Successful Meetings - March 2008 - (Page 64)

Meeting Sites ESSENTIAL TOOL BOX Convention Facilities: Paradise Island Atlantis has 300,000 sf of dedicated space; 38 meeting rooms, largest seating up 2,777 theater-style. Grand Bahama Island Our Lucaya Resort has 40,000 sf of space; 20 meeting rooms, largest seating up to 2,100 theater-style. For complete listings, visit Facility Quick Search at www.mimegasite.com Average Daily Business Travels Costs, Nassau*: Hotel $178 F&B $87 For More Information: Bahamas TDA, www.bahamas.com Grand Bahama Island TB www.grand-bahama.com Bahamas SO CLOSE: Exotic enough to keep even jaded attendees happy; yet just one hour by air from Miami (and about three hours from New York), the Bahamas offer a wide diversity of experiences, from the glitz and sophistication of Nassau and Paradise Island to the laid-back “Out Island” experience of pristine waters, deserted beaches, and small luxury resorts. By Bob Curley LEGENDS NEVER SLEEP The Atlantis on Paradise Island may be the granddaddy of Caribbean destination resorts but it isn’t resting on its laurels. In Apr 2007, the Atlantis completed a $1 billion expansion that included increasing the existing Atlantis Conference Centre to nearly 300,000 sf by adding a 50,000-sf ballroom. In addition to the original 25,000-sf ballroom, the center now has 30 breakout rooms, a boardroom, 30,000 sf of pre-function space, and a large banquet kitchen. Altogether, the facility can host groups of up to 5,000 attendees, with up to 2,000 room nights available at the expanded Atlantis resort. In conjunction with the opening of the expanded conference center, Atlantis debuted The Cove, a new 600room tower representing the resort’s first beachfront accommodations. The Reef, the latest addition to the Atlantis complex, opened in Dec and added 497 oceanfront studios and suites, bringing the total Atlantis-affiliated rooms on Paradise Island to more than 3,400. The 288-room British Colonial Hilton in downtown Nassau is currently renovating its meeting rooms and lobby and adding a new executive lounge. It plans to renovate all guest rooms by the end of 2008, including its famous James Bond-inspired “00” suite. Golf legend Greg Norman debuted the Blue Shark Golf Nassau/Paradise Isl. Promotion Board www.nassauparadiseisland.com *Business Travel News 2007 Corporate Travel Index With 2,000 islands, you can still get away from it all Club in Jan; the 7,200-yard, par-72 course on Nassau is a complete redesign of the former South Ocean Golf Club. An 800-room hotel with a beach club, spa, and casino also is planned for the property. As of 2006, all Starwood properties are smokefree, including Our Lucaya’s 478room Sheraton and the 740room Westin Grand Bahama Island (which share a 372-acre property with multiple pools, two golf courses, spa, casino, Grand Slam tennis center, and a total of 90,000 sf of indoor and outdoor meeting space). The Next Big Thing: Baha Mar The opening of the all-new Sheraton Cable Beach Resort is a glimpse into the Bahamas as a meeting and incentive destination—as it is now and as it soon will be. Sheraton Cable The 694-room hotel, on a 1,000-foot Beach Resort stretch of beach near downtown Nassau, is the debut property of the planned $2 billion-plus destination resort Baha Mar. The Sheraton can right now offer 25,000 sf of outdoor and indoor function space, including a 12,500-sf ballroom; but upon Baha Mar’s completion in 2012, it will be the largest single-phase destination resort in the Caribbean, boasting a Caesars Resort Hotel & Casino, as well as hotels from such Starwood brands as Sheraton, St. Regis, W, and Westin (as well as an existing Wyndham Nassau Resort). Together, the properties will offer approximately 3,000 guest rooms and 200,000 sf of meeting space. —Jeanie Casison MARCH 2008 SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS 64 http://www.mimegasite.com http://www.bahamas.com http://www.grand-bahama.com http://www.nassauparadiseisland.com

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Successful Meetings - March 2008 Contents Editor's Note Suppliers On the Record Research Associations Planner's Spotlight Management Matters Mouth for Sale Meetings Law Pre-Event Pre-Event Tools of the Trade On Site Quick Tip Critical Conditions A Family Affair Conference Centers We Love CSM of the Year Places & Spaces Luxury Las Vegas New York CIty Houston New Orleans Quebec Bahamas Oahu & Big Island Florida Keys Gurus

Successful Meetings - March 2008

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