Smart Meetings | Page 174 of 602 | Corporate Event Planning: Business Events, Meetings, Conferences

Editor’s Note: This is part of a monthly series on the planning process for producing IMEX America, the 10th anniversary of the landmark industry gathering scheduled for Nov. 9-11 at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

Six weeks out from the return of IMEX America to Las Vegas, the agenda is firming up and, thanks to a surprise announcement from the Biden Administration, prospects are good for international travel to the event. IMEX Group CEO Carina Bauer updated us on developments over the last month and what that means for attendees.

A Sudden Lifting of Travel Restrictions

Bauer was as surprised as everyone else when White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients announced on Monday that the U.S. would start allowing vaccinated travelers to enter the United States from 33 countries starting in “early November.”

“There is no doubt the ban on international travel—particularly from the U.K., Europe and Brazil—was a significant issue,” she said. “We can still have the show without it, but we would much prefer to have it with the hundreds who are desperate to come in. It will make a big difference, not just to the size of the show, but the fact that we can bring the industry together. That will mean a lot.”

More than 3,000 hosted and attendee buyers, along with all the major destinations and hotel groups, have already registered. Bauer estimated a few hundred are from Europe. “There is a lot of pent-up demand internationally, so if borders do open in time, we think demand will be strong,” she said.

The news came just in time, as appointments go live in early October, a month before the opening.

Vaccine Verification in Place

Everyone will have to show they are fully vaccinated. Bauer announced in early September that to be admitted attendees will have to prove on entry they have had the final dose of a vaccine approved in their country of origin by Oct. 25. That means World Health Organization-approved, plus Sinovac-CoronaVac and Sputnik V vaccines.

U.S.-based attendees can use the Clear Health Pass app and show their green check mark at the entry to get their event-long bracelet. Others are encouraged to use Safe Expo and show their purple screen using a similar verification process. There will be limited on-site verification for those who bring ID and verification. Verification is also being required of salaried, front-facing staff working during the show.

Bauer explained the logic behind the decision after watching how other organizers and venues managed safety. “We talked to our exhibitors, and they made it clear they would feel more comfortable coming to the show and bringing clients if we had some kind of testing,” she said. “Our goal is to create the safest possible environment, and this seemed to be the route that worked the best for Allegiant Stadium and CES [annual trade show by Consumer Technology Association].”

Bauer plans to apply to the Nevada governor’s office for a license to be mask-optional but will decide closer to the show if she will ease that restriction based on local case numbers. She was comforted that while in Las Vegas for site inspections in September, mask-wearing was ubiquitous inside. “People were very respectful, there were signs everywhere,” she said.

She walked the venue, talked to the safety team about all the events they have been running and made small adjustments to the site map. “We really focused on the arrivals flow to make it as seamless as possible,” she said. “We want to avoid the crowds, even though usually we want to create the excitement of bringing lots of people together.” Exhibitors will enter by 9 a.m. and buyers will come in later so there is no crush.

The show floor will include lots of comfortable seating and food options, including healthy and alternative meat choices with a focus on sustainability. Plus, Mandalay Bay’s food court is right outside show floor.

Education and a Cause

In addition to the action on the floor, the full education lineup has been released for 180 educational events over the four days, including Smart Monday powered by MPI. The highlight is Dr. Shimi Kang, an expert on the neuroscience of innovation, leadership and motivation. She will share tips for navigating 21st-century challenges.

The same day, a full roster of She Means Business sessions will focus on strategic goal setting, conscious living and focusing on purpose in career and life. Separate tracks for association and senior corporate planners will personalize education based on goals. Some sustainability classes will even be held outside.

The EventMB Event Innovation Lab will offer a master class for corporate and agency planners. And a tech area with massively enlarged spaces will highlight companies like Hopin, Swapcard, MeetingPlay, Vindow and ShowTec, plus will have a dedicated area for startups. Education showcases will help attendees see how each platform could work with their individual programs.

Behind the Scenes tours of Mandalay Bay, back of house, a solar panel tour into the desert, Lip Smacking Foodie Tours, and a Mystery Tour (experiences you haven’t seen before that will be revealed after you board the bus) will let attendees customize their Las Vegas trip.

