A COASTAL COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION PUBLICATION SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013 VOL. 20 NO. 5 $10.00 Conference Centers Provide Highly Productive Meeting Environments Page 14 The Amphitheatre at the IACC-certified Lansdowne Resort near Washington, DC. Photo courtesy of Lansdowne Resort World Class Awards Page 21 Golf Meetings Page 36 Las Vegas Page 40 ISSN 1095-9726 .........................................USPS 012-991 A COASTAL COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION PUBLICATION LUXURY MEETINGS & INCENTIVES COLLECTION SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013 Vol. 20 No. 5 FEATURES 10 Meeting of the Minds Page 36 Lynette Owens & Associates Insurance Photo courtesy of Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort Advisory Council Enters Its 21st Year Four award-winning golf clubs and By Karen Brost courses at Florida’s Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort allow for all levels of play for memorable golf events. 14 Conference Centers DEPARTMENTS Why Their Focus on Providing Highly Productive 4 PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE Meeting Environments Is Great for Planners 7 SNAPSHOTS By Derek Reveron 50 CORPORATE LADDER 50 READER SERVICES Page 10 Photo courtesy of Lynette Owens & Associates & Owens Photo courtesy of Lynette The Insurance Advisory Council was hosted by the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. SOMETHING DIFFERENT ON THE AGENDA DESTINATION Today’s most admired companies share one extraordinary attribute—they inspire their people. Featuring breathtaking views of Great Exuma in the Out Islands of the Bahamas, Sandals® Emerald Bay is the optimal venue to bolster motivation. 40 Las Vegas Just 40 minutes from South Florida, the stunning resort provides the finest all-inclusive, awe-inspiring destination in the 21 World Class Award Winners An Incentive Travel world. A place where organizations come to accomplish things of value and return renewed. Here you will experience a The Best of the Best rich and rare confluence of exceptional resort amenities, modern meeting facilities, exotic outdoor locations, exhilarating Winner Every Time By Patrick Simms recreational activities and attentive, personalized service—all set amidst a vibrant island and one of the Caribbean’s finest beaches. For remarkable organizations seeking something different on the agenda—there’s Sandals Emerald Bay. The meetings complex of the 36 Planning Golf Programs Sands Expo and the Congress 245 Luxurious Rooms & Suites | 15,000 sq. ft. of meeting space | Greg Norman-Designed Championship Golf Course* | Seven Restaurants Center at The Venetian and Red Lane® Spa^ | Tennis | Three Pools | Land & Water Sports | Out Island Excursions^ | 15 Minutes from Airport The Planner’s Perfect Game Plan By Michael Bassett The Palazzo Las Vegas. Photo courtesy of Las Vegas Sands Corp. Insurance & Financial Meetings Management is published bi-monthly by Coastal Communications Corporation, 2700 N. Military Trail, Ste. 120, Boca Raton, FL 33431-6394; 561-989-0600. Single copies $10.00 U.S.A.; back copies $12. Yearly subscription price is $65.00 in the U.S.A.; $135.00 in Canada. Distributed without charge to qualified personnel. Periodicals Postage Paid at Boca Raton, FL, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Insurance & Financial Meetings Management, 2700 N. Military Trail, Ste. 120, Boca Raton, FL 33431-6394. Nothing contained in this publication shall constitute an endorsement by Coastal Communications Corporation (Insurance & Financial Meetings Management), and the publication disclaims any liability with respect to the use of reliance on any such information. The information contained in this publication is no way to be construed as a recommendation by I&FMM of any industry standard, or as a recommendation of any kind to be adopted by or binding upon any corporate/incentive travel planner or agent. Reproduction of any portion of this publication by any means is strictly forbidden. Editorial contributions must be accompanied by return postage and will be handled with reasonable care. However, the publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited photographs or manuscripts. Subscriber: Send subscription inquiries and address changes to: Circulation Dept., Insurance & Financial Meetings Management, 2700 N. Military Trail, Ste. 120, Boca FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL 1-800-239-2484 • WWW.SANDALS.COM/GROUPS Raton, FL 33431-6394. Give old and new addresses including zip codes. Enclose address label from most recent issue and allow five weeks for change to become effective. Printed in U.S.A. © 2013 www.themeetingmagazines.com *Greens fees additional.