SPIN News
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Issue #9
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April 2011
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In This Issue
Visit All of our Preferred Suppliers
Hosted Buyer Programs
SPIN is participating in Hosted Buyer Programs all across the U.S. and overseas: click here to be notified when we head to cities of interest to you.
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What's the Latest News About SPINCon?
DON’T DELAY, JOIN YOUR PEERS For the first 100 registrants, registration is just $300, and lodging is just $75/night, so act quickly: http://spincon.spinplanners.com/ OTHER WAYS TO DISCOUNT YOUR ATTENDANCE: SPINCon needs quality sponsors! We all know a conference like this doesn’t happen for just $300.For every sponsor you help us confirm, you get $100 off registration. Get three and reg is free! Email sara@spinplanners.com to see if your potential sponsors are already on our contacted list. SCHOLARSHIPS Apply by April 20 for one of 5 scholarships based on active SPIN participation and/or financial need. HOSTED BUYERS Apply by April 20 - spots are limited, since we're limiting suppliers to just 25% of overall attendance. http://spincon.spinplanners.com/ Curious about the first new major show to hit U.S. soil this June? Read on for an interview between Shawna Suckow and Elisabeth Shipman, Hosted Buyer Program Manager for AIBTM.
SS: Elisabeth, our planners are hearing a lot about a couple new shows coming to the U.S. I thought it would be helpful to get more information to our group about your show. Can you describe AIBTM and tell us a little more about it?
ES: Absolutely. AIBTM stands for the Americas Meeting and Events Exhibition, and it’s the first large scale show to bring together the world’s meetings and events industry in one U.S. location. It’s happening in Baltimore this June 21-23, and it’s essentially a forum for top-level decision makers where they can connect with top-notch exhibitors from around the world. We will have over 700 U.S. and international exhibitors, and we anticipate 3,000 buyers from the U.S. and around the world. SS: Later on, I want to ask about the key differences between AIBTM and IMEX, but first, can you tell me about your Hosted Buyer Program?
ES: AIBTM will cover most attendee expenses for qualified top-level buyers who book substantial meetings business. Planners apply online and if they qualify, they receive complimentary travel and/or accommodation at the show. In exchange, the planner attends pre-scheduled appointments with exhibitors of their choice. To apply as a Hosted Buyer and to see the complete list of benefits, they can visit us at www.aibtm.com/hostedbuyer. SS: Since this is a new show, can you give us an idea of the types of exhibitors who will be there?
ES: Sure. Of course we’ll have hotels, CVBs and DMCs from all over the world, plus unique venues, cruise lines, airlines, technology & event services providers, high end incentive gift companies. Your planners can see our complete exhibitor list at www.aibtm.com.
SS: Can you tell me about AIBTM’s education and networking opportunities? ES: Together with PCMA, CIC, ICCA, SITE and MPI, we’re delivering a series of high profile networking functions and educational sessions that are CEU accredited. There’s the Association Leadership Conference, a Women in Business session, a Focus on Technology workshop, the CEO Summit and more. There’s a professional education day on Tuesday, June 21st which is complimentary, along with additional morning education sessions on Wednesday, June 22 and Thursday, June 23. SS: The million-dollar question in many of our readers’ minds is ‘what differentiates you from IMEX and makes yours the show not to miss’? ES: Our Hosted Buyer program has a big difference: we do not require our buyers to place international business in order to qualify. Our industry research tells us that about a third of the buyers we qualify will place business outside of North America but we cannot exclude great US planners/buyers just because they are not placing business outside of North America. We also have a great East Coast location in Baltimore, and we top it off with our partnership with America Meetings week – the “Who’s Who” of the meetings industry will be in town as we deliver a series of high profile events in conjunction with CIC, PCMA, ICCA, SITE, and MPI. No one else can match that. A Destination Diary by Sara Vanderbilt, VP of Operations
Day One
I flew directly into Bend, Oregon and must say this airport was one of the nicest small airports I’ve flown into – clean, newly renovated, and simple. That evening we were treated to a pub tour and dinner in the town of bend. This area is becoming known for its microbrew and the tour was a great way to see the breweries firsthand. Dinner was held at a restaurant called Zydeco, which offers a private dining room along with several other event spaces. Day Two Ambassadors are in red
We headed out for a day of either skiing or snowmobiling at Mt. Bachelor. I chose to ski and will not be trying out for the Olympic ski team anytime soon. I can’t say enough about the Mt. Bachelor Ski Ambassadors – they took good care of me during and after my attempt at skiing. This is the first ski hill that I have seen that offers Ski Ambassadors to groups as a way to familiarize skiers new to Mt. Bachelor with the runs on their hill. This is a definite plus if you have a group that has never been to Mt. Bachelor before. Dinner was held in the Hearth Room, which is a private dining room complete with toasty fire. As a person with gluten intolerance, the chef provided special appetizers and had special gluten-free choices on the menu. Dinner was delicious and I enjoyed being served wines from the local area.
