(Editor’s Note: Here’s a collection of newsworthy items from our industry members and the South Florida community. HSMAInsider, Julie Wernick)
SOUTHEAST FLORIDA: Welcome! ME Productions has hired Noëlle Liger-Burton as Director of Inbound Destination Management to provide service to international clientele in the MICE market (meetings, incentives, conference and events) in South Florida as well as throughout the US. Prior to joining ME Productions, she held the position of Director of Meeting Operations at JMT Events in Miami, Florida.
Congrats! Jay H. Guttveg, owner/operator of Creative Focus Inc., has been published once again, in the prestigious Florida Connects Magazine, a Joint Publication of Meeting Professional International, Florida Chapters. Jay has been offering photographic services for social and corporate events for more than 26 years.
Welcome! The Howard Johnson Plaza in Deerfield Beach is now a Wyndham resort. The 172-room hotel recently completed a multimillion dollar renovation and modernization.
Welcome to the following “new” Broward folks: Joseph Maijala, Director of Sales, the Pelican Beach Grand Resort; Jamie Jordan, Director of Group Sales, the Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa; Yvette Pallens, Marketing Manager, the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa; Susan Aichele, Director of Sales and Marketing, along with Andrew Volkmann, Sales Manager at the Atlantic Resort & Spa.
The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau was recognized by Coastal Communications Corporation for outstanding service from the respective subscribers of Corporate & Incentive Travel, Insurance & Financial Meetings Management and Association Conventions & Facilities.
Congrats to The Seagate Hotel & Spa (Delray Beach) on being voted “Best Beach Getaway by Southern Living Magazine’s “Best of the South Travel Awards”.
Congrats to Expo Convention Contractors! Two of their clients: FIME International Medical Expo and Jewelers International Showcase (JIS) won the Trade Show Executive Magazine’s Fastest 50 Tradeshows Award.
Congrats to The Tides – South Beach (Miami Beach) for placing at #14 in the “Top Hotels in the U.S.” part of the Travelers’ Choice 2011 Awards by TripAdvisor travelers.
The Clevelander (South Beach) has a job opening for a Director of Sales and Marketing. For more details and information, contact Karlene Palmer-Mcleod, Marketing Manager, at kpmcleo@clevelander.com
The Village at Gulfstream Park is hosting a variety of events in April. On Wednesdays (April 6, 13, 20, and 27) they will be holding a Green Market from 4pm – 9pm in Champions Plaza.
Outpacing the rest of Florida, Greater Fort Lauderdale recorded a 2.6 percent increase in total visitors in 2010, according to year-end estimates. Spending in the local economy by the 10.84 million visitors also rose from $8.47 billion to $8.69 billion.
Traffic at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport jumped 6.4 percent. Statewide, Florida saw a 2.1 percent increase in visitors. Fort Lauderdale Airport reported a 5.1 percent year-over-year increase in passengers in January. The airport had 16.3% growth in international passengers and 3.1% growth in domestic passengers.
Miami Airport report a 4.7 percent increase in January, led by a spurt in international passenger growth. The airport had 1.59 million arrivals this January, up from 1.51 million in January 2010. International arrivals were up 5.8 percent, hitting 791,553. Domestic arrivals were up 3.6 percent, to 794,601. Miami was among the top U.S. cities where demand for luxury hotels has seen an increase at five-star properties in 2010, according to a report released by Hotels.com Hotel Price Index. The year-over-year increase for Miami was 10 percent (following #1 Boston at 21% and Chicago at 20%).
Miami International had 8.03 million international passengers in 2010, up 3.4 percent, to continue its second-place ranking behind New York's JFK, which had 11.26 million passengers, according to the US Department of Transportation.
PKF Hospitality Research (PKF-HR) said it expects higher occupancy levels and room rates across South Florida this year. West Palm Beach should see: 1.2 percent increase in occupied rooms, to 62.6 percent occupancy; 4.9 percent increase in average daily room rates (ADR), to $137.54; Fort Lauderdale: 3.1 percent increase in occupied rooms, to 69.6 percent occupancy; 2 percent increase in ADR, to $115.70; and Miami: 4.4 percent increase in occupied rooms, to 72.5 percent occupancy; 2.2 percent increase in ADR, to $150.79.
