IMEX America 2015Lee Papa delivers Smart Monday keynote at IMEX America 2015

Staying present in the moment is not the easiest task on the tradeshow floor. But that’s exactly what attendees at IMEX America 2015 in Las Vegas are being encouraged to do. In an effort to promote health and wellbeing, this week’s show is embracing eco-consciousness and higher-awareness with a brand new Be Well at IMEX program.

“With packed schedules, healthy habits can often take a back seat,” notes Carina Bauer, CEO of IMEX Group. “We’re keen to help attendees relax and recharge so they’re in top form to make the most of their busy days on the show floor.”

Kicking off Smart Monday, Lee Papa, a wellness consultant, author and public speaker, set the tone for the annual show in her keynote at Sands Expo. Papa is an accomplished transformational advisor, mindfulness instructor and intuitive healing practitioner. Her book, The Temple of All Knowing, is a memoir of her journey prior to a near death experience.

During the three-day conference, attendees will be able to continue on the health and wellness track with a number of seminars, health workshops and a new meditation room. At the Inspiration Hub, more than 180 show floor education sessions will be offered. Conference attendees will have plenty of opportunities to learn how they can stay healthy while on the road.

Robyn Davis, a tradeshow sales and marketing specialist, will share her tips on how to maintain healthy habits while traveling during her educational session. She explains that many professionals struggle to stick to their routines while away, even though eating right, exercising and getting enough sleep are still important.

Diogo Assis, CEO of Events by Tlc, has organized IMEXrun Las Vegas, a new 5 kilometer street circuit to be held on the last day of the conference. The run, which is inspired by Rio de Janeiro, takes place on the Las Vegas Strip right before the tradeshow floor reopens. Assis will also educate conference attendees on the growth of sports in the events industry, and on how learn to integrate exercise into event and conference agendas.

For more information on health initiatives at IMEX America 2015, visit the event initiative section for highlights and a guide to wellbeing.

imex-news-roundupMy head is spinning. It seems every destination management organization and hotel brand I have met with during IMEX in Las Vegas this week has had tons of exciting news to share with me in hopes of reaching our Smart Meetings readers.

The IMEX trade show floor is absolutely buzzing, with international meeting cities trying to steal attention away from their U.S. counterparts. Apologies in advance if I didn’t make it to your booth yet, but here are nine key takeaways I’d like to share with meeting professionals and anyone else invested in the meetings and events industry.

1.  The Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board is about to make the lives of meeting planners a lot easier with the debut of a meeting-centric website next month. One of the coolest features, in my humble opinion, is the fact that you can click a button on the site that will trigger your phone to call the sales department. If you’re like me, you probably despise having to search for contact info and now you won’t have to. The ability to virtually tour the city with a device that turns a phone into the imagine finder is another neat thing I learned about during a breakfast meeting on Wednesday.

“L.A. Tourism understands the importance of the meeting industry to the destination and that’s why we made the creation of a new, standalone website for meeting professionals an absolute priority,” said Darren Green, senior vice president of sales. “We’ve taken detailed measures to truly focus on the meeting planner and are confident our B2B website effectively captures their voice and caters to their needs.”

2. Visit Orlando is pushing out its “Share Orlando” campaign to its B2B customers. The campaign’s goal is to showcase attendee stories through posts on social media in order to excite and inspire planners to see themselves and their attendees doing really fun things throughout the city. Attendees are encouraged to use the hashtag #OrlandoMeeting to share their experiences.

“Whether visitors are here on business or pleasure, Orlando is a place they look forward to visiting and one that quickly turns them into storytellers,” said George Aguel, president and CEO of Visit Orlando.

3. NYC & Company tipped me off to something that really surprised me. The Javits Center, with 840,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space, has a 6.75-acre green roof that has become a bird sanctuary. It’s the only green roof in New York City that is known to be used by nesting herring gulls. With at least 11 bird species, the roof is host to more than 500 birds at a time. Who knew? Also, a new subway station opened at the convention center last month, making it more convenient than ever to meet at Javits.

4. Global Association Hubs Partnership is a new team of destinations that aim to bring international associations to their markets. The partnership is made up of Visit Brussels, Dubai Association Centre, Destination DC and Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau. Brussels and Washington D.C. have had a partnership since 2011.

“By leveraging this new partnership, international associations now have the opportunity to roll out global strategies and take advantage of local opportunities in key partner countries in a manner that is simple, well-coordinated and highly convenient,” said Herve Bosquet of Visit Brussels.

5. For something fun, consider a team-building event coordinated by Cirque du Soleil. The new program is called Spark and the mission is for attendees to become the show, with costumes, makeup and coaching by real Cirque performers. Sessions can last from two hours to 6.5 hours and are currently available in Las Vegas, Montreal and Riviera Maya, Mexico.

