Meeting News - February 2, 2009 - (Page 30)

Insider Report: Gaming Destinations Detroit’s Many Arts and Cultural Facilities Let Groups Switch Gears While the MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino, and Greektown Casino Hotel opening this month are fuel-injecting the city’s hospitality scene, groups will also find more than a string of arts and cultural attractions to visit or use as meetings or events facilities. Detroit groups can supercharge themselves within stimulating off-site environments that complement their time at the casino resorts. At the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), on exhibit now through May 17 is a historical collection of chess sets from the 16th to 20th centuries. Master Pieces: Chess Sets from the Dr. George and Vivian Dean Collection showcases chess-set materials and designs used in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the U.S. across 400 years. Running alongside the chess-set exhibit at the DIA starting on Feb. 18 is American Chronicles: The Art of Normal Rockwell, a tribute to the endeared American artist. In the exhibit, which lasts through May, 44 of Rockwell’s paintings and all 323 of his Saturday Evening Post covers will illuminate his six-decade career. Highlights will include the signature works No Swimming (1921) and The Problem We All Live With (1963). The Detroit Historical Museum has two collections focusing on Motor City pop culture. Making its debut on March 14 is Detroit’s Classic TV Personalities, in which actors Bill Kennedy (of Bill Kennedy at the Movies) and Soupy Sales are featured, among others. At the same time, the stories of famous venues like Tiger Stadium, the Michigan State Fair, and the Fox Theatre are being retold in the ongoing Fabulous 5 exhibition. If it’s loud and fast that meeting-goers prefer, the Henry Ford Museum is rolling out Rock Stars’ Cars & Guitars II from May 16 to Sept. 7. Revived due to the success of the first rendition in 2007—which featured the rides of Elvis, John Lennon, Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, ZZ Top’s Dusty Hill, and Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen—this second edition will showcase 20 cars and 40 guitars donated by the likes of Sheryl Crow, Cher, and, again, Nielsen. While those at the Henry Ford Museum are rocking out, others could be going back much longer in time at the Cranbrook Institute of Science. Its Feb. 9-to-Sept. 6 exhibition, Hatching the Past: Dinosaurs, delves into the lives of dinosaurs through their eggs, nests, and embryos, featuring authentic artifacts. Major plant- and meat-eating dinosaurs are represented, so Brachiosaurus is getting equal billing with Tyrannosaurus rex. There’s even something for Trekkies. Blasting into the far future is as easy as taking a trip down prehistoric memory lane, as Star Trek the Exhibition debuts at the Detroit Science Center on Feb. 14. A limited engagement, the show touts the most comprehensive collection of set recreations (e.g., the U.S.S. Enterprise bridge), costumes, and props (phasers set to stun). The Detroit Science Center’s Events Lobby suits seated dinners or cocktail receptions before attendees beam back for the next day’s meetings. —William Ng Atlantic City’s Convention Development VP Says Convention Center Is On Top with Solar Panels With its neon casinos and backlit boardwalks, Atlantic City might seem the unlikely home of the nation’s greenest convention center. But that’s what Gary Musich, vice president of convention development for the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority (ACCVA), claimed after the city’s convention center completed what is touted as the largest roof-mounted solar installation in the U.S.“Forget convention centers,”Musich said. “There is no [single] building in the United States with a solar project as large as ours.” Built by Arlington, VA-based Pepco Energy Services—which will own, operate, and maintain the Atlantic City Convention Center’s solar roof under a 20-year contract with the ACCVA—the installation is approximately 290,000 sf. The 13,489 solar panels generate approximately 26 percent of the energy that’s consumed by the convention center. “[Competitors] may be talking about [green] because it’s good marketing, but nobody else in the country has done anything like this,” Musich said. “For companies and associations that truly want to run their business with a green mentality, we’re their best option.” The ACCVA hasn’t stopped at solar energy in being green. The convention center recycles some 70 tons of materials every year, according to Musich, and within the next three years expects to install an on-site wind turbine that will produce as much as 24 percent of the facility’s electricity. —Matt Alderton Solar panels installed atop the Atlantic City Convention Center will meet more than a quarter of the building’s annual energy needs. 30 MeetingNews February 2, 2009 www.meetingnews.com http://www.meetingnews.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Meeting News - February 2, 2009

Meeting News - February 2, 2009 Contents What’s Up @ MeetingNews.com Inside the Industry People Making News Transportation Green Beat Ad Index Live from the Forum

Meeting News - February 2, 2009

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.