Session Focuses on Cultural Competency Transformation to

Your Daily Information Resource at MPI’s 2006 WEC in Dallas, TX
Sunday, July 9
Transformation to Highlight WEC Kickoff
INSIDE
Question of the Day
Session Previews
Schedule at a Glance
Where to Eat in Dallas
Industry News
(3
(5
(7
(8
(12
Chapter Leadership
Forum
(17
ROI Methodology
(17
(18
Behind the Scenes
NETWORKING
Opening Night
Networking Reception
7:00 – 9:00 p.m./19.00 – 21.00
They say everything is bigger and better
in Texas, and that will certainly be the
case tonight at the MPI World Education
Congress Opening Night Networking
Reception.
From 7:00 p.m./19.00 to 9:00
p.m./21.00, attendees will kick off the congress at Gilley’s Dallas, located just a few
blocks south of the convention center.
Gilley’s offers a taste of Dallas’ culinary
scene, live music and a 10,000-square-foot
dance floor. And no Texas roadhouse is
see NETWORKING, page 17
PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS
ooking to transform your career?
Think beyond the commonplace
to find the ideas and practices that
drive success and the strategic success of
your organization through meetings. That
is exactly what you will get at the Opening
General Session today the World Education Congress.
Bill Taylor, cofounder and founding
editor of Fast Company magazine and
coauthor of Mavericks at Work: Why the
Most Original Minds in Business Win, will
present the keynote address at the session
and awards program today from 1 p.m./
13.00 to 3 p.m./15.00 in Exhibit Hall F.
Doors open at 12:30 p.m./12.00.
Join Taylor as he shares his stories
of mavericks who have bucked norms,
changing themselves, their companies and
even their industries.
One of the most influential business
thinkers around, Taylor is a writer, speaker
and entrepreneur who has shaped the
global conversation about the best ways
to compete, innovate and succeed. The
Meeting Professional and Global Paragon
Awards will also be presented at the
session.
Taylor will speak about transforming
your career through strategy, leadership,
creativity and passion, urging attendees to
create an emotional connection with their
stakeholders and genuine relationships
with their partners. Understand that
nobody is as smart as everybody and that
success only comes through the quality
and passion of people in your organization.
L
In recognition of Fast Company’s
impact on business, Taylor was named
“Champion of Workplace Learning and
Performance” by the American Society of
Training and Development. He also writes
a regular column for the Sunday Business
section of The New York Times called
“Under New Management,” in which he
explores cutting-edge approaches to strategy, leadership and innovation.
Taylor’s new book, Mavericks at Work,
is an inspiring and effective collection of
best practices that amounts to a business
plan for the 21st century.
In 1993, Taylor co-founded Fast
Company, a magazine that covers real peo-
ple with real solutions and gives people
tools they need to succeed in today’s work
world. As a founding editor of the magazine, he concentrates on driving, managing and contributing to the content of
every issue, working closely with the
entire editorial staff.
Before founding Fast Company, he
served as associate editor of the Harvard
Business Review for more than three years,
where he focused on themes such as U.S.Japan competition, global strategies and
the new business models emerging in
Silicon Valley. He also spent several years
see OPENING, page 3
Session Focuses on Cultural Competency
ulticulturalism is a fact of life.
Culture forms our perspective
and expectations about interactions we have with others. To engage in
business and hold a position of competitive advantage, it is essential to be culturally competent.
That is the focus of the pre-conference
session “Passport to Success: Valuing Cultures
to Maximize Competitive Edge,” today from
9 a.m./09.00 to 11 a.m./11.00 in Room D166.
The session—to be presented by
Harold Formstone of Richard Lewis
Communications and Karen Gonzales,
M
The 2006 WEC got under way on Saturday.
For more photos, check out page 18.
JAMES TKATCH PHOTOGRAPHER
Registration was the first stop for many at the 2006 World Education Congress.
director of MPI Multicultural Programs—
will discuss the MPI CultureActive© Tool,
a new component of the MPI Member
Solutions suite of products. MPI Member
Solutions is sponsored by InterContinental Hotels Group, while the CultureActive©
Tool is made possible with the sponsorship of IMEX, MCI and Richard Lewis
Communications through an unprecedented partnership from MPI Foundation
Europe, Canada and International.
Attendees will use the CultureActive©
Tool to complete their Personal Cultural
Profiles and learn about their “cultural”
classification and characteristics. You will
also be provided with instant feedback on
the characteristics of over 60 national cultures with recommendations for developing successful relationships and minimizing cultural blunders.
Planners must complete their MPI
Member Profile and Skills Assessments
before they can attend this session, while
suppliers must complete their MPI
Member Profile. The session is limited to
30 participants but will be repeated on
Monday at 8 a.m./08.00 and Tuesday at
2 p.m./14.00.
T
H E R E
R E A L L Y
I S
A N
E N C H A N T E D
F O R E S T
With our 800-room palace and 6,500 acres, the stage is set. Add 50 incredible
activities and three championship golf courses, and your possibilities are endless.
For an inspiring meeting, call 800-675-1287 or email [email protected].
g r e e n b r i e r . c o m
W H I T E
S U L P H U R
S P R I N G S
•
W E S T
V I R G I N I A
.
3
SUNDAY, JULY 9
The 2006 World Education Congress—In Review
an’t make it to all the 2006 World
Education Conference sessions?
Want the ability to review essential
information at home later? Actually, you
can.
MPI will make some of the best sessions from the WEC available on CD, and
preorders can be placed today at the
Content Management Corp. booth in the
Global Village. Be sure to check inside
your registration bag or on the back table
C
in every session room for coupons on the
full set.
The collection will be available online
at the MPI Store, www.mpiweb.org, but
the discounts won’t. In fact, pay for shipping, and an overview conference CD featuring 10 sessions is yours free.
The 2006 WEC set contains four distinct CDs.
• Business Meetings and Financial
Management, featuring 11 sessions
• Communications, Interpersonal
Relationships/Relationships, Strategy
& People, featuring 10 sessions
• Entrepreneurial Business Skills,
Marketing & International Relations,
featuring 10 sessions
• Strategic Thinking & Strategic
Meetings Management, featuring 10
sessions
The 2006 WEC set will join a growing
number of recorded conferences already
available at the online store. Each educational session is digitally synchronized
with the facilitator’s PowerPoint presentation and includes high-quality audio
recordings and ancillary handout materials.
Also available at the MPI Store are the
three-CD 2006 Professional Education
Conference-Europe set and the five-CD
2006 Professional Education ConferenceNorth America set.
QUESTION
OF THE
DAY
What do you hope to gain
from the 2006 WEC?
JAMES TKATCH PHOTOGRAPHER
Attendees will get a chance to relax a little to “take a paws and relax your dogs” with the MPI Dallas/Fort Worth
Chapter and the SPCA of Texas.
Take a ‘Paws’ and Relax Your Dogs
with Dallas/Fort Worth MPI, SPCA
t’s tough finding someone who doesn’t
love dogs, cats or both. And even
tougher still are those dog and cat
lovers who are forced to leave their furry
friends at home when they are on the
road.
The SPCA of Texas is teaming up with
the MPI Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter to
offer a solution that will make everyone
happy.
“Who can resist a dog?” said Sandi
Galloway, director of meeting, convention
and incentive travel sales development for
I
the Canadian Tourism Commission and a
member of the WEC Host Committee.
Attendees can find all of the comforts
of home this weekend at the World
Education Congress (WEC) Global Village
area as MPI and the SPCA give them a
chance to interact with some of the more
social dogs and cats from the SPCA of
Texas.
For $1, attendees can pet a dog or cat,
giving them the feeling of being at home
with their pets. At the same time, they are
see FUNDRAISER, page 18
OPENING
Shelley
Sechopoulos
Martti
Wichman
Windsor, Ontario
Geneva, Switzerland
“I hope to meet new people that can help me
improve my job skills. Everything I can learn
to do my job better will help my company
and help me move up the chain.”
“I’m going to follow the executive track, so
I’m looking for a good education for my
personal and career development.”
Meg
Holderman
Leigh Ann
Waters
Miami
Atlanta
“More knowledge. I went to the entrepreneur
series last year, but I’m hoping to focus on
marketing and legal issues this year because
I’m getting ready to do something I haven’t
done before in opening a venue.”
“Networking and advanced education. It’s a
changing industry and I definitely want to
make sure I’m on the cutting edge of what is
going on.”
continued from page 1
in Washington, D.C., working with consumer advocate Ralph Nader.
Taylor is the coauthor of three other
books: The Big Boys: Power and Position in
American Business, No-Excuses Management and Going Global. His articles and
essays on business have appeared in a
wide range of publications, including the
Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post,
the New York Times Book Review, Newsday
and Institutional Investor.
He is a graduate of Princeton
University and the MIT Sloan School
of Management.
Cathleen Cline,
CMP
Jennifer Campbell,
CMP
Arlington, Va.
Toronto
JAMES TKATCH PHOTOGRAPHER
A look out of the Dallas Convention Center, showing
the international scope of the WEC.
The Opening General Session is sponsored by Fusion Productions, the Meeting
Professional Awards are sponsored by
Hilton Hotels and the Global Paragon
Awards are sponsored by Omni Hotels.
“I’m going to be a committee chair this fall,
so I’m looking to gain skills and learn as
much as I can to hold a leadership role, as
well as network.”
