Convention Centre

Today the new Sheraton Puerto Rico Convention Center Hotel & Casino will opens its doors! Conveniently located next to the Puerto Rico Convention Center, the 503-room property will boast 35,000 square feet of meeting space, a sizeable supplement to the convention center's 580,000 square feet of space. Additionally, the Puerto Rican hotel features 57,000 square feet of outdoor event space at its pool deck, which has panoramic views of San Juan Bay and multiple pools.

The hotel will be the first new full-service hotel and casino built in San Juan in over 10 years. It's also part of the brand's $6 billion worldwide, multiyear revitalization program.

"Sheraton Puerto Rico will be one of our brand’s signature properties and we are eagerly anticipating its opening," Hoyt Harper, senior vice president for Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, said in a statement. "This property will reflect the new, superior level of amenities, offerings and services of the Sheraton brand and I’m confident both business and leisure guests will be impressed."

Other amenities at the urban resort are three fine dining restaurants, a 7,000-square-foot spa, 24-hour fitness center, over 70,000 square feet of retail space, and a 20,000-square-foot casino—the largest in Puerto Rico.

View more information about Sheraton Puerto Rico Convention Center Hotel & Casino on the Cvent Supplier Network

On Thursday evening, Chicago Illuminating Company saw a great crowd for the debut of Jaguar's new 2010 XJ model. With the help of some professional Chicago event vendors, Jaguar put on a spectacular event!
 
Chicago Illuminating Company, located south of the Loop by McCormick Place, was an easy choice of venue for this event. Jaguar reps stated that they had done past events in country clubs and convention centers, but this time they wanted a venue to match the new product, one with a modern, clean space.

This two-story former power plant/warehouse is about 10,000 square feet. Unique features include modern architectural highlights, tile mosaic detailing, steal beams, polished wood floors and high ceilings. This contemporary loft-like setting screams "sophisticated with style." Jaguar professionals used the venue's large side door and ramp to load in display vehicles, which were placed in the center of the function space.

Food for Thought catered the event. The menu was broken out into various stations including a sushi bar, where a chef prepared California, spicy tuna and shiitake mushroom rolls. There was also a doughnut station where guests could top freshly baked donuts with a various arrangement of toppings. Other delights that were passed around included mugs of roasted tomato soup with Vermont cheddar sandwiches and mini caramel apples with crushed pistachios.

Flowers and rentals were done by Kehoe Designs, another well-known decor company in Chicago. Kehoe provided smooth lounge setups, tables topped with illuminated candles and flower arrangements of beautiful full roses.

With Jaguar's "design your own Jaguar" computer stations, the viewing of a brand-new design of vehicle, and tasty delights prepared by Chicago cooking professionals, guests to this Chicago event were guaranteed a good time!

To find out more about the Chicago caterers, venues and more, visit the Cvent Supplier Network.

While they may not voice their complaints out loud, it's likely that attendees are crying inside at the thought of another meeting in the same conference room in the trusty hotel down the street. It's time to break outside the boardroom!

When was the last time you reconsidered the options of where to host your business events? The typical conference halls and convention centers don't sound like so much fun these days...but what about a local lounge? That's right - the one with the swanky pool tables in the back!

Reignite a sense of excitement in meeting and event attendees by hosting at a unique venue - somewhere that combines great food, wireless/multimedia capabilities, and a fun social atmosphere.

Doing a bit of research can help you find places that you never knew specialized in client entertainment, team-building, business lunches, breakfast meetings, staff celebrations, and other events.

So where do you start? The Special Event Venues section of Cvent's Supplier Network has many great ideas for you to try out and to get people smiling at your meetings again!

One of the hotels surrounding the Orlando convention center is a name that people all over the country recognize as a force among the four-stars. The Peabody Hotel Group has luxury hotels around the country; its signature mallards are recognized throughout as a statement of service and excellence.

Some Orlando meeting planners booking conventions, group outings and incentive trips, overlook this Orlando hotel and resort based on an assumed price point. Don't! The Peabody hotel in Orlando is available in both high-season and off-season at fantastic rates if you know how to get them.

