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Elite Meetings Alliance

Elite Meetings Alliance Daily Digest – Tuesday 1/31

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It’s hard to imagine never having been to an Elite Meetings Alliance before this. Maybe I’m a changed person, maybe I’m enlightened, maybe I’m a little exhausted, but mostly – I am so utterly grateful to be with a company that enjoys what it does as much as it appreciates the people that make the company what it is. Thank you all for coming, for participating, and for creating a [...]

by Alina Itkin on January 31, 2012

Elite Meetings Alliance Daily Digest – Monday 1/30

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Hello again everyone! We hope you had another fabulous day at the Rancho Las Palmas. The sessions were jam packed and full of information. Thank you to Laura Schwartz, Midori Connolly, Daren Martin, & Shawn Seipler! To get the details on them, visit our Michelle Thornton’s blog at the link here. Big appreciative THANK YOU for blogging about us, Michelle! The Trick shot clinic got quite fancy with those shots [...]

by Alina Itkin on January 30, 2012

Elite Meetings Alliance Daily Digest – Sunday 1/29

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Where to start with the yesterday? Well for one, thank you all for coming to the hospitality desk to Shameka & I to check in. You made the process extremely easy and it was great to finally put a face to the all the names we see. If you haven’t already received your name badge, stop on by the hospitality desk today! We’ll be there from 8am-6pm in the Ballroom [...]

by Alina Itkin on January 29, 2012

Broadcasting LIVE Hybrid Sessions from EMA

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Participate in the EMA from Home! We’re here in the desert getting ready to kick off the January Elite Meetings Alliance at Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa and it’s shaping up to be an amazing event! For those of you who weren’t able to be here in person, you’re invited to join us for our Educational Sessions via a live webcast! This will not be your average webcast. Our [...]

by Alina Itkin on January 27, 2012

Inside Scoop to the Elite Meetings Alliance

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Elite Meetings Alliance Details Happy New Year! We hear it’s cold out there, but we’re starting to feel the desert heat as we prepare for the Elite Meetings Alliance (EMA)! If you haven’t already heard, Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa is hosting the EMA January 29-31st in the desert oasis of Rancho Mirage (Palm Springs), California. We have some exciting insider details we’d like to share before you step [...]

by Alina Itkin on January 10, 2012

American Airlines Supports its’ Planners

AMR Chapter 11 will not affect the Elite Meetings Alliance (EMA) Like most of you, when AMR, the parent company of American Airlines, announced they had filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 yesterday morning it left me wondering what that meant for our upcoming event, the Elite Meetings Alliance. The film buff in me couldn’t help but conjure images of Jimmy Stewart in It’s a Wonderful Life railing [...]

by Margaret Holsinger on December 1, 2011

The Road to the EMA: Keynote Speaker Announced

In our last blog post we told you about Margaret, our resident event planner who is responsible for the planning and execution of the Elite Meetings Alliance at Ranchos Las Palmas Resort & Spa. Since then, our little Margie (don’t tell her we called her that!) has been bustling about signing contracts, locking down speakers, and doing a site visit to Rancho Las Palmas. During her visit, Margaret had the [...]

by Alina Itkin on November 30, 2011

The Road to the EMA: Meet Margaret

Here at Elite Meetings our focus is on changing the event planning industry through innovative technologies that understand the market and how it works. The people behind Elite Meetings are passionate, friendly, and majorly quirky. This is where our beloved Event Planner, Margaret Holsinger comes in. With this series of blog posts, we will take you through the journey of bringing to life an Elite Meeting’s Alliance. You’ll gain [...]

by Alina Itkin on October 28, 2011

Hot New Hotels Slated for 2012 Elite Meetings Alliances

Selected hotels seize opportunity to showcase the very best and latest in event offerings. | Highly regarded invitation-only EMA continues to set the standard for one-on-one buyer-seller format. Santa Barbara, CA – October 2011 – Elite Meetings International today announced the sites of next year’s three Elite Meetings Alliances (EMA). CEO Kelly Foy said, “All three of our 2011 events set new records for attendance and performance because we continue [...]

by Bryce Johnson on October 11, 2011

Spring Elite Meetings Alliance Sees Record Numbers

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With over 1193 one-on-one appointments being scheduled through FaceTime Appointment Scheduler, the Elite Meetings Alliance at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas was our largest event to date. Cate DeLaRosa of Ameriprise Financial said, “The networking and one-on-ones were fantastic and of the 16 meeting I had, I will very likely book with five of them in the future.” Praise for the event came in from suppliers and buyers alike. Kris [...]

by Carol Lynch on May 18, 2011

Experienced Planners Share Tips

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A favorite of each Elite Meetings Alliance is the knowledge-sharing. The meeting planners attending are a wealth of experience. Here are a couple of the favorite tips I heard during the EMA: Carolyn Pund says Cisco encourages attendee loyalty at their big annual conference by creating an exclusive ideas/networking lounge that’s only available to those who actively contribute and have attended for 5 consecutive years–miss a year, start over! The [...]

by Bryce Johnson on May 5, 2011

Elite Meetings Alliance Kicks Off!

