houston texasMonument Au Fantome in Discovery Green

Amid all the hype about the Super Bowl, you probably heard that Houston has had a makeover. New hotels, renovations and restaurants have transformed this bustling metropolitan city into a must-visit destination. So much has changed in the last few years to transform Houston into a nearly brand new city. If you haven’t visited for a few years or even a few months, get ready to be wowed. Aside from the new developments, here are a few facts about the city that meeting planners may not be aware of.

1. Arts, culture and meetings combine at Avenida Houston.

Avenida Houston is not your typical convention district, and George R. Brown Convention Center is not your average venue. Centered around the convention center, Avenida Houston is a new district that combines dining, entertainment and art in an effort to create memorable experiences.

The convention center houses several art installations, including Joe O’Connell and Creative Machines’ interactive outdoor piece “Wings Over Water” and Ed Wilson’s beautiful “Soaring in the Clouds,” which hangs over the lobby space. Eleven other art installations are placed throughout the convention center.

The focus on providing a unique experience seems to be working, as annual room nights booked for future conventions has risen 34 percent over the last two years.

2. It may be the most diverse city in the United States.

You may be surprised to learn that this Southern metropolitan is considered to be one of the most diverse cities in the country. Houston has no ethnic majority—a U.S. Census Bureau survey from 2015 shows that the city’s population is 37 percent Hispanic, 37 percent white, 17 percent black and 9 percent Asian. Travelers can see the way the city’s diversity directly impacts the vibrant culinary scene and cultural experiences.

3. Houston is great for foodies.

Houston is unarguably one of the top dining destinations in the South. This year, two Houston-based chefs have been named finalists in the Best Chef Southwest category of the prestigious James Beard Foundation Awards. With his sixth nomination, Hugo Ortega is one of the most celebrated chefs in the country. He has four Houston restaurants; his newest, Xochi, is an upscale spot for modern Oaxacan fare that’s set inside the brand-new Marriott Marquis Houston.

New restaurants are popping up around the city every month, serving a range of cuisines at a variety of price points. By the time your event comes around, there will likely be even more dining options to choose from. To help residents and visitors discover top dining spots, Visit Houston organizes regular chef-led culinary tours, in which famed chefs take guests to their personal favorite restaurants.

3. …And sports fans, too.

Visitors to downtown Houston can take in major event venues such as Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros, and Toyota Center, where the Houston Rockets play. Business travelers might think that the hot climate of Houston would not make for great golfing conditions, but Four Seasons Hotel Houston’s first-of-its-kind Topgolf Swing Suite allows guests to hit the driving range without having to leave the hotel. It’s an ideal space for mixing business with pleasure.

Discovery Green

4. It is a city that encourages exploration.

The area around the convention center is incredibly accessible and offers a lot for meeting groups to do in their leisure time. Whether they choose to walk or use the affordable BCycle bike share program, visitors can take in Minute Maid Park and Toyota Center, as well as a number of fine dining establishments.

Discovery Green is another must-see part of the Avenida Houston district. Located just outside the convention center, the urban public park is a welcome green space that brings the community together with outdoor concerts, cultural performances, yoga classes and other activities.

Buffalo Bayou, a 52-mile waterway that marks the site of Houston’s founding in 1836, is an iconic downtown landmark that offers outdoor activities such as canoeing and kayaking, hiking and biking.

Art and history lovers can also take in Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern, an underground water reservoir that was built in 1926 and once stored the city’s drinking water supply. The 85,000 sq. ft. space is mesmerizing when empty, but it is even more amazing when seen with an art installation. Until the end of June, the cistern will display Magdalena Fernandez’ Rain, an immersive light and sound experience.

top-us-meeting-destinations

Not long after announcing its top 100 U.S. meeting hotels, leading event management software provider Cvent has released its annual list of top meeting destinations. To create it, Cvent analyzed 5,000 U.S. cities from the Cvent Supplier Network. The rankings, which include 50 U.S. cities and 50 cities from around the world, are determined by key criteria such as the number of RFPs received, room nights booked and profile views.

