Small Market Meetings October 2019

SECURING SPONSORSHIPS | ANCHORAGE, ALASKA | ILLINOIS MEETING GUIDE OCTOBER 2019

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w e i V e h t y njo AT WATERFRONT MEETINGS

WICHIWORK

WICHIPLAY

WICHITALK

WICHIKEEPER

WICHISLEEPER

WICHISHOPS

WICHINEW

WICHIOLD

WICHIPOUR

THERE’S A LOT FOR GROUPS TO SEE AND DO, NO MATTER “WICHI” WAY YOU LOOK AT IT.

WICHIWALK

WICHIMEAT

WICHIGREET

WICHIHOPS

WICHICHILL

WICHITHRILL

WICHIROAR

WICHIFIND

WICHIKIND

Simply put, Wichita has what you need for your next group event. Need 200,000 square feet of meeting space? Got it. Beautiful hotels within walking distance?

Check. More than a thousand restaurants and crazy-fun offsite venues await you in Wichita. Plus, it’s all easy to get to with friendly people who make it hard to leave.

So, wichi waiting for?

Go to VisitWichita.com/meeting-planners to request our Meeting Planner Guide.

ON THE COVER: Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, Monona Terrace Convention Center overlooks Lake Monona in Madison, Wisconsin. Photo courtesy Monona Terrace

INSIDE VOLUME 20 | ISSUE 10

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ONSITE Clearwater, Florida

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IDEAS Waterfront Meetings

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CITY Anchorage, Alaska

D E PA R T M E N T S

INSIGHTS 6Writing Better

Emails

PROFILE 8Tom Noonan

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18 MANAGING Selling

MEETING GUIDE Illinois

Sponsorships

SMALL MARKET MEETINGS is published monthly by Pioneer Publishing, Inc., 301 E. High St., Lexington, KY 40507, and is distributed free of charge to qualified meeting planners who plan meetings in small and medium size towns and cities. All other meeting industry suppliers may subscribe by sending a check for $39 for one year to: Small Market Meetings, Circulation Department, 301 East High St., Lexington, KY 40507. Phone (866) 356-5128 (toll-free) or (859) 225-1452. Fax: (859) 253-0499. Copyright SMALL MARKET MEETINGS, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of editorial or graphic content in any manner without the written consent of the publisher is prohibited.

Courtesy Opal Sands

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VENUE The B.B. Club

TO ADVERTISE CALL KYLE ANDERSON 866-356-5128

kyle@smallmarketmeetings.com

Mac T. Lacy Publisher/Partner

Brian Jewell Managing Editor

Daniel Jean-Louis Account Manager

Christine Clough Copy Editor

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Ashley Ricks Graphic Designer

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www.smallmarketmeetings.com

Consider making your meetings in Lubbock more memorable by selecting from our newest locations. Fall 2020 is bringing excitement to downtown with the opening of The Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences and the Cotton Court Hotel.

Whether you want to hold your meeting in one of the luxury meeting rooms the new boutique hotel will boast, or would rather utilize one of Buddy Holly Hall’s multipurpose rooms, you'll be able to immerse yourself in Lubbock’s culture!

#LIVELOVELUBBOCK visitlubbock.org/meet

INSIGHTS WITH VICKIE MITCHELL

WRITE BETTER EMAILS

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ave you ever counted the number of business emails you get in a day? The average working person receives about 121. As a professional meeting planner, you probably get even more.

Email eats up a lot of time, so anything you can do to shave off a few seconds or minutes for each one you write can turn into some significant timesaving at the end of the day.

For example, if you send 60 emails a day and spend one minute less on each by writing shorter emails that take less time to write and to proofread, you could gain an hour a day, five hours a week. Shorter emails also tend to have better response rates, which will save you from having to resend an important message or pick up the phone.

Here are five ways to improve your emails, communicate more clearly and save precious time.

Five ways to save yourself an hour a day

Write better subject lines.

Often, I get emails with this subject line: “Hello.”

The sender just missed a huge opportunity to grab my attention. An email subject line is like a billboard along a busy highway: It has seconds and a few words to grab attention and deliver important information. Pack as much detail as possible into the recommended 60 characters or fewer. For example, if you need a quick bid for an upcoming meeting, say, “Bid needed by Oct. 1 for Nov. 15-17 board meeting.” (49 characters). If including your organization’s name would get a quicker response, add it. If a mutual acquaintance referred you to this person, say that: “Referred to you by Vickie Mitchell.”

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www.smallmarketmeetings.com

Write shorter emails.

Just as you did in your subject line, pack as much information into as few words as possible in the body of your email. Take a page from people who study response rates to marketing emails. They found that the average marketing email is 434 words, which takes 3.3 minutes to read. Shorten that to 150 words and recipients will be more likely to read your missive and respond. Remember editor William Strunk’s advice in “The Elements of Style”: “Omit needless words. Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.” By the way, Strunk practiced what he preached; his book is only 85 pages long. And if you are wondering how long 150 words is, this section is 146 words.

Keep it simple.

If you decide to use some fancy-pants font, like Chalkboard, someone out there will be rolling their eyes and probably taking you a little less seriously.

Pick a readable font. The top five fonts for email are Georgia, Verdana, Times New Roman, Trebuchet MS and Arial, according to the “Ultimate Guide to Email Typography.” If you make any changes in your email preferences, perhaps bump the type size a bit. Remember that 75% of adults in America wear glasses or contacts. Give their eyes a break. The same goes for elaborate signatures, although, please, include a signature: Your name, company name, title, preferred phone numbers and a website are always nice, especially if you are contacting someone for the first time. Never type in all caps, and always use black text. It’s simple, elegant and readable.

Beware of email errors.

Don’t sweat the signoff.

I used to worry about how I signed off on my emails. Was “best” too hokey?

Probably. Are my regards all that warm?

Not really. I’ve read long debates about parting words, and in the end, here’s my conclusion: Nobody really cares or has time to worry about this. Your signoff is probably the least important thing about your email; keep it simple and move on.

How about a sincere “Thank you for your time,” or simply, “Thank you!” The same goes for greetings. I often use “Good morning, Bill,” realizing that my recipient might not read my email until the afternoon. Do they care? At least they know I was up and at my desk in the a.m.

Again, start at the top. Did your email software inadvertently pop in Judy, your cousin, instead of Judy, your caterer? Did you write an informative subject line? Do you need to copy anyone on this email? Or did you overdo it on the cc’s and bcc’s? Copy only those who really need to be in the loop. If this is an ongoing email discussion, is the string getting a little unwieldy, or has the topic changed? It might be time to start a new email conversation with a fresh subject line. And finally, did you give your email a quick read, looking for typos as well as ways to make it shorter and sharper. Your recipients will be glad if you do.

October 2019

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CONFERENCE

MEETING LEADERS TOM NOONAN TOM NOONAN ACCEPTS THE 2018 SPIRIT OF HOSPITALITY AWARD FROM DESTINATIONS INTERNATIONAL ON BEHALF OF AUSTIN’S TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY COMMUNITY.

Photos courtesy Visit Austin

“To me, the hospitality industry is a large family. Working hard with people you like, doing something great for your community, is a delightful way to make a living.”

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BY MOLLY PHILLIPS

very year growing up in Iowa, Tom Noonan would observe as his father, the director of a large medical organization, put on a conference for roughly 25,000 attendees. Most children wouldn’t take an interest in such a heady event, let alone ponder the impacts the event had on the various host communities; but for Noonan, this yearly occurrence sparked an interest in economic development. Even as a child, he thought about how the conference brought business to the hosting markets, provided educational opportunities for locals and more.

By the time he graduated from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, Noonan had his heart set on working in tourism. He was also looking for a challenge.

“I was looking to push my comfort zone,” he said. He was offered an entry-level sales job in Dallas that fit the bill.

“Initially, I was thinking I would take the

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job with the Dallas CVB for one to two years and then find another opportunity to grow my career,” Noonan said.

What surprised the eager new employee was how much he instantly loved Dallas, the DMO world and the numerous opportunities for advancement that he found within the same organization. Noonan ended up staying with the Dallas CVB for 18 years, leaving as senior vice president of sales and service.

Journeying east, he assumed the helm of Visit Baltimore when the position opened up in 2007.

“Baltimore was such a different destination to promote than Dallas,” said Noonan, who led the organization for 10 years and during one of Baltimore’s most dynamic periods of growth.

When the CEO position at Visit Austin opened up about 10 years later, in 2016, Noonan felt the Lone Star State tug on his heartstrings. “I was hoping my combined history of selling a major Texas destination and 10 years of being CMO of a DMO put me in the right place, at the right time,” said Noonan.

Now living and thriving in the city equally known for being the Live Music Capital of the World as its funky tagline, “Keep Austin Weird,” Noonan said success in Austin boils

down to being yourself.

