Every August VAMPI members and guests gather for VAMPI’s Annual Educational Conference for education, fellowship, and a chance to rejuvenate both mind and body. This year’s Annual Educational Conference, held August 1-3, 2007, at The Westin Arlington Gateway was a great success!
The Westin Arlington Gateway Hotel, host of this year’s conference, fulfilled its role in outstanding fashion with wonderful food, excellent facilities, and exemplary service. The breakfast and coffee break catering selections were amazing to the eye and the palette and the convention services staff provided stellar service throughout the event.
The conference began on Wednesday evening with an Opening Reception hosted by the Westin Arlington Gateway Hotel.. Thursday featured four outstanding sessions addressing a variety of topics within the industry.
Now and Then .... The Evolution of Meetings
James M. Goldberg, Esq.
This year's conference began with a very informative session given by James M. Goldberg around the topic of meeting contracts. The session began with an overview of the history behind many of the large corporate hotel brands that exist today. For example, the Westin and InterContinental brands received their early start directly from the airline industry. Since their beginnings these major chains have seen a large increase in their own corporate brand offerings. These increases are a result of market growth and the recent trends of corporate mergers and acquisitions. Many of these changes have been a direct result following the attacks on September 11, 2001. Hotel companies then began shedding the ownership of their actual buildings in order to keep only the management component of their brand. This change allowed more financial ability to then increase the number of locations offered by each brand. The increase in locations also prompted for many merges to occur with the larger corporate brands known within the industry.
With all of these industry changes properties had to revise the way they contract business. We are no longer living in the days were our contracts only include information regarding event dates, room rate, meeting space requirements and meeting frequency. Today both parties are now trying to present language that protects their best interests first and foremost. However, with increased corporate guidelines for the properties and maximum protection needed by the planners finding a common ground has become rather difficult.
From the property side the biggest focus tends to be along the lines of contract cancellation, attrition and termination by the planner. All three of these outcomes go against the bottom line of the property. In order to protect themselves these corporate entities are now including damage clauses within their contracts that inform the planner of the financial penalty for not fulfilling their contract. These clauses tend to be set based upon an overall percentage or exact dollar amount for revenue that was expected from the event. Planners were encouraged to discuss the specifics of this clause with their property contact prior to signing the contract as it is sometimes hard to understand how the numbers were calculated.
CMM, MTA, CMP & CSEP: What is their impact on the Future of Meetings Education? Moderator: Howard Reichbart, George Washington University
Panelists: Tyra W. Hilliard, Esq., CMP; William (Bill) Karl Knight, MTA, CSEP;
Liz Purdy, CMP, CMM
Review by Casey O'Toole, Intern, Dominion Resources Services
I cannot think of a better way that the educational side of hospitality could have been shown than by bringing in a panel of four very distinguished experts from George Washington University's Tourism and Hospitality Management Department and MPI Headquarters. This session taught us about the evolution of the hospitality industry and the different education options available at the undergraduate, masters, and certificate levels. It was extremely beneficial to hear from multiple professionals with a variety of backgrounds. They discussed the certification options available such as CMP, CMM, and CSEP and how to pick the ones that best fit your needs. Getting certified helps people become better communicators and create a stronger industry. Many universities are adding hospitality programs to their schools, and in turn, it is becoming a much more desired degree. As more students are taking these courses, it becomes even more important to continue your education in the field. The more education and certifications you obtain, the more desirable you will be for the business you chose. Even the busiest people are able to continue their education with convenient, online courses. As a rising senior in college, this session really opened my eyes to the dozens of opportunities available for my professional and educational life now and in the future!
APEX: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Speaker: Tom Rigsby, Marketing Director, Convention Industry Council
Review by Matthew Polansky
Marketing Director of the Convention Industry Council, Tom Rigsby, shared his insight about the phases of APEX to date as well as the future of this exciting industrywide program that is poised to standardize and revolutionize our ‘meetings world' as we know it. The purpose of APEX, or Accepted Practices Exchange, is the development and implementation of industrywide accepted practices to create and enhance efficiencies throughout the meetings, conventions and exhibitions industry. It seeks to take a ‘best practices approach' to standardize our industry and improve it for all.
Tom walked us through the background of APEX including the Concept and Blueprint first phase that took place between 1997 – 2002, and Design and Development Phase lasting from 2002 – 2005. We are now in the midst of the Implementation Phase, which began in 2005 and is scheduled for completion in 2010. The final, overlapping Acceptance and Adoption Phase Four has just begun and will continue into the next several years.
The net result to date is that over 4000 industry glossary terms have been identified, and over 5600 persons have provided input into these best practices industry standards that will undoubtedly positively influence the future of our industry. Be on the lookout for more exciting APEX news in the near future, including the launch of Powershop (which will replace Toolbox as a resource), slated for the first quarter of 2008. In the meantime, we can all benefit by accessing and utilizing the Industry Glossary free of charge by visiting www.conventionindustry .org and clicking on Glossary. The World's Funniest Guitar Virtuoso
This session was a favorite for everyone! Guitarist Mike Rayburn lifted our energy and spirits through music and humor. Mr. Rayburn is a classically trained guitarist who uses his amazing creations and zest for life to challenge audiences to leap beyond their perceived limitations.
Thursday’s sessions were followed by a fabulous dinner cruise on the Odyssey. Attendees were treated to an amazing four-course dinner and the beautiful sights along the Potomac River.
Friday featured a three-hour session entitled What's New from the Hotel's Point of View?
A Guide to the Future Direction of Hotels.
Moderator: Shannon Derrick; Panelists: Jon Lockwood, Renaissance Hotels; Kim Napolitano, Hilton Hotels;
Anne Roth, InterContinental Hotels Group; Ed Psioda, Starwood Hotels
This session, presented by a panel of national hotel sales experts from Hilton, Renaissance,
InterContinental and Starwood Hotels, provided insight on current and future plans for their hotel
chains. Attendees gained knowledge on the future of meetings from the hotel perspective. As technology advances and disasters impact meetings, how will hotels prepare for the changing needs of the meeting planner? The hotel representatives provided insights into the strategic goals and direction these hotels are planning to pursue.
On behalf of the conference’s attendees, a sincere “Thank You” is expressed to the conference planners, and in particular to Susan Elam, Planning Committee Chair, for providing such wonderful educational opportunities, and to the Westin Arlington Gateway Hotel. Here’s looking forward to next year!
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