Courtesy of New Mexico United FC A COASTAL COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION PUBLICATION MARCH 2023 VOL. 41 NO. 3 $15.00 IN THIS ISSUE HOTEL BRANDS UPDATE SECOND-TIER CITIES SHRINKING ROOM CAPS NETWORKING TIPS HYBRID HOW-TO ORLANDO Gaming Resorts Offer So Much Under One Roof JACKPOT! Entertaining at The Ball Gala in the Sandia Resort and Casino.Ready to connect? We can help. Call 1-800-237-6444 or submit an RFP at MeetInFortMyers.com Southwest Florida’s inspirational surroundings help you lead more productive meetings Expert conference services team for a seamless experience between planning and event Wide variety of accommodations and meeting rooms near Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) Innovation. YOU’RE THE ONE WHO WE HELP YOU MAKE IT LOOK EASY. LEADS THEM TOVOLUME 41 NO. 3 // MARCH 2023 22 26 30 34 44 48 52 IN THIS ISSUE features 58 4 Publisher’s Message 6 News & Notes 10 Snapshots 16 Perspective How to Make Better Business Decisions BY SCOTT STEINBERG 18 Perspective 5 Reasons American Industry Needs ‘Active Listening’ Now More Than Ever BY MERILEE KERN, MBA 20 Perspective The Year of Belonging: 5 Ways to Create a More Inclusive 2023 BY AMRI B. JOHNSON 66 People on the Move destinations departments Bridging the Divide How To Reach Every Generation with Your Next Meeting BY MAURA KELLER Hybrid How-To Best Practices For Connecting to Your Audience BY NANCY MUELLER Orlando Making Meetings Easy BY CHRISTINE LOOMIS TheMeetingMagazines.com | Corporate & Incentive Travel | March 2023 3 Jackpot! Gaming Resorts Offer So Much Under One Roof BY MAURA KELLER Hotels Hit the Limit Room Caps Shrinking in Today’s Market BY CHRISTINE LOOMIS Stepping Up Second-Tier Destinations Work to Elevate Status BY MAURA KELLER On Brand How Hotels Continue to Entice Meeting Planners as Business Travel Picks Up Steam BY KEITH LORIA Making the Connection Veteran Meeting Planners Networking Advice BY MAURA KELLER 58 44 34 48 ISSN 0739-1587 // USPS 716-450Corporate & Incentive Travel (USPS 716-450) is published bimonthly by Coastal Communications Corporation, 2500 North Military Trail — Suite 283, Boca Raton, FL 33431-6322; 561- 989-0600. Single copies $15.00 U.S.A. only. Yearly subscription price is $135.00 in the U.S.A.; Canada and foreign is $175.00. Back copies $17.00 U.S.A. only. Distributed without charge to qualified personnel. Periodicals Postage Paid at Boca Raton, FL, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Corporate & Incentive Travel, 2500 North Military Trail — Suite 283, Boca Raton, FL 33431-6322. Nothing contained in this publication shall constitute an endorsement by Coastal Communications Corporation (Corporate & Incentive Travel), and the publication disclaims any liability with respect to the use of or reliance on any such information. The information contained in this publication is in no way to be construed as a recommendation by C&IT of any industry standard, or as a recommendation of any kind to be adopted, by or to be binding upon, any corporate/ incentive travel planner or agent. Reproduction of any portion of this publication by any means is strictly forbidden. Editorial contributions must be accompanied by return postage and will be handled with reasonable care. However, the publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited photographs or manuscripts. Subscribers: Send subscription inquiries and address changes to: Circulation Department, Corporate & Incentive Travel, 2500 North Military Trail — Suite 283, Boca Raton, FL 33431- 6322. Provide old and new addresses including zip codes. Enclose address label from most recent issue and please allow five weeks for the change to become effective. Printed in U.S.A. © 2023 Is Empowerment Working For You? The importance of good service at a meeting or convention venue cannot be overlooked. The quality of service can make or break your meeting or in- centive program. Imagine you are a planner with an important convention coming up. You are working with a packed agenda with goal-oriented sessions. Your accom- modations are first class. Everything is great. Then, it’s the day before the meeting begins. You’ve done your usual pre-check. You’ve held your pre- con meetings. A colleague has even double checked your program schedule. You’re feel- ing confident and ready to begin the next day. But suddenly, disaster strikes. Just be- fore the program is scheduled to begin, your CEO wants to move the mid-morning coffee break up an hour. You hustle to find the food & beverage services manager only to find that they are off property. You look for the catering manager, who is now in a meeting. Finally, you find somebody that can help you. And while they would like to help you, it’s not their job. They don’t have the authority to re- arrange the coffee break, so you have to let it go. The pastries get stale, the orange juice is warm and the coffee tastes like it has been sitting for hours. This scenario would not have been unusual in years gone by; however, de- spite the labor shortage they have been facing, meeting facilities have been instituting empowerment programs for their existing staff, to empower them to do what they need to do when it comes to service. These programs involve a great deal of commitment from the parent organization and a great deal of training on property. But their implementation has made all the difference when it comes to ensuring attendee satisfaction, and we applaud their efforts. PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE // A COASTAL COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION PUBLICATION PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Harvey Grotsky harvey.grotsky @ themeetingmagazines.