Elite Meetings Alliance Breaks Attendance Record as Meetings Come Back in a Big Way | Attending buyers report $60 million to spend on meetings in the near term; come for one-on-ones with exceptional hotel suppliers as well as career development. Suppliers call it “the most productive event.” Elite Meetings Alliance Breaks Attendance Record as Meetings Come Back in a Big Way The more than ninety meeting professionals attending reported budgets averaging $630,000 in business to place at the event, with 93% of them indicating in the post-event survey that they will book business with hotels they met at the EMA. Elite Meetings CEO Kelly Foy was pleased with the outcome. “I think the record turnout and enthusiastic participation from all involved is a revealing barometer of the business climate at the event. We’re happy to provide a vehicle for this quality of interaction.” Praise for the event came in from suppliers and buyers alike. Kris Umstattd of Hyatt Grand Champions Resort, Villas, and Spa characterized it as a “great event, worth every penny.” He went on to say, “(We’re) already working on closing about $240K in business for 2012 from one client alone. This is, by far, the most productive sales event I have attended in my 13-year sales and marketing career. The appointments are fantastic and I always leave with new business.” On the buyer side, Cate DeLaRosa of Ameriprise Financial said, “The networking and one-on-ones were fantastic and of the 16 meeting I had, I will very likely book with five of them in the future.” Enhancing the careers of meeting planners and hoteliers is also a primary focus of every EMA. Sessions for CMP credits included a session led jointly by Meetings Analytics Founder Kimberly Meyer and Senior Global Meeting & Event Services Manager Carolyn Pund, from Cisco Systems. Their highly interactive program focused on adding value to their organizations. A second educational session by Michelle Crosby, entitled Managing vs. Leading, highlighted the qualities and differences between managers and true leaders. Keynote speeches by John Vanderslice of Hilton Worldwide and Deborah Sexton of the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), and a lively session on the art of the cocktail by Tony Abou-Ganim rounded out the lineup. Networking opportunities at the EMA took on a decidedly rock ‘n’ roll point of view. Some 60 EMA attendees participated in Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp, in which individuals team up with six legendary musicians to write and perform songs on stage. George Allen, Director of Sales for Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa, said this of the camp: “I always appreciate everything you do for us from a business perspective. The Alliance event is still the best of its kind. This past week, though, was incredible for me, having the opportunity to check off one of the top five items on my bucket list. The Fantasy Camp was without question, one of the coolest things I have ever done.” Another chance to network came during Tiger Jam XIII, on April 30, a concert with John Meyer and Keith Urban to raise funds for the Tiger Woods Foundation. Nearly 80 meeting planners and hoteliers took part in the concert. The event’s theme, “It’s About Time” served to highlight the many time-saving resources for meeting planners that Elite Meetings International focuses on, including SpeedRFP, the FaceTime™ Appointment Scheduler, Gold and Platinum editions of Elite Meetings magazine, and EliteMeetings.com. As always, community responsibility was also on the agenda, as Elite auctioned off two signed guitars donated by the Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp. Proceeds from the sale will go to the Tiger Woods Foundation. About
the Elite Meetings Alliance (EMA)
About
Elite Meetings International
For more information on the EMA, contact EMATeam@EliteMeetings.com, or call 805-879-4485. Media
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