Day Three Dog Sledding
It was clear to me how passionate all of the sales staff and partners were about Oregon and the resort. For example, over the last year, the resort has worked on their Green Meeting initiatives to meet the needs of clients and to maintain their beautiful environment. We also received a tour of the property and you can view my photos by clicking here.
After our tour, some of us went dog sledding. As a “mom” of two dogs, I thought it was an amazing experience over a 6-mile path. By the time the ride was over, I wanted to go again. The dogs and sleds are operated by Trail of Dreams (owned by Jerry Scdoris and his daughter Rachael). Rachael is a world renowned athlete and had her first Iditarod finish in 2006. Dinner was held at The Grille at Crosswater, which is part of a privately owned and operated golf and social club located adjacent to the SunRiver Resort. The golf course and restaurant is open to guests at SunRiver and can be used for meetings and events. Day Four
The weather was beautiful the day I had to leave, the skies were clear and from my breakfast table, I got my best view of Mt. Bachelor and the Three Sisters. This view was a great lasting impression from SunRiver Resort.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Overall, I think SunRiver Resort is an ideal place to hold smaller meetings and team building events, maybe even an incentive program. Their team will work with you to provide whatever activities your event requires – gearing them specifically to your group. The resort has a variety of meeting spaces that should meet your needs. A shuttle is available to take guests around the resort but there are also paths that can be used if you want to walk. The guest rooms vary in size and configuration, but some of them are a bit dated. I was told that the resort is working through a multi-stage plan to update all their guest rooms. In addition to guest rooms, there are private condos and houses that can be rented for VIPs or attendees that bring families. One additional note about holding a meeting/event at SunRiver Resort - whether you use their in-house event team or work with one of SunRiver’s partners, like Mt. Bachelor or Wanderlust Tours, all billing is done through the resort, so, that at the end of the event, you have one bill to work through. Here’s what a fellow SPIN member Steve MacDonald, of LaFlamme Consulting Group, who was also on the trip had to say about SunRiver. “I was pleased to be invited to visit this distinctive property, having heard great reviews from a client who held a recognition event there in 2007. My client is an Oregon-bred company, looking at doing an incentive program at SunRiver in 2012, so this fam trip was a perfect opportunity to have them take a close look at the property and destination. My overall impression is that the Resort, and their excellent hand-picked partners, know how to impress. From Thursday arrival, through Sunday departure, we enjoyed activities that were topnotch & well-conceived with their personal touch that was genuine & ubiquitous. Also impressive was the graceful and professional way my client was accommodated with arrangements tailored to their specific objectives - and changing schedule. Our sales manager Lindsey Grinage is a real pro – she bonded with my client and inside of 5 minutes determined that my client was there for a site visit rather than a fam trip, so that’s what they got. My client was grateful for this thoughtful approach, felt their time was very well utilized and were pleased they’d made the trip.” If you want more information, please contact Todd Wells, Director of Corporate Sales, at twells@destinationhotels.com or 541.593.3777. Think Tanks
SPINCon North America
An interview between Sara Vanderbilt, SPIN VP of Operations, and Loren G. Edelstein, Editor of Meetings & Conventions magazine
SV: Loren, I just heard that a few of
our SPIN members will be attending the M&C Interact Global event in
California. It sounds like something more of our members might be interested in,
given its executive-level planner focus. Can you tell me a little about the
event?
