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Susan Campbell

Save the Date: HSMAI’s MEET West

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Don’t miss this year’s HSMAI MEET West show, which takes place May 30-31, 2012, at the Anaheim Marriott Hotel (in Anaheim, CA). You’ll join an estimated 1,200 fellow meeting planners, along with 250 exhibitors who will promote their hotels, resorts, inns, convention and visitors bureaus, tech suppliers, and food and equipment providers. If you can’t attend in person, you can still benefit from HSMAI’s MEET On, which will air select [...]

by Susan Campbell on May 7, 2012

Renovations, Outreach, and More Wi-Fi, Please…

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Newsy Bits from the Industry… A $50 Million Reveal: Meeting planners spoke and the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center listened—to the tune of $50 million. Meeting planners will now discover additional venues, like the Coquina Lawn (pictured), where groups can dine under the stars, sip brandy by three fire pits, or watch movies in a park-like setting. Also new: two comfy meeting planner offices just steps from the ballrooms, [...]

by Susan Campbell on April 23, 2012

A Reno Lobby, a London Penthouse, and One Very Educated Trade Show

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Newsy Bits from the Industry… Welcome to Kiev: For Fairmont’s first foray into eastern Europe, they elected to build in Kiev, in the heart of the Ukrainian capital’s historic Podil district. The Fairmont Grand Hotel Kyiv (above) opened in late March as a 258-room classically designed beauty, complete with a Fairmont Gold floor for top-tier hospitality. The opening comes at an exciting time in Kiev, in anticipation of such high-profile [...]

by Susan Campbell on April 11, 2012

An Organizational Time-Saver

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Staying organized is a survival skill for meeting professionals. Here’s how Dirk at Sports Destination Network Inc. keeps himself on task and on time… “I like IndividualSoftware.com’s product called AnyTime Deluxe. It’s a user-friendly organizational calendar software that assists me in my day-to-day work checklist.”

by Susan Campbell on April 10, 2012

The Marriage of Maritz and Experient

Two key players in the meetings world, Maritz Travel and Experient, joined forces yesterday in looks like a win-win-win scenario for the industry, clients, and company employees. Maritz president David Peckinpaugh described the acquisition as “a reaffirmation of the strength of our industry.” Given the troubled waters of the 2008 and 2009 when the corporate incentive business—a core Maritz competency—took a beating, the move into the Experient territory of associations, [...]

by Susan Campbell on April 4, 2012

Saving Precious Event Time

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This valuable tip came to us from Laura at McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP. Thanks so much, Laura! “Prepare an abbreviated agenda, on card stock, sized to fit in an attendee’s name-tag holder. Issue these with their name tags and they will be more likely to always have an agenda with them. Additionally, if you have breakout sessions, add a sticker on the back of each name tag with their [...]

by Susan Campbell on April 2, 2012

A Decade of IMEX Frankfurt

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IMEX Frankfurt, May 22-24, 2012 This year marks the tenth anniversary for IMEX Frankfurt. Over the past decade, the show has honed its reputation as the place to do business. In terms of sheer numbers, the 2012 show will likely have about 14,000 senior decision makers and some 3,500 exhibitors, suppliers, and product experts from more than 150 countries. Thanks to the show’s preset appointments and social events, first-timers at [...]

by Susan Campbell on April 2, 2012

HSMAI’s MEET Mid-America…See you there!

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One of the many reasons we partner each year with HSMAI for the newly minted MEET shows is because we, like you, get a lot out of them. This year’s MEET Mid-America show will be held April 3-4, 2012, at Chicago’s Navy Pier. What are we most looking forward to? In particular, the educational component looks especially strong. They’re offering something for every learning style—from in-depth case studies to quick-burst [...]

by Susan Campbell on March 20, 2012

A Big Apple Debut, Big Incentive, and One Very Big Wheel

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Newsy Bits from the World of Hospitality… Move over, London Eye: It’s official: the foundation has been set for Las Vegas’s new observation wheel, which promises to be the largest in the western hemisphere. The new addition to the Vegas skyline, SkyVue, will open to non-acrophobes on July 4, 2013. The “revolutionary” project boasts 32, 24-person, climate-controlled gondolas (after all, it gets cold 500 feet above The Strip); 200,000 square [...]

by Susan Campbell on March 19, 2012

Favorite International Time-Saver

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Joann from Gen Re shared this time-saving tip for events that involve international travel. Thank you, Joann! “When bringing a group to a passport-required destination, I try to get my hands on customs and immigration forms and then pre-populate the fields for my attendees with such things as hotel name, address, dates, etc. On occasions when we have passport data for attendees, I am even able to add their name [...]