“I’m hoping to get some new education. There
are some new sessions that I’m interested in
to help me perform my job better and also
because I’m planning to go after my CMM.”
Traveling for meetings is more than just going from A to B.
It’s about getting together and reaching new heights.
At Hilton we know that setting the scene for a great meeting leads
to a great meeting. And with over 400 hotels in 50 countries, whatever
your needs or destination, Hilton Direct® can assist you. Visit hiltondirect.com,
the meeting site search service of Hilton Hotels specializing in booking
group events of all sizes. It's the perfect place to find the
perfect place for your next great meeting.
©2006 Hilton Hospitality, Inc.
hiltondirect.com 1-800-321-3232
5
SUNDAY, JULY 9
New Day and Time for Roundtable Discussions
or the past six years, the “Premier
Networking and Business Event” of
the WEC and the PEC-NA has been
one of the most popular destinations for
attendees.
That won’t change this year at the 2006
WEC in Dallas, but the day and time have
changed.
The Give and Take Roundtable
Discussions, a staple of the Monday
morning breakfast, will now take center
F
stage following the Opening General
Session on Sunday.
The roundtable discussions have
become increasingly popular, and roundtable strategist Michele C. Wierzgac,
CMM, Michele & Company, sees that
trend continuing this year.
Join your colleagues for the Give and
Take Roundtable Discussions—the premier networking and business event.
Choose two topics from 70 choices in
subject areas based on the most current
situations and trends impacting the meetings industry. Every table will have an
experienced facilitator with three discussion points for 30 minutes of intense conversations. Be prepared to ask questions
and/or share your expertise. The goals of
the roundtable discussions are to meet
and network with MPI members, share
best practices and brainstorm solutions
with your colleagues, address current
Defending
Your Honor!
roken contracts can and do go
to trial. Learn how to maximize
your contract negotiation skills
in this highly interactive, simulated contract negotiation exercise at the pre-conference session, “Defending Your Honor!
A Mock Contract Trial Training Session,”
from 8 a.m./08.00 to 11:30 a.m./11.30
in Room D170.
This three-hour, highly interactive,
small-group-simulation training session
involves a 90-minute negotiating
B
”
“
session where a sample “training contract”
is used, according to one of the two presenters, Bob Pederson, president and
owner, Premier Meetings & Events. He
will be joined by co-presenter Naomi
Angel, Esq., partner, Howe & Hutton Ltd.
Be part of a team who dissects, deletes,
adds and rewrites a hotel and entertainment contract before giving it to the hotel
salesperson for signature. After the contract is executed, one side will decide
to cancel the event and a mock trial will
ensue. Following the trial, you will
“debrief ” with an attorney who will
answer any questions you have about
your team’s contract modifications.
“This highly simulated training session
focuses on contract negotiations,”
Pederson said. “There is mock trial during
the second half of the training session
where attorneys will make opening
see DEFENDING, page 9
ichael Weber just wants his
audience to pay attention. If
they do that, they are taking
the first, and most important, step to
personal and professional growth.
Weber, founder of Weber Inc.,
will speak to attendees about paying
attention to what they have at their
own disposal in “The Fine Art of
Paying Attention.”
The session was wildly popular
during MPI’s PEC-NA in Charlotte
in January.
At today’s session, from 3:30
p.m./15.30 to 5 p.m./17.00 in Room
C140/142, members will explore the
secrets to achieving professional success and personal satisfaction by
understanding how to be aware of
themselves and their surroundings.
“We all want our personal and
professional life processes to grow,”
Weber said. “My experience is that we
need not look outside of ourselves,
but to simply shift the focus. You
need to look at your life, your skill set
and obstacles [you face] with a different filter, a different point of view.”
Weber’s presentation will allow
participants to find and use information already at their fingertips to
enhance their lives.
“Much of what we are looking for
is right here, all around us already.
“The most important things happen in the first 10 minutes of the
presentation,” he said. “It’s a shock to
most people how so many things are
invisible to them because they have
become too efficient.”
After the session, attendees will
become more aware of obstacles and
opportunities that may be hidden
from plain sight, gain confidence and
insight and be able to apply these
things to everyday life—personal and
professional.
M
Before signing
any contract, always
acquire a legal review.
president and owner,
Premier Meetings & Events
see ROUNDTABLES, page 9
The Fine Art
of Paying
Attention
A Mock Contract Trial
Training Session
Bob Pederson
issues and trends, and discover resources
and how to access them.
The roundtable discussions offer a
wonderful opportunity for attendees to
network. Facilitators are at each table to
help keep attendees on the topic, leaving
attendees the opportunity to communicate openly and dialogue among their
peers.
“It’s really a cool process,” said
The Dallas Convention Center is the centerpiece
of Dallas’ multibillion-dollar convention and trade
show industry. An Old West cattle drive, captured
in bronze, below, is depicted in a new sculpture
at Pioneer Plaza, a park that marks the entrance
to the convention center. Dallas ranks among the
top cities in the nation for attracting convention
PHOTOS COURTESY DALLAS CVB
and meeting attendees.
721
Visit the Starwood
booth at 721
Bigger
Better
than before.
than ever.
Do the math. Crunch the numbers. Add up the benefits.
• Generous Attrition Allowances
• Valuable Credits to Master Account
• Food and Beverage Discounts
• Audiovisual Discounts
• Up to One Million Starpoints®
Call your Global Sales Office Representative or the hotel directly,
visit starwoodconventioncollection.com or call 1.888.627.8580.
Atlanta
Birmingham
New Orleans
Boston
New York
Chicago
Niagara Falls
Hollywood
Orlando
Honolulu
Phoenix
Indianapolis
Pittsburgh
5
IRRESISTIBLE BENEFITS
No matter how you look at the Starwood Convention Collection, the numbers
add up in your favor for your next big meeting at any one of our outstanding
hotels across the United States, Canada and the Pacific.
Kansas City
San Diego
Los Angeles
San Francisco
Seattle
Montreal
Toronto
The audiovisual discount applies only if PSAV provides all the equipment and services for the contracted meetings and events. Full incentives apply to meetings of 500 or more peak rooms.
©2006 Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
7
SUNDAY, JULY 9
Schedule-at-a-Glance
Sunday, July 9
7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m./07.00 – 17.30
Registration
8:00 – 11:30 a.m./08.00 – 11.30
Pre-Conference Sessions
Pre-Con 1 Critical Excel Tools for the
Meeting Professional
Pre-Con 2 Defending Your Honor! A Mock
Contract Trial Training Session
8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m./08.00 – 12.00
ROI Workshops (Continued)
WORLD EDUCATION CONGRESS 2006
9:00 – 11:00 a.m./09.00 – 11.00
Pre-Con 3 CMP Process Information Session
Pre-Con 5 Passport to Success: Valuing
Cultures to Maximize Competitive Edge
10:00 – 11:00 a.m./10.00 – 11.00
Pre-Con 4 How to Obtain Your Certification
in Meeting Management (CMM)
10:00 – 11:15 a.m./10.00 – 11.15
MPI Live!: Welcome to MPI and the 2006
WEC Orientation
10:00 – 11:00 a.m./10.00 – 11.00
CMM Information Session
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m./11.30 – 12.30
Global Gathering (includes lunch)
1:00 – 3:00 p.m./13.00 – 15.00
Opening General Session
3:30 – 5:00 p.m./15.30 – 17.00
Concurrent Workshops
SC001 The Fine Art of Paying Attention
SC002 Dare to be Remarkable®!
SC003 Learning Lab: Production of
Memorable General Sessions
SC004 Roundtables
7:00 – 9:00 p.m./19.00 – 21.00
Opening Night Networking Reception
9:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m./21.00 – 00.00
Rendezvous Dallas
Monday, July 10
7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m./07.00 – 17.00
Registration
8:00 – 9:30 a.m./08.00 – 09.30
Professional Development Workshops
Mega-Mentoring Student Roundtables
Small Business Owners’ Roundtables
TA319 The Wide-Awake Professional:
Increase Your Professional Visibility and
Credibility
TA320 Town Hall Forum
APEX 4 Accepted Practices for Independent
Planners and Smart Suppliers: A Hands-on
Computer Lab (Repeat of APEX 3)
MP217 Resume Writing for Novices
MP218 Volunteer Leaders Leading Volunteer
Leaders
2:00 – 4:30 p.m./14.00 – 16.30
SMM1 Understanding Company Strategies
and Goals
MP201 Understanding Access
MP202 Building Strategic Partnerships: A
Pathway to Excellence
MP203 ROI on a Shoestring: Short Cuts for
Those with Limited Time and Money
MP204 Eat, Drink and Save Money! Take the
Guesswork out of Food and Beverage
Planning
MP205 Europeanizing Your Event (Part I)
MP206 Extraordinary Contract Clauses,
Extraordinary Legal Risks
MP207 High Impact Presentation Skills:
Presenting Your Ideas
MP208 Improving Educational Content and
Quality at Meetings
MP209 Is Your E-mail a Legal Pain in the
Net?
