New “Ideation” Meeting Space, and other MICE news
“Ideation” Meeting Space Aims to Enhance Creativity
Designed to facilitate creativity and collaboration, the “Ideation Room” at the Crowne Plaza Tysons Corner hotel in McLean, VA is located near Washington D.C. and can accommodate groups of up to 25 people.
The meeting space, about 850 square feet, is furnished with cutting-edge technology and flexible, modular furniture which allows attendees to make the space their own by easily configuring the room in different set-ups. The light-weight furniture allows for small group huddle meetings and to allow teams to easily modify the room as desired.
Features include a 3-in-1 Eno Board for presentations and work sessions. The Board device is a magnetic wall, a white erase board, as well as a white projection screen. The Eno Board allows a presenter to project computer images on the board, and then interact with the image via special Eno markers and a touch pad on the wall. A big advantage is that attendees can write notes on the whiteboard and then save and print all the content on the board into a single file.
The room also features a 47″ Flat Panel Plasma TV wired for computer projections and HD cable TV programming, to complement the Eno Board. High-speed wireless Internet access and movable White Erase Boards hanging on the walls around the perimeter of the room allow flexible use of the entire space, including transferring white boards from one area to another.
The Ideas Store in one corner of the room includes several shelves worth of brain-teasers, puzzles, unique fact books, gadgets and other unique tools to provide inspiration for brainstorming or for use as ice-breakers.
To see a video explaining the Ideation Room video, as well as a dedicated Ideation Room Web site, visit http://www.TheIdeationRoom.com.
http://www.washdchotels.com/
Events:
2010 SITE International Conference Set for South Africa
South African Tourism (SAT) has announced that registration is now open for the Society of Incentive and Travel Executives (SITE) International Conference 2010, taking place in Cape Town, South Africa from December 4 – 7, 2010. The host hotel is the Westin Grand Cape Town Arabella Quays, and the official conference airline is South African Airways. The registration deadline for early bird discounts is October 29, 2010.
SITE’s conference program of education, networking and events is designed to showcase new ways of thinking, leading and delivering motivational experiences that drive business results. A series of half-day tours to Cape Town’s attractions — Robben Island, Table Mountain, the Winelands and Cape Point — are available during the conference. Post-event tours of one to five nights to Krueger National Park, the Garden Route, Port Elizabeth and other destinations within South Africa are also available, along with excursions aboard the luxurious Blue Train and Rovos Rail, in conjunction with a safari experience.
http://www.siteglobal.com/Experience/InternationalConference2010/tabid/239/Default.aspx
Hotel News
Four Orient-Express Hotels in Peru Join Leading Hotels of the World
Orient-Express Peru has joined Leading Hotels of the World. Highlighted as the only hotels in Peru to be a part of The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd., the Orient-Express Peru collection includes Las Casitas del Colca in Arequipa, Hotel Monasterio in Cuzco, the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge, and Miraflores Park Hotel in Lima. http://www.orient-express.com.
Langham Hotels to Open The Langham, Xintiandi in Shanghai, China
Langham Hotels International has announced plans to open The Langham, Xintiandi, Shanghai, in October. This will be its second property in the city. Located in the Xintiandi district, the 24-story, 357-room Langham will occupy a new landmark building. For meetings, the hotel will feature one of the most modern high-ceiling grand ballrooms in the city and an additional 8 large meeting spaces. Langham Hotels International opened The Langham, Yangtze Boutique, Shanghai on May 1, 2009, winning six major awards in its first year. Meanwhile, the first Langham Place property in China will open at Beijing Capital Airport in August 2010.
Oberoi Mumbai Renovation Features Business Center
After undergoing renovations during the two years following the November 2008 terror attacks, The Oberoi Mumbai has reopened and features an updated, 24-hour, state-of-the-art business center. The hotel has nine meeting rooms (seating between six and 20 people), two office spaces and four web-enabled workstations. Among the meeting spaces include the hotel’s exclusive Jaipur and Udaipur rooms, located on the 21st floor. These rooms offer guests a magnificent sweep of the Arabian Sea and the Mumbai harbor as a backdrop. The center also comes complete with a reference library and modern office facilities. http://www.oberoihotels.com
Holiday Inn Denver East-Stapleton Hotel Opens
Formerly the Radisson Stapleton, the 300-room atrium hotel underwent a multi-million dollar renovation in 2008. It reopens as the Holiday Inn Denver East- Stapleton Hotel and is located less than five miles east from the heart of downtown Denver in the centrally located Stapleton area, the largest expansion project in the Mile High City. It offers complementary airport shuttle service and 20,000 square feet of flexible, high-tech meeting space. http://www.holidayinn.com/denver-co.
