2013 Facilities& Destinations Awards of Excellence
2013 Facilities& Destinations Awards of Excellence
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will be among the top players in a rebounding meetings economy
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ccording to the Global Business Travel Association’s first-quarter Business Travel Index (BTI) Outlook for the United States, group spending is now expected to increase 6 percent to $115.9 billion, up from the 5.2 percent growth forecast in the fourth quarter of 2012. This is encouraging news, and the venues and destinations that would be on the receiving end of that added spending are those that meeting planners currently favor. A variety of criteria come into play, including accessibility, marketability, quality meeting spaces, customer service, entertainment options and much more. Our 2013 Facilities & Destinations Prime Site and Top Destination Award winners excel in all these areas; indeed, they are all Awards of Excellence winners. And they can look forward with confidence to benefitting from the increased group spending predicted by the GBTA. The reason for that confidence is simple. The winners excel according to the barometer that matters the most: planner input. “Our readers are always excited to have their voice heard, and in fact, it’s their commendation that is most relevant when it comes to selecting the ‘best of the best,’” says Michael Caffin, Associate Publisher, Facilities Media Group. “Planners vote for a facility or destination based on qualities they have experienced firsthand, qualities that
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have made their event a success. As a result, our Awards of Excellence continue to enjoy cachet in the meetings industry.” Annually, Facilities & Destinations readers vote for their favorite sites and cities via ballots available in F&D print publications, including the SuperBook, Planner Guide and Mid-Market Review, and at Facilitiesonline.com. Ballots are received throughout the year, and the list of award winners appears in the F&D SuperBook issue. The Prime Site Award is given out in three categories: Convention Centers, Conference Centers, and Hotels & Resorts. The Top Destination Award is given to convention & visitors bureaus or similar entities that promote meeting destinations. While group spending may be trending up, planners overall are still operating within tighter budgets as a lingering impact of the recession. They must make cost-conscious site choices that best fit the objectives of their event, and peer testimonials on CVBs, convention centers, hotels and resorts are an invaluable resource. Effectively, the Awards of Excellence are the kind of testimonials planners need. “We enable peer-topeer communication concerning site selection, the most crucial part of the planning process,” Caffin concludes. Facilities & Destinations 2013 SuperBook