< PreviousI feel a need for speed.” Actor Tom Cruise made that line famous when he played Maverick, a fighter pilot, in the movie “Top Gun.” Unfortunately, most companies and employees don’t share that need. They don’t recognize the value of speed when it comes to attracting and retaining cus- tomers — and simply doing a good job, no matter the situa- tion. As technology has increased the demand for speed in everything we do, it is critical to the success of businesses and employees that they deliver it. Most companies throughout the world have set up road- blocks to speed. They’ve established rules, policies and procedures that handcuff employees in their dealings with customers. They don’t trust employees to make empowered decisions in order to satisfy customers and solve their prob- lems because they think those employees will give away the store. What they don’t realize is that, when employees are empowered to solve customers’ problems, those custom- ers will not only continue to do business with you, they will reward you with word-of-mouth advertising as they tell oth- ers about their experiences with your company. Employees are also at fault for the lack of speed in busi- nesses today. Their mindset is locked into “slow,” which means that, if you give them four hours or four days to com- plete a task, that’s exactly the amount of time they will take to do so. Whether they are dealing with external customers or internal customers, in the form of coworkers or manage- ment, they simply aren’t driven to complete things swiftly. Employees should take these steps to increase speed: Organize Assemble everything you need to tackle a project or solve a problem so that everything is at your fingertips. Then, eval- uate the time necessary to do what needs to be done. Prioritize Break the project down into a series of small steps. This will allow you to focus on the details while understanding the “big-picture” goals you must work toward. Manage your time Identify specific timelines you need to complete each section of the project and then work to meet — or beat — the time you have established to finish the entire project. Recognize efficiency opportunities Look for ways to incorporate your vendors or coworkers into projects early in the process. That means considering all The Need For Speed BY JOHN TSCHOHL PERSPECTIVE // 10 August 2023 | Corporate & Incentive Travel | TheMeetingMagazines.comDepositPhotos.com the tools at your disposal, from the expertise of your cowork- ers to your organization’s technology assets. Limit distractions Every time you have a conversation at the water cooler or check your Facebook posts, you are getting off course, which can derail a project. That doesn’t mean that breaks aren’t important. Take short ones throughout the day to quickly recharge, maintain your creativity and stay ahead of fatigue. Communicate Provide coworkers and managers with appropriate updates on your progress and timetable. That not only illus- trates the effectiveness of your use of speed, it demonstrates how you handle and overcome barriers. Constant communi- cation forces you to think about the responsibilities of you and your team members and about how you can each main- tain speed throughout the course of the project. Keep promises and over deliver When you do this, it shows your customers, cowork- ers and supervisors that you can be depended on to come through in a clutch. Over delivering allows you to further beat expectations by completing projects well ahead of the original schedule without compromising quality. Quality must go hand in hand with speed. In the face of stiff and increasing competition from throughout the world, it’s critical that speed becomes a focus for everyone in your organization—from the CEO to frontline employees. If there is no commitment to making speed a priority, it will never happen. C&IT JOHN TSCHOHL is the founder and president of the Service Quality Institute —the global leader in customer service — with operations in more than 40 countries. He is considered one of the world’s foremost authorities on all aspects of customer service and has written several training programs, including “Speed,” which is also available in Spanish, Greek, Russian and Chinese. His monthly strategic newslet- ter is available online at no charge at www.customer-service.com. He can also be reached on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. It is critical that speed becomes a focus for everyone in your organization — from the CEO to frontline employees. TheMeetingMagazines.com | Corporate & Incentive Travel | August 2023 11A s you may have noticed, cutting-edge new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are cur- rently surging in interest and uptake with meeting and event planners. Whatever your preferred solution (e.g. ChatGPT or Google’s Bard) or current need, a host of both dedicated AI solu- tions and smart-assistant-powered tools are quickly making MICE industry leaders’ jobs that much more manageable. Looking ahead, you’ll soon be able to turn to an endless range of smart solutions and online pay-as-you-go AI pro- viders for help with tasks such as conference planning/orga- nization, program design and content development. Won- dering how all this fun and futuristic technology can help you build better