Successful Meetings - February 2009 - (Page 66)

CHARLOTTE Nurturing nature M the order of the day. Little by little, hotels, along with shops and restaurants, are coming back. “We probably have a fresher inventory of hotels than just about anyone,” says Mary Beth Romig, director of public relations for the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Almost all of our hotels have been upgraded since Katrina.” In Mississippi, similarly devastated by the storm, the story’s the same. All the original hotel/casinos along the Gulf Coast are back—with all kinds of improvements (including to meeting spaces). In addition, new ones are being added. In fact, the area of Tunica in the north (which has nine casinos, headlining entertainment acts, and more than 10 million annual visitors) to Biloxi and Gulfport in the South is the third-largest gaming destination in the U.S. The 32-story, 1,740-room Beau Rivage other Nature has blessed the South with an abundance of wonders, and most of them are easily accessible from the major convention centers. But delegates meeting in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, are right in the middle of nature, where untouched wilderness meets the Smoky Mountains. The Gatlinburg Convention Center offers 300,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space. And the city’s more than 12,000 sleeping rooms—including chalets, cabins, and campgrounds—make delegates feel at home. Resort and Casino in Biloxi—the largest AAA Four-Diamond resort hotel in the Southeast—recently underwent a $550 million renovation. The property’s 32,000 square feet of meeting space complements its casino, restaurants and nightclubs, spa, and expansive tropical pool. Convention centers in the Carolinas are meant to impress. The Carolina First Center, the largest convention center in South T H E N AT U R E O F B U S I N E S S . Presenting the 2008 AAA Five Diamond Award recipient, The Umstead Hotel and Spa. A modern showcase of nature and art. A unique place where state-of-the-art facilities, a 24-hour business center and wireless connectivity blend comfortably with acres of serene wetlands, spacious guestrooms, gracious Southern hospitality and al fresco dining that doubles as culinary theatre. It’s all here, naturally. CARY/RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA | R E S E R VAT I O N S 8 6 6 . 8 7 7. 41 41 | 9 1 9 . 4 4 7. 4 0 0 0 | THEUMSTEAD.COM 66 SuccessfulMeetings.com | February 2009 | SM http://www.theumstead.com http://www.theumstead.com http://www.SuccessfulMeetings.com

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Successful Meetings - February 2009 Contents Editor's Letter News Update: Meetings Associations Band Together Education Planner Spotlight Technology Talk Food & Beverage Making Cents of It All Meanwhile, Back at Headquarters Seal of Approval Come Sail Away Making Tracks Places & Spaces Florida’s East Coast Aruba Maui 3 Days in Philadelphia

Successful Meetings - February 2009

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