Convention Insider (Conventions.net)

I am a huge fan of the Starwood Hotels and their resorts.  The latest Starwood Hotels and Resorts experience I had was out in Hawaii, so you can imagine how much that rated on my enjoyment meter.  If you get a chance to stay at the Moana Surfrider it is a one in a lifetime experience.  I also had an opportunity to look over Starwood’s latest campaign to help meeting and conference planners and at the same time give to charity.

The graphic above provides some for the information about their latest offer.  As you can see from the graphic they have also teamed up with PepsiCo on their campaign.  A deeper look into their offer also provides some details:

Starwood Hotels & Resorts and PepsiCo have teamed up to provide more value for your meeting experience. Plus, Starwood is giving you an opportunity to give back to your community. For every meeting booked your company will be entered to win one of four $50,000 charitable grants to be donated to your favorite local cause.

Book by July 31, 2010, and hold your meeting by December 31, 2010. This offer includes:

• - 4% Credit to master
• - Complimentary PepsiCo food and beverage break
• - Up to 100,000 Starpoints^® signing bonus
• - Sweepstakes for one of four $50,000 charitable grants
  

PepsiCo is becoming a driving force in the world of cause marketing and they are leading the way for other companies to participate.  This is a great initiative they are putting together with Starwood Hotels and Resorts.  If you book your meeting or conference with them, let them know that the folks here at Conventions.net sent you, and give them a thumbs up from us.

As you can see from our last couple of months we have been showcasing many of the convention centers around the country and letting you know their offerings and how they might fit into your convention plan. No matter if you are planning a large event or a smaller conference, we want to be seen as the place to come for information. You can find all of the information on any city or center just by looking at the categories we have here, or perhaps making sure to visit Conventions.net for the latest information on any of our locations we have featured there.

I wanted to get back to some of the nuts and bolts of actually going through the planning of a convention, trade show or conference. I have been busy with a few of my own shows, one in Las Vegas in 2009 at BlogWorld & New Media Expo, followed very quickly by the Social Media Business Summit in Hawaii at the [re]Think Hawaii event, and most recently I have been working on the Modern Media Man Summit in Atlanta which will take place in September, 2010.  It seems I have a few plates in the air and have been doing many jobs over the last couple of years.  I am sure this will continue as I think it is a great way to gain experience doing a number of different jobs in different locations.

This week I am going to start talking about some of the things that go on behind the doors or events.  These are the things that might not be the glamorous things that occur and it might not be the things that we like to showcase as owners of events or conference directors or exhibit booth salespersons.  I have met a number of interesting people along the way and want to talk about a few of those as well so stay tuned while I start my brain dump of all the things that go into what I see as convention planning!

[photo via Retronaut]

I am in Hawaii this week and have been helping organize another event that we held at the Marriott Waikiki.  The event I was putting on had to do with business and social media. One of the themes that keeps coming up here in Hawaii is "sustainability". This is the word of the hour here and it stands to reason when you think of the limits that the islands have in products and energy.

Today I am at the Hawaii Convention Center here in Honolulu and it is a beautiful facility. I highly recommend you put it in your short list for venues to consider when planning a get away for attendees.  With an all glass front and palm trees in its lobby there is no mistake that you are attending a conference and convention in paradise.  I took this picture as I was standing on the hallway looking at a table of fresh fruit.  Something that is always in abundance here.  I commend the Hawaii Convention and Visitors Bureau for having a great facility.  More to come from Hawaii and a look at what I saw as I headed to the conference and the event I was being a part of today.

Tags: Hawaii, HCVB, Conventions, Trade Shows, Conferences, Honolulu

I want to let everyone know why I have been absent for a while from the blog.  I have been in complete trade show and convention mode for the last 6 weeks and it has been quite an experience.  I talk about a lot of things that are part of our industry, such as travel, meeting venues and trade shows that are occurring but never have I given real life experiences that I have had.  That all can change now as I went through that process last week in Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Convention Center.  We had a three day conference with a two day full on exhibited trade show at that location and I was in the heart of the show and its inner workings.  I have much to discuss as it relates to the real inside of a trade show and convention.  There were some good, bad and ugly stories and I want to share all of those with you.

I had to deal with vendors, exhibitors, speakers, attendees, location managers, and staff and everyone else involved with the show. From the planning to the inner workings, to the post show analysis debriefing I was involved from start to finish.  The good news is I have been invited back to do it all again next year, and for some that might even be bad news.