Last year’s No. 1 city, Orlando, continues its reign at the top. The theme park capital of the world has held the top position for five of the last six years. Las Vegas has moved up from third to second, while last year’s No. 2, Chicago, is now third.

“Orlando continues to invest in our industry every year, with even more new additions to our expansive convention center district, innovative new venues and attractions, and more quality dining options for every type of group,” said Visit Orlando President and CEO George Aguel. “To receive the honor of once again being recognized by Cvent as the No. 1 meetings destination in the country, only reinforces our ongoing commitment to this important industry.”

Being a top-ranked meeting destination gives cities more than bragging rights—it is also a key indicator of local economic strength. “Corporate events remain important economic drivers for cities globally, and we’re seeing a direct correlation between economic strength and event activity in our ranking,” said Kevin Fliess, vice president of marketing for Cvent’s Hospitality Cloud. “Cities that continue to invest in attracting more and larger meetings and events each year are directly investing in their local economy.”

Cvent also named top meeting destinations around the globe, separated into Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific (APAC) regions. London maintained its first place position, with Barcelona following closely in second. The top two meeting destinations in APAC remained the same as well, with Singapore in first and Sydney ranked second.

The top 10 U.S. meeting destinations are listed below. Click here to see Cvent’s full list of top 50 U.S. meeting cities.

Rank City
1 Orlando, FL
2 Las Vegas, NV
3 Chicago, IL
4 Atlanta, GA
5 San Diego, CA
6 Washington, D.C.
7 Nashville, TN
8 Dallas, TX
9 New York, NY
10 Phoenix, AZ

 

One of the coolest museums in Los Angeles right now has nothing to do with art or history, but with ice cream. That’s right, the Museum of Ice Cream is a temporary pop-up in Downtown L.A. and locals, tourists and celebrities are all scrambling for the coveted tickets.

Discover Los Angeles has just announced a way for three lucky winners to gain admission for two to this ice cream heaven. Become an Instagram sensation and make all your friends jealous by snapping colorful photos swimming around in the sprinkle pool. Winners will also receive a $260 gift card to Magpies to put towards an entire year’s worth of ice cream.

HAPPY FRI-YAY! #museumoficecream (?: @cocoaxo)

A post shared by MUSEUM OF ICE CREAM (@museumoficecream) on

So, how do you win you ask? It’s as simple as eating more ice cream! The newly launched Discover L.A. app is making navigating through La La Land easier than ever for tourists and locals alike. There’s no longer reason to Google on the go when looking for a place to eat or an activity to do. In partnership with the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Discover Los Angeles created a mobile app to guide you through the City of Angels.

One of the most exciting things in the Discover L.A. app is a seasonally-themed scavenger hunt feature that gets users exploring the streets and discovering hidden gems. The first three people to complete the app’s first scavenger hunt, an ice cream crawl, will win. You have until June 23 to complete this delicious challenge.

“The Discover L.A. app is the first-of-its kind to utilize proprietary A.I. built to enhance the Los Angeles experience,” Don Skeoch, chief marketing officer of Discover Los Angeles, said in a press release. “Through smart technology, the app literally knows to serve up soup and indoor dining suggestions on cool days; the closest beaches and ice cream on warm days.”

Now that you know where you want to go and what you’re going to do, the question is, how will you get there? The Discover L.A. app has you covered. Tap on “get me there” and you’ll be provided with routes by bike, car and Metro. In fact, this app was funded in part by a grant from Metro, Los Angeles’ public bus and train system.

The Discover L.A. app is now available for free download on iOS and Android devices.

Key Features:

  • Top daily events
  • Film and TV locations
  • Transportation options
  • WiFi locations
  • Creates itineraries based on weather, time and distance
  • Recommends accommodations
  • Allows users to save favorite locations in a passport
  • Informs users of seasonal events and festivals
  • Converts currency

California’s ban on state-funded travel to states with LGBTQ discriminating laws has set off a range of reactions in the eight affected states, including a full-blown political feud in one of them.