“You definitely should have a love for great music, like cuisine with a Southwest twist, and have a love for the outdoors and water,” he said. “Bring the best you, and you will find there is a place for who you are and what you love [in Austin].”

For meeting planners, Austin offers great hotel packages, with plenty of brand-new rooms from which to choose. The city’s hotel capacity has been on a steep upward climb since Noonan arrived and is expected to total more than 12,000 rooms by the year 2020.

There are now talks about expanding the already large airport, which already added nine gates and a Delta club this year. In addition, the city council just approved a plan that includes the potential expansion of the convention center.

Noonan is happy to be a part of the city’s growing footprint in the meeting space and to once again be bringing economic impact to Texas. He credits his successful tenure in Austin thus far to a team-first attitude, imagination and old-fashioned hard work.

“To me, the hospitality industry is a large family,” said Noonan. “Working hard with people you like, doing something great for your community, is a delightful way to make a living.”

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

EXECUTIVE PROFILE NAME Tom Noonan

TITLE

President and CEO

ORGANIZATION Visit Austin

LOCATION Austin, Texas

BIRTHPLACE Iowa City, Iowa

EDUCATION Luther College, Decorah, Iowa

CAREER HISTORY • 1988-2006: Dallas CVB (various positions) • 2007-2016: Visit Baltimore (President/CEO) • 2016-present: Visit Austin (President/CEO)

TIPS FROM

TOM NOONAN • Make sure you are keeping yourself educated by consulting with the DMO teams at all the major destinations that could host your meetings. You can make yourself a real hero to your boss, board or attendees by having the latest scoop.

• Ask the DMOs for special venues or events that have already taken place in that city that you can emulate.

• Ask how your organization can make a difference to the city hosting your meeting. Giving back to that community will often ensure that the destination’s city council members and other leaders will go out of their way to see that you have a great experience.

October 2019

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WITH SMALL MARKET MEETINGS

ONSITE CLEARWATER Small Market Meetings readers discover a beautiful beach destination on Florida's Gulf Coast

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www.smallmarketmeetings.com

SMALL MARKET MEETINGS READERS ENJOYED A FOUR-DAY SITE INSPECTION TOUR OF BEACH RESORTS AND MEETING VENUES IN CLEARWATER.

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tunning sunsets, sugary beaches, fresh seafood and world-class hotels: Clearwater, Florida, has all the ingredients of a great coastal meeting destination.

That’s what eight meeting planner readers of Small Market Meetings discovered during a site-inspection tour hosted by the city of Clearwater in August. Over the course of four days, participants explored eight diverse hotels and resorts in the area. They also got to experience many of the attractions, activities and restaurants that make Clearwater so appealing.

Located in central Florida on the Gulf of Mexico, Clearwater and adjacent Clearwater Beach are surrounded by water. On the Gulf side, sugar white sand and calm waters make the city one of Florida’s most heralded beach destinations. Clearwater Bay sits between the beach island and downtown Clearwater on the mainland, and the much larger Tampa Bay borders the city on the east side.

With pristine public beaches and numerous resorts, Clearwater is among the more upscale destinations on Florida’s Gulf Coast. That makes it an excellent choice for small meetings and incentive events, and many groups report record attendance when they hold meetings there, since attendees often bring their families along for some vacation fun.

There’s also infrastructure and access to support these events. The area is served by two airports: Tampa International Airport is about 20 miles away, and St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport, 10 miles from the beach, offers nonstop flights from 57 cities.

Clearwater Beach is easy to walk, and meeting attendees can also get around on the city’s Jolley Trolley. Planners can charter the trolleys for private transportation during events.

Follow along with the site inspection group in the coming pages to discover the opportunities Clearwater offers for your meetings.

October 2019

Photos by Boone Clemmons, courtesy Bandwagon PR

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ONSITE

The Residence Inn by Marriott and SpringHill Suites by Marriott at Clearwater Beach are one of the country’s first combined hotels. The property features two flags, with some rooms outfitted for extended stay guests and others configured as traditional hotel suites. The two brands share a lobby, a registration desk and common areas. Business-minded guests will find a variety of amenities and functional meeting spaces.

ROOMS

THE POOL DECK AT HOLIDAY INN HOTEL AND SUITES

Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites Clearwater Beach

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There are 255 suites between the Marriott’s Residence Inn and SpringHill Suites brands.

| There are three small spaces, including Emerald for up to 35 guests, Coastal A&B with 800 square feet and the Coronado Board Room.

MEETING SPACES

On the southern end of Clearwater Beach, Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites is a favorite destination for families and sports events groups in Clearwater.

The casual, comfortable property offers waterfront views with frequent dolphin sightings and a detached ballroom facility, so events can go late into the night without noise restrictions.

| Guests enjoy a full hot breakfast every day of their stay, and the Coastal Bar and Grill is open for poolside drinks and dinner on weekdays, as well as lunch and dinner on weekends.

DINING

RECREATION | A block away from the beach, the Residence Inn/SpringHill Suites complex is best suited for business travelers. It has an infinity pool and a sundeck on the fourth floor overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway.

ROOMS | The hotel has 209 guest rooms, including one-bedroom suites with two bathrooms.

| The hotel has 8,500 square feet of event space, including the Duval Ballroom, a 4,000-square-foot room on the second floor of a freestanding building with balcony views of the Gulf.

MEETING SPACES

MORE INFO MARRIOTT.COM

DINING | Jimmy’s Fish House and Iguana Bar sits right on the water and offers a variety of seafood and other classic dishes in a casual environment with live entertainment and nightly sunset celebrations. The hotel also has a coffeehouse and an ice cream shop.

| The Holiday Inn features a pool area and an on-site watersports outfitter so guests can rent Jet Skis, paddleboards and other equipment for fun in the Gulf.

THE LOBBY BAR AT RESIDENCE INN/SPRINGHILL SUITES BY MARRIOTT

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By Brian Jewell

RECREATION

MORE INFO CLEARWATERBEACHHI.COM

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

Courtesy Holiday Inn and Suites

Residence Inn/SpringHill Suites

by Marriott Clearwater Beach

ACTIVITIES

Meetings in Clearwater come with abundant activity options. From the soft white beaches to major attractions, meeting planners enjoyed these recreation experiences during their site inspection tour in Clearwater.

• BEACH Beach Activities ACTIVITIES — The — The entire entire shoreline shoreline of Clearof water BeachBeach Clearwater is owned is owned by theby city theand cityopen and open to theto public, the public, andand a city a city concessionaire concessionaire offers offers umbrella umand cabana brella and cabana rentals.rentals.

Meeting Meeting planners planners can work can with their work with host theirproperties host properties to arrange to arrange beachbeach activities and team-building activities and team-building opportunities. opportunities. beachchambeachber.com chamber.com • Pier PIER6060Park— Near PARK— Near thethe center center of Clearwater of ClearwaBeach, ter Beach, PierPier 60 extends 60 extends 1,000 1,000 feetfeet intointo the the gulfgulf and makes an excellent spot for walking, birding and fishing. The surrounding park offers games, inflatables and other fun to keep family members entertained during a meeting. myclearwater.com • Sugar SUGAR Sand SAND Festival FESTIVAL — For— 17 For days17indays April, in April, Clearwater BeachBeach Clearwater hosts hosts the Pier the60 Pier Sugar 60 Sugar Sand Sand Festival, a celebration Festival, a celebration of the area’s of the fine area’s sands fine and sands amazing and sunsets. Visitors amazing sunsets.can Visitors explore candozens exploreofdozens sand sculpof tures sculptures sand created by created world-renowned by world-renowned sand artists. sand sugarsandfestival.com artists. sugarsandfestival.com • CLEARWATER Clearwater Marine MARINE Aquarium AQUARIUM — Made — famous Made famous by the movie by the“Amovie Dolphin’s “A Dolphin’s Tale,” the Tale,” Clearwater the ClearMarine water Marine Aquarium Aquarium is an animal is an animal rescuerescue and rehaand bilitation center rehabilitation center where where guests guests can see canfamous see famous residents such as the dolphins Hope and Winter.

A major expansion opening next year will bring more than 6,000 square feet of meeting and event space. seewinter.com

Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach Resort Near the center of Clearwater Beach, just across the street from Pier 60 Park, the rose-colored Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach Resort is a local icon. Built in 2010, the hotel was remodeled in 2018. Its guest rooms all feature views of the water.

ROOMS | The resort has 287 guest rooms in a variety of configurations, including traditional singles and numerous multiroom suites.

| The Hyatt’s 30,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space includes two ballrooms that accommodate more than 200 guests each, six breakouts, and the Sky Terrace, an outdoor space on the 16th floor.

MEETING SPACES

DINING | The hotel’s signature restaurant is Shor, an American seafood grill with upscale cuisine and an open kitchen. Guests also enjoy the Latin-inspired fare at Swim, the poolside bar and grill. Three beachfront restaurants will open soon on the ground floor.