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kristin Bjornsen kristin.bjornsen @ themeetingmagazines.com EDITOR Ray Parker ray.parker @ themeetingmagazines.com EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Rachel Galvin rachel.galvin @ themeetingmagazines.com CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Sophia Bennett Cynthia Dial Dan Johnson Maura Keller Christine Loomis Keith Loria Kathy Monte Nancy Mueller David Swanson PRESIDENT & CEO Harvey Grotsky VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS David Middlebrook david.middlebrook @ themeetingmagazines.com ADVERTISING SALES OFFICES 2500 N. Military Trail, Suite 283 Boca Raton, FL 33431-6322 561-989-0600 Fax: 561-989-9509 advertising@themeetingmagazines.com REGIONAL MANAGER Bob Mitchell 630-541-3388 bob.mitchell@themeetingmagazines.com DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL PROJECTS Michael Caffin 914-629-5860 michael.caffin@themeetingmagazines.com 4 March 2023 | Corporate & Incentive Travel | TheMeetingMagazines.com Harvey Grotsky Publisher FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA linkedin.com/company/ CorpIncTravel @CorpIncTravel @CorpIncTravel facebook.com/ CorpIncTravelImmerse yourself in a completely turnkey meeting experience. Hot, sunny days. Bright, electric nights. LBC is the perfect destination to turn corporate-style events into the extraordinary. A brilliantly designed campus of unique spaces sets the stage for magical experiences – indoors, outdoors, online. Spark conversation and connection in a glittering atmosphere filled with our ready-to-go meeting solutions –decorative chandeliers and built-in, programmable lights, a cool collection of stylish furniture and décor – all saving you up to $600,000. Easy and a ordable, this unconventional city saves you thousands and makes for a refreshingly di erent meeting experience unlike anywhere else. visitlongbeach.com@VisitLB Dive into savings of over $600,000 and make a splash with your next meeting or convention.NEWS + NOTES // 6 March 2023 | Corporate & Incentive Travel | TheMeetingMagazines.com CONSTRUCTION Topping Off Ceremony for Signia by Hilton Atlanta ATLANTA, GA – Signia by Hilton Atlanta, set to open in January 2024, recently hit a construction milestone with its topping off ceremony, which occurs when the final structural beam is raised into place, completing the building’s frame. The 976-room hotel is the city’s largest, downtown, ground-up hotel project in 40 years and the first building for the Signia by Hilton brand. The new hotel will feature eight sig- nature food and beverage experiences, a spa, beauty bar, as well as a fitness center with yoga stations and Peloton bikes. There’s more than 100,000 sf of meeting space. The new hotel is owned by the Georgia World Congress Center Au- thority (GWCCA) and managed by Hilton Management Services. The publicly-owned property has created nearly a thousand new jobs during its construction. Once opened, it will support nearly a thousand new jobs, delivering millions in direct and tax revenue to the city and state, accord- ing to city officials. Courtesy Photo INDUSTRY 360 Destination Group Expands to Nashville NASHVILLE, TN – 360 Destination Group (360DG) expands into Music City with a new Nashville office to cater to corporate groups in Tennessee. 360DG joins other companies in Nashville, including Dell, Amazon, Nissan, Oracle and In-N-Out. Nash- ville has gained market share over re- cent years as an ideal destination for corporate groups. The city has 2.1 million sf of con- vention space at Music City Center, 20,000-plus hotel rooms and 7,600- plus hotel rooms in planning. 