SOUTHWEST Florida:
Congrats! The Business Research & Consulting Firm Frost & Sullivan presented Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) with a 2010 U.S. Air Travelers' Choice Award in the category of Most Problem-free Airport for Travelers Arriving by Surface Transportation in early January.
The Inn on Fifth (Naples) recently released its 2011 Super Summer Meetings Deal. Throughout the summer, meeting planners will receive a host of benefits including holding their meetings at the Inn on Fifth.
The Doubletree Suites by Hilton (Naples) won Hilton Hotels' top performance awards again for 2010, marking this boutique hotel as the only Doubletree in the world that has achieved more than two of Hilton's top "Connie" awards. This is the seventh "Connie" for the hotel. The hotel also received the Annual CARE Cup, a Pride Award, the Housekeeping Award of Excellence, the Hospitality Award of Excellence, and the Environmental CARE Award.
Statewide:
WORLDWIDE: Some of you, who have been in the area for awhile, may remember Bernadette Dennis when she was with the Marriott in Fort Lauderdale and active in our HSMAI chapter. After a number of years at various properties, she “returned home” to Australia. Happy to announce and offer congratulations to Bernadette who is now the Managing Director, HSMAI Asia Pacific, the newly inducted third global region in HSMAI’s worldwide network (joining Europe and the Americas). --------------------------------------
To submit items for future blog editions, please send to jwfranklin1@gmail.com Best, Julie Wernick, HSMAInsider
Showing posts with label GFLCVB. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GFLCVB. Show all posts
Monday, April 4, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
January 19, 2011 HSMAI-South Florida Meeting Recap
“Table of Eight” – Our occasional column with comments about Chapter events.
What a nice turn out for the Chapter’s luncheon meeting at the Renaissance Resort in Fort Lauderdale for a presentation on Tourism by Alfredo Gonzalez, Vice President of Tourism and International Business, and Fernando Harb, Director of Sales, with the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. This program has become an almost annual event for the Chapter. It’s always educational and enjoyable and looked forward to eagerly by the hospitality community. We were not disappointed.
More on the presentation later…
Do mark your calendars for these upcoming dates:
On January 27th, at 10 am, there will be a GFLCVB hosted industry preview of the Vatican Splendors exhibit at the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art. On February 8th, at 11:30 am, as part of International’s HSMAI Leadership Meetings, there will be a luncheon at the PGA Resort in Palm Beach. South Florida is the host chapter. Transportation will be provided from a central location (to be announced).The program is by Vail Brown with Smith Travel Research.
On February 16th, from 5-7 pm will be the Chapter’s first “Networker” (business after hours meeting) of the year at the Grateful Palate Restaurant on SE 17th Street, Fort Lauderdale. Cost is only $10. Check the Chapter’s website (hsmaisouthflorida.org) for registration information for all these events and more details.
In self-introductions, we learned that Ellen Serra is now serving as Director of Sales & Marketing, for the Holiday Inn Express-Convention Center (on SE 17th Street), in addition to the Comfort Suites-Airport & Cruiseport; Lori Jacoby, formerly with Florida Trend Magazine, and now with Ambit will soon be taking on a new job (details to come); Haydee Casanova is now working for Worldwide Limousine (lucky Julio!); The Riverside Hotel is celebrating its 75th year of operation – a legend in Fort Lauderdale. Robin Melvin announced that the Hard Rock Hotel is celebrating 40 years of Rock ‘n Roll and will be doing a number of related promotions. The Atlantic Resort (home of one of my faves, Trina) was voted one of the top 50 resorts in the U.S. Sorry if I missed your info, was jotting notes as fast as I could!
As always, there will be different things that people will remember from a presentation that may apply to their specific hotel/company. But here are a few key points from my notes. (BTW, the presentation will be posted on the Chapter’s website in the near future.)
Alfredo provided a recap on international tourism. He noted the effects of the recession in 2009 and the global recovery in 2010. Other parts of the world recovered stronger than the US (except for Ireland and Greece). We were shown U.S. arrivals in 2010 and forecasts through 2015 where arrivals will be double that of the great years of 2007/2008. Importantly, international tourists stay longer and spend more money than others. A number of the top international news stories were reviewed v.v. their impacts on international tourism.
