< Previousable to create one event for all attend- ees — whether virtual or face to face. Hybrid events also have become more engaging whether the attendee is at the live event or at home on the couch. Perenso has produced many suc- cessful hybrid events. “With the hybrid model, our customers have been able to reach more attendees, and in turn, increase their show sales because of the larger audience,” Tomasetti says. “One specific customer-success story comes from a grocery wholesale distributor who increased meeting atten- dance and grocery sales when they switched to a hybrid meeting model. When the company added a virtual layer to their in-person event, the distribution company was able to increase attendance by 22%, and increase event sales by 53%. Needless to say, the customer was pleased with the results, and plans to continue using Perenso’s hybrid model for future trade shows.” There are many benefits of hybrid events, and Tomasetti points to several, including: • Greater reach – Event hosts are able to attract more attendees by not limiting the event to one location. Add- ing a virtual layer to an in-person event creates a more inclusive experience by removing many of the barriers to entry — resources, availability, willingness to travel, health, etc. • Increases ROI – Virtual-only events typically cost less to plan and host, and with the ability to attract a larger audience, the value exceeds the extra investment. • Provides better data-driven insights – Virtual events provide impor- tant analytics. The ability to see the digital footprint of attendees provides incredibly useful information. Adding an online option to an in-person event gives the event host powerful insights into their customers and their business. • More sustainable – Reducing the number of attendees who need to travel to the location will lower the event’s carbon footprint, and thus create a more environmentally conscious event. • Protects investment – No one knows what the future will hold, but having the ability to easily transition to a wholly virtual event, if necessary, can help event hosts and stakeholders breathe easy no matter what happens, such as a pandemic, natural disaster, etc. SUCCESS TIPS While hybrid events have been embraced by meeting planners and attendees alike, it takes a lot of effort to pull off a truly successful hybrid gather- ing. In fact, organizing and conducting virtual meetings and events requires a unique skill set on the part of meet- ing planners. McCauley recommends meeting planners remember that events that also have a virtual component need to be viewed as two separate events with two different, but intentional, attendee experiences. “Simply streaming live content to a virtual audience does not keep them engaged, nor does it make them feel included,” McCauley says. “There have to be separate, dedicated staff for both events for them to be worthwhile for all involved.” In addition to simply planning two separate events, staffing two separate events, etc., you also have to budget for two separate events, and likely will need to look at the fee structure sepa- rately for each. McCauley says another thing to consider is that even though you may have more potential attendees by host- ing hybrid/virtual meetings, what many hybrid events fail to provide is the themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIESNOVEMBER 2022 Tracy Orpin, CMP Senior Meeting & Events Planner National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Do practice runs with your team to ensure everything is in working order. You would be surprised how many planners do rehearsals for in-person events, but not virtual events. Are virtual-only and hybrid meetings here to stay? Meeting planners differ on whether the industry will rely on them as it did during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but planners agree they will remain a useful tool. FROM KRISTYN MCCAULEY 20feeling of belonging and engagement, relationship building, etc., which could result in decreased overall satisfaction with the event. “Also, how will this affect how we are able to work with hotels? We may not have the options we used to have before we began planning for a portion of our audience to not be attending in person,” McCauley says. For educational events, Orpin rec- ommends planners find a way to ensure that someone watching from home is participating so they can feel like they earned their CEUs for participating. “I have experienced this by asking random polling questions throughout the event, as well as a test at the end of the event” Orpin says. “[That way] you know they were present for the entire portion of the event.” Orpin continues: “The more interactive you can make it for the virtual audience, the better. It’s important to make those who are unable to be there in person feel like they didn’t miss out.” Orpin advises planners also must think very practically about