RECREATION | Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach is just steps from the Gulf, but many guests opt to spend their downtime gazing at the waves from the pool deck on the hotel’s eighth floor. The pool features a variety of private indoor/outdoor cabanas available for day rentals.

MORE INFO HYATT.COM

Courtesy Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach

• SPECTRUM Spectrum Field FIELD —— Clearwater’s Clearwater’s resident resident ballpark is home ballpark is home to two to two professional professional teams: teams: the minor the league league minor Clearwater Clearwater Threshers Threshers in summer in summer and the major and theleague majorPhiladelphia league Philadelphia Phillies during Philliesspring during training. spring training.

GroupsGroups can rent can hospitality rent hospitality suites and suites other and other largelarge spaces spaces for games. for games.

Catering Catering and and bar bar services are available. milb.com/clearwater SUNSET ON THE SKY TERRACE AT THE HYATT REGENCY

October 2019

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ONSITE

Clearwater Beach Marriott Suites Located in the southern portion of Clearwater Beach on Sand Key, Clearwater Beach Marriott Suites offers accommodations and meeting space in a quieter environment. Renovated in 2017, the hotel’s claim to fame is its design: Every room has views of the Gulf and the Intracoastal Waterway so guests can experience both sunrise and sunset.

A NIGHT AT SPECTRUM FIELD WITH THE CLEARWATER THRESHERS

ROOMS | The hotel has 220 all-suite accommodations with views of both the Gulf of Mexico and the Intracoastal Waterway.

CLEARWATER MARINE AQUARIUM

MEETING SPACES | There are 11,700 square feet of space spread across 12 event rooms, among them the 3,300-square-foot Sand Key Ballroom, which can accommodate up to 340 guests.

A CLEARWATER EXCURSION BOAT

| The Watercolour Grillhouse offers fresh seafood and steak, as well as a full-service breakfast buffet. The hotel also has the Kokomos Bar and Grill, Bistro on the Bay and a Pizza Hut Express.

DINING

RECREATION | The Clearwater Beach Marriott’s pool deck is among the most scenic in the area and features a man-made grotto and other water features. There’s also an on-site salon and day spa, and the hotel offers complimentary shuttle service to a nearby beach area.

MORE INFO MARRIOTT.COM

BREAKFAST AT THE MARRIOTT’S WATERCOLOUR GRILLHOUSE

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Photos by Boone Clemmons, courtesy Bandwagon PR

CLEARWATER BEACH AT SUNSET

JOLLEY TROLLEY

A SEABIRD AT PIER 60

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

THE TWO TOWERS OF THE WYNDHAM GRAND

By Boone Clemmons, courtesy Bandwagon PR

Opal Sands Resort

Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach When it debuted in 2017, the Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach opened the Clearwater market up to larger meetings than it had previously been able to accommodate. Home to the city’s largest ballroom, this property can easily host events for up to 700 people. It features a contemporary, breezy decor and all the resort amenities modern travelers appreciate. Corporate groups will especially appreciate the variety of multiroom suites.

| The hotel has 353 guest rooms and suites with views of the Gulf of Mexico and the Intracoastal Waterway.

ROOMS

| The resort features a total of 22,000 square feet of space, including the 10,632-squarefoot Dunes Ballroom, with space for up to 700 guests, and 12 flexible breakout rooms and boardrooms.

MEETING SPACES

The third Opal Collection property in the Clearwater area, the Opal Sands Resort opened in 2016 and features a fresh, contemporary design aesthetic reminiscent of South Beach styling. But its greatest asset is its location directly on the water: Every guest room and most meeting rooms feature stunning views of the Gulf of Mexico.

| The resort has 230 guest rooms and suites, all with water views and private gulf-front balconies.

ROOMS

| The resort has 17,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space, including the Opal Ballroom, with 7,650 square feet, and nine breakout rooms that feature floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the Gulf of Mexico.

MEETING SPACES

| The Opal Sands’ signature restaurant, Sea Guini, features fresh local seafood, handmade pasta and Neapolitan-style pizza. The resort also has a pool bar and a casual outdoor restaurant.

DINING

| The Opal Sands features its own beach access, as well as a zero-entry outdoor pool and sun deck.

Guests can also take advantage of a full-service spa, a beach bar, fire pits and numerous retail shops on the premises.

RECREATION

MORE INFO OPALSANDS.COM

DINING | There are five dining options at the Wyndham Grand, including Ocean Hai, Clearwater beach’s only Asian fusion restaurant. Other options include a coffee shop and a pool bar and restaurant.

Courtesy Opal Sands Resort

RECREATION | The recreation highlight at the Wyndham Grand is the expansive, beautiful pool deck overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. Many guests also enjoy luxurious treatments in the hotel’s full-service Pallavi Spa. MORE INFO WYNDHAMGRANDCLEARWATER.COM

October 2019

CONTEMPORARY OPAL SANDS RESORT OVERLOOKING THE GULF

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ONSITE

Sitting on 700 feet of beautiful beach, the Sandpearl Resort is the grand dame of Clearwater hotels and one of the few with its own access to the sand. It is one of three Opal Collection properties in the area and features casually elegant, Southern-inspired decor with coastal touches. Guest rooms and suites are finely appointed, and many feature balconies overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. The resort opened in 2007 and was the first property in the area to earn a LEED Silver certification for its sustainability efforts.

ROOMS

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AN ELEGANT AFFAIR IN THE BELLEVIEW INN’S TIFFANY BALLROOM

The resort has 249 guest rooms and suites.

MEETING SPACES

Belleview Inn

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Groups can use the Hunter Ballroom, with 5,234 square feet; Harbor Ballroom, with 3,423 square feet; several boardrooms and breakout spaces; and nearly 10,000 square feet of outdoor meeting space.

A short drive from Clearwater Beach in the residential community of Belleair, the Belleview Inn has a history that stretches back more than 120 years. The Queen Ann-style structure has had several names and was at one point among the largest properties in the Clearwater area. Its current iteration reopened in late 2018 as an intimate, historic inn suitable for board meetings and executive retreats.

It is also part of the Opal Collection.

| Caretta on the Gulf offers seasonal fine dining. The Marketplace has coffee, pastries and snacks, and the Tate Island Grill serves poolside fare.

DINING

RECREATION | Sandpearl has a large pool complex as well as a beachfront area, and the resort fee includes beach chair rentals. The Sandpearl Spa offers restorative treatments, and Camp Ridley provides child care for ages 5-11.

ROOMS

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The inn has 35 rooms, each uniquely laid out.

MEETING SPACES | The Tiffany Ballroom, an intimate space for groups of up to 60, features 24 original pieces of Tiffany stained glass.

MORE INFO

DINING | The inn delivers a “breakfast basket” daily to each guest room. Morton’s Reading Room, a wood-paneled study, can be set up for bar service.

SANDPEARL.COM

| The Belleview Inn is best suited for intimate conversation and quiet relaxation but does offer some recreation options. Its comfortable back porch offers seating that overlooks a small pool. Guests also have access to golf at the Belleair Country Club.

CARETTA ON THE GULF, THE FINE DINING RESTAURANT AT SANDPEARL RESORT

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Courtesy Sandpearl Resort

RECREATION

MORE INFO THEBELLEVIEWINN.COM

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

Courtesy Belleview Inn

Sandpearl Resort

THE PRIVATE BEACH AT SANDPEARL RESORT

RESTAURANTS

In addition to catering options and on-site dining at the area’s resorts, meeting attendees in Clearwater will want to get out and sample the fresh local seafood at some of the city’s top restaurants.

Here are a few great spots meeting planners visited during their site inspection tour.

Courtesy Sandpearl Resort

• BOB HEILMAN’S BEACHCOMBER — Since it opened in 1948, Bob Heilman’s Beachcomber has been a leader in upscale dining at Clearwater Beach. The restaurant specializes in seafood and refined approaches to traditional Southern favorites. It has also led the way in establishing the Ocean Allies sustainability program. heilmansbeachcomber.com • ISLAND WAY GRILL — In a beautiful secluded spot overlooking Clearwater Bay, the Island Way Grill offers worldly decor and Asian-inspired seafood. Don’t miss its exceptional sushi, tiki cocktails and candied bacon. The restaurant offers outdoor event space overlooking the water. islandwaygrill. com • MARINA CANTINA —At the center of the action at Clearwater Beach, Marina Cantina is a relatively new restaurant that fuses seafood with Latin flavors such as ceviche, plantains and specialty tequila cocktails. The beautiful rooftop patio bar can accommodate more than 200 guests for events. marinacantina.com • COOTER’S RESTAURANT AND BAR — Family owned and operated since 1993, Cooter’s Restaurant on Clearwater Beach is named for a local species of turtle. It features classic beach fare such as grouper, snow crab, fish and chips, and daily drink specials. cooters.com • SALTY’S ISLAND BAR AND GRILL — One of the newer restaurants at Clearwater Beach, Salty’s features a breezy indoor-outdoor space and a full menu of favorite beach foods. The upstairs area can be rented out for events, and the restaurant offers the option of private breakfasts. saltysisland.com

October 2019

THE LAWN AT THE HISTORIC BELLEVIEW INN Courtesy Belleview Inn

City of Clearwater/ Bandwagon PR KYLIE MILLS 727-786-0211 X112 KYLIE@YOURBANDWAGON.COM

WITH SMALL MARKET MEETINGS

If you are interested in hosting a FAM for readers of Small Market Meetings, call Kyle Anderson at 866.356.5128

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MANAGING

Selling Sponsorships LINING UP EVENT PARTNERS IS AN ART AND A SCIENCE

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BY RACHEL CARTER

inding the right sponsors for your events doesn’t have to feel like torture.

