Meeting News - April 20, 2009 - (Page 35)

Destination Insider: New Jersey By William Ng william.ng@nielsen.com New York and Northeast Groups Flock to the Garden State As organizations remain diligent in avoiding the post-AIG spotlight and watch their dollars, New Jersey meetings have become in vogue, according to Joseph Jenci, sales and marketing director of Ocean Place, in Long Branch, and Rich Keurajian, his counterpart at the Wyndham Princeton Forrestal Hotel & Conference Center, in Plainsboro. Both Jenci and Keurajian said their properties are receiving previously Manhattan-bound groups. At the 364-room Wyndham, meetings with around 200 attendees—a size more typical for a resort than a conference center—are getting down to business. “It’s back to basics,” said Keurajian. “We all need a balance between business and recreation, but companies are retooling themselves to expectations everyone wants.” As pharmaceutical and financial companies in New York stay closer to their corporate offices, Jenci said they’ve figured “you can jump on the ferry and get to Sandy Hook in 30 minutes, which is a five-minute drive to Ocean Place.” He added, “There are clear savings—in real dollars and cents—that are driving meetings to the Jersey side, and it saves on perception.” The 254-room Ocean Place is a waterfront property, so Jenci said groups will still get scenic views and beach space for team-building. These days, Ocean Place is enticing them to its 40,000 sf of indoor and outdoor group space with the Retro Rates package, an all-inclusive value starting at $249 daily per person, with oceanfront rooms; full breakfast, lunch, and dinner; two coffee breaks; meeting room rental; and basic AV. Retro Rates is available from May through October. During the summer high season, Ocean Place typically carves out a block of 125 peaknight rooms for group business. Conference centers are looking to reap a migration of group business from resorts. The Wyndham nowadays is juggling local corporate business from the Princeton area and manufacturing, financial, and pharma firms from New York City and the Northeast, which use the property’s 64 meeting rooms and a 360-room amphitheater. All of the space is certified by the www.meetingnews.com International Association of Conference Centers. For the rest of the year, the Wyndham has “Group ValuDays” dates in each month except October. Up to 200 rooms are available, and a daily per-person rate between $279 and $299 covers the IACC property’s complete meeting package. H eet M at me Book now and receive a complimentary Breathe a little life back into your group Host your next gathering with us at Ocean Place on the Jersey Shore. Our meeting rooms boast breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean, with beach team building activities and all the amenities you’ll need to ensure your meeting is not soon forgotten. 800-411-7321 www.oceanplace.com *Some restrictions apply. Group rate based on per person, per night, single occupancy. Valid only on groups of 10 or more from 5/04/09 to 9/09/09. Not valid on previously booked groups. April 20, 2009 MeetingNews 35 http://www.oceanplace.com http://www.oceanplace.com http://www.meetingnews.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Meeting News - April 20, 2009

Meeting News - April 20, 2009
Contents
What’s Up in the MeetingNews Community
Inside the Industry
People Making News
Thirty Under 30
Hotels & Resorts
Chef Talk
Convention Centers
International
Destinations: Caribbean
Destinations: Kansas City, MO
Green Beat
Destinations: New Jersey
Destinations: Myrtle Beach, SC
Live from the Forum

Meeting News - April 20, 2009