Meeting News - November 19, 2007 - (Page 6)

What’s Up @ MeetingNews.com Web Top 5 #2 #3 #4 #5 Southern California Update: Fires Still Burning Edited by Jennifer Levey jennifer.levey@nielsen.com As wildfires ravaged parts of Southern California, MeetingNews.com provided the latest updates from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Visit meetingnews.com/Top50002 #1Planners Workshop: On Site Wall Street Journal columnist Jared Sandberg began the New Year by suggesting that corporations resolve to lose “goofy teambuilding exercises.” Find out why James Carter could not agree more. Visit meetingnews.com/Top50001 Blackstone’s $26-Billion Hilton Deal Concluded Worktopia (www.worktopia.com), the first direct online booking engine for meeting space in hotels, airport lounges, and other venues, announced that it has completed a $5-million financing from a syndicate led by New York-based DFJ Gotham Ventures. Visit meetingnews.com/Top50003 Puerto Rico Boosts Efforts to Recruit Ambassadors The Puerto Rico Convention Bureau is beefing up its 18-year-old Ambassadors Program with an investment of $700,000 that includes public relations, events promotion, and media. Visit meetingnews.com/Top50004 CMI Resources Merges with Rosenberg & Risinger CMI Resources, a Phoenix-based travel management company that specializes in meetings, conferences, and travel incentives, has acquired Rosenberg & Risinger, The Meeting Professionals, a leading Los Angeles meeting management firm. Visit meetingnews.com/Top50005 Soapbox Reimagining the Garden State Posted by Terri Hardin Last month, the 200-room Grand Cascade Lodge soft-opened in northern New Jersey, just 47 miles from New York City. Part of the Crystal Springs Resort, the Adirondack-style building is in New Jersey’s ski country. For the rest of the year, the rolling hills and country lanes of Sussex County are filled with potential culinary adventures, such as Bobolink Farms and the Warwick Winery in next-door New York. According to Jeff Weggeman, Crystal Springs Resort’s VP of sales & marketing: “We want to make people aware that there’s this great resort area only an hour and a half from Manhattan.” Soon to come is a 10,000-sf “biosphere,” featuring two swimming pools, a hot tub, and lush tropical gardens within a glass enclosure. Visit meetingnews.com/soapbox0001 MN Pollster How would you describe your management’s interest in your meetings programs? Strong: We are held accountable for making changes to upcoming meetings based on attendee feedback 56% 26% Hot Deals * MEETING PACKAGE: Winter Wonders Book a group from Nov. 16 to Jan. 30 at the Mansion on Forsyth Park in Savannah, GA, and choose one upgrade. Visit meetingnews.com/deal0001 * MEETING PACKAGE: Mountain Meetings Copper Conference Center in Copper Mountain, CO, has special winter conference packages that include group lift-ticket rates and front-of-the-line access. Visit meetingnews.com/deal0002 * MEETING PACKAGE: Luxe at the Lake The Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas now offers two packages for planners looking to book their next meeting or incentive trip. Visit meetingnews.com/deal0003 16% Weak: Management rarely or never asks about the results of attendee feedback Lukewarm: Management asks us about the general tenor of the feedback, but does not follow up to make sure we use it to make changes to future meetings Source: MeetingNews online survey of 341 meeting planners Gurus Steve Collins Pres., Resort Meeting Source LLC MONDAY How is Booking a Resort Hotel Different from a City Hotel? WEDNESDAY Pros and Cons of Booking a Meeting in a Resort Destination FRIDAY Resort Fees and Other Idiosyncrasies 6 MeetingNews November 19, 2007 www.meetingnews.com http://www.MeetingNews.com http://www.MeetingNews.com http://www.meetingnews.com/Top50002 http://www.meetingnews.com/Top50003 http://www.meetingnews.com/Top50004 http://www.meetingnews.com/Top50001 http://www.meetingnews.com/Top50005 http://www.mimegasite.com http://www.meetingnews.com/soapbox0001 http://www.mimegasite.com http://www.meetingnews.com/deal0001 http://www.meetingnews.com/deal0003 http://www.meetingnews.com/deal0002 http://vnutravel.typepad.com/migurus/ http://www.meetingnews.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Meeting News - November 19, 2007

Meeting News - November 19, 2007
Contents
What’s Up @ MeetingNews.com
Chef Talk
Transportation & Services
People Making News
MN Webcast Report
Successful Meetings University
Advertisers Index
Live from the Forum

Meeting News - November 19, 2007