Landing sponsors “is really difficult for a lot of planners who hate to sell,” said Shawna Suckow, founder of the Senior Planners Industry Network (SPIN), who also used to run sponsorship and meetings companies. “But if you change your thinking that you are helping them to reach their ideal audience in a captive way, then you are not asking them for charity.

You’re providing them with a solution.”

That shift in thinking “will change the way you write your prospectus, the way you write your email, the way you make that call,” she said.

Don’t think of assets; think of audience, said Joe Waters, founder of Selfish Giving, which works with nonprofits and businesses to build partnerships that raise money.

“It’s not that you have a run or walk or meeting or conference,” Waters said. “This type of audience is going to the event; that’s what you want to sell.”

It’s imperative for planners to deeply understand the audience that will attend or has attended the event, he said. Once you know your audience, you can start searching for the right sponsor; and then you can pitch those matches. And once a planner lands a sponsor, it’s about coming up with creative sponsorship opportunities, delivering those activations and measuring the results.

“If they’re already doing sponsorship, they’re more likely to do sponsorship with you. If they’ve never done sponsorship, it’s tough to convince them.”

SELL YOUR AUDIENCE When looking for sponsors, start with people you know: the vendors and partners with whom you or your client already work. Waters said it’s like a target symbol: Start at the bull’s-eye and work your way out. Most people start from the outside and work their way in, and “that’s a lot harder.”

Once you have a couple of sponsors committed, then you have a much stronger case as you approach others who aren’t familiar with your organization.

“Start with the familiar, not with the unfamiliar,” Waters said.

And that’s true even for other conferences.

Suckow looks for similar conferences and researches their event sponsors because they may also want to reach your audience.

“It will give you an idea, at least, of the types of companies, if not the exact companies, you can reach out to,” she said.

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Joe Waters FOUNDER

Selfish Giving Experience: 25 years

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

“Whoever is helping you market your sponsorship, they have to be in lockstep with your planning team because you don’t want them out there selling things you can’t deliver on.”

She also suggested using social media, email or surveys to ask attendees what companies constantly market or sell to them because those companies likely want to reach your audience.

Nann Philips, owner and CEO of Scurry Street Meeting Management, usually starts by asking the client the following: Who are your stakeholders? Who do you do business with? Who would you want to be involved in this program?

But she, too, looks at sponsors of similar industry events and professional conferences. Then, she said, “get proficient in LinkedIn stalking” and pay for the upgrade so you can message people; or ask for introductions from your client or anyone who can connect you firsthand.

“It requires some work, but I think that’s the better route for higher-potential sponsors because they’re already invested and prevetted somehow,” Philips said.

After you’ve signed some sponsors, ask them for referrals; they’ll usually know another organization that would be a great fit for the event.

PITCH THE PACKAGE

Nann Philips OWNER AND CEO

Scurry Street Meeting Management Experience: 20 years

October 2019

When approaching sponsors, most event organizers have the standard “Gold, Silver, Bronze” package. While a “medal menu” is probably necessary, planners also need to be flexible.

Suckow said having the standard levels is fine, but organizers should consider including a “pick list” with a few different options under each level to allow sponsors to customize.

Waters said although those levels may be necessary, a shorter list of laser-focused offerings will excite the sponsor and make postevent measurement easier.

“The best sponsorship packages are a la carte,” Waters said. “Sometimes, that can mean even more money for you if they can choose and put together a package that they’re more interested in.”

When approaching sponsors, instead of saying, “Here’s what we have, do you want to buy any of it?” start by asking what they’re looking for, and build on that, Philips said. Some will know exactly what they want, and others will have no idea.

Offer a range of sponsorship levels, but combine those with an open mind and a blank slate.

“I would create a prospectus as a guide, but it’s not ‘last and final,’” Philips said. “Let them know ‘This is just to inspire your own ideas, and we want to talk to you about any other things you want to do.’”

YOU CAN SPONSOR IT ALL Sponsors want more than their logo on a bag.

But what can be sponsored? Anything, really.

To start, walk the venue with the five senses in mind. Walk it with attendees in mind, and walk it with other people in tow to think of creative sponsorship opportunities.

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MANAGING

IT’S TIME TO M EETIN GS AT HARD RO CK HOTEL & CASINO

ATL ANTIC CIT Y

“You have to decide what your company or association’s tolerance level is for giving away their branding opportunities: How much money do they need to make versus how much they’re willing to give up? Because, at some point, it becomes less about them and more about the branding.”

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Senior Planners Industry Network (SPIN) Experience: 25 years

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www.smallmarketmeetings.com

“A lot of planners do banners and shine a logo on a wall, and they stop there,” Suckow said. “But if you work through the senses, it really stretches you to think from a different perspective.”

An event could offer sponsors the opportunity to introduce speakers or sponsor bands. Instead of sponsoring an entire meal, an organizer could break it up into more affordable and more interactive chunks, like a cooking station or a dessert table. One event branded all the steaks with the sponsor’s logo. A signature drink that’s only available at the sponsor’s table guarantees both foot traffic and word-of-mouth.

At a conference that attracts mostly men, a shoeshine station worked well because the sponsor wanted quality connections and deeper conversations, and the station was “a captive audience within a captive audience,” Suckow said.

A local Meetings Professional International chapter in Minnesota came up with a “brilliant” sponsorship of the weather for a golf tournament. If the weather was good, the sponsor got kudos; if it was bad, they got good-natured ribbing. “Either way, they got attention,” Suckow said.

Sponsorships can start before an event and continue outside it. One event played a recorded welcome for event attendees over the airport train public-address system, an idea that could be scaled for hotel elevators or event shuttles, and sponsored, Philips said.

MEASURING RETURN ON INVESTMENT Not all sponsors care about how many business cards they collect in a fishbowl. Planners should always look for meaningful ways to measure results for sponsors, such as tracking how many people went into that breakout room or counting how many signature drinks were served.

If planners start by asking sponsors what they’re looking for out of a sponsorship and what a successful sponsorship means for them, “your measurement becomes easier because you know what they want and what to measure,” Philips said. “Then, when you provide that postevent report, you’re giving them exactly what they asked for. Here are the things we talked about, here’s how we measured it, and here are the results.”

Where

Meets

BUSINESS

ADVENTURE

October W W W . V2019 ISITHENDERSON.COM

877.775.5252

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IDEAS

Courtesy Monona Terrace

WATERFRONT PROPERTIES Lakes, rivers and shorelines bring scenery and serenity to these destinations

T

BY RACHEL CARTER

here’s something universally appealing about being near the water: the rippling surface, the lapping waves, the fresh breezes. Holding a meeting on or near the water delights attendees, whether it’s on the expansive shores of a Great Lake or closely surrounded by cypress, pine and palmetto trees on a Louisiana bayou.

These destinations deliver waterfront convention centers, hotels and restaurants and on-the-water boat tours, sunset cruises and even nighttime paddles in clear LED-lighted kayaks.

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MADISON, WISCONSIN

Madison, Wisconsin, is known as the City of Four Lakes. The state capital sits on a strip of land between Lake Monona and Lake Mendota; add in Lake Waubesa and Lake Kegonsa to the south, and you have a community that is surrounded and shaped by water.

Monona Terrace, the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed convention center, sits on the shoreline of Lake Monona, and the venue’s architecture maximizes its views. The 7,000-square-foot Grand Terrace is often used for registrations and receptions, “and that’s really the showstopper because that area frames the lake,” said John Leinen, vice president of sales for Destination Madison. Several other spaces showcase the water, but the crown jewel is the 68,000-squarefoot rooftop plaza with a panoramic vista of the lake, downtown skyline and State Capitol dome.

The skywalk-attached Hilton offers 240 guest rooms and “magnificent views of Lake Monona,” Leinen said. “Most of our hotels have some view of the lake,” he said. The historic 202-room Edgewater Hotel fronts Lake Mendota with 14,500 square feet of indoor meeting space and another 30,000 outside.

