Smart Meetings | Page 108 of 602 | Corporate Event Planning: Business Events, Meetings, Conferences

Gavin Bailey

Bailey is senior travel industry sales manager for Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Puerto Rico. His start in the hospitality industry began more than 20 years ago with Air Jamaica, where he was a lead agent in reservations and irregular operations.

He began working with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company in 2009 at The Ritz-Carlton Golf and Spa Resort in Rose Hall, Jamaica as travel sales industry coordinator. Since then, he has worked at The Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne; The Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove and The Ritz-Carlton Fort Lauderdale, where he held the role of area senior sales manager of leisure sales for the three properties.

Diann Flanders and Jennifer Hanna

Diann Flanders (left) and Jennifer Hanna (right)

Flanders is senior sales manager of catering and Hanna is group sales manager for The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota in Florida.

Flanders comes from Prime Vacations, where she worked as regional sales manager for eight boutique properties in southwest Florida. Before this, Flanders worked at National Independent Automobile Dealers Association as director of dealer development and Leedom and Associates LLC as executive meeting planner/general manager.

Hanna previously worked at Marriott IndyPlace in Indianapolis, where she worked as market director of catering sales. Other prior experience includes working as director of sales and marketing for Le Meridien Indianapolis and senior sales manager at JW Marriott Indianapolis.

Michael Manzari and Jennifer Sack

Michael Manzari (left) and Jennifer Sack (right)

Manzari is general manager and Sack is director of sales and marketing for the recently opened JW Marriott Clearwater Beach Resort & Spa in Florida.

Manzari has an extensive past with Marriott International, most recently working as general manager at W Hollywood Hotel & Residences, Los Angeles. Before this L.A.-based position, he worked in Philadelphia as complex general manager of the city’s Westin and Le Meridien properties. He has also worked with several JW Marriott properties.

Sack has been in the hospitality industry for more than 25 years. Her previous role began in December 2021, when she worked as director of sales and marketing for The Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club in Florida. She also worked as sales specialist for Marriott’s Florida’s sales organization.

Michael Valkos

Arizona’s Adero Scottsdale Resort has promoted Valkos to general manager after being with the property for less than a year as assistant general manager. Before joining Adero, Valkos worked as general manager for Moxy Phoenix Tempe/ASU Area. He has also worked as opening campus general manager for Hyatt Place/Hyatt House in Scottsdale, general manager at Residence Inn Manhattan Beach and opening general at Homewood Suites by Hilton Los Angele Redondo Beach, both located in California.

John Savchuck

Savchuck joins Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa in Bonita Springs, Florida, as director of rooms. Savchuck comes to the property from Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina in Cambridge, Maryland, where he worked as director of operations. His experience with Hyatt Hotels spans nearly 16 years and includes properties throughout the East Coast, such as Hyatt Regency Orlando Airport, Hyatt Regency Jersey City and Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach Resort & Spa.

Julian Payne and Ben Yoo

Julian Payne (left) and Ben Yoo (right), Photo: Kathy Tran

Payne is general manager and Yoo is vice president of operations for Hotel Swexan in Dallas.

Payne previously worked as general manager at The MC Hotel in Montclair, New Jersey. Before this, he worked as hotel general manager for The Rockaway Hotel in New York City and Bungalow Hotel in Long Branch, New Jersey, in the same capacity.

Yoo comes from Thackerville, Oklahoma, where he worked as assistant general manager at WinStar World Casino Hotel. Before this, he spent time in Las Vegas, working as director of rooms at Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas and operations director at Hotel Bel-Air in Beverly Hills, California.

Cosimo Lardo

Lardo is resort manager at Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North in Arizona. Lardo previously led food and beverage operations at Four Seasons Hotel Kuwait at Burj Alshaya. Before this, he worked on the food and beverage management team at Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica Peninsula Papagayo. He also worked at Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa and Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire in England.

Olivier Thomas

Thomas has been named managing director for Hotel de Paris Monto-Carlo in Monaco. Thomas comes from Abu Dhabi, where he worked as general manager at Four Seasons Al Maryah Island and general manager at Four Seasons Hotel Casablanca in Morroco.

Pablo Migoya

The Cloudveil, an Autograph Collection Hotel in Jackson, Wyoming, named Migoya general manager. Most recently, Migoya worked as managing director at Hotel Hugo in New York City; during this time, he played a part in creating Thompson Hotels in 2001. Before this, he worked as general manager at SoHo Grand and Tribeca Grand hotels in New York City.

Dennis Quinn

Quinn is Universal Orlando Resort’s senior vice president of hotel commercial strategy. He previously worked as senior vice president of sales for Universal Studios Hollywood. Before heading to Hollywood, he worked as Universal Orlando’s vice president of sales.

Quinn has spent nearly 25 years with Universal, joining the company as vice president of resorts leisure marketing and sales at Universal Orlando where he was responsible for its three on-site resorts. He has served on the board of CalTravel and was vice chair for Visit California’s international committee.

Tips for expressing appreciation from a former monk

What does it mean to have a mindful culture in the workplace? It can mean many things, but the central component is that employees feel like they’re respected, cared for and that their opinion is valued. A paycheck is good, but it’s not always enough. Here are some key aspects to cultivate and develop a positive workplace environment where employees feel secure and want to go above and beyond the call of duty.

Appreciation and Recognition

Pandit Dasa

Everyone wants to be appreciated and recognized for the work they have put in. There is nothing more discouraging than putting your heart and soul into a project and the managers or supervisors don’t appreciate the efforts that were undertaken. This approach is not going to be sustainable because it will make workers want to jump ship and look for other opportunities where they are made to feel like their hard work matters.