MP210 The Inside Scoop for Suppliers …
How to Make or Break Your Relationship with
Meeting Planners
MP211 Outsourcing for Better Meetings
MP212 The Importance of Follow-Up
MP213 The Power Trip—Strategies for
Positive Influence
MP220 Interview Skills for Beginners
MP221 Succession Planning in Volunteer
Organizations
MP222 Targeted, Tailored and Timely
Innovations in Direct Mail
MP223 Using Technology to Do MORE with
Less—Anywhere, Anytime
MP224 A View From the Top: The Timeless
Wisdom of Fairy Tales—Picture Yourself at
the ‘Palace’
TP401 Producing Powerful PowerPoint
Presentations
3:30 – 4:30 p.m./15.30 – 16.30
SMM2 Identify Department Core
Competencies
EBS2 One-Stop Shopping—Get Answers to
What, Where, When, Why and How of
Business Insurance!
APEX 2 The APEX Toolbox: Bringing
Standards to Event Management:
A Hands-on Computer Lab (Repeat)
MP219 50 Event Tips in 60 Minutes
8:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m./20.00 – 00.00
Texas Hold ’Em
Tuesday, July 11
8:30 a.m. – 1:45 p.m./08.30 – 13.45
WEC MeetingPlace 2006 Trade Show
7:00 – 8:00 a.m./07.00 – 08.00
Continental Breakfast
2:00 – 3:00 p.m./14.00 – 15.00
EBS1 Financial Issues for the Small Business
Owner
APEX 1 The APEX Toolbox: Bringing
Standards to Event Management:
A Hands-on Computer Lab
MP214 I am Woman … Watch Me Lead
MP215 Meeting Matters in Europe (Part I)
MP216 Money Saving Ideas for Your Speaker
and Entertainment Budgets
7:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m./07.00 – 12.00
Registration
8:00 – 9:30 a.m./08.00 – 09.30
Professional Development Workshops
SMM3 Your Preliminary Plan for Strategic
Meetings Management and Validation
EBS3 Maximizing Your Human Capital
ST1 Problem Solving Pyramid and Rules of
Dialog
11:45 a.m. – 1:15 p.m./11.45 – 13.15
2007 WEC Montréal Promotional Luncheon
2:00 – 3:00 p.m./14.00 – 15.00
ST3 Twist
TP412 Communicate with Strength: Key
Words that Undermine Your Effectiveness
TP413 I am Woman … Watch Me Lead
(Repeat of MP214)
TP414 Insight into Site Selection
TP416 Exhibitors’ Town Hall Forum
PHOTO COURTESY DALLAS CVB
A bronze statue depicting a valiant horse prancing
on the plaza surrounds Trammell Crow Center. The
building is located in the downtown Arts District.
APEX 3 Accepted Practices for Independent
Planners and Smart Suppliers: A Hands-on
Computer Lab
TA312 Business Opportunities in a Global
Marketplace (Panel)
TA313 Engaging Minds, Touching Emotions
and Expanding Imaginations: ROI-Based
Creative Development for Meeting
Professionals
TA314 Get in the Game
TA315 Selling to Venus and Mars on Planet
Earth
8:00 – 11:30 a.m./08.00 – 11.30
T1 Managing the Meeting and Event Supply
Chain (All Day Session)
TA301 Critical Excel Tools for the Meeting
Professional (Repeat of Pre-Con 1)
TA302 Advanced Persuasion and
Negotiations
TA303 Business Etiquette
TA304 Contract Tips and Trends
TA305 Coping with the Impact of a Serious
Illness on Your Career (Panel)
TA306 Essential Skills for Problem-Free
Meetings
TA307 Special Events: Marketing for
Success
TA308 The Disaster Experience for Meeting
and Event Managers
TA309 What’s New in 2006 Hotel Contracts
TA310 The Power of Remarkable
Connections
TA311 Prioritizing, Time Management and
Leadership—The Keys to Personal
Effectiveness
TA323 Creating Blue Ocean Strategies That
Make the Competition Irrelevant
10:00 – 11:30 a.m./10.00 – 11.30
SMM4 Defining your Success Metrics
EBS4 Labor & Employment Law: The Small
Employer’s Survival Guide
ST2 Habits of Strategic Thinking
TA316 Creating a Road Map and Success
Meter Through Meeting Objectives
TA317 Elevate Your Marketing Skills
TA318 It’s Amazing We Communicate at All!
2:00 – 3:30 p.m./14.00 – 15.30
SMM5 Identify External Partners and
Technology Tools
2:00 – 4:30 p.m./14.00 – 16.30
EBS5 Strategic Partnerships: An Art Form in
Business
TP401 Producing Powerful PowerPoint
Presentations
TP402 Are You Prepared for the Impact of
the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Corporate
Accountability Act on the Meetings Industry?
TP403 Bench Strength: How to Develop a
Leadership Talent Pool
TP404 Building Strategic Partnerships: A
Pathway to Excellence (Repeat of MP202)
TP405 MPI Foundation Chapter Program:
Process and Procedures
TP406 Here’s the Proof! Meetings Industry
Return on Investment (ROI) Case Studies
TP407 Power Writing: How to Get Awesome
Results from E-mails, Letters and Proposals
TP408 Preparing for the Unexpected …
Made Easy!
TP409 Communicating in a Man’s World to
Get Your Seat at the Table
TP410 Strategic Meetings Management—In
Search of Technology Solutions
TP411 Learning Lab: Behind the Registration
Counter at the 2006 WEC
TP415 Targeted, Tailored and Timely
Innovations in Direct Mail (Repeat of MP222)
TP424 Generating Unique Value by Co-creating Interaction Centered Experiences
3:30 – 4:30 p.m./15.30 – 16.30
SMM6 Final Proposal: Business Plan and
Refinement for Implementation
ST4 Visioning
TP417 Meeting Matters in Europe (Panel)
(Repeat of MP215)
TP418 Money Saving Ideas for Your Speaker
and Entertainment Budgets (Repeat of MP216)
TP419 Navigating the Tropical Storm:
Overcoming Negativity in the Workplace
TP420 The Wide-Awake Professional:
Essential Career Survival Skills
TP421 Trends in Event Marketing
7:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m./19.00 – 00.00
Closing Night Celebration
8
CONGRESS CONNECTIONS
Popular Hot Spots for Dining Out in Dallas
Seeking a great dinner location for your free night while exploring the city?
Here is our list of popular restaurants for a wide variety of dining in Big D.
Just like everything else in Texas, dining is a big event in Dallas. Here are some
recommendations by local residents and
frequent visitors of the best restaurants,
many of which are located in or near
downtown.
crabs are our specialty.
The Oceanaire Seafood Room, 13340 Dallas
Parkway (Westin Galleria), (972) 759-2277. The
Dallas Morning News has called the atmosphere “supper club high swank power
seafood” and its servings are “Texas-sized.”
AMERICAN
STEAKS
Angry Dog, 2726 Commerce, (214) 741-4406.
Located in Dallas’ Deep Ellum district, this
restaurant and bar’s specialties include Duke’s
chicken-fried steak, the Angry Dog steak or the
Angry Dog taco dinner.
Antares, 300 Reunion Blvd. (atop Reunion Tower
at the Hyatt Regency Dallas), (214) 651-1234.
Stellar New American cuisine with SouthWestern influence is served in a romantic setting amid the stars and glittering lights of the
city below as the tower gently revolves.
Aurora, 4216 Oak Lawn Ave., (214) 528-9400.
Classic American cuisine prepared with French
techniques. One of Zagat’s top restaurants in
the U.S.
Celebration, 4503 W. Lovers Lane, (214) 3515681. Expect family homestyle cooking, featuring some of the best pot roast and mashed
potatoes around.
The Green Room, 2715 Elm St., (214) 748-7666.
The Green Room is a four-star rock ’n’ roll
restaurant that reflects the “hipness” of the
neighborhood. Menu selections range from
lamb osso bucco to seared sea scallops and
grilled tuna.
Maguire’s Regional Cuisine, 17552 N. Dallas
Pkwy., (972) 818-0068. Relaxed, inviting
atmosphere with an interesting menu, including entrees such as meatloaf, maple-ginger
salmon and puttanesca.
The Mansion on Turtle Creek, 2821 Turtle Creek
Blvd., (214) 559-2100. Recognized as the No. 1
hotel in the U.S. by Zagat, the restaurant offers
lobster tacos, barbecued oysters and lemongrass quail. Reservations recommended.
Nana, 2201 Stemmons Freeway (Wyndham
Anatole Hotel), (214) 761-7479. Five-star
restaurant serving new American cuisine
with a panoramic view of the Dallas skyline.
Bob’s Steak and Chop House, 4300 Lemmon
Ave., (214) 528-9446. One of the top steakhouses in the U.S. features prime-aged beef
and fresh seafood.
The Butcher Shop, 808 Munger Ave., (214) 7201032. Choose your steak from the display and
grill it yourself for a unique dining experience,
or let the expert chefs do it for you.
The Capital Grille, 500 Crescent Court, Suite
135, (214) 303-0500. Boasting an atmosphere
of power dining and relaxed elegance, this traditional steak house specializes in dry aged
steaks. The extensive menu also includes North
Atlantic lobsters, chops and fresh seafood.
Chaparral Restaurant & Lounge, (Adam’s Mark
Hotel) 400 North Olive St., (214) 922-8000.
Chaparral is on the 38th floor and is one of
Dallas’ most intriguing dining destinations.
Spectacular skyline views are upstaged only
by the fine cuisine served with white-glove
sophistication in a refined art deco-inspired
ambience.