by Susan Campbell on March 15, 2012

Los Angeles, a Preferred Meeting Site, and Demystifying the Mayan Calendar

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Bits and Bobs of Industry News… City of Angels: More than a decade and some $15 billion in new development has given Los Angeles added luster—and loads of recognition as a meetings destination that delivers. It seems to have paid off, too. Last year they saw a record 26.9 million visitors. Now the new Downtown Los Angeles Meeting Planners Guide is available to showcase the city’s best assets for meeting [...]

by Susan Campbell on February 23, 2012

Time-Saving Software

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We asked meeting professionals to give us their favorite time-saving tips. This software time-saver comes from Charlene F. of Altour. Thanks, Charlene! “A time-saving software that I use all the time is iCloud by Apple. When I am on a site visit, I take pictures of everything—the meeting rooms, sleeping rooms, and layout of the hotel’s back-of-the-house. I then use the photo stream part of iCloud (to upload) all pictures [...]

by Susan Campbell on February 22, 2012

Early Birds, Late Checkouts, and Viva Las Vegas

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Hospitality News of the Week Talk about your comeback kid: Last year Las Vegas drew the second-highest visitor’s numbers (38.9 million) in the city’s recorded history according to stats released by Las Vegas Conventions and Visitors Authority. And they can largely thank the continuing recovery of convention business. This year, LVCVA president and CEO Rossi Ralenkotter projects 40 million visitors, which would best their all-time high of 39.2 visitors in [...]

by Susan Campbell on February 17, 2012

Small Wonders

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Why pay a premium for on-site office support when you can bring your own—in your wallet? SlimScan from PlanOn Systems Solutions makes a credit card–sized stainless steel color scanner designed to electronically record receipts, business cards, magazine articles, contracts, recipes, and other documents on the fly. Just press the capture button on the face, scan the document with the horizontal edge of the device, and watch the image appear on [...]

by Susan Campbell on February 15, 2012

Not Your Everyday Grind

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Looking for a nonalcoholic way to liven up a Latin-themed event? Look no further than Café Frio. What makes this Latin version of iced coffee unique is Ibarra, a distinctly flavored Mexican chocolate that has been a south-of-the-border favorite since 1925. Café Frio Ingredients 2 cups milk 2 discs (6 oz.) Ibarra chocolate 6 oz. semisweet chocolate 2 cups fresh espresso (chilled), or very strong coffee 3–4 cups ice 2 [...]

by Susan Campbell on February 10, 2012

Know the Code

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Whoever coined the adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” must have anticipated the QR (Quick Response) code. The tiny two-dimensional matrix can be loaded with oodles of info. And it’s showing up everywhere from storefronts to catalogs to billboards. Its recent adoption for industry events allows the quick exchange of company and contact information without the need to key in data from a teetering stack of business cards [...]

by Susan Campbell on February 9, 2012

Well Suited

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Who says travel accessories have to be dull? Dutch company SuitSuit can turn ordinary luggage into a fashion statement with its line of 35 suitcase covers. But the stretchy covers are more than just a pretty face. They protect luggage from dirt and dings while ensuring that your bag stays shut for the duration. They can even be customized with company logos for ideal incentive gifts. From €29.95 (approx. US$40), [...]

by Susan Campbell on February 8, 2012

Banding Together

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For a team-building experience that always hits a high note, Rock ’n’ Roll Fantasy Camp gives corporate groups a turn in the spotlight. With the guidance of a “rock star counselor” like Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad, Lita Ford of The Runaways, and songwriter and producer Mark Hudson, corporate groups break into small bands, where they dream up an image-making moniker, and then collaborate on writing and performing their [...]

by Susan Campbell on February 8, 2012

Smart Apps

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These days, if you’re not mobile, you’re not ready. Enter MeetingApps.com, the first online portal for iPhone, iPad, Android, and BlackBerry applications (or “apps”) specifically designed for busy international meeting and event professionals. Want to track live flights? Turn your smartphone into a presentation pointer? Select the perfect wine for an executive feast? Whatever your immediate need, there’s probably an app for that at MeetingApps. There’s even an app that [...]

by Susan Campbell on February 6, 2012

The Power of Face Time

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You’re in the business of putting people together in the same room, so you already know that face-to-face gatherings are good for business. But when you leverage the power of networking, you also help yourself and others find common ground. Speaker, author, and commentator Laura Schwartz produced history-making events as the White House director of events during the Clinton administration. She shares tricks of the trade in her book Eat, [...]

by Susan Campbell on February 3, 2012

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