Cvent

Brooklyn is about to bust out 2,500 new hotel rooms -- who knew?

Known more for it's hipster music scene, grand architecture and slightly-more-space-for-lower-rent charms, Brooklyn has never really been known for it’s plethora of hotel rooms. That's about to change, however, rather dramatically. Although the fair borough hasn’t seen a new hotel opening in years, 2010 will be one that reverses the trend once and for all.

As we mentioned last week, The New York Times reported that 46 new hotels -- and the hundreds of new hotel rooms that go along with it -- will be opening in NYC this year. Since then, we've come across even more startling news, courtesy of The Brooklyn Eagle, which states that 12 of the 46 new New York hotels are scheduled to open in Brooklyn! And the hotel invasion doesn’t stop there: rumor has it, there are a total of 40 hotels planned for the borough in the coming years.

Whether this boom of new hotels in Brooklyn is a good idea or not, only time will tell. It is interesting to note that with all these hotel rooms set for the not-too-distant future, we're thinking the possibility of a convention-cost price-war might not be too far behind.

Granted we're speculating a bit here, but logically, once all these hotels in Brooklyn and Manhattan have had their ribbon-cutting ceremonies, they're going to need to start filling up the joints. Therefore, we think that pressure to fill the spaces will be great for planners looking to stretch their convention dollar in either borough. Depending on how flexible the properties are prepared to be, meetings and conventions in Brooklyn could wind up saving both planners and attendees a significant chunk of change.

Not convinced your group is quite ready for Brooklyn? Then at least make sure you’ve got a Brooklyn hotel option to refer to when negotiating with (or against) a Manhattan hotel. As Manhattan will also be swimming in new spaces in the coming months, chances are that pricing will get very competitive – and that’s music to every planner's ears!

InterContinental Hotels Group is headed to west mid-town this summer, bringing with them 607 new guest rooms, plenty of meeting space, and windows -- lots and lots of windows.

If you want a surefire way to burn out volunteers, try putting together a a major event or conference without the use of professional event management services. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about. I've been part of organizations that have attempted to plan, organize, host and even profit from dinner events and major all-day conferences, which we repeatedly were able to pull off, but at a high cost: the future loyalty of any volunteers.

People volunteer to help with event planning for a variety of reasons, but never so they can experience frustration and exhaustion. Professional event management services can save your volunteers from burnout, so they'll still be around next time you need some helping hands.
 
Not only that, professional event management is just that, professional. The quality of your event, your speakers, your marketing and even your event venue will be higher because you enlisted the help of a professional. And that means your attendees will be more likely to want to come to your next event--a definite long-term benefit.

You might think you're cutting costs by going it alone without the help of professional event management service. But that bit of cost cutting can get pretty expensive when your volunteers are burned out and your attendees are disappointed! Save yourself, your colleagues and your attendees from a poorly done event. Hire a professional.

It’s gray again in Seattle today. And chilly. So I find myself picturing an Orlando boutique hotel.

Seattle in February versus Orlando in February? I choose the latter! With blue skies and warm days and a sunny beach beckoning, who could resist? Just give me my Orlando boutique hotel on top of all that, and I’m in seventh heaven.

Why an Orlando boutique hotel? Why not a luxury hotel in Orlando? Or one of the new hotels Orlando has to offer? Because a boutique hotel is smaller, more intimate and decorated in an unusual, unique way, I've found in my past experiences. When traveling for pleasure or business, I try to find a boutique hotel.

And Orlando has so much to offer besides beaches and sunshine. There’s Walt Disney World and Universal Studios and even Sea World. That’s why my mind is wandering to Orlando boutique hotels on this cold, gray day.

Use the Cvent Supplier Network to start looking for your boutique hotel in Orlando today.

It's Superbowl time again and for some people that may mean getting comfortable on your couch, but in the DC area, it is another excuse to have an event, for restaurants and bars to have drink specials, rent out their private rooms and throw a party. Here are some great DC restaurants for your Superbowl events:

Argonaut - Celebrating with $10 pitchers of its house-brewed Argonaut Booty beer. All other pitchers will be $15, and wings will be half price. Once the game starts, catch it on one of 10 screens, including a 52-inch HD flat-screen.