Dakota’s Steakhouse, 600 N. Akard, (214) 7404001. Dakota’s enjoys a national reputation,
offering fresh seafood, aged beef and wild
game grilled over a blend of native Texas
wood.
Dunston’s Prime Steakhouse, 8526 Harry Hines
Blvd., (214) 637-3513. Dallas' original
mesquite grill steakhouse. Family owned and
operated since 1955. Serving the finest aged
USDA prime beef, featuring display cooking on
flaming open pits.
Hoffbrau Steaks – West End, 311 North Market
St., Suite 100, (214) 742-4663. A Texas tradition that's been serving Dallas for over two
decades, Hoffbrau features delicious steaks,
chicken, gulf shrimp, crisp green salads and
half-pound hamburgers.
Kirby’s Steakhouse, 3525 Greenville Ave., (214)
821-2122. A Dallas institution featuring steak,
prime rib and lobster.
Morton’s Steakhouse, 501 Elm St., (214) 7412277. Savor the good life. USDA prime-aged
beef, succulent seafood, fine wine, chilled
cocktails, decadent deserts, crisp white linens
and exceptional service.
Palm Restaurant, 701 Ross Ave., (214) 6980470. New York City steak and lobster house.
Casual atmosphere, large prime-aged steaks
and Nova Scotia Lobsters. Caricatures of the
famous and infamous are on the walls.
Perry’s Restaurant, 2911 Routh St., (214) 8719991. A classic Dallas dinner house, featuring
fresh seafood in addition to prime hand-cut
steaks, exceptional service and a warm elegant
atmosphere. Awarded “Top Ten Steakhouse” by
Tom Horan and “Best New Restaurant —
2002” by the Dallas Morning News.
ASIAN
Aija Restaurant, 2001 Ross Ave. (Mezzanine
Level, Trammel Crow Center), (214) 979-3111.
A four-star-rated restaurant serving an Asianfusion executive buffet by award-winning Chef
Raoul Orosa.
The Dralion Restaurant, 3102 Oak Lawn Ave.
Suite 110, (214) 219-6880. Dallas' newest
authentic Asian cuisine. Far East to Far West
Asia. Large wine cellar with 48 wines by the
glass. DJ spins nightly in lounge. The restaurant features private dining rooms, a patio,
catering, take out and gothic Chinese interior
design.
STEEL Restaurant and Lounge, 3102 Oak Lawn
Ave., Suite 100, (214) 219-9908. Known as the
best Asian cuisine in Dallas, STEEL features
multiple menus including Japanese food, one
for the sushi bar and indochine cuisine, which
The French Room is just one of the many popular restaurants in the Dallas area.
merges French, Chinese and Vietnamese
cuisines.
FRENCH
French Room, 1321 Commerce St. (Adolphus
Hotel), (214) 742-8200. Known as one of
Dallas’ most beautiful restaurants, the French
Room serves superb classic French fare transformed to American tastes.
Jeroboam Urban Brasserie, 1501 Main St., (214)
748-7226. Nestled in the Kirby Building and
within walking distance from Dallas’ greatest
hotels, Jeroboam offers a modern spin on traditional French cuisine. Featuring an extensive
wine list and intimate atmosphere. Jeroboam’s
menu offers a selection of lunch and dinner
“Fruits De Mer,” such as fresh oysters, lobster,
caviar, crab, shrimp and a daily prix fixe menu.
ITALIAN
Arcodoro and Pomodoro, 2708 Routh St., (214)
871-1924. This pair of Italian restaurants,
under one roof, offers two dining experiences.
Arcodoro is casual, while Pomodoro is more
upscale.
Campisi’s Restaurants, 1520 Elm St., Suite 111
(Stone Street Gardens). Voted “best pizza” by
Bon Appetit magazine. Also offers traditional
Italian fare.
Ferre Ristorante (West Village Shopping Center),
3699 McKinney Ave., Suite 106, (214) 5223888. Ferre Ristorante is a contemporary
Italian-Tuscan restaurant in the heart of West
Village. Enjoy great service and outstanding
Italian cuisine, including stone-fired pizzas,
homemade pastas, fresh fish and seasoned
steak.
Porta di Roma, 1623 Main St., Suite 104, (214)
752-0855. Casual classic Italian restaurant and
bar in downtown Dallas across the street from
Neiman's. Great atmosphere, Three-star dining
featuring chicken marcopollo, veal, an extensive selection of pasta and pizza.
Riccardi’s, 2800 Routh St., (214) 303-0881,
Riccardi's offers authentic Italian cuisine
Monday through Friday for lunch and dinner
Monday through Saturday evenings. The bar
and lounge offers full service and includes live
PHOTO COURTESY ADOLPHUS HOTEL, DALLAS
music Tuesday through Saturday.
JAPANESE
Deep Sushi, 2624 Elm St., (214) 651-1177. An
upbeat, eclectic Japanese dining experience
offering sushi, sashimi and traditional
Japanese dishes.
Tom Tom Asian Grill & Sushi Bar, 3699 McKinney
Ave., (214) 522-1237. Tom Tom is a modern
New York-style Asian grill and sushi bar with a
menu of quick, healthy street food, sushi, rice
broth noodles, as well as grilled, stir-fried
items.
MEDITERRANEAN
Ziziki’s, 4514 Travis St., Suite 122, (214) 5212233. Located in the Travis Walk area of downtown Dallas, Ziziki’s is an intimate
Mediterranean bistro featuring Greek and
Italian specialties. Ziziki’s has earned high
acclaim from both local and national food critics and has won the prestigious “Award of
Excellence” from Wine Spectator.
SEAFOOD
Daddy Jack’s, 1916 Greenville Ave., (214) 8264910. Specialties include fresh, expertly prepared lobsters, steak and New England-style
seafood.
Joe’s Crab Shack – West End, 2001 N. Lamar,
(214) 220-0404. It’s loud, it’s lively, It’s a whole
lotta fun. Try the crabs — any size, shape or
color! If you're not a crabber, Joe's also offers
other tasty selections, including seafood combinations, salads, sandwiches, pasta and
chicken.
Landry’s Seafood House – West End, 306 North
Market St., (214) 698-1010. If you love
seafood, you'll love Landry's. Specialties
include famous blackened shrimp, seafood
gumbo, Landry's famous seafood salad, fresh
gulf snapper, stuffed flounder, lemon pepper
catfish and spicy catfish.
Truluck’s – McKinney, 2401 McKinney Ave.,
(214) 220-2401. Truluck's is all about fresh
seafood, juicy steaks, succulent crab and delicious wines. We are so committed to fresh
seafood that we own our own fisheries! Stone
9
SUNDAY, JULY 9
ultimate in downtown dining and atmosphere.
La Esquina Restaurant and Tequila Bar,
(Wyndham Anatole Hotel) 2201 Stemmons
Freeway, (214) 748-1200. Authentic, handcrafted Tex-Mex dishes with south-of-theborder soul and the finest tequilas and margaritas. Not for the faint of heart and not to
be missed.
Monica’s Aca y Alla, 2914 Main St., (214)
748-7140. One of the best tortilla soups in
town. The dining room becomes a dance
floor at night.
Ojeda’s Restaurant, 4617 Maple Ave., (214)
528-8383. Known for its enchiladas, fajitas,
and margaritas, Ojeda’s has been family
owned and operated for 30 years.
Reputation built on good food, prompt service and reasonable prices.
On the Border Café — West End, 1801 North
Lamar, (214) 855-0296. Mesquite fired and
traditional favorites in a warm festive setting. Try the authentic, fresh specialties,
accompanied by a variety of frozen margaritas, specialty tequilas and Mexican beers.
RJ Mexican Cuisine LLC, 1701 N. Market,
(214) 744-1420. Unique Mexican cuisine
offering a variety of specialties including
seafood, steaks, quail, ribs and traditional
Mexican entrees.
Uncle Julio’s, 4125 Lemmon Ave., (214) 5206620. Voted the best Tex-Mex restaurant by
reader’s polls in the Dallas Morning News
and Dallas Observer. Try the mesquitegrilled meats.
Restaurants Continued
Texas Land & Cattle Steak House, 3130
Lemmon Ave., (214) 526-4664. Great
Steaks Texas Style. Enjoy certified choice
beef, like true center-cut filets and aged sirloin, trimmed to be lean and flavorful, then
grilled to perfection over a mesquite fire for
the real flavor of Texas.
Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse, 702 Ross Ave., (214)
744-3287. Are you looking for a true Texas
steakhouse—one that is not a chain, one
you can't find back home, one that serves
five-star cuisine in a casual atmosphere?
Believe it or not you can find one in downtown Dallas in the historical West End.
TEX-MEX
Blue Goose Cantina, 2905 Greenville Ave.,
(214) 823-8339. Crowds of all ages enjoy
this loud, fun and unaffected restaurant.
Families appreciate the efficient service and
casual ambience of the dining room.
Cadillac Bar, 1800 North Market, (214) 9990662. This festive yet casual restaurant
makes every night seem like a weekend.
The authentic Mexican menu includes sizzling fajitas, ocean fresh shrimp, cabrito,
alambres and of course ice-cold margaritas.
Iron Cactus, 1520 Main St., (214) 749-4766.
Iron Cactus’ sophisticated standard is
unmatched with three stories of Texas limestone, steel and glass. Featuring the spectacular rooftop, the Iron Cactus provides the
ROUNDTABLES
continued from page 5
Wierzgac. “The tables are always packed.