conferences, tradeshows and get-togethers? Below, you’ll find 10 helpful ways that these cutting-edge new high-tech advancements can help you lighten your workload, enhance attendee experience and usher in a new era of hyper-productivity. Planning and Logistics: AI tools can now aid with event planning and research, including vendor and destination selection. You can also use them to get a handle on potential event costs, revenues and budgets, or even price out specific suppliers, vendors and travel options. From helping to iden- tify the right conference center at which to host your pro- grams to determining how much you should be spending on AV setups, catering and lodging, options are endless here, and they’ll only continue to grow going forward. Programming and Content: Need help coming up with new ideas for content tracks and individual sessions? Machine learning tools can help you determine what sub- jects most resonate with audiences and brainstorm new topics, ideas and formats for meeting and event sessions. You can even leverage these tools to identify guest speak- ers, virtual presenters and thought leaders to work with. In effect, AI-powered solutions can assist with everything from coming up with potential event concepts to design- ing meeting tracks and programming for educational certi- fication programs. Branding and Positioning: Using automated assistants as creative foils, you can ask for help brainstorming and ideating event themes, positioning, messaging and angles. Likewise, you can also use these tools to determine your program’s unique sales points, and how to best differenti- ate and communicate your event’s benefits and upsides to potential attendees. Marketing and Advertising: Wondering who your event should be targeting with communications outreach efforts, and the best channels and ways to connect with them? AI- powered solutions can help you identify target markets; come up with new ideas for campaigns and craft advertising, 10 Ways That AI and Machine Learning Can Help Meeting and Event Planners BY SCOTT STEINBERG PERSPECTIVE // AI-powered solutions can assist with everything from coming up with potential event concepts to designing meeting tracks and programming... 12 August 2023 | Corporate & Incentive Travel | TheMeetingMagazines.comDepositPhotos.com marketing and promotions plans; and create mobile, online, social media and marketing copy or content. Social Media and Online Outreach: Having trouble gen- erating enough multimedia or copy to fill all your online marketing channels, publications and social media feeds? You can ask AI tools to create articles, blog posts, website copy and product brochures, or summarize longer pieces of content into more social-media friendly write-ups as well. Customer Service and Support: If you’re looking for a cost-efficient way to answer attendees’ questions or field customer service queries, you can have smart software per- sonalities (aka “chatbots”) that are intelligent enough to pass as human handle them. Likewise, you can also turn to AI assistants for help powering through back-office functions and managing support tickets as well. Newsletters and E-Mail Messaging: Hoping to boost audience engagement? You can leverage automated e-email newsletter programs to quickly populate pre-programmed mailings with relevant articles and data, then analyze open and response rates to improve send times and mailing frequencies too. Transcriptions and Recaps: AI-powered transcription tools such as Otter can help you capture and share event learning and content to boot. Likewise, automated assistants can help you design presentations, write intros and speeches, and summarize event learnings and takeaways for later browsing by attendees. Task Assignment and Research: Autonomous AI “agents” like AutoGPT and AgentGPT are capable of self- directing themselves to perform multiple steps in sequence and complete complex tasks with limited human prompt- ing. Drawing on AI algorithms like ChatGPT as a knowl- edge base, they can be given a complex task that requires a series of steps (i.e. finding the 10 best hotel properties to host a convention at in Fall in New Hampshire, and pric- ing them out in a spreadsheet), and sent off to perform it and report back. Feedback and Submissions: Automated analytics tools can help you analyze and identify key insights based on data and information that you’re collecting from attendees. For example: You can tap them to review online visits to your event’s website to see which topics and speakers most reso- nate with your target audience, or parse ticket purchases to see which offers or pricing plans are most popular. Alter- nately, you might use these tools to monitor your tradeshow’s mobile app and see which sessions and tracks are getting the most interest or track social media activity to determine which topics are currently trending in your industry. C&IT Hailed as the world’s leading business strategist, award-winning expert witness, strategic consultant and professional speaker, SCOTT STEINBERG is among today’s best-known trends experts and futurists, and the bestselling author of “Think Like a Futurist;” “Make Change Work for You: 10 Ways to Future-Proof Yourself, Fearlessly Innovate, and Succeed Despite Uncertainty;” and “Fast >> Forward: How to