Even outside of the work environment, nobody would want to stay in a relationship where they’re not properly appreciated and encouraged by their partner for the big and little things that are being done. So, if we hope to have a loyal employee base and improve retention, we will need to make sure that we are sufficiently and on a consistent basis appreciating the endeavors of the workforce and encouraging colleagues to celebrate each other’s success and not feel threatened by it.

According to the Huffington Post, employees that are appreciated work harder and don’t develop a wandering eye.

There’re many ways to express appreciation to our workforce and it doesn’t always have to be expensive. Simple things such as:

Verbal or handwritten thank you note: Be specific in your appreciation. This lets them understand that you took notice about their specific contribution.
Lunch: everyone likes a free lunch and it’s a relatively inexpensive way to express gratitude.
Time off: Giving someone a half or full day off can be much appreciated by the employee, allowing them extra time to spend with family and friends.
Monetary compensation: Who wouldn’t love a little extra cast for a job well done?
Recognition in a company newsletter: This of course would require a significant contribution by the employee, but is sure to make one’s day when their accomplishments are made publicly known.

Celebrating the Success of Colleagues

When a workplace becomes highly competitive, everyone becomes so focused on their own goals and achievements that it becomes increasingly difficult to appreciate the contributions being made by their colleagues and coworkers. It’s vital to create a mindful workplace culture where employees are encouraged to appreciate the contributions and positive qualities of each other.

When this happens, there will naturally be higher levels of trust between team members and teams and this will facilitate collaboration between individuals because no one is feeling threatened by someone else’s success.

Helping Our Colleagues Succeed

With the “every man for himself” corporate culture that exists in many organizations, no one is going to want to help anyone else succeed and ultimately, this will stifle the growth of the individuals and the larger organization. We don’t want a workplace culture where an individual sits by while his or her colleague fails. People want to work in an environment where they’re not having to look over their shoulder and fear backstabbing. Rather, a workforce will thrive when they can trust one another and know that their co-workers have their back.

Leading by Example

Those in leadership positions have to lead by example and walk the talk if they hope to transform the culture in their workplace. This essentially means consistently appreciating the contributions made by their workforce. This will serve as a motivating tool for colleagues to do the same with one another. We can’t ask others to do something that we ourselves aren’t doing. We can’t expect others to recognize each other’s contributions if we are not leading the charge. If we do, we will lose all credibility fast and this will diminish the mood and inspiration for the rest of the workforce. Most people have grown tired of witnessing leaders say one thing and then do another.

Mindfulness in the Workplace

Mindfulness can provide tremendous benefits for our mental health. Being mindful of our mental health can be one of the most important ways to provide self-care and it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Mindfulness isn’t limited to sitting down, closing your eyes and meditating. It includes how we react and respond to people we don’t get along with and how we handle stressful and conflicting situations.

A steady mindfulness practice not only helps us lower our stress levels but also decreases our tendency to react in delicate situations. A simple practice of taking a few deep breaths throughout the day before a potentially challenging meeting can help clear the clutter of the mind and calm our emotions so we are more prepared to deal with whatever is going to come next. A simple three-minute routine one can follow is:

Take 10 deep breaths filling your lungs completely and exhaling.
Feel grateful for something that’s currently happening in your life and something that happened in the past.
Appreciate one colleague that you have a positive relationship with and one you have a challenging relationship with. This is a great way to shift our mindset towards people we don’t get along with so well.

Changing culture is not something that’s going to happen overnight and it’s not going to be easy. There will be much resistance along the way. It will require determination on the part of leadership and the buy-in from the rest of the team. However, if we want our organization to thrive and have longevity, creating a mindful and positive workplace culture will need to become an essential part of the journey.

—

Pandit Dasa is a keynote speaker, former monk and author of the book, “Mindfulness for the Wandering Mind: Life-Changing Tools for Managing Stress and Improving Mental Health at Work and in Life.”

Brought to You by Caesars Entertainment

smartphone displaying points With more than 50 resorts and properties around the U.S., Caesars Entertainment is the largest casino-entertainment company in the nation. In addition to a focus on meetings and events, Caesars Entertainment is also a leader in corporate social responsibility (CSR) with a longstanding commitment to gender and racial equity in hiring, leadership, and management; social and environmental impact; and responsible gaming.

The well-being of all employees, customers and communities is another important ethos for the company and inspired the Caesars Entertainment Global Wellness Challenge. The challenge, powered by Heka Health, in celebration of Global Wellness Day 2023 starts on June 9th at midnight and ends on June 10th at midnight. You can participate in a range of wellness activities (walking, journaling, yoga, donating) and some healthy competition with your peers and win prizes for reaching your challenge goals.

MPI Oakland event prioritized DEIB education

MPI Northern California Chapter’s Annual Conference Experience moved to Oakland Marriott City Center from its traditional home in San Francisco this week with a new format. The group pledged to “revolutionize conferences” by “saying goodbye to traditional trade show booths and hello to interactive networking experiences and relevant education.”

In practice that meant a robust lineup of think tanks and panel discussions on trends and deep dives into digital marketing by way of Adore founder and Creative Director Lisa Larson; environmental, social and governance priorities from Hilton Director of Sales Ava Setzer; and AI adaptations from Endless Events Chief Event Einstein Will Curran.

The interactive component came in the form of fireside chats a la IMEX Las Vegas around the topics of wellness, working with a DMO and the ever-popular MPI & Me.

Language of DEIB Matters

Greg DeShields

The message from the main stage was a full-throated endorsement of the power of volunteerism, ethics and inclusion. Tourism Diversity Matters Executive Director Greg DeShields enthusiastically greeted the lunch crowd of 340 with a reminder that little things like saying “good afternoon” and “thank you” with emphasis are the basis of hospitality and business. Those micro-interactions create a positive memory that can be put in a person’s “bank” for when they need it.

Because words matter, even the language of diversity is evolving to include the B of “belonging” as the end goal for all the inclusion work being done. DeShields defined that as “a feeling of security and support.” That embrace of diversity beyond race, gender and sexuality will become more important as time goes on, he added.