Tennessee’s state Senate passed a resolution mocking California and calling for the state to pass a reciprocal ban.

A website in Alabama speculated state-funded California collegiate sports teams might not be able to travel to recruit athletes in banned states or attend major sporting events such as the 2018–2019 NCAA College Football Playoff semifinal game planned for Dallas.

In Kentucky, another of the banned states, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer called the travel ban a “real threat to our growing tourism economy” after a hotel in the city announced it had lost two conventions as a result.

Cancelled in Louisville

At Omni Louisville Hotel, General Manager Scott Stuckey said the property received calls from both conventions withdrawing from negotiations due to the California ban, but did not identify them. “We have used discretion in discussing the issue and have not identified the conventions, in hopes that we could persuade them to do business with Omni and Louisville in the future,” he said in a statement.

Fischer posted a video on Twitter, adding that the ban had previously cost Kentucky $2 million in future revenue, because two Chicago-based companies had also dropped Louisville from consideration as a meeting site. “We’ve seen in other states, like North Carolina, when these travel bans go into effect, it does not get any better,” he said. “It just leads to more and more bad announcements.”

He urged state leaders to rework the language of the Kentucky law that spurred the California ban.

The Feud Rages

Reaction from Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, on the other hand, was quite different. He called the travel ban the “silliest thing” he’d ever heard, according to news reports. Similarly, some state lawmakers called Fisher’s claims exaggerated and argued that the unnamed conventions had never locked in Louisville as their choice.
“These were conferences prepared to sign contracts,” Fisher stated through a spokesperson. “And our city lost that business, plain and simple.”

The original California measure, which was put into effect as a law this past January, included Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina and Tennessee. On June 22, Alabama, Kentucky, South Dakota and Texas were added. The ban puts restrictions on state-funded or state-sponsored travel to the listed states.

We want you out of the office and celebrating your city—for our fourth annual selfie contest, which is officially underway!

This year, we want you to show us a hidden gem in your city—something that will surprise tourists and even some of your fellow residents. It could be an activity nobody would expect people to do in your town or a hole-in-the-wall restaurant on the edge of the city. All you have to do is snap a photo of yourself and the location, write up a short description about it and send it to us. You could be included in our October issue or, if you win, on the cover!

Last year’s winner, Mike Waterman, CEO for the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, submitted a selfie showing some Houston Texans pride outside of the NRG Stadium. Other top submissions were from Jin-Hyeok Park, director of Seoul Convention Bureau, and Carrie Westergard, executive director of Boise Convention and Visitors Bureau in Idaho.

Learn more about the 2017 CVB Selfie Contest.

Baltimore

Baltimore has reinvented itself several times over the past few decades. Each time, it has gained attention as an important destination for business travelers.

“Baltimore’s skyline is currently dotted by construction cranes that are assembling new developments to completely transform its horizon,” says Al Hutchinson president and CEO of Visit Baltimore, the city’s CVB.

One of the newest projects is Port Covington, expected to bring 4 million sq. ft. of development to the city, Hutchinson reports. It will include offices, retail space, restaurants and a new campus for Under Armour, a multibillion-dollar sportswear company.

Another redevelopment project is Harbor Point, located on Baltimore’s waterfront. The former industrial complex is being transformed into a mixed-use project featuring an array of offices, residential units, retail space and a hotel.

Tradepoint Atlantic, previously the home of Baltimore’s historic Bethlehem Steel, will soon become an international transportation hub and epicenter for trade and commerce.

Among the city’s newest luxury hotels, Hutchinson points to The Pendry, which embodies the rich history of the Fell’s Point waterfront area.

“Plank’s Sagamore Development [spearheaded] The Pendry hotel, which transformed a historic 200-year old pier in Baltimore’s Fell’s Point neighborhood into a luxurious 128-room property—the brand’s first East Coast location,” Hutchinson says.