LE: Sure. M&C has developed Interact Global to be one of the most important events of the year for planners who hold international meetings. It’s an exclusive hosted-buyer event, with a maximum of 35 corporate and association planners and approximately 20 sponsors — properties, DMOs and industry suppliers — all from the international arena. During the event, planners have the opportunity to formally meet with suppliers of their choice in one-to-one appointments, as well as meet other planners and suppliers during networking, destination activities and food-and-beverage functions. SV: I like the small size of this event. Sounds like a good structure for accomplishing what you need as far as appointments, but also small enough that you’ll get to meet other planners as well. Is there an educational component to the event? For many of our members, education is important in order to justify the time out of the office. LE: Absolutely. We have a great general session planned for Friday (4/29), with Jonathan T. Howe, Esq., as our guest speaker. A noted legal expert and M&C contributor, Jonathan will update us on the many legal challenges faced when planning a meeting outside the United States. Planners in attendance will earn CMP credits for this session.
SV: That sounds wonderful! So tell me, what is included once a planner
qualifies as a hosted buyer?
LE: Qualified planners will receive two nights at the beautiful MacArthur Place Hotel in Sonoma, airport transfers, event registration, all scheduled meals and networking events, plus destination activities as well. SV: You mentioned to me earlier that you only have a few spots left for hosted buyers. How can interested planners apply? LE: Yes, our event is capped at 35 planners, so anyone interested in applying should do so as soon as possible at www.mcinteractglobal.com By Shawna Suckow, Founder of SPIN
My suspicions were confirmed about Italy when I visited in
January: there’s never a bad time to visit.
January was a little chilly, I’ll admit, but the crowds were practically
non-existent and the lemon trees were in bloom everywhere in Rome. I’ve been to Italy as a tourist, but this
time I was eyeing it from the perspective of a planner. Of course, Rome is no dummy – it knows how to
impress a weary traveler if you give in to an amazing dinner upon arrival. I think I ate more than my weight in pasta,
olives, breads, salads and amazing dessert wine. I’m sure I required a wheel barrow to get me
back to the hotel.
In the morning, we embarked with our host, Dario De Paolis, the owner of DDP Incentive Management (Italy’s #1 DMC). Dario could not have been more charming and sincere, sharing his love for Italy and his passion for the company he founded many years ago. After touring a number of fine hotels to get a feel for the current state of the meeting & incentive inventory in Rome, I can confirm that Rome will not disappoint, and bargains still are available if you’re flexible. Rome has suffered the rough economy like the rest of the major cities throughout the world, but the good news is that groups who couldn’t afford Rome three years ago can likely afford it today.
Back in Rome that evening, we had a great, raucous good time
over dinner with Dario’s staff (Dario couldn’t join us, and it was probably for
the best since it was all women then!).
They are a great bunch of ladies with extensive experience in the
industry, and they know their wine and pizza!
If you haven’t been to Italy, go. If you haven’t been lately, reconsider it because the coliseum might be there forever, but their deep discounts won’t. For more information on DDP Incentive Management, North American planners can contact the stateside rep, Colleen Abernethy, colleen@platinumdmc.com or 952-929-9552, or visit http://www.platinumdmc.com/pages/platinum-dmcs/ddp-incentive-management.php. In the Interest of Full DisclosureSPIN is free to join, and as such, we seek funding from sponsors to operate and provide member services (and to fund SPINCon!). You should know that SPIN receives payment for some of the interviews you read in the monthly newsletter. The opinions expressed in these interviews are those of the interviewees, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SPIN or its leadership. No endorsement should be implied unless clearly stated by SPIN leadership. The articles and destination reviews written by the management of SPIN are our own, truthful opinions and thoughts, for which we received no payment, but may have participated in a sponsored FAM (which we disclose in the articles when applicable).
If you have a success story that you would like to share in the SPIN News, please send a summary of your story to Shawna at shawna@spinplanners.com.
If you have suggestions on how to make this newsletter more beneficial, please let us know. Sincerely, The SPIN Staff |