Setting people up to feel as if they truly belong is a strategic advantage, DeShields explained. Building diverse cultures will help to recruit and retain diverse Gen Z audiences who are the most racially and ethnically diverse.

“This is a business issue,” DeShields said. “Minority and disabled travelers spend billions of dollars every year and want to go where they feel respected and treated well,” he explained.

“Now is the time to hold leaders accountable for sticking with commitments made in 2021,” he said.

Asked what this means in the context of destination boycotts due to legislation seen as adverse to some groups, DeShields suggested being strategic.

“Where the legislation is already baked in law, I suggest going and supporting good people who are there,” he said. “It hurts businesses and hotels and doesn’t benefit to put a stranglehold on them for something they can’t control. Instead, go and work with local groups that are trying to have a positive impact.”

In states with proposed legislation, he suggested a different approach. “Communicate the value your event could bring to the destination to lawmakers and let them know negative legislation can have an economic impact. Sharing your voice can be effective,” he said.

“Kindness counts and at its heart, DEI is about treating people with respect,” DeShields concluded.

Action Steps

Meeting professionals are uniquely positioned to help attendees feel that they belong in the small and large decisions they make every day. DeShields shared a list of things to take into account early in the planning process.

Consider religious holidays when mapping out event calendars. Avoiding holy days could alleviate difficult decisions on behalf of your audience and increase attendance.
Picture the run of show, literally. By looking at the faces that will be on stage and in panels, you can quickly see whether you are lacking in diverse voices when developing content.
Curate a diverse supplier list. This may mean starting early to get more vendors vetted but could result in more meaningful interactions. Destination Marketing Organizations can help you do this in new cities.
Develop a diversity statement that includes how your values and experiences advance your work. Share it widely and refer to it often.
Make a commitment!

Quote of the week: People are not buying things…they are investing in themselves. People are happy getting back to reclaim their life and their joy and people are traveling. Travel is something people are prioritizing. Our team is ready and I think [this summer] is going to be a good travel period.

– Ed Bastian, Delta CEO on CBS This Morning

Airline Satisfaction: Food is the Only Category Rising

The JD Power 2023 North America Airline Satisfaction Study released on May 10 found that customer satisfaction with major airlines is down significantly for a second consecutive year.

Read More: Fasten Your Seat Belts

“If yield management were the only metric airlines needed to be successful in the long term, this would be a banner year for the industry because they are operating at peak economic efficiency,” said Michael Taylor, travel intelligence lead at J.D. Power. “From the customer perspective, however, that means planes are crowded, tickets are expensive and flight availability is constrained. While these drawbacks have not yet put a dent in leisure travel demand, if this trend continues, travelers will reach a breaking point and some airline brands may be damaged.”

Following are some of the key findings of the 2023 study:

Overall passenger satisfaction declines, driven largely by cost of airfare: Overall passenger satisfaction is 791 (on a 1,000-point scale), down 7 points from a year ago. This is the second consecutive year of waning passenger satisfaction, following a 22-point decline in 2022 from 2021. The biggest factor driving this year’s decline in satisfaction is cost and fees, which has fallen 17 points from 2022.
First-class passengers buck the trend: While overall satisfaction is down, passengers in the first/business segment have had a decidedly more positive experience. Passenger satisfaction scores in this segment are up 9 points year-over-year. The gains are due in part to increases in food and beverage scores as many services were reinstated for upper-class cabins in the post-pandemic period.
Low-cost carriers feel the pinch: Annual declines in passenger satisfaction are most pronounced in the economy/basic economy segment where price-conscious passengers have found fewer airfare bargains this year. Satisfaction with cost and fees in the economy/basic economy segment is down 19 points from a year ago.
One thing everyone can agree on: One of the few areas showing improvement across all segments this year is food and beverage, which is up 12 points overall from 2022.

Airline Rankings

JetBlue Airways ranks highest in customer satisfaction in the first/business segment for a second consecutive year, with a score of 893. Delta Air Lines (865) ranks second and United Airlines (848) ranks third.

Delta Air Lines ranks highest in customer satisfaction in the premium economy segment with a score of 848. JetBlue Airways (840) ranks second and Alaska Airlines (823) ranks third.

Southwest Airlines ranks highest in customer satisfaction in the economy/basic economy segment for a second consecutive year, with a score of 827. Delta Air Lines (801) ranks second and JetBlue Airways (800) ranks third.

The North America Airline Satisfaction Study measures passenger satisfaction with airline carriers in North America based on performance in eight factors (in alphabetical order): aircraft; baggage; boarding; check-in; cost and fees; flight crew; in-flight services; and reservation. The study measures passenger satisfaction in three segments—first/business, premium economy and economy/basic economy—and is based on responses from 7,774 passengers. Passengers needed to have flown on a major North America airline within the past month of completing a survey. The study was fielded from March 2022 through March 2023.

Source: JD Power

US Department of State Raises Travel Advisory for Jamaica, Columbia

The U.S. Department of State has raised their travel advisory levels for Jamaica and Columbia to Level 3. In their advisory on Jamaica, the State Department said:

“Reconsider travel to Jamaica due to crime. U.S. government personnel are prohibited from traveling to many areas due to increased risk. Violent crimes, such as home invasions, armed robberies, sexual assaults and homicides, are common. Sexual assaults occur frequently, including at all-inclusive resorts.”

The advisory on Columbia states “crime and terrorism” as the reason for the red flag.

To put the “advisory” into context, however, the entire countries of China and Egypt are currently under a level 3 advisory.

Jamaica Tourist Board released a statement saying, “While we are disappointed to continue to be listed at Level 3, it is important to note that there are very distinctly defined areas within Jamaica that the advisory cites as having a high risk for crime, so the majority of the island’s tourism product is not included in it.

