Exhibitors Sign Up for AIBTM, Hotel Updates and Other Meetings News

AIBTM Gears Up

With more than one year to go before the show opens in June 2011, AIBTM – The Americas Meetings & Events Exhibition – has announced its first exhibitor signings. These include many regional and international exhibitors who have attended other shows from Reed Travel Exhibitions’ portfolio of events in Barcelona (EIBTM), Abu Dhabi (GIBTM) and Beijing (CIBTM).

The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, Austrian National Tourist Office, Condor Travel, Essence of Bali DMC, Government of Dubai, Mexico Tourism Board, Monaco Tourist Office, NYC & Company, Silversea Cruises, Skyteam Global Meetings, Eugene/Travel Lane County, and Wedgewood Travel Limited are among the exhibitors who have already signed on.

AIBTM is expected to draw over 300 North American and international exhibitors and about 3,000 buyer attendees, of which 500 will be Hosted, made up largely of North American–based meeting planners with domestic, interstate and international business.

AIBTM will take place in Baltimore, June 21–23, 2011, and will form part of a dedicated Americas Meetings Week commencing on 19 June.

Hotel News

The Signature at MGM Grand Debuts Culinary Activity

Meeting attendees bored of restaurant dining? The Signature at MGM Grand has launched a new, interactive in-suite culinary program allowing guests to whip up gourmet creations in their luxurious one-/two-bedroom suites, each complete with a top-of-the-line kitchen. Available to guests through the hotel’s in-suite television channel “Signature Dish”, the shows feature three 30-minute television segments that guests can watch in their suite. Each of the videos provides guests with a step-by-step cooking demonstration to prepare dishes in-suite. Guided by Signature Executive Chef Uday Huja and Executive Sous Chef Patrick Hoefler, guests can choose to prepare scallop risotto, tandoori chicken curry or baked ziti.

Rather than worrying about purchasing the ingredients, guests can simply dial the In-Suite Dining line to purchase a pre-assembled culinary basket. The Baked Ziti Basket for example (priced at $55) provides all the ingredients for a party of four – recipe card, pasta, marinara sauce, kosher salt, ricotta and mozzarella cheese. The Signature at MGM Grand features full-size state-of-the-art kitchens containing brands such as Sub-Zero, Miele and Bosch in each one-/two-bedroom suite so any budding chef or seasoned gourmand can create a “home-cooked” meal on the road. (www.signaturemgmgrand.com)

The Fullerton Bay Hotel, Singapore Opens Its Doors in June

The Fullerton Heritage, Singapore has announced the opening of Marina Bay’s first waterfront hotel, The Fullerton Bay Hotel set for June 1. Comprising 100 rooms and six individually themed suites, each with marina views, balconies and sundecks, the hotel offers a luxury design element for travelers visiting Singapore.

Each of the hotel’s six suites, including the 1,636-square-foot Presidential Suite, is themed differently to reflect cultures in Singapore’s cosmopolitan population, which includes Chinese, Malay, Indian, Pernakan, and Colonial. They are located on the upper three stories of the hotel. Tentatively, two of the three banquet rooms, named Silver, Silk and Saffron, will be able to be set up as boardrooms; the smallest will accommodate eight persons. (www.fullertonbayhotel.com)

Carlson Hotels Launches Its 13th Park Inn Hotel in North America

Carlson Hotels has announced the opening of its 13th Park Inn property in North America, the first of two hotels joining the brand this month in Texas: the Park Inn Houston North Hotel & Conference Center, and a second hotel scheduled to open later this week in Dallas. The 100% nonsmoking hotel features 17,000 square feet of meeting space, audiovisual equipment, catering, and a professional meetings and events team. Conveniently located near the Bush Intercontinental Airport, the hotel offers free daily shuttle service. (www.parkinn.com)

Commonwealth Hotels Debuts New Hyatt Summerfield Suites Denver Airport

Commonwealth Hotels, LLC has announced the opening of the Hyatt Summerfield Suites Denver Airport. The 123-room Hyatt is the newest hotel in the Denver Airport market and closest to the airport. The hotel is also minutes from the Colorado Convention Center. (www.denverairport.summerfieldsuites.hyatt.com)

Barcelo Hotels & Resorts Appoints New Director of Meetings & Incentives

Barcelo Hotels & Resorts has announced the appointment of Magda Hanna as director of meeting & incentive sales for the West Coast of the US, including California and the Pacific Northwest Region as well as Western Canada. The appointment comes as Barcelo continues to grow its presence in the US and Canada in the meetings and incentives business. Most recently, the company opened the Barcelo Los Cabos Palace Deluxe, an upscale, all-inclusive, all-suite resort that includes 35,000 square feet of state-of-the-art meeting space, as well as outdoor function areas. Ms. Hanna can be reached at Magda.Hanna@barcelocrestline.com. (www.barcelo.com/)

Portland’s Red Lion Portland Convention Center Awarded Green Eco-Leaf Rating

Red Lion Portland Convention Center has become one of 10 lodging properties in Portland, Oregon, to receive the Green Eco-Leaf rating. Currently, 13 hotels in Portland have been rated environmentally friendly; Red Lion Portland Convention Center is one of 10 lodging properties to complete the comprehensive environmental audit administered by iStayGreen.org. The Red Lion property earned two Green Eco-Leafs, which is a “good” rating. The Red Lion Portland Convention Center has put in place a number of eco-initiatives, among them the creation of an on-site Green Team.

Hotels in Portland are becoming progressively greener. In addition to the Red Lion Portland Convention Center, six other hotels have recently earned the Green Eco-Leaf rating: the Red Lion Portland Convention Center, Courtyard by Marriott Portland Downtown Lloyd Center, Doubletree Hotel  Portland, Marriott Portland City Center, Red Lion on the River – Jantzen Beach, and the Hilton Portland and Executive Tower. (www.redlion.com/conventioncenter)

CVENT to Host Complimentary Webinars

CVENT will be hosting several complimentary Web conferences over the next few weeks. Over 45,000 meeting and event planners each year participate in CVENT webinars. One, titled “Book the Perfect Event Space Under Budget,” will be held May 28, 2-2:30 pm, EST, and also on June 4, 4 -4:30 pm, EST. The CVENT webinar will share a free solution for event and meeting planners to search and procure venues at the lowest possible price by getting event venues and meeting hotels to compete for their group business. A second webinar, titled “Maximizing Return on Event (ROE),” will showcase CVENT’s solutions designed to help event planners more effectively manage marketing, registration, budgeting and analysis related to their meetings and events.

Also to be discussed will be how meeting planners can effectively and easily build custom-branded event Web sites, collect fees online, qualify registrants before events and deliver targeted messages to increase response rates. This webinar is scheduled for May 26, 11-11:30 am, ET, and May 27, 2-2:30 pm, ET.

For more information, contact www.cvent.com/products/event-webinars.shtml.