Successful Meetings - June 2008 - (Page 39)

“Conferees have a better experience if they’re in a place that’s vibrant, [which is why] we like to operate within the envelope of full-service hospitality. Last year, Benchmark reopened the 216room Bedford Springs Resort in Pennsylvania, a historic resort that had lain fallow for decades, and it expects to open the Costa d’Este, a 94-suite resort owned by Gloria and Emilio Estefan, in Vero Beach, FL, this year. “Whether our guests are conferees or transient guests,” says Haigh, “they are coming into an operation that has all of the bells and whistles that a high-level, high-end resort would offer. Almost all of our resorts are positioned as such: Lansdowne Resort, Bedford Springs, Staying on site at a resort can even reduce costs such as car rentals, cab fares, and increased conference fees to cover shuttle buses. —Ken Deans, LGI Worldwide guests or individual travelers may resent being herded like meeting groups. “For example, an individual staying in a hotel, is joined by an associate [for a meal at] the restaurant, and is asked [by the server], ‘What group are you with?’ You get insulted by that.” Dolce points to one of the company’s new resort properties, Zermatt, which recently hosted the IACC Annual Conference: “Brand-new, beautiful, and up near Salt Lake City, which does a lot of leisure and ski business. There, we have a conference center, with dedicated space just for meetings that is isolated from the public space. We have two restaurants—one for conference dining and one for a la carte dining. In the evening, if you go by the pool, you might find a whole bunch of people there: meeting guests, families, and everybody else. The pool is big enough that it seems to work okay.” Sam Haigh, president and COO of Benchmark Hospitality International (which operates conference resorts in the U.S., Japan, and Panama) agrees: SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS JUNE 2008 RESORT PHOTO COURTESY OF GAYLORD NATIONAL Success is invited. At the Sheraton Maui Resort you’ll ﬁnd everything to achieve your goals. 31,000 square feet of professional venues. Meeting personnel to ensure all goes smoothly. And a business center that’s open all day and night. Plus, there are 510 rooms for quiet time and miles of white sand beach for relaxing. Because you don’t just stay here. You belong. Book today at sheraton-maui.com/mp.htm or call 1-808-662-8000 to learn how you can earn triple Starpoints http://sheraton-maui.com/mp.htm http://sheraton-maui.com/mp.htm

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - June 2008

Successful Meetings - June 2008 Contents Editor's Note Industry Trends Events Suppliers Associations Planner Spotlight: Kelly Broz Technology Talk Food & Beverage Websites of the Month Pre-Event: Tech Pre-Event: Bartering Tools of the Trade Dialing for Dollars The All-in-One Resort Bottom-Line Speakers Places & Spaces Florida’s West Coast Mississippi Atlanta Wisconsin Chicago Gurus Enjoy California Hawaii Handbook Las Vegas Night & Day

Successful Meetings - June 2008

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