The Bottom Line - Hosting a cover-free Super Bowl party with beer specials of $2.50 Miller Lite bottles, $3.50 Classic Amber Drafts, $10 Miller Lite pitchers, and $12 Classic Amber pitchers. There will also be $3 appetizers, including wings, tater tots, mini-turkey corn dogs, beer-battered onion rings, nachos, miniature meat balls, and veggie platters.

Buffalo Billiards - Offering four 10-foot projection screens and more than 45 flat-screens. Additionally, there will be half-price wing specials and $3 Miller Lites—and with each you buy, you get a raffle ticket for a chance to win a 37-inch flat-screen TV.

Irelands Four Courts - Having drink specials of $3.50 Peroni drafts. You can also get 45-cent wings until the game ends. Additionally, you’ll hear the game better—the bar just got a brand new surround-sound system.

Irelands Four Fields - Keeping the party going with $12 pitchers of beer, including Shock Top, Sierra Nevada, Land Shark Lager, Rolling Rock, Yuengling, and Bud Light. For early birds who arrive before the game, the bar is setting up a free appetizer bar that includes subs, meatballs and hot dogs until the game starts at 6.

James Hobans - Extending its happy hour specials until midnight. This means there will be $4 draft beers, $4 rail drinks, $4 red and white wines, and a $4 small-plates menu. Happy hour starts at 4 pm.

Lucky Bar - Showing the game on its 22 TVs and two HD big-screens. Specials will include 25-cent wings, $3 pints of Yuengling, and $12 pitchers of Yuengling.

McFadden's - Hosting one of the area’s biggest Super Bowl parties. Specials are $3 Miller Lites and Coors Lights, $10 pitchers, $5 wing baskets, and half-price burgers during the game. With every Miller Lite purchase, you get a raffle ticket for a chance to win a big-screen TV.

Mie N Yu - Extending happy hour until midnight. Happy hour specials include beers starting at $4.25 and cocktails and wine for $5.45. You can also get dim sum appetizers that start at $3 each. Earlier this year, the Georgetown establishment added flat-screens in the bar and lounge area, where you can watch the game. There will also be full dinner service until 11 pm.

Nellies Sports Bar - Options at the straight-friendly gay sports bar include $3 rail drinks, $3 mimosas, $3 bloody marys and $12 buckets of beer.

Penn Quarter Sports Tavern - Offering a party package starting at 5 pm including all-you-can drink beer, bloody marys, and mimosas as well as all-you-can-eat food throughout the game. Ladies get a discount with $30 tickets, whereas guys pay $60. The party will fit in some good deeds, too: A 50-50 raffle benefits Haiti-relief efforts.

The District offers a variety of bars and restaurants for enjoying the Superbowl. Whether you want a high-end experience or want to get down and dirty at a sports bar, there is something for everyone here.  Enjoy the game!

As I've been covering our January 2010 release in recent posts, it's obvious that we've unleashed great time-saving tools. Another one I'd like to highlight relates to our secure online payment processing. 

After your merchant gateway account has been linked to your Cvent account, you can now test the gateway at any time without having to go through the whole process of setting up a test event. We've designed it this way to cut down the number of tedious tasks and to save you time and energy that could best be allocated elsewhere.

Just a few clicks of the mouse is all it takes. In the system, navigate from the Administration tab to the Merchants Account tab and find the name of the merchant account you wish to test. Simply hit "Submit test transaction," enter your credit card details, and you're on your way!

Important to note is that this functionality does require planners to submit a $1 transaction to a valid card. But once the transaction has been successfully processed, they will be able to do a refund on the same card, so there's no need to worry about losing any money in the process.

With the ability to create unlimited email templates for each targeted list, you'll never be at a loss when it comes to customization. Better yet, your different audiences will be sure to receive a variety of messages tailored specifically to them, full of only the most relevant information. Now, hit any audience for any purpose you have!

How can you apply this? Take the example of the "balance due" email. Clients love to use this type of email once they narrow down a list of those who still owe money for a meeting or event. After this sort of reminder email is sent, planners can collect those fees that may have slipped the minds of a few registrants.

Whatever the reason may be, sending Cvent's email templates is a snap: just choose the audience and email name, then specify if the email should be sent only to certain people, based on advanced filters.

The W Hollywood is ready for its close-up. Opened last week, the 305-room new Los Angeles hotel is hoping to take LA by storm.