It’s a great opportunity for open discussions.”
Wierzgac added that the opportunity
for rookie attendees is invaluable as far
as what they will learn and who they will
be able to meet and talk with.
The roundtable discussions will be broken down into 14 categories: Leadership
DEFENDING
continued from page 5
statements, call witnesses to the stand and
make closing remarks. A jury (the jury is
made up of all the attendees in the audience) will determine the verdict in favor
of the plaintiff or the defendant.”
After participating, attendees will be
able to identify relevant, incorrect and
omitted contractual information; detect
red flag clauses for your attorney to
review; and evaluate the ramifications
of canceling an event.
“Since there will be a mock trial during
the second half of the session, the attendees will see the results of their negotiation efforts succeed or fail in a mock
courtroom setting,” Pederson said. “This
Development, Career Development, Etiquette and Protocol, Meeting Management, Meeting Planning, Meeting Support
Matrix, Communication, Entrepreneurship, International Business, Technology,
Sales, Financial Management, Legal and
Marketing, Branding and Public
Relations.
Each of those categories will be further
broken down into sub-topics.
The roundtable discussions run
from 3:30 p.m./15.30 to 5 p.m./17.00 in
Ballrooms C1-C4.
will drive home the importance of always
acquiring legal assistance when negotiating and signing contracts.
“The sample contracts the attendees
will negotiate contain multiple errors and
are not written in a win/win format. It is
up to the attendees (in a group simulation exercise) to make it a win/win
contract.”
Pederson added that the importance
of the legal aspects of the contract language is not something that should be
overlooked.
“If event planners are not careful and
do not focus on contractual language and
pay attention to all the details surrounding their event, they may find themselves
in court,” Pederson said. “A key to remember is: Before signing any contract, always
acquire a legal review.”
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©GREATER MIAMI CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU
10
CONGRESS CONNECTIONS
Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
Dallas museum traces history of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy
allas played a prominent, yet
tragic, role in the history of former
U.S. President John F. Kennedy.
Several museums are dedicated to examining the fatal shooting of the nation’s
35th president more than 40 years ago in
Dallas, as well as commemorating JFK’s
amazing legacy.
The most notable of these museums is
the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza,
411 Elm St., Dallas, (214) 747-6660. The
museum is housed in the Dallas County
Administration Building, formerly the
Texas School Book Depository, from
which alleged lone assassin Lee Harvey
Oswald fired the deadly shots from the
sixth floor around 12:30 p.m., Friday,
Nov. 22, 1963.
The Sixth Floor Museum is a nonprofit, self-supporting facility with a mission
of chronicling the assassination and legacy
of Kennedy, preserving the Dealey Plaza
National Historic Landmark District and
the Kennedy Memorial, and providing
visitors with the tools to navigate the
contemporary culture within the context
of presidential history.
The museum’s permanent exhibition
comprises nine key sections. “The Early
1960s” outlines major social movements
and political events, lifestyles and fashions
of the era, and the national and international milieu. “The Trip to Texas” examines the reasons for Kennedy’s trip to
Texas and features historic television
footage that recreates the enthusiastic
reception the Kennedys received in Texas.
The most chilling exhibition section is
“The Corner Window,” which is an accurate re-creation of the southeast window
area as it looked on Nov. 22, 1963, when
D
PHOTO COURTESY DALLAS CVB
The Sixth Floor Museum is a popular attraction with Dallas-area visitors.
Oswald allegedly fired his fateful shots.
On display nearby the area is an original
corner window, which was removed soon
after the assassination for protective purposes. The “Views Into Dealey Plaza” section gives visitors access to the southfacing windows from which the motorcade route can be seen.
“The Crisis Hours” detail the events
of the Nov. 22-25 weekend, from noon
Friday to midnight Monday. A film, comprised entirely of historic film footage and
audio broadcasts with no additional narration, summarizes the events leading up
to the funeral. Another film analyzes
national and world reaction to the assassination.
“The Investigations” section explains
the chronology of investigations over a
25-year period, and visual displays examine the acoustical evidence, photographs,
forensic and ballistics tests and other evidence examined during each major investigation. “Who Did It?” addresses the lone
assassin theory involving Oswald, as well
as other alleged conspiracies and motives.
Criticisms of the major investigations are
also explained historically in this section.
“The Legacy” section features a 10minute film hosted by Walter Cronkite
that deals with the long-term consequences of the assassination, such as
Kennedy’s legacy of hope, the impact of
his administration’s programs and the
influence of his death at home and
abroad.
An adjacent wall displays visuals of
major Kennedy memorials from around
the world.
The museum’s “Corner Staircase” is the
second evidential area, where the sniper
allegedly exited and where the rifle was
found. The staircase is reconstructed as it
appeared from police department photographs on Nov. 22, 1963.
The Sixth Floor Museum also contains
the Research Center, which houses artifacts and archival materials, including the
famous Zapruder film of the assassination, and the Oral History Program,
which preserves the more than 150 personal recollections of the Kennedy era
through interviews of people from White
House officials to ordinary citizens standing along the motorcade route in Dallas.
The Sixth Floor Museum is open daily
from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $10 for
adults. For an additional $3.50, visitors
can get an audio tour.
Even though the Sixth Floor Museum
explores alternatives to the Warren
Commission’s conclusion that Oswald
was the lone assassin, another Dallas
museum goes all out in addressing conspiracy theories—the Conspiracy
Museum, 110 S. Market Street, (214) 7413040. The JFK assassination and theories
about cover-ups receive considerable
attention at the Conspiracy Museum.
However, other political assassinations
and possible conspiracy theories are
examined as well, including those of
President Abraham Lincoln, Sen. Robert
F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.
The Conspiracy Museum is open from
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Admission is $9
for adults.
Reunion Tower Offers the Best View in Town
ou may not have time for a lot
of sightseeing, but a visit to the
observation deck atop the Hyatt
Regency’s Reunion Tower lets you see a
lot of Dallas in one quick trip.
The Tower itself is worth a close look.
At a height of 55 stories and crowned
with a geodesic sphere, Reunion Tower is
a landmark on the Dallas skyline.
You can view the city by day or night
after taking a 68-second elevator ride to
the top, taking in a breathtaking 360degree view of Dallas.
An easily recognizable landmark for
Dallas and a dramatic addition to the
evening skyline with its lighted dome and
flashing light show, the tower has a public
observation deck as well as the Antares
Restaurant and the Dome cocktail lounge
that rotate at the rate of one revolution
every 55 minutes.
If hunger strikes while you’re topside,
Y
drop in at Antares, the revolving tower
restaurant. The menu has enough variety
to satisfy most pangs, but be prepared to
pay extra for food with a view.
Or, if heights make you feel like having
a highball, check out the Dome cocktail
lounge. The atmosphere is dressy, the
music live and the view is the best in
town.
The observation deck sits atop the
Dallas Hyatt Regency and is easily spotted
amidst the downtown landscape. And
once you travel to the top, you’ll be able
to get a fantastic view of the rest of downtown Dallas from just about every angle.
The observation deck is open Sunday
through Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 10
p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m.
to 11 p.m.
Admission is $2 for adults and $1 for
children. For more information, call
(214) 712-7145.
PHOTO COURTESY DALLAS CVB
The Reunion Tower (left) offers visitors a panoramic view of the entire downtown Dallas area.
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*NOT AVAILABLE FOR PREVIOUSLY BOOKED MEETINGS. MEETINGS MUST BE BOOKED AND HELD BY 8/31/06. BASED ON AVAILABILITY.
© 2006 MILLENNIUM HOTELS AND RESORTS.
12
CONGRESS CONNECTIONS
Search Party Launches New Hotel Search Engine
s the 2006 travel season heats up,
a new online travel player has
emerged to offer a highly specialized
and robust resource to help consumers
easily shop and compare the total cost
of a hotel stay online. Search Party has
unveiled the beta version of its new
hotel price search engine, www.search
party.com, providing consumers with several new comparison features not currently found through any other single travel
site.
Search Party allows consumers to easily
search and compare nightly rates, taxes
and booking fees, and cancellation poli-
A
cies for more than 40,000 U.S. hotels,
across most major hotel brands and leading online travel sites, including Orbitz,
Lodging.com, One Travel, Reserve Travel,
LastMinuteTravel.com and others.
In addition to its Web site, Search Party
has introduced a proprietary desktop
tool—Search Party Desktop—that can
be downloaded free of charge and enables
online travel shoppers to compare hotel
prices while they are also shopping on
Expedia and Travelocity, even though
these companies do not actively participate in Search Party or other travel search
engines.
Once downloaded, Search Party
Desktop automatically activates when
a user searches for hotels on Expedia or
Travelocity and compares the selected hotel’s
price to other sites in Search Party’s system to identify if lower rates are available.
“People who think prices don’t vary
much online need to shop for hotels on
Search Party,” said Eric Christensen,
founder and president of Search Party and
a 20-year hospitality industry veteran.
“Search Party helps prevent consumers
from overpaying for hotels. We understand the cost of a hotel stay is significantly more than just the average nightly rate,
Las Vegas Meetings Debuts Innovative New
Educational Programming for Meeting Planners
as Vegas Meetings by Harrah’s
Entertainment will conduct an
ongoing series of educational conferences geared toward meeting planners.
