Dallas Teague Snider

Chicago Hotel Unveils Renovation

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Located downtown with a fantastic view of the city, the Renaissance Chicago Downtown officially unveiled its $32 million renovation early last month, with completion of Phase II of the project.

This phase added a ballroom, an additional 4,000 square feet of meeting space and a rooftop bar. Completed last year, Phase I unveiled a transformation of the lobby and guest rooms, of which there are 520 plus 40 suites.

The new rooftop bar, labeled Raised, is located on the third floor and has an indoor/outdoor layout. It comfortably fits 160. There also is additional event space connected to the bar.

The new 3,000-square-foot ballroom overlooks the Chicago River and other Chicago architecture, including Marina Towers and the Wrigley Building. A smaller ballroom also was transformed, increasing from 4,000 square feet to 5,000.

The Gettys Group’s Interior Design and Branding teams in conjunction with the Renaissance Hotel’s Brand Team and Carey Watermark, were in charge of the hotel’s renovations. Both phases were managed by leading hospitality developer The John Hardy Group.

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Asking the Right Questions

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Getting the information you need from the experts you work with—vendors, planners, venue managers, etc.—necessitates asking the right questions. But sometimes, conversations can be confusing with experts such as these. Suppliers, for example, may talk in technical jargon; others might speak quickly without breaks. The below tips will help ensure you get all of the information you need to plan your event.

• Come prepared. Before meeting, outline exactly the information you are looking for—how something works, event specs, next steps and so on. Discuss with your employees and coworkers how to approach each expert. Meetings might be good for one person, whereas email may be easier for others. The more you plan, the better information you will receive.
• Be ready for technical language. Learn terms you might need to know for a conversation. This may be something related to Internet wiring, AV needs or really anything event related. This will help make the conversation flow and ensure you get the answers you need. But the point isn’t to impress the expert—the research you do should elevate the conversation and limit the questions you need to ask for a more simple discussion.
• Know the appropriate time to interrupt. Questions will pop up during a discussion. Wait until the expert finishes a thought before making a point. This will help maintain the flow of the conversation and allow the expert to continue on with the discussion afterward.

All On Board the RTD

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Late last month, Denver’s Regional Transportation District launched the much-anticipated A Line, connecting the Denver International Airport to the Denver Union Station in downtown Denver.

“World-class meeting and convention destinations offer world-class public transportation for their attendees,” says Richard Scharf, president and CEO, Visit Denver. “Denver offers a stellar public transportation network, and this addition really helps to bring our city to the next level by connecting our airport directly to our compact, walkable downtown with convenience and value.”

Costing $9 a ride, the rail can travel at 79 MPH to cover the distance between downtown Denver and the airport, which is the sixth busiest in the United States and 19th busiest globally.

“The opening of the University of Colorado A Line is a historic milestone toward the completion of RTD’s FasTracks program and continues our success rate of opening major infrastructure projects,” says Dave Genova, general manager and CEO, RTD. “We continue to transform the region, and the University of Colorado A Line will connect the Denver metro area to the world.”

Stay On Top of Summer’s Tasty Food Trends

BY RCMAWEB|RCMA NEWS|TIPS FOR PLANNERS|ADD A COMMENT

The first day of summer is right around the corner, and with the change in season comes a whole host of new catering trends. Even just one of these tasty morsels and drinks will take your event from good to great.

• Ice Pops Ice cream is a staple on the summer event circuit, but ice pops can take it to a whole new level—and we’re not talking about grape, strawberry or cherry. Flavors can include salted caramel, mango and cheesecake.
• Canned Cocktails Craft cocktails have become quite popular in the past few years, but craft cocktails in a can put a special twist on drinks. Your event’s signature drink can be premade in a can tailored to your soiree. It’s something guests will swoon over and another way to add branding to your event.
• Classic American Comfort Food Anything that evokes the sense of American summer will be top of mind this season. Food will include hot dogs, hamburgers, macaroni and cheese and, of course, apple pie.
• Think Mini Tiny desserts are always a hit, but this summer watch out for all of your favorites to be perfectly bite-sized. Small chicken and waffles, mini shrimp cocktails and even tiny lettuce wraps will make your event extra special.
• Matching Drinks Combining drinks with mini food is another way to incorporate your event’s theme and allows you to follow summer’s bite-sized trend. These combos can include paella with mojitos, tiny tacos with margaritas and mini Cuban sandwiches with Cuba Libres.