The hospitality team is more than willing to accommodate large groups with special group packages, and if your travel dates are flexible, prices go down as well. The Peabody Group of Hotels is also affiliated with many discount programs such as AAA, AARP, and their very own Peabody Advantage for guests who stay on a regular basis. 

The Peabody Orlando, currently undergoing renovations, offers 57,000 square feet of Orlando meeting space. Located right next to the convention center and the rest of the Orlando tourism area, the Peabody could not be a better destination for a luxurious Orlando stay.

View more information The Peabody Orlando on the Cvent Supplier Network

More than 100 years after its original opening, The Edison still shines brightly. Conveniently located near the LA convention center, it is set in one of the first private power plants in California. The historic Edison is truly one of the most unique venues in Los Angeles.

A tribute to the sultry bygone era of industry, science and innovation, this LA party venue explodes with provocative history and tantalizing treats. Depression-inspired comfort food, decadent nostalgic design, and glamorous live entertainment are what makes this locale a top LA attraction and "one of the best new bars in America," according to Esquire magazine.

If you are looking for electrifying entertainment, this LA restaurant is sure to spark your interest. It has a lofty open floor plan, making it perfect for accommodating intimate groups of 10 people to grand gatherings of 300 guests.

Cvent Planner Insider Tip: Receive glowing reviews from your clients this holiday season by booking this rare Los Angeles corporate event space.

View more information about The Edison on the Cvent Supplier Network

Chicago is known as the city to accommodate most large meetings and events for associations and corporations. In fact, the meetings industry brings thousands of guests to Chicago for annual events and product launches every year. With McCormick Place listed as the nation's top facility for meetings and conventions, Chicago has built the resources to accommodate these groups with some of the best brands of hotels in the world.

These large hotels are now not only housing guests who attend these meetings, but also hosting them in their own top-notch Chicago meeting facilities. Check out some of the premier hotels in Chicago that have meeting space to welcome thousands of convention guests:

Hyatt Regency Chicago

In addition to being the on-site hotel brand stationed at Chicago's convention center, Hyatt Regency is no stranger to large meetings of its own. With 228,000 square feet of contemporary and flexible function space, Hyatt is equipped much like any other large convention center. The Hyatt is home to four ballrooms, 63 meeting rooms and 70,000 square feet of exhibition space.

This Chicago hotel's impeccable service is monitored by a Meeting Concierge. This friendly aide is by your side from start to finish, ensuring that everything runs flawlessly.

Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers

The Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers has over 120,000 square feet of meeting space. This property can host up to 4,600 people for an event or conference. With four above-ground levels of meeting space, 34 breakout meeting rooms, and a 40,000-square-foot ballroom—standing as the largest hotel ballroom in the Midwest—the Sheraton Chicago has all of the amenities to host large groups.

Situated  the heart of downtown Chicago, the Sheraton is near the city's most popular attractions, making it easy for guests to venture out and explore the city. From their 35,000 square feet of exhibition space to their convention registration area, the Sheraton Chicago is sure to cater to your every need!

To find out more about Chicago convention hotels, please visit the Cvent Supplier Network.

Sheraton has been in the midst of a multibillion dollar global revitalization effort, renovating almost half of its North American profile. One of the newest on the scene is the Sheraton Dallas.

Following a $90 million transformation, the downtown Dallas hotel boasts 1,840 redesigned guest rooms and over 230,000 square feet of flexible meeting rooms and banquet spaces—some of the largest in the state of Texas. Whether in the 40,800-square-foot Lone Star Ballroom or 750-square-foot Executive Boardroom, Dallas events at the hotel enjoy expert in-house catering, audio-visual, floral and convention service departments.

Outside the boardroom, the Sheraton Dallas' new dining options, The Kitchen Table restaurant and Draft Media Sports Lounge, provide a place to kick back with a drink or dinner. The new lobby, complete with complimentary work stations and flat-screen televisions, is also a chic spot to rest after a day of work.