Ragosta Hotels Collection Opens New Boutique Hotel in Sicily
Located just steps from the Sicily’s famed nature island preserve, Isola Bella in Taormina, Italy’s Ragosta Hotels Collection has combined “luxury with nature” with the launch of its new boutique resort, La Plage Resort. The hotel will open as a five-star boutique property with just 61 guestrooms and suites. Its reception halls will accommodate up to 200 guests. It is represented by Preferred Hotels & Resorts.
http://www.ragostahotels.com.
Green:
Chauffeured Transport Company Goes Green
In an effort to reduce their carbon footprint, RMA Worldwide Chauffeured Transportation, which primarily services the three major airports in Washington DC, now operates a new more fuel-efficient vehicle–the Ford Fusion L Series. Royale Coachbuilders of Massachusetts now cuts and stretches these cars by six inches to assure plenty of leg room for the passengers while delivering great fuel economy. The car is still very corporate in appearance yet extremely comfortable. The new Fusions are getting forty miles to the gallon, says RMA, which is over twice the mileage of the current fleet. RMA intends to take delivery of about 20 more of these vehicles this coming winter. As the time comes to turn over their fleet of Lincoln Town Cars, they said the plan is to replace them with vehicles that add little or no pollution.
The company also owns a service station where recycling is a key component of that business. The station recycles tires as well as many of the fluids they change. http://www.rmalimo.com
Specials:
California Hotel Offers Yoga, Charitable Donation Option
Meetings at California’s Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel, Bel Air don’t follow the usual business model. Instead the hotel’s new meeting package promotes productivity by offering yoga and t’ai chi sessions for attendees to relax and “center themselves” before getting down to business. The package also offers savings on meeting rooms, audio-visual equipment rental, spa treatments and 5% off on the master account, with the option of donating that amount to the charity of each group’s choice. The offer applies to groups with a mutually signed contract by December 31, 2010 and for meetings completed by December 31, 2010. Restrictions and minimums apply and offers are based upon availability.
The Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel offers a tranquil garden setting on a seven-acre urban retreat where every function room opens to the outdoors. A wide variety of private event space, able to accommodate groups from 20 to 350 people, include a 4,500 sq. ft. Ballroom, a selection of Boardrooms, Banquet rooms and Conference rooms, as well as an outdoor Terrace. http://www.luxehotelsunsetblvd.com
New Products:
Insurance Offered for Lost Registration Fees
Trade show and conference attendees can now insure their registration investments, thanks to a new offering from The Active Network, Inc. (Active) called Registration Protection Plus.
Offered through Active’s RegOnline platform of products and with the backing of Philadelphia Insurance Companies, Registration Protection Plus is designed to provide financial protection for attendees from lost registration fees due to unforeseen circumstances. Active claims that organizers will benefit from improved – and more accurate – registration numbers, while attendees will be able to register without fear of last-minute changes.
According to Eric Olson, general manager of Active’s Events division, “Registration Protection Plus allows organizers to avoid the last-minute cancellations, no shows and charge backs that have always been a part of live events despite refund policies designed to prevent them. At the same time, attendees can commit earlier and take advantage of lower airfares and lodging costs, as well as early registration specials.”
Active’s Registration Protection Plus also claims to help reduce loss of revenue for event organizers, while offering a significant point of differentiation. Free for event planners, attendees pay a flat $20 fee and receive reimbursement through Philadelphia Insurance Companies for any reason covered under Active’s new program, such as flight cancellations and delays, injury or sickness, and poor weather conditions. Planners should note that reimbursement is subject to the terms & conditions of the Registration Protection Plus policy. http://www.ActiveEvents.com.
Destinations:
Taiwan Targets MICE Market
Those looking for an off-the-beaten track meeting or incentive destination might check out the Taiwan’s Tourism Bureau recently-launched program to spotlight tourism attractions. The tourism development program “Shining the International Spotlight on the Eastern Area” is one of a series designed to promote tourism and is part of a national tourism development plan is known as the “Project Vanguard for Excellence in Tourism.” This plan divides Taiwan into five areas: the northern, central, southern, eastern and other areas. The goal is to encourage each area to promote the uniqueness of their local area and come up with scenic sites that are internationally competitive, to help promote further development of tourism in Taiwan.
Included are programs for recreation and amusement tourism. For instance, the “Taitung Spotlight” plan includes an indigenous people’s evening music festival in Tiehua Village. The “Slow Market” workshop promotes its unique arts and crafts. “Chishang Spotlight” promotes “Rice Culture” as its theme activity. Altogether, they will organize a campaign that combines these different elements to promote tourism in the Hualien-Taitung area. This whole plan will encourage international tourists to enjoy a leisurely tour of the scenic attractions and culture of the Hualien-Taitung area, especially the music of the area’s indigenous tribes and the arts and crafts of the people.
For more information, visit http://eng.taiwan.net.tw and http://www.meettaiwan.com/home/home_index.action?request_locale=en