6. Hyatt Regency has just launched a multimillion dollar campaign that highlights how the brand helps guests make the most of being away from the home. “It’s good not to be home” is aimed at business travelers, who make up 50 percent of the brand’s users.

“We are celebrating the simple human truths about travel that sometimes being away from home can actually be good,” said Sandra Cordova Micek, senior vice president for Hyatt’s global brands. “The Hyatt Regency brand gives guests everything they need in one place–fantastic hotels and resorts around the world, caring staff, excellent food and the list goes on.”

7. Fairmont Hotels continues to expand by taking over and managing several magnificent properties that are already well-known. Last spring, the brand added the Fairmont Grand Del Mar in San Diego to its portfolio. In December, The Claremont Hotel, Club & Spa in Berkeley, California, will be rebranded as The Claremont, a Fairmont Managed Hotel. (The Fairmont Claremont didn’t work for some folks.)  The model for infusing capital for renovations and bringing in Fairmont management had been successfully tested in London, with the famous Savoy in London, which was rebranded six years ago.

8. The Trump Hotel Collection has spread across the pond to Scotland, with the purchase of The Turnberry Resort last year. As one can imagine, there’s a major renovation underway, with an expected grand opening next June. The renowned golf course hosted the 2009 British Open, which was no doubt one of many reasons the Trump’s bought the prized property on 800 acres.

9. Hilton has a meeting-oriented campaign underway called Ideas by the Cup. The global corporation polled business professionals in the United States, United Kingdom and China to find out the role of coffee and tea in productive meetings, and course, the value of face-to-face meetings. The study found that more than half of those responding believe coffee and tea make meetings more productive. Note to planners: 85 percent of U.S. respondents drink coffee.

I’m finishing up a cup of coffee right now so I can make a few more passes throughout the showroom floor. Just want to keep my buzz going to maintain pace with all that’s still happening in Vegas this week.

 

TripAdvisor, one of the largest travel websites in the world, is becoming even larger, due to a new partnership it has struck with Priceline.

TripAdvisor, one of the largest travel websites in the world, is becoming even larger, due to a new partnership it has struck with Priceline. Yesterday, the two travel aggregators announced plans to merge some of their offerings in the near future.

Accommodations from websites under Priceline Group will be listed on TripAdvisor’s instant booking platform. Customers will be made aware that the listings are under Booking.com, and its representatives will handle all related customer service. Booking.com will be the first online brand to link its inventory with TripAdvisor, and Agoda.com is likely to be next, a press release states.

Stephen Kaufer, president and CEO of TripAdvisor says Priceline’s hotel inventory will greatly broaden TripAdvisor’s current base of 235,000 bookable properties. The instant booking feature is only available for lodgings in the U.S., but is expected to roll out to international markets over time.

“Having Priceline Group join the instant booking platform is a huge win for travelers, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have them as our first strategic, global online travel agency partner,” he said in a statement.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the deal comes after months of negotiations and initial reservation from Priceline. Executives were leery of working with TripAdvisor since it could draw consumer attention away from brands under Priceline Group. On Wednesday, TripAdvisor shares jumped 20 percent to $81.09, while Priceline’s fell 1.9 percent to $1,319.

TripAdvisor launched its instant booking platform last year, quickly becoming an aggressive contender among online travel agencies. The travel review website already manages and operates 23 other travel media brands, including SmarterTravel, Airfarewatchdog, FlipKey, GateGuru, BookingBuddy, Cruise Critic, Oyster and Jetsetter.

Tripadvisor’s merge with Priceline follows a trend of bigger websites buying out smaller travel service companies. Earlier this year, Expedia acquired Travelocity and Orbitz, expanding its footprint within the $1.3 trillion travel booking industry.

growth-in-meetings-industryIn the past five years, the meetings industry has transitioned from a state of recovery to one of robust and healthy growth throughout the world, says a leading industry executive.

Issa Jouaneh, senior vice president and general manager for American Express Meetings and Events, based his view on the company’s annual worldwide surveys of meetings industry experts. The 2016 global Meetings and Events Forecast was released Tuesday.

“The new report predicts strong growth in meetings across all areas,” he told Smart Meetings at IMEX America 2015 in Las Vegas.

“The mantra in 2015 was to do more with less; the mantra in 2016 will be to do more with a little more.

Jouaneh says that for the first time in years, respondents see more money being available for meetings and events. Overall spending on meetings is expected to increase by 1.9 percent among North American businesses, although budgetary constraints and economic pressures remain concerns.

Another concern is the need to better establish and comply with formal meetings policies. While 87 percent of Asian organizations report being compliant,  Europe and North America report a 70 and 68 percent compliance rate, respectively.

