Successful Meetings - March 2009 - (Page 44)

to [the latter],” says Eli Gorin, owner of Aventura, FL-based gMeetings Inc., who specializes in the Latin American market. Of the current facilities available, he says, “The technology and meeting space you’ll find for the most part is not what you’re going to find in the U.S. You have all the necessities, but you’re not going to see state-of-the-art spaces.” Gorin adds that since even wellrespected Latin and South American brands are virtually unknown to U.S.based planners, the introduction of properties bearing a Benchmark or similar-level name would likely be appealing to American planners. While a boon for those facilities, it could be scary for local competitors. “What we have found is that for U.S. meeting planners to know that they have a professional, U.S.-based meetings expert doing their meetings abroad—that’s a very comforting thought,” says Contalba. Benchmark is also active in the Japanese market, where it announced the launch of Benchmark Hospitality International Japan in February 2008. The venture is an outgrowth of an existing relationship with Hiromi Takagi and Kozue Honda, who have been working under the Benchmark Tech brand to operate the Tokyo Conference Center Shinagawa and develop an awareness for the conference center concept in Japan. “We have three projects under development [in Japan] and I suspect we’ll be able to grow very quickly in that market. Meeting space in Japan is what meeting space in the U.S. was 20 years ago—it’s for banquets and weddings,” says Alex Cabanas, vice president of capital markets for Benchmark, who actively oversees the Japan project. In an effort to maintain service standards at all properties, employees will be trained through Benchmark University, which Eric Terry, Benchmark’s vice president of sales and marketing, describes as “a whole catalog of educational offerings that our employees can take advantage of.” Courses on hospitality accounting, HR, recreation, and a host of others are designed to prepare employees for both the challenges of their positions and future career development, as well as ensure that brand standards are met. Dolce Hotels & Resorts, which already has facilities in Germany (Munich and Frankfurt), France (Chantilly and Fregate), Belgium (Brussels), Spain (Barcelona), and Canada (Toronto and London, Ontario), is actively looking to expand its international presence. When announcing Dolce’s recapitalization last July, Founder, Chairman, and Managing Director Andy Dolce said, “Today we serve over half of the world’s Fortune 100 firms; over the next five years we expect to double in size so we can serve the rest of them.” He has since cited Madrid, London, the south of France, Milan, and select locations in Asia as priorities. “The globalization of the business market means executives from multinational companies travel globally, so they’re expecting the same level of service from location to location,” says Dolce. He adds that the company’s international facilities are used primarily by multinational corporations, then regional groups, with local groups comprising the smallest percentage. The breakdown is similar for Benchmark. Cabanas says, “60 percent of our business at the Tokyo center is multinationals. They are more familiar with the conference center concept and a sophisticated meeting environment.” Cabanas says that while there are no future projects he’s able to give specifics on, the company is exploring other opportunities in Asia—particularly in China and India. Cabanas is clear that this is not a road Benchmark goes down alone; “we are very aware of the need for a local partner, who understands the local market, so we’re not starting from scratch,” he says—a position that has also been expressed by Dolce. Getting the Word Out For its part, IACC is doing everything possible to increase awareness about conference centers. “What I’m seeing more and more—especially globally—is to have IACC help develop business relationships,” says Pompan. “What you’re going to see over time is that more and more IACC members from chapters around the world will be helping each other. If we lived in the same market, we’d be competitors, but since we’re all over the world, we’re not.” Pompan adds that it’s only a matter of time before IACC considers conferences in other parts of the world. “We have to do these events where there is some sort of critical mass,” he notes. While IACC has 21 members in Australia, centered around Sydney and Melbourne, there is only one member in Japan—Benchmark’s Tokyo property—and one in Korea. “If we were to choose a location in Asia-Pacific, I don’t think we’d get the attendance,” he says, adding that it is certainly possible that future conferences will be held in Asia, as IACC has seen considerable interest, particularly from China. Adds Cabanas: “The more the meetings market—in the U.S. and globally— continues to follow a globalization track as does the rest of business, the more planners will seek meeting environments like they have in the U.S.” Editor’s Note: As Successful Meetings went to press, we learned that two IACCmember centers were destroyed in the February fires in Australia. Our deepest sympathies go out to all affected. SM 44 I SM I March 2009 I SuccessfulMeetings.com http://www.SuccessfulMeetings.com

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Successful Meetings - March 2009 Contents Editor's Letter News Update Education Management Matters Meetings Law Mouth for Sale Visionaries And the Award Goes to... Taking Green Initiatives to the Top Events of Presidential Proportion It's a Small World After All Places + Spaces Big Island Supplement-Insert NYC Metro Houston Oahu The Bahamas Memphis Passport

Successful Meetings - March 2009

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