Turbo-Charge Business, Sales, and Ca- reer Growth.” The president and CEO of BIZDEV: The International Association for Business Development and Strategic Partnerships, his website is FuturistsSpeakers.com. TheMeetingMagazines.com | Corporate & Incentive Travel | August 2023 13T he skies may still be friendly, but increases have also made them costly. According to data released earlier this year, number crunchers at the U. S. Labor Depart- ment’s Bureau of Labor Statistics put the increase at 17.7% over last year. Airline tick- ets in the past year have outpaced the overall rate of infla- tion significantly. There are multiple reasons for the cost increases, includ- ing higher fuel costs, decreased flights due to airline staff and equipment shortages and increased demand as the pandemic recedes. That leaves business travelers with fewer options and few or no deals. As significant as the increased pricing seems, costs are inconsistent across the board and aren’t hitting all destina- tions, travelers and programs the same way. The degree to which costs impact planners and groups is dependent in part on location, destination and the purpose of their pro- gram. While some planners may pivot from an international to a domestic event or choose a regional destination so that attendees can access the venue by car, others are finding ways to offset high flight costs with minor changes to programs. While some destinations are feeling the pinch, others aren’t. We asked travel analysts, travel companies, planners, DMCs and CVBs across the country how or whether the soaring cost of tickets is impacting them. Here’s the input we have collected. Flying the Costly Skies BY CHRISTINE LOOMIS The Impact of Soaring Airfares on Meeting & Incentive Programs DepositPhoto.com 14 August 2023 | Corporate & Incentive Travel | TheMeetingMagazines.com INDUSTRY INSIGHTAnalyst Perspective Executive Vice President, Public Affairs and Policy at U.S. Travel Association, Tori Emerson Barnes, points out that despite challenges, business travel is back. “About eight in 10 business travelers, both group and indi- vidual, are planning travel in the next six months,” Barnes said. “This segment faces headwinds in the form of tight company budgets, travel hassles, inefficiencies, plus a lack of workers in the office.” “U.S. airlines have added thousands of new jobs in recent months, which has eased the shortages it had faced as it staffs up for strong demand ahead,” Barnes continued. “However, the FAA recently requested air carriers to operate with 10% fewer flights from major New York area airports this summer as a result of the agency’s own shortage in air traffic control- lers. Only 54% of these critical staff positions are available. Reducing flights at peak periods affects travelers across the entire air travel system. U.S. Travel is working with Congress now as it shapes the reautho- rization of the FAA this year to address the agency’s technology and staffing needs.” Senior Vice President of AAA Travel, Paula Twidale, noted in April that airfares are about 30% higher this year. “Cost increases are more signifi- cant in international markets,” Twidale said. “That may change things for incen- tive planners. It’s possible for prices to increase further, especially on international flights where destinations are in high demand this summer. We’re seeing sold-out flights in many markets already in direct service to places like London. It’s unlikely we’ll see prices fall any time soon.” AAA representative Andy Gross addressed the issue of rising fuel costs, which affects both flying and driving and varying impacts. “Gas prices vary depending on the region,” Gross said. “If a meeting is on or near the Gulf Coast, gas prices will be less expensive than on the West Coast or in the Northeast. The further one is from large oil production and gas-refinery operations, the more expensive it is due to distribution costs.” Company Views What is the actual impact to groups and meetings? Global Director, Travel for Meetings, American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT), Jorge Garcia Rojas pin- points the vertical nature of industry changes. “It varies across industry verticals and types of groups,” Rojas said. “Just like any other year, there are sectors going through transformational changes and focusing on their expenses, while others are in a process of expansion or trying to catch up on everything they could not do during the pan- demic. This year, we are seeing some corporations wanting to make up for lost time, combining two years of incentives into one and resulting in increased travel numbers.” “We’re not seeing transportation costs having much impact on incentive travel,” Rojas said. “We are continu- ing to see increased demand, with customers again booking destinations such as Hawaii and Europe for programs out of the continuous U.S. We’re also seeing recovery in demand for the Caribbean. Big internal meetings are taking place once again, with teams flying from around the world into one or two locations. And we’ve seen an increase in small and midsize meetings with teams meeting regionally and more frequently.” He said that costs at destinations can actually be more of an influencer. “For lodging and venues, we’re seeing growth in popular- ity of non-mainstream meeting