Destination Celebration at Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center brought together Destinations International and PCMA members last week to celebrate partnerships being formed by meeting professionals everywhere.

The first such collaboration occurred almost two years ago—as a trade show that wrapped up just weeks before the country shut down. This time around, the focus was on the human connections that happen when everyone is in a ballroom together. In this case, it was Gaylord National Resort & Conference Center’s RiverView Ballroom overlooking National Harbor and The Capital Wheel.

Better Together

The gathering was followed by a full day of Destinations International Convention Sales & Services Summit, with 120 in attendance. Master moderator Brad Weaber led panels of planners, partners and destination experts through real-world case studies to highlight best practices for finding win-win solutions and adding value to the meeting, community and planet.

Now that groups are climbing out of their Zoom boxes, meeting planners are no longer just siting a physical box to house their attendees. They are again considering the cultural and intellectual capital in a destination to sell potential guests on the benefits of leaving the house.

In response, the Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) model is changing. DMOs are taking on an enhanced role of connecting groups to the city or region, with citizens as stakeholders in the relationship. “This is a pivotal time as we are playing a critical role in helping our destinations when they need it most,” said Destinations International President and CEO Don Welsh.

One way to help meeting professionals convince their executives and attendees that coming together in a controlled environment with appropriate protocols in place is safe is to show how it is being done. “Let’s spread the word,” Welsh urged those in attendance.

Dennis Franczak, CEO of Fuseideas communications agency, suggested rethinking the players. “Think of yourself as a concierge focused on the attendee experience,” he counseled. “We need to build toolkits to help planners convince people to risk their lives and leave their bedrooms where they have been sheltering.”

He left the group with this prediction: “Those who are the most nimble will be the most successful.”

Conscious Inclusion

Welsh invited new ASAE President and CEO Michelle Mason to talk about the evolution happening in meetings right now, asking the critical question: “Are we making progress on diversity as an industry?”

First, Mason defined what Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts are attempting to accomplish. “Diversity is a sense of belonging achieved by creating a welcoming environment, a place where people feel they can make a contribution. It’s about how you make people feel.” Then she explained her goal-oriented approach. “We don’t focus on obstacles but opportunities.”

DEI is a moral and economic imperative, she said. Change starts with leadership and the board. Then it must be integrated throughout the organization. “Conscious inclusion is achieved by taking a close look at who is at the table to co-create experiences,” she said.

“We are making progress as an industry, but we aren’t there yet,” she concluded.

After the wild ride meeting professionals have been on for the last year, the last thing you probably want to think about is buckling up for another spin around the sun, but now is the time to set yourself up for success in 2022—a year many are predicting will be a banner 365 days for meetings and conventions. To make the journey a little smoother, we asked some of the top-rated speakers from our Smart Meetings Experiences over the last year to share the one thing you should do right now to position yourself to thrive next year.

1. Take Control of Your Attitude

Mark Schulman, CSP

Speaker, Drummer for P!NK, Author

“There are so many things we cannot control. But at any moment, you have the power to change, control or shift your attitude about what is happening. This is simply a decision to choose an attitude that serves you. Never underestimate the power of truly committing to a decision because when you do, you are cutting off all other possibilities. This is your personal commitment, which gives you power. By shifting your attitude to one that serves you, you not only take control of your attitude, but you also gain leverage.

What makes attitude so potent is that your attitude is what drives your behavior. Think about the power in that! One attitude can drive many behaviors. And then your behavior is what informs the consequences or outcomes of your life. This is Attitude x Behavior = Consequences or AxB=C.

I am absolutely suggesting that at any moment you have the power to use your attitude as a tool to create better outcomes in your life! I know this is bold. I also know it works!

Your attitude is your point of view, your vantage point (or dis-advantage point depending on the attitude you choose)! It is not what we look at, but what we see that determines our personal realities and our experiences. Your perception of yourself, the lens through which you see the world and the meaning you attach to people, places and circumstances are all a result of your attitude that you have the power to choose!”

2. Engage Actively

Debra Fine

Keynote Speaker/Bestselling Author, “The Fine Art of Small Talk” (Hachette)

Facilitate interaction and connection with audience members.

