March 2010: Phoenix

In Phoenix, AZ, meetings and incentive trips can easily deliver economic value coupled with great year-round weather (more than 300 days of sunshine annually). Phoenix offers all the necessary elements to make meeting and event planners shine: An improved downtown that is brimming with arts, culture, dining, state-of-the-art meeting space, and lively entertainment; impressive hotel rooms in abundance, interspersed throughout downtown and the unique Sonoran Desert landscape; a convenient METRO light rail system to get attendees to and from attractions with ease; and endless possibilities to create memorable events or activities at the myriad venues throughout the metro area.

February 2010: Ground Breakings

From modern conference centers to sparkling new seaside resorts, the 2010 meetings industry has even more facility choices with new openings, exciting renovations, roomy expansions and groundbreakings on what will be stellar destinations for groups. Nationwide, these new locations beckon meeting planners to explore their offerings that cater to today’s sophisticated business travelers, including attractive professional and downtime amenities.

December 2009: Unique Venues

Opening Doors to One-of-a-Kind

Formal to fashionable. Simple to subtle.
Every day, people everywhere come together to share, to learn, to network and to celebrate. Their choices about where to meet are as many as their reasons to get together. At Unique Venues, doors are opened to one-of-a-kind opportunities. Imagine your corporate retreat on a time-honored campus. Or team building at the zoo. Gather your group at a museum or mansion, or take them on an adventure at sea.
From arenas and stadiums to historic venues or college conference centers, Unique Venues will connect you to accommodating and distinctive meeting locations that are within your reach.

November 2009: M&C West

By now, we are all too familiar with the backlash of the “AIG” effect and how it, in conjunction with a failing economy, catapulted face-to-face corporate meetings and incentives into major decline. We, in the meetings industry certainly knew, theoretically, this would not be the answer to the crisis, knowing full well the priceless value of in-person meetings on a variety of levels. The real challenge was to prove its value on a profitability level. Can you place a price tag on face-to-face meetings? Can its return on investment be measured in dollars and cents? According to a recent study by Oxford Economics USA, the answer is a profound, yes.

October 2009: Colorado

Throw a dart at a map of Colorado and you can’t miss hitting a location known for its astounding natural beauty. White-capped mountains, fertile valleys and towering forests populate the state. Picture all of this splendor next to the picturesque city skylines of Breckenridge, Colorado Springs and Keystone and you have a good idea of the blend of unique meeting atmospheres the state has to offer.

But meeting organizers know event-planning decisions are more than just a dart throw away. Highlighted here are some desirable Colorado destinations ready to focus on nurturing your attendees, while your clients focus on the nature of business.

September 2009 Hawaii

Hawaii: Get Inspired in Paradise
Say Aloha to Beauty and Value

Looking for a destination that will raise attendees’ energy levels, lower their stress and enable them to think more creatively? Check out the Hawaiian Islands for a taste of the perfect incentive environment at the perfect price.

August 2009: Unique Venues

Unique Venues - uniquevenues.com

Everyday people everywhere come together to share, to learn, to network and to celebrate. And the choices about where to meet are as many as the reasons to get together. Come explore the best kept venue secrets in the hospitality world. At Unique Venues, we open doors to one-of-a-kind.

August 2009: M&C West(2)

With meetings at an all-time low, many lodging brands are quickly thinking out of the box to provide solutions that will benefit both meeting planners and the hospitality industry. The lodging brands are recognizing the value of meetings to their business, and are extending a value-driven hand to meeting planners. Some brands are getting right to the heart of what planners need in order to get their programs approved by their bosses, or creating programs packed with such incentives, they are almost irresistible.

June 2009 Hawaii

Rewarding efforts, encouraging creative thinking, team building – all necessary for success in a tough business market – all easier to accomplish when the incentive travel destination is the Hawaiian Islands. “We are all aware that in this time of economic challenge, corporate America has been charged with delivering accountability for business travel,” says Michael Murray, CMP, CMM, CASE, vice president of sales and marketing for corporate meetings and incentives for the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB). “To answer this challenge, our visitor industry partners on every Hawaiian island have created new value-added programs for companies holding business meetings in Hawaii. We encourage businesses to take an aggressive approach, using Hawaii as the incentive to strengthen their business and the economy.”

May 2009 M&C West

Meeting planning budgets are lean. The world economy has turned mean. But a top priority for the meetings and conventions industry is still: meet GREEN. More and more meeting planners strive towards producing an event with the lowest possible environmental consequences by picking and choosing their venues wisely, not only for budgetary reasons but also to sustain climatic well being. It is the growing responsibility of venues, destinations and meeting planners themselves to maintain a strong commitment to examining and adjusting the environmental impact business events have on local communities and the world environment as a whole.

April 2009 Hawaii

The wave of the future of meeting and incentive travel brings to mind the extraordinary value that the Hawaiian Islands can offer – ease of travel, affordable rates, traveler’s safety and the accessibility of hundreds of new experiences, available year-round on every island.

Golf Digest

Professional meeting planners are experts at organizing a variety of business gatherings. But introduce a popular sport like golf into the agenda, and planning can become a whole new test of skills. Scheduling a golf event that combines meetings with fun doesn't have to turn out to be a championship challenge. In fact, a full-fledged golf outing will mean more participant excitement and more planning creativity.