It wouldn’t be IMEX without traditional after-hours fundraisers for some of the biggest foundations in the industry. SITE Nite will be at Resorts World Las Vegas nightclub Zouk. MPI Rendezvous returns to Drai’s Beachclub Las Vegas, and Events Industry Council will present its EIC Hall of Leaders awards.

Dustin Matthews

Matthews has been promoted to associate director of sales for Margaritaville Lake Resort, Lake Conroe|Houston. Before joining Margaritaville, Matthews worked as Houstonian Hotel, Club and Spa’s corporate group sales manager. He’s also worked for Royal Sonesta in Houston as conference services manager and Bellagreen’s CityCentre location in Houston as opening general manager.

James E. Moore III

The Balfour Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida, named Moore general manager. Moore previously worked as general manager for Havana Cabana at Key West Hotel in Florida. He’s also held leading roles with Hilton Hotels brands, such as DoubleTree, Embassy Suites, Hilton Garden Inn and Hampton, as well as IHG Hotels & Resorts.

Ali Murray

Murray is director of sales and marketing for Waldorf Las Vegas. Previously, Murray was senior group sales manager for Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas and catering sales manager for Treasure Island–TI Hotel & Casino.

Raquel Toro

Toro is senior sales manager for Ambassador Chicago, a JDV by Hyatt Hotel. Most recently, Toro was senior sales manager for Kimpton Hotel Palomar Chicago. Before this, she was city group manager, where she oversaw group sales and marketing for five Kimpton properties and area group sales manager for three Chicago-based Kimpton properties.

Darren Temple

Temple is president and CEO for St. Louis-based marketing agency Switch. In Temple’s 28 years in the industry, he has gained experience in meetings, events and trade-show industries. Most recently, Temple worked as chief operations officer for MPI.

Ian Cummings

CWT Meetings & Events named Cumming global head; he previously worked as global vice president. He initially joined CWT as vice president of Europe, the Middle East and Africa and has also held executive roles with internet-based companies such as eCourier, where he worked as CEO; and DX Business Direct, where he was managing director and CEO.

Mathieu Riviere

Riviere is general manager for The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay, in California; he previously worked as the property’s hotel manager. Before joining The Ritz-Carlton, Riviere was hotel manager for JW Marriott Grosvenor House London. He’s also worked as general manager for Sofitel Hotel Minneapolis and Sofitel Washington, DC Lafayette Square, as well as having leading F&B roles with Hilton Hotels and Sofitel Hotels in Belgium, Cambodia and Singapore.

When did you last go grocery shopping? Do you remember passing all those people, in that uncontrolled environment, coming from and going to places of which you have no inkling? In a study by Freeman, in collaboration with Epistemix, it was found that settings such as this, where individuals’ paths are crossed in an unprotected nature, are riskier than business events.

The study, which consisted of 5,607 attendees and exhibitors, revealed that, given the protected and controlled nature of business gatherings, which are also separate from the community at large, in-person events have little to no impact on community Covid-19 spread.

“When you look at what’s going on in Las Vegas, Boston or New York [City], what is driving most cases is local vaccination coverage and people getting back to normal everyday activities,” says John Cordier, CEO and co-founder of Epistemix.

A B2B event in New York in August, for instance, was shown to have less than a 0.1 percent infection rate, lower than the general United States population, at .29 percent, based on a seven-day average. Another contributing factor may be that vaccination rates at in-person business events tend to be higher, with more than 80 percent of attendees and exhibitors being shown to have received doses, compared with 54 percent of the general U.S. population.

Bob Priest-Heck, CEO of Freeman, also mentions the importance of proper ventilation. “What we’re learning is that [better ventilation] brings us more toward that outdoor type of scenario,” he says. “In many cases, if we compare the models of the outdoors to the indoors, depending on density, we see that, because of open bay doors and other various things, we can model out a lot of safety, even in these contained environments.”

Using a model by MIT, the study found that in a standard 100,000-square-foot facility with adequate ventilation a substantial amount of time will elapse before guidelines for health and safety for transmissibility are violated: In a room of 5,000 people, it would take 44 hours. “I don’t know about you, but I haven’t been in a room where they hold us for 44 hours,” Priest-Heck says. For 1,000 people, the hours until violation are even longer—220 hours, or nine days.

As we enter fall and inch closer to winter, speculation about increased Covid-19 numbers is (forgive the pun) in the air. That doesn’t mean in-person events need to end, Cordier says. “There is a way to have these events safely. It’s not a matter of, ‘should the event happen?’ it’s, ‘what do we need to have in place to ensure the event can happen safely?’” he says.

