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First
Elite Meetings Alliance of 2015 Scores High Marks in Jamaica
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Santa
Barbara, CA – February 2015 / Newsmaker Alert / Elite
Meetings International (EMI), which was recently acquired by Cvent,
Inc., concluded its January 2015 Elite
Meetings Alliance (EMA) with high praise and equally high expectations
for resulting business between the meeting planners and suppliers in attendance.
The event, held January 25–27, 2015, at Jamaica’s Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall,
combined a variety of well-attended educational sessions, two days of one-on-one
appointments and numerous opportunities for networking. The January 2015
EMA enjoyed a ratio of two buyers for each supplier—a first in the event’s
nine-year history. In exit surveys, 100 percent of responding meeting planners
and suppliers said they expect to book business with a buyer or supplier
they met with at the EMA.
EMI’s
Chief Executive Officer Kelly Foy addressed the attendees and discussed
how Cvent’s acquisition of EMI will help expand and enhance the solutions
that EMI offers both planners and suppliers. He also commended the newly
opened Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall, who gave every attending planner a complimentary
three-night stay to experience the property again when renovations are
complete. “This promises to be an exciting year for EMI, and we’re off
to a wonderful start with this successful EMA. We were extremely fortunate
to work with the Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall, who brought the Jamaican vibe to
life for all of our attendees,” said Foy.
Education
A
full day of educational sessions preceded Sunday night’s official kickoff.
Education sessions, eligible for 6.5 hours of CMP credit, covered topics
ranging from dietary restrictions and wellness to generational issues and
risk management for meetings. The lunchtime keynote by Robyn Benincasa,
a full-time firefighter and world-champion adventure racer, offered another
highlight. Her presentation entitled “Building World Class Teams: The 8
Essential Elements of Human Synergy” addressed the importance of working
together—even in the most difficult environments—to achieve a common goal.
The
Experience
Great
partners played a huge role in the event’s success, beginning with Hyatt
Ziva Rose Hall. The property opened only a month earlier, following a multimillion-dollar
renovation and rebranding, so EMA guests were among the first to experience
the brand-new Montego Bay property.
As
for business returns, buyers and suppliers alike praised the quality of
the overall EMA experience. Alicia Law of Boston Scientific Neuromodulation
said, “I am amazed with the pertinent and tangible information from the
presentations. I made valuable hotel and vendor contacts, and learned shortcuts
for creating RFPs, which will save me time.”
Doug
Sheeran of Sonesta Resort Hilton Head Island offered similar praise on
the EMA’s content, saying, “The program was well designed, professionally
done, and, most importantly, I was able to connect with a high volume of
quality planners who do have programs they would bring to our property.”
The
Future
Following
the success of the first EMA of 2015, anticipation runs high for the next
two events this year. “We plan on challenging even our own lofty goals
with our upcoming EMAs,” said Foy. “Now that we’re part of the Cvent family,
we expect to produce ever-greater experiences and ROI for all of our attendees.”
The second EMA of 2015 will take place May 3–5 at Vdara
Hotel & Spa in Las Vegas. The third event of 2015 will take place
at La
Cantera Hill Country Resort in San Antonio, Texas, September 20–22,
2015. To learn more, visit www.EliteMeetingsAlliance.com.
About
the Elite Meetings Alliance (EMA)
The
EMA is a three-day, invitation-only event that brings together prequalified
corporate and association planners with leaders in the luxury hotel industry
to cultivate relationships and build business. It centers on private, personalized
business development meetings, continuing education breakout sessions for
CMP credit, and unique networking activities. For more information on the
Elite Meetings Alliance, visit www.EliteMeetingsAlliance.com,
contact EMATeam@EliteMeetings.com
or call 805-879-4485.
About
Elite Meetings International
Elite
Meetings International (EMI), a subsidiary of Cvent, provides integrated
solutions to enhance the performance of meeting and hospitality professionals.
EMI supports this community through a combination of innovative technologies,
direct sales support, customized marketing programs and face-to-face business-networking
events. Additionally, www.EliteMeetings.com
serves as a commission-free RFP-generating tool and a comprehensive vehicle
for sourcing luxury, upper-upscale and upscale properties. EMI’s innovations
include AttendeeHub™ (www.AttendeeHub.com),
a program for helping conference attendees identify synergies, manage appointments
and make direct connections with one another; and SpeedRFP™ (www.SpeedRFP.com),
a time-saving product for creating, submitting, and managing RFPs online.
For additional information, please visit www.EliteMeetings.com
or call 805-730-1000.
About
Cvent, Inc.
Cvent,
Inc. (NYSE: CVT) is a leading cloud-based enterprise event management
platform, with more than 1,450 employees and more than 12,650 customers
worldwide. Cvent offers software solutions to event planners for online
event registration, venue selection, event management, mobile apps for
events, e-mail marketing and web surveys. Cvent provides hotels with a
targeted advertising platform designed to reach event planners looking
for suitable venues. Cvent solutions optimize the entire event management
value chain and have enabled clients around the world to manage hundreds
of thousands of meetings and events. For more information, please please
visit www.Cvent.com, or connect with
us on Facebook,
Twitter
or LinkedIn.
“Safe
harbor” statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995
This
press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements
relating to the future of EMI’s product offerings and expectations regarding
the performance and results of the EMAs. The achievement or success of
the matters covered by forward-looking statements involves risks, uncertainties
and assumptions. If any such risks or uncertainties materialize, or if
any of the assumptions prove incorrect, the company’s results could differ
materially from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking
statements we make. For a detailed discussion of these and other risk factors,
please refer to the risks detailed in our filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, our Annual Report on
Form 10-K filed on March 21, 2014 and other reports and filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission.
Media
Contacts:
Karen
Cahill
Elite
Meetings International
805-879-4488
Lana
Sieg
Cvent,
Inc.
571-830-2335
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