Fernando provided a recap on domestic tourism. He noted the tough years of 2008/2009 with the biggest drop in these types of arrivals. Broward County was still relatively strong but average hotel rates were quite low. He reviewed the top domestic stories affecting travel. In 2010, however, there was a positive increase in domestic arrivals in every single month of the year. Overall, the average, statewide, was a 5% increase for 2010; and average room rates began to climb slowly. It was noted that drive traffic into Florida went up, even though overall visitor numbers to Florida declined. More families “hit the road”. The positive effects of the arrival of mega ships in Port Everglades, saw the cruise market sparking increased pre/post stays. In fact, 38% of the increases in hotel bookings were due to the (new) cruise lines.
Two new buzz words describing upcoming trends are: “engagementcations” – which is where engagement parties are taken on the road. Three of the top ten destinations for these trips are in South Florida (West Palm, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami); and “bleisure” travel – bringing one’s spouse along with you on a business trip. Again, South Florida is one of the top destinations.
Alfredo reviewed aviation developments. He noted that FLL airport is one of the fastest growing airports, both domestically and internationally. The busiest air corridor is the NY to FLL one, based on numbers of flights. Canadian travel here is up 30%. There are many new domestic flights as well as new international flights. He cited a number of the new connections and new carriers. Low fare carriers, combined, make up over 50% of the air traffic at FLL. The new Terminal 4 and South Runway project (currently under design) will mean a large increase in gates and service by around 2014.
Thank you, Alfredo and Fernando, for your time and expertise and for providing a wealth of useful information!
Best, Julie Wernick, HSMAInsider
PS Just a reminder to send in your industry news/updates for the “Around Town” column for the HSMAI-South Florida chapter’s blog, “Scoop”, to jwfranklin1@gmail.com.
What a nice turn out for the Chapter’s luncheon meeting at the Renaissance Resort in Fort Lauderdale for a presentation on Tourism by Alfredo Gonzalez, Vice President of Tourism and International Business, and Fernando Harb, Director of Sales, with the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. This program has become an almost annual event for the Chapter. It’s always educational and enjoyable and looked forward to eagerly by the hospitality community. We were not disappointed.
More on the presentation later…
Do mark your calendars for these upcoming dates:
On January 27th, at 10 am, there will be a GFLCVB hosted industry preview of the Vatican Splendors exhibit at the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art. On February 8th, at 11:30 am, as part of International’s HSMAI Leadership Meetings, there will be a luncheon at the PGA Resort in Palm Beach. South Florida is the host chapter. Transportation will be provided from a central location (to be announced).The program is by Vail Brown with Smith Travel Research.
On February 16th, from 5-7 pm will be the Chapter’s first “Networker” (business after hours meeting) of the year at the Grateful Palate Restaurant on SE 17th Street, Fort Lauderdale. Cost is only $10. Check the Chapter’s website (hsmaisouthflorida.org) for registration information for all these events and more details.
In self-introductions, we learned that Ellen Serra is now serving as Director of Sales & Marketing, for the Holiday Inn Express-Convention Center (on SE 17th Street), in addition to the Comfort Suites-Airport & Cruiseport; Lori Jacoby, formerly with Florida Trend Magazine, and now with Ambit will soon be taking on a new job (details to come); Haydee Casanova is now working for Worldwide Limousine (lucky Julio!); The Riverside Hotel is celebrating its 75th year of operation – a legend in Fort Lauderdale. Robin Melvin announced that the Hard Rock Hotel is celebrating 40 years of Rock ‘n Roll and will be doing a number of related promotions. The Atlantic Resort (home of one of my faves, Trina) was voted one of the top 50 resorts in the U.S. Sorry if I missed your info, was jotting notes as fast as I could!
As always, there will be different things that people will remember from a presentation that may apply to their specific hotel/company. But here are a few key points from my notes. (BTW, the presentation will be posted on the Chapter’s website in the near future.)
Alfredo provided a recap on international tourism. He noted the effects of the recession in 2009 and the global recovery in 2010. Other parts of the world recovered stronger than the US (except for Ireland and Greece). We were shown U.S. arrivals in 2010 and forecasts through 2015 where arrivals will be double that of the great years of 2007/2008. Importantly, international tourists stay longer and spend more money than others. A number of the top international news stories were reviewed v.v. their impacts on international tourism.