Located in the Arts and Financial District, the Sheraton Dallas hotel is extremely convenient for out-of-town meeting guests. The hotel itself is a stop on Dallas' light rail system and connected to the shopping complex Plaza of the Americas. Booking these Dallas accommodations also places attendees just minutes from the Dallas Convention Center, American Airlines Center and historic 6th Floor Museum.

View more information about Sheraton Dallas on the Cvent Supplier Network

Orlando is sitting on a treasure that many people overlook: a mass quantity of private and public vent spaces. One such Orlando event venue warrants its own spotlight: the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC), a versatile and successful option for any private event.

The space, located in the heart of the Orlando tourism area, is comprised of more than two million square feet of event space. In other words, Orlando's convention center has a floor plan and appropriate space for every event imaginable. In fact, it's home to most tradeshows and events in the Orlando area, from the Home and Garden to the Surf Expo every year.

If you're wondering how much such an event space could cost you, you'll be relieved to know this is a government owned and operated facility. So even though you are getting state-of-the-art services, the rental prices aren't exorbitant. Also, if you are looking for an event to either market with or be a part of, the Orange County Convention Center has a list of all of the events for the upcoming year, as well as a list of the companies slated to participate.

All in all, the Orange County Convention Center is a fantastic option for hosting your next Orlando event. If you need a location to showcase your event amidst other industry professionals, this location is a great spot!

View more information about the Orange County Convention Center on the Cvent Supplier Network

Back in July we blogged about big changes coming to downtown Indianapolis, including the construction of a new JW Marriott hotel that will be the brand's largest property in the world. Set to open in 2011, event planners can now get a first look at the 1,005-room property at the JW Indy website.

At 34 stories, the new Indianapolis hotel will be connected via skybridge to the newly expanded Indiana Convention Center and will be just minutes from the newly constructed $1 billion Indianapolis International Airport. The hotel will also offer 104,000 square feet of its own meeting, banquet and exhibit space, including 23,000 square feet of breakout space and the 40,500-square-foot Grand Ballroom, the largest ballroom in the Midwest.

Expecting to change the face of Indianapolis, the convention hotel will join the four other Marriott hotels of the Marriott Place Indianapolis complex, which will offer a total of 145,000 square feet of meeting space.

Outside of the boardroom, overnight meeting guests will enjoy 37-inch high-definition LG plasma-screen televisions, well-lit, spacious work stations and high-speed Internet access in its amenity-laden rooms. The hotel will also have three different dining options: High Velocity, a high-tech sports bar; Tuscan Bistro, for fine Italian dining; and a gourmet, European-style coffee bar.

Planners interested in booking the JW Marriott Indy can take advantage of its special Indianapolis meeting promotion. Submit and RFP and receive a special pre-opening offer. Or, submit an RFP for 500 or more rooms for 2011 or 2012 and receive a complimentary site visit.

Visit the hotel website to learn more about the offer, and check out the JW Marriott Indianapolis Downtown on the Cvent Supplier Network today!

The lively city of Miami is about to shake things up. The Miami Downtown Development Authority recently approved the 2025 Downtown Miami Master Plan, designed to transform the area into the "Epicenter of the Americas."

Plans include the development of its convention center, facilitating waterway and road transport, and assimilating its waterfront into burgeoning districts, according to the South Florida Business Journal. Among the other main goals of the district are to leverage the city’s beautiful and iconic tropical waterfront; elevate downtown’s grand boulevards to prominence; and create great streets and community spaces throughout the district.

The Miami Convention Center was last updated in 1989. Though it opened as the nation's fourth-largest center in the 1950s, it is now the 28th largest. According to Miami Today, a recent convention center study has suggested that expanded exhibit space, a ballroom, 25,000 square feet of new meeting space, an alternative outdoor rooftop venue, and another convention center hotel be added to the center.

Have you ever found yourself searching multiple metropolitan areas trying to decide where your next meeting will be held? Those searches can be time-consuming and inefficient. Sometimes you end up right back where you started, unsure of exactly where you’re going to hold your next event. Cvent has the solution for this problem: the Cvent Destination Guide.

