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A collection of new changes in the meetings world, updated daily. SUBMIT YOUR PRESS/NEWS RELEASE
The Overland Park Marriott has announced the completion of a $20 million hotel renovation. The project dramatically updated the hotel's exterior and interior to create a more comfortable and accessible guest environment. The renovation began in April and included all 398 guestrooms and suites, hotel corridors, concierge lounge, the ballroom and 14,000 sq. ft. of meeting space.
Updated meeting space offers in-house audiovisual technology and Red Coat service featuring 45-second response time. The 15 meeting rooms have updated sound and lighting systems, as well as new digital reader boards. In addition, the hotel's exterior received a facelift, including a new color scheme and new landscaping features.
The Clarke Hotel is preparing for its grand opening in December 2008. Located in the heart of Historic Downtown Waukesha, this full-service boutique hotel is within walking distance from numerous galleries, shops, and award-winning eateries and pubs.
The hotel features a conference and banquet facility, which can accommodate up to 120 people with several intimate breakout spaces available, 20 suites, and classic cuisine at the elegant Black Trumpet Restaurant and bar.
The International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) has announced the 2008 graduates of its CEM Learning Program. This year's recipients of the Certified in Exhibition Management (CEM) designation will be recognized during the Opening General Session and Awards Presentation during Expo! Expo! IAEE's Annual Meeting & Exhibition. The 2008 CEM Learning Program yielded 282 graduates. To date, the program gas certified 840 graduates from 15 countries.
VISIT Milwaukee is one of four CVBs that have recently joined the Convene Green Alliance (CGA). The organization now has more than 400 members. All member CVBs boast significant green initiatives in their respective destinations. VISIT Milwaukee is among the first to join CGA in the new "Contributing Industry Member" category, where bureau staff members will lend their expertise by contributing case studies, white papers, research and real-world experiences to the resources available.
The International Special Events Society (ISES) has announced a call for presentations for ISES Eventworld 2009. The event will be held August 6 through August 8, 2009. Topics must be relevant to one of the following special events industry professional segments: • Evaluators • Executers • Knowledge Seekers
Original presentations are preferred. Presentations not given within the last six months might also be considered.
Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI) has named InterContinental Chicago as the recipient of its prestigious Chairman's Award as the ALHI Hotel of the Year. The award is given annually to the ALHI member hotel or resort that best displays extraordinary leadership, exemplifies "Commitment to Performance" in the marketplace, and epitomizes the partner relationship with ALHI.
The Crowne Plaza Glen Ellyn-Lombard, which celebrated its grand opening on October 28, is Crowne Plaza's first green hotel in the Chicago market. The hotel has more than 9,400 sq. ft. of meeting/banquet facilities, including seven meeting rooms, an executive boardroom, pre-function space and a full-wall video imaging display.
The hotel is 100% smoke free and includes a recycling program throughout the property. Rooms feature insulated low-E glass windows, it uses energy-reducing multistage boilers, uses regional vendors, high efficiency plumbing fixtures, and much more. The hotel's adjacent restaurant, Glen Prairie, is focused on locally grown, trans fat free cooking with a menu that emphasizes seasonal produce.
On November 12, the $1.1 billion Indianapolis International Airport Col. H. Weir Cook Terminal opened. The facility is the first designed and built post-9/11. The terminal touts 40 gates, including international gates, and will be able to handle up to 12 million passengers per year.
The 1.2 million sq. ft. terminal is slated to be the largest LEED-certified building in the Midwest. One special design feature is Civic Plaza, a pre-security 25,000 sq. ft. space with 100-ft. glass windows overlooking the runways and views of the city's skyline. This space is available for meeting planners as a unique place for special events and receptions.
More than 50 retailers and restaurants are featured throughout the terminal, including Indianapolis originals like the Indy 500 Grill, as well as free Wi-Fi. The new terminal is expected to save the airlines more than $12 million a year in fuel costs by reducing taxi time. From a convention attendee and visitor perspective, the commute from the airport to downtown and the Indiana Convention Center is only 16 minutes, and a new "Green Line" shuttle service is available for only $7.
It is expected that a new 250-room hotel, located at the airport complex, will be developed in the next five years.
Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis has announced its recent recognition as an AAA Five Diamond property. This award is given to only 0.28% of the 58,000 diamond-rated lodgings and restaurants throughout North America. Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis is the only AAA Five Diamond property in Missouri and is one of only ten hotels added this year to the list of 103 hotels throughout North America.
To receive the award, Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis underwent multiple blind evaluations by a panel of experts. The hotel is physically rated on 75 different benchmarks, while the staff is evaluated on 228 individual standards.
Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center has been recognized by the 2008 American Graphic Design Awards. A print advertisement targeted to grooms and a special die-cut brochure highlighting the facility's capability to handle large events won top honors in the national contest. Both were created by their agency-of-record, DW Advertising in Deephaven.
Joe Martin, CHA will take on the role of 2009 AH&LA chairman. During his inaugural speech Sunday night, Martin told an audience of industry leaders that the key to strengthening the association and industry in upcoming years lies in strategic implementation of connectivity, communication and collaboration. Martin is the owner/operator of Stillwater Hospitality, LLC.
He has served on the association's board of director for the past nine years, and he is a member of the executive council and officer liaison for the Governmental Affairs/HotelPAC committee, Multicultural & Diversity Advisory Council, and Women In Lodging Executive Council, among others.
Chicago-based Convention Components, Inc., an international convention transportation service providers, has announced a new offering. The company now offers meeting planners an online transportation solution called Destination Express, which offers private ground transportation to and from the airport and convention hotels. The online solution allows attendees to sign up online for a higher level of personalized transportation service.
Attendees arriving at a destination airport are greeted by staff who direct them to vehicles reserved exclusively for their use. Attendees are transported directly to their convention site or hotel. The experience allows riders to travel to and from convention hotels with fellow attendees, without the extended wait times associated with non-exclusive intra-city bus service.
VISIT Milwaukee received a 2008 Wisconsin Tourism Trailblazer award from the Wisconsin Association of CVBs (WACVB). The bureau received the award for outstanding marketing and partnership projects. VISIT Milwaukee led a community effort to create a bronze sculpture of Fonzie, from the TV show Happy Days. The CVB raised $85,000 for the downtown Milwaukee tourism attraction and created events and other public relations efforts that generated $9.5 million in media coverage.
At the same time, the CVB raised $17,000 for a Milwaukee literacy program. VISIT Milwaukee also brought an educational component to the project by enlisting the assistance of UW-Milwaukee public relations students. WACVB presents the Wisconsin Tourism Trailblazers awards each year in an effort to increase the visibility of Wisconsin's tourism industry and destination marketing organizations.
The Greektown Casino-Hotel in Detroit is now accepting room and convention space reservations for 2009. The 400-room property will open in February. The hotel will feature 10,000 sq. ft. of state-of-the-art meeting space, which will be available immediately upon the hotel's opening.
Greektown Casino-Hotel is also accepting RFPs for its Events Center, scheduled to open in 2010.The Events Center will be located on the upper level of the casino and will feature 15,000 sq. ft. of meeting and convention space.
Since the completion of Lambeau Field’s redevelopment and addition of the Lambeau Field Atrium, Lambeau Field in Green Bay has once again been rated the #1 NFL stadium experience for 2008 by Sports Illustrated. Lambeua Field has also become a leading convention and meeting destination in the Midwest.
With the $295 million renovation, Lambeau Field now offers more than 77,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, including the main floor, which can seat up to 1,500 people, and several smaller conference rooms that can accommodate ten to 800 people. Lambeau Field features onsite catering service from Levy Restaurant, along with full-time event coordinators to assists organizations with their meeting planning.
The Trade Show Exhibitors Association (TSEA) has announced that the inaugural Emerging Leaders Program, designed for exhibit managers and - for the first time - suppliers, will be held February 26 through March 1, 2009. Through a series of interactive workshops, emerging industry leaders will learn how to advance their careers and companies by becoming strategic partners. In order to create an intimate educational setting, space will be limited to the first 50 registrants.
Nicole Beykirch has joined the staff of the DuPage CVB as sales manager for the corporate, fraternal and ethnic markets. Beykirch has more than 20 years in the hospitality and meetings industry. She has worked as a sales manager for the Morton’s of Chicago restaurant in New York City, the Four Seasons Hotel in Newport Beach, CA, and Kimpton Hotels in Chicago.
