Golf Club provides a first-class, 27-hole
golf course and club providing breathtaking
views and elegant dining or meeting space for
250 guests.
For more information or to inquire about
holding an event at Kalahari Resorts, please
call (855) 411-4605 or visit www.kalahari
meetings.com.
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GOLF RESORTS SPECIAL SECTION
Geneva National Resort
genevanationalresort.com
Long known for the 54
holes of legendary golf
designed by the masters—
Arnold Palmer, Gary
Player and Lee Trevino—
as well as impeccable
meetings and events in
the clubhouse.
G
eneva National Resort in Wisconsin is now the premier meeting and
event destination in the Midwest.
Long known for the 54 holes of legendary
golf designed by the masters—Arnold Palmer,
Gary Player and Lee Trevino—as well as impeccable meetings and events in the clubhouse,
the company is now excited to announce the
addition of Geneva Ridge Resort and the Inns
of Geneva National to the offerings.
The Inns of Geneva National were purchased by the golf club in August of last
year, and are undergoing a major remodel,
due to be completed in May. Offering a relaxed setting for smaller groups, the inns are
comprised on six adjacent villas, each featuring six individual and luxurious guest rooms,
two great rooms and powder rooms, a patio
with seating and a grill and a fully functional
kitchen. With 36 rooms in total, the inns are
often used when intimate breakout space is
desired, or room for more casual discussions,
as well as receptions, meetings and non-business groups of all types.
Geneva Ridge Resort is just a few minutes’
drive from the inns and the golf club. The
full-service, 146-room hotel offers versatile
meeting space for up to 400, beautiful outdoor space, a full-service spa and salon, indoor and outdoor pools, two bars and two
restaurant outlets, a business center, marina
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activities and all of the amenities you would
expect. Small and mid-size meetings enjoy the
intimacy of the resort—large enough to meet
all of their needs, yet small enough to gain the
complete attention of the entire staff.
For meetings and events, no space in all
of Lake Geneva compares to Geneva National
Resort. At the golf club, more than 10,000
square feet of elegant meeting and banquet
space, including unique and well-furnished
spaces, are available, with nearly every room
offering impressive golf and lake views. At
Geneva Ridge Resort, more than 12,000
square feet of meeting and banquet space is
available, as well as a stunning outdoor veranda area.
After the work is done, the staff at Geneva
National Resort is available to assist guests
in taking full advantage of the Lake Geneva
area. Spa, golf and marina activities are right
on property (and not just any golf, three of
the most acclaimed courses in the Midwest).
Located just a few miles outside of downtown
Lake Geneva, shopping, boating, cruises and
nightlife is just a few moments away, and the
resort offers free shuttle service for guests.
For more information, and to begin making
plans for your next group or getaway, please
call Geneva National Resort at (262) 245-7000,
e-mail groups@gnresort.com or visit www.
GenevaNationalResort.com.
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TENNESSEE SPECIAL SECTION
Country Music Hall of Fame
®
countrymusichalloffame.org/expansion-spaces
T
he new expansion of the Country Music
Hall of Fame® and Museum in Nashville,
Tennessee, will have a profound effect
on the city, culturally and commercially—and
will reach far beyond as the institution continues to grow its global profile.
The museum is the definitive keeper of
the history of an American art form and a
gateway to its future, featuring the largest
collection of country music artifacts in the
world. And with the new expansion—including greatly increased museum gallery and
archive areas, as well as incredible new event
spaces—the Country Music Hall of Fame and
Museum is fast becoming one of the country’s
most desirable meeting destinations.
The role that the museum will play in the
evolving downtown arts and entertainment
campus will be a major one. The building
will be twice its previous size, with triple the
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exhibition and archive space, and will feature a new, state-of-the-art, 800-seat CMA
Theater and a stunning, 10,000-square-foot
Event Hall.
“Since the museum opened in 2001, it
has become one of Nashville’s signature cultural assets and a key economic engine,” said
Mayor Karl Dean.