Overall, the crime rate against visitors to Jamaica remains extremely low at 0.01% and the island is ranked among the top destinations for international travel this year. In fact, Jamaica is experiencing a rise in summer 2023 air travel bookings by 33% as compared to summer 2022 according to data by ForwardKeys. Visitors can continue to come to the island with confidence to enjoy all that the destination has to offer.

While incidents may sometimes occur, as is the case in destinations throughout the world, they are never acceptable, nor are they to be tolerated. Jamaica remains committed to providing a safe and secure environment for visitors and local citizens alike.”

Gifting experiences, sustainable products and giving back

The era of your standard, boring and disposable corporate gifting at events is over. Experiential gifting is memorable, sustainable and reflects the personality of the organization as well as the meeting planner. When corporate gifting is meaningful and interactive, recipients feel important and associate the organization and the producers of the event with high standards and thoughtful business operations. We asked gifting partners for tips to elevate the gifting experience.

“You can’t give out another water bottle. Give out the weirdest thing you can give.”

— Johnny Earle, a.k.a. Johnny Cupcakes, founder and CEO, Johnny Cupcakes

Johnny Cupcakes

Speaker, DJ, designer and popup shop entrepreneur Johnny Cupcakes has created a brand that is the epitome of experiential gifting. With his creative designs to incorporate a food experience into every product, his company can create t-shirts with the actual smell of cupcakes. Employing a strong vision for the future and care for the sustainability and meaningfulness of the product, Johnny Cupcakes created a brand spreading his experiential corporate gifts all over the world.

“It shows relevancy,” says Johnny Earle, a.k.a. Johnny Cupcakes, founder and CEO of his namesake brand. “You can’t give out another water bottle. Give out the weirdest thing you can.”

Read More: Gifting in the Age of Virtual Events.

Johnny Cupcakes employs out-of-the-box packaging like T-shirts folded in VHS movie boxes or shirts featuring ice cream rolled into pushup pop packaging. “It’s not about B to B but H to H–human to human,” says Earle. “It’s not about checking boxes. It’s a way to make people feel special. The shirts feel like more than a shirt.”

The H-H mentality extends beyond the swag bag. Johnny Cupcakes is involved with several organizations to give back. The company is partnered with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Asian American Advocacy Fund.

When a T-shirt people actually wear is a corporate gift aligned with charitable organizations recipients care about, it becomes a conversation starter that advertises the event by word-of-mouth wherever that recipient travels. Creating an experience, a memory and a conversation is what makes experiential corporate gifting worth investing in.

Johnny Cupcakes packaging

Essential Bodywear

As a meeting planner herself, Essential Bodywear founder and CEO Carrie Charlick realized most experiential corporate gifting was primarily geared towards men–not women in the industry or the wives of the men invited.

“The men get the PGA Golf Tour, they get the hand rolled cigars, they get all these amazing experiences in gifts and (the women) get nothing,” says Charlick.

Charlick and her team attended Smart Woman Summit 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee and fit female attendees for bras that supported them perfectly, allowing them to walk away with a gift that made them feel confident. Charlick feels passionately about bras being a product changes lives and is involved with the nonprofit, I Support the Girls. She goes into the inner cities to not only donate bras but train counselors in bra fitting. The result is young women who may not otherwise have had access to a proper bra fitting or a quality bra being elevated by the “the girls” sitting in a comfortable place and not being a source of insecurity.

“I believe in giving back and supporting women,” says Charlick. I do believe that the confidence, especially for young women, is so important. If you have confidence, you can do so much more.”

Essential Bodywear also helped out women’s shelters during the pandemic that were becoming overcrowded and running out of supplies. “During the pandemic, I Support the Girls reached out to us and said our women’s shelters are overrun,” says Charlick. “Think about this. (There’s) tragedy in the world but you’re at home with an abuser. And now he can’t go to work, and you’re stuck at home with them.” Essential Bodywear began to then send bras of all sizes, send measuring equipment and a training staff so the staff could be knowledgeable to help the women in need.

Partnering with companies like Essential Bodywear ensures a meaningful experience for your attendees, but also helps them continue their charitable work and their dedication to corporate social responsibility. Women of all walks of life will feel appreciated, confident and wear the gift time and time again while remembering your event.

Citizen Watch America

Citizen Watch America has been a corporate gifting partner with Smart Meetings since 2021 and the wide variety of product, the dedication to environmental organizations and the experience attendees enjoy as they choose a watch which speaks to them creates excitement for the event and a sustainable gift which will be worn and used repeatedly—not left in a hotel room.

Adrienne Forrest, senior vice president corporate sales, gave Smart Meetings insight into why time pieces are classic, memorable, affordable and sustainable gifts and discusses what is trending now.

Forrest stresses the wide portfolio of brands Citizen Watch carries makes their corporate gifting options affordable and customizable for any event. “We have watches and clocks that go from under $25 to up to $40,000,” says Forrest.

Sustainability and brand reliability are trending, and Citizen Watch commits to both. The battery-free watches are powered by Eco-Drive, a technology which manipulates light, any light, into powering the watch. Citizen claims their implementation of this technology over the past 47 years has kept enough batteries out of landfills to match the height of Mt. Everest–that’s every year.

With so many new products and innovations attempting to do new, more, bigger and better, Forrest says millennials are requesting established brands that are more traditional, well-known and trusted. “Authenticity seems to be a key factor,” says Forrest. “There’s a demand for our product category and we have the portfolio of brands.”

Citizen Watch America

Joycoast

Sustainability continues to be a trend in experiential corporate gifting and Joycoast goes one step further to give back to the environment. Not only are the gifts themselves sustainable, but for every one gift purchased, ten trees will be planted.

