Prevue July/August 2014 - (Page 12)

fresh meets Marriott Hotels A robust convention & resort network streamlines meeting & event planning Cosmopolitan Las Vegas P lanners get lots of help with Marriott Hotels' Convention & Resort Network (CRN), which gathers over 60 of the hotel group's largest meeting and convention properties throughout the United States, Caribbean and Mexico. Including the major meeting hotel brands-Marriott, JW Marriott, Autograph Collection, Renaissance and Gaylord Hotels-they make up over 6.5 million sf of meeting space, 2,700 meeting rooms and over 70,000 guest rooms. For meeting planners overseeing a heavy schedule of meetings at multiple Marriott properties year after year, there can be an overlap of duties and communications on both the buyer and supplier sides. So if a planner has many individual networks of supplier/vendor contacts at each property and destination, in essence, Marriott's CRN collection is like a network of networks to better manage work ﬂow. It especially delivers greater consistency within convention services and catering, helping meeting planners execute their largest meetings and events more efﬁciently. "The network's mission is to ensure we provide tools and technology to help make the meeting professional's job easier," says Dave Nostrand, VP of sales, Americas, for Marriott International. "We offer pre-convention to post-convention conveniences, including a streamlined billing system, a comprehensive communications plan, and a cross-network team of professionals that ensure a seamless meeting experience." The process begins with the CRN portal at Marriott.com, with which planners can identify the best hotels for their speciﬁc needs without searching many different sites. Now, planners can search in one place for their key needs, such as resort or urban environments, peak room requirements, ballroom space and group leisure opportunities. Planners also work with only one dedicated Marriott representative for all of their initial inquiries. Furthermore, the CRN Multi-Year and Multi-Meetings & Events Offers save time for planners booking multiple events and/ or multiple years because all of the information is maintained on a central ﬁle for all of the hotels to share. They also extend special concessions and added beneﬁts for the organization and attendees. The more years a group books, the more savings and added beneﬁts they receive. The planner can then get those years conﬁrmed and not have to worry about site selection and contracting. They can get it all done with one agreement and focus on other parts of their job. Nostrand says, "Examples of those discounts are savings off A/V, complimentary high-speed internet in all attendees' guest rooms, catering discounts, a substantial rebate to the master account from guest rooms in the group block, and up to one million Marriott Reward Points, to name a few." We also asked Nostrand how Marriott's CRN initiative is adapting to Millennial and technology trends in 2014. "With the new Generation Y/Millennial attendees, there is a need for more creative and innovative meetings," he says. "They are more global, mobile, social and collaborative, and they want their meetings to be the same. The traditional theater-style seating with a long keynote speaker will not cut it anymore. They are looking for the opportunity to share ideas, be inspired and network, so hotels need to provide ﬂexible meeting and gathering space where they can connect with each other and share information when, where and how they want."-Greg Oates marriott.com "The network's mission is to ensure we provide tools and technology to help make the meeting professional's job easier." 12 | prevue magazine 12-13_Fresh.indd 12 7/2/14 8:31 PM http://www.Marriott.com http://www.marriott.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Prevue July/August 2014

Planner’s Pick: The Franklin Institute
Fresh Meets: Marriott Hotels
Bureau Buzz: Bermuda Tourism Authority
Good Business: Anaheim/Orange County CVB
Sea Shores: Table for 2 (Hundred)
Table Talk Creativity and engagement add flavor to culinary events
SPECIAL SECTION: THE CARIBBEAN More than a vacation spot, paradise for meetings
IRF INVITATIONAL Secrets Puerto Los Cabos hosts the biggest incentive forum yet
On Location: Dominican Republic
On Location: Westin Hilton Head
On Location: Vancouver
LOUISIANA Culture, dramatic venues and immersive tours surround the Big Easy
ORLANDO AIBTM host city is a top draw for meetings
On Location: Auckland
SUSTAINABLE MEETINGS GMIC helps planners minimize their footprint
Checkout: Thompson Chicago

Prevue July/August 2014