"We say internally that we’re introducing the newest star on the boulevard," Jim McPartlin, the hotel’s general manager, told the Wall Street Journal.

It's certainly got the right look, welcoming guests into its high-ceilinged lobby on a red carpet. Hotel amenities, from high-speed Internet access to cushy down comforters to in-room entertainment, can meet every guest's need. The fully-equipped SWEAT Fitness Center, relaxing Bliss Spa, and three on-site restaurants (plus a nightclub/rooftop bar scheduled to open in March) also surround hotel guests in the utmost of comfort.

With all the glitz, glamour and sophistication befitting a property in La-La Land, the W already hosted the star-studded post-Grammy party for EMI's Capitol Records, as well as a civic event following its opening that featured appearances by late-night television host Jimmy Kimmel and singer Robin Thicke. The W Hollywood boasts over 25,000 square feet of Los Angeles special event space spread among six venues.

View more information about the W Hollywood on the Cvent Supplier Network

Meetings and events demand certain things, such as space (obviously), seating, amenities, food, parking and so forth. There are plenty of potential meeting venues in Baltimore that can fulfill those basic demands. But why not think outside the box and looked at unique venues in Baltimore? You might just find the Baltimore Public Works Museum.

As a meeting space, the museum offers the physical space to accommodate your groups. But it might also entice your event attendees as a meeting space in Baltimore because it is the only museum in the world focused on "how public works shapes an urban city and its environment."

Public works isn’t something we usually think about; we often take things like running water and weekly garbage pickup for granted. But our modern society couldn’t function without public works. And in this case the meeting space could even be part of your event theme: Maybe you want to promote the idea of "public works" that happen within your company. Or maybe you’re an event planner for an association of urban planners. Wouldn’t that be a memorable way to tie the meeting space itself into the event?

View more information on the Baltimore Public Works Museum on the Cvent Supplier Network

Cvent software now offers users a new fancy feature called domain exclusion. This functionality helps meeting and event planners by giving them more control and security over who can register.

For example, they can choose to allow people from only certain IP addresses and domains to register for an event - keeping private events under the radar and public events open to anyone.

On the back-end of the system, planners pick from the options: "Do not limit registration," "Only responses from the following IP addresses," "Include following domains," and "Exclude following domains."

With this added security, our clients can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that only those (e.g. "internal people") with or without certain email addresses are capable of registering.

A few weeks ago we mentioned that NYC was about to be invaded by a flotilla of new hotels, and now comes the fun part -- the openings! Though they didn't quite make the originally planned December opening date, Distrikt Hotel has manage to be among the first wave of new New York hotel openings thus far this year, so there's still plenty to celebrate.

As we reported back in November, Distrikt Hotel's west mid-town/Garment district location and super-slick design should make the place a "must-visit" for style-conscious 7th Avenue types and stiletto-wearing fashionistas. They'll only have to totter four blocks east to get to Bryant Park for Fashion Week (which by the way, starts February 11). 

Once inside this New York hotel, travelers will be treated to a hotel that has embraced its New York roots by creating neighborhood-themed floors from the Financial District to Harlem. Each themed floor features back-lit collages of iconic neighborhood scenes, which we suspect will come in quite handy when trying to find one's way back to the hotel room after a couple of cocktails at Collage, the hotel's bar and restaurant downstairs.

Travelers will also find lots of stylish, boutique hotel creature comforts such as Simmons Beauty Rest pillow top mattresses, luxurious Frette bed and bath linens (yes, please!), flat-screen televisions and an ergonomically-friendly desk set up for managing those late night emails to the office (aw, do I have to?).

With rates ranging from the very reasonable high $100s to the mid $200s, we're thinking you'll be able to rest easy for just about as long as you like at the Distrikt Hotel. Our advice? Book now before the rest of the world gets wind of it!

While it may seem that we're bombarding you with more and more enhancements, the Cvent team doesn't want you to miss the boat on any of them! We have made many changes to both our event management and web survey capabilities that will get the wheels turning towards your next successful event!

A new "custom creation" is available for planner use. Now, it's easy to design distinct answer formats for questions and custom fields for events and surveys. Then, you can apply advanced logic between custom contact fields and single-choice questions.