every- thing they do. “Think it through before implementing it. Do practice runs with your team to ensure everything is in working order. It sounds basic, but you would be surprised how many planners do rehearsals for in-person events, but not virtual events,” Orpin says. “Plat- forms don’t always work well. I found in the beginning of doing hybrid that there were ‘glitches’ with some of the platforms. We selected a platform that would ‘leave’ the main platform and go out and connect with Zoom. It’s wasn’t organic and caused a lot of audio issues. So always do a rehearsal.” Suriani says meeting planners should expect that it will take you dou- ble the work, as you are basically plan- ning two separate events. Also, keep in mind that you will never be able to replicate an in-person experience with your virtual audience. “However, do try to include your virtual audience in what is going on at the in-person portion. Between sessions, show vid- eos of the excitement of being at the in-person event — you may convert them to join in-person the following year,” Suriani says. “And be sure your speakers acknowledge the virtual audience; accept questions from them via your app, Twitter or other mes- saging software.” Mangal adds that having a clear strategy and selecting the right plat- form for the meeting is crucial, and will allow you to get the most out of the event. Remember, an event is as successful as the clarity with which its objectives are agreed upon. “A detailed plan should outline immersive experi- ence offerings, speakers, timings of the sessions and preferred tech applica- tions,” Mangal says. Also, choosing the right virtual platform with technology applica- tions capable of accommodating the two groups is essential. Hybrid events should integrate virtual and in-person elements, allowing the entire audience to engage digitally. “The single-biggest factor influenc- ing the progress of hybrid events is the advancement of mobile technol- ogy,” Mangal says. “All innovations in hybrid event management are tied to mobile because it’s the single easi- est way to click into the event. Next- generation events are using mobile not just for consumption and stream- ing, but for engagement and analytics. Mobile event management technol- ogy is bridging the gap between what one can do online versus the experi- ence in person.” Tomasetti also agrees that the most important tip about hybrid events is to keep everyone engaged. As an event planner, you want to ensure everyone is having a great experience, no matter how they are attending your event. “One way to keep both audiences engaged is quality content,” Tomasetti says. “Make sure your content translates well over video and is the right length to keep their attention.” Also, remember that you cannot give both in-person attendees and virtual attendees the same content in the same way. For example, Tomasetti suggests creating custom registration paths for your in-person attendees versus your virtual attendees, so they register for appropriate sessions. Another thing to be mindful of is navigating time zones. “It helps to offer your session on- demand to let your audience view them outside of the designated presentation time,” Tomasetti says. So, are hybrid meetings here to stay? Suriani thinks many planners would say they wish they would go away, but she does think they will remain in some shape or form for quite some time. “It does allow more people to participate, it allows for you to include speakers from around the world, and, most impor- tantly, it allows your participants to col- laborate with a more global audience,” Suriani says. McCauley thinks virtual events are here to stay. “At this point, it’s expected that a virtual option is offered,” she says. “I envision fewer, smaller in-person meetings for more hands-on education, team building, etc., and moving more content to virtual platforms since it is so easy to disperse that way. We need our in-person events, but their value has changed.” | AC&F | The consensus in the meetings and events industry is that virtually attending an event doesn’t create the feeling of camaraderie, allow for team building or other benefits of a live, face-to-face event. COURTESY OF LAUREN TOMASETTI 21 NOVEMBER 2022 themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIESDESTINATIONREPORT Florida Offering Everything From Theme Parks to Beaches By David Swanson themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIESNOVEMBER 2022 COURTESY PHOTO Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood offers 1,271 rooms as well as the 42,000-sf Rock Spa & Salon, several dining options and more than 120,000 sf of flexible meeting space. A s a meeting destination, Florida avails an impressive variety of backdrops. From awesome to intimate, with locations ranging from sleepy to downright buzzy, there is truly something for almost every style of gathering. And when it’s time for a breather, meeting planners will find Florida replete with water sports options and theme parks, beach combing and wildlife viewing, and a climate that invites al fresco events year-round. 