The decision to roll out the program was
a result of the overwhelming response and
enormous success of the company’s recent
inaugural event, titled “The Las Vegas
Experience.”
The three-day program was held across
the company’s six Las Vegas properties.
“The Las Vegas Experience” educational
series is a clear departure from a standard
FAM trip, which embraces guests with
a wine-and-dine experience and recreational activities such as a day of golf,
allowing guests to get familiar with a
specific property or location.
In contrast to the FAM trips, “The Las
Vegas Experience” is designed to be
rewarding to those who participate, promote the education and expertise of those
professionals who serve the industry and
helps attendees grow professionally.
“While we certainly have a lot to talk
about—the recent merger of Harrah’s
Entertainment and Caesars Entertainment, the subsequent creation of Las
Vegas Meetings by Harrah’s Entertainment and all that has been made possible
as a result—we knew we didn’t want this
to be a shameless sales pitch or a generic,
‘thanks for your business’ type of thing,”
said Jordan Clark, director of sales for Las
Vegas Meetings. “We wanted to create
something special by combining a series
of unique experiences that would give
L
attendees opportunities for professional
development and personal enrichment,
while showcasing Las Vegas as a destination and teaching the unique philosophies
and methods behind Las Vegas Meetings
”
We wanted to
create something
special.
“
Jordan Clar k
director of sales,
Las Vegas Meetings
by Harrah’s Entertainment. An ‘un-FAM,’
if you will.”
Developed to further the education
and expertise of those professionals who
serve the industry and provide planners
a chance to network with their peers from
around the country, “The Las Vegas
Experience” also offered attendees the
unique opportunity to personally experience how Las Vegas Meetings by Harrah’s
Entertainment implements events and
serves its customers.
Additionally, attendees got a glimpse
into what Las Vegas, as a destination, has
to offer them and their clients technically,
creatively and in the way of incentive programming. Meeting planners also received
completion certificates and can apply the
contact hours toward Certified Meeting
Professional (CMP) and Certified Meeting
Manager (CMM) designations.
“I’m confident that this mutually beneficial experience will contribute to positive
results in my future meeting and group
requests,” said attendee Lori Ferrucci,
hotels and meetings Specialist for Bechtel’s Travel Services Department in San
Francisco. More information about
Harrah’s Entertainment is available
at its Web site: www.harrahs.com.
Vegas Visitors Getting
Younger, Spending More
as Vegas’ largest audience is still
derived from the baby boomer
generation, but the number of
Generation X visitors drawn to the
destination is growing, according to
the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors
Authority’s (LVCVA) 2005 Visitor
Profile Study.
The average age of a Las Vegas visitor is down from 49 years old to 47.7
years old.
In addition, visitors are spending
more money and remain satisfied with
their Las Vegas experience. For the
31st consecutive year, the LVCVA has
released its annual Visitor Profile
Study that details the trends, attitudes,
behaviors and spending habits
of Las Vegas visitors.
For more information about Las
Vegas, visit www.lvcva.com.
L
Study: Ask Guests to Show You How They View Hotels
technique called photo-elicitation
makes it possible for guests to show
hotel managers both their likes and
dislikes. A new research tool issued by the
Cornell University Center for Hospitality
Research demonstrates how photo-elicitation operates.
Authors Madeleine Pullman, Ph.D.,
and Stephani Robson used photo-elicitation for a pilot study at the Statler Hotel,
A
the teaching hotel operated by the School
of Hotel Administration, where Pullman
and Robson are both faculty members.
They gave one-time-use cameras to
guests who agreed to participate in the
study, asking them to shoot whatever
they saw that influenced their opinion
of the hotel.
When the resulting photos were printed, the researchers and guests reviewed
the images, which revealed touches that
guests appreciated and items that hotel
management might not have noticed,
such as a tangle of electrical cords and
a malfunctioning armoire door.
The tool, “A Picture is Worth a
Thousand Words: Using Photo-Elicitation
to Solicit Hotel Guest Feedback,” is available at no charge at www.hotelschool.
cornell.edu/chr/research/tools.html.
and we’ve created Search Party to provide
a complete view that helps our users compare the total ‘real’ cost of the stay to find
the best all-around value that saves time
and money.”
Founded by a group of online hotel
veterans, Search Party has been in development for more than 18 months. Search
Party vastly simplifies hotel comparison
shopping for consumers while also helping hoteliers and distribution companies
sell more rooms without straining reservations systems or compromising important revenue and yield management practices.
CWT Presents
Industry
Education
Program
arlson Wagonlit Travel is presenting an industry education
program called CWT Travel
Perspective, a series of events
designed to provide critical insight
into business travel trends, challenges
and opportunities.
The next program in the series is
Sept. 26 in Boston and will cover topics related to Europe, the Middle East
and Africa.
Travel Perspective attendees previously gained valuable insights into
the Asia Pacific region through a
variety of topics including the air
carrier playing field, the hotel market
and the emergence of online booking.
The CWT Travel Perspective education series will continue with a
safety and security program on Nov.
14 in New York City.
For more information, visit
www.carlsonwagonlit.com.
C
ICCA Ranks Top
Destinations
he International Congress and
Convention Association (ICCA)
has released its top country and
city rankings for 2005.
The U.S. was home to the most
events (376), followed by Germany
(320), Spain (275), the United
Kingdom (270) and France (240).
On a city basis, Vienna saw the
most events (129) with Singapore
close behind (125), followed by
Barcelona (116), Berlin (100) and
Hong Kong (95).
The full ICCA statistics report was
released on May 26. For more information, visit www.iccaworld.com.
T
13
SUNDAY, JULY 9
StarCite Launches Meeting Estimator
tarCite Inc. has launched its
Meeting Estimator—a tool that
helps meeting planners make more
informed decisions by quickly comparing
the potential costs of holding a meeting in
different locations. The Meeting Estimator
was created to provide customers with a
simple, high-speed, online method to
compare air and hotel rates for different
destinations before they make a financial
commitment.
The estimates are provided automatically, with totals and average per-person
S
costs calculated through the StarCite
Online Marketplace.
“The complexity of comparing different locations and estimating potential air
and hotel costs has traditionally been
daunting for meeting planners,” said
Michael Boult, president and CEO of
StarCite. “We developed the Meeting
Estimator to help cut through the clutter
and enable planners to make better, more
informed decisions.”
In addition to calculating the total and
average per-person costs for a potential
meeting in each location, the Meeting
Estimator has a built-in support system
that allows planners to include day-only
attendees that don’t require transportation or hotel rooms within their estimates.
Other features include the ability to tailor
cost assumptions to match companies’
typical event profiles and the capability to
export data generated by the tool directly
to Excel programs, enabling more streamlined communication amongst team members. For more information, visit
www.starcite.com.
Ottawa Tourism Launches MeetingsEasy
ne-stop shopping has arrived for
people looking to plan meetings
in Ottawa and Canada’s Capital
Region. Ottawa Tourism has launched
MeetingsEasy—a free, Web-based software
program that allows planners to attach
their meeting details and receive proposals
online.
“The response has been fantastic,” said
Tom Price, director of meetings and conventions sales and marketing at Ottawa
Tourism. “We’ve managed to take out the
tedium and make planning a meeting a
much more streamlined process.”
MeetingsEasy allows planners to
research facilities, request and receive proposals, plan, save and update meeting
details instantly. Meeting plans can be forwarded to colleagues at any time, anywhere in the world as a read-only file. The
program also allows users to create password-protected areas for confidential
material. Planners can return at any time
in the process to make changes, book new
services or request additional information.
Perhaps most importantly, MeetingsEasy allows planners to upload their own
documents to the system, rather than
forcing them to complete pre-packaged,
one-size-fits-all forms that may not meet
O
their needs. In addition, a meetings
concierge is available during regular working hours to help new users walk through
the system or answer any other questions
that may arise.
“To the best of our knowledge, there is
no other program like it in the world,”
said Price, who adds that $250,000 has
been spent on developing and marketing
MeetingsEasy. “We’re saving meeting planners not only the cost of the software but
also endless hours in researching, collaborating and recreating documents.”
Price foresees the program appealing
not only to Canadian-based meeting planners, but international planners looking to
meet in Ottawa.
“It’s user-friendly, available 24 hours a
day and geared to any meeting budget,”
said Price. MeetingsEasy automatically
distributes information to more than 300
Ottawa suppliers that meet a planner’s
requirements. Partners include hotels,
restaurants, caterers, attractions, museums, outdoor activities and audiovisual
specialists.
For more information, visit
www.ottawatourism.ca/meetingseasy.
Historic Hotels Debuts Enhanced
Meeting Planner Web Site
PHOTO COURTESY WEMBLEY ARENA
Wembley Arena
Reopens
ollowing a US$35 million renovation, London’s Wembley Arena
recently celebrated its reopening
with a series of Depeche Mode concerts.
The arena now features 12,200 seats and
a state-of-the-art audio system.
The arena’s renovation is part of a
58-acre complex surrounding Wembley
Stadium that is currently under construction.
The project will include residential,
commercial and entertainment facilities.
F
istoric Hotels of America recently
debuted an enhanced “Meetings
and Events” section on its Web site.
The enhancements include the ability to
search by destination, number of guest
rooms and number of attendees; the addition of an extensive list of value dates; and
the option for planners to attach their
own request for proposal (RFP) rather
than completing an online form.