360DG has a large client list, which includes 40-plus master service agree- ments with leading Fortune 500 com- panies. Every 360DG location is op- erated by local destination experts, who know the city’s venues, vendors, and experiences. Opening an office in Nashville included hiring a local DMC team of event professionals. Adding Nashville to their offerings increases 360DG’s destination count to 18. This raises the number of full-time members to 141 event professionals. TECHNOLOGY Radisson Blu Mall of America First Hotel in the World with CarbinX; Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions BLOOMINGTON, MN – Radisson Blu Mall of America became the first hotel in the world to have the CarbinX unit. CarbinX, which was developed by CleanO2, captures carbon dioxide from heating systems and converts it into a nontoxic powder (pearl ash), which can be reused in products such as soap and detergent. It also recycles heat in the system, saving energy costs. CarbinX is about the size of two home refrigerators and is connected directly to the flue of the hotel’s natural-gas water-heating equipment, where it is able to then cap ture the carbon dioxide and convert it. The products are then sold online and through several retail chains and boutiques. Courtesy PhotoMEETINGS ARE AT THE HEART OF OUR RESORT Meetings and trade shows at The Venetian ® Resort Las Vegas are unlike anything you have ever been a part of. With 2.25 million square feet of white canvas, you create a branded experience that will impress. Our innovative facilities, partnerships, and versatile spaces make The Venetian Resort a one-of-a-kind destination for events and trade shows. Visit venetianmeetings.com to find out more. The Venetian ® and other trademarks are used under license.8 March 2023 | Corporate & Incentive Travel | TheMeetingMagazines.com AWARDS DFW Airport Named “Best Airport in North America” DALLAS, TX – Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) has been given the 2022 Airport Service Quality (ASQ) award by the Airports Council International (ACI): “Best Airport” that serves over 40 million passengers in North America. The award recognizes airport excellence in customer experience worldwide based on data collected from passengers through the ASQ departures and arrivals surveys. DFW Airport is the largest airport in the world to receive this honor from ACI. This year, DFW Airport expects 78 million passengers, surpassing 2019 passenger levels. TECHNOLOGY Vegas Loop’s Underground Tunnels Proposed to Double LAS VEGAS, NV – A proposed 65- mile network of tunnels would run through the Las Vegas Strip and cen- tral Las Vegas. The Vegas Loop proposed expan- sion reveals that the massive tunnel network would start at Blue Dia- mond/Las Vegas Blvd on one end and reach Fremont Street Experience on the other. Currently, only a portion of The Boring Company’s (TBC) Vegas Loop is operational, including the tunnels connected to the LVCC-Riviera Sta- tion and the Resorts World Station. The active Vegas Loop tunnels con- nect to TBC’s Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) Loop, which has three stations. APPOINTMENTS Meeting Professionals International Appoints Rachel Benedick as Chief Revenue Officer DALLAS, TX — Meeting Profession- als International (MPI), the largest meeting and event indus- try association worldwide, an- nounced Rachel Benedick as their chief rev- enue officer, as well as executive vice president of the MPI Founda- tion. Benedick will be accountable for driving top-line revenue growth, while leading the strategic and opera- tional direction of MPI’s sales orga- nization, the MPI Academy and the MPI Foundation. The exhaustive search formally began in October 2022 and included the work of outside recruiters that brought more than 100 candidates. INDUSTRY Spring Travel Surge Underscores Urgency for Federal Upgrades WASHINGTON D.C. — Air travel will surpass pre-pandemic levels this spring, according to new estima- tions, underscoring the urgent need for a federal-government investment in the U.S. air travel system, which is already strained by inefficiencies and passenger dissatisfaction. Industry trade group Airlines for America projects 2.6 mil- lion U.S. air passengers per day in March and April — a 1% increase over 2019 levels. However, years of federal un- derinvestment have resulted in a stretched-thin system that can no longer meet rising demand. Accord- ing to a recent poll from Ipsos, nearly half (45%) of American travelers rate the air-travel experience as average or below average. These travelers cited these contributors: crowds and congestion, flight delays or cancel- ations, airport security process and cumbersome travel logistics. RETIREMENTS Jamaica Tourist Board Announces Retirement Of Donnie Dawson MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA — With warmest wishes and the deep- est gratitude for his many years of dedicated service to the organiza- tion, the Jamaica Tourist Board an- nounced that it will be bidding farewell to its Deputy Director of Tour- ism of Americas Donnie Dawson, who will be retir- ing as of March 31, 2023. Dawson joined the Jamaica Tourist Board at its Kingston Headquarters as a sales representative in 1975. After a brief employment with Jamaica Resort Hotels, he rejoined the Tourist Board in California in 1982, among others. Benedick Dawson Photo by Alison Brod Courtesy Photo The Best Sunsets. Experiences. Meetings. Waterfront Views. Contemporary Hotels. Yacht Receptions. Rooftop Decks. Outdoor Dining. Poolside Networking. Make Marina del Rey your next L.A. meetings destination. 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