22KISSIMMEE Just as the COVID-19 pandemic exploded, Stacia Gueriguian, CMP, was hired on as the associate vice president, events for the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP). She was given a mandate — to “re-envision” its annual meeting for 2022, managing what would be the organization’s first standalone event. Previously, the meet- ing had been tied in with a separate trade show. NALP needed a sure-fire location, and negotiations started in 2020. “It was risky,” Gueriguian says. “This was our first-ever standalone event, and we booked it during COVID, sight unseen.” Working without any hotel history for the organization, Gueriguian chose the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Kissimmee. “I’ve never been very fond of Gaylords in the past, but in the end they provided everything we needed — a convention center within a high-end hotel. Now, I’m a fan — they made my life very easy.” With 1,800 attending the recent event, NALP used the Gaylord Palms as the base hotel, with overflow going to Orlando World Center Marriott and Staybridge Suites Orlando Royale Parc Suites. Both are almost 2 miles away, so shuttle service was offered. Guests staying at Gaylord Palms enjoyed the fruits of a recently completed, $158 million resort expansion. The project added more than 100,000 sf of new meeting space, more than 300 new guest rooms and new outdoor meeting spaces, including a terrace venue and an event lawn. The resort’s water park was expanded with an “action river” attrac- tion attendees can enjoy when taking a break or after meetings. In total, Gay- lord Palms now has 1,718 guest rooms and more than 500,000 sf of meeting and event space. “We sold every single booth,” adds Gueriguian, noting that when the RFP went out, there was an option for a two- year package combining with the Gay- lord Texan Resort & Convention Center for next year. “We had some naysayers on the board who were asking ‘Why we would want to do a two-year contract with Gaylord?’ But the Gaylord knocked them off their socks. You arrive on-site, hand it over and hope for the best when you have a lunch buffet for 1,200 and you’re worried about the flow of people getting through hot buffet lines. But I was amazed at how well they did — they blew us away.” The community of Kissimmee is 19 miles southwest of the Orlando Inter- national Airport, and is defined by low- rise hotels and motels. But the event was marketed as being in Orlando, and included an evening buyout at Universal Orlando Resort’s The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. “Kissimmee’s CVB helped us solidify contracts,” Gueriguian says. “They were with us at every step.” ORLANDO For its annual conference, the Ameri- can Association of Dental Office Man- agement also had to select its location sight unseen. “We had to make a quick decision about 2021 after our contracted hotel closed for a renovation,” says Kim McQueen, executive director. “We typi- cally bounce back and forth between East and West coasts, and our members will try to coordinate this meeting with a family trip if the destination warrants it.” The organization did a virtual site visit with Loews Hotels at Universal Orlando, and wound up selecting Loews Sapphire Falls Resort at Universal Orlando and Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando for its event last fall. “Loews was very accommodat- ing, and we did a three-year contract,” McQueen says. The only challenge: Anticipating the number of attendees while a pandemic was still festering in the background. “We didn’t know what to expect, but it ended up being our larg- est conference to date, with 960 attend- ing. We sold out our room block at both properties, and Loews worked quickly to open up additional rooms at Univer- sal’s Aventura Hotel,” she says, adding that some attendees were concerned that Aventura was an off-site hotel, cre- ating a stigma, but attendees arrived to find the hotel had an entrance directly into the Loews Meeting Complex at Universal Orlando, about 200 feet away. McQueen notes that the three hotels carried different price points, which provided options. Attendees staying at the more-expensive Royal Pacific received the Universal Express Unlim- ited package, allowing them to skip the regular lines at some Universal theme park attractions — attendees not bring- ing family tended to choose Sapphire Falls. But even after the virtual visit, McQueen’s eventual site inspection of the property happened while the hotels were still closed. “When you’re looking at the diagram of meeting space, it doesn’t do it jus- tice,” McQueen says. “You see different levels, but until you’re there, you don’t know how close some spaces are to one another. I would