Incentive - December 2007 - (Page 8)

IN THE NEWS SITE’s Young Leaders Come to NYC PAGE 10 Will take Manhattan by storm for its third annual conference A Musical Interlude PAGE 10 Nielsen brings live music to its employees’ lunch hour Las Vegas Cuisine Arrives Joël Robuchon’s three Michelin stars put Las Vegas on the culinary map BY LEO JAKOBSON T he Joël Robuchon restaurant at the MGM Grand has been awarded three stars in the debut Michelin Guide Las Vegas, capping the gaming industry’s years-long quest to become a serious, international center of haute cuisine. The three-Michelin-Star rating is widely seen as the most prestigious available to a chef, and is shared by only 57 other restaurants in the world, including two in New York. His more casual restaurant, L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, brought home a prestigious one-star rating. Beyond that, Robuchon’s award has serious consequences for the broader Las Vegas dining scene. “Since it is the very first issue [of the Michelin Guide Las Vegas] the three-star rating is very important to us,” Robuchon told Incentive, through a translator. “It is an international recognition, and we feel this is great for the city to be competing at the same level as New York, London and even Paris.” He adds: “Because of the size of the group we accept [10 is the maximum] we are confident that the experience stays true to our regular product.” How much of an impact the new ratings will have on incentive clients depends on the groups, says Judy Jackson, director of industry relations for Maritz Travel, in Fenton, Mo. “It is an added attribute, and those who know [the Michelin Guide] will use Joël Robuchon.” Still, she adds, Michelin may be the gourmet’s bible in Europe (and among serious foodies), but Americans know Zagat. The Michelin Guide Las Vegas, released in November, rated 127 restaurants in the city, giving three a two-star rating and a dozen a single star. Caesars Palace—home to Wolfgang Puck’s pioneering Spago—was also a big winner, with Restaurant Guy Savoy pulling in two stars and Bradley Ogden and Mesa Grill each taking one. The Wynn Las Vegas matched that, with Alex bringing home two stars; Daniel Boulud Brasserie and Wing Lei each took one. MGM Mirage’s Bellagio has the two-star The Next Step 50 industry leaders meet, seek a unified voice BY LEO JAKOBSON W Las Vegas is now officially home to one of the world’s great restaurants Picasso, while Michael Mina and Le Cirque each got one. Mandalay Bay’s Mix and Aureole were also starred. Other one-star winners were: Nobu at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas; Alizé, at the Palms; and Andre’s Las Vegas, located downtown. hen some 50 incentive industry leaders got together in New York this past November, the main topic of conversation was not the recent 60 Minutes segment on the need to motivate the workforce’s newest generation—the millennials—that brought Morley Safer to The Motivation Show this year. But that broadcast, which featured interviews with Bob Nelson and several others in the incentive industry, was a fine and timely example of how to resolve the major issue under discussion. That issue, according to Bruce Hollander, executive vice president of Don Jagoda Associates, was: With the industry poised to grow rapidly, thanks to this new, praise- and reward-hungry generation, “How do we capitalize on this? Is there a central voice of the industry?” As for the latter question, no, there isn’t, but that there should continued on page 10 8| Incentive | December 2007 | incentivemag.com http://incentivemag.com

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Incentive - December 2007 Contents Editor’s Note: Revved Up In the News Cover Story: Rolls-Royce Empowers Its Own Case Study: Booz Allen Hamilton Beating Your Best Incentive Primer: Add Value to Your Event Keeping Safety In Mind Incentive Interview Potentials Here and Now Research: Corporate Gifts Facts Report Tabletop Awards: Travel Gift Cards Travel News Viva Puerto Vallarta Indigenous Spas Advertiser Index Off the Cuff: Ambassador Christoph Bubb Luxury Brands Special Supplement

Incentive - December 2007

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