Compliance policies cover a variety of issues, including payment, expansion, safety and approval processes.

“Compliance remains important for meetings and events,” Jouaneh said. “If you look at the types of meetings and events organizations now have, there’s clearly a high risk factor that they won’t align with the company’s values and comply with local laws.”

Jouaneh offered his perspective on face-to-face, virtual and hybrid meetings.

“From an overall business perspective, in the last three or four years virtual meetings have been considered as a viable and cost-effective alternative to face-to-face meetings,” he says. “But people realize that face-to-face meetings are important. As a result, hybrid meetings are becoming more popular than virtual meetings.

“Going forward, I see face-to-face meetings as being a driver across the board.”

For more on #IMEX15 check out our live coverage from Smart Meetings TV. 

the-radissonThe fact that Kaaren Hamilton, vice president of global group sales for Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, is a longtime member of Meeting Professionals International (MPI) has a lot to do with the new partnership between one of the brands she represents and the international meeting planning organization.

During opening day of IMEX in Las Vegas at Sands Expo and Convention Center, Hamilton announced that Radisson has entered into a new educational partnership with MPI to create a certificate program for hotel staff members. Radisson’s new Meetings Success program consists of six training sessions to help hotel team members learn more about strategic meetings management, business evaluation, hosting environmentally-friendly meetings and negotiations. By the end of 2015, all general managers and directors of sales at the 150 Radisson hotels are expected to be certified.

Radisson is the only hotel brand to have this type of partnership with MPI.

“It’s a significant endorsement,” Hamilton said. “We’re positioned for the business traveler. This is also a great way for MPI to expand its reach.”

Hamilton is former chapter president for MPI New Jersey and has been on its board for eight years. She says that MPI has been an integral part of helping build her business career and believes the new certification program will further enhance Radisson’s role as a key meeting hotel brand.

The certification program is the next phase of improvements throughout Radisson properties. Last year, Radisson wrapped up five years of $600 million in upgrades at its hotels and now looks to improve service through training.

Among the properties that set the standards for Radisson’s status as a player in the meetings industry is Radisson Plaza Hotel at Kalamazoo Center, which frequently hosts medical and pharmaceutical meetings. Radisson Phoenix Airport is a key destination due to its convenient location five minutes from the airport. Radisson Hotel Admiral Toronto-Harbourfront serves business and leisure travelers.

Be sure to follow our live coverage from the show room floor at #IMEX15.

10 Ways Groups Can Tour Scottsdale

This season, stop by Scottsdale to experience its spectrum of arts, museums and entertainment at several western-themed attractions. Plus, visitors will find locally-owned restaurants and galleries and a whole slate of new things to do. Here are 10 ways groups can tour Scottsdale:

1. Visit Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art to see Bruce Munro’s light-based display of compact discs, fishing rods and fiber optics in his series titled, “Desert Radiance.” The exhibit will be available from Oct. 3-Apr. 24.

2. Concert-goers must not miss LiveWire, Scottsdale’s newest live music venue. The 14,000-square-foot building in the entertainment district is equipped with 25-foot HD screens and a LED screen wrapped mezzanine level.

3. Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row is a 1920s-style saloon and gastropub. It’s also a country music performance club with 5,200 sq. ft. of venue space. Owned by the country music star and Grammy nominee, local and national acts regularly come through.

4. Shop ‘til you drop at Biltmore Fashion Park, a hub of small, independent retail stores. There are 13 boutiques and an outdoor patio that hosts live music, chef demonstrations, tastings and a bi-monthly farmers market.

5. Take in the Sonoran Desert from above with Desert Splash Seaplane Adventures. From October to April, aerial tours are offered on board a Cessna Caravan jet-prop amphibious seaplane. See a bird’s eye view of Salt River Canyons, Roosevelt Dam and the Spires rock formations.

6. Local experts from the Ultimate Art & Cultural Tours take visitors on a downtown trolley for a free two-hour tour held on the second Saturday of each month. Along the way, learn about downtown history and visit Old Adobe Mission, the arts district, Scottsdale Civic Center Mall and Hotel Valley Ho.

7. Musical Instrument Museum has one of the largest musical displays, with 15,000 instruments and artifacts in its collection. The museum also holds an outdoor music festival, MIMFest, which returns this November.

8. Bring your sweet tooth on a chocolate tour of Scottsdale, a new walking tour that weaves through four downtown districts and eight shops filled with sugary goodies. Taste brownies, ice cream, Belgium chocolates, cannolis and more.

9. Scottsdale is home to a number of breweries and craft cocktail bars. For locally brewed beer, head to Sip Coffee & Beer House, Goldwater Brewing, Union Barrelhouse, Two Brothers or Bad Water Brewing’s. Try Counter Intuitive, Second Story Liquor Bar, The Hermosa Inn or Cowboy Ciao for some exquisite cocktails.