Sitting and listening is not enough. Get attendees out of their seats, matched with prospective referral sources (which Smart Meetings has mastered), directed conversations. Each audience member needs the expertise and vision of the meeting planner to turn every conversation, every interaction at a meeting into an opportunity for success.

3. Be a Smart Ask

Linda Swindling, JD, CSP

Author of “Ask Outrageously! The Secret to Getting What You Really Want” and “Stop Complainers & Energy Drainers: How to Positively Negotiate Work Drama to Get More Done”

Pick up the phone, send an email, mail a note, and/or make a virtual or in-person coffee appointment with your past clients, your meeting industry partners and those who refer you. If you are internal to an organization, go seek out stakeholders besides your immediate department.

ASK them how they have negotiated these tough times. ASK what changes, if any, are affecting them personally and professionally. ASK about what they are observing in the industry. ASK how you can be of service. Now is the time to rebuild and solidify relationships. People create opportunities and deal with people they trust. Be that trusted advisors who is curious about others. Offer solutions and support. Connect powerfully and be of value. You will reap the rewards personally and professionally.

4. Add Value

Alison Fragale, Ph.D.

Keynote Speaker and Professor

Build your network by adding value to your relationships! Many of us are treading water during Covid, waiting for meetings, events and travel to return in full force. Use the extra time to build relationships that will serve you going forward, in 2022 and beyond.

We’ve all heard so much about networking that we tune it out. But most of us approach it backwards—we think about people we want in our network because they will add value to us, when we should be thinking about what kind of value we can bring to them. When we deliver value, people want to be in relationships with us “networking” is easy.

Find two people a week—maybe people you already know, or maybe those you want to meet—and offer a small amount of value to them: make an introduction, send them some hot-off-the-press industry news, or give them a compliment on their recent work. If you do that consistently, you will strengthen 100 relationships in the course of a year!

5. Take Stock

Jade Simmons

Master concert pianist and powerful keynote speaker

The most important thing you can do to position powerfully for next year is to not think of this as the final quarter. Treat it like your preseason for next year. In preseason, teams prepare for the season ahead, they get in condition mentally and physically, they perfect systems. This is the perfect time to take literal stock of what has happened for you this year, where you’ve grown, where you’ve digressed, and what you now know truly matters above everything else.

The problem with the final quarter is two-fold. If we are not careful, we mentally check out two months early and give up on goals that could still be attained. We trick ourselves into thinking it’s impossible to achieve much more in the time left. Or, in the name of finishing, we push through to meet artificial deadlines to achieve things that don’t really matter in the long run. We trick ourselves into believing we are failures because we didn’t check everything off of the vision board, even though we made it before we understood how the year would unfold!

Taking stock of the things mentioned above helps us to focus in on the best thing to complete on this side of the year that will yield powerful results for next year.

Hint: Discover your default emotion from 2021. What did you feel the most and why? If you liked it, determine to feel it more. If not, make a plan to ward against it like the plague.

Balboa Bay Resort, Newport Beach, California

This Newport Beach property offers 32,000 sq. ft. of event space that provides views of gorgeous waterfront. The latest addition, Lighthouse Room, features La Cantina, with folding doors that open up to a private reception area with firepits, Adirondack chairs and bountiful views. A full buyout of the full 159-room hotel is also an option.

La Venta Inn, Palos Verdes, California

After an interior transformation, this cozy property has begun anew. The restored 1920s Spanish villa can host up to 220 guests as Los Angeles and the Pacific provide a near perfect backdrop. A comprehensive dining menu for groups has more than 1,500 options, such as a quinoa bar, waffle stations and mint pomegranate pesto filet mignon, through its exclusive caterer, Made by Meg.

More: New and Renovated: Where Business and Pleasure Rendezvous

The Buenaventura Golf & Beach Resort, Riviera Pacifica, Panama

This property’s 114 Spanish-style guest rooms and suites have been given a stylish revamp. For those who love the outdoors, there await adventures such as an 18-hole golf course, biking, tennis, 10 swimming pools and a sports club. Ten meeting rooms and nearly 10,000 sq. ft. of meeting space are on offer.

Raffles The Palm Dubai

A first for Raffles in the Middle East, this 389-room pyramidal palace features grand amenities like a 1,640-foot-long private beach and furnishings such as more than 6,000 Swarovski crystal chandeliers. Guests will also find a collection of villas and four F&B selections, including Le Jardin, which serves international cuisine from Europe, the Middle East and Asia; and Sola jazz lounge, which features small Asian and Mediterranean dishes, cocktails and soothing sounds from jazz artists and bands.