We also tweaked our system so that you can review emails using a new email "test send" feature. Plus, we've added extra send options for session emails. For example, there are options to automatically send when someone registers for a particular session or when someone cancels his or her registration for a session (these can be used as confirmation and cancellation emails, respectively).

Our eMarketing has been spruced up, too! You will be able to define default values for email data tags and use updated data tag formats for any badges and certificates that you print and distribute.

And finally, to make sure that you don't get lost while navigating different tabs and web pages, we've made it quick and easy to "jump" to other pages using new shortcuts from the account search results page.

Just in time for the Olympics, the Westin Wall Centre at the Vancouver Airport has opened to leisure guests and business travelers. Its 180 guest rooms and eight suites pamper guests with all the comfort and convenience of home, including Westin's signature Heavenly Bed, high-speed Internet access and satellite television. The hotel also boasts a fitness center and on-site restaurant The Apron.

Conveniently located just a 20-minute Skytrain ride to downtown, the Westin Wall Centre is an ideal spot for Vancouver events. Its 8,500 square feet of flexible meeting space spans seven venues, including six breakout rooms and a 4,700-square-foot ballroom.

View more information about the Westin Wall Centre at Vancouver Airport on the Cvent Supplier Network

Whether you’re a professional event planner, or setting up meetings and events is something you do as part of your job, you know firsthand the challenges of getting many people to work together to take care of all the many details necessary for a successful event. Using a meeting calendar can help you keep everyone literally on the same page and moving forward. Additionally, a meeting calendar can be used to keep people informed of all your future events and enable them to register right then and there too.

Say your organization hosts an event each month. A meeting calendar can show all upcoming events, as well. If someone chooses not to attend in March, they can still see there’s an event in April to attend instead.

Cvent’s meeting calendar allows you to show all available upcoming events on your website, whether they require registration or not. It can be customized to match your company’s website in appearance, and you can use different meeting calendars in different places on the website. For example, some events might be for certain departments, or internal vs. for clients externally. Perhaps best of all, it’s updated without having to rely on a webmaster or IT person!

Have you always wanted to get married in a castle? Do you have a fiance, 15 minutes, and 200 bucks? Then Cupid at the Castle at Rhodes Hall is the perfect Atlanta event for you on Valentine's Day!

From 10am until 11pm on Valentine's Day, Rhodes Hall will be conducting 15-minute wedding ceremonies. Couples who wish to participate merely register for a time and come bearing a marriage certificate and up to 20 guests. The cost is only a $225 donation to the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, making it a very inexpensive wedding venue in Atlanta.

Rhodes Hall was built in 1904 with Stone Mountain granite as the home for Amos Giles Rhodes, founder of Rhodes Furniture. The Romanesque Revival style of the "Castle on Peachtree" creates an elegant atmosphere and makes the facility a fantastic Atlanta wedding venue. The highlight of the venue is the Reception Hall, the location for the 15-minute Valentine's Day nuptials. The Reception Hall features stained glass windows and a gorgeous mahogany winding staircase.

View more information about Rhodes Hall on the Cvent Supplier Network.

Any event planner knows you must find out your attendees' or clients' dietary preferences and these days more and more people often want environmentally conscious, sustainable food. A new website, which launched last week, is rating U.S. restaurants on the sustainability of their fish, making the jobs of diners and event planners everywhere easier. 

Fish2Fork.com has currently scored 50 high profile restaurants across six cities. The site hopes to add another 100 restaurants by the end of the month. Four DC restaurants have been rated thus far, including Blue Ridge, which received four blue fish (as they should, their executive chef is a big sustainability advocate).

With environmental issues, sustainability and organics constantly growing in popularity, this website is an invaluable tool to restaurant owners who wish to improve sustainability policies for their clientele, event planners who want to please their attendees and clients, and the average consumer who is doing this research for themselves.

New brands launches seem to be popping up all over the place these days. This week, Omni Hotels announced a new luxury brand, Mokara, which will debut in April. Its first launch will be the reflagging of The Watermark Hotel & Spa in San Antonio.

Omni's announcement comes on the heels of Marriott's Autograph Collection, which features "independent hotels and resorts from around the world representing upper-upscale and luxury properties with distinctive personalities." Seven hotels from The Kessler Collection are the first to join Autograph, with plans to add more than 25 locations worldwide through 2010.