The Cvent Destination Guide is an informative resource designed especially for meeting and event planners. It's a one-stop guide where planners can focus site selection and event sourcing efforts by comparing meeting-specific details across cities worldwide.

The Destination Guide has so many great features to explore. Browse cities by U.S. region or state, or view one of the more than 20 cities profiled internationally. City profiles offer a comprehensive overview of things to do, convention center information, transportation options and more. Also included is a key statistics page, where event planners can find useful data such as population, hotel room inventory, mileage to nearby cities and weather-related statistics. Plus, we know that budgets are tight, so there’s even a promotions page in each city for planners in need of a deal!

Beyond the city profiles themselves, the Cvent Destination Guide also offers a wealth of additional resources such as the Event Planning Comparison Chart, where you can quickly find and compare meeting details such as average taxi fare and the number of restaurants for cities across the globe. Or, browse the Convention Center Directory, Conference Center Directory, and CVB directory, or view venues that fall into Beach Destinations, Golf Destinations, and Mountain Destinations.

Here at Cvent we try to make your meeting planning process as smooth as possible. The Destination Guide is just one of the many things we have to offer to help make your meeting planning easier and more efficient.

The Cvent Supplier Network offers a number of features that benefit both planners and suppliers as they source and book event business. Take, for example, a supplier's ability to include local attractions or "Places of Interest" to its profile. Cvent offers a Places of Interest page within each complimentary supplier listing on the Cvent Supplier Network. This addition not only adds an extra page to the supplier profile, it also provides some valuable information to Cvent meeting planners.

Did you ever get an RFP and under the "decision factors" section see "location"? The placement of a property can have a big impact on event venue selection. So why shouldn't suppliers go ahead and market a great locale from the beginning? Are you close to the convention center or airport? Maybe you have great shopping close by or even a theater district. These attractions can sometimes be the tipping point for winning big business. Take some time and talk about the convenience that the location of your property can offer to a planner.

Suppliers can also use this page to promote the area in general. When planners consider several meeting destinations, the local attractions advertised by each venue can really help in the decision-making process. Is the area a beach or a golf destination? Are there any historic or national sites close by? These descriptions can help planners make an informed decision.

Create a Places of Interest page on your supplier profile! It will help to enhance your offering, and provide much-needed details to planners.

Once a major hub and Dallas meeting place for farming and industrial goods, leisure and business travel, and one of the largest points of exchange in the Southwest, Union Station is still a thriving center of activity in the heart of downtown Dallas. This working train station boasts not only a convergence of different train lines (DART Rail, Amtrak, Trinity Railway Express), but also allows underground access to half of downtown, including the Hyatt Regency Dallas hotel, Reunion Tower (or that famously lit ball in the Dallas skyline), the Dallas Convention Center, and some of the city's most famous sites such as the Sixth Floor Museum and the grassy knoll.

Built in 1916 in the acclaimed Beaux Arts Classicism style, Union Station underwent a massive $23 million renovation in 2008 and has since been painstakingly restored to its former glory. Beginning with colossal 48-foot ceilings in the Grand Hall, Union Station affords visitors the chance to admire a variety of downtown architecture thanks to its huge arched windows that span an entire wall.

A Dallas event planner favorite for large, lavish affairs such as weddings, launch parties, and political events, Union Station offers versatile floor plans for gatherings of 10 to 850 guests, not to mention an awesome backdrop to any photo op.

Internationally renowned Wolfgang Puck Catering is the exclusive Dallas caterer for Union Station. Whether your event requires elegant cuisine for 10 or 2,000 diners, Puck's trained chefs prepare all items "a la minute" with fresh, high quality ingredients. Incidentally, Wolfgang's newest Dallas restaurant, Five Sixty, is located at the top of Reunion Tower, which offers a rotating 360-degree view of Dallas and is only a quick walk from Union Station via the climate-controlled tunnel.