The Event Hall, featuring a 40-foot glass
wall that overlooks the downtown Nashville skyline, may serve many functions. This
incomparable space provides an unforgettable setting for receptions, dinners, weddings,
trade shows, exhibits and much more. It may
also play host to live concert events, placed
against the most unique backdrop in Music
City.
The Event Hall lobby space may also serve
many needs, beyond the obvious uses for preevent registration and orientation. Adjacent
to both the Event Hall and the Carlton Terrace, the space may also play host to receptions, trade shows, artist meet-and-greets—
and even banquet dinners.
The Carlton Terrace awaits those who step
outside the Event Hall lobby area, providing
one of the most pleasing outdoor spaces in
the city—the perfect setting for receptions,
networking, outdoor dinners and weddings, a
part of the Nashville skyline itself. The terrace
may also serve as a unique outdoor venue for
live music.
A Private Dining Room will allow guests
the flexibility of hosting a more intimate gathering—ideal for VIP dining and private dinners
or lunches. This space offers another matchless view of the downtown cityscape and is
tailor-made for entertaining a smaller gathering of guests. The space may also serve as the
best artist green room in town.
These unique new spaces fittingly complement the uncommon story of country music,
and the evolving story of a city’s rise.
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TENNESSEE SPECIAL SECTION
Hutton Hotel
huttonhotel.com
H
utton Hotel redefines 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.
MEETING SPACE
The ballroom offers amazing views of the
Nashville skyline. 14,000 square feet of flexible meeting space is located on one dedicated, private floor and can be divided into
nine rooms. Meeting planners receive personal IP phones that provide direct communication to the conference and banquet team.
SERVICE & AMENITIES
Complimentary manager’s wine reception
weekdays, 5-6 p.m. State-of-the-art fiber
optic electrical, lighting and sound systems
and bandwidth capabilities that can handle
any meeting needs. Nationally recognized
executive chef who brings restaurant-style,
four-star catering to banquet events. Additionally, the award-winning 1808 Grille offers
an ideal setting for private dinners or receptions. Hybrid courtesy vehicle for use within
three-mile radius.
GUEST ROOMS
Guest rooms are appointed for refined comfort and modern convenience with flat-screen
TVs, media hubs and rain showerheads. Each
floor has complimentary Nespresso machines.
Multiple room types, including suites and
Cardio Kings equipped with in-room elliptical
machines.
The hotel is located eight miles from Nashville International Airport and
within walking distance of many Nashville attractions.
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CALIFORNIA
MPI’S 2013 GUIDE
California Supplement 0513.indd 75
Pages 76-77
Pages 82-83
Team San Jose
Pasadena CVB
Pages 78-79
Pages 84-85
San Francisco Travel
Association
Monterey
County CVB
Pages 80-81
Page 86
LA Tourism
Visit Napa Valley
4/26/13 10:53 AM
MPI’S MEETING GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA
Team San Jose
sanjose.org
WHY YOU SHOULD BOOK SAN JOSE
One-Stop Service
Instead of handing you off to other organizations
once you book a meeting—as most cities do—Team
San Jose (TSJ) does it all, from housing, convention
center event services and customized food and beverage menus to permits, marketing support and technically savvy special events, it’s no wonder 98 percent of
planners say they’d return to San Jose in the future.
Whether you’re a small corporate or citywide
group, San Jose offers the ease of booking the destination as if it were a big box hotel property. This saves
the event planner valuable time, energy and resources, so they can focus on the success of the meeting.
Coupled with our walkable and exciting downtown, planners don’t need to worry about group
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transportation—a plus for planners and delegates
visiting San Jose.
Unlike other CVBs, Team San Jose manages the
main meeting venues, ensuring quality control of
your experience from beginning to end. In addition to
managing the San Jose Convention Center, TSJ manages the San Jose Civic (home to a variety of concerts
and special events, some of which are customizable),
the Center for the Performing Arts (home to Broadway and ballet), California Theatre (home to the
opera and symphony), Montgomery Theater (home to
Children’s Musical Theater), Parkside Hall and South
Hall. Our close relationships with local hotels, arts
groups and labor mean you’ll have the best packages
and service from them as well!