The act of honoring winners of the Smart Women in Meetings Award is a celebration of the resiliency of meeting professionals everywhere. That’s why when we were finally able to bring the 2020 and 2021 cohorts together last week for a grand gala at Resorts World Las Vegas, we invited all the previous year’s winners and paired the occasion with a Smart Woman Summit day of empowerment showcasing top personal and career development experts.

Just as a kaleidoscope of fluttering butterflies makes the power of transformation look effortless, this gathering of inspirational women and their allies belied the hard work they have put in over the last few years, so they can help the industry come back stronger when the time is right.

While it is impossible to bottle all the sparks from a gathering of leaders of this caliber, we did manage to capture some of the brilliant ideas floating between the stage and the soft seating a few feet away.

Lead with Purpose

Sometimes, there are no clear answers, and you just have to trust yourself—even if you aren’t feeling it. Many meeting profs discovered this for themselves last year, but Lt. Col. Patricia Murray discovered this essential truth first as a Miss California contestant and then as a pilot on multiple tours of Afghanistan and with American Airlines.

Her secret for moving forward when the flight path is fuzzy? Honesty. “Knowing yourself and being authentic is how you support those around you,” she said. “Make sure what you do has meaning in your soul.”

To keep your priorities in perspective, she suggested asking yourself four questions.

What is your purpose?
What are your strengths?
What is your personal brand?
What stops your forward progress?

Ask Outrageously

We are all the CEOs of our careers right now, and entrepreneurial expert Stephanie Burns had strategic advice for those ready to “bootstrap” their life and career advancement. Ask for it!

“Too often we put ourselves inside an invisible fence,” she said, by not even giving people a chance to say no. “Statistically, you have more of an opportunity to get a ‘yes,’ even for things you think are audacious or crazy if you ask.”

To successfully get to the answer you want, she listed request steps.

Take inventory of your assets and what you might be able to offer of value to others.
If you get a ‘no,’ it isn’t a reflection on you. Let the emotions go and don’t take a no personally. It might just be the wrong timing.
Get used to being uncomfortable. Practice saying the words out loud.

Master the Negotiation

Once you have made the ask, the work of negotiation begins. Women statistically spend less time in counteroffers for themselves but excel when

advocating for others. That is why Alison Fragale, Ph.D., an associate professor of organizational behavior at University of North Carolina, focuses on reframing the interaction first in your own head. Look for the win-win and how getting what you want will help others, so you can more confidently present your case.

🍊🙌 The OCCC joins @VisitOrlando in congratulating OCCC Deputy Director Yulita Osuba and Visit Orlando Vice President of Sales Operations Stephanie Naegele for their @SmartMeetings Smart Women in Meetings Award. Congratulations! #MeetSmart #BusinessBetterThanUsual pic.twitter.com/mFzwzZz7pe

— Orange County Convention Center (@OCCC) September 16, 2021

Since pre-negotiation often determines the outcome, Fragale laid out the work that needs to happen before the conversation.

Mentally focus on your top goal rather than the minimal outcome.
Have some alternatives ready.
Explain the reason you need it.

Change on Your Terms

Armed with those powerful tools for getting what you want and need in life and work, Kim Becking urged going out to achieve the metamorphosis you were always meant to be. It won’t be easy, and unexpected hurdles will inevitably arise—economic, personal and health-related—but we can do difficult things when we focus on what we are, rather than what we aren’t. “Name that inner bully and shut her down,” she said.

“Don’t stop because of fear, move forward because of purpose,” the breast-cancer survivor declared.

Read More: Women Leading at Big Apple Events

Rock Every Room

The top note for the day came just before a jubilant awards ceremony in the glam Rose Ballroom. Musical force-of-nature Jade Simmons shared her bold story of striving to achieve her dream of being a master concert pianist only to find that there wasn’t a place for her. So, she created her own space as a transformation enabler powered by a mix of virtuoso performances, powerful straight talk and a little bit of rap.

“Once you discover purpose, you will become responsible for it. You will have to protect it and you will have to make room for it,” she said. “Don’t ask if you can be in the room. Know that the room needs you!”