Fernando provided a recap on domestic tourism. He noted the tough years of 2008/2009 with the biggest drop in these types of arrivals. Broward County was still relatively strong but average hotel rates were quite low. He reviewed the top domestic stories affecting travel. In 2010, however, there was a positive increase in domestic arrivals in every single month of the year. Overall, the average, statewide, was a 5% increase for 2010; and average room rates began to climb slowly. It was noted that drive traffic into Florida went up, even though overall visitor numbers to Florida declined. More families “hit the road”. The positive effects of the arrival of mega ships in Port Everglades, saw the cruise market sparking increased pre/post stays. In fact, 38% of the increases in hotel bookings were due to the (new) cruise lines.
Two new buzz words describing upcoming trends are: “engagementcations” – which is where engagement parties are taken on the road. Three of the top ten destinations for these trips are in South Florida (West Palm, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami); and “bleisure” travel – bringing one’s spouse along with you on a business trip. Again, South Florida is one of the top destinations.
Alfredo reviewed aviation developments. He noted that FLL airport is one of the fastest growing airports, both domestically and internationally. The busiest air corridor is the NY to FLL one, based on numbers of flights. Canadian travel here is up 30%. There are many new domestic flights as well as new international flights. He cited a number of the new connections and new carriers. Low fare carriers, combined, make up over 50% of the air traffic at FLL. The new Terminal 4 and South Runway project (currently under design) will mean a large increase in gates and service by around 2014.
Thank you, Alfredo and Fernando, for your time and expertise and for providing a wealth of useful information!
Best, Julie Wernick, HSMAInsider
PS Just a reminder to send in your industry news/updates for the “Around Town” column for the HSMAI-South Florida chapter’s blog, “Scoop”, to jwfranklin1@gmail.com.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
“Table of Eight” – February 17, 2010 – Part 1
The HSMAI-South Florida chapter’s February meeting was held yesterday at the Design Center of The Americas in Dania Beach, FL. A crowd of about 100 people were in attendance to hear speakers Alfredo Gonzalez, VP of International Tourism, Great Fort Lauderdale CVB, and Virginia Sheridan, President, M. Silver Associates Public Relations, speak on international tourism and review trends for our industry. In addition, we heard from DCOTA about the facility as well as from Condor who will be introducing new nonstop flights from Fort Lauderdale to Frankfurt, Germany beginning May 14th.
It was so nice to see some “old” friends as well as a lot of new faces in attendance. A portion of monies from the monthly raffle were designated from this meeting for the UNICEF Children’s Fund for children in Haiti. What a wonderful idea! A surprise drawing awarded two airline tickets on Condor to Frankfurt. Congrats to Bruno Perez (RevParGuru) on his raffle win.
Alfredo highlighted ten megatrends in International Tourism. He talked about its 1) Growth: Travel is a “right”, a necessity. 2) Energy Demand: With no other alternatives to jet fuel in the near future, airline pricing will continue to be a concern. 3) Rising Climate of Fear: Some people are making decisions based on this; triggered by the news media; more people are just adapting v.v. their travel decisions. 4) Participant Economy: Consumers are in the drivers’ seat. What do consumers want/feel? 5) Experiential economy: Consumers have “live your life” attitude; they have the basics; now they are willing to pay more for experiences than possessions. 6) Socio-Demographic Disparities: Social behavior is changing attitudes; aging population is now “hip”. 7) Urbanization: By 2020, 60% are living in a city. (Need to travel to “escape”) 8) Mobility: Traveling further and farther and more often. Decisions to travel (even in Europe) made by women. Wider use of Internet/multiple channels. 9) Global Warming – most not concerned, but… 10) Sustainability: going green becoming important and changing the way they buy travel. . (Comments are from my notes; presentation slides will be on the chapter’s website: http://www.hsmaisouthflorida.org/ under resources.)
In addition, Alfredo discussed consumer trends in Europe. What has changed in the last ten years? One of the main differences was the increased use of the internet. He mentioned the importance of not just dealing with tour operators, alone, as in certain markets consumer buying online has increased to about 50% and up. Knowing your market is important as not all behave the same (Sweden, e.g. 93% do their research online and 48% actually buy online; In Italy, however, only 17% actually buy online). There are new consumers: active seniors, extended family groups, cosmopolitan consumers, and the affluent.
