Successful Meetings - May 2008 - (Page 22)

News & Analysis > On The Record Taking the American-Style Conference Center Global brought over our conference In 2007, Dolce International added and meeting experience, we do a conference center hotel in Bela lot of training, and we’ve integium, Dolce La Hulpe Brussels, to grated our technology. We’ve its portfolio; it also began a partnerfound that the staffs abroad are ship with Palo Alto-based private very adaptable. It’s a wonderful equity real estate firm Broadreach experience for us, dealing with Capital Partners to grow its busithe people over there. ness globally. Successful Meetings In Europe, if you work in a spoke with Andy Dolce, the compahotel, it’s your vocation, your ny’s chairman and managing direcambition. You’ve been to tor, on the expansion and on the school for it, you’re trained for difference between U.S. and interit, and that’s what you want to national conference centers. do. In the U.S., a lot of hourly SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS: How has staff is part time. They’re going the recapitalization impacted your to school or retired—or, it wasbusiness? n’t what they set out in life to ANDY DOLCE: We’ve been with our do. But in Europe, pretty much new partners, Broadreach Capital 80 to 90 percent of people Partners, since June. It’s going ANDY DOLCE, CHAIRMAN AND MANAGING DIRECTOR, DOLCE INTERNATIONAL there have been trained, have extremely well; they’re anxious to gone to school for it. It’s what deploy capital, and they’ve already want to get to 40—that’s our short term they want to do and they’re very, very purchased two assets: Norwalk, CT, goal. Once we get to 40, we go into dedicated. from our existing shareholders, and Asia. If we’re on that continent then the Basking Ridge, NJ, from Pfizer. SM: What’s Dolce’s long-term goal? numbers can grow pretty rapidly. Broadreach is looking at several DOLCE: Our vision is to be prominent in SM: Why the focus on international? assets with us in North America and our niche, which is a meetings niche, DOLCE: Our customers meet and travel Europe. We’re looking at Asia, particuand be the leader in that niche; very all over the world, and they just love the larly China. We hope to be able to much like Four Seasons is the leader in fact that there is an American-style conannounce something pretty substantial the luxury hotel segment. At Broadference center product in these cities in going on in that part of the world. We reach, the main contact for us is Flip which we’re operating. have 26 properties now and I would Maritz, of Maritz world fame. Flip’s SM: How do conference centers abroad suspect that by the end of this year, we experience is with Four Seasons, Ritzdiffer from those in the U.S.? would have four more in the pipeline. In Carlton, and Rosewood, and he is chalDOLCE: We do not Americanize our order to have brand recognition, you lenging us to raise our standards and properties—we deal with the local cusreally have to have global distribution. offer better service than anyone in our toms and traditions, whether it’s in the We’ll have to be at 50 or 60 centers to competitive set. We’ve staked a claim, F&B or service areas. But we’ve do that. In the next three years, we and we’re making good progress. © 2008 The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Preview the entirely new Williamsburg Lodge at ColonialWilliamsburgMeetings.com 323 Guest Rooms • 45,000-square-foot Conference Center 20,000-square-foot New Spa • 45 Holes of Golf Williamsburg, Virginia • 1-800-822-9127 • (757) 220-7600 The Mid-Atlantic’s Premier Destination is on Your Desktop http://ColonialWilliamsburgMeetings.com http://ColonialWilliamsburgMeetings.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - May 2008

Successful Meetings - May 2008
Contents
Editor's Note
Industry Trends
Destination News
Destination News
Suppliers
Destination News
Calendar
On the Record
Websites of the Month
Management Matters
Mouth for Sale
Meetings Law
Planner's Spotlight
Pre-Event
On Site
Tools of the Trade
Pre-Event
Counting Change
Giving Them the Business
The Magnificent Seven
All-American Gift Guide
Green Lights
Places & Spaces
Anaheim & Orange County
Upstate New York
Cincinnati
Detroit
San Diego
Phoenix
Gurus

Successful Meetings - May 2008