NEW RENOVATIONS AND EXPANSIONS
Coming September 2013: Bigger, Better Convention Center.
The San Jose Convention Center is undergoing a
major revitalization reflective of the destination’s
innovative spirit as the Capital of Silicon Valley. In September 2013, the center—which remains open and
SUPPLEMENT
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2013
100 percent operational throughout the project—will
complete a $130 million expansion and renovation,
adding 125,000 square feet of flexible ballroom and
meeting space to the center’s existing 425,000 square
feet and renovating the existing convention center.
After the project concludes, the center will offer
550,000 square feet of total usable space for meetings, conventions and events.
Accommodations
Hotel Rooms Citywide: 8,900
Hotel Rooms within walking distance to the
Convention Center: 2,500
Hotel Rooms within a short Light Rail ride of the
Convention Center: 2,900
Team San Jose does it all, from
housing, convention center event
services and customized food
and beverage menus to permits,
marketing support and technically
savvy special events.
Discover San Jose
Stay and play like a local with 300 days of sunshine,
diverse cultural attractions, world-class golf courses
and central access to Northern CA beaches, wine
country and attractions.
For more information go to www.SanJose.org.
SUPPLEMENT
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MPI’S MEETING GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA
2013
San Francisco Travel Association
sanfrancisco.travel/meeting-planners
One might say that the city is LEEDing the way. With the completion
of a $56 million renovation,
Moscone Center became the West
Coast’s first LEED®Gold (Existing
Building) convention center.
San 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 first
LEED®Gold (Existing Building) convention center.
San Francisco also claims these green firsts for two
existing buildings: AT&T Park is the first major league
ballpark to earn LEED Silver and SFO’s Terminal 2 is
the country’s first 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 first of its kind in the U.S., the SFJAZZ Center
opened in January.
• Completed in February, phase one of the new
cruise terminal at Pier 27 will be used for the
America’s Cup Village.
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• Called a “milestone in public art” by Christo, The
Bay Lights, which premiered in March, was inspired
by the 75th anniversary of the Bay Bridge and is
the world’s largest LED sculpture.
• Princess Cruises’ 2,600-passenger Grand Princess is
now based year-round for the first time at the Port
of San Francisco.
• The Exploratorium, San Francisco’s internationally
acclaimed museum of art, science and human perception, at Piers 15 and 17, opened on April 17.
• Races for the Louis Vuitton Cup, the America’s Cup
Challenger Series and America’s Cup Finals span
July 4 - Sept. 22.
• San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge will complete
a $6.281 billion seismic retrofit in September; the
new east span will feature the world’s largest selfanchored suspension bridge.
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. The expansion of Moscone Center will add
approximately 350,000 to 400,000 square feet to the
convention center, including 80,000 or more square
feet of contiguous exhibit space.
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MPI’S MEETING GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA
2013
LA Tourism
discoverlosangeles.com/meetings
From the laid-back beach cities of Santa Monica and
Malibu to the glamour of Hollywood, Los Angeles is
a multi-faceted collection of unique neighborhoods,
each with its own personality. Choosing just one can
be a tough decision, so the Los Angeles Tourism &
Convention Board (LA Tourism) recently formed a
new team of regional hotel sales directors who act as
liaisons for each of LA’s neighborhoods—The San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
and the Beach Cities, Downtown Los Angeles and
Hollywood and the Westside. Each regional director is
based in the area they represent and has an extensive
knowledge of that area’s hotels, cultural venues, attractions and restaurants to help meeting professionals better navigate the city. This new approach allows
LA Tourism to deliver personalized service that makes
every client a star in their own right.