Don't forget—you can find more special event facilities in Dallas for your events at Cvent's Dallas venue directory.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts is on a mission to open its 1000th hotel and resort, and throughout 2009 the North American Division made contributions. Starwood recently announced that it executed 25 new deals and opened more than 40 hotels in the North American Division this year, with an additional 20 properties expected to open before 2010.

"These 40 plus hotel openings and 25 new signings further extend our leadership as the world’s largest upper-upscale and luxury hotel company, while also strengthening our place as the industry innovator in the select service segment," said Paul Sacco, senior vice president of development for Starwood's North American Division, in a statement.

Among the properties opened this year:

• The St. Regis Atlanta, the 500th hotel in North America
• W Fort Lauderdale, the 30th W Hotel worldwide
• Aloft Tallahassee Downtown, the 30th Aloft Hotel worldwide

Expected among the 2009 hotel openings include the Sheraton Puerto Rico Convention Center & Casino, Le Meridien Philadelphia, and The St. Regis Resort & Residents, Deer Crest. Recent signings have included an Aloft property in Atlanta, an Element property in Ontario, a St. Regis property in Bermuda, and a Westin property in New Jersey.

Sarah’s recent post about haunted hotels discussed some pretty scary spots for a Halloween event!  But if you’re looking for a not-so-scary trick-or-treating spot this year, check out the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando. In tandem with Universal Studio’s Halloween Horror Nights® celebration, this Orlando meeting hotel is offering special room rates as low as $69 per night.  On Halloween night, the hotel will also invite guests to partake in their “Life After Death” party.  This music-inspired event will summon top recording artists who have passed to the great beyond, including Michael Jackson, Jam-Master Jay, Stevie Ray Vaughan, TLC, John Lennon, James Morrison, the Beatles, Tupac Shakur, Aaliyah, Elvis Presley, Notorious B.I.G., James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, and more. Even if your group can’t make it to Orlando this month, the Rosen Plaza offers a clever theme idea for your own Halloween party!

The Rosen Plaza Hotel is located on International Drive, adjacent to the Orange County Convention Center, making it an ideal meeting location—Halloween or not. This Orlando venue is sandwiched in between Florida’s world-famous theme parks and the Orlando International Airport, making travel time to both just a few minutes’ drive. With 800 guest rooms and 60,000 square feet of meeting space, this Orlando meeting hotel has ample facilities available, whatever your occasion!

View more information about the Rosen Plaza Hotel on the Cvent Supplier Network

Offering a rich history and vibrant culture, Budapest, Hungary, has a well-deserved nickname of "Queen of the Danube." Not just full of leisure attractions, such as world-famous thermal spas and grand palaces and museums, the city is also a great destination for meetings and events.

Budapest offers its Congress & World Trade Center for international business conferences and events, as well as a number of smaller venues where planners can treat their meeting guests to authentic Hungarian experiences. Read about all the options for your Budapest meetings, such as hotels, convention venues, restaurants and more, on the Cvent Destination Guide.

The Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center near Washington DC is the largest hotel and convention center on the Eastern Seaboard. It has over 470,000 square feet of flexible meeting room space including a 180,000 square foot exhibition hall. Located on the National Harbor, this DC luxury hotel has stunning views of the Potomac River and an incredible 18-story glass atrium.

One of the many luxuries that the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center offers is a “Hotel within a Hotel” program. The program is perfect for all your events in Washington DC because it provides exclusive meeting environments for executive meetings. Guests of executive meetings can stay in the National Bay, which is a collection of 300 upgraded guest rooms with direct elevator access from guestrooms to dedicated meeting space. There is also a dedicated Meeting Manager assigned to each executive meeting to cover all aspects of the planning process. 65,000 square feet of outdoor event space, including a full-service pier and marina.

View more information about the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center on the Cvent Supplier Network.

Located one block from the CN Tower and adjacent to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, the Intercontinental Toronto Centre is a fantastic special event venue in Toronto.