Give Guests Something to Remember

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Gift bags for attendees are a nice touch—they will appreciate the thought and will provide them with a lasting memory of your event. Below are a few ideas perfect for your next event.

Key chain While the idea is maybe a little antiquated, if enough thought is put into the idea, it can actually be a great memento. Think of something you would want on your keys. If you like it, there is a higher chance guests will too. And while you can promote your company in some way, try not to create something that is a one-color plastic tag with just your logo placed on it—be creative.

Selfie Stick We can’t deny it, selfies are a huge hit with all generations.  So why not give the people what they want and supply them with a selfie stick? If given before the event, attendees will have the opportunity to take their own photos and share them on social media, giving notice to more people about your event and your brand. Prices run as low as $13.

Tablet case These are handy and are a good way to market your brand. Again, make sure the branding isn’t too flashy, so that attendees are more prone to using it. Guests will be able to use them long after the event.

Loaded USB drives A pretty standard gift bag item, but one that continues to hold importance for attendees. You can fill the drive with information you want to give to your attendees, and after they can save the information and then fill the drive with things such as photos, documents or whatever else they might need it for.

Candles An often overlooked item most that guests would use by placing it in their home. Candles make a nice gift for family and friends, so it’s likely to be appreciated at an event. They add a nice touch to any bag and will show guests you truly put thought into their gift bags.

A map of the city If attendees are traveling to your event, a map of the area will be immensely helpful. You can even customize it by marking restaurants and attraction you think they might like.

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These Mammoth Convention Centers Can Hold Any Event—Big or Small

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Convention centers abound in the U.S., giving planners an abundance to choose from. To make your decision easier, we’ve rounded up the five biggest convention centers in the country.

1. McCormick Place This Chicago-based convention center is the largest in the country, boasting an astounding 2,600,000 square feet with 173 meeting rooms and four ballrooms—giving you more options than you might know what to do with. The entire center is connected by pedestrian promenades and sky bridges, making navigation a breeze. An event management team is available to answer and questions and assist in the planning process.

2. Orange County Convention Center Located in the theme-park-heavy city of Orlando, Fla., this convention center takes the No. 2 spot of the biggest convention centers in the U.S. with 2,053,820 square feet. The convention center is conveniently located just 15 minutes from the Orlando International Airport and features two facilities—the West Building and the North/South Building. In total, the center has 74 meeting rooms and 235 breakout spaces, and a number of restaurants, food courts and business centers.

3. Las Vegas Convention Center Host your next event in the 2,182,167-square-foot convention center located just off the Strip in the entertainment capital of the world.  Featuring 144 meeting rooms with seating capacities ranging from 20 to 2,500, the site is the perfect location for your next large-scale event. The center is within walking distance of 100,000 guest rooms, making allowing for easy transportation to and from hotels.

4. Georgia World Congress Center In the heart of Atlanta lies this mammoth convention center with 1,400,000 square feet of meeting space. The Georgia Dome and Centennial Olympic Park are located right next to each other, giving guests an easily accessible form of entertainment. Select from 12 exhibit halls, 106 meetings rooms and two grand ballrooms.

5. Sand Expo & Convention Center Rounding out our fifth spot is another Las Vegas convention center. This meeting spot is located in The Venetian, one of the city’s most luxurious hotels. The space can hold anywhere from 600 to 60,000 attendees.  Using a hotel convention center has the added bonus of giving guests all the amenities—and more with the addition of casinos and restaurants—in one building.

(Photo Courtesy of McCormick Place Chicago)

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Cuba to Form First Hotel Association

BY MARK NOVELLI|SUPPLIERS|ADD A COMMENT

Cuba has requested assistance from the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association to create its own hotel association.

The news comes mere months after President Obama lifted the U.S. travel ban to the country. Assistance would help Cuba increase its tourism efforts, which are critical to its socioeconomic development.

“The Caribbean is one of the few remaining tourist regions where it is possible to develop tourism in a sustainable manner, and to do this we must work together in order to promote one Caribbean brand that is cheerful, festive and that will integrate us as part of the culture that we share,” said Luis Miguel Diaz, Cuba’s vice minister of tourism during a meeting between the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association and  Cuban and international officials. “The best option is to do this together.”

