Meeting News - May 19, 2008 - (Page 48)

Insider Report: Midwest Meetings continued from page 46 Some 18 acres of restaurants, nightclubs, shops, office space, and residential housing—as well as a 40-acre park—will highlight the Banks, which will sit between Cincinnati’s two new sports stadiums: Great American Ball Park and Paul Brown Stadium. The $800-million, 2.8-million-sf development represents the most ambitious project ever planned for the Cincinnati riverfront and a boost to the city’s convention business. “New York has SoHo, Baltimore has the Inner Harbor, Chicago has the Magnificent Mile. Come 2010, Cincinnati will have the Banks,” said Dan Lincoln, president and CEO of the Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors Bureau. The Banks is expected to be built in phases over a 10-year period. The first phase will open in 2010 with 300 residential units and 70,000 sf of retail. The Bank is the latest project in more than $2 billion in recent developments to Cincinnati’s urban core. In mid-2006, Duke Energy Center’s $135-million renovation and expansion debuted. The project added a 40,000-sf ballroom and brought contiguous exhibition space to 200,000 sf. hub in Atlanta and Northwest’s hubs in Detroit and Minneapolis/St. Paul, the Cincinnati hub’s longterm viability has been publicly debated since news of the airlines’ merger surfaced earlier this year. Cincinnati is Delta’s second-largest hub and the headquarters of Delta subsidiary Comair. Delta and Northwest employ a combined 6,700 in the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky region. CVG is one of the Midwest’s largest airports, offering 470 daily flights to more than 120 destinations nonstop, including year-round daily service to London,Frankfurt,and Paris and seasonal nonstop flights to Amsterdam and Rome.Bastian said CVG could see increased international service with Northwest’s Tokyo hub following the merger, especially since Toyota’s North American headquarters and Procter & Gamble’s world headquarters are located in the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky region. In a full-page ad in the Cincinnati Enquirer the day after Bastian’s appearance in the region, Delta called the merger “good news” for its customers and employees in Cincinnati and said that it looks forward to continue its 67-year history in the city. Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear and Ohio Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher—both of whom attended meetings with Bastian—have voiced approval for the Delta-Northwest merger. and a 1,000-sf lobby for receptions and prefunctions. The largest of the meeting spaces is the 3,000-sf Jefferson Room, followed by the 2,566-sf Waterfront Room. Among the technology upgrades the center received are satellite broadcast and videoconferencing capabilities, Wi-Fi connectivity, supplied projection screens, and high-speed Internet access. The venue is located in the 300 Tower of the General Motors Renaissance Center. “We look forward to new business the center will bring,” said Conrad Schwartz, GM’s director of asset management. Classroom setup in the Beaubien Room holds 44 attendees. Delta: Cincinnati Hub Will Survive Northwest Merger Delta Air Lines’ president and chief financial officer, Ed Bastian, met with government and business leaders from Kentucky and Ohio to assure them that the airlines’ hub at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) will survive—and may even grow—following its pending merger with Northwest Airlines. Located between Delta’s largest KC Center’s Ballroom Debuts With LEED Green Certification The U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program has certified the new 46,500-sf ballroom at the Kansas City Convention Center. The ballroom, which opened in April as part of the center’s $150-million expansion and renovation, features skylights and large glass walls to make extensive use of natural light. Shades, sunscreens, and overhangs are used to control direct sunlight. More than one-fifth of the ballroom is composed of recycled construction materials, and recycling efforts reduced landfill impact by 75 percent during construction. The center’s upgrade is part of some $4.5 billion in downtown Kansas City revitalization projects. The Power & Light Entertainment District debuted in March with 14 restaurants, shops, and nightclubs. Last October, the 18,500-seat Sprint Center opened with the College Basketball Experience housing the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. The city’s two professional sports complexes—Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium—are receiving $375-million and $250million renovations, respectively, by 2010. And, the $405-million Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts will open in late 2009, just south of the convention center. H www.meetingnews.com Conference Center Achieves Renaissance in Motor City The Renaissance Conference Center reopened at the beginning in April sporting a new 22,000-sf footprint and technology features after a major renovation. The expanded venue has five meeting rooms An Iron Chef Will Have Eatery in New Westin in Detroit ichael Symon, the Food Network’s newest Iron Chef, will operate a signature restaurant in the new Westin Book Cadillac hotel opening this fall in downtown Detroit. Symon’s Roast will feature rotisserie and wood-fired meats and a 25-seat bar. The celebrity chef was named among Food & Wine magazine’s “Ten Best New Chefs” in 1998. The Westin Book Cadillac is taking reservations for stays starting Nov. 15. In late October, Westin will officially unveil the $180-million transformation of the historic Book Cadillac hotel that originally opened in M 1924 but has been closed for over 20 years. The 455-room property will include 67 luxury condominium units on the top nine floors and 39,000 sf of function space, including two existing ballrooms that are being restored to their original grandeur. A spa, a business center, and a pool are being added to the Italian Renaissance-style, 32-story building. That will take place while another historic downtown Detroit property—the Fort Shelby Hotel—is being converted into a modern new hotel, as well. The Doubletree Guest Suites Fort Shelby Hotel is slated to open by year end once an $80-million restoration is done. 48 MeetingNews May 19, 2008 http://www.meetingnews.com http://www.meetingnews.com

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Meeting News - May 19th, 2008

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