^Additional cost. Sandals® is a registered trademark. Unique Vacations, Inc. is the affiliate of the worldwide representative of Sandals Resorts. INSURANCE & FINANCIAL MEETINGS MANAGEMENT SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013 3 3208-0713SEB Groups ad for Corporate & Incentive Travel Final .indd 1 7/30/13 12:56 PM Publisher’s Come to the city that helped secure the right to life and liberty, Message and where the pursuit of happiness is always within walking distance. A COASTAL COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION PUBLICATION PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Harvey Grotsky [email protected] GROUP PUBLISHER Getting the Most Out of Meetings Arthur Hyman What shape table works best for your meetings? Round? U-shaped? Square? [email protected] What’s the best? Meeting planners and event producers continue to ponder CREATIVE DIRECTOR Mitch D. Miller this question, which depends on factors such as group size, the meeting goals, [email protected] availability and more. Take, for example, the recent advisory council meeting MANAGING EDITORS hosted by Lynette Owens, president of meeting and incentive management Susan W. Fell firm Lynette Owens & Associates. For the past [email protected] 20 years, Lynette has assembled top insurance Susan S. Gregg industry executives to discuss the industry’s [email protected] key issues. For the council’s summer 2013 CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Boston fought hard in the War for Independence. Heritage Trail, Fashionable Newbury Street, meeting, the group met around a horseshoe- Michael Bassett Karen Brost Since then, even more effort has gone into making Museums, Restaurants, Shopping, Nightlife, shaped table at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino John Buchanan Timothy Herrick Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. (See Stella Johnson this a great city to visit. That’s why Boston has plus much more. For more “Meeting of the Minds” on page 10 in this is- Derek Reveron Patrick Simms so many great attractions – and most are within information, contact us at: sue.) This arrangement resulted in lively face- to-face discussion and, as participant Peter PRESIDENT & CEO walking distance. There’s The Freedom Trail, GBCVBSales@bostonusa. Harvey Grotsky Konrad said, “We were designed for relation- Historic Faneuil Hall Marketplace, The Black com or 1-617-867-8256. ships, to have a connection,” and added, “The VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS David A. Middlebrook more people rely on technology, the more [email protected] people realize the need for connections.” ADVERTISING SALES OFFICES For the most effective connections and productive events, insurance and 2700 N. Military Trail, Suite 120 Boca Raton, FL 33431-6394 financial meeting professionals often seek an IACC-certified conference center 561-989-0600 Fax: 561-989-9509 for good reasons. As IACC CEO Mark Cooper explained, “Being a conference NORTHEAST center is more a philosophy and a culture than it is about physicality and size Jeffrey Posner 516-594-2820 · Fax: 516-594-2826 of the meeting space,” he said in our cover story on conference centers on [email protected] page 14. “Conference centers focus all of their energy on providing highly FLORIDA/CARIBBEAN productive meeting environments, and all of their resources go into those Arthur Hyman 561-989-0600, ext. 108 · Fax: 561-989-9509 areas rather than lots of other areas.” [email protected] Brian Brown, CMP, an event planner for Guardian Life Insurance Company SOUTHWEST of America, uses conference centers because meetings are their specialty. 561-989-0600, ext. 114 · Fax: 561-989-9509 “They are extremely meeting-focused from the way they have been built to [email protected] their staffs to the equipment they have and pricing structure. It’s easier to SOUTHEAST 561-989-0600, ext. 114 · Fax: 561-989-9509 learn and concentrate on the training we provide. And we save about 15 [email protected] percent on meetings. The ROI is tremendous in terms of what we invest in LOUISIANA training people to sell our products to the public,” related Brown. Arthur Hyman 561-989-0600, ext. 108 · Fax: 561-989-9509 Finally, on page 21 we salute the best of the best — the hotels, resorts [email protected] and convention and visitors bureaus that you selected as winners of the MIDWEST 2013 World Class Award. 561-989-0600, ext. 114 · Fax: 561-989-9509 [email protected] WEST Marshall Rubin 818-888-2407 · Fax: 818-888-4907 [email protected] HAWAII Marshall Rubin Harvey Grotsky 818-888-2407 · Fax: 818-888-4907 [email protected] 4 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013 INSURANCE & FINANCIAL MEETINGS MANAGEMENT Industry News SnapShots The Westin Orlando Universal Paradisus Palma Boulevard Expands Meeting Space Real to Debut New Convention Center in December Paradisus Palma Real, an all-inclu- sive resort in Punta Cana, Domini- can Republic, announced that its new convention center is scheduled to debut December 1, 2013. The nearly 18,000-sf center boasting high ceilings includes multi-function- al and flexible space, and the latest in technology and audio-visual equip- 1 2 ment. John Iannini, senior director of sales, meetings and events for Melia Hotels International, said, “Conference planners have asked us for larger, more flexible space, high unobstructed ceilings, and high-tech audio-visual offerings. Our The Westin Orlando Universal Boulevard. new partnership with AAVC allows ORLANDO, FL — The Westin Orlando Universal Boulevard celebrated our customers to tap into an in- the groundbreaking of its new meeting and special event center, which house vendor that has all of those will expand the AAA Four Diamond hotel’s meeting space by an addi- capabilities without having to ship 3 4 5 6 tional 5,576 sf (including prefunction space).