encourage anyone to get a site visit. The property is very versatile; there are so many things you can do with it. But, when we finally got on-site, see- ing the walk from Sapphire Falls to Royal Pacific told me that we were going to need signage. Loews provided us brand- ing options to direct people where the events were taking place. It’s still a long walk between hotels, but we told attend- ees to wear comfortable shoes.” Over the last decade, Universal Orlando has expanded both its hotel footprint as well as facilities for the meeting sector, supplementing its two 23 NOVEMBER 2022 themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIES Stacia Gueriguian, CMP, associate vice president, events for the National Association of Landscape Professionals, says attendees were “blown away” by the amenities at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center. PHOTO BY PHILIPPE NOBILEtheme parks, water park and CityWalk shopping and entertainment complex with eight hotels offering more than 9,000 rooms. Meeting facilities are found at four of the resorts, while Royal Pacific and Sapphire Falls are clustered around the meeting complex, with 247,000 sf of combined space. McQueen says the overall service was amazing. “The staff was so accom- modating, and our members had incred- ible compliments about the food,” she says. “The actual properties themselves are beautiful, and got very high marks in our post-convention surveys.” McQueen also called out the proper- ty’s A/V team, Encore. “Use the on-site A/V team, nobody knows the property better. They worked with us on every aspect, and when we made changes, they were able to accommodate.” Another Central Florida property that sees a lot of association meeting business is the Caribe Royale Orlando Resort, which came out of the pan- demic with a $127 million renovation and expansion. The hotel now features 200,000 sf of meeting space, including three ballrooms ranging from 26,000 sf to 50,000 sf, and more than 30 breakout rooms on one level. All of the resort’s 1,215 one-bedroom suites and two-bed- room villas received a complete over- haul that was completed in late spring. “We are the only all-suite conven- tion hotel in Central Florida, and with all of our meeting space on one level, planners love our convenient layout,” says David Wahba, the resort’s director of sales & marketing. “We actively work with associations as an important part of our overall business mix, and under- stand the importance of this group seg- ment to our hotel and owners and to Orlando in general.” TAMPA/ST. PETERSBURG The Tampa/St. Petersburg area was perfect for the Council of Academic Deans from Research Education Insti- tutions (CADREI), according to Erin Wilson, assistant to the past president, CADREI. The proximity of the inter- national airport, the multitude of hotel options and the variety of things to do were contributing factors in choosing the destination for its recent event. “The weather during October was ideal for our attendees to enjoy outdoor activities and check out local attractions,” Wilson says. “The area is also great for folks who may want to add on a few days to their conference stay to take a vacation with their partner and/or family.” The council has members from across the United States, and rotates the location of its annual conferences between East and West coasts. For this year’s event, CADREI chose The Don CeSar on St. Pete Beach. “It was a wonderful location for our conference,” Wilson says. “Given the size of our group — over 130 attendees — the facilities and the property were a perfect match for our needs. The con- ference rooms, common areas, dining rooms and reception locations were ideal, and the service and food at The Don CeSar really stood out. ” Behind-the-scenes changes were another area where Wilson said the hotel stood out. “At one point, we realized, somewhat urgently, that we needed to reconfigure the tables and chairs in one of our larger sessions from classroom style to a large open U. The staff were easily able to work with us to rearrange the space for our attend- ees in a matter of minutes.” Wilson also notes that the on-site technology support through Encore was conve- nient, and last-minute changes were easy to manage. Adam DePiro, vice president of con- vention sales for Visit Tampa Bay, says the culture and history of Tampa sets it apart from other Florida locations, and is an asset that is more important than ever. “Culture and history has played such a role in diversity, equity and inclusion, which are such an important focus for destination selection today,” DePiro says. “We’ve celebrated our cul- ture and history for, literally, decades, back to the 1800s with the cigar-rolling industry and the immigrant population that came here. The different ethnic groups coming here wove diversity into the fabric of the community. In other cities you have a Chinatown or Little