More: New and Renovated: Metropolitan Meetings

As children, the playground teeter-totter was fascinating. We could push off the ground and make our little pal go down to the ground while we soared. Then, they flew, and we returned to the bare spot of dirt. But the fun ended when the heavy boy, who was the class clown, sat on the other side. Momentarily, we reached the clouds—until the joker jumped off—and we crashed painfully back to earth. In 2020, Covid-19 was the chubby kid that sat on our seesaw, ruined our fun and crashed incentive travel into the ground.

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, the best-selling book by Malcolm Gladwell, describes the tipping point as that magic moment when an idea, trend or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips and spreads like wildfire. Two of those phrases affect business trends—magic moments and social behavior—because corporate America is constantly looking sideways at its peers and adopts similar behaviors. When it comes to magical moments, most people remember March 11, 2020, and their shock when schools, businesses and even the NBA locked down.

Question: When will be the magical moment that sparks the tipping point for the return of incentive travel?

Spoiler alert. It has already occurred. The third quarter of 2021 was the tipping point. To pick a single day, let’s say July 4, Independence Day, and declare that it marks the incentive travel industry’s independence day from the pandemic. Here is why. 

A Prophetic Research Study

A superb study published in December 2020 (which feels like many dog years ago during this pandemic)  by the Incentive Research Foundation, Society for Incentive Travel Excellence, and Financial & Insurance Conference Professionals, titled “The Incentive Travel Industry Index,” made several specific predictions which are proving to be prophetic.

More: Not Your Mother’s Incentives… Or Even Last Year’s

The research predicted group incentive travel would return in the second half of 2021 to 60% of 2019 levels. Based on chat with industry colleagues, the 60% return is accurate and proof #1 that the tipping point has already arrived.

As a side note, nearer, in-region trips were predicted to rebound quicker than farther destinations. For USA-based incentive companies, trips to the continental USA, Hawaii, Mexico and the Caribbean have returned more strongly than transatlantic journeys to Europe. Company executives and their qualifiers have been mostly willing to travel to countries that border their home base. And in another prediction, the research says 2022 group trips will return to 90% of 2019 levels. That prediction is proving true too, and the missing 10% not traveling are mostly the companies whose underlying business has been hit hardest by Covid.

Individual Travel Rebounds Faster

An interesting phenomenon is occurring at airports, hotels and sandy beaches. Consumers are resuming personal vacations, but companies and their executives are more cautious and risk-averse. In August 2021, traffic through TSA checkpoints averaged 1,850,000 per day and 76% of August 2019 levels, showing that consumer travel is rebounding faster than the 60% resumption of group trips. The actual TSA tipping point occurred back in April when checkpoint traffic was 59% for the 2021-to-2019 comparison. Implication: consumers are ready to live life again—tipping point #2.

A Better Vaccination Metric

Can we all agree that the media and the politicians on both sides have overplayed everything about vaccinations? Nowadays, the mainstream media, as is their habit, reports the most negative news. This includes the worst vaccination metric—only 56% are fully vaccinated. Please, at a minimum, say 65% have received at least one shot because science says even just one shot gives (insert your preferred adjective—some, moderate, significant) protection.

However, both those metrics are misleading. They are based on the total population, including babies, toddlers and pre-teens who have not been approved for vaccination. Children are much lower risk than senior citizens—and they don’t travel on incentive trips! The better vaccination metric for the incentive travel industry is the 77% of adults over 18 who have received at least one shot. An even better statistic would be to add those people with natural antibodies after recovering from the virus. With 13% of the population reporting a Covid case, add another 10% (to exclude breakthough cases or people vaccinated after having the virus). If one could find the data, it would be interesting to exclude college students, rural citizens and blue-collar workers to compute for business people who are more likely to fly for their work and might qualify for an incentive trip. Vaccination of adults and recoveries show herd immunity is much closer than the mainstream press reports, and this is a third tipping point.