To be continued... Best, HSMAInsider, Julie Wernick
It was so nice to see some “old” friends as well as a lot of new faces in attendance. A portion of monies from the monthly raffle were designated from this meeting for the UNICEF Children’s Fund for children in Haiti. What a wonderful idea! A surprise drawing awarded two airline tickets on Condor to Frankfurt. Congrats to Bruno Perez (RevParGuru) on his raffle win.
Alfredo highlighted ten megatrends in International Tourism. He talked about its 1) Growth: Travel is a “right”, a necessity. 2) Energy Demand: With no other alternatives to jet fuel in the near future, airline pricing will continue to be a concern. 3) Rising Climate of Fear: Some people are making decisions based on this; triggered by the news media; more people are just adapting v.v. their travel decisions. 4) Participant Economy: Consumers are in the drivers’ seat. What do consumers want/feel? 5) Experiential economy: Consumers have “live your life” attitude; they have the basics; now they are willing to pay more for experiences than possessions. 6) Socio-Demographic Disparities: Social behavior is changing attitudes; aging population is now “hip”. 7) Urbanization: By 2020, 60% are living in a city. (Need to travel to “escape”) 8) Mobility: Traveling further and farther and more often. Decisions to travel (even in Europe) made by women. Wider use of Internet/multiple channels. 9) Global Warming – most not concerned, but… 10) Sustainability: going green becoming important and changing the way they buy travel. . (Comments are from my notes; presentation slides will be on the chapter’s website: http://www.hsmaisouthflorida.org/ under resources.)
In addition, Alfredo discussed consumer trends in Europe. What has changed in the last ten years? One of the main differences was the increased use of the internet. He mentioned the importance of not just dealing with tour operators, alone, as in certain markets consumer buying online has increased to about 50% and up. Knowing your market is important as not all behave the same (Sweden, e.g. 93% do their research online and 48% actually buy online; In Italy, however, only 17% actually buy online). There are new consumers: active seniors, extended family groups, cosmopolitan consumers, and the affluent.
To be continued... Best, HSMAInsider, Julie Wernick
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB launches new "ivisitlauderdale” iPhone Application
The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau (GFLCVB) has introduced iVisitLauderdale with searchable listings, maps, and real-time event and deal updates.
Recognizing that the mobile platform is reshaping the ways in which consumers plan, book and consume travel, the free "app” is part of the GFLCVB's continued marketing efforts to reach visitors through a variety of social media avenues. The iVisitLauderdale application enhances the visitor experience with up-to-date information and the latest GPS mapping technology, video, images and other features.
iVisitLauderdale is downloadable on iTunes or from Greater Fort Lauderdale’s website, www.sunny.org/iphone. Some useful features include:
The iGuide which gives an overview of area attractions and ways to play, including SCUBA, shopping, dining, nature, and more. It also provides easy access to area weather updates, transportation information, events and special deals as well as information about our area’s beaches.
The Explore section offers must-see points of interest and up-to-date information on prices, hours and more. The GPS-based locator serves as an added bonus with maps and driving directions for hundreds of hotels, spa resorts, restaurants, shops, attractions and more. Vibrant videos and pictures of the destination can be downloaded. In addition, users can personalize their app by adding interests to their Favorites, and sharing all with family and friends.
For more information about the iVisitLauderdale application, visit www.sunny.org/iphone.
Recognizing that the mobile platform is reshaping the ways in which consumers plan, book and consume travel, the free "app” is part of the GFLCVB's continued marketing efforts to reach visitors through a variety of social media avenues. The iVisitLauderdale application enhances the visitor experience with up-to-date information and the latest GPS mapping technology, video, images and other features.
iVisitLauderdale is downloadable on iTunes or from Greater Fort Lauderdale’s website, www.sunny.org/iphone. Some useful features include:
The iGuide which gives an overview of area attractions and ways to play, including SCUBA, shopping, dining, nature, and more. It also provides easy access to area weather updates, transportation information, events and special deals as well as information about our area’s beaches.
The Explore section offers must-see points of interest and up-to-date information on prices, hours and more. The GPS-based locator serves as an added bonus with maps and driving directions for hundreds of hotels, spa resorts, restaurants, shops, attractions and more. Vibrant videos and pictures of the destination can be downloaded. In addition, users can personalize their app by adding interests to their Favorites, and sharing all with family and friends.
For more information about the iVisitLauderdale application, visit www.sunny.org/iphone.
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