Havana, but we don’t have that, we’re very diversified. Because of that, ‘welcoming’ is not a reaction to current events — it’s something we’ve been doing for decades.” DePiro continues: “What we pro- mote is that, in Tampa Bay, you enjoy the best of Florida all in one destina- tion — whether it’s sports with our Buccaneers and Lightning teams, or the arts and culture. For theme parks, we have Busch Gardens, and if you enjoy gambling there’s [Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa]. We have 19 restaurants represented in the brand new Michelin guide, outdoor recre- ation with water sports and golfing, and nightlife in Ybor City.” No wonder Money Magazine just recognized Tampa as the No. 9 Best City to Live, calling it “a rare combination of action-packed and affordable.” JACKSONVILLE For a recent manager training meet- ing, the North East Florida Educational Consortium chose the Sawgrass Mar- riott Golf Resort & Spa for its group of 110 attendees. Located in Ponte Vedra Beach, 33 miles southeast of the Jack- sonville International Airport and next door to the TPC Sawgrass golf club, the resort offers traditional hotel rooms and suites, plus family-friendly villas set against miles of pristine beachfront. themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIESNOVEMBER 2022 The Florida Osteopathic Medical Association (FOMA) selected the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa for its recent Annual Convention early this year. FINE-TUNE YOUR NEXT MEETING. Escape the every day and indulge yourself in a truly extraordinary getaway with limitless possibilities. 1 Seminole Way, Hollywood, FL 33314 | HardRockHolly.com | #GuitarHotel PARADISE MEETS PLAYGROUND. © 2022. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, please call 1.888.ADMIT.IT. 22-SHRH-06935 -AC&F-8.125x10.875.indd 19/30/2022 4:21:48 PM COURTESY OF MICHELLE WINN LARSON 24FINE-TUNE YOUR NEXT MEETING. Escape the every day and indulge yourself in a truly extraordinary getaway with limitless possibilities. 1 Seminole Way, Hollywood, FL 33314 | HardRockHolly.com | #GuitarHotel PARADISE MEETS PLAYGROUND. © 2022. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, please call 1.888.ADMIT.IT.“The Sawgrass Marriott is one of very few options in North Florida that met our conference space needs as well as our budget limitations,” says Shay Starling, the organization’s associate executive director. “Public education receives a limited amount of money for professional development, and being able to have our conference at a facility as nice as Sawgrass Marriott at a respect- able price is vital. The Sawgrass Marriott is a perfect location for our service area — far enough to require overnight stays for the vast majority of our customers, but not so far away that travel expenses limit the number that can participate.” The Sawgrass Marriott will debut property upgrades to its meeting spaces and private beachfront club later this winter. The resort’s meeting spaces are undergoing a full refresh, bringing a new modern ambiance to the ballrooms, breakout rooms and pre-function areas, with design inspired by its Ponte Vedra beach location. Updates will include new furnishings, accents, paint, vinyl and carpet, with oceanic and earthy tex- tures to surround attendees in an airy oasis throughout more than 90,000 sf of flexible indoor and outdoor event space. The resort is also opening an all- new venue, the Cabana Beach Club, an upscale rooftop restaurant offering spectacular views of the Atlantic and featuring indoor/outdoor seating. “The conference space is excellent,” Starling says. “We are able to keep all of our concurrent sessions together in terms of distance. The A/V staff is very help- ful and always respond immediately to special needs by our presenters and vendors. The catering is excellent as well. We have various size luncheons and a reception that our participants rave about each year.” Starling continues: “The biggest hurdle has been securing the amount of conference space needed each year during the small window that educators have available to attend. We absolutely know that more lucrative contracts are available to Sawgrass, but our repeat business and long-term relationship is important to them. Loyalty goes both ways, and we appreciate that.” This summer, the Southbank Hotel at Jacksonville Riverwalk played host to Alpha Delta Kappa’s Gulf Region Conference, the International Honor- ary Organization for Women Educa- tors, which rotates annually between the seven states in the region. Now part of Marriott’s fast-growing Delta Hotels brand, the Southbank offers 39,425 sf of event space at a location that draws inspiration from the St. Johns River, ports and area bridges, providing an authentic Northeast Florida experience. “It was Florida’s turn in the rota- tion,” says Lottie Roy, conference chair and president elect of Alpha Delta Kappa, Gulf Region. “Florida is a