“Meeting planners are often surprised
to learn that Historic Hotels of America
members feature a wide and complete
range of meeting facilities,” said Michael
DiRienzo, director of sales and advertising
for Historic Hotels of America. “This
enhanced Web site will allow planners to
quickly narrow their searches whether
H
they are looking for hotel with eight or
1,400 guest rooms, for an executive board
meeting or 100,000 square feet of meeting
space.
“Additionally, we now offer value dates
at selected hotels, and we have made it
easy for planners to quickly attach their
own RFP without having to complete
another online form.”
Historic Hotels of America is a program of the National Trust for Historic
Preservation.
Historic Hotels has identified more
than 200 hotels that have faithfully maintained their historic integrity, architecture
and ambiance.
For more information, visit www.
historichotels.org/meetings_events.
American
Express Forms
Global Advisory
Services Unit
merican Express has formed a
global advisory services unit
within its Business Travel division. The new Advisory Services organization will span Business Travel’s four
operating regions and align nearly 200
professionals to strengthen the division’s client management servicing
capabilities.
Advisory Services will provide an
end-to-end solution to help companies
optimize their investment in air, car,
hotel and meetings spending.
“The new Advisory Services unit
will be laser focused on providing the
insights and capabilities required to
deliver tangible ROI—in the form of
purchase and process savings as well as
heightened program controls—from
the billions of dollars our clients’ spend
annually on travel and meetings,” said
Andy McGraw, senior vice president
and general manager of North America
for American Express Business Travel.
Through its holistic, interdisciplinary approach, Advisory Services will
integrate three travel specialty practicelines—policy consulting, strategic
sourcing and process management—
that had previously operated individually within defined geographies.
Broadly, the practice lines function
as follows:
• Policy Consulting — Drive corporate cultural change around travel
buying decisions
• Strategic Sourcing — Secure optimal supplier relationships to support client success
• Process Management —
Implement buying decisions and
travel program controls
Advisory Services is managed by
Mike Streit, vice president of advisory
services at American Express Business
Travel.
“With business travel on the
rebound and costs and complexity rising across every facet of travel spending, there’s never been a more pressing
need for the insights and capabilities
we bring to the table,” Streit said.
Advisory Services’ recognized subject matter experts will leverage the
world’s largest corporate travel data
repository, representing more than
10,000 clients and $20 billion in total
travel spending, and take full advantage
of American Express’s unique position
as the world’s only fully integrated
travel, purchasing and payment program provider.
For more information, visit
www.americanexpress.com.
A
14
CONGRESS CONNECTIONS
Critical Excel Tools for the Meeting Professional
earn how to harness the fundamental and advanced tools of Excel at the
Pre-Conference session, “Critical
Excel Tools for the Meeting Professional,”
presented by James Spellos, CMP, president, MeetingU., today from 8:00 a.m./
08.00 to 11:30 a.m./11.30.
Utilizing meetings industry examples such
as tracking, registration and housing, see
how Excel can save time on all aspects of
L
your job.
“We give them the capability not only
to understand to build basic Excel formulas, but how to use the sophisticated tools
within Excel to extract information and to
be able to get what they need out of the
information they are entering,” Spellos said.
Attendees will receive three meetings
industry spreadsheets: Rack Rate, BreakEven Analysis and Attrition.
“Excel is more used than any other
software in our industry to do things such
as conference registration and housing,”
Spellos said. “In the meetings that are
average to small size, where the power of
Access is almost wasted, Excel becomes
that ready tool for them to utilize right
out of the box. It’s a much more user
friendly software.”
After participating, you will be able to
identify and use more than 15 advanced
Excel tools, customize graphs and other
conditional formatting features and use
Excel to track potential attrition damages.
“It’s amazing how much of a need
there is,” Spellos said. “Most people are
self taught on computers and able to fill
in the gaps and holes in the information
they have. We give them the cool tools to
advance their knowledge.”
Professional Development Workshops
SC003 Learning Lab: Production of
Memorable General Sessions
3:30 – 5:00 p.m./15.30 – 17.00
This session is presented by the Fusion
Productions team responsible for the design and
production of the Opening General Sessions at
MPI events. Using the WEC Opening General
Session as an example, creating meetings that
engage minds, touch emotions and expand
imaginations will be discussed. Participate in a
creative brainstorm focused on finding solutions
to your own challenges and come away with
ideas to improve your meeting’s value on the
very next try. After participating, you will be able
to increase your meeting’s influence by achieving the right balance of content and technical
creativity and measure and communicate your
success to your stakeholders. The session will
be presented by James B. McDonough, director
of training and meetings services, Fusion
Productions; James Tausch, creative director,
Fusion Productions; and Ed Simeone, CMP,
CMM, executive producer, Fusion Productions.
SC002 Dare to be Remarkable®
3:30 – 5:00 p.m./15.30 – 17.00
Do you Dare? We all have excuses for why our
lives aren’t as remarkable as they could be and
why we aren’t as remarkable as we should be.
In reality, it isn’t your difficult childhood, education, boss or other adversity that holds you back.
It is our own mythology about what we are
capable of and what we have control over in our
lives. It is our disconnect from our passions and
our deepest personal values. “Dare to be
Remarkable®” will help attendees rewrite their
myths; name their values, passions and goals;
and take action toward realizing the remarkable
life that is intended for them. The session will be
presented by Jane Gentry, speaker and owner of
Jane Gentry.
JAMES TKATCH PHOTOGRAPHER
Professional development workshops, like the one above from the 2005 WEC, begin on Monday and run throughout
the day. They conclude on Tuesday.
we like to think of it as a natural
conversation piece
Do you have a minute?
I'm here. You're here. We should get together.
When we do, we'll have plenty to discuss. Such as all the benefits, Overland
Park, Kansas, can offer your next event.
u
u
u
u
u
Centrally located, just a day’s drive for 52 million people
State-of-the-art convention center
32 wonderful and convenient hotels
Nearby world-renowned shopping and dining
A variety of Kansas City area attractions and cultural centers
We are the natural choice for your next event so call me while you’re here
and we’ll talk about special pricing discounts!
Jeanne Burris
Sales Manager
Immediate Past President, KCMPI
Cell Phone: 913-433-3717
The Convention Center’s
signature icon tower
features a 37-foot
chandelier entitled Growth.
It features over 200 pieces
of hand-blown glass and
weighs 1,500 pounds.
Overland Park
Convention & Visitors Bureau
1-800-262-PARK (7275)
www.opcvb.org
9:25am
9:47am
10:02am
10:09am
10:15am
10:17am
10:26am
11:55am
12:12pm
12:45pm
1:12pm
1:20pm
1:35pm
1:38pm
1:53pm
2:31pm
2:43pm
3:29pm
4:48pm
5:06pm
5:25pm
6:32pm
6:51pm
8:05pm
9:30pm
10:17pm
11:46pm
Come to Toronto for the meeting.
Stay for the experience.
Imagine a city that inspires unlimited possibilities. How could it change you? A vibrant city with an International Airport catering
to over 600 flights daily – within one hour’s flight time of 60% of the US population. A Convention and Visitors Bureau
that ranks in the top 3 in North America. With something to discover around every corner in the creative city, you’ll experience
more than just a great time in Toronto. You might discover something new about yourself.
Visit us at booth #1004 at WEC or www.mytorontomeeting.com
©/™ 2005 Toronto Convention & Visitors Association
17
SUNDAY, JULY 9
Forum Provides Skills for Volunteers
s business has improved for meeting
professionals all over the world,
fewer people are volunteering for
positions within their chapters, and those
that do volunteer have less time as they
are doing more with fewer resources.
In order to ensure that the 68 chapters
and clubs of Meeting Professionals
International continue to be healthy and
vital, the Chapter Leadership Forum, held
on Saturday, helped to ensure that the
training of trainers persists. The Forum
presented processes for supporting peerto-peer communications and collaboration, as well as offered the development of
leadership skills that impact personal and
professional development beyond MPI.
“The Chapter Leadership Forum provides the opportunity for chapter leaders,
board members, committee chairs and
other volunteers to come together to
develop their leadership skills through
best practices sharing and also through
attending some specific leadership skills
sessions,” said Elizabeth George, CMM,
MPI chapter relations manager.
Those in attendance were provided volunteer education at a variety of leadership
stages through targeted tracks, sessions
and workshops. A trio of roundtable
breakouts included sessions focusing
on education, communications, finance,
membership, marketing and public
relations.
There were also three leadership skills
presentations. The first, “How to Feel
Confident as a Chapter Leader in Speaking Before Your Constituents,” facilitated
A
JAMES TKATCH PHOTOGRAPHER
Attendees took part in the Chapter Leadership Forum on Saturday afternoon.
by S. Joanne Dennison, MSED, CMP, provided information on how to overcome
the fears of public speaking. The second
discussion, “I Know What I Meant—Did
You Understand What I Said?,” facilitated
by Doug McPhee, CMP, discussed the
ways of effective communication. The
final session was one that was fun and
humorous—a take on “Dr. Phil” with a
twist—called “Ask Dr. Steve. This session,
facilitated by Steven Foster, CMP, presented information on human resources issues
with volunteers.
“Ultimately, we want our chapter leaders to be developing skills that will support their succession planning at the
chapter level, so that they can go back
having developed skills and prepare others
to follow in their footsteps,” said George.
