Successful Meetings - March 2010 - (Page 28)

Conference Centers SPREADING By William Ng william.ng@nielsen.com OUT READER R I Illustration Credit: Mark Armstrong EXPANDING PORTFOLIOS TO INCLUDE RESORT PROPERTIES HAS PROVEN SUCCESSFUL FOR THE CONFERENCE CENTER INDUSTRY n fall 2008, when Andy Dolce announced that the conference center management company he founded was changing its name from Dolce International to Dolce Hotels and Resorts, he explained the move was being done to reflect the company’s expanding breadth of properties and desire to grow transient and leisure business. Some interpreted it as a harbinger of Dolce’s departure from the conference center niche. The change occurred just before the AIG scandal hit and the national economy collapsed. Now, at a time when numerous perception-fearing hoteliers have removed the word “resort” from their property signs, Dolce wants to be known as a hotel and resort company. On the surface, the strategy may seem ill-timed, but Barry Goldstein, Dolce’s chief revenue officer, in charge of global sales and marketing, says it was a necessary transition to guarantee • Leverage the benefits of the resort/conference center hybrid • Tailor CMP pricing to the resort experience the company’s long-term viability. “We looked at our portfolio and saw we’re more than just conference centers,” says Goldstein. “And we saw that meetings business was already in decline [in fall I SM I March 2010 I SuccessfulMeetings.com http://www.SuccessfulMeetings.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - March 2010

Successful Meetings - March 2010
Contents
Editor's Letter
A Dust-Up in the Windy City
Education
Mouth for Sale
Incentive Insights
Management Matters
Meetings Law
Good Neighbor
Feast Not Famine
Spreading Out
Your Guide to Green
Places + Spaces
Houston
New York City
Florida Keys
Oahu
Quebec City

Successful Meetings - March 2010