Karolin Troubetzkoy, president, CHTA, echoed Diaz’s words, noting the importance of sustainable tourism development.

“Frankly, with all of the free and positive publicity that Cuba is receiving at the moment, we were pleased by their strong focus on both building a stronger Caribbean brand and ensuring that it is done in the most sustainable fashion,” she said.

Cuba has requested models from around the region to help the country build the strongest hotel association possible, and Troubetzkoy knows the work that will need to go into such an act.

“The region has tremendous untapped potential to grow and develop tourism to the greater benefit of it’s people, governments and tourism stakeholders,” she said. “To do this effectively will require an unprecedented level of commitment by the region’s public and private sector leaders.”

Ark Encounter Welcomes Guests

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The Ark Encounter, a life-size version of Noah’s Ark in northern Kentucky, welcomed more than 8,300 VIP guests and 150 media representatives one day prior to the grand opening to the public on July 7.

Located on 800 acres of land in Williamstown, Ky., south of Cincinnati, the Christian theme park has a full-sized wooden replica of the ship from the Biblical story about Noah and the flood.

The park was built according to the biblical dimensions in Genesis 6; it stands seven stories high and is 510 feet in length. It is the largest freestanding, timber-frame structure in the world.

This massive project is the vision of Ken Ham, founder, president and CEO of Answers in Genesis and the Creation Museum located in northern Kentucky.

“In a world that is becoming increasingly secularized and biased, it’s time for Christians to do something of this size and this magnitude,” says Ham.

An independent feasibility study by America’s Research Group estimates that between 1.4 million and 2.2 million individuals will visit within the first year.

“I believe you’re going to find all sorts of people from all walks of life with all sorts of religious backgrounds who are going to come here,” says Ham. “And even if they don’t share our biblical view, they can’t help but be impressed by the structure, craftsmanship and by the attention to detail of the world-class exhibits inside. And who knows? Maybe they’ll be challenged to even talk about the Bible.”

In addition to the full scale Noah’s Ark with three decks of world-class exhibits, the theme park also features the Ararat Ridge Zoo, daily animal shows, zip lines, live entertainment, a 1,500-seat themed restaurant and fair-trade shopping.

To accommodate the crowds expected within the first few weeks, the Ark will welcome visitors within the first 40 days and nights from 9 a.m. to midnight, after which hours of operation will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

3 must-have apps for meeting planners

BY LAURIE DOVE|TIPS FOR PLANNERS|

When it comes to tools that aid the planning process, there are apps and then there are apps. We’ve tested three apps that get the job done, without requiring a Ph.D. to make them work.

Attendify

WHAT IS IT? Attendify is a simple and easy-to-use app that helps planners make mobile event apps. These customized event apps include branded, personalized content and features.

WHY WE LIKE IT: Attendify can be set up so that event attendees can view event schedules and lists of speakers or exhibitor maps. The app also incorporates social media and provides real-time analytics. This means you can adjust communication to boost sponsor promotion and attendee engagement.

WHAT IT COSTS: A one event use of Attendify costs $1,000. A one-year subscription for unlimited events costs $2,000.

Slack

WHAT IS IT? Slack is a team-messaging tool that lets planners group conversations into channels, including private channels for conversations and files that aren’t meant for everyone to see.

WHY WE LIKE IT: If you’re looking for a way to make group communication more efficient, Slack is it. We especially like its searchable conversation archives. This is a much better system for finding previous conversations than scanning email threads. Slack can be paired with social media and Google Drive, too.

WHAT IT COSTS: Small teams can use Slack for free. Other prices vary, but for larger groups, the cost is billed monthly from about $8 to $30.

Planning Pod

WHAT IS IT? Planning Pod is an online event management software that includes almost 50 planning tools.

WHY WE LIKE IT: With Planning Pod, you can manage the whole of your event from attendees to schedules. View customizable dashboards for quick progress updates, track deadlines and tasks, share files or create detailed reports—it’s all possible with the comprehensive tools in Planning Pod.

WHAT IT COSTS: Pricing varies, but a Planning Pod subscription to manage up to five events at the same time will cost $20 a month.