I want to thank the folks at Conventions.net for giving me the latitude for some real inside research and participation.  I am hoping to pass on some of that knowledge I learned, some funny stories, and perhaps a nightmare or two.  Stay tuned here as I go through the process.  I am afraid I still have one event left and that will be at the Marriott Waikiki in beautiful Hawaii.  It’s not a bad gig but still it is working on a conference and convention.

Tags: trade shows, conventions, Las Vegas Convention Center, LCVA, BlogWorld Expo, BWE09, Hawaii, Rethink Hawaii

I am headed to a couple of cities this week with Houston on the first stop and then rounding out the week with a presentation at an event in Los Angeles.  I have been used to the travel schedule and working my way in and out of airports.  To me it has become second nature to go through the security checkpoints and sitting on a flight taking notes, doing expense reports and in fact even typing blog posts.  My daughter on the other hand is not so used to the idea of "travel".

I had to first explain the idea of falling from the sky at 5,000 fee or 35,000 feet.  It doesn’t really matter once you hit earth from either elevation.  I think she is still wrapping her head around that concept.  So much for the laws of physics.  It is her birthday which is why she gets a chance to travel on a quick overnight and a short time with her grandmother in Houston. 

I love travel and I get a chance to see a number of different places.  It looks as tough my year will end somewhere like it began with a trip to Las Vegas.  I am also looking forward to getting back to Hawaii.  I will be headed there in November and this time I have no choice but to include my wife on the trip. I wonder if she too will grasp the idea of what happens when you careen into the earth from either 5,000 feet or 35,000 feet.  Let’s hope I never have to try the theory.

Tags: Travel, Houston, Los Angeles, Hawaii, Conferences, Conventions, Trade Shows

I have been planning another trip to Hawaii after my latest trip in May.  I will be hosting a track in a conference and it will be called the Social Media Business Summit and it will be held at the Marriott Waikiki.   The event is scheduled to take place in the first part of November and is actually an invite only event.  You can leave me a message if you are interested in getting an invitation to the event.

The event is scheduled for about 5 days and this time I will have some extra time to actually enjoy the island and get in some site seeing while I am there and perhaps a little rest.  After the schedule I have had this year I could use a little of that thing we call rest.

Upcoming I have Houston, an then I am off to Los Angeles for a speaking gig I have and then we may be headed to Orlando to attend another event, and then my major event is set for October 15-17 in Las Vegas. Then after Hawaii, I am off to San Diego to speak at the National Association of Realtors and who knows what else. I would say this year is rounding out to be very busy.  The problem is, with the events all beginning again in Las Vegas in January the game begins again!  I hope perhaps to see some of you in Atlanta this year at IAEE.  Are you going?

Tags: Hawaii, Hawaii Travel, HawaiiHTA, Las Veasg, Atlanta, Conventions, Trade Shows, Conferences

I have been working with someone to help plan an event that will take place this fall.  The event itself is going to be very nice since the event is going to take place in Hawaii.  I have been to Hawaii last month on an unrelated trip but I was able to get out there and see the lay of the land or perhaps the lay of the islands.  One of the things we are working on for this event is to have it work with many other partners all wanting to be able to have their own communities register from their own social networks.  This will make it necessary to use an online registration service and one of those services was suggested was Eventbrite.  I am thinking I need something more in house but this seems to be a decent option.  Are you a registration aficionado?  What is your favorite?  Can you help me with my event?

Tags: event registration, event planning, registration, eventbrite

One of the things that I was unaware of until I saw it was the fact that conventions centers and trade show facilities actually need to be upgraded or made better, and as a result are Under construction.  The Pardon Our Dust signs need to be put out and the facility is given an upgrade or a facelift.  This was the case when I was out in Hawaii as well.  In fact one of the things I really wanted to do was visit the Prince.  Not the Prince like the Cinderella guy but the beautiful Princeville Resort.  The problem with visiting the resort was, closed for renovation.  Wow.  I can’t even imagine the amount of money that is being lost to being closed.  Yes, this is a perfect time to be closed for renovations as the economy is down and the visitor rates are down anyway, but this is a setback for a large number of people out there.

The other facility I visited was the Sheraton and I have a more in depth look at the Sheraton on Oahu and will be providing a full on review of that center.  They had the construction going on at the same time as guests and events were occurring.  I was interested in what construction was being done on Princeville but was unable to get out to see them.  I guess I am just going to have to go back and see it after the fact. 

