Successful Meetings - June 2008 - (Page 42)

Resort Meetings >The All-In-One Resort THE GOOD OLD DAYS And while conference resort managers seek to bring their reputations in line with world-famous destination resorts like The Breakers, The Broadmoor, The Sagamore, The Homestead, and The Greenbrier, it is important to note that those resorts built their reputations partially on group business. The Greenbrier, based in White Sulphur Springs, WV, hosted the American Dental Association in 1871, according to The Greenbrier’s historian, Dr. Robert S. Conte; Jerry A. Wayne, vice president of sales and marketing, confirms that today, “the meetings market represents more than half our business mix.” At The Broadmoor, in Colorado Springs, CO, “We have been in the business of marketing meetings for 90 years,” says David C. Fine, director of sales and marketing. “The Colorado Credit Union just celebrated their 74th annual convention here!” The Broadmoor continues to handle approximately 800 meetings and gatherings in any given year, comprising 70 percent of its business. Mark Holland, planner for the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation (based in Westminster, CO), thinks, “Resorts with conference facilities result in a great meeting; attendees find it more convenient to have everything in one place.” One advantage he finds is that “we can usually get the hotel to waive room charges; the same doesn’t usually hold true for those with conference centers.” Joana Vieira Gomes, management and project support at Brussels-based Integra A/S, also prefers a resort with conference facilities, because “it is easier to coordinate last-minute details of the event and at the same time be available for individual problems if they happen. You can get some special discounts if you book a big amount of rooms and conference facilities (catering, etc.) and you do reduce transport Cheyenne Mountain Resort, Scottsdale Resort, Chaminade, Turtle Bay Resort. That’s how we operate them. In addition, we have the conference center concept. So you have the best of both worlds.” On-site conference and convention facilities are not to every group’s taste. Planner Jen Merkel prefers an IACC hotel and conference center “because it will have the best technical facilities, and I will typically have the advantage of getting a lowered or comped fee for meeting space due to sleeping room revenue.” Still, these are often accused of being “cookie cutter.” One detractor (who asked not to be named) sniffed, “You can almost point to where the blueberry muffins will be placed.” Conference resort managers claim this is a misconception. “In terms of differentiating,” says Dolce, “we’ve upgraded our meeting space and technology to whatever’s the best available; and to the conference planners who quarterback the meetings, we provide help through the process. At the same time, our menus are more broad-based; more like you would find in a fine restaurant.” “Whether our guests are conferees or transient guests, they are coming into an operation that has all of the bells and whistles that a high-level, high-end resort would offer.” —Sam Haigh, Benchmark Hospitality costs and other nuisances for those who come from abroad.” PART OF THE TEAM Even as meeting space has expanded at resorts, so have team activities for groups, far beyond golf. Sure, at the landmark Scottish, 232-room Gleneagles Hotel, a game on the world-famous golf course is a must, but now groups can also learn how to handle a trained gundog through lessons that incorporate obedience, agility, and handling at the world’s only Gundog School. At the 483-room Homestead in Hot Springs, VA, activities include skeet shooting, fly-fishing, and falconry. Like The Homestead, the Equinox Resort in Manchester, NH, also includes falconry in its activities, with the British School of Falconry in the U.S. demonstrating how to handle and fly a hawk. And at the Doral Arrowwood Resort in Rye Brook, NY, groups can divide into teams and conquer through the resort’s paintball program. JUNE 2008 SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS RESORT PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE BREAKERS (LEFT) AND DORAL ARROWWOOD 42 mimegasite.com http://mimegasite.com

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

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.