Above: A rooftop plaza at Monona Terrace in Madison offers event space with views of Lake Monona.

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

The Best Western Premier Park Hotel was recently renovated, and the Concourse Hotel provides water views and 27,000 square feet of meeting space.

Betty Lou Cruises dishes up food and storytelling on cruises for up to 50 people, and outfitters like Madison Boats can provide paddleboards and kayaks for groups. Planners can also organize 5K races along the lakefront, and one Madison meeting group even held historical rowboat races. visitmadison.com

“Ninety-eight percent of it is all about location. It’s all about scenic beauty.”

— Michael Sindelar, DeGray Lake Resort State Park

DEGRAY LAKE RESORT STATE PARK

BISMARCK, ARKANSAS Not many places allow you to meet on your own private island, but planners can do just that at DeGray Lake Resort State Park in Bismarck, Arkansas. The state-owned and -operated resort sits on an island in Lake DeGray and connects to shore by causeway.

When planners meet at the park, “Ninety-eight percent of it is all about location,” said lodge manager Michael Sindelar. “It’s all about scenic beauty.”

The lake is surrounded by rolling hills and lush pine and hardwood forests, with no house to be seen.

The 96-room lodge has a full-service restaurant, also with lake views, that can accommodate groups of up to 120 with buffets, a full menu, catering and bar service. The conference center’s largest space can hold events for as many as 300 people or be split into three smaller rooms; three other meeting rooms can accommodate 40 to 50 people each. The park’s dayuse outdoor pavilions work well for barbecues, and an event lawn behind the lodge faces the lake. About a mile from the lodge, an outdoor amphitheater with bench seating can be used for private events.

Photos courtesy DeGray Lake Resort State Park

October 2019

DeGray Lake Resort State Park scenes, clockwise from left: The 96-room lodge; stand-up paddle boarding; nightfall on the lake

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Start coasting...

Plan a memorable event along the picturesque shores of Ohio’s Lake Erie Shores & Islands!

• 8000+ Rooms • Unique Off-site Venues • 615,000 sq. ft. Meeting Space • Conference Support Grant up to $5000

IDEAS

Park rangers and naturalists offer a variety of programming for groups, including team-building activities, and groups can also go horseback riding, kayaking or paddleboarding, or take a ranger-led sightseeing barge tour of the lake. Planners can arrange a tournament at the 18-hole golf course, where the clubhouse’s rock-paver patio is another popular option for receptions. arkansasstateparks.com/parks/degray-lake-resort-state-park

HENDERSON, NEVADA

Nevada means desert, heat, casinos. But waterfront destinations? Yep, those too. The Las Vegas suburb of Henderson is home to Lake Las Vegas, an oasis in the desert.

“It’s one of those things where I don’t think a lot of people realize it’s out there,” said Derek Armstrong, director of economic development and tourism for Visit Henderson NV. Locals know, however, and the resort lake is where they go for wine walks; jazz concerts; nighttime paddles in clear, LED-lighted kayaks; and other water-related refreshment.

On the lake’s edge, the Hilton Lake Las Vegas and Westin Lake Las Vegas resorts each have over 100,000 square feet of meeting space.

The 493-room Westin this summer unveiled its multimillion-dollar resortwide renovation that included guest rooms, restaurants and meeting space. The hotel has 21 acres of lakefront property with a private beach, two pools and two Jack Nicklaus golf courses.

The Hilton also sits at the water’s edge, and though it doesn’t have a beach, its pool offers private cabanas and a bar and grill.

Next to the pool, a 4,800-square-foot lakefront pavilion can seat 200 for banquets, and the formal Florentine Gardens also provide glimpses of the water.

HILTON LAKE LAS VEGAS RESORT IN HENDERSON

meetings.SHORESandISLANDS.com

Courtesy Visit Henderson NV

SA N D US KY | P U T- I N - BAY | K E L L EYS I S L A N D | P O RT C L I N TO N

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www.smallmarketmeetings.com

Lake Las Vegas Water Sports offers kayaks, paddleboards and pedal boats, and adventure-seekers can even try flyboarding. The company also operates a yacht that can be chartered for pleasure cruises and private events, and in May, the outfitter opened an aqua park that’s essentially an inflatable, floating obstacle course. visithendersonnv.com

HOTEL BREAKERS ON LAKE ERIE IN SANDUSKY

LAKE ERIE SHORES AND ISLANDS, OHIO

“We try to get every single group that comes to the destination to the water, on the water or in the water because it is so gorgeous,” said Amanda Smith Rasnick, director of group accounts for Lake Erie Shores and Islands, which represents Erie and Ottawa counties along Lake Erie’s southern shore along with Kelleys Island and the Bass Islands.

The parent company of Cedar Point amusement park bought the 235-acre Sawmill Creek Resort in Huron this summer and plans to renovate it over the next two years.

The property includes 28 acres of Lake Erie waterfront with a marina and a half-mile beach — where groups can have a bonfire pig roast — along with pools, three restaurants, 50,000 square feet of meeting space and an 18-hole lakeside golf course.

Courtesy Lake Erie Shores and Islands

feed their 150k sq. ft. meeting space

18k lodging units

32 miles of beaches

Loosen up that tie, trade your business suit for a swimsuit, and begin planning the meeting, conference or event no one will want to miss. With meeting spaces that can accommodate up to 2,000 attendees, full-service beachfront properties and unique off-site venues, Alabama’s beaches offer plenty of flexibility for your next event.

Our sales professionals are excited to help you feed the FOMO with our complimentary services. To learn more about what we can do for you, visit GSOBmeetings.com.

October 2019

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IDEAS

Cedar Point’s Hotel Breakers is a classic beachfront resort with 669 guest rooms and suites, many that feature waterfront views and balconies.

Groups can take daytime island-hopping cruises, sunset bay cruises or dinner cruises aboard the Goodtime I or charter the boat “to create their own event on board,” Rasnick said.

Planners have a slew of other waterfront options for meetings, including the Catawba Island Club, Camp Perry, Kelleys Island Venture Resort, BayShore Resort on Put-in-Bay, Lakeside Chautauqua and South Beach Resort Hotel and Cottages. shoresandislands.com

seekers and was restored in 2016. Today, the 47-room hotel has a ballroom that can seat 140 for banquets, an outdoor courtyard and several other smaller event spaces.

In Slidell, the Harbor Center is the 45,000-square-foot convention center that sits on a series of canals leading to the lake. A two-minute drive from the center is Middendorf ’s, a destination restaurant that works well for groups, and the Blind Tiger is a marina-front restaurant that’s available for private events with a waterfront deck, a pavilion for receptions and a sand beach for volleyball.

Also in Slidell, Palmettos on the Bayou restaurant fronts Bayou Bonfouca and can host private events for up to 500.

In Mandeville, the Lakehouse restaurant overlooks Lake Pontchartrain and is available for 250-person private events, and the Pontchartrain Yacht Club has indoor meeting space, a wraparound porch with water views and an event lawn where a group recently held a luau.

Cajun Encounters in Slidell offers group swamp tours and recently opened a pavilion that can seat up to 200 people for a post-tour crawfish boil and Cajun dancing. louisiananorthshore.com

ST. TAMMANY PARISH, LOUISIANA

Since the 1800s, New Orleans residents have flocked to St. Tammany Parish, which drapes around the north shore of Louisiana’s Lake Pontchartrain, to experience the fresh air and the piney words, said Christina Cooper, vice president of communications, marketing and public relations for St. Tammany Parish Tourist and Convention Commission/Louisiana Northshore.

Though not on the waterfront, the Southern Hotel in Covington originally opened in 1907 to welcome those retreat

Choose from five Arkansas State Park lodges that offer first-class accommodations in the most scenic settings in the state. Whether it’s a private getaway or corporate retreat, we can help personalize your experience.

meeting spaces

vacation views T STATE PAR K DEG RAY LAK E RES OR

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Where Meetings

DiscoverLongIsland.com/Meetings With over 18,000 guest rooms and 1.5 million square feet of meeting space, Long Island offers unique meeting, incentive and event experiences. Full service properties, seaside resorts and luxury boutique hotels offer an array of amenities and provide the opportunity to host beachfront meetings overlooking the Atlantic ocean, in the vines at award-winning wineries or on the grounds of historic Gatsby-style mansions. Close proximity to New York City provides easy access for attendees to get to Long Island with three major airports, ferry service and 124 rail road stations.

For more information or a free Travel Guide, call 1-877-386-6654 x265.

ÂŽ I LOVE NEW YORK is a registered trademark and service mark of the New York State Department of Economic Development; used with permission.

URBAN

a k s a l A

The Chugach Mountains make a stunning backdrop for meetings in downtown Anchorage.

By Frank Flavin, courtesy Visit Anchorage

CITY

Anchorage brings bigcity amenities to this wilderness state

A

BY ELIZABETH HEY

nchorage has the best of Alaska at its doorstep.

