Successful Meetings - December 2007 - (Page 64)

Meeting Sites > South Florida business by nearly 30 percent by offering a headquarters hotel,” says Grossman. “It has been very frustrating not being able to pursue that business since we opened the convention center. Once we begin selling the convention center hotel, we expect to add approximately one million room nights annually within four years.” Grossman believes the impact of the convention center hotel will be far reaching. “It will bring groups that will need additional hotel rooms in the destination, and the compression factor of that business will be felt along the 17th Street corridor, the beach area, and throughout the county.” A recent inductee in the Florida Tourism Hall of Fame, Grossman has been a key player in boosting Fort Lauderdale’s impressive tourism numbers. When she became CVB president in 1995, Greater Fort Lauderdale attracted 2.9 million visitors. In 2006, a record 10.35 million people visited the area. Under Grossman’s watch, more than $2 billion in tourism-related investments were realized in the past five years. Grossman was one of the important facilitators of the master plan for the now 600,000-sf Greater Fort Lauderdale / Broward County Convention Center. “That’s another reason this new convention center hotel means so much to me and the Greater Fort Lauderdale area,” she says. TALK TO THE CHIEF Nicki Grossman, president and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB, can’t stop smiling when she thinks about the recently announced, 1,000-room Hilton convention center hotel that is expected to open next to the Broward County Convention Center in 2011. “We think we can increase our group HOME TEAM RECOMMENDS . . . Successful Meetings Home Team experts recommend the following: Spirits of Miami Past On September 25, the 612-room Hyatt Regency Miami celebrated its 25-year anniversary with a retro-themed bash at the nearby James L. Knight Center, where space was transformed into the Miami of years past, complete with white palm trees, lots of neon, and life-size projections of Eighties icons like Prince, Madonna, sleek new lobby, luxurious Hyatt Grand Beds, and a new-air conditioning system. Meanwhile, two of Miami Beach’s oldies but goodies, the 1,504-room Fontainebleau Miami Beach and the 349-room Eden Roc, will debut the results of massive improvement and expansion programs in 2008, with the Fontainebleau completing a $1 billion renovation/expansion plan in the middle of the year. Much of the plan was focused on enhancing the resort’s meeting and event capabilities. The resort will feature 58 meeting rooms totaling 107,000 sf, 42,000 sf of pre-function space, and 51,000 sf of outdoor function space—including the 21,000-sf Grand Lawn. In addition to the refurbished guest rooms, accommodations will include 700 studio and one-bedroom suites in the resort’s two new luxury towers. The Eden Roc, A Renaissance Beach Resort & Spa, is constructing a new 283-room tower, to be completed by next fall. The hotel, which closed in Apr for renovations, reopens in Feb. Most of the enhanced rooms have balconies with sweeping ocean views. The remodeled lobby is brimming with carved Italian marble, polished original terrazzo floors, and a mahogany reception desk. All 43,000 sf of meeting space has been updated, and the renovation of the spa will be completed in Jan 2009. —Patricia Ann Jordan & ES mimegasite.com DECEMBER 2007 SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS Hyatt Regency Miami and Billy Idol. “The Hyatt Regency Miami has been a major part of this city during a dynamic period in its history, and I am delighted that we can celebrate our 25th anniversary with many of the people who have supported the hotel over the years,” said the property’s GM, Gino Caliendo, who accepted an official proclamation from the mayor’s office applauding the hotel’s contributions to the vitality of downtown Miami. The property, which is part of the Miami convention complex, is undergoing a $20 million renovation that will include a 64 http://mimegasite.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - December 2007

Successful Meetings - December 2007 Contents Editor's Note Special Report Research Industry Trends 2008 Meeting Events Planner Spotlight Websites of the Month Mouth for Sale Technology Talk Food & Beverage Pre-Event On Site Pre-Event Tools of the Trade Goodbye, Booth Babes Five Tips to Improve Your Golf Events When Crime Pays Office for Hire More Miles for Your Money Places & Spaces South Florida Biloxi / Mississippi Gulf Coast Fort Worth Monterey Beijing Gurus Special Supplement: Hawaii Island-by-Island Guide

Successful Meetings - December 2007

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