Adobe Stock A COASTAL COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION PUBLICATION AUGUST 2023 VOL. 41 NO. 8 $15.00 IN THIS ISSUE THE IMPACT OF SOARING AIRFARES BEACH MEETINGS HISTORIC VENUES PLANNER TOOLS ORLANDO NEW ORLEANS GAMING RESORTS PAGE 18 A Sure Bet For Successful EventsFacebook.com/TropLV@TropLV@TropLV TropLV.com 3801 Las Vegas Blvd. South 1.888.810.8767 1.702.739.2581 Sales@TropLV.comVOLUME 41 NO. 8 | AUGUST 2023 | ISSN 0739-1587 | USPS 716-450 14 18 22 26 30 34 42 46 4 Publisher’s Message 6 News & Notes 8 Perspective Chaos Isn’t a Bad Thing (and Eight Other Truths Leaders Need to Know) BY GARY HARPST 10 Perspective The Need For Speed BY JOHN TSCHOHL 12 Perspective How AI and Machine Learning Can Help Meeting and Event Planners BY SCOTT STEINBERG 50 People on the Move departments destinations features Orlando Booking Orlando for Successful Meetings BY DAN JOHNSON New Orleans The “Big Easy” Is Built To Host BY CHLOE LABELLE TheMeetingMagazines.com | Corporate & Incentive Travel | August 2023 3 Sun & Sand Beach Destinations Perfect For Your Next Meeting BY DAN JOHNSON Are You Feeling Lucky? Bet on a Gaming Resort BY MAURA KELLER Flying the Costly Skies The Impact of Soaring Airfares on Meeting & Incentive Programs BY CHRISTINE LOOMIS Historic Rendezvous Venues with Charm & Character BY MAURA KELLER Tool Time Meeting Planning Tools That Deliver BY MAURA KELLER Greens of Distinction Celebrating Excellence in Designing and Maintaining Golf Resorts IN THIS ISSUE 18 42Corporate & 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 Confronting The Growing Labor Shortage Bring up the labor shortage at virtually any meeting of event planners and the immediate reaction is one of gloom and resignation. After all, we are told, the figures — those cold-fact demographic statistics — just don’t lie. We’re facing a personnel crisis of overwhelming severity. Moreover, say these cheerful experts, there is little we can do about it. After all, the argument continues, we’re not only in competition with other service industries for a shrinking pool in the labor force of America. For those that look at our industry as a prospective place of em- ployment for entry level jobs, they see long, inflexible hours and being on call at any time as needed. We have to devise a practical plan to dispel this negative impression and pro- mote the meeting planning business as desir- able and rewarding. As the difficulty in finding qualified em- ployees persists, it’s all too easy to hire hap- hazardly. More than ever before, you must seek staff stability and longevity. That can only come about through extra scrutiny in reference checking, interviewing and overall evaluation of fitness for the particular position to be filled. It’s a cumbersome, time-consuming process, but it’s the prime way to reduce turnover. In confronting the labor crisis, there is also a definite tendency to view the problem as one of only lower-level staff. There is now a mounting real- ization that there is a dwindling supply of competent management available to fill leadership positions as well. The labor crisis cannot be met by merely bemoaning its potentially devasting effects. There are answers, including working with a specialized search firm that understands the meeting busi- ness and its needs. 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 MANAGING EDITOR Mark DeLap mark.delap @ themeetingmagazines.com EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Rachel Galvin rachel.galvin @ themeetingmagazines.com CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Cynthia Dial Marlene Goldman Dan Johnson Maura Keller Christine Loomis 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 August 2023 | Corporate & Incentive Travel | TheMeetingMagazines.com Harvey Grotsky Publisher FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA linkedin.com/company/ CorpIncTravel @CorpIncTravel @CorpIncTravel facebook.com/ CorpIncTravelWhen you partner with Disney for your meeting or event, you get access to best-in-class planners, industry-leading technology, world-class culinary experts and unforgettable entertainment. But, most importantly, you’ll get Disney’s legendary creativity, storytelling and attention to detail. When you use our imagination, you will transform your meeting into something incredible only found at Disney. Use Our Imagination. Visit us at disneymeetingsandevents.comNEWS + NOTES // 6 August 2023 | Corporate & Incentive Travel | TheMeetingMagazines.com Embassy Suites Miami Completes Upgrade MIAMI — Embassy Suites by Hil- ton Miami International Airport has announced the completion of the multi-million-dollar renovation to its 318-room property. The six-month extensive renovation project includes fresh and modish updates to all guest rooms, lobby, breakfast area and more than 20,000 sf of event spaces. All 12,247 sf of meeting space, in- cluding