How did you first get into the hospitality industry?
My first year out of college I was a charter captain in the Virgin Islands. The second year I was a ski bum and worked at Sitzmark Lodge in Vail, Colo. I was a night auditor and front desk clerk, and I got to ski 130 days that winter. That was my first hotel job, and I did that a couple winters there. My first hotel [sales] job was as a national sales manager at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs in 1984. I had originally intended to be an attorney. My dad, brother and brother-in-law are all attorneys, and I thought that was my path, but I’m glad I discovered that was not what I wanted to do. I was the first outside sales rep at The Broadmoor, and I was very fortunate to start my career at that property.

What did you learn about the industry at that first sales job at The Broadmoor?
I learned a couple great lessons. Back then, The Broadmoor was one of only 26 five-star hotels in the U.S., so to start my career at a top-service hotel was a fabulous experience. Learning true hospitality and true service and being mentored by a couple individuals in what I would call the traditional, old world style of hospitality was an incredible stroke of luck. Chuck Magill and Sigi Faller taught me the importance of customer focus and service, and that has stuck with me throughout my career. I also learned the importance of attaching your personal brand to your work brand. The two are often seen as being separate instead of being supportive and closely tied to one another.

To what do you attribute your continued success?
I think it’s passion for the industry, this hotel and hospitality industry that gets in your blood. For me, it’s never been about the money. It’s been about the challenge and the opportunities the hotel industry offers. In it, you may not end up being independently rich, but you will be rich in experiences, in customer relations and in professional relationships. I’ve heard from friends I have in many other industries that the hospitality industry is unique. Even in the competitive set, it’s typically very friendly. There’s more sharing and collaboration among competitors than I see in any other industry. That makes this unique. We have a shared passion to elevate the industry and make all of us better as individuals and organizations.

With the foundation of training I received at The Broadmoor, I established a path for myself. I’ve made a number of moves, and not all have been planned. The other guiding tenet I’ve followed is do not shy away from opportunities or challenges. I don’t look back and regret any of those moves. Each has offered a different opportunity for personal and career growth, and striving to be better has served me well.

What has happened with Maritz since you became president?
If you go back to June of 2011 [when I took over], Maritz was a company coming out of three of the most difficult years in the history of the travel company. It’s been around since the late 1950s, and 2008, 2009 and 2010 were its three most difficult years. Between the AIG effect and the economy, this company was hit hard. When I came in, it was the start of the recovery. The company was 100 percent corporate-focused and historically had been viewed as an incentives house and market leader in strategic meetings management, but I saw an opportunity to expand the horizon and move into adjacent markets and become thought-leaders in experiential excellence and design. We’ve spent two years moving down that path.

The acquisition of Experient [in 2012] was the single-most important shift we’ve made with the business, which has moved us into the association, trade show and government markets. The second important shift has been our relationship with Jim Gilmore [author of “The Experience Economy”] and the internal work we’ve done with experiential design. We’re moving more from meetings management and logistics to a company focused on the delivery of exceptional experiences.

Are the meetings and incentives industries back?
Yes and yes. I’ll give you an indicator. We just finished our fiscal year projections and 2013 will be a record year for Maritz Travel. In 2014, we expect significant double-digit growth across all sectors. Corporate is back. Strategic meetings management is back. The incentive market is back. Just this week, one domestic auto company came back and launched incentive events—it was one of the big three. You see commercials are back from AIG. These are all true signs of recovery. One of the interesting trends is the short-term nature of meetings, and corporate meetings in particular. Lead-time and booking windows are as short now as they’ve ever been, and that’s going to continue.

What are some of the other trends in meetings and events?
One of the evolutions of meetings is the move from content focus to what I would call community focus. It’s a marketing 3.0 mindset. It’s a design mindset. I also think it’s a move in how we look at audiences. Internally, we used to refer to attendees as “pax.” We’ve shifted, and the language is now around “guests.” It sounds minor, but it shifts the entire focus of how we design and execute events.

There’s also the idea of community, and the infusion of social media is one of the drivers of that. I just got back from PCMA [Convening Leaders], and they’re doing a great job with design experimentation and execution. A lot of it is centered around design and the development of communities. It works in many different ways. It talks to a new and emerging young generation in the industry. It talks to society and our desire to be with individuals with like interests and people who think like us. At meetings, we’re attempting to create long-term communities, and we’re developing those communities even within our meeting structure.

A version of this story appeared in Collaborate magazine. 