But the thoughtful service doesn’t end after the
venue and hotel have been booked. Whether it’s a
small corporate retreat of 50 or a citywide convention of 50,000, LA Tourism has a dedicated team of
professionals for events of all sizes. For groups with
up to 50 rooms per night, LA Tourism’s new Direct
Line Service program is designed to serve the needs of
smaller conferences and events. For citywide conventions with peak blocks of more than 1,500 hotel
rooms, the citywide team assists with every step of
the planning process, including hotel packages, roomblock availability, VIP programs, convention center
booking and more.
At A Glance
LA Tourism services: Assistance with RFP distribution, venue/hotel selection, promotional items and
visitor materials, telemarketing support and more
GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY
™
Convention facilities: The Los Angeles Convention
Center offers 770,000 square feet of exhibition space
and 64 meeting rooms totaling 147,000 square feet
Hotel rooms: 97,000 including close to 12,000 near
the Los Angeles Convention Center
Transportation: Los Angeles International Airport
(LAX) is the gateway to the West Coast, the No. 1
international gateway to the Asia/Pacific region and
offers direct flights from 88 domestic cities and 61
international destinations
PACIFIC OCEAN AT SUNSET
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For more information: Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, (888) 733-6952, sales@LATourism.org,
www.discoverLosAngeles.com/meetings
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MPI’S MEETING GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA
2013
Pasadena CVB
pasadenameetings.com
Pasadena showcases the best of
Southern California. Located just
10 miles north of downtown Los
Angeles, Pasadena is known for
its small-town charm and urban
amenities.
Pasadena showcases the best of Southern California.
Located just 10 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, Pasadena is known for its small-town charm and
urban amenities.
Getting to Pasadena is easy. The city is readily
accessible from Los Angeles International, Burbank,
Long Beach and Ontario airports. Shuttles, buses
and light rail take visitors anywhere in the city and
throughout the greater Los Angeles area.
The expanded Pasadena Convention Center is
LEED® Gold certified, making it one of the greenest
convention centers in North America. The stateof-the-art facility features 55,000 square feet of
exhibit space (expandable to 80,000 square feet), a
25,000-square-foot ballroom, 29 breakout rooms and
the renowned, 3,000-seat Pasadena Civic Auditorium.
Full-service catering, electrical and audiovisual production services, high-speed telecommunications and
onsite parking complete the package.
Planners seeking a unique venue will find a host of
spectacular gardens, renowned educational institutions, museums and theaters. A few of these include
the Rose Bowl Stadium, Caltech and the Pacific Asia
Museum.
This pedestrian-friendly destination offers 2,500
guest rooms, more than 1,200 of which are within
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walking distance of the Pasadena Convention Center.
Delegates can also walk to Old Pasadena, a bustling
22-block entertainment district offering 200 one-ofa-kind boutiques, galleries, top-rated restaurants and
clubs.
With 500 restaurants, Pasadena has more eateries
per capita than New York City. Adding to its culinary
credentials, the city is the birthplace of Julia Child and
is home to one of only 16 prestigious Le Cordon Bleu
Schools in the nation.
Pasadena is alive with remarkable art collections,
architecture, literature and entertainment. Enjoy
masterpieces by Van Gogh, Picasso and Rembrandt at
the Norton Simon Museum. Marvel at The Huntington
Library, Art Collections and Botanical Garden’s original
Gutenberg Bible, Ellesmere’s manuscript of Chaucer’s
“Canterbury Tales” and the famed “Pinkie” and “The
Blue Boy” paintings. Sixteen awe-inspiring gardens,
including authentic Chinese and Japanese gardens,
round out the experience.
For recreation, play a round of golf, see a sporting
event at the world-famous Rose Bowl Stadium or hike
through the scenic Arroyo Seco. Afterward, unwind
with a relaxing massage. In the evening catch a play
or concert, enjoy hot jazz or cool comedy or groove at
a local club.
The Pasadena Convention & Visitors Bureau’s destination experts offer a variety of services to meeting
planners. In addition to no-cost site selection assistance, the CVB can help with housing, transportation,
spousal tours, promotional materials and much more.