Situated on the Cook Inlet with breathtaking views, Anchorage is a delightful city worth exploring for its own merits. Abundant natural wonders are paired with modern meeting facilities and surprising city comforts. Mountains, glaciers, parks and wildlife are easy to reach. Add Alaskan culture and a terrific dining scene in this walkable and welcoming downtown, and meeting attendees will wish they had a few more days in Anchorage.

ANCHORAGE AT A GLANCE

LOCATION: Southcentral Alaska ACCESS: Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport HOTEL ROOMS: 8,500 CONTACT INFO: Visit Anchorage 907-276-4118 anchorage.net MEETING SPACES

Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center BUILT: 2008 EXHIBIT SPACE: 100,000 square feet OTHER MEETING SPACES: Six breakout rooms Egan Civic and Convention Center BUILT: 1984, renovated 2014 EXHIBIT SPACE: 33,000 square feet OTHER MEETING SPACES: 14 breakout rooms MEETING HOTELS

Hotel Captain Cook GUESTROOMS: 546 MEETING SPACE: 12,572 square feet Hilton Anchorage GUESTROOMS: 600 MEETING SPACE: 23,000 square feet Sheraton Anchorage Hotel and Spa GUESTROOMS: 392 MEETING SPACE: 24,000 square feet WHO’S MEETING IN ANCHORAGE

United States Academic Decathlon ATTENDEES: 900 Botanical Society for America ATTENDEES: 1,200

October 2019

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Destination Highlights

DESTINATION HIGHLIGHTS

Alaska Railroad

M

ost cities can’t claim 1,500 moose living within city limits, but visitors might spot these massive creatures in nearly every corner of Anchorage.

Laid-back downtown is easily navigated by foot. Vendors sell reindeer sausages on street corners, and locals mingle with tourists as they bike and walk the city’s 135 miles of paved urban trails, including the popular Tony Knowles Coastal Trail.

“Anchorage offers the best of both worlds,” said Jack Bonney, director of content and engagement for Visit Anchorage.

“Our city has all the modern conveniences for a streamlined meeting, with the latest in technology, and accessibility to the mountains for moose, bear and glacier viewing.”

The city is the jumping-off point for adventures on the Alaska Railroad, such as day trips to Talkeetna or overnight trips to Denali National Park and Preserve. The railroad also travels to Spencer Glacier Whistle Stop, where riders can get off at a wilderness overlook and hike, or hire an outfitter and kayak among the icebergs on Spencer Lake. Or attendees can head to Whittier for a glacier or wildlife cruise out of Prince William Sound, where coastal mountains meet the ocean.

Approximately 15 minutes from downtown, Chugach State Park contains more than 800 square miles of glaciers, wildlife and trails. As a backyard for locals and visitors alike, the park offers lakes for kayaking, glaciers for trekking, hiking and single-track biking, all with guided options by companies such as Chugach Guides Alaska and Ascending Path.

DISTINCTIVE VENUES

Moose crossing

By Roy Neese, courtesy Visit Anchorage

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Courtesy Visit Anchorage

Distinctive Venues

O

ften used for after-parties, the Alaska Native Heritage Center features six authentic, life-size native dwellings situated in a wooded area around Lake Tiulana. Indoors, visitors can watch live song and dance performances and artist demonstrations.

The Anchorage Museum showcases hundreds of indigenous Alaska artifacts on loan from the Smithsonian Institution. The museum’s contemporary Atrium, Muse restaurant, gallery space and auditorium are available for groups of various sizes.

“People are looking for a sense of place, and Anchorage delivers,” said Bonney. “Several of our Iditarod mushers make excellent keynote speakers, and audiences are totally engaged by what it takes to lead a team of sled dogs and be successful on a 1000-mile race.”

Preserving wildlife through conservation, research, education and care, the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center makes the perfect place to see Alaskan animals up close in their habitats.

Located one hour south of Anchorage, the conservation center’s 6000-square-foot Bison Hall features a classroom and an event space. Its traditional barnlike, rustic decor with large windows and vaulted ceilings sports a moose antler chandelier.

“It’s not every venue where a porcupine can crash the meeting or the meeting space is surrounded by Alaskan wildlife,” said Bonney.

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

Major Meeting Spaces

DESTINATION HIGHLIGHTS

A group fishing in Ship Creek

M

any of Anchorage’s largest meeting spaces and hotels are in the heart of downtown. Two convention centers lie two blocks apart and work in tandem. The Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center, the city’s largest venue, offers nearly 200,000 square feet of flexible space, and its nearly 50,000-square-foot exhibit hall ranks as the largest of its kind in Alaska. The third-floor ballroom’s floor-to-ceiling windows showcase mountain views and an outdoor terrace.

The Egan Civic and Convention Center’s strength lies in its breakout space. Up to 14 rooms range from 570 to 1,368 square feet, enabling numerous sessions to run concurrently. Another 9,306 square feet can be subdivided into three spaces. Between the two, the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts lends itself to theater-style presentations and connects to the Egan Center by sky bridge.

“All three venues are located within a four-block radius of each other,” said Bonney. “Each has easy to access from the 3,000 hotel rooms available in the convention center district.”

Prime hotels for meetings include the newly renovated Hilton Anchorage, the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel and Spa and the Marriott Anchorage Downtown. The Hotel Captain Cook provides 14 meeting rooms, ranging from a 288-square-foot library with a fireplace to a 9,000-square-foot ballroom. The AAA Four Diamond Crow’s Nest restaurant on the hotel’s 20th floor delivers 360-degree views.

Closer to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, the 248-room Lakefront Anchorage hosts smaller meetings, with an outdoor deck overlooking Lake Hood. The Lakefront provides seven meeting rooms with over 6,000 square feet of space that accommodates up to 300 guests.

MAJOR MEETING SPACES

Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center

By Jack Bonney, courtesy Visit Anchorage

October 2019

By Ken Graham, courtesy Visit Anchorage

After the Meeting

I

n the heart of downtown, anglers can spend a summer afternoon or an evening under the “midnight sun” fishing for salmon at Ship Creek. Fishing licenses are available at numerous places, including the Bait Shack near the river, which can supply visitors with gear from rods to waders. Spanning Ship Creek, the Bridge restaurant makes a terrific vantage point from which to watch the fishing.

Those who want to stretch their legs can head to the Eagle River Nature Center or bask in the midst of a 200-foot-high waterfall on the Thunderbird Falls trailhead. This hike can easily be paired with a kayak trip on the glacier-fed Eklutna Lake, about 20 minutes north of Anchorage and tucked into the mountains.

“The operator will meet groups with kayaks, and at the end of the kayak trip, the group can bike back to their starting point,” said Bonney.

For a taste of city life, the Bear Tooth Theatrepub invites moviegoers to drink local brews and fill up on tasty pub food.

Anchorage is home to the so-called “Beermuda Triangle,” a collection of breweries that offers a chance to sample some of the 12 establishments in the city. Big Swig Tours picks up in downtown and leads craft beer tastings in south Anchorage.

Anchorage is home to the world’s busiest floatplane base at Lake Hood. Additional diversions include flightseeing trips amidst stunning scenery. Salmon Berry Tours, in downtown, offers numerous options, among them visiting a sled dog kennel owned by an Iditarod musher, heritage city tours and customized excursions.

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VENUE

GROUPS MEETING IN VICKSBURG CAN ENJOY THE CENTURY-OLD AMBIANCE OF THE B.B. CLUB.

Photos courtesy B.B. Club

VICKSBURG’S HISTORIC CLUB

W

hen the B’nai B’rith Literary Club began in 1871, it met in private homes around Vicksburg, Mississippi, with the mission of growing its young Jewish members both intellectually and socially. Increased member success in the local area led to higher numbers, and the club soon needed to find a permanent home to host its gatherings.

In 1905, the club erected a wooden structure that lasted 10 years before burning down in 1915. The members decided the next building needed to stand the test of time and set to work constructing a building out of carved limestone and marble. More than 650 members of the literary club dedicated the building in 1917 with a large ballroom, a poker room, a restaurant and Vicksburg’s first indoor swimming pool.

The building changed hands in 1967, transitioning from a gathering space to a police station where offices and evidence rooms replaced the open floor plans and meeting rooms. The building was left abandoned for a short time in the 1990s before Vicksburg natives Laurence Leyens and Dan Fordice purchased it and restored it to its

32

BY KRISTY ALPERT

former glory. The building reopened after a $1.3 million renovation, once again taking its place in Vicksburg as a space for gathering and enriching the lives of the men and women who entered.

Today, visitors of the B.B. Club can once again walk the striking marble stairs that have welcomed guests for the past century before heading to any of the beautifully appointed meeting spaces. The club is open for meetings and events and features a library, a parlor, a billiards room, a dining room, a ballroom and a rooftop space available for rent. The updated space now includes a state-of-the-art kitchen where the on-site catering team prepares food for meetings during all hours of the day.