Portfolio: David Peckinpaugh, Maritz is a post from: Collaborate Meetings

Pieces from DWR’s catalog of modern design are beginning to appear in the social spaces throughout Aloft hotels including the re:mix lounges, w xyz bars and its backyard outdoor spaces. Eames chairs, George Nelson pendant lamps and Verpan stools are included in the design package. For Aloft and DWR,
it’s a match made in modern design heaven.

A version of this article appeared in Collaborate magazine.

Spotlight On: The Aloft/DWR Collaboration is a post from: Collaborate Meetings

Shawn Bryant, Director of Meetings
Ambulatory Surgery Center Association

What was your first step when you heard about the bombings?
[We made] sure everyone on-site was safe. The meeting hadn’t started yet, so I only had staff to worry about. We gathered in our staff office in the convention center to make sure everyone was accounted for. We were missing one staff member, who I reached on his cell phone, so the task was accomplished quickly. Once everyone was accounted for, many of our staff members expressed the desire to go to a location further away from the bombings. Since the situation was still uncertain, we set up a system for regular check-ins.

What did you do next?
After being in Washington, D.C., during 9/11, I knew before seeking any information about the events that were happening, I needed to let our CEO and people back in the D.C. area know all of us in Boston were safe in case cell phone service was disrupted later. 

Who in Boston did you contact for updates?
I worked with the convention center manager and our hotel contact to ensure that we had all available information.

How did you get that information out to your attendees?
After the bombs went off, we made multiple announcements to our members. The first thing we did on Monday was post a message on our website and send an email to our members and others to let everyone know that our staff was fine, there was no damage to any of the properties we would be using in Boston and information on the meeting would be available later.

Since the meeting started on Wednesday, we had to let attendees know if it was going to happen or not by Tuesday. We did hourly email and website updates on what we were facing. The important thing was, even when we didn’t have a final answer about whether or not the meeting would take place, our attendees knew each hour we would post an update of some kind. We continued with slightly less frequent messages on Wednesday and Thursday.

Not only did the updates help attendees keep on top of any changes we needed to make, they also were a great way to fight the amount of misinformation that surrounds an evolving situation like the one we faced.

What were your major concerns about holding the event as scheduled?
To make our decision, we focused on three key questions: Will our attendees be safe, will our meeting interfere in any way with the investigation being conducted to find the perpetrators of this heinous act, and logistically, can we get the meeting set up in time to meet our attendees’ expectations for our annual meeting?

Whose final decision was it to continue with the meeting?
Our board of directors made that decision after being briefed on the latest information during an emergency call.

Did any of your attendees face travel issues getting in and out of Boston?
Not in and out of the city itself. The airport was always open, but some streets were closed to traffic. A small number had to walk a block or two to get to their hotel from their cabs.

Did you face any challenges during the actual event?
Our second big challenge [came Friday] when the “shelter in place” order was issued. That was the day our off-site social event [at the Harvard Club] was scheduled. In response, our updates that day focused on [the off-site] event, which ended up being canceled and replaced with a large reception in the hallway in the convention center overlooking Boylston Street.

Did you plan anything new to do at the event to help with recovery in the city?
We collected donations on-site for the One Fund Boston, the charity established for the individuals and families affected by the explosions. ASCA matched our attendees’ donations dollar for dollar for a total donation of $11,750.

Is ASCA implementing any new security measures for future events?
We are re-implementing our policy of maintaining emergency contact information for designated friends or family members of staff who travel to meetings and making sure that information is available at the office and on-site in case of an emergency that affects staff. We are also looking at creating a standardized chain of communications to make sure that on-site employees are conveying an accurate sense of what is happening to our home office staff who are routinely responsible for conveying information to our meeting attendees.

Cover photo credit: Rebecca Hildreth

Boston Bombings: One Group’s Reaction is a post from: Collaborate Meetings

Farm-to-table dining will take over New Orleans in August at the inaugural Farm To Table International Symposium. The event, held in conjunction with the Louisiana Restaurant Association’s annual Foodservice and Hospitality Expo, will cover topics such as farming and aquaculture, sustainability, food science, and food security and safety. Breakout sessions, culinary and cultural tours, chef-curated dinners and farm-to-table exhibits are also on the agenda.

A version of this article appeared in Collaborate magazine.