Partner Smart

A gala doesn’t make itself. Surprising and delighting top hospitality players requires thinking creatively about how to make them feel special—and paying attention to the details. The best way to pull off an over-the top celebration? Find the right partners.

For a long-anticipated Smart Women in Meetings Awards gala, the wow started with gifting. Thanks to Global Gifting’s Joe Malone perfume experience and Scent-ex (formerly Scentology)’s customized diffusers, guests left having enjoyed something for all their senses.

Thanks to a partnership with Access DMC, Champagne Creative Group, Rupleskilton Events and Cirque Mechanics, attendees were greeted at the event in the brand-new Resorts World Las Vegas Rose Ballroom by a flowing tent topped by a lady-in-waiting with an elaborate pouf. Inside, an artist worked her magic suspended above the appetizers, and a bubbly-pouring, oversize bike attendant and living wall kept everyone toasting. A cover photo booth by LV Photo recorded the fond memories for eternity.

Citing increasing vaccination rates around the world, the United States announced yesterday that it will lift travel restrictions for vaccinated visitors from 33 countries, including China and much of Europe, starting in early November—possibly in time for IMEX America in Las Vegas.

We’re following this story closely! https://t.co/kRsDtyV8Hd

— IMEX (@IMEX_Group) September 20, 2021

White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients said the decision about what vaccines will be accepted is up to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He pointed to a new travel tracking system that will collect contact tracing data from passengers to enable the CDC to contact travelers exposed to Covid-19.

Unvaccinated citizens will have to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test within a day of travel and be tested again after arrival.

U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow welcomed the news. “The U.S. Travel Association applauds the Biden administration’s announcement of a roadmap to reopen air travel to vaccinated individuals from around the world, which will help revive the American economy and protect public health.”

He called the decision “a major turning point in the management of the virus [that] will accelerate the recovery of the millions of travel-related jobs lost due to international travel restrictions.”

Border Restrictions Extended

The same day, restrictions on “nonessential” land border crossings from Canada and Mexico to the U.S. were extended through Oct. 21. The U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Canada, based in Ottawa, consider “essential travel” to be “work and study, critical infrastructure support, economic services and supply chains, health, immediate medical care, and safety and security.”

In August, Canada started allowing fully vaccinated U.S. visitors for all travel purposes, including meetings and tourism.

Human trafficking awareness training offered by American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) has been given to more than 500,000 hotel workers since early 2020. The milestone for this free training was announced at a American Hotel & Lodging Foundation World Day Against Trafficking in Persons event by AHLA President and CEO Chip Rogers and ECPAT-USA CEO Lori Cohen.

ECPAT-USA, based in Brooklyn, New York, is a leading anti-child trafficking organization in the United States.

That number is in addition to nearly 100,000 Marriott workers who have completed the training, titled “Your Role in Preventing Human Trafficking: Recognize the Signs.” The training was produced by Marriott International in collaboration with ECPAT-USA and Polaris, a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that also works to combat and prevent sex and labor trafficking.

“Training plays a critical role in human trafficking prevention, and the fact that we educated nearly 600,000 employees during such a difficult year is a testament to our industry’s commitment to this important cause,” Rogers said. “The hotel industry is united in ending the scourge of human trafficking, and our ‘No Room for Trafficking’ education and awareness efforts will continue until we reach that goal.”

Marriott Training Available to All in 2022

At the event, Tricia Primrose Marriott, global chief communications and public affairs officer for Marriott, announced that her company would make its new enhanced human trafficking awareness training available industry wide in early 2022.

Launched three years ago, AHLA and AHLA Foundation’s anti-trafficking program is designed to help unite the industry around one comprehensive approach to prevent human trafficking, with the goal of training every employee in the industry. Additional resources on the program can be found here.

President and CEO of Best Western Hotels & Resorts David Kong will retire at the end of 2021. Kong joined Best Western in 2001 and was named CEO in 2004. His 17 years as CEO have made him the longest tenured in the industry.

Under Kong’s leadership, BWH Hotel Group, Best Western’s parent company, grew from one to 18 brands, covering nearly every segment, including boutique, lifestyle and extended stay. It also acquired WorldHotels Collection and hotel property management software company Autoclerk.

Kong arrived in the United States from Hong Kong as a young adult with “no friends, no connection and no money,” he said in an interview with Yahoo Finance. Despite this, Kong said the hospitality industry empowered him to dream boldly about his future and to pursue his dreams with no hesitation.