destinations,” he said. Although domestic destinations have shown faster recov- ery than international destinations, he doesn’t believe that’s related to costs. “We relate that pattern more to post-pandemic health and duty-of-care concerns rather than cost of travel,” Rojas said. “As in the past few months, we’ve seen popular international destinations in strong demand. We’ve seen a shift away from U.S. destinations, specifically for programs with global attendees. U.S. visa appointments have been very difficult to get due to backlog, so sometimes non-U.S. destinations were chosen to avoid visa and transit visa issues.” While it makes sense that planners and groups wishing to reduce transportation costs at meetings might choose a destination where costs are less, Rojas doesn’t believe that’s the case. “Amex GBT clients are certainly aware of fare increases,” Rojas said. “However, there’s been wider recognition of the value and importance of meeting in person.” He added, “Conversations are not about reducing meeting budgets but more about good program management includ- ing planning ahead, controlling expenses, reporting and duty of care so that companies can make the most of the experi- ences they’re creating for their attendees and translate that into growth for their business. Sustainability is increasingly driving the conversation, too, and is a variable that needs to be considered when making decisions going forward.” One trend Rojas is seeing is a significant reduction in advance notice for launching events. “This makes it more challenging to forecast and strat- egize for the right resourcing,” Rojas said. “Also, last- minute changes to programs are a more common occur- rence these days.” It is not surprising that not everyone sees the situation in exactly the same way. Crystal Zawilinski, CMP, CMM, CEM, sales director, meetings and incentive programs with Wisconsin-based Fox World Travel, believes the high cost of travel is having an impact on incentives, and clients are figur- ing out ways to mitigate those costs. TheMeetingMagazines.com | Corporate & Incentive Travel | August 2023 15 The high cost of air travel is a top concern for meeting planners.“Flight price increases are definitely affecting incentive pro- gram plans in several ways,” she said. “We’ve seen customers use a variety of cost-saving measures to offset higher airfare costs, including shortening incentive programs, visiting less exotic and/or expensive destinations and utilizing all-inclusive properties. Many clients are currently avoiding destinations that have had historically limited airlift. Some of our clients have used blocked-space airfare to lock in or guarantee flight costs.” Dahlton Bennington, CMP CMM, managing director at Orlando-based PROfound Planning, also sees incentive plan- ners adjusting their programs. “The high cost of air travel, combined with ever increas- ing food and beverage costs, is a top concern among incen- tive planners,” Bennington said. “Incentive budgets are not increasing as significantly as costs. We, as planners and part- ners, have the opportunity to prove our value, creativity and ingenuity by consistently doing more with less.” In terms of program tweaks to offset higher costs, one trend he’s seeing is the use of “at leisure recognition,” which means giving qualifiers unstructured time on an incentive trip to do whatever they want. This is time that, in the past ,would likely have been a structured event with a cost. “This softens the blow of increased costs but doesn’t eliminate them,” Bennington said. Theresa Duncan, senior manager, corporate events, with a manufacturer of agriculture and construction equipment, said that higher air prices have not yet influenced destina- tion choices for her groups. “However, our company does keep employee-only meetings in the central part of the country so that driving is an option for some attendees,” Duncan said. “And for our dealer meeting, we do try to stay with destinations that are close to the larger populations of our audience.” DMC Opinion Catherine Chaulet, president & CEO of Global DMC Partners, has also seen indications that planners are making changes to programs, including booking alternative destina- tions. According to the organization’s Q4 2022 Pulse Survey Report, 68% of planners report that rising airfare costs are affecting destination choice. Chaulet said, “Some cited in their comments that their organizations or clients are choosing based on where the majority of their attendees are located, and/or choosing loca- tions that have other transportation options for attendees, such as trains.” She is also seeing a trend of U.S. planners favoring international destinations. In addition, she is seeing that cost challenges aren’t just about airfare, and that destinations have issues, too. “More often than not, it’s the lack of availability and high cost of the room block that has stopped groups choosing cer- tain destinations,” Chaulet said. “And where high airfare is caused by reduced flight availability, destinations are taking steps. We’re seeing more destinations working with airlines to open their market.” Some destinations are also promoting low-cost flights at certain limited times, which is a potential opportunity for groups with flexible meeting patterns. CVBs’ Viewpoint