10. The culinary scene in Scottsdale meets all the criteria to be a foodie city. With a number of farmer’s markets, farm-to-table restaurants and critically-acclaimed chefs, there are more than 600 establishments to choose from. Some favorite options include The Upton, Sumo Maya Mexican Asian Kitchen and Bink’s Scottsdale.

business-travel-finalThe growth of business travel may not be blossoming quite as much as the industry thought. The Global Business Travel Association released a report today on their third-quarter outlook for U.S. business travel, and while there’s growth, it’s not as sharp as predicted earlier in the year.

The findings state that business travel spending will have ended up growing 3.1 percent in 2015 and 3.7 percent in 2016. This represents a drop from predictions earlier in the year, when growth was expected to be at a rate of 4.9 percent in 2015 and 5.4 percent in 2016.

“Growth in U.S. business travel spending is softening as result of the uncertain macro-economic environment,” said Michael W. McCormick, Executive Director and COO of the Global Business Travel Association. “While the number of trips are up, total spending per trip is down. That can be linked to growing uncertainty and risk associated with the global economy, especially in China, Russia and the Middle East and the global collapse in oil prices. This should sound a clear note of caution for the overall U.S. economy.”

The report attributes the newer predictions of slowed growth to three primary factors:

-Uncertainty with the global economy is causing U.S. companies to become much more selective about authorizing international travel.

-The collapse of global oil prices is causing inflation in the business travel sector to remain flat or increase only slightly (0.5 percent in 2015 and 3 percent in 2016.

-Actual figures relating to business travel volume in 2014 were lower than expected after being fully collected and vetted, causing predictions to drop correspondingly.

It also comes down to companies looking to save cash when it comes to travel.

“Companies are looking for ways increase business travel while still keeping costs in check,” said David Henstock, VP of Global Commercial Solutions, Visa Inc. “As companies look for efficiencies across their organization, electronic payments play a key role in helping both buyers and suppliers in the travel industry manage expenses and drive savings to their bottom line.”

grand-rapids-michiganSmart Meetings is getting a firsthand look at Grand Rapids, Michigan’s Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, which recently underwent $14 million worth of renovations to the 285-room Glass Tower. Senior Editor Paul Love is our reporter on the scene sharing his experiences at the hotel.

In addition to the Amway Grand Plaza, he’ll be checking out the art scene in Grand Rapids via the ArtPrize hub and the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, trying out new restaurants and lounges with high expectations (including The Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck) and exploring venues and attractions with great potential value to meetings and events professionals.

Follow Smart Meetings social media posts from Thursday, October 8 through Saturday, October 10 to see all that Grand Rapids offers planners and meetings attendees and keep track of Paul’s adventures. There are some late-night events on the agenda, so be sure to check in day and night!

Last Updated Oct. 11, 2015 – 2:50 PM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

southwest-airlinesSouthwest Airlines, one of the nation’s most successful and well-liked domestic carriers, is poised to launch more flights to international destinations beginning Oct. 15. The airline will offer service to 12 destinations in eight countries by the end of 2015, and has identified 50 other international destinations it may be interested in exploring for future growth.

For more than four decades, Southwest’s profitable business model has focused on providing short, domestic legs, often operating out of less crowded airports. Coupling low fares with an irreverent sense of style and fun, the carrier won the hearts of travelers, who embraced its unusual open seating policy and relative lack of upgrades.

Southwest’s offbeat formula has clearly worked well in the United States. As Bloomberg Business reports, the carrier has grown from four aircraft to almost 700, and is today the fourth-biggest U.S. carrier in terms of passenger traffic. It will remain to be seen, however, whether Southwest can duplicate its success in the international market.

In actuality, Southwest has been in the international market since 2011 when it bought AirTran Airways, which had routes to several cities in Mexico and the Caribbean. But beginning Oct. 15, Southwest will embark on a major expansion, offering nonstop daily service to six cities in Latin America and the Caribbean from a new, $156 million international concourse it has built at Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport (HOU). Southwest will open a second international terminal (at a cost of $295 million) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 2017. By the end of 2015, Southwest plans to offer service to a dozen destinations, in eight foreign countries.

Fans of Southwest will be happy to learn that like domestically, they will be allowed to fly two checked bags for free. However, passengers departing from Mexico City, Montego Bay, Belize, or San José, Costa Rica will be strictly limited to just two bags, with no oversized or overweight baggage accepted.

All of Southwest’s international flights must be booked through Southwest’s website, and all ticket prices will be in U.S. dollars. Until the website is fully functional, call 1-800-I-FLY-SWA to book or inquire about flights.