Winners Opt to Travel

Analyzing Brightspot client’s trips in 2021, the qualifiers opting to travel have ranged from 75% to 90%. Understandably, some are still cautious, have underlying conditions, care for elderly parents or are concerned about testing positive in a foreign country, having to quarantine (albeit at a 5-star resort) and ask grandma to watch the kiddos for another ten days. With many companies and destinations requiring vaccines and a negative Covid test to travel, most cases are being stopped before packing the big suitcase ever begins. Out of all the programs Brightspot has managed, only one person tested positive while on a trip and required quarantine. The high opt-in is another tipping point.

Consumer Confidence has Rebounded

The consumer psyche has been pounded quite a bit since the pandemic started dominating the headlines. It’s been a lot of new information and requirements to process mentally. Mindsets on travel have shifted a few times, and as Malcolm Gladwell said, they tip quickly. Consumers move in herds, and the herd has reached its tipping point for being ready to resume travel again, both for individual vacations and group incentive trips. The herd came back to the playground and pushed the big Covid bully off the teeter-totter—and is ready to ride incentive travel upwards and onwards.

 

Mike May, CMP, CITP, IP, is President of Brightspot Incentives & Events.  He is the past Chairman of the Incentive Research Foundation and author of 12.5 Steps to a Perfect Incentive Program. 

If 2020 was the year of the virtual industry conference, 2021 could be the year that hybrid meetings allow people to choose how they engage with their fellow meeting profs. Check out below to see what’s upcoming in the year to come.

 

Smart Meetings 3-Day, Southeast

Oct. 17-19

Sophisticated business meetings, networking and education at top properties featuring sales coach Ryan Dohrn on power negotiating and “What If? and Why Not?” author Jen Groover on masterful career building at Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa in Florida. Register today.

Expo 2020

Oct., 2021 – March 2022

The World Expo hosted by Dubai was postponed to start in Fall of 2021 with the premiere of Terra, the Sustainability Pavilion, an immersive journey through the wonders of the natural world. Alif: The Mobility Pavilion and Mission Possible: The Opportunity Pavilion will follow in February and March.

C2 Montreal

Oct., 19-21 & 26-28

This mix of physical and digital experiences will help businesses and individuals elevate their game. Speakers include Lindsey Vonn, Olympic skier and founder of Lindsey Vonn Foundation; Mindy Kalin, author, producer, actress and director; and Daniel Habashi, general manager of TikTok Canada, Middle East, Africa and South Asia. More details here.

ICCA 60th General Congress 

Oct. 24-27

The theme in Cartagena, Colombia, this year is “Forward to our Future”. Register to show the world the power of the association meetings industry’s transformation here. ICCA 60th General Assembly (digital) will take place Oct. 11.

Event Tech Live UK and Europe

Nov. 3-4

The educational conference around all things event technology will return to Old Truman Brewery in London and online. It will feature 100 educational sessions, 100+ Exhibitors, and some 3,500 attendees.

IMEX America

Nov. 9-11

Network, connect and learn at IMEX America in Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Register your interest here.

Association of British Professional Conference Organisers

Dec. 1-9

ABPCO’s seven-day Festival of Learning will be fully virtual for the first six days and fully hybrid on the final day online and in-person at ExCel where the ABCO Excellence Awards will be given. Content covers innovation, marketing, CSR and career development. Read more details and register here.

Smart Meetings Incentive Experience-Mexico

Dec. 5-7

Sophisticated business meetings, networking and education at top properties at Hotel Xcaret Arte in Riviera Maya, Mexico. Register today.

ExpoExpo 

Dec. 7-9

The Show for Shows is back in-person and virtual at Pennsylvania Convention Center with reduced registration prices. This year, education sessions will be combined with exhibitors on the trade show floor for a one-stop shop experience. Learn more.

 

Jack Runkle

Runkle is venue manager for etc.venues’ first U.S.-based location in New York City. Most recently, Runkle was corporate general manager of project management for Convene in New York City. Before Convene, he worked as assistant director of event operations for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

Cristian Teusen and Nicole Coghlan

Teusen and Coghlan are area directors of operations for Commonwealth Hotels.

Teusen recently worked as general manager for Embassy Suites by Hilton Akron Canton Airport in Ohio. Teusen serves on the board of trustees for Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association and is vice chair of the association’s membership committee. He has won several awards, he received Hilton Hotel’s General Manager of the Year award in 2019, Hilton Connie Pride Award in 2017 and 2018, and Conrad Hilton Award in 2019.