The history and grandeur of the space add to the signature charm and ambiance of historic Vicksburg, where meeting and event guests are transported back in time to an era of lavish affairs and community gatherings while enjoying the space’s updated amenities.

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

M E E T I N G S PA C E S Meeting groups can book the entire B.B. Club or simply a portion of the facility, depending on the space requirements for the specific event. The meetings and events teams offers separate packages that combine certain rooms, such as the upstairs Ballroom package, for up to 400 guests; the Library, Parlor, Billiards Room and Dining Room package, for up to 175 guests; the Library and Parlor package, for up to 55 guests; the Library, Parlor and Billiards Room package, for up to 165 guests; and the Riverview Rooftop package, for up to 75 guests. The Riverview Rooftop is available as an addition to any package , or it can be booked separately from the venue.

AMERICAN HISTORY

C AT E R I N G The B.B. Club offers full-service catering for meetings and events held within — and above, when renting the rooftop — the walls of this historic building. The catering team can craft personalized menus for groups of up to 700 guests, but it also offers a range of menus and food station options suitable for seated or buffet dinners and cocktail receptions. Favorite menu items include Southern staples like seafood gumbo, jambalaya, mini muffaletta sandwiches, spicy shrimp pasta and the club’s famous red beans and rice. Carving stations and seafood bars are also popular choices. Alcohol is available with full bar service.

THE B.B. CLUB’S MAIN BALLROOM

V E N U E FA C T S

THE B.B. CLUB LOCATION

Vicksburg, Mississippi

AFTER EVENTS Before and after events, guests can explore downtown Vicksburg, just a short walk from the B.B. Club’s front door.

Vicksburg’s downtown has four museums and 10 home tours that include access to some of the city’s most preserved antebellum properties. The downtown district offers world-class dining options as well as ample opportunities for shopping, antiquing and strolling through the many art galleries of the area. The town is also home to the Vicksburg National Military Park, where groups can book a guided tour of the park.

MISSISSIPPI MUSIC

SOUTHERN CHARM

TYPE OF VENUE

Off-site, historic building

EXTRAS

CAPACITY

700 guests

NEARBY ACCOMMODATIONS Margaritaville Hotel Vicksburg

CONTACT INFO

601-636-0008 visitvicksburg.com/ bnai-brith-club-meetings

The B.B. Club’s beautiful and restored meeting and event spaces provide an elegant backdrop for memorable receptions, luncheons, banquets and dinners where meeting planners can create a classy yet cozy atmosphere for each event with little effort involved. The club’s rental fees include use of the site’s many tables, chairs, white linens, china, drinking glasses and setup, as well as all serving pieces used for the event. Meeting planners can also rent the club’s beautiful chair covers and specialty linens.

For planning assistance contact,

Ashley Gatian, Sales Manager

800-221-3536 • ashley@visitvicksburg.com

W E A R E S O C I A L \VisitVicksburg

October 2019

Scan this QR code to visit our mobile site.

33

On Campus in Illinois

C

Meetdieng Gui

The fastest-growing city in Illinois, Champaign is an easy drive from Chicago, Indianapolis and St. Louis and is an epicenter for meetings and conferences both statewide and regionally.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a big draw to the area and is within walking distance of downtown Champaign, which has museums, theaters, boutique shopping, fine dining and attractions.

Champaign is a foodie destination, said Caitlyn Floyd, director of sales for Visit Champaign County, the local convention and visitors bureau.

“We’re finding a lot of conventions and groups wanting to go out-

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Courtesy Visit Champaign Co.

BY PAULA AVEN GLADYCH

ollege campuses can define a city or a town. Many attract people from all around the globe, bringing diversity and culture in the form of art, food and architecture. Here are a handful of Illinois towns that come to life because of their college campuses.

CHAMPAIGN

THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN FEATURES STATELY BUILDINGS AND BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPING.

side the traditional banquet at the hotel or venue where they are hosting,” she said. “They want to incorporate the town and its local flavor. Having a huge, diverse, award-winning culinary scene sets us apart in terms of experience for meeting attendees.”

With more than 4,500 hotel rooms and 240,000 square feet of meeting space, the area is a meeting planner’s paradise. The I-Hotel and Conference Center, which is owned by the university, is Champaign’s largest conference property, with 38,000 square feet of meeting space and 125 guest rooms. The property is adding an additional 14,000 square feet of meeting space by fall of 2020. The Hilton Garden Inn, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Homewood Suites by Hilton properties have 20,000 square feet of meeting space and 301 guest rooms among them.

Many conferences offer tours of the university campus; Blue Waters, one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world; and the Research Park at the University of Illinois. visitchampaigncounty.org

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

SPRINGFIELD

In the middle of Illinois, Springfield is best known for its ties to Abraham Lincoln, who lived there before he became the 16th president of the United States.

Springfield is also home to the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS), which sits on the south side of town.

Between the college campus and Springfield’s downtown area, there is plenty to offer meeting and event planners. The beautiful campus is home to the UIS Performing Arts Center, which is where the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, the Springfield Ballet Company and the UIS Theater and Music programs perform. The center is a great place to host private events, from lectures and meetings to dance recitals. The venue does a lot to bring the residents and visitors into the university fold.

The student union at UIS is also open for meetings and banquets, and if university venues won’t do, Springfield has its Bank of Springfield Convention Center, which has 70,000 square feet of meeting space and 288 guest rooms. In total, Springfield has 4,000 hotel rooms, “which is pretty lucrative for the size of the city,” said Amy Beadle, sales and marketing manager for the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“A lot of it goes to the fact we have a heavy convention base and a very large leisure travel and tourism base because of the sites we are fortunate to have here.” visitspringfieldillinois.com

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD Courtesy Springfield CVB

EVANSTON

Evanston has the best of both worlds: Besides being a college town — it is the home of Northwestern University — it borders the city of Chicago.

“We kind of blend with the city,” said Gina Speckman, executive director for Chicago’s North Shore Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Many conference planners flock to Evanston because they want to be close to all that Chicago has to offer but host their event in a more intimate setting.

Evanston is a “very urban/suburban area with all the options you have in a city,” said Speckman. Within Evanston’s downtown city center, there are more than 100 restaurants, representing a diversity of cuisines. It also has late-night entertainment that you don’t find in other areas outside a city, like music and theater, and beautiful Lake Michigan beaches.

The largest hotel in Evanston is the Hilton Orrington, with 269 rooms and 26,705 square feet of meeting space. The Holiday Inn North Shore has 244 rooms and more than 18,000 square feet of meeting space. If planners want to get outside the hotel setting, the James L. Allen Center at Northwestern is a great spot, with 150 guest rooms, a 220-seat auditorium, tiered and flat classrooms for meetings and many dining spaces.

The Charles Gates Dawes House is a mansion from the early 1900s that was turned into the Evanston History Center. Planners can host special events there as well as take attendees on a tour of the home. visitchicagonorthshore.com

EVANSTON’S HILTON ORRINGTON

Courtesy Chicago’s North Shore CVB

October 2019

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Meetieng Guid

CHARLESTON

Meet

Charleston is the home of Eastern Illinois University and, along with Springfield, has a very strong Lincoln connection. Meeting planners that want a more intimate location and are interested in learning more about the life of Lincoln should consider Charleston for their next event.

The university, which was established in 1895 as a teaching college, has since expanded to a broader curriculum, offering degrees in education, business, arts, sciences and humanities. Campus is a great place to host a meeting. The most popular spot is the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union, which has two ballrooms and 12 meeting rooms that can hold groups of 60 to 650 people. The Unique Suites Hotel is less than one mile from campus and has 77 guest rooms; it can host up to 300 guests banquet style in its 4,000 square feet of flexible meeting space.

The Charleston Carnegie Public Library also has two event rooms that can hold up to 200 guests.

When attendees are not participating in conference events, they can spend time learning more about Lincoln and his connection to Charleston.

Lincoln practiced law at the previous courthouse that graced Charleston’s Downtown Square, and the Lincoln Douglas Debate Museum tells the story of his 1858 senatorial debates with Stephen Douglas through artifacts, photos, interactive displays, film and audio clips.

Charleston is also a short drive from the Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site, which was the 1840s home of Lincoln’s father and stepmother. charlestonillinois.org

EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY IN CHARLESTON

Come for the meeting...

Stay for the woods, wine, and the adventures in between.

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618-529-4451

carbondaletourism.org

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Courtesy Eastern Illinois University

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

GREAT MEETINGS GREAT MEMORIES GREAT

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Meetieng Guid

BLOOMINGTON-NORMAL

PRESSER HALL AT BLOOMINGTON’S ILLINOIS WESLYAN UNIVERSITY Courtesy Bloomington-Normal CVB

Bloomington and Normal, Illinois, are sister cities that are steeped in Lincoln and Route 66 history. Together, they are also a large college town with two major universities — Illinois State University and Illinois Wesleyan University— and one community college, Heartland Community College.