“The second really important thing that
we’re focusing on for all of our leadership
development is that the skills that they
learn here are not just skills that they will
use at their boards and at their chapters,
but they will also take it back to the workplace to use on a day-to-day basis.
“We hope that they came away motivated and enthused with a lot of ideas to
take back to their chapters so that they
will have a successful year of leadership,
and also be able to go back to their boss
and say that they’ve developed the leadership skills from attending this session so it
provides an ROI for their membership,”
said George.
The Canadian Tourism Commission
and its partners sponsored the Chapter
Leadership Forum.
Workshop Emphasizes How to Show Value
three-day interactive ROI
Competency-Building Workshop,
which highlights the ROI MethodologyTM model—a way of showing the
impact of a meeting, something that is
more and more meaningful to meeting
sponsors and executives—continued on
Saturday.
Jack Phillips, Ph.D., chairman of the
ROI Institute, Birmingham, Ala., showed
the different steps to measure learning by
A
attendees at a meeting, how to collect the
data and the impact it has by converting it
to money and comparing the cost of the
meeting—to calculate an actual return on
investment.
“There are huge benefits,” Dr. Phillips
said. “First, it’s a credible way of showing
anyone who’s interested the value of a
meeting. Second, the data we collect
shows how things should be changed. And
third, we’re trying to show the various
JAMES TKATCH PHOTOGRAPHER
Jack Phillips, Ph.D., discusses the importance of ROI MethodologyTM during the ROI Competency-Building Workshop
on Saturday at the Hyatt Regency Dallas.
stakeholders that there is a financial
return.”
By using case studies, exercises, problem solving and discussion of issues, Dr.
Phillips hoped that attendees would leave
not knowing just how to figure the return
on investment, but how to actually implement the process at a meeting and think
about the impact various issues would
have. In a world that has become a “do
more with less” environment, it’s essential
for meeting planners to be able to prove
return on investment.
“This is a way for executives to understand that this is a viable and important
part of the process, and that [meeting
planners] can contribute and can be an
important member of the team,” said Dr.
Phillips.
“We’re trying to elevate from the tactical approach for a meeting planner to
more strategic, and trying to get them
more involved in some of the key issues of
adding value to the whole organization.”
The workshop concludes on Sunday
morning at the Hyatt Regency Dallas.
The ROI workshop was sponsored by
Gaylord Hotels. The ROI founding sponsors are Fusion Productions, Gaylord
Hotels, the MPI Foundation and the MPI
Northern California Chapter.
NETWORKING
continued from page 1
complete without a mechanical bull.
Headliners such as George Strait, Mark
Chestnut and Tracy Byrd have graced the stage
there. Gilley’s entertainment calendar reflects
Dallas’ diversity, including contemporary rock,
hip-hop, jazz, blues, Latino/Tejano music and
even sporting events, while not forgetting its
urban country roots.
Gilley's name was immortalized in the 1980
film “Urban Cowboy,” which was inspired by
and shot in the original Gilley's nightclub in
Pasadena, Texas. A box-office hit, “Urban
Cowboy” spurred on men and women everywhere to put on cowboy boots and Stetson hats
and dance the Texas two-step. While at Gilley’s
Dallas, attendees can see “El Toro,” the original
mechanical bull from the film.
Mickey Gilley (a cousin of Jerry Lee "Great
Balls of Fire" Lewis and televangelist Jimmy
Swaggart) is the founder of the original Gilley’s,
which burned down in 1989. The landmark
honky-tonk was resurrected in Dallas in 2003.
Gilley was also an award-winning country music
recording artist, with 39 top 10 hits, 17 of which
reached No. 1.
This opportunity to relax and mingle with
industry peers is sponsored by Gilley’s Dallas
and the Hyatt Regency Dallas.
Rendezvous Dallas
9:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m./21.00 – 00.00
Tonight, an evening of jazz, food and dancing
is in store at BLUE, Dallas’ ultra-cool nightclub.
MPI’s World Educational Congress attendees can
have fun and network during Rendezvous Dallas,
sponsored by Sonesta Hotels, Resorts and Nile
Cruises, with entertainment by All Access, from
9:00 p.m./21.00 to 12:00 a.m./00.00.
Limited open bar and complimentary light
hors d’oeuvres will be provided, while Emerald
City will rock the main stage. Emerald City
exploded onto the Dallas music scene in the
summer of 1983, electrifying audiences with a
repertoire encompassing the last 50 years of
popular music, but also playing the most current
songs on the radio with a mix of original material. They have performed with such talents as
Roberta Flack, Garth Brooks, Willie Nelson and
Michael McDonald.
Cost of the event is $95 in advance and
$110 at the door. All proceeds benefit the MPI
Foundation.
The MPI Foundation was developed in 1984
to prepare meeting professionals for the future
and fund and develop innovative solutions.
Today, it has evolved to focus solely on fundraising and serve as the financial catalyst of MPI’s
program development. By supporting MPI chapters and members, and developing projects that
position MPI as an industry leader, the MPI
Foundation drives MPI’s mission to elevate
meeting planning into a recognized profession
and make meetings a critical component of
every organization’s strategic success.
BLUE, located downtown at 1930 Pacific Ave.
next to the Majestic Theatre, has a state-of-theart sound system that thumps over a 16,000square-foot dance floor. Celebrity sightings are
regular at BLUE—watch for local sports figures
headed to the VIP room.
18
CONGRESS CONNECTIONS
Attendees Go ‘Behind The
Scenes’ of a Trade Show
small group of meeting planners
had the opportunity to get a unique
view of a trade show—from behind
the scenes—during a session held on
Saturday at Freeman Decorating headquarters, near Dallas Love Field.
Freeman Decorating has been in business since 1927 producing expositions,
conventions, corporate events and exhibits
for a variety of clients.
Those in attendance were able to get
ideas from Freeman personnel on how to
A
successfully add a new revenue stream.
The tour looked at the different aspects of
planning a trade show from the preliminary planning process to pricing, sales and
marketing.
Attending meeting planners also
learned how to determine what kind of
show to have, how booths are placed and
assigned and how freight and labor work.
On Monday morning, WEC attendees
can go to MeetingPlace 2006 to see the
final result.
JAMES TKATCH PHOTOGRAPHER
Workers continued to put the finishing touches on the MeetingPlace, which will open Monday morning.
FUNDRAISER
continued from page 3
helping MPI in its fundraising efforts for
the local community during the 2006
WEC.
The community service project offers
more than just a chance to pet and hold a
dog or cat, it’s also a chance to kick back
and relax.
“Really, the main thing is going to be to
‘paws and relax your dogs,’” Galloway said
with a laugh. “There will be reflexology
for your feet and hands.”
Reflexology is a natural healing art,
based on the principle that there are
reflexes in the feet and hands which correspond to every part of the body. By stimulating and applying pressure to the feet or
hands, you are increasing circulation and
promoting specific bodily and muscular
functions.
And it’s for a great cause.
Each year, the local MPI chapter puts
together a community service project at
the WEC. This year, with help from the
SPCA of Texas, the Dallas/Fort Worth
Chapter is making a difference.
“Even if you have a second, at least
come down and help support [the
SPCA],” Galloway said. “And help out
some of the [dogs and cats] who were victims of Hurricane Katrina, still looking
for homes. SPCA of Texas is so big; they
take in animals from all over the South.
They are a wonderful organization and we
want to do anything we can to help support them.”
The SPCA of Texas is the leading animal welfare agency in North Texas with
two shelters and three spay/neuter clinics
located in Dallas and Collin counties. It
serves as an active resource center providing an array of programs and services that
All congress photography provided by
James Tkatch Photographer. To view the
complete photo archive and purchase
images, visit www.tkatchphoto.com.
bring people and animals together to
enrich each others’ lives.
In February, the SPCA of Texas officially began functioning as a Reservation
Required shelter, meaning that it will no
will longer euthanize animals for lack of
space.
The goal to no longer euthanize for
space was first proposed in 2000 as a
part of a comprehensive five-year plan
designed to take the SPCA into the 21st
century as a state-of-the-art, cutting-edge
animal shelter while remaining more
intensely focused on its core mission—
to improve the welfare of all animals.
$100 SAYS
you’ll sign up for our
loyalty program.
Receive an American Express branded prepaid card worth $100
when you sign up for our new meeting planner loyalty program.
®
And then start using our gift to you, only redeemable at Crowne Plaza® Hotels and Resorts
worldwide. The card is point-based, and each point equals $1 in purchasing power. So take
advantage of this exclusive pre-enrollment opportunity. It’s only offered to attendees of the
2006 MPI World Education Congress.
Visit booth #521 for details.
Enrollment in the Crowne Plaza loyalty program is free. Terms and Conditions apply. American Express branded prepaid card is valid only for purchases made at Crowne Plaza.
It may not be redeemed for cash. Other restrictions apply; see back of card for details. While supplies last.
Find us at
Booth 621
Tampa Convention Center
36,000 sq. ft. Ballroom
200,000 sq. ft. Exhibit Hall
36 Breakout Rooms
Waterfront Views
We offer you Florida’s best meeting facilities including
our remarkable waterfront convention center.
Featuring America’s favorite airport and a destination
with incredible entertainment choices.
1-800-826-8358
www.VisitTampaBay.com