Coghlan previously worked as dual general manager of Hilton Garden Inn Hoffman Estates and Hilton Garden Inn Schaumburg in Illinois. She also worked with White Lodging Services as regional director of operations and general manager.

Kelly Saling

Saling is senior vice president and chief sales officer for Visit Seattle; she most recently served as the organization’s vice president of convention sales and services. Saling is a board member for MPI’s Women’s Advisory Board, serves on Destinations International’s sales and services committee, and is on the steering committee for MINT+. Saling is also an active member of Professional Convention Management Association.

Lizzie Means-Duplantis and Sarah Means

Sarah (left) and Lizzie (right)

Cowboy boot company Miron Crosby founders and sisters have been named inaugural PlaceMakers at Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas. As PlaceMakers, the sisters will design activations and programming for guests highlighting Dallas through their fashion- and design-centric expertise.

Chris Niederschulte and Stephanie Summerall

Niederschulte is general manager and Summerall is area director of sales and marketing for C. Baldwin in Houston.

Niederschulte previously worked with Ojo Santa Fe Spa Resort in New Mexico as general manager. Before this, Niederschulte was general manager of two Texas-based hotels, Westin Houston Medical Center and JW Marriott Houston Downtown.

Summerall was previously corporate director of sales and acquisition marketing for property technology start-up Sentral. Summerall has served as area director of sales and marketing for Destination Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Derek in Houston and Thompson Playa del Carmen in Mexico. Summerall was a board member of Houston First’s marketing committee in 2015-2019.

Aaron Levinthal

Levinthal is executive vice president for event production company MAS. Before joining Mas, Levinthal produced large-scale events with multiple production companies, such as USO Concert in Kuwait and Qatar, and AFL-CIO Concert and Amsterjam in New York City, as well as the Papal visit to New York City and the Mexican state dinner at the White House.

Stuart Maas

Maas is director of marketing and conference sales for Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority in Tahoe City, California; he previously worked as the company’s sales and marketing manager. Before joining Lake Tahoe, Mass was director of sales marketing and IT for Tahoe Sports and Powder House Ski & Board in South Lake Tahoe, California.

Ian Robert McClendon

The Edgewater Hotel in Seattle named McClendon general manager. McClendon previously worked as director of operations for hotel start-up Loge Camps. Before Loge, McClendon worked as general manager and task force manager for Pivot, a subsidiary of Davidson Hospitality Group. He also worked as general manager for Kimpton Canary Hotel and The Kimpton Goodland, both in Santa Barbara, California.

Brian Harrier

Harrier is general manager for The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa Avon, Vail Valley in Colorado. Harrier comes from Viceroy Snowmass in Snowmass Village, Colorado, where he worked as director of operations. He also worked at The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas in Hawaii as director of engineering.

Alexander von Susskind

Von Susskind is hotel manager of Mandarin Oriental, Boston. Von Susskind comes from Stanton House in El Paso, Texas, where he worked as general manager. Before this, he worked in high-level roles with Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten in Munich; The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company in Cancun, San Francisco and Dubai; Capella Hotels in Germany and the United States; and The Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park in El Paso.

Ashlee Barton

Barton is area director of sales and marketing for Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino, and Resort at Squaw Creek in Incline Village, Nevada; Barton previously worked as the property’s director of sales and marketing. Before joining Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe, she worked as associate director of sales for Hyatt Regency San Francisco. Before this, she was account director of group sales, Northwest, for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.

Melissa Stanley

Stanley is general manager of AC Hotel Grand Rapids in Michigan; she previously worked as assistant general manager and operations manager for the property.

Stephanie Cutler and Jeffrey Burns

Cutler is general manager and Burns is assistant general manager for Hyatt Place Grand Rapids/Downtown in Michigan.

Before Hyatt Place Grand Rapids, Cutler worked as general manager of Hampton Inn & Suites Grand Rapids Downtown and guest services manager of Hyatt Place Grand Rapids-South.

Burns previously served as the property’s operations manager. He’s also worked as assistant general manager for The Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck, located in Amway Grand Hotel in Grand Rapids, and JW Marriott Grand Rapids.