When thinking about putting on an event, your initial thought may immediately drift towards the hotel ballroom or convention center, maybe one that you have been to before - a safe bet. Why not take a look at more unique venues in the area? Unique spaces are becoming more common for event planners to consider in order to change things up, and these venues are becoming more accommodating for meetings of all sizes.

Take theaters, for example. In the past, where a theater may have only sold tickets for shows and other performances, they are now opening up their lobbies to have dinners, cocktail receptions and other meetings to accommodate more groups. For example, the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore, a venue known for having world renowned comedians and an exceptional orchestra, is opening up their lobby for Baltimore events as large as 200 people.

A beautiful location with the same accommodations as the meeting space at a hotel; the only question to consider here is why not? The worst that can happen is they can't accommodate, and then you can still consider your more traditional venues.

After weeks and sometimes even months of discussions, when a talent rep finally calls and says it’s a go, it’s always a thrilling moment, no matter who you’re booking. So, what are your next moves?  

Get “lawyered up.”
Loop your legal department into the process -- with one very important caveat: forbid the lawyers to speak or email the talent rep directly for as long as possible. Now this might seem counter-productive, but I’ve seen my own lawyers nearly destroy delicate artist negotiations with an ill-chosen phrase on a conference call or an especially undiplomatic email. Insist that the lawyers run everything through you, until you are absolutely sure that they will behave in a manner that will not antagonize the talent rep or put the negotiations in jeopardy.

The Letter of Agreement
Following the pitch letter, you'll need a letter of agreement, usually a one-page document simply re-capping and confirming the details you have discussed with the talent rep so far. Think of it as an outline that will serve as the basis for the next document, which is the personal appearance contract.

The Personal Appearance Contract
Depending on the talent you’re working with, the talent rep may opt to send you their standard contract. If not, your legal department can send one. A word to the wise: no matter who initiates the contract, be sure to read it word for word and review it with your lawyers to be sure that both sides understand the terms. Be sure to include clauses that cover you financially in case of a talent no-show, last-minute cancellation and/or inability to fulfill all of the obligations to which the talent has agreed.

Uh-oh, Here Comes the Rider!
The personal appearance contract will often be accompanied by a talent "rider" -- a document that specifies exactly what the talent requires in order for them to do their job and to keep things as comfortable as possible before and during their appearance. The rider is also where costs can skyrocket if you're not prepared. Be sure to have your lawyers review the rider as well.

The Price of Fame
Big names and glamorous faces don’t come cheap -- they come with riders. To avoid a potential crisis when the rider arrives, discuss these elements with the talent rep as early as possible so compromises can be made if necessary. Here are a few of the typical items you’re likely to see requested on rider:

• Talent Green Room back of house, and a VIP area front of house
• Talent first class travel expenses, or business class depending on the level of celebrity
• Talent rep, PR rep or significant other’s business class travel expenses, depending on the level of celebrity
• Hair and make-up fees, which can run from $500 to $5,000, depending on the level of celebrity
• Additional security/crowd control for the venue (NOTE: personal body guards are the talent’s expense, not yours)
• Ground transportation to and from the airport
• Ground transportation to and from the venue, to ensure that the talent arrives at your event on time
• Talent food and beverage at the event -- be sure to ask about dietary preferences to avoid problems if the talent is a vegan, vegetarian, recovering alcoholic, allergic to peanuts, etc.

So Long, Farewell
After the talent has completed their duties, wowed the crowd and helped make your event a massive triumph, be sure to send them back to the hotel with a VIP gift bag or well-chosen, small gift as a special thank you for attending -- you never know when you might want to book them again!

Judging from some of my past blog posts, you probably now that I subscribe to Association Bisnow and generally find that it offers some helpful and often humorous insights into association meetings and marketing. Today's issue was no different.

In its buzzwords and acronyms dictionary for associations, Bisnow listed Twitter: "An organization without it is like a 13-year-old girl who has never been to a Jonas Brothers concert." Now that made me laugh! It's no wonder most associations are using social networks.

If you need tips on how to make the most of Twitter for your association, make sure to check out Emma's post on making use of the free social media network. In fact, make sure to bookmark Cvent for Associations blog for plenty of other helpful advice.