won- derful state to spend a summer vaca- tion. Sun, sand and a beautiful, chang- ing city on the St. John’s River was the right place to be.” Roy notes that Jacksonville and the hotel offered ease of access to and from Jacksonville International Airport and major interstates, plenty of attractions and shopping, cost-effective accommo- dations, and great presentation room access for many workshops and presenta- tions. “The Southbank’s newly renovated spaces with their modern decor lend class to all types of functions and events.” Roy adds that the hotel’s conven- tion manager, banquet manager and all department heads met with her before the 323-attendee conference to go over every detail, no matter how small. “They were available for changes, addi- tions, and to put out fires at a moment’s notice,” Roy says. “I was given keys to each room for 24-hour access, an A/V tech was available for the entire con- ference, and we were given time before and after the conference for set-up and tear-down. The entire hotel, from the front desk receptionists to the house- keeping staff to the behind-the-scenes maintenance staff, provided the most professional assistance possible.” Although the Southbank is centrally located, Roy says transportation to cer- tain city attractions was a problem. “The free Beach Buggy service was only available Thursday through Sunday, but our convention was Sunday through Wednesday,” Roy says. “Many partici- pants did not have transportation, so Uber and Lyft were used a lot.” But, Roy adds that St. John’s River Taxi & Tours was very helpful in meeting the needs of a large group for a river cruise. “We also had a dinner party for 15 at the Chart House Restaurant, which was within walking distance from the hotel.” Roy says Visit Jacksonville was a great help in planning the event, trans- portation and offering possible grant opportunities. “Visit Jacksonville also provided a workshop on the city, as well as providing travel brochures, attraction discounts and the swag bags for our conference — a big savings for us,” Roy says. A new $300 million concourse at Jacksonville International Airport is in the works, and is expected to be completed by mid-2025. Concourse B will add six new gates and two ground boarding positions for smaller planes, and will also include an overhaul of the security checkpoint area. THE PALM BEACHES For its annual program, the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) recently partnered with The Palm Beaches and The Boca Raton resort to host its annual SITE Classic, bringing themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIESNOVEMBER 2022 Far left, Adam DePiro, Vice President of Convention Sales for Visit Tampa Bay, says the area offers the “best of Florida all in one destination — whether it’s sports ... or the arts and culture.” COURTESY OF VISIT TAMPA BAY 26members, buyers and suppliers to dis- cover the hotel and Palm Beaches area. “Since the program is typically held in August or September, Florida provided an excellent warm-weather destina- tion during this time,” says Jacqueline Acomb, director of events for SITE. “In addition, since the vast majority of the attendees were based in North America, having the host hotel located in South Florida within driving distance of three major airports was excellent in terms of ease of travel.” Acomb says the program’s high- lights included outstanding F&B offered by the hotel’s culinary team, as well as innovative A/V with long-time partner, Encore. “There are a variety of room types and buildings at The Boca Raton,” Acomb says. “Our group size, 280, allowed for us to use the host hotel meeting space for the most part, which was ideal for our budget, as we did not require transportation off property every day. The majority of the guest rooms are located very close to the meeting space, while others are a bit of a walk. But, isn’t it good get to some steps in when you are sitting in meet- ings for a couple of hours?” The Mizner Center offers 80,000 sf of flexible meeting space, including the 26,037-sf Grand Ballroom, while the resort offers accommodations in five distinct ways. The Tower has 224 rooms and suites, all of which were fully renovated this year. The all-suite, adults-only Yacht Club offers personal butlers and concierge service overlook- ing Lake Boca Raton. The 294-room Cloister is the resort’s original hotel, originally opened as the Ritz-Carlton Cloister Inn in 1926, and situated amid lush grounds and grand architecture. Bungalows include 58 two-bedroom suites, while the Beach Club offers 212 sun-filled accommodations close to the resort’s private beach. Acomb says, “The hotel also provided numerous activities, which were all on- site at the property: cooking with Chef Andrew, various fitness classes — HIIT and Orangetheory workouts, pickleball and yoga — and of course, the spa, pool and Beach Club.” She adds, “We secured excellent partnerships