The Intercontinental offers an expansive Toronto meeting space with the Executive Conference Center located on the Lobby Level that features 12 meeting rooms.  Two of the meeting rooms are the aptly named Next Generation Boardrooms, which are truly boardrooms of the future. A location where luxury and technology meet, each of the boardrooms seat 20 people and feature cutting edge meeting equipment.

The Next Generation Boardrooms feature:

• A hidden, built-in,  high-end sound system with wireless microphones
•  Two wall-mounted 60-inch plasma screens
• A high-resolution document camera that can project any 3-D object onto the one of the plasma screens
• Voice and video conferencing, web casting, and video web conferencing
• Motorized drop down projection screen with a high-resolution LCD projector
• Plasma SMART board electronic white board: The speaker is able to view the computer image of the presentation on the lectern’s monitor and then can use the stylus to add handwritten notes that will appear simultaneously on the SMART board plasma screen that the audience is viewing.  If the presenter saves the presentation, software automatically updates the handwritten notes into text in the presentation, which can then be emailed or printed at the full-service business centre.

View more information about the Intercontinental Toronto Centre on the Cvent Supplier Network.

More news on the Nashville convention hotel project. According to The Tennessean, financing for the $300 million, Marriott property may need public financing, eliciting concerns some local hotel owners.

"That would be a major, major sea change from the market for private lodging properties right now," Mark Bloom, senior vice president for tax-free bonds with UBS Financial Services, Inc., and a minority owner of the Hilton Downtown Nashville, told the paper.

Though private financing is ideal, it may not be possible for such a large project to find private funding in today's marketplace. Nashville would pay off the debt on a publicly-financed hotel using revenue from the hotel itself.

Though some are concerned that a government-owned hotel could drive down room rates with no repercussions, Walt Baker, CEO of the Tennessee Hospitality Association, said Marriott would have control over sales.

"We wouldn't want to get into a pricing war with Metro [Council]," Baker told The Tennessean. "It doesn't matter as long as the management is independent and has control over pricing."

Reducing costs is a top priority for both meeting planners and their attendees. One big area of concern is always transportation, especially when you have guests traveling in from distances that are just too far of a drive.

Though planes are the most frequent option, do you ever consider Amtrak service? Whether your are paying for event transportation for your attendees, or just need to recommend a mode of travel, riding the train can be a great experience. Why? Consider the following 5 benefits of Amtrak travel:

1. Schedule flexibility. The standard "Arrive two hours before your flight" can really put a dent into your day when traveling by plane. When taking a train, you usually don't need to arrive at the station until about 30 minutes before it is scheduled to depart (although risk takers could probably even show up right before.)

2. No packing restrictions or fees. One of the worst parts of plane travel in my opinion are the liquid restrictions and the new baggage fees. While most business travelers attending your two- or three-day conference won't need more than the one carry-on, I think it's really tough—and annoying—to stuff a small plastic bag full of shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste and all your other toiletries. And while we're on airport restrictions, let's just add that having to walk barefoot through security is another downside to flying.

3. Convenient access. Amtrak stations are generally in the heart of a city's downtown area. This makes them a much more convenient starting point for your guests to access convention centers and hotels, as opposed to airports, which are often 20 to 30 minutes outside the city. Take Chicago, for example. Its Amtrak Union Station is located 3.6 miles (or 12 minutes) from its convention center, McCormick Place. O'Hare International Airport is 20.7 miles (or 28 minutes) from the Chicago convention center.

4. Affordability. As another example, a one-way Amtrak ticket from St. Louis to Chicago starts at $23. A one-way plane ticket for the same trip starts at $60. Though such differences are variable, it's generally a safe bet that a train ticket will offer good deal.

5. Comfort. Often times airplanes can be cramped, crowded and overall uncomfortable. Trains offer roomier seats with plenty of legroom. Plus, guests can easily get up and walk throughout the train to stretch their legs.

And finally, one bonus benefit of taking Amtrak: it's green! As our eco-consciousness grows, business travelers and event organizers can rest assured that train travel is environmentally friendly, using less energy and producing less pollutants than car or air travel.