Joycoast is focused on personalized gifting with their gender-neutral merchandise created from eco-friendly, sustainable materials. The experience of having on-site staffing to work with gift recipients to pick the accessories they like the most creates an environment of excitement, appreciation and a memory of your event every time they wear their shades.

Halo

Personalization speaks volumes when it comes to corporate gifting. Halo Strategic Branding Director and Smart Women in Meetings Award winner Laurie Amigo delivers with customized kits and products for meeting professionals with products that are functional, sustainable and speak to personal interests.

More and more people are starting podcasts. It is a way to promote their brand or simply have their voice heard. Halo has created a podcast kit named “McStreamy” to get any amateur podcaster off the ground. Complete with light ring, an adjustable phone holder arm and a studio-quality microphone, this corporate gifting kit tells recipients that you WANT to hear their voice and they will be touched and grateful for something they are excited to utilize.

For anyone on the go, the “Chi Charge Trio” kit from Halo is a dream come true. This small and travel-friendly device is a charging oblong-shaped platform that can charge your wireless devices on one side while monitoring the temperature of your hot or cold drink on the other. Place it on your desk and you will have your coffee or tea at your preferred temperature and wireless devices charging and booth ready to be easily picked up as you work.

When the $520 million Omni PGA Frisco Resort opened the first week in May, it was hailed by the meetings industry as a “game-changer.” The resort’s sheer size (over 127,000 sq. ft. of indoor/outdoor meeting and event spaces; a 23,000-square-foot Grand Ballroom, complemented by an 11,500-square-foot Junior Ballroom for grand celebrations) and its groundbreaking affiliation with the newly headquartered PGA of America are two reasons why.

To find out how and why the resort will have planners feeling like it is championship season, we asked Gus Tejeda, Omni PGA Frisco Resort’s director of sales and marketing, for some context.

Smart Meetings: Which came first: the PGA move to Frisco or the resort opening?

Tejeda: The PGA of America moved their headquarters here last year and is an important component of our campus. The PGA manages our two courses (Fields Ranch East and West) and they were very involved in the golf course design as they are the subject matter experts in hosting championship golf events.

How is Omni PGA Frisco Resort a game changer for meeting planners both in and beyond the world of golf?

One big differentiator is the uniqueness of our indoor/outdoor meeting space. Our Monument Realty PGA District is a four-minute walk to the resort and is a retail/dining entertainment experience (available for buyouts) that makes you feel like you’re off-property when you’re not. We have three restaurants at the District, four retail venues, and the highlight is a 70,000 sq. ft. putting green called the Dance Floor and the Swing, a par-3, ten-hole course.

hitting bay at omni pga resort — Omni PGA Frisco Resort hitting bay

What makes this so unique is we also have a large video board, 1,000 sq. ft. in size and a 6,000-square-foot event space where meeting participants could listen to their chairman speaking on the video screen or watching a sporting event. Meanwhile, people can be putting on the Dance Floor or the par-3, ten-hole course—the two activations close by to each other. We don’t know of any other resort that offers this type of experience. The best part is you don’t have to be an expert golfer to play.

Another USP is our indoor/outdoor meeting spaces. We have nine outdoor meeting spaces. Panther Creek Pavilion is a stand-alone pavilion of 5,000 sq. ft. connected to a 10,000 sq. ft. event lawn. It makes you feel like you are worlds away but in walking distance of the ballrooms. We can accommodate 300 in the pavilion and the feeling is very much of being in your own world: a great win for meetings.

We hear that you are already actively participating in Omni’s Say Goodnight to Hunger program.

Since we started the program in 2016, we have offered up 22 million meals through this program. This will remain a pillar of our company going forward. For every guest stay, our resort is donating a meal to the North Texas Foodbank. Our CSI program has a number of organizations like the North Texas Foodbank which we work with. In partnership with the Frisco Independent School District, we offer our courses to the local high school golf teams as a home course, so the kids can learn to play golf on PGA Championship courses.

Read More: Texas, A World Apart

Why is Frisco hot for planners right now?

Frisco has grown in the past 20 years. It went from a city of 25,000 residents to a city of over 200,000. Money Magazine rated it “The Fastest Growing City in America,” two years in a row. It is home to the Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters and home to the Dallas Stars (hockey team) and to FC Dallas (professional soccer team). Frisco has the moniker of “Sports City, USA.” Golf is a new component. A number of Fortune 500 companies are also moving here. Surrounding us is $10 billion of development slated to be completed in the next 10 years.

Other developments less than two miles away include a new Universal Studios resort theme park nearby for children ages 3-11. And we are just a 40-minute drive from the airports: DFW and Dallas Love: most of America can be home within a 3-hour flight.

How the fine dining brand never lost momentum

In 1998, Jack Nicholson won the Oscar for best actor in “As Good as It Gets.” During that same year, the first national chef-led catering company launched with a mission to carry out that title as a company motto. The foundation for providing top-shelf catering was laid by celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck, who believed that catering services shouldn’t be mired in mass-produced batches of food in hot boxes and served in chafing dishes.

Puck’s flagship restaurant, Spago, served as the catalyst for the chef’s expansion into catering as many of the Oscar-viewing parties including Hollywood A-listers were hosted at the fine dining establishment at the behest of literary agent, Irving “Swifty” Lazar, highlighting a blind spot in the special events catering industry. And Spago’s star-studded fanfare didn’t go unnoticed. The event organizers behind the Oscars recognized the restaurant’s popularity and decided to bring Puck’s culinary creations directly to the awards show—leading to the launch of Wolfgang Puck Catering (WPC).

Smart Meetings caught up with the president of Wolfgang Puck Catering, Pamela Brunson to discuss the brand’s origins and future. “Lazar very famously had an Oscar viewing party where he had a lot of literary type of guests for a seated dinner and then had an incredible A-list reception after the awards during a time where there weren’t a lot of post-award events happening,” Brunson said. “It was a very unique opportunity.” Some big Hollywood names that joined Swifty’s receptions included Don Rickles, Ed McMahon, Angie Dickenson and Bob Newhart, to name a few.