Beykirch spent nine years as director of sales and marketing at the Herrington Inn & Spa in Geneva. Most recently, she was a member of the opening team for Hotel Arista in Naperville. She is an active committee member of MPI-CAC.
The Palmer House in Chicago has completed a $170 million restoration. One of the largest projects of its kind in the US, the Palmer House completed the project on the heels of the hotel's 138th anniversary. Guestrooms were remodeled, with the addition of ten hospitality suites for convention guests and meeting planners.
In addition to the Empire Room, Red Lacquer Room, and now restored Grand and State Ballrooms, a new social space – the Honore Ballroom – was added to cater to events. Existing meeting spaces were expanded and redesigned to accommodate the needs of business travelers and meeting attendees.
SMG has announced the appointment of Kathy Bart as director of sales for DeVos Place Convention Center in Grand Rapids. Bart will work collectively with the Grand Rapids CVB and area hotels in filling the event calendar and monitoring all activities relating to booking national caliber meetings at the facility. Her responsibilities include making direct sales calls to key industry related associations on a local, regional and national level.
Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells has announced that MPI-WI has honored Joey Greeno, senior convention sales manager, with the 2007-2008 Rising Star Award. The Rising Star Award is presented to a newer member of the chapter who has become an active part of the organization. Greeno has more than 17 years of experience in the hospitality industry. He has been a senior convention sales manager at Kalahari Resort for the past five years.
Affinia Hotels has introduced new meeting packages created to suit the styles and sensibilities of a wide range of meeting attendees in key US cities. Meetings by Design features four tailored packages. To launch Meetings By Design, special values and upgrades are available based on minimum spends per meeting, including free Meetings By Design packages and incentives such as a private wine reception.
The four packages include Green Meetings, Brainstorming, Hi-Tech and No-Tech.
The Rochester CVB took home the Best in Show award from the American Society of Association Executives Annual Meeting. Among more than 900 tradeshow booths, the Rochester CVB's exhibit, featuring "Dance Heads" technology, rose above the crowd.
Performing in front of a green screen, Dance Heads super-imposes participants’ heads on professional dancers’ bodies while they sing along to popular hit songs. The booth invited participants to sign up as “VIPs” and show off their performing skills. The effect was completed with fully animated backgrounds. Monitors allowed viewers to watch participants become singing and dancing stars.
VISIT Milwaukee has received The Aaron D. Cushman/SATW Public Relations Award. The Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) has recognized VISIT Milwaukee with the award for its work on building a new film economy for Wisconsin and Milwaukee. The gold win came under the category of "best publicity campaign for a CVB.
The Aaron D. Cushman/SATW Public Relations Awards honors those on the public relations side of the travel business who produce outstanding campaigns that help to bring attention to their hotel, destination or attraction clients.
The Metropolitan Airport Authority of Peoria (MAAP) recently revealed the new name and logo for the Peoria International Airport. A groundbreaking ceremony for the new $65 million passenger terminal facility was held earlier this month.
The MAAP announced its unanimous decision to rename the airport the General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport, as an honor to General Downing and his accomplishments. The General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport currently provides service to nine destinations on five airlines.
One year ago, Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago launched an extensive recycling program and energy conservation program called “When not in use, turn off the juice.” An effort to compost biodegradable food material has been introduced, and Hyatt Regency McCormick Place bottles its own water at its restaurant, Shor.
The hotel’s green program has garnered successful results with the participation of its staff and guests. In the past year, 76 tons of material (equaling 300 cubic yards) has been recycled, approximately 1,500 trees have been saved, and more than three tons of food has been composted.
Hyatt Regency McCormick Place recycles paper, plastic, aluminum, cardboard, light bulbs and glass, as well as construction waste from renovations. Through this program, 76 tons of material and 20 tons of construction waste have been recycled. Paper recycling containers are located throughout the facility, with a particular focus on the hotel’s business center.
Housekeepers recycle newspapers and paper products from guestrooms, and larger bins are available for banquet and conference clean-up. Over the past year, energy consumption at Hyatt Regency McCormick Place has been reduced by 5%.
Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison has welcomed Rachel Schaefer as a new member of the event coordination team. Schaefer graduated from the College of Saint Catherine in St. Paul, MN. She relocated to Madison and worked for the Hilton Garden Inn Madison West/Middleton as a sales and catering coordinator.