several ballrooms, conference suites and boardrooms, have been incorporated in the upgrade. Attend- ees can relax in the spacious, modern urban style open-air atrium, welcom- ing new lobby or enjoy a meal in the newly open-concept breakfast area. For more information, visit miam- iairport.embassysuites.com. Omni Unveils New Visual Identity DALLAS — Omni Hotels & Resorts is launching a brand evolution as it continues significant growth comprised of nationwide port- folio enhancements, service training and marketing investments. Driven by Omni president Kurt Alexander, the announcement sig- nals a new era for the brand and marks the first major shift in visual identity in more than a decade. Over the next five years, Omni remains focused on its vision of cre- ating unique places and spaces, inspired by a destination with plans to invest in existing properties and new product, including ground-up development and significant portfolio upgrades and reimaginations. Omni Tempe Hotel at ASU and Omni PGA Frisco Resort have recently opened doors, with Omni Fort Lauderdale currently under construction. Other key refurbishments include the $150M+ res- toration of The Omni Homestead Resort and multimillion-dollar renovations at Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia, Omni Charlottesville Hotel and Omni Parker House, as well as properties in Denver; Indianapolis; Irving, Texas and San Diego. Plans for ex- pansions include the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate and Omni Mount Washington Resort. For more information, visit omnihotels.com. Courtesy Photo New Culinary Experiences Unveiled Onboard The Upcoming Celebrity Ascent MIAMI — Celebrity Cruises has unveiled details of the culinary and beverage program planned for its highly-anticipated new ship, Celebrty Ascent. The fourth vessel in the line’s revolutionary Edge Series, Ascent, will include redesigned restaurants, a new immersive dinner experience, expanded food and cocktail menus, a new whiskey tasting experience and a plant-based multi-course dinner. World renowned chef Daniel Boulud, Celebrity’s Global Culinary Ambassador, will bring his highly acclaimed restaurant concept at sea, Le Voyage. The Ascent will make its debut in November as it sets sail from Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades for its inaugural Caribbean sea- son. For more information, visit celebrity.com. Courtesy Photo Salamander Collection Launches Evolution of its Brand MIDDLEBURG, VA — The Salaman- der Collection announced the evolu- tion of its unique brand. Founded by renowned business leader Sheila Johnson, the distinct and expanding company has re-branded to mark the 10-year anniversary of its flagship re- sort in Virginia. The Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg, Virginia is now called Salamander Middleburg under the fresh branding. Last year, the compa- ny added another branded property in the nation’s capital: Salamander Washington DC, while this summer has seen the completion of the first homes in its inaugural branded resi- dential project: Residences at Sala- mander Middleburg. In the past 12 months, the company added three iconic destinations into its growing portfolio and recently placed 12th on Travel + Leisure’s “Favorite Hotel Brands” list, ranking ahead of several long-established luxury hotel companies. Omni PGA Frisco ResortMORE THAN MEETINGS in the Lake George Area Centrally located in the northeast, the Lake George Area in the Southern Adirondacks of Upstate New York boasts over 7,000 guest rooms, 200+ attractions, and year-round events to keep your professional networks and colleagues engaged, entertained, and productive! Contact the Lake George Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau for venue selection, referrals, services, and more! 518.668.5755 | lgrcvb@lakegeorgechamber.com meetlakegeorge.com IRF Study Says Incentive Travel Remains Strong Visit Dallas Receives Destination Marketing Accreditation from Destinations International DALLAS — Visit Dallas is pleased to share that it has received the glob- ally recognized Destination Market- ing Accreditation Program (DMAP) designation from Destinations Inter- national and has been reaccredited for the next eight years. DMAP ac- creditation highlights Visit Dallas’ commitment to industry excellence among destination marketing orga- nizations (DMOs) around the world. The accreditation program requires a destination organization to success- fully comply with over 100 mandatory and voluntary standards that span a variety of performance areas to receive the designation of DMAP. The stan- dards cover nearly all aspects related to the management and marketing of destination organizations, including governance, finance, human resourc- es, sales, communications, destination development and research. “Visit Dallas is a leader among our distinguished group of DMAP destination