“I’m an immigrant,” Kong said. “I came to this country with nothing… I got a job as a dishwasher and bus boy and look at what’s happened to me—now the CEO of one of the biggest hotel companies in the world.” He said his story “speaks to the dynamic opportunities the industry offers.”

During the challenges 2020 brought, Kong displayed resilience and commitment to keep the industry moving forward, extending more than $65 million in fee rebates to BHW’s hoteliers since 2020.

Kong helped roll out the company’s We Care Clean program, an enhancement to the company’s cleaning protocols and standards. Kong also met with former President Donald Trump and other government leaders to spread the word about the difficulties the hospitality industry suffered and to advocate for federal relief.

“I feel blessed to have been surrounded by exceptional teams throughout my career, and through sheer passion and dedication, we have chased bold dreams and achieved what many might have considered impossible,” he said. “I feel very fortunate to have played a role in building BWH Hotel Group into the brand it is today. I have always wanted to move on at my peak. With our caring culture, our extraordinary hoteliers, executive team and corporate staff, I have no doubt the best is yet to come for BWH Hotel Group.”

BWH Hotel Group will announce his successor at its annual convention in Las Vegas on Oct. 7.

Where better to celebrate the resiliency of the meetings industry than in Las Vegas, where 2 million sq. ft. of meeting space was added since the beginning of 2020? That astounding expansion most definitely includes the brand-new megaresort on The Strip, Resorts World Las Vegas, where meeting professionals gathered this week to learn, network and grow at Smart Meetings Experience West.

With 3,500 guest rooms spread out over Hilton Las Vegas; Conrad Las Vegas at Resorts World; and Crockfords Las Vegas, LXR Hotels & Resorts, there was plenty of room for guests to find their just-right room. Smart Meetings had its own bubble in the meeting center amid a whopping 250,000 sq. ft.

An outdoor reception kicked things off at infinite private pool deck club, nestled on the side of the 200,000 sq. ft. public pool deck, the largest in Las Vegas. Mermaids supplied by Champagne Creative Group and Access DMC plus a floating DJ and aerialist welcomed guests to stellar views of The Strip.

To show off all those flexible skills learned over the last few years, the assembled meeting profs and hospitality pros popped in on Las Vegas Circus Center for training on the trampoline, trapeze and juggling.

Meeting professionals who fly though the air together, do deals together.

Powerful Messages for Moving Forward

Back on firm footing inside the meeting room, Dr. Anne Harbison shared strategies for transforming hardships into true wisdom, resilience and grace. “Think about when life has brought you to your knees in the past. What did you learn?” she asked. Her lesson? When we stop to remember we have done difficult things before, those very war stories can give us confidence to move forward.

“This is not the time to wallow. Look up and see the new horizon. It may not be the future we planned, but the good news is we aren’t alone on this journey,” Harbison said.

experience las vegas Brian Powers helped attendees share their vision for the future. “People don’t know what is going on in your head,” he pointed out. “You have to tell them in the language that works for them.” Whether your audiences are visual or auditory, the first step is to listen for understanding rather than responding.

“If you are talking, you aren’t learning,” he said.

In the end, conflict resolution expert Tim Gard reminded everyone of the power of humor to reduce stress and increase awareness. “Be kind to each other” was his simple but powerful advice.

Even as companies and organizations continue to debate whether to green light the return to in-person business travel, growing evidence suggests that professionally planned events “can and are being safely held.” That was the key takeaway from a broad coalition spanning the business and travel community at a virtual media conference broadcast today from the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

Doing so, it was asserted, will accelerate America’s economic and jobs recovery.

Representatives of the Let’s Meet There Coalition, the U.S. Travel Association and the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance, joined by CLEAR, drew a clear distinction between professional in-person gatherings from other “large gatherings,” and cited dozens of events and exhibitions that have been safely conducted in recent months, along with tools and practices to help these events continue to move forward.

Tourism Economics highlighted the value of domestic business travel to the U.S. economy, which generated $270 billion in direct travel spending, supporting 4 million U.S. jobs in 2019. Spending by business travelers declined by a staggering 68 percent last year—and is projected to take three years to rebuild to pre-pandemic levels without focused efforts to help the sector rebound.