Most destinations are feeling positive about today’s eco- nomic challenges in spite of high fares. Many are seeing air- lines increasing flights to and from their destinations while others believe their location and/or amenities are enough to offset whatever increased costs groups face. Choose Chicago President and CEO Lynn Osmond echoes other industry execs. “We’re hearing from our corporate customers that the overall expense of doing business is up due to inflation,” she said. “But even with these higher costs, corporations are still prioritizing face-to-face events. This means that event pro- fessionals are increasingly being tasked to do more with less.” After cutting back on routes and service during the pan- demic, airlines are now increasing service to many cities, which should help drive costs down. “Nashville benefits from being a traditionally high-drive destination thanks to its convenient geographic location,” Adrienne Siemers, chief sales officer, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp., said. “Additionally, flight access continues to increase to our city. In February, Nashville International Airport saw an increase of 32% in screened TSA passengers compared to January.” San Francisco, Miami, Las Vegas and Memphis also saw increased air travel. David Whitaker, CEO & president, Greater Miami Con- vention & Visitors Bureau, noted that Miami International Airport recently garnered the top spot as the U.S.’s busiest airport in terms of international arrivals. “This coupled with hundreds of direct flights domestically give us a tremendous competitive edge,” he Adobe Stock 16 August 2023 | Corporate & Incentive Travel | TheMeetingMagazines.comsaid. “Supply and demand are clearly on our side and on the side of our attendees.” San Francisco International Airport (SFO) served over 42.3 million passengers last year, up 74%, according to Nicole Rogers, executive vice president and chief sales officer, San Francisco Travel, and that number is anticipated to go up by another 8 million this year. Lisa Messina, chief sales officer, Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, said that Las Vegas welcomed just over 3 million visitors in February, up 17.8% from last year and that visitors easily balance increased flight costs with the city’s inherent value. “Our tradeshows are reporting record-breaking numbers so far this year, coupled with marquee sporting events and global chart-topping entertainers,” she said. “Groups are finding plenty of reasons to make it out to Las Vegas.” Memphis is another city with plenty of positives for plan- ners, including expanded air service by existing airlines and the arrival of new airlines. “Memphis also benefits being located within a day’s drive of two-thirds of the country,” Kevin Kane, president & CEO, Memphis Tourism, said. “We’ve always been a destination that serves visitors both regionally and nationally. Destina- tions like St. Louis, Nashville, Birmingham and Atlanta make for quick drives to Memphis. And visits to Memphis originat- ing in markets like Dallas, Detroit and Philadelphia grew by 83% or more, compared to three years ago.” Seattle’s great airlift is a selling point for planners and groups. The city benefits as a hub for several airlines, which increases competition and helps keep costs down. “Flight costs impact attendance and certainly leisure travel, but also group and business travel,” Kelly Saling, SVP & chief sales officer, Visit Seattle, said “We’re fortunate to be the hub for Alaska and Delta airlines with a large American Airlines presence as well. We have competition that shops this market versus a market that doesn’t get to have the vari- ety of air lift. It’s one of our best features.” Lance Wheeler, vice president of corporate and interme- diary sales, Visit San Antonio, pointed out that airline ticket costs are an issue across the U.S. due to high demand and lower staffing levels than pre-pandemic, but like others, he said his city provides offsets. “Depending on the time of year, flight prices may be higher than other destinations,” Wheeler said. “However, many other costs, once in the city, are significantly lower. For example, given the distance of the airport from downtown, transportation costs are much lower than in many other large cities. Additionally, food costs are much lower. These ancil- lary costs often offset potentially higher airline ticket prices.” Some cities benefit from having multiple airports nearby, including Long Beach, California and Washington, D.C. With three airports within a short drive of the city, flight costs are not impacting meetings in the Long Beach area, according to Steve Goodling, president & CEO of the Long Beach Conven- tion & Visitors Bureau. That’s true of Washington D.C., as well, which has Amtrak service in addition to three airports. Melissa A. Riley, senior vice president convention sales and services, Destination D.C., said the city’s many free attrac- tions provide substantial added value for attendees, and new direct routes to/from multiple cities is increasing air avail- ability in the nation’s capital as well. For some cities it’s about location. “Air tickets are still going up but Milwaukee is in a unique position,” Leslie Johnson, Visit Milwaukee vice president of sales, said. “Since many companies