organizations, receiving reaccreditation for the next eight years,” said Don Welsh, president and CEO of Destinations Interna- tional. “The industry distinction de- fines quality and performance stan- dards for destination organizations, and I am pleased to welcome them to the DMAP community.” MCLEAN, VA — According to a recent IRF survey, “Incentive Travel Programs – Expectations & Challenges,” most expect incentive travel to increase or hold steady through next year. The survey revealed that many in- centive travel planners have a grow- ing interest in international travel. Staffing and service levels are a top concern. The lack of qualified can- didates, elevated wage expectations and the resources required to get new hires to a level of proficiency create challenges for tourism bureaus, CVBs and DMCs. Many feel that competi- tive rates and prices remain worse than pre-pandemic rates, as well as hotel re- sponsiveness. To read full study, visit theirf.org/ research_post/incentive-travel-pro- grams-expectations-challenges. Courtesy Photo TheMeetingMagazines.com | Corporate & Incentive Travel | August 2023 7T wenty-first century leaders are no strangers to chaos and the last few years have underscored that truth. We ride nonstop waves of disrup- tion and uncertainty in various forms: supply chain upheavals, staff shortages, changing atti- tudes about work, wildly shifting workplace demographics and ever-evolving technology. And that’s not even counting the chaos that comes with the day-to-day managing of people! No wonder so many leaders (whether experienced or new) feel so overwhelmed. But I have an encouraging message: Chaos isn’t a “bad” thing at all. Rather, the disorder and confusion we must nav- igate daily is a powerful catalyst for creating purpose and growth, sometimes tremendous growth, in people’s lives. Every one of us is capable of bringing order out of chaos. We innately possess the abilities to transform the chaotic resources around us to serve our purposes. Our job as leaders is to facilitate this transformation in ourselves and in our teams. Keep reading for several insights from my book, “Built to Beat Chaos,” to help you not just cope with chaos, but bring order to it, manage it and transform it into something that changes lives. You were created to overcome chaos. (Really!) Not only is chaos not the enemy, it was created for us. And we are designed to beat it, not to be its victims. In fact, we inherently crave to face chaos head-on and to transform it into something positive. The essence of leadership is knowing how to order and arrange, or integrate the raw materials of chaos. Inside orga- nizations, we are tasked with integrating many people, each of whom has desires of their own, into a team that works together and does the right things in the right order. Every leader should step back and ask the profound question: If electromagnetic energy holds the atoms in my body together, what is it that holds my team (organization) together? Answering that question and acting on the answer is what it means to be a leader. The battle against chaos starts with defining purpose. Every organization, every leader, and every employee should be in agreement on the “why” behind all that you do. This will bring focus to the problems you want to solve so you can ignore the rest. A world with too many opportunities to pur- sue is just another form of chaos. Just be sure that the vision or purpose you choose is not too vague. When this happens, it is difficult to guide resource allocation in a way that gets results. One test of good visioning is that everyone understands the vision and relates their responsibilities to it. Another test is whether the vision provides the clarity for people to know how to invest their time. A clear path to increased chaos is “biting off more than you can chew.” Chaos is no excuse. Just because you can’t control it, doesn’t mean it can’t be managed. You may not be able to plan for unexpected disruptions, but too many people believe they are helpless in the face of chaos. For example, a manager might say, “I can’t promise to get the new training program built and rolled out by the end of the first quarter, because I get so many requests for custom reports and other support issues. I can’t plan my work.” Left unchallenged, this kind of thinking justifies living with chaos instead of managing it. We turn into victims of the surrounding randomness instead of planning for it. Of course, we can’t control everything, but there is great power in making a plan, finding solutions when problems arise, and moving forward always. You create some of your chaos. While much chaos comes from outside forces, it can also come from our internal bat- Chaos Isn’t a Bad Thing (and Eight Other Truths Leaders Need to Know) BY GARY HARPST PERSPECTIVE // The essence of leadership is knowing how to order and arrange, or integrate the raw materials of chaos. 