with the golf course, transportation companies, area DMCs for activities, and we had the full support of The Palm Beaches as DMO. The Boca Raton’s service matches its reputation, and the renovation is truly breathtaking.” FORT LAUDERDALE/ HOLLYWOOD The Florida Osteopathic Medi- cal Association (FOMA) selected the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa for its recent Annual Convention early this year. In addition to having plenty of physicians in the Fort Lauder- dale and Miami area attending, Michelle Winn Larson, CMP, CAE, FOMA’s associate executive director, says the destination offered plenty of activities for the physi- cians and their families. “It was a good fit for our attend- ees, and besides the beaches, there is shopping and great restau- rants in close proximity,” says Larson, who explains that not all of the 250 attendees are physicians licensed in the state of Florida. “Some of our physi- cians live up North and enjoy traveling to Florida in the winter to vacation in the sunny weather and be able to earn continuing medical education credits. The beaches of Fort Lauderdale were certainly a beautiful, warm destination spot for our attendees in February.” She adds: “Many families took advantage of the location to spend their winter break and earn continuing education credits.” During COVID, the organization transitioned to virtual continuing edu- cation and board meetings, but by this year, most physicians wanted to return to live meetings. “With this location, we were still able to offer excellent educa- tion, the ability to have exhibitors for our attendees to interact with, and we changed our banquet to an outside reception with a live band and sev- eral food stations,” Larson says. “The attendees and board were so impressed with the hotel and their services, they asked association staff to plan the same for 2023 and 2024. The outside meeting space and beach was beautiful, and our attendees enjoyed both our activities and those offered by the hotel.” Larson continues: “The hotel helped us change our awards banquet to an outside party, with a live band and food stations. Everyone danced and had a great time celebrating all night.” Also in South Florida, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood offers an appealing option for meetings and events. Home of the iconic Guitar Hotel, the 87-acre resort offers 1,271 rooms as well as boutique storefronts, a 42,000-sf Rock Spa & Salon, several dining options and more than 120,000 sf of flexible meet- ing space. The space includes a 38,000-sf, carpeted exhibition hall — perfect for hosting trade shows and large corporate events of up to 5,000 attendees. Three years after the resort com- pleted a long awaited $1.5-billion expansion, the buzz around the resort just keeps getting louder. | AC&F | Stacia Gueriguian, CMP Associate Vice President, Events National Association of Landscape Professionals They provided everything we needed — a convention center within a high-end hotel. They made my life very easy. 27 NOVEMBER 2022 themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIES Lottie Roy, Conference Chair and President Elect of Alpha Delta Kappa, Gulf Region, says her group enjoyed Southbank Hotel at Jacksonville Riverwalk’s renovated spaces. COURTESY OF LOTTIE ROYDESTINATIONREPORT Arizona A Sought-After Destinations for Planners and Attendees By Dan Johnson F eaturing outstanding lodg- ing and meeting spaces, plenty of year-round sun- shine, a plethora of out- door activities and spec- tacular scenery, Arizona is one of the most sought-after places for association meetings. “Arizona is a dream destination, enabling planners to deliver the ‘wow’ factor their clients want, while offering guests an unforgettable experience,” says Debbie Johnson, director of the Arizona Office of Tourism. “When you add in a wide variety of conference centers, event spaces and venues, as well as highly trained event-planning professionals and exceptional weather, Arizona shines as an ideal association meeting location.” Lorne Edwards, chief sales officer for Visit Phoenix, says the state’s land- scape has a profound effect on meetings. “Our year-round sunshine, paired with our amazing resorts and hotels, narrate the magic of the Sonoran Desert, which has long been a place where inspiration and innovation are found,” he says. themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIESNOVEMBER 2022 COURTESY PHOTO Tucson offers an array of convention hotels and resorts that can accommodate groups of all sizes, including JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa and others. 