are losing attendees due to the high travel cost associated with airfare, they’re now looking at the Midwest to capture an audience that can drive to the event. We’re seeing more and more interest in the drive market.” Gina Mintzer, executive director, Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce & CVB, noted that the Lake George Area is mainly a drive-in destination for the Northeast. “This is good,” she said. “However, the Albany and Platts- burgh international airports have limited direct flights now as compared to pre-pandemic lift offerings, which has pro- hibited some corporate bookings.” Located at the crossroads of two major interstate high- ways, Albuquerque is an easy drive from Arizona, Colorado, western Oklahoma and Texas. Its airport, Albuquerque International Sunport, the largest commercial airport in New Mexico, is currently being modernized and expanded, which will make it a destination for groups from many other states, according to Tania Armenta, president & CEO of Visit Albu- querque, who said, “Southwest Airlines is starting nonstop flights between Kansas City and Albuquerque and is increas- ing the number of daily flights to Houston, Las Vegas, Phoe- nix, Los Angeles and San Diego.” Rising airfares, decreased flights, staffing and other chal- lenges are a reality, but optimism also runs high. Destinations are savvy enough to push for improvements that will ultimately help level out travel prices and planners are smart and creative enough to find ways to decrease other expenditures. Not every- one has the same approach, but everyone seems to agree on the commonality that face-to-face meetings matter and remain a value proposition regardless of transportation volatility. C&IT TheMeetingMagazines.com | Corporate & Incentive Travel | August 2023 17 We’ve seen customers use a variety of cost- saving measures to offset higher airfare costs, including shortening incentive programs... CRYSTAL ZAWILINSKI CMP, CMM, CEM, Sales Director, Meetings and Incentive Programs, Fox World TravelG aming resorts have long been synonymous with locations like Las Vegas and Atlantic City. While those locales are teeming with exceptional gaming resort options for cor- porate meetings and events of all sizes, more and more gaming resorts are popping up in locations like Arizona, Connecticut, New Mex- ico and other destinations across the nation. “There may be a gaming resort in your area or region,” Lauren Delgado, vice president at Santa Maria Group in Los Angeles, California, said. “You should definitely give them a look before flying meeting attendees across the country or to another far-off destination. Many gaming resorts now offer amenities you would find at high-end hotels such as premium suites, fine dining restaurants, entertainment, spas, golf courses and more. Gaming resorts are like a one-stop shop and you don’t need to outsource much, if anything, for attendees.” When selecting a gaming resort, Delgado suggests it is important for corporate planners to be flexible with original date selections as this potentially creates an advantage in terms of availability and pricing. Casino resorts offer competitive pricing for luxury and entertainment. Many properties offer large conference facili- ties to attract midweek occupancy. Also remember that gam- ing resorts prefer to partner and plan with a corporate meet- ing planner early on in the planning process to make sure the services they are providing enhance the overall experience of the event. Often times, gaming resorts offer a meeting service manager and AV personnel who are dedicated to ensure an event goes smoothly. If your group likes to attend gaming resorts, mention that fact to the sales manager as it may bring more value when negotiating. Also, many casino resorts will organize poker les- sons or possibly a slot or blackjack tournament for the group. An Event Planner’s Dream When Delgado was determining where to coordinate a networking event, which included a golf tournament and banquet dinner for Santa Maria Group, she looked no further than a gaming resort. “Quite honestly, a gaming resort is an event planner’s dream in so many ways,” Delgado said. The gaming resort and its array of amenities, in this case Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, California, was perfect for Santa Maria Group’s needs. The staff stayed in close communication with us through the planning process and all throughout the event to ensure that there were no issues so that any unexpected hiccups could be addressed and resolved quickly.” As Delgado explained, the golf tournament with the ban- quet dinner was a networking event that yielded around 120 attendees and was so successful that the Santa Maria Group will be holding the same event this year for the third year in a row. “We initially chose the Pechanga Resort Casino because the resort was essentially a one-stop shop for this kind of event,” Delgado said. “It has a beautiful golf course, hotel rooms, and of course, the amenities conducive to host- ing the tournament. The actual location was also far enough from where we are based in Los Angeles for a change in scenery, but still close enough to ensure attendance from our attendees, who are also mainly based in the area.” Pechanga Resort Casino is seeing large corporations come