While the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a membership organization and had traditionally been an industry insider event, the organization eventually began to reimagine what type of experience they would deliver and reached out Puck in the hopes of capturing the fun and vibrancy experienced by Lazar’s guests thanks to the atmosphere and food provided by Spago. “They were really interested and willing to change it up,” Brunson said.

Elevated and Personalized á La Minute

Image of Wolfgang Puck Catering, Pamela Brunson. — Wolfgang Puck Catering President Pamela Brunson. Credit: Oscar Antonio Photography

An established standard of popularity may have been what catapulted Puck’s brand into the catering and events industry, but it was the brand’s keen sense of the finer details around presentation and diner experience that has kept the brand on the top shelf of the culinary industry since the 1980s, embracing the concept of á la minute, or made-to-order.

“Thinking about how to bring restaurant quality and restaurant style of attention, creativity and welcoming hospitality into non-restaurant environments that range from a workplace to an outdoor space or similar setup,” Brunson said. “You pull all the levers you have to, but how do you continue to push creativity and your team’s flexibility to create an experience that feels like ‘yeah, that just came out of that kitchen right behind me.’”

Brunson says that WPC focuses on creating moments to anticipate what people might be in need of and find “those surprise and delight opportunities,” she said. “that’s what we focus on, making sure that welcoming hospitality and personalization still comes through.”

And the Balancing act of creating dishes that straddle the line of tradition and innovation is transposed through the brand’s hospitality component, centered around elevation and approachability. “I think [Puck] has done it particularly well,” she says, noting that when Puck first started off in the ‘80s, the concept of offering pizza, regardless of the toppings, was unheard of at fine dining restaurants. “He really elevated it with smoked salmon and caviar on the pizza and was able to get people comfortable with something that maybe felt a little fancy or unexpected,” she said adding that this approach has been crucial in helping their diners feel comfortable and special.

“Wolfgang is a very talented chef, but I think Wolfgang’s real magic is being a people person and understanding how to make people feel welcome and how to make people feel special,” Brunson says. At the start of her career in the restaurant industry, Brunson admits that she wasn’t very familiar with the nature of the business and credits Puck with providing education on the intricacies of working at restaurants and how to provide an elevated dining experience. “I learned a lot by seeing what the standards were of how people were treated,” she said. “If you went to Spago back then on any given night, and you were a regular, there’d be a smoked salmon pizza on your table.” This special treatment wasn’t limited to guests with celebrity status. “I see how he interacts with people in all different types of environments and it’s really the same thing—it’s about connecting with people and making them feel special,” Brunson says.

Read More: Tried and True

Leveraging Partnerships

Both the food service and hospitality industries faced major challenges over recent years, forcing many companies to pivot and evolve amid staffing shortages, supply chain disruptions and other issues, but it was the company culture and external partnerships that kept Wolfgang Puck Catering strong throughout the rough times.

Menus, particularly those for events, have also undergone major shifts in recent years, as planners are constantly seeking the best avenues for finding inclusive menus to ensure no attendee feels left out and overlooked.

Brunson attributes much of the brand’s success and longevity to Puck’s ability to retain top talent, particularly on the culinary team, such as Wolfgang Puck’s Senior VP of Culinary Eric Klein, who has been with the company for 25 years. “I think that making sure we’ve got a lot of team members who understand the vision is really important to help teach that and stay focused on the goal,” she said.

And the partnerships shared with other companies and service providers have also played an integral role in ensuring the brand’s ability to function at a high level, delivering the quality service and dining experience that’s made it so well-known.

With the abundance of individuals who have food allergies or dietary restrictions, finding catering services that are equipped to create inclusive menus has become compulsory for meeting planners.

“We have been building strategies around dietary restrictions into our business from the beginning,” she says. One shift that evolved with the Academy Awards and the Governor’s Ball is offering a wide variety of smaller plates with a good portion of those offerings consisting of vegan or vegetarian options, for example.

Image of Cacio e Pepe Cavatelli & Cheese. — Cacio e Pepe Cavatelli & Cheese.

“Having different stations where diners choose how things are prepared is also a great option,” she said. “It makes it very easy to make those adjustments for people.”

Working with organizations committed to food rescue with the purpose of helping those in need is another partnership vital to WPC operations. While the catering often consists of a wide variety of dishes, Brunson attributes a low level of food waste produced at WPC-catered events to the agility and discipline of the kitchen staff that is well-versed in measuring just the right amount of food that needs to be prepared. “There are definitely some recipes we use that produce zero food waste,” she says, noting that much of the time, food is prepared as needed, as well as using extra prepped and uncooked food in a dish the following day.

WPC also works with food rescue organizations in nearly every location, including California, where WPC works closely with the organization Chefs to End Hunger, which supports over 30 organizations in Southern California. WPC also works with Vesta Foodservice to collect fresh produce that goes unused during a catered event and redistributes it to agencies in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

WPC Expands to Bay Area Market

WPC recently set out to bring the national catering service’s brand to the San Francisco Bay Area and has opened a commissary kitchen in San Francisco to support the company’s growing list of clients. WPC’s latest venture aims to bring the catered fine dining experience to the workplace, expanding its footprint across the U.S.

WPC will focus on four key areas including workplace catering, workplace dining quartered in onsite cafes, grab-and-go options geared toward offering clients a one-stop solution for all-day food and beverage requirements and retail coffee and barista bars.

US Lifts Vaccine Requirements for International Travelers

On May 11, the Biden-Harris Administration lifted Covid-19 vaccine requirements for Federal employees, Federal contractors, and international air travelers. May 11 was also the day the government announced the end of the official emergency response to the Covid-19 epidemic.