I saw the final result of what happened with the Peppermill in Reno and they did a great job, and I was in the midst of seeing what was going on with the Sheraton.  Each facility is upgrading to newer and better but they have to take a hit in revenue until they get to that next level.  Construction costs are probably high enough but the revenue missed for having that construction take place is even higher. Granted Princeville’s meeting facilities only have room for about 500 people but I’m sure those facilities are often booked months in advance.  make sure you ask about any construction going on when planning your event.  You may not like the idea of a jackhammer going on during your wedding vows.

Tags: Princeville Resort, Hawaii, Reno, Peppermill, Construction, Conventions, Meetings

Our next stop* was the Wailea Beach Resort and Spa of the Marriott chain of resorts.  It was a great location and was just minutes from where I would be taking my dip in the Pacific Ocean and even closer to that soaring helicopter ride over the islands.  They offer a very nice room and have some great amenities. Their meeting room and accommodations include this:

We strive for excellence in everything we do, including offering you meeting options that bring the Marriott experience to every event. Here are a few reasons why the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa is a great choice for your next meeting.

• 21 meeting rooms and 45,000 square feet of total meeting space.
• 60,000 square feet of outdoor function space for events of up to 1,000 attendees.
• The rooftop Pacific Terrace boasts 16,000 square feet of event space under the stars.
• Multiple flexible breakout rooms.
• Lokelani Ballroom features award-winning murals.
• The latest in-house audiovisual presentation technology and wireless Internet access in all meeting rooms and guest rooms.
• The resort’s professional sales staff is ready to assist with any event.
• Creative catering and theme parties customizable for quick service and affordability.

I was very pleased with the fresh pineapple infused cold water they offered in the lobby.  I guess it the the trivial things we tend to remember.  I was also given an opportunity to meet with a local chef and watch as he made an awesome Ahi Tuna dish that I was able to sample. We were given a tour of a cool lettuce farm and a mushroom farm.  It seems that if you can provide a product that does not have to be imported from the mainland or other places afar, you have a leg up on your competition and can make a good living.  I think I’ll stick to what I do instead of watching mushrooms grow, although, the scenery is nice.

They do it right on Maui and the Marriott was no exception.

Photo Via: Marriott Wailea Beach Resort and Spa

*This trip was sponsored by the Hawaii Tourism Authority as a part of the So Much More Hawaii Tour.

On the second day of our trip*, we were up at the crack of holy cow and waiting at the airport for our short hop to the island of Kauai and the Grand Hyatt.  I was immediately impressed with the view as I walked through the door and looked out into the Pacific Ocean.

I later learned that the Grand Hyatt on the island is now its largest employer.  The island itself is only about 3% developed and is by far the most rugged of the islands along with perhaps the big island of Hawaii itself.  I have to say this was my favorite island and represented what I like best in a vacation spot.  It had somewhat of an undiscovered feel although it is the favorite place of many movie producers for filming their jungle scenes.

The Grand Hyatt describes the meeting and planning experience:

Corporate gatherings take on an entirely new energy from the fresh breezes, lush greenery and incredible facilities all around our Kauai, Hawaii meeting hotel. From your opening general session to a traditional luau grand finale banquet overlooking the ocean, you’ll discover everything you need to create the perfect Hawaii meeting, incentive trip or executive retreat, including:

* 25,000 square feet of flexible function space, all on one level
* 40,000 square feet of formal gardens, lawns, poolside ad lagoon event areas, for unforgettable parties
* Experienced meeting and event planners on staff, to assist you in all aspects
* Spectacular catering, including Personal Preference Dining
* Complete audiovisual equipment, with onsite experts
* Full service Business center and high-speed Internet access
* Award-winning restaurants, lounges and live entertainment ranging from fine dining to burgers and fries
* Extensive onsite recreation including Robert Trent Jones Jr. designed golf courses, pool, tennis, lagoon and beach
* Special group and spouse spa and golf programs developed specifically to match the needs of your group
* Camp Hyatt and babysitting services
* 602 spacious guestrooms, each with private balcony, stunning views and plush Hyatt Beds

Tags: Kauai, Grand Hyatt, Hawaii, So Much More Hawaii Tour, Tourism, Travel

*This trip was sponsored by the Hawaii Tourism Authority as a part of the So Much More Hawaii Tour.