Corporate performance is dependent on business travel as a critical means to connect with clients, build relationships and develop ideas. Tourism Economics shared a new analysis identifying the relationship between business travel and corporate performance for 14 industries over the past 26 years. It found that businesses experience an average gain of $1.60 in corporate profits for each dollar invested in business travel.

Professional meetings and exhibitions are structured events conducted under controlled environments allowing for maximum health and safety measures to protect participants, according to analysis by The Ohio State University health-care scientists.

Recent independent studies from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the U.S. Department of Defense also corroborate the safety of air travel today. New research from Mayo Clinic, it was reported, show the risk of an infected passenger transmitting the virus to another passenger flying from the U.K. to the U.S. is infinitesimal—less than 1 in 1 million passengers.

Scientific modeling by the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance and Epistemix has shown in-person professional meetings and events pose a near-zero (0.001 percent) risk of Covid-19 transmission to attendees—even for large events. Further, Epistemix found that events have not been a major driver of Covid cases, largely because in-person events (exhibitors and attendees) have higher vaccination rates (about 80 percent) than the overall population.

Tools such as the CLEAR Health Pass were highlighted as a seamless way for event attendees and employees to upload and verify their health status at professional events. CLEAR’s Health Pass is a free, mobile experience on the CLEAR app, which securely connects a person’s verified identity to their proof of vaccination and test results.

“Every piece of evidence that we’re seeing from the scientific and academic community tells us that, with the right practices in place, the traveling workforce and organizers of professional events can get back to the business of reconnecting with clients and colleagues,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of U.S. Travel Association. “Ultimately, the business community will drive the return to business travel, and in doing so, will shift the economy back to greater normalcy.”

Dow joined other leaders at today’s event, including Adam Sacks, president of Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company; John Cordier, CEO and co-founder of Epistemix; Herve Sedky, chair of the board, president and CEO of Emerald, a business-to-business exhibitions organizer; and Caryn Seidman-Becker, co-founder, chairman and CEO of CLEAR.

The travel industry was disproportionately impacted by the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 65 percent of all jobs lost in 2020 supported by travel, according to U.S. Travel Association. Business travel and meetings segments suffered significant declines as travel for professional events, conferences and trade shows declined by almost 80 percent last year, resulting in a $97 billion loss in spending.

A data fact sheet to support the safety of travel for professional meetings and events is available here.

The Sea Ranch Lodge, California

Along the coastline of Sonoma County sits the award-winning planned community that looks like it was carved out of nature itself—by nature herself. This fall, the focal point of this storied development, The Sea Ranch Lodge, will reopen in a brand-new incarnation. Situated on 53 acres, the lodge features a reimagined dining room, bar and lounge, general store and cafe. Restoration of the lodge’s 16 guest rooms will take place in the next phase beginning in the fall. In addition, more than 500,000 sq. ft. of open land with immaculate views of the Pacific is available as event space.

Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport

At 1,054 rooms, this is the grandest project to open in the city in decades. Seven dining experiences—including the Mediterranean-American Kestra and Lifted pool bar, next to the only outdoor pool in Seaport—are sprinkled throughout the property’s two stylistically different towers, Patron Tower and Artist Tower. The largest hotel ballroom in Boston, Ensemble Ballroom, is included in the 100,000 sq. ft. of outdoor-indoor event space, which provides views of the Boston Skyline.

Grand Hotel Mackinac, Michigan

Last winter, this 388-room historic property’s outdoor pool and its surrounding area underwent a renovation and expansion, including a new meeting space on the pool house’s second floor. In addition to the event space, now totaling 22,000 sq. ft., Grand Hotel now features a new heated whirlpool and adults-only infinity pool area. The resort on car-less Mackinac Island also unveiled a new pool bar and kitchen, so groups can munch while they sun soak.

Fairmont Century Plaza, Los Angeles

Formerly Century Plaza Hotel, fabled setting to major events like the Emmy Awards, Grammy Awards, and the celebration of the Apollo 11 landing, this eagerly awaited renewal is scheduled to debut Sept. 27. Throughout the hotel’s 16 floors sit 63 privately owned Fairmont residential units, 400 guest rooms and nearly 29,000 sq. ft. of event space. Acting as a centerpiece for a new six-acre mixed-use development, which will include 94,000 sq. ft. of boutique shopping, the hotel and its Century City environs will offer much to engage in, pre- and post-event.