back in a big way. They just had a huge conference with Taco Bell, and associations are coming back strong also. These groups tack on other activities for their attendees, such as golf, spa treatments, private concerts and full meals. At Pechanga’s Temecula Creek Inn property, which is a boutique and golf course inn located just five minutes from the casino resort, attendees enjoy the 8,000 sf butterfly garden, a project in conjunction with Monarchs in the Rough, where they can spot endangered Monarch butterflies and cocoons. Courtesy of Pechanga Resort Casino Pechanga Resort Casino 18 August 2023 | Corporate & Incentive Travel | TheMeetingMagazines.com Are You Feeling Lucky? BY MAURA KELLER Bet on a Gaming Resort FEATURE STORYThese are the type of unique experiences that many of today’s gaming resorts offer attendees. Of course, planning an event at a gaming resort means that event planners of any experience level can seamlessly bring forth an event thanks in part to the many seasoned and detail-oriented staff mem- bers that can be found at a gaming resort. “I’ve been organizing events from small corporate gath- erings to large-scale food festivals for over eight years now and I can’t help but find myself impressed every time we work with Pechanga’s staff on our events there,” Delgado said. “I typically have, at the very least, a nebulous vision of how I and our team at SMG envi- sion the event to be.” Check Out These Other Options The team at Visit Phoenix, points to several gam- ing resorts dotting the Greater Phoenix area that are ideal for corporate events. For instance, the Gila River Resorts & Casinos at Wild Horse Pass in Chan- dler, Arizona, is a Four Diamond resort that recently underwent a $180 million expansion last year, adding a new event center, additional accommodations, two pools and a Topgolf Swing Suite. In addition, Talking Stick Resort is a favorite gaming resort tucked into the heart of Scottsdale, Arizona. Another Four Diamond venue, Talking Stick offers meeting space for groups of all sizes. Kait Busone, director of events at The Annexus Group in Scottsdale, Arizona, said that their typical meeting size at Talking Stick is around 100 people, but they’ve also hosted a more intimate 30-people partners meeting at the casino resort. “Our events consist of a ‘welcome’ cocktail reception, breakfast/lunch, and a business session,” Busone said. “We have even hosted a hypnotist show there. Our attendees love that they don’t have to leave the property. It makes it a really smooth transition between our business meeting and their personal time. There are multiple restaurants for them to choose from, live entertainment, spa, the resort style pool and the casino. We also love that Talking Stick is currently a nonsmoking property.” From a planning perspective, Busone has found that work- ing with a casino resort team means that they anticipate the group’s every need and quickly make the changes requested. “I appreciate that they have so many team members ded- icated to our event that I never have to search for anyone when I need something,” Busone said. “They also provide us with unique suggestions to enhance our overall event since they handle a wide variety of events, such as concerts.” Before the end of this year, Busone will plan an additional two events at Talking Stick. “It really is just about knowing your clientele and antici- pating their needs,” she said. “The casino resort gives you the ability to make your event a one of a kind experience for your attendees. You can lean on the resort staff for options and suggestions. And, you will feel comfort in knowing your attendees will have a great time with so many available options that can cater to everyone’s interests.” Another Scottsdale gaming venue is the We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort, which is steeped with Native American design, accenting the 25,000 sf of meeting and event space. Considering Las Vegas, the destination is second to none when it comes to casino resort options for meeting planners and plays host to thousands of meetings, conventions and incentive programs annually. No matter the size of the group, Las Vegas gaming resorts have the flexibility to tailor space to accommodate any event, intimate or extravagant. One of the big reasons corporate meeting planners are drawn to Las Vegas is because they can gather attendees in the same hotel or resort and also have enough meeting space under one roof. Nightlife is another reason corporations draw more attendees to their events in Las Vegas. For instance, MGM Resorts boasts The Park, a vibrant outdoor dining and entertainment venue. It is located between New York-New York and Monte Carlo resorts and serves as a gateway to the T-Mobile Arena. ARIA Resort & Casino has long been considered one of Las Vegas’ premier destinations for large-scale meetings and events, thanks in part to its expansive convention center and wealth of state-of-the-art meeting spaces from which to choose. Nearby, Wynn Las Vegas, Encore Las Vegas and D2 Productions Talking Stick Resort TheMeetingMagazines.com | Corporate & Incentive Travel | August 2023 19 Gaming resorts are like a one- stop shop and you don’t need to outsource much, if anything, for attendees. LAUREN DELGADO Vice President, Santa Maria GroupNext >