Event Spotlight: Farm To Table International Symposium is a post from: Collaborate Meetings

The project, which began in December 2011, also updated the 800 guest rooms in the existing tower with a new modern, residential style that includes new furniture, fixtures, and hard and soft goods. The design is intended to suit business travelers’ needs. For example, larger, redesigned desks have additional electrical outlets as well as USB and HDMI cable slots. The front desk also was expanded to accommodate the larger scale of rooms. During the renovation, the 4,000-sq.-ft. Prairie Room was redesigned with floor-to-ceiling windows that provide natural lighting, the 25,000-sq.-ft. Hyatt Conference Center was updated, and three new boardrooms and a business center were added. Groups also have access to more than 2 million square feet of meeting space at the adjacent convention center.

Many of the hotel’s food outlets and restaurants were included in the renovation. M/X, a high-energy lounge, expanded its seating and buffet and added a second private dining room. The Daily Grind coffee shop was expanded and now features a fresh-market concept with homemade breakfast and lunch menus that use ingredients sourced locally. Other eco-friendly elements include a new green roof and a wind energy system. “Our goal is to do everything we can to be sustainable,” says Paul Daly, general manager. The hotel hopes to achieve LEED Gold certification in the new building category.

Photo Credit: Nick Murway

Now Open: Hyatt Regency McCormick Place is a post from: Collaborate Meetings

A tour through California wine country takes riders around Napa Valley and Sonoma County. LifeCycle offers both flat rides with wine tastings or challenging treks through the hills. Ride through small country towns on Oregon’s Willamette Valley and Columbia River Gorge routes, described as one of the best rides in America by Bicycling magazine. Big Island, Hawaii, is more than white sand beaches and palm trees. Participants experience cattle farms in the highlands, a vibrant artist community, and kayaking and snorkeling on the coast. On the East Coast, LifeCycle’s Maine tour winds through Acadia National Park, historic villages and quiet lanes, with stops for some of the region’s famous seafood. All trip itineraries are customized for each group’s preferred ride distance and what type of terrain they want to experience.

A version of this article appeared in Collaborate magazine.

Events with a Spin: LifeCycle Adventures is a post from: Collaborate Meetings

The first thing you’ll notice when arriving in Salt Lake City is how small it feels. Sure, it has all of the essentials of any metropolis, but it doesn’t quite feel like a big city. It’s almost quaint. The Wasatch Mountains on one side and the Rockies on the other seem to insulate the city, giving off a mountain-town feel amidst the usual hustle and bustle of any state capital. Salt Lake City has an NBA franchise that plays in a downtown arena, is home to large and profitable mining operations, and has an unintimidating, walkable downtown. All within blocks of one another are EnergySolutions Arena, fine-dining options like Spencer’s, Temple Square, headquarters of the Mormon religion and downtown hotspots like Bar X owned by “Modern Family” funnyman Ty Burrell. Bar X has a separate bar available for small groups with a designated bartender creating original cocktails.

Built for Groups
Salt Lake City International Airport is the western hub for Delta Air Lines, but it serves all major carriers and is only eight minutes from downtown. With 105 destinations offering nonstop flights to Salt Lake City, airlift shouldn’t be a concern for planners. The Salt Palace is one of the newer convention centers in the country, and it has loads of technology such as advanced audiovisual capabilities and high-quality Wi-Fi. Meetings areas are plentiful, with 515,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space, 67 meeting rooms and a 45,000-sq.-ft. ballroom. And as a non-union facility, contracts are more easily completed. A total of 6,738 hotel rooms are within walking distance of the convention center, and there are more than 170 restaurants, cafes and nightspots within the convention district. Attendees want more than eight hours in a convention hall and a trip back to the hotel room, and Salt Lake City provides that. The flagship hotel in the city is The Grand America Hotel. Built in advance of the 2002 Winter Olympics, the city’s only AAA Five-Diamond hotel offers 75,000 square feet of meeting space and comes with the same luxury options as any fine hotel.

Not What You’re Expecting
Anyone visiting Salt Lake City will notice the lack of a heavy Mormon presence other than Temple Square within the city. Temple Square is the center of the city itself both literally and physically (the streets are put on a grid with Temple Square located at the center), but the city population is actually more non-Mormon than Mormon. Most people, this author included, had a preconceived notion of what the city will be like before they set foot in it: maybe a bit buttoned-up. That notion is quickly rendered moot, however, with the gastropubs, microbreweries and dueling piano bars downtown in entertainment and shopping districts including City Creek Center. Zy restaurant, located less than one mile from The Salt Palace, is one of the newer and more popular restaurants in the city. Voted the city’s best new restaurant in 2012, the food represents the city itself: modern, fresh and ever-changing, offering new takes on smoked salmon and duck. Spencer’s is the classic power steakhouse, offering big cuts of premium beef, family-style sides and an extensive wine list.