Kelly Foy, CEO of Elite Meetings International, welcomed 90+ meeting planners and 76 hotels to The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas for the Spring 2011 Elite Meetings Alliance. Setting out the event’s theme, “It’s about time!” , Kelly asserted “It’s about time our industry is recognized for its contributions to the recovering economy; it’s about time–and good to see–that the US government is promoting meeting and incentive travel…Saving time is what [...]

by Bryce Johnson on May 2, 2011

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Inaugural Gold Elite Meetings Alliance

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As a first time staff member at the Elite Meetings Alliance (EMA), I wasn’t sure what to expect from what Elite refers to as the “Ultimate Meeting Planner Event.” The weekend was off to a great start with temperatures in the 70’s accompanied by clear, blue, sunny skies. The EMA Team couldn’t have been happier The EMA took place at Paradise Point Resort & Spa, located in the beautiful Mission [...]

by Amy Weitz on February 9, 2011

The Elite Meetings Alliance from a Planner’s Perspective: Al Geismar, Enterprise Holdings

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Al Geismar, Director, Corporate Meetings & Travel for Enterprise Holdings, talks about why he attends the Elite Meetings Alliance: With the creation of the Elite Meetings Alliance, Kelly and his talented crew have successfully created a fast-track strategy to help meeting planners and hoteliers accomplish their missions. The mantra of most meeting planners is “add value” and “make a difference” in the eyes of their stakeholders. Most hoteliers are dedicated [...]

by Al Geismar on December 10, 2010

Kelly Morris of Burton Group/Gartner explains the value of the Elite Meetings Alliance

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Kelly Morris, Director, Digital Marketing/Events of Burton Group/Gartner, explains why she considers the Elite Meetings Alliance the “Ultimate Meeting Planner Event.” Stunning luxury properties, knowledgeable hoteliers, great networking opportunities with seasoned professionals and that’s just the tip of iceberg. On the surface, Elite Meetings Alliance (EMA) looks like other planner/hotelier “speed-dating” events but from the moment you register to the moment you are transferred back to the local airport, you [...]

by Kelly Morris on December 9, 2010

Joanne Umbarger of American Shipping & Logistics Group talks about how the Elite Meetings Alliance inspired her

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Joanne Umbarger, Administrative Assistant with American Shipping & Logistics Group talks about how the EMA has inspired her in her everyday life. Among the most valuable aspects of attending the EMAs are the strategic networking opportunities. Unlike your average conference or trade show, the Elite Team creates themed events that allow planners to get to know hoteliers in comfortable and fun settings. The EMAs have opened me up to a [...]

by Joanne Umbarger on December 8, 2010

Allyson Taylor of Starz Entertainment shares her EMA experiences

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Hear about why Allyson Taylor – Director, Corporate Events and Talent Relations for Starz Entertainment – attends the Elite Meetings Alliance: I have attended the Elite Meetings Alliance four times, and when I am unable to attend, I always ensure someone from my team is there. As most event management professionals, we spend a great deal of time traveling. The EMA set-up allows us to conduct 18 site visits in [...]

by Allyson Taylor on December 8, 2010

Hear about the EMA from Madelyn Foxworthy of ATIS

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Madelyn Foxworthy – Manager, Meetings & Events for ATIS – shares her thoughts on the Elite Meetings Alliance: Each time I come away from the Elite Meetings Alliance, I feel like I’ve grown both personally and professionally. The idea sharing between peers is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. The contacts I’ve made over the past several years have been invaluable. Not only have I made some great business contacts, but [...]

by Madelyn Foxworthy on December 7, 2010

JoAnn Harper from Jackson National Life talks about the EMA

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JoAnn Harper, Meeting Planning Coordinator for Jackson National Life, explains why she keeps coming back to the Elite Meetings Alliance: Where do I begin? My attendance at EMA began pleasantly at the Hammock Resort in Florida. Each program is a home run from start to finish!! The EMA staff is so professional and personable! To date, I have attended at least six EMA programs and each one keeps me excited [...]

by Joann Harper on December 7, 2010

Part 5 of 5: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Fall Elite Meetings Alliance

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Sadly the week has come to end, so this is my last behind-the-scenes look at the Fall 2010 Elite Meetings Alliance at Kingsmill Resort. Who would have ever thought I would be sad for a Friday? Today, I’m going to give you a glimpse at our Colonial Closing Luncheon. But first, I wanted to thank the staff at Kingsmill Resort for making the Elite Meetings Alliance the great event that [...]

by Amanda Smith on December 3, 2010

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