Meeting News - May 19, 2008 - (Page 43)

Cover Story MGM continued from cover Feldman was quick in dispelling notions that the economy is significantly impacting MGM Mirage’s meetings business. However, he did concede that the number of attendees has dipped and the length of their stays has shrunk. And, what consumer belttightening has wrought is lower hotel occupancies and hence greater price pressure on guest rooms, as evidenced by lower average daily rates. Even so, opportunistic meeting planners looking to crack the market will likely encounter limited room and meeting space availability. That’s because meeting bookings and current group volumes remain strong, as companies that might’ve been considering international meetings are bringing programs back domestically because of the weak dollar. And, conversely, Las Vegas is working harder to put more foreign heads in beds as a counter offense to the domestic troubles. “I don’t expect availability will skyrocket, as international leisure business is offsetting the domestic dip a little,” said Feldman. “Plus, there’s still a lot of group demand. We’re able to fill gaps between large groups, and our future bookings remain strong.” At Las Vegas Meetings by Harrah’s, VP of sales and operations Michael Massari said there will not be a big market difference from a meetings and conventions standpoint. “Despite the drop in Freeman continued from cover been Freeman’s executive vice president. And, Carrie Freeman Parsons will add the role of vice chairman to her current duties as chief marketing officer. “Freeman is a longtime, family-owned business, and I take this as just a natural succession plan,” said Skip Cox, president and CEO of trade show consultancy Exhibit Surveys Inc., based in Red Bank, NJ. “The two main promotions are family members, and it was their time, I guess.” Popolo is Freeman’s son-in-law, married to daughter Chris; Parsons is a Freeman daughter. The company’s history has involved members stepping aside to make way for their kin to move up the ladder. Freeman became chairman and CEO of the company in 1977, upon the death of his father, Donald “Buck”Freeman, who founded the company in 1927. He has overseen Freeman’s growth into an industry leader that produces more than 3,900 expos annually, including 100 of the 200 largest U.S. trade shows. In December, Freeman expanded its global transportation services, providing single sourcing for customs clearance and transportation of inbound and outbound exhibits, among other services. Also in December, the company unveiled an enhanced electronic floor plan service, integrating with ACT/ExpoCAD and A2Z, two Freeman partners. H www.meetingnews.com leisure travel, we are running high meeting space occupancies,” said Massari.“We are typically out of meeting space before rooms open up.” For his part, Chris Meyer, VP of convention sales for the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, said several large corporate meetings were moved from the first quarter to later in the year so those companies can meet their quarterly figures. The LVCVA, MGM Mirage, and Harrah’s all said they have marketing and promotions at the ready to fight the crunch. “Customers understand the importance of meetings when the economy takes a downturn,” noted Feldman.“Now, more than ever, companies need to connect with their customers and their own [employees].” H Contact William Ng at william.ng@nielsen.com AD INDEX Advertiser Page Advertiser Page ABiltmore Hotel . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 www.BiltmoreHotel.com Branson Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce . . . . . . . . .47 www.explorebranson.com Brisas Hotels & Resorts . . . . . . . . .17 www.brisas.com.mx Colonial Williamsburg . . .10A (insert) www.colonialwilliamsburgmeetings.com Grand Sierra Resort and Casino . . .21 www.grandsierraresort.com Greater Cleveland CVB . . . . . . . . .49 www.clevelandmeetings.com Harrah’s/Harvey’s Lake Tahoe . .30-31 www.harrahstahoemeetings.com Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 www.hiltonsandestinbeach.com Horizon Casino Resort . . . . . . . . . .22 www.horizoncasino.com Kalahari Resorts . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 www.kalahariresorts.com Las Vegas CVA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 www.lvcva.com Las Vegas Meetings by Harrah’s Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 www.lvmeetingsbyharrahs.com Long Beach CVB . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-5 www.visitlongbeach.com Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego 32 www.hyattgreenmeetings.com Miami CVB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 www.miamimeetings.com Mirage Hotel & Casino . . . . . . . . .51 www.mirage.com Monona Terrace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 www.mononaterrace.com Montbleu Resort Casino & Spa . . .25 www.montbleuresort.com Pacific Palms Resort . .22A (insert), 33 www.pacificpalmsresort.com Palm Beach County CVB . . . . . . . . .5 www.palmbeachfl.com Radisson St. Martin Resort, Marina & Spa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 www.radisson.com/stmartin Renaissance Resort at World Golf Village . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 www.worldgolfrenaissance.com Saddlebrook Resort . . . . . . . . .36-37 www.saddlebrookresort.com San Antonio CVB . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 www.visitsanantonio.com Sanibel Harbour Resort . . . . . . . . .38 www.sanibel-resort.com Sea Trail Golf Resort & Convention Center . . . . . . . . . . .39 www.seatrailconference.com Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino . . . . . . . . . . . . .40-41 www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com St. Louis CVB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 www.explorestlouis.com The Index to Advertisers is published for the convenience of our readers. Every effort is made to list advertisers’ names, web addresses and page numbers correctly. The publisher is not liable for errors or omissions. May 19, 2008 MeetingNews 43 http://www.mirage.com http://www.BiltmoreHotel.com http://www.mononaterrace.com http://www.explorebranson.com http://www.montbleuresort.com http://www.brisas.com.mx http://www.pacificpalmsresort.com http://www.colonialwilliamsburgmeetings.com http://www.palmbeachfl.com http://www.grandsierraresort.com http://www.radisson.com/stmartin http://www.clevelandmeetings.com http://www.harrahstahoemeetings.com http://www.worldgolfrenaissance.com http://www.saddlebrookresort.com http://www.hiltonsandestinbeach.com http://www.visitsanantonio.com http://www.horizoncasino.com http://www.sanibel-resort.com http://www.kalahariresorts.com http://www.lvcva.com http://www.seatrailconference.com http://www.lvmeetingsbyharrahs.com http://www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com http://www.visitlongbeach.com http://www.explorestlouis.com http://www.hyattgreenmeetings.com http://www.miamimeetings.com http://www.meetingnews.com

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Meeting News - May 19th, 2008

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