Skier’s Paradise
Salt Lake City’s close proximity to several of the best ski resorts in the country makes it stand out among other destinations. Planners often are looking to reward and entertain their attendees as well as educate them. What better way to entertain someone than with high-quality skiing? Within a 45-minute drive from downtown, planners will find skiing options at Park City, Deer Valley, Snowbird, Alta and Solitude, just to name a few. Forbes Magazine recently named Snowbird and Alta the second-best ski resorts in the U.S. Deer Valley is one of the most luxurious ski resorts in the world, with Utah’s only Forbes five-star hotel, the Stein Eriksen Lodge, as its highlight.

A version of this article appeared in Collaborate magazine.

City Spotlight: Salt Lake City is a post from: Collaborate Meetings

The Lodge houses a LEED-certified conference center, where greenery on arbors outside the windows helps block the sun so the conference center doesn’t have to use as much air conditioning. Meeting rooms are named after indigenous plants and trees such as the loblolly pine, cypress, sourwood and longleaf, and overhead lights and wall sconces have iron overlays resembling tree branches and pinecones. The largest space in the 22,000-sq.-ft. meeting area is the Longleaf Ballroom, which accommodates up to 1,000 people. Teambuilding activities include an Iron Chef–type competition called “Boiling Point,” where groups are split into teams and have to prepare their own dinner from a selection of ingredients. This judged competition is ideal for smaller groups; larger groups can do an interactive cooking session where teams work together under a chef’s guidance to create a Southern-inspired meal.

Callaway Gardens also has the 274-room Mountain Creek Inn, a recently renovated property with a 10,000-sq.-ft. ballroom and two dining spots. Other lodging options include villas and cottages that range from one to four bedrooms. Groups can walk through the gardens, bike and hike on nature trails, and kayak or fish on Mountain Creek Lake. During the summer, you can water ski, wakeboard or tube on Robin Lake, or simply relax on its white-sand shores. Host a golf tournament at one of Callaway’s two 18-hole courses, or let your attendees experience the TreeTop Adventure zip-line course.

Site Visit: Callaway Gardens is a post from: Collaborate Meetings

Since its debut two years ago, ACL has hosted about 150 private events, including meetings, parties, galas and product launches, says Michaelyne Escobar, ACL private event sales manager and senior event producer. “ACL Live at The Moody Theater allows clients to give their guests a fine-tuned Austin experience,” Escobar says. “The diversity of the space allows for all kinds of events, including meetings and keynotes. The ability to live-stream and the luxury of in-house production also allows for turnkey solutions for our clients.”

A version of this story appeared in Collaborate magazine.

Site Visit: Austin City Limits is a post from: Collaborate Meetings

The lobby is located in the new Oceanside wing, which features 155 guest rooms. The renovated Sunrise wing has 249 rooms, all with waterfront views. Of the 27 suites, the Infiniti Suites feature wraparound porches with  views of the Atlantic. Additional suites include the Presidential Suite, Executive Suite and Panoramic Suite.

The blend of indoor and outside space continues in the resort’s meeting facilities. More than 80,000 square feet of versatile function space in the new on-site conference center and across the entire property can accommodate up to 1,800 attendees. The new space includes the 16,800-sq.-ft. Magnolia Ballroom, as well as the 11,165-sq.-ft. Amelia Ballroom and the 5,465-sq.-ft. Cumberland Ballroom. Pre-function and exhibit space and 37 breakout rooms complete the one-level conference center, while the Magnolia Garden, located just outside, features 11,000 square feet of lawn edged by magnolia trees and herbs used daily by the resort’s chefs. Doors opening to outdoor seating, walkways and lawns, as well as the window-lined reception halls, lend an informal, easy-to-navigate feel to the center. Meeting planners can take advantage of the mild climate by having meals and relaxing breaks outdoors.

There are plenty of other options for dining and activities on the property. The resort has nine culinary options ranging from casual to fine dining, as well as a shopping village with boutiques, restaurants and a weekly farmers market. Guests can find release in a spa, a fitness center or by playing 54 holes of championship golf. There are also 23 tennis courts, recreation programs for children and adults, and kayaking, horseback riding, Segway tours and seven miles of paved trails for biking or walking available.

Now Open: Omni Amelia Island is a post from: Collaborate Meetings