Jeff Gillick

Holston House in Nashville named Gillick director of sales and marketing. Gillick previously worked as Bobby Hotel Nashville’s director of sales and marketing. He’s also worked in sales and marketing positions with The Boulders Resorts in Carefree, Arizona; Baraca Resort in Santa Barbara, California; and Langham Huntington Pasadena in California.

Several months ago, several Southern California DMOs decided the best way to weather the pandemic slump and win when business returned was by teaming up—and marketing jointly. Now, a twist on this approach has been launched on the East Coast, in Rhode Island. Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau (PWCVB) and Rhode Island Convention Center (RICC) have joined forces not only for joint sales but also in their service effort.

One Team Initiative, the new venture by PWCVB and RICC, has been created to link both organizations for a more defined and well-oiled operation as business comes back to the region. “The team has clearly defined new workflow patterns which simplify some processes, make us easier to do business with and foster a new level of collaboration with regard to sales strategy and customer service,” says Thomas Riel, vice president of sales and services of PWCVB. “By acting as one team we are merging our strengths and areas of efficiency to create a more effective overall customer experience.”

The PWCVB team now provides clients with a single point of contact while coordinating with RICC sales staff. Both teams also share access to CRM systems and booking diaries, fostering collaboration that’s beneficial for all.

“[Meeting professionals] have expressed appreciation with regard to our speed to market, i.e. RFP response time,” Riel says. “The newly designed executive summary, which outlines the nuts and bolts of the proposal, is upfront and allows the customer to more easily and quickly understand the financial commitment associated with the offer. Returning customers are finding that the single point of contact reduces redundancy as well.”

During a time of business uncertainty, hesitant attendees and job loss en masse, similar consolidation may be the wave of the future. “Both supplier and buyer teams are smaller and leaner; consolidation of talent, processes and redundancy is welcomed more than ever. Being easy to do business with during complicated times is the key to success right now,” Riel says.

After 15 years with Visit Seattle, Tom Norwalk will retire as president and CEO on March 31, 2022.

Among Norwalk’s many contributions to the organization, such as setting records for tourism visitation and spending and leading the city’s pandemic recovery efforts, he oversaw the creation of Seattle Tourism Improvement Area, a marketing effort funded by guests at downtown Seattle hotels designed to keep the city competitive in the leisure travel market.

See also: Maritz Is Reinventing What’s Next in Seattle

“It’s been the journey of a lifetime and the greatest professional honor to promote and market the city that I love. The Visit Seattle organization is home to some of the most talented, passionate and brilliant minds in the industry,” Norwalk said. “While there’s no great time to say goodbye, I am confident we have the right team in place to keep Seattle’s momentum going. I look forward to working closely with my colleagues through the next six months to ensure our continued growth through this critical and exciting time in our city’s history.”

The organization’s board of directors will be conducting a nationwide search for a new president. An announcement is expected in early 2022.

On Friday, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort in North Carolina, which is managed by Caesars Entertainment, celebrated the completion of its $330 million expansion project. New to the property is a fourth hotel tower, The Cherokee, and an 83,000-square-foot Cherokee Convention Center.

As an enterprise of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), Richard Sneed, principal chief of the community, was enthusiastic about the benefits Harrah’s expansion will bring. “Today marks a monumental milestone for the resort and the EBCI community,” Sneed said. “In addition to offering unique experiences for visitors, this expansion project will attract conventions and will provide more space for businesses and associations to network in a way that has not always been accommodable in the past.  This new business opportunity will provide an expanded revenue stream that will directly impact the EBCI community in a positive way for years to come.”

The Cherokee brings an additional 725 rooms and 70 suites on 19 floors, as well as a 50-seat lobby bar and lounge, and a second-floor terrace pool. Cherokee Convention Center features three levels of meeting spaces for small and large groups, including a 32,000-square-foot ballroom, 33,000-square-foot exhibition hall and prefunction space.

“We have positioned ourselves as the leader in the entertainment industry in the Carolinas with our diversified experiences and amenities, and the completion of this four-year expansion project further solidifies our standing,” said Brooks Robinson, regional senior vice president and general manager of Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos.

Caesars’ expansion beyond North Carolina include a $400 million investment to its Atlantic City resorts: Caesars, Harrah’s Resort and Tropicana Atlantic City. Its first phase, a $170 million renovation of guest rooms and suites at Caesars’ and Harrah’s, was completed this summer.