For more information, visit PasadenaMeetings.com.
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MPI’S MEETING GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA
2013
Monterey County CVB
meetinmonterey.com
There’s something extraordinary about meetings in
Monterey. With natural beauty known around the
world, and an unparalleled amount of activities and
amenities, your attendees will be overjoyed to experience an event in Monterey County.
Our staggering variety of natural resources pairs
with a wide range of hotel and resort options, more
than 12,000 rooms total from 200 properties. In the
heart of the California coast, our temperatures average 65 degrees year-round, so you can plan your program with confidence that Mother Nature will likely
be on your side. And now with added airline flights
it’s even easier to access the heart of California.
Hold a team-building activity along the Big Sur
coastline, offer an incentive trip that includes racing
cars at our Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca or plan your
offsite dinner at Clint Eastwood’s Mission Ranch (and
he may just show up to play piano). And we make it
easy for you. When you book your meeting through
us, we offer you complimentary services via our
destination specialists. Our professional staff acts as a
liaison between your association, company or group
and our member hotels, Monterey attractions and
convention facilities.
We also offer a wide variety of attendance promotion tools such as photos and videos, brochures and
other collateral. We offer complimentary visitor services and registration staff starting with four hours for
groups with 100 to 299 peak rooms and eight hours
for groups with 300+ peak rooms. Delegate housing
services are also available for groups with 450+ peak
rooms per night for two or more nights utilizing four
or more hotel properties.
The Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau
is a one-stop shop for all your meeting needs. Call us
at (800) 555-6290 or email sales@seemonterey.com to
discuss upcoming program requirements. Let’s brainstorm unique ideas. And we can send your request
for proposal out for bids. View our planner section
at MeetInMonterey.com for venue and meeting
facilities that will accommodate groups from 10 to
3,000 and discover the many ways delegates can enjoy
Monterey inside and outside the boardroom.
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MPI’S MEETING GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA
2013
Visit Napa Valley
visitnapavalley.com
Plan Your Next Meeting in The Legendary Napa Valley: America’s Premier Wine, Food, Arts and Wellness
Destination.
Come experience The Legendary Napa Valley—where
world-class wines, friendly faces, historic surroundings,
miles of nature preserves and a spirit of wellness set a
slower pace, inviting you to relax, savor
and restore.
Our farm-to-table culinary scene will
delight you, with more Michelin stars per
capita than any other wine region.
You’ll receive a warm welcome in
our winery tasting rooms, where you’ll
feel a rush of excitement on your palate when you sample our legendary
wines.
A vibrant art, live-music and theater
community will scratch your cultural
itch. And our healing hot-spring waters,
crisp-clean air and luxurious spa resorts
will renew you. You’ll want to stay a
little longer.
• More than 5,000 rooms in 150
properties from 5-star luxury
resorts to intimate bed and
breakfasts
• More than 200,000 square feet
of meeting space from ballrooms
to barrel rooms and wine caves
to vineyards
• More than 400 wineries with
95 percent family owned and
operated
• More than 125 of North America’s finest restaurants and 12
Michelin Stars
• 4 International airports
The Napa Valley is proud to be the
official wine region of the 34th America’s
Cup, and will be bringing its legendary
hospitality and world-class wine to the
San Francisco Bay this summer.
Whether you’re planning an executive
retreat, a large conference or an incentive
program, we’re here to help make you
shine. To get started, fill out our online
RFP at www.visitnapavalley.com,
email us at sales@visitnapa valley.com
or call (707) 260-0075.
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UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
“
Good leadership is always
going to involve the North Star, so
to speak—keeping your original
goal, which is unchanged by
evolving technology. In corporate
business an unchangeable goal
is to know your consumer; with
associations know your membership.
Be guided by that knowledge. And as
part of gathering that knowledge,
face-to-face communications, including
meetings, will always have a place.”
—Dr. Michio Kaku,
interviewed by One+ during digitalNow 2013
at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
(CC) DSTL UNR
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