For small meetings, The Pendry hotel’s Price and Parsons conference rooms each offer 552 sq. ft. of meeting space. The elegant 4,565-square-foot Sangamore Ballroom—with its 35-foot ceilings—provides various seating configurations, from classroom style to banquet.

For intimate events and an eclectic taste of Baltimore, meeting planners can reserve the hotel’s Rec Pier Chop House, which offers classic-Italian cuisine, purebred beef cuts and fresh seafood.

“While the city [Baltimore] will always be known for its fresh crabs and Chesapeake specialties, a melting pot of cultural flavors has emerged alongside a growing craft beer and cocktail scene,” Hutchinson says.

data_overload

Like all big data, availability is not the problem; it’s consolidating, qualifying and understanding it that can lead to opportunity and innovation. The event industry is in the early stages of understanding data gathered from mobile apps, beacons and other technologies, and according to founder and CEO of Presdo Inc. Eric Ly, “There’s a lot of data being collected, but no one is making valuable use of the data.” Continue reading “Data Overload: A Problem in the Event Industry” →

email-marketing-tips
Email marketing can be complicated, but also wildly successful and economical. Cvent.com says one key to successful events is targeted, personal email invitations.

Each group should see specific, tailored messages. A group involved in pharmaceuticals won’t really care about the same things as a group of fundraisers. Tina Su on thinksimplenow.com says it is important to determine the result you are seeking before writing the invitations or messages. Have a clear goal in mind, and avoid rambling.

Other tips:

–To help ensure your email is read, pose a question or a request or ask for advice. The reply is the goal you are seeking.
–Skip long introductions, compliments and details. Just get to the point.
–Make sure your email has obvious links: Kevin Gao, CEO and founder of Comm100, says it is simple to define the purpose of an email, but without a link to a home page or website, users are not likely to become customers. He urges emailers to capitalize on every moment a user might feel compelled to click on something, and make the links clear.
–Several experts say the use of images is not the best use of space. Many recipients don’t bother to call them up, so why include them?
–Always ask recipients of emails to include you on their contact list. Always.
–Cvent suggests that meeting planners track the number and status of invitations they’ve emailed. This helps monitor the overall campaign.

For more email marketing tips, sign up for Smart Meetings’ latest webinar.

tech tools

Designing a website specifically for your next major meeting has never been easier following the launch of an event website builder by Bizzabo this week. The recent addition to Bizzabo’s event management platform allows meeting professionals to quickly customize an event website with no coding or design experience required.

“Developing a website builder was a crucial component of our event success platform,” says Alon Alroy, CMO and co-founder. “Event organizers deserve a toolkit that allows for the ultimate event planning experience from beginning to end, smoothly and without interruptions.”

Here are a few key features of Bizzabo’s event website builder:

-Host the website at the URL of your choice.
-Sell tickets directly from the website without redirecting to a third-party site.
-Create your event’s look and feel by selecting from a wide range of templates, fonts, colors and elements.
-Go live within minutes without the need for developers or web designers.
-Fully responsive for smartphones and tablets.
-Save time by having all event management components in one place, including speakers, agenda, exhibitors, community and event app modules.
-Make changes in real-time and watch them update on all platforms.
-Add custom HTML-based sections.
-SEO optimization.

Bizzabo’s event platform, including the new website builder, helps meeting professionals track all stages of the planning process, right down to each event’s social media posts. Planners will really appreciate tools that enhance email marketing, data collection, and the ability to poll and survey attendees. The website builder was designed specifically for planners to help design and brand events. There’s even a sponsor section and countdown clock.

Integration of Bizzabo’s event platform is smooth, with agenda or schedule changes are synced across the event website and event app immediately.

Bizzabo launched in 2012 and is now used by event organizers throughout the world. The company has offices in New York and Israel.

To learn more about meeting technology, visit Smart Meetings’ new website.