28Rachel Sacco, president and CEO of Experience Scottsdale, agrees. “With its remarkable clarity of light, healing climate and exotic cactus blossoms, the Sonoran Desert leaves attendees feeling inspired and rejuvenated,” she says. Arizona’s warm weather enables planners to feel confident hosting out- door events as well as off-site recreational activities such as horseback riding, hot- air ballooning and hiking. “While the desert experiences high temperatures in the summer months, Arizona is a year-round destination for meetings due to our clear skies and wide variety of indoor event spaces that are ideal when the mercury rises,” Sacco says. Association planners have found these attractive features not only in Phoenix and Scottsdale, but also in Tuc- son, Tempe and Mesa. TUCSON Located in the Sonoran Desert, 112 miles southeast of Phoenix, Tucson is the second-largest city in Arizona — trailing only Phoenix — with more than 540,000 residents. “Tucson’s pro- tected open desert allows groups to take advantage of the weather and terrain,” says Mary Meade, director of sales for Visit Tucson. “Outdoor activities that groups can enjoy include a guided mountain bike ride in the desert, hiking in a canyon to a series of waterfalls, rid- ing an ATV through a slot canyon, skeet shooting at an Olympic-class facility and horseback riding in a national park. We also have a fantastic collection of hotels, resorts, spas and dude ranches.” The main venue for large association gatherings, Tucson Convention Center, (TCC) is located in the heart of down- town and features 233,000 sf of meeting and event space, including a 113,940-sf exhibit floor, a 20,164-sf grand ballroom and three performance facilities. Leading resorts and hotels for association meetings include JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa, offering 575 guest rooms and nearly 84,000 sf of meeting space; The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa, offering 487 guest rooms and 92,000 sf; El Conquistador Tucson, A Hilton Resort, offering 428 guest rooms and nearly 55,000 sf; Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, offering 398 guest rooms and 83,000 sf; and Casino del Sol/Estrella Hotel, offering 366 guest rooms and 100,000 sf. The North American Vermeer Deal- ers Association of Kansas City, Missouri, recently brought a group to Tucson that stayed at The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa. “The Westin La Paloma team blew me away on the site visit,” says Jennifer Orr, member services manager for the association. “Every attention to detail you can possibly need and want as a meeting planner was addressed before I could even ask.” She was equally impressed dur- ing her group’s stay at the resort. “The staff went above and beyond,” she says. “Every single interaction with any of the staff members was positive. The resort booked all of our hotel rooms closest to the area where our meetings were to be held to minimize walks. The hotel branded with our logo all throughout the facility and provided bonus signage and window clings with our logo.” Orr relied heavily on the resort and Visit Tucson staffs because her only exposure to Tucson was during the site visit. The resort offered private yoga and a hike each day, and with the help of both staffs, she coordinated a spouse day trip throughout Tucson. Orr also arranged for a beer burro and an astron- omer presentation at an on-site dinner. She added that everyone in her group loved Tucson, and indicated they would come back on personal trips. “The Westin La Paloma has customers for life, based on how easy to work with an attentive the entire team was,” she says. “They made my job very easy.” Tucson’s most popular attraction for groups is the 98-acre Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, which is 85% out- doors. It features a zoo, botanical gar- den, art gallery, natural history museum and aquarium. One of the largest aero- space museums in the world, Pima Air & Space Museum, contains more than 80 aircraft in six display hangars on 80 acres, along with some 125,000 arti- facts. The museum offers tram tours and group walking tours. At Sabino Canyon Recreation Area, an open-air shuttle that seats up to 60 passengers travels 3.5 miles deep into the canyon, filled with towering saguaros, wildflowers and wildlife. Just east of Sabino Canyon, a moderate-to- difficult 8.4-mile round-trip hike leads groups to Seven Falls, an intermit- tent series of breathtaking waterfalls. Saguaro National Park features a forest of giant saguaros, which can extend up to 50 feet tall and live more than 200 years. Group tours can be arranged. PHOENIX Boasting more than 1.6 million resi- dents, making it the fifth most-populous city in the United States, Phoenix is Ari- zona’s capital and central hub. “Phoenix is the urban heart of our majestic Sonoran Desert, where ancestral ingenuity and the collective spirit of diverse peoples 29 NOVEMBER 2022 themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIES El Conquistador Tucson, A Hilton Resort, offers three championship golf courses — The Conquistador Course, The Cañada Course and the Pusch Ridge Course — featuring 45 challenging holes of golf. COURTESY PHOTONext >