Meeting planners that want to host events in the area can do so at any of the three colleges, but Illinois State University is the biggest, with facilities that can accommodate up to 10,000 people. Braden Auditorium, on the Illinois State campus, can host 3,457 guests, and the Brown Ballroom can host 640 guests banquet style.

Illinois Wesleyan University, a small liberal arts school minutes from downtown Bloomington and uptown Normal, has more than 60 meeting spaces and a state-of-the-art recreation facility that can accommodate groups of up to 500 people. Wesleyan just renovated its student center, said Brie Lohr, communications and marketing manager for the Bloomington-Normal Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, and “it looks wonderful.”

Bloomington-Normal attracts many business conferences because State Farm Insurance and Country Financial both call the area home. It also plays host to several events, including the Illinois Shakespeare Festival, which is presented at the Ewing Cultural Center, a mansion that was built in the 1920s that has an outdoor theater attached to it. The site can also host smaller meetings. visitbn.org

AT THE CROSSROADS OF I-57 AND I-70, A VIBRANT COMMUNITY AWAITS...

www.visiteffinghamil.com 800-772-0750

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GROUPS CAN MEET AMONG HISTORIC ARTIFACTS AT THE ABRAHAM LINCOLN PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM IN SPRINGFIELD.

T

Meetdieng Gui

Courtesy Lincoln Presidential Library

BY PAULA AVEN GLADYCH

he Land of Lincoln is steeped in history, from its ties to the 16th president of the United States to its beautiful location in the Great Lakes region of the country.

There are plenty of unusual venues in Illinois to host a meeting or event. Here are a few that tap into not only the state’s vast history but its future as well.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Springfield Event planners love to harness the lore surrounding Abraham Lincoln by hosting events at his presidential library and museum.

“The centerpiece of the museum is a big, open plaza, and on one side is a re-creation of the log cabin where he lived as a boy, and the other is a scale replica of the White House,” said Chris Wills, communications director for the library and museum. The replica stands 40 feet tall and

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Illinois Originals

“is a really visually impressive place to gather.”

There, attendees can explore the president’s life, see his law office as an older man and learn about his years in the White House and the personal tragedy he endured, he said.

Both the library and museum are available for special events, like dinners, luncheons and receptions. It can hold events for as few as 12 people for a corporate board meeting to several hundred for a cocktail reception in the main plaza.

No matter what the event, the plaza, with guests seated in front of the White House, “is a real show-stopper for people to be there,” Wills said.

The site works closely with a local caterer to provide everything from light hors d’oeuvres to a full sit-down meal.

If guests walk through the front of the White House, they will find replicas of rooms from the Lincoln White House. If planners want their event attendees to learn more about Lincoln’s life, the museum will provide a scholar to speak to the group, and the museum’s exhibits can be made open to them during their event. lincolnlibraryandmuseum.com

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

INDEPENDENCE GROVE FOREST PRESERVE

Libertyville Independence Grove Forest Preserve is a former quarry that was turned into a 1,100-acre botanical garden and recreation area and offers many event spaces with amazing views of the lake, beach and wooded areas.

“What people like when they come here is the openness,” said Stewart Glass, general manager of Catering by Michaels, which handles the event facilities at the preserve. “You are not in a corporate meeting space with a drop ceiling. You are not in a hotel where, when you get out of your hotel room, there are big, wide hallways with hotel carpeting.”

Between the site’s visitor center and large outdoor pavilion, the preserve can host events for up to 550 people. Planners can use Audubon Hall, which can be broken down into four smaller rooms; the foyer; or the veranda and north patio, both of which overlook the preserve’s lake and marina.

“What people love here is that all the rooms have almost floor-to-ceiling glass that overlooks our veranda and our lake,” he said. Many groups take advantage of the beautiful outdoor location to participate in team-building activities like sand volleyball, bocce ball, croquet or scavenger hunts. They also can rent kayaks, canoes, stand-up paddleboards and pedal boats at the marina, or rent bikes, quadricycles and adaptive trikes for guests to take advantage of the preserve’s five miles of paths.

The 3,000-square-foot outdoor pavilion can be used for corporate picnics or dinners and is a good location to host outdoor team-building activities, said Glass. lcfpd.org

INDEPENDENCE GROVE FOREST PRESERVE

Courtesy Events at Independence Grove

HARDY’S REINDEER RANCH

HARDY’S REINDEER RANCH

Ratoul Mark and Julie Hardy wanted a good way to market their Christmas tree farm, so 24 years ago, they flew to Alaska to buy a herd of reindeer.

“Tourism started flooding in,” said Julie, and soon people were coming out solely to see the reindeer.

The couple ended up building a large banquet hall with a Wild West saloon theme to host the thousands of visitors who come to the ranch annually. Private groups of up to 130 people can book the banquet hall year-round. The ranch’s specialty is a chuck-wagon barbecue served on tin plates with bandannas as napkins.

The ranch is open to the general public from September through December. The rest of the year is dedicated to private parties and group reservations. The ranch hosts 45,000 visitors a year, many of them coming in on mystery bus tours to meet the reindeer.

“In a zoo, you don’t get to get close to them,” said Julie. On the ranch’s reindeer tour, guests get to hear the story of how the reindeer herd was shipped to Illinois from Alaska in large shipping crates on Delta Airlines and even get a kiss from one by placing a graham cracker in their mouths.

Courtesy Hardy’s Reindeer Ranch

October 2019

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Meetieng Guid Julie said she and her husband didn’t know what they were getting into when they first got the idea of raising reindeer.

“I grew up with a cat, and my hubby used to milk cows, so he had some livestock experience,” she said. “But reindeer are not cows. We had to figure out their health care and feed program. They are unique in their own species, so we had to get that right.” reindeerranch.com

When you meet at the gateway of culture and education.

VIPER ALLEY

Lincolnshire Viper Alley was built as a concert venue and event space. A little more than six years ago, it converted to a private event venue.

The 15,000-square-foot building includes six bowling lanes, a separate private dining room and an expanded showroom with a stage. The showroom is well suited for meetings, luncheons and dinners and can hold up to 650 guests.

Laurie Cohn, director of catering and events for Viper Alley, said the site has its own in-house chef who has devised a diverse catering menu that is all made in-house.

“There’s no facility fee here,” Cohn said. “That sets us apart from many places.”

Any rental includes tables, chairs and linens.

The venue specializes in corporate meetings and events, holiday parties, weddings and bar mitzvahs.

“We do a food-and-beverage minimum,” she said. “As long as they meet the minimum, they get the whole space. We will customize any menu, too.”

The facility offers team-building activities such as pizza-making on the site’s wood-burning stove, game shows, live-band karaoke, murder-mystery dinners, casino nights and bowling. viper-alley.com

BLUE SKY VINEYARD

Home to the University of Illinois, and the fastest growing city in the state, Champaign-Urbana is an ideal choice for regional gatherings. We’ll help you on the path to success and make sure the experience is Outside of Ordinary!

Schedule a site visit today to receive an Outside of Ordinary gift!

800.369.6151 caitlynf@visitchampaigncounty.org

champaignmeets.com

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Makanda At the end of the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail in southern Illinois, the Blue Sky Vineyard opened its doors in 2005. The owners had always wanted to plant a vineyard.

When they found their current location, they knew they had something special.

The winery was designed to look like a Tuscan villa with stucco walls, handhewn beams, Portuguese tiles and carved doors. It is surrounded by 13 acres of vines. It can host events in the winery itself, but many groups prefer the Tuscan Sun Event Pavilion, which can accommodate up to 300 people.

The vineyard plays host to corporate meetings, staff appreciation parties and special events like weddings.

“What I find is really nice is when they come out here, it is not like a business meeting with suits and ties and really formal,” said Brandy Nance, marketing director for the vineyard. “When people come out here, they are taken aback. They are in awe of the scenery and the vineyard, and it seems they loosen up a little bit. They are going to work but have some fun, not that kind of mundane day-to-day grind.”

The winery typically has 20 wines available at any given time. It is very proud of its dry red wines, but it produces crisp and clean whites, semisweets and sweets as well.

“From the grape to the glass, we are invested in this product,” Nance said.

Groups that rent the event spaces can take cellar tours and vineyard tours. The venue also can educate guests about how to pair the best wine with different foods.

And wine tasting is a must, with up to five wine samples available. blueskyvineyard.com

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

Meet Eat & Play

Springfield, Illinois provides a unique experience for each convention group. Award-winning sites and hotel accommodations, hundreds of special events, food and drink trails, Historic Route 66, and the multi-purpose Illinois State Fairgrounds just to name a few.

LET US HELP YOU CREATE A LEGENDARY MEETING! October 2019

Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau

VisitSpringfieldIllinois.com | 800-545-7300

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