The White House issued a statement that read: “While vaccination remains one of the most important tools in advancing the health and safety of employees and promoting the efficiency of workplaces, we are now in a different phase of our response when these measures are no longer necessary.”

In anticipation of a possible rush to travel, U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman said in a statement, “Today’s action to lift the vaccine requirement eases a significant entry barrier for many global travelers, moving our industry and country forward.

“However, the return of international visitors should be as efficient and secure as possible. The federal government must ensure U.S. airports and other ports of entry are appropriately staffed with Customs and Border Protection officers to meet the growing demand for entry.”

Biden, Buttigieg Promise Air Travel Reforms

In a televised announcement on May 8^th, President Biden and Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg announced that the administration will be launching an expanded website with a dashboard that hosts all the information about airlines and what compensation would be guaranteed. The website was promised to include which airlines currently offer cash compensation, provide travel credits or vouchers, or award frequent flyer miles and cover the costs for other amenities.

President Biden also promised that his administration would allow flyers to get compensation, not only for canceled or delayed flights but also for meals, taxis, rideshares and hotels if the passenger is stranded and the airline is at fault.

“Historically, when delays and cancellations are the airline’s fault, the law has only required airlines to refund customers the price of their flight ticket, but not the cost of meals or hotels or transportation when you get left in limbo,” Biden said.

“If your flight is very delayed or canceled, and the airline could have prevented that…you deserve being fully compensated. Your time matters. The impact on your life matters,” Biden said at the conference.

We asked William McGee, an expert on passengers’ rights and Senior Fellow for Aviation, American Economic Liberties Project what the announcement means between the lines for travelers and if it really has teeth.

“We’ve got a long way to go for air travelers in the United States to achieve the same rights they have in the European Union, Canada, and other countries around the world,” said McGee. “The DOT’s new rulemaking could address some of these fundamental issues, ensuring adequate compensation and accommodations (meals, hotels, etc.) when flights are severely delayed or canceled. However, rulemakings take time, and it could be several years before this takes effect. [note: Biden said his actions would take effect, “Later this year.”].

“In the meantime, the DOT’s updated dashboard (transportation.gov/airconsumer/airline-customer-service-dashboard) may have a more immediate effect by shaming airlines into updating their compensation policies. Let’s hope the DOT continues moving in this direction.”

In cases where an airline is not being transparent on why the delay or cancellation took place, McGee says flyers should file an official complaint with the US Department of Transportation. “The key is the airline’s own Contract of Carriage,” says McGee. “It should state the circumstances of how it will compensate. Warning! These contracts are very murky and poorly worded.”

Adam Heffron

Heffron is general manager at Conrad Washington, DC. Heffron comes from the other side of the United States at Conrad Los Angeles, where he worked as general manager. Before this, Heffron held leadership roles with Hilton Hotels, including general manager for Waldorf Astoria Park City in Utah and hotel manager for Conrad New York Downtown.

Mark Castriota

The Westin Atlanta Gwinnett, scheduled to open spring 2024, named Castriota general manager. Before this, Castriota worked as managing director at Georgia’s JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District, where he served on the opening team in 2021. He also held positions at Loews Hotel Atlanta, Renaissance Atlanta Downtown and Atlanta Marriott Marquis.

Jon Itoga and Tiare Tipota

Jon Itoga (left) and Tiare Tipoti (right)

Itoga is general manager and Tipoti is director of event management at Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa.

Most recently, Itoga worked as assistant vice president of operational finance for Marriott Vacation Worldwide Aqua-Aston, where he worked with 15 properties in Hawaii. He also worked as director of finance for Turtle Bay Resort in Kahuku, Hawaii.

Tipota previously worked across Oahu and Maui as director of sales and marketing for event rental company Accel Events & Tents. Her hospitality career began with Turtle Bay Resort, where she worked for more than 15 years, in roles such as conference concierge, conference service manager and director of catering and convention services.

Alex Lane

Lane is campus general manager for Tetra Hotel, an Autograph Collection Hotel and AC Hotel Sunnyvale Moffett Park. Since summer 2021, Lane worked as campus general manager at Hotel Citrine and AC Hotel Palo Alto. Lane has worked with Marriott International and Hyatt Hotels properties throughout the Bay Area, including AC Hotel Sunnyvale, San Mateo Marriott and Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf.

Jennifer Garner and Bliss Krucas

Jennifer Garner (left) and Bliss Krucas (right)

Garner and Krucas have been promoted at Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau (LRCVB) in Arkansas.

Garner is LRCVB’s senior director of event operations. She previously worked as the organization’s assistant director of event operations. Garner joined LRCVB in 2012 as administrative coordinator at the River Market, and went on to become event coordinator in 2016.

Krucas is director of destination services for LRCVB. She’s moving into her new position after working as senior sales manager. She has spent the greater part of her 20 years in hospitality in Colorado Springs, Colorado, working in roles such as director of sales and marketing for The Mining Exchange, a Wyndham Grand Hotel and senior sales marketing manager for Garden of the Gods Club.

Kate Harth

Cape Resorts has named Harth chief sales and marketing officer for its nine properties in Cape May, New Jersey, and New York’s East End. Previously, Harth worked with Fulcrum Hospitality, where she led its sales and marketing efforts. Before this, she was general manager for The New York Edition. She also worked in leading sales and marketing roles for Marriott International and The Ritz-Carlton properties worldwide.

Iris Junge

Junge is general manager for The Gwen in Chicago. She comes from Allegro Royal Sonesta (formerly Kimpton Hotel Allegro) in Chicago, where she worked in the same capacity; she also worked as the property’s assistant general manager. In her more than 20 years in the industry, Junge has worked with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, and InterContinental Hotels.