8 August 2023 | Corporate & Incentive Travel | TheMeetingMagazines.comtles (loathe as we are to admit it). It can feel uncomfort- able probing the turmoil of our internal desires, ideas and half-formed thoughts. However, not doing so can keep us in a vicious cycle of wanting things and then behaving in an entirely contradictory manner. Perhaps we enroll in the gym or buy fitness equipment but never find time to work out. Or we insist we want to learn a new skill but can’t seem to sign up for a course to practice it. No one wants to do what they should all the time. But confronting our human tendency to not do the things we know we should do helps us understand what it means to lead ourselves and others. For example, we may not want to make the cold calls required to grow our sales because they are not easy or fun, but not doing so inevitably leads to chaos. We make less money, we compro- mise our performance record, and we put our jobs in jeopardy. The leader’s job is to help people understand and channel their desires and align them to the tasks at hand. Desire is a double- edged sword. It fuels our capac- ity to bring chaos into order. It drives us to create what’s worth creating, be that an inspired orga- nization, a work of art or the next technology breakthrough. But left unchecked, desire can be destruc- tive. The leader’s job is under- standing the dual nature of desire. Deep down, what is it you want? What is it your employees want? Knowing the answer allows us (leaders and employees alike) to draw on this inner power source to think, feel and act in ways that help us a) thrive and b) stay out of trouble. We are more effective leaders when we try to get to the root of what motivates people. Often, the people involved benefit from bringing their underlying desires to the surface, because sometimes they are unaware of their effect on their actions. And when I say “they,” I also mean “me.” Leverage chaos to get people to act … It’s no surprise that politicians say, “Never waste a good crisis.” Disruptions and crises have a way of aligning people’s desires with their actions. An example could be the rise of a major competitive threat or a big new product rollout that shakes up the status quo. These unifying times of focus can be fear-based or they can be inspirational. The common element is that they help us get aligned internally and with other people. Know that your job isn’t done once the chaos dissipates. Order is easier to create than to keep. As the crisis passes, the aligning force dissipates, internal misalignments sur- face and organizational entropy sets in and eventually leads to its own chaos. The number-one problem I see in organizations is that people fail to understand that the alignment that occurs whenever a crisis erupts is temporary. People overestimate their desire to make the changes required to keep chaos at bay. A leader’s challenge is to help people who are not doing what they say they want to do. When people fall out of align- ment, be prepared to call them on it and help them get back on track. Overcoming chaos brings new chaos. (So, get used to it.) Chaos always exists. Bringing order to one level of chaos creates another level that must be managed. Think, for example, of taking raw lumber and other materials and building a house. Now, you have an ordered “system” that will return to a chaotic state unless you invest in taking care of it. Think about a start-up or a business that launches a new product or service experience. The first chaos mastery involves figuring out how to design, build and launch something of value to a customer. But once launched, that product needs its own ecosystem for selling and supporting it. That second phase lasts much longer than the first phase and has new catego- ries of ongoing chaos that have to be managed. Ultimately, we should think of chaos as a force that refines us all. It’s not something to dread. In fact, when you accept that chaos is inevitable, it allows you to focus on managing and preventing it rather than fearfully wondering when it might turn up again. Once you realize that you have everything you need to face any chaos that faces you, nothing can stop you from pur- suing your desires and goals. You are truly free to be at your best and to help bring out the best in others. C&IT DepositPhotos.com GARY HARPST is the author of “Built to Beat Chaos: Biblical Wisdom for Lead- ing Yourself and Others.” He is the founder and CEO of LeadFirst. He is a keynote speaker, writer and teacher whose areas of focus include leadership, business and the integration of faith at work. He has been recognized as one of the Top 100 of the nation’s top thought-leaders in management and leadership by Leadership Excellence magazine. To learn more, visit leadfirst.ai. TheMeetingMagazines.com | Corporate & Incentive Travel | August 2023 9Next >