Corporate Travel Destinations

No taxpayer wants to see her hard-earned dollars being wasted by companies on the public bailout dime. Misused funds are one way American businesses got into their current predicaments in the first place. However, nixing meetings just because they look like they are in a “fun” place–and companies getting bailed out should not have any “fun”–has created tensions not only in the companies who are canceling their meetings, but with gaming community hotels and convention services, and the meeting planner.

As understandable as the restrictions are, they are largely unwarranted. Gaming communities, Las Vegas included, are hurting for business right now and have become flexible and cost effective for business meeting needs. Other considerations, such as travel within the city, large room blocks, and good meal choices, are also good for companies pinching pennies–much of Vegas is within walking distance, food is less expensive than other cities, and there are excellent choices of hotel rooms. Continue reading »

The last Conference Center Spotlight blog was an overview of the new popularity of conference and convention centers. Getting people who have common interests and goals together in one place is now easier than it was ten years ago, thanks to these flexible, high tech facilities. 

As an event or meeting planner, you might already know about the highly popular places like the Las Vegas Convention Center or one of the many centers in larger cities in the United States. However, did you know that Latin America is becoming a hot spot for conventioneers?

One of the most popular convention centers is expected to be Benchmark’s property The Orchid (Panama City), scheduled for a late 2009 completion. The Orchid is a combination hotel and meeting space, with 170 rooms planned. It will be 17 stories high and will offer a business complex with high tech meeting rooms. There will also be boardrooms and a conference concierge. Continue reading »

There is no doubt that conferences and conventions are becoming more and more common worldwide. From science fiction and fly fishing to automobile manufacturers and writers, gathering in one place for camaraderie and technical exchange is not “the next big thing,” it’s the “now” thing.

Almost everyone in the United States has heard of the larger conference and convention centers. Las Vegas, for instance, is home to the enormous and beautiful Las Vegas Convention Center. Located within walking distance to hotels, restaurants, and the casinos and nightlife, the website (www.lvcva.com) says it has “In addition to more than two million square feet of exhibit space, 144 meeting rooms (more than 241,000 square feet) handle seating capacities ranging from 20 to 2,500.”

And that’s just one convention center in one U.S. city. Convention centers have begun to spring up worldwide, even in unexpected places like Panama creating meeting places like The Orchid, which will be available sometime near the end of 2009. Other countries seem to be following suit, and the International Association of Conference Center North America chapter president, Neil Pompan, hopes that the international chapters of his organization expand into places like China and South Africa. Continue reading »