Chris Gampon

Timbers Kaua’I at Hokuala in Hawaii named Gampon general manager. In his more than 30 years in hospitality, Gampon has held general manager roles across Hawaii, including Kona Bali Kai in Kailua Kona, Banyan Harbor Resort in Lihue, The Point at Poipu, Kiahuna Plantation Resort in Poipu and Aston Hotels’ Kaua’i properties.

Kellie Womack

Womack is dual general manager for AC Hotel Dallas by the Galleria and Residence Inn by Marriott Dallas by the Galleria. Most recently, Womack worked as senior operations manager at Sonder in Dallas. She has worked as general manager for other Texas-based properties, including AC Hotel & Residence Inn by Marriott Dallas/Downtown, Homewood Suites by Hilton Dallas/Downtown and Hilton Garden Inn Frisco.

Read More: Dallas: Upward and Onward

Tom Santora and Richard Wales

Tom Santora (left) and Richard Wales (right)

Santora is chief growth and strategy officer for Coury Hospitality and Wales is general manager for Hotel Vin, Autograph Collection (managed by Coury Hospitality) in Grapevine, Texas.

Santora previously worked as managing director for Hotel Vin and chief commercial officer for Coury Hospitality. Before joining Coury Hospitality, Santora was chief commercial officer for Associated Luxury Hotels and executive chairman for WorldHotels.

Wales most recently worked at The Pendry, Park City in Utah as general manager. Before this, he worked as general manager at The St. Regis Deer Valley in Park City. He also has experience working as hotel manager at 1 Hotel South Beach Miami, director of operations at Claremont Club & Spa, a Fairmont Hotel in Berkeley, California, and nearly a decade with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.

5 icebreakers for introverted and extroverted guests from a game developer

Finding personal connections within an event space can be difficult with jammed packed schedules fighting for your time. Now, more than ever, attendees are seeking genuine, thoughtful experiences that leave their cup full and their interest piqued.

To further explore how meeting profs can find ways to deepen connection and grow empathy at events, Smart Meetings spoke with Michael Tennant, empathy expert, CEO and Founder of Actually Curious, a conversation card game designed to build trust and emotional connection between players.

Fighting the Divisive

michael tennant, CEO and Founder of Actually Curious, sitting in chair wearing blue button up outerwear and white dress shirt — Michael Tennant

The initial goal of the Actually Curious card game developed out of what Tennant saw as a need to bring people together.

“We ended up creating Actually Curious because we didn’t want to just talk. We wanted to give people an actionable tool to help them bridge gaps and help fight divisiveness. So, we created the tool,” said Tennant.

The game was based on the observation that people often have a hard time lowering their ego and admitting when they’re wrong.

“Oftentimes, those of us who are confident in social settings are not even sharing from an authentic place, [we’re] sharing from a representative, or a mask of how you want to be perceived,” Tennant said. Introverts, especially, struggle with allowing their true selves to make an appearance in a social setting. “That’s what Actually Curious does. It gamifies the trust and confidence building that we need in a group to allow everyone to really maximize their experience,” he explained.

Gamification of Networking

Like many meeting profs, Tennant travels to a wide variety of places and speaks with people from all walks of life. When walking into each situation, he asks himself two questions: “How do I make sure I walk away feeling connected on an emotional level?” and “Who’s in the room?”

Tennant points to Actually Curious’ game design in helping people open up and drop their defenses. Participants are asked to revert to a younger, more accepting mindset. “We can put people, adults of any age into a scenario, then we all open up their willingness to be kids.”

Building Confidence and Trust

For an event to form a connection with its attendees there needs to be a solid foundation. Confidence and trust needs to be developed.

Actually Curious walks players through a very specific system with icons placed on each card to indicate the level of the icebreaker question so they can pick how deep the conversation goes based on their comfort level.

The game indicates levels of questions that allow players to start light at an icebreaker level, and progress through a color-coded system symbol where the eyes open up progressively as you’re getting into deeper topics. “You don’t have to level up until you know that your group has built a bit more confidence and trust,” he said.

Empathy as a Tool

Tennant sees empathy as a tool for self-understanding, healing and compassion. When looking at how that can be applied to meeting planning, Tennant suggests asking yourself: “What kind of planner are you? What’s your superpower? Where have you lit people up? What are your weaknesses? Where do you need help?”

Having a strong sense of what your unique skillsets are can go a long way.

“A lot of empathy is doing that work of curious listening and curious inquiry to understand the most,” said Tennant. He pointed to ways planners can look towards specific qualities of their attendees to see how best to show up for them, “What’s the makeup of the audience, socio-economically, ethnically? Who are you trying to reach? The more we can understand about the audience, the more we can find that special something that makes the event stand out.”

Tennant lastly pointed to self-empathy as an important tool for meeting planners, “As long as you’re bringing your intent, your conviction, your passion and your best effort, we just gotta be willing to let go that we may not please everyone, but we’re going to do our damn best.”

A Game for Everyone

close up shot of two people playing card game

For planners looking for ice breakers for their attendees, Actually Curious offers five editions of the game including the Happy Hour Edition, Humans Rights Edition, Culture Edition, Our Future Edition, and the Curiosity Edition.

Tennant will also be releasing a book through Chronicle Books titled, “The Power of Empathy: A Thirty-Day Path to Personal Growth and Social Change,” releasing on Oct. 24, 2023.

The Best Ice Breakers

Ready to get started bringing people together? Tennant offers meeting planners five of the most popular ice breakers.

1. What was your favorite cereal as a kid? (Culture Edition)

2. I feel the most free when ___________. (Happy Hour Edition)

3. What did 12-year-old you want to be when they grew up? (Happy Hour Edition)

4. What’s a brand or trend you wish would come back? (Culture Edition)

5. If someone gives you $100 and tells you to Treat Yo’ Self, what do you do? (Happy Hour Edition)