Meetings: Minnesota's Hospitality Journal

Social Media and the Convention

On Sunday, The New York Times printed an article by Katharine Seelye titled "Conventions Throw Doors Open to Bloggers." The article focuses primarily on the Democratic National Convention in Denver next year. Seelye writes, "Bloggers obviously bring a different take — less restrained, more granular, in real time — from that of the mainstream media, and that’s exactly what the Democrats want when they gather at Denver’s Pepsi Center from Aug. 25-28." My guess is that the RNC, taking place right here in the Twin Cities, will follow suit, passing out press credentials to many bloggers as well.

Another point Seelye made that I found very interesting was that because TV ratings for conventions have greatly decreased over the years (for many reasons I'm sure, but maybe one being that we the people have heard from these candidates for two years already come convention time?), convention planners are looking for other avenues in which they can gain publicity and coverage.

So, my question is: How has the influx of social media (YouTube, blogs, MySpace, etc.) changed the way we plan and publicize our events? Is it a must to have a video camera on-site now? Must you blog continuously throughout your week-long conference? Does this change how and to who you reach out when it comes to getting media coverage of your event?

(Hat tip to The Ethical Blogger for pointing me in the direction of Seelye's article)

--Amanda Fretheim Gates
Associate Editor

Reading by 'Kindle' Light

I found out today, from a few sources, that Amazon just released Kindle - its electronic reader. Because I can't say it any better than the Web site itself, here's what it offers (directly from Amazon):

    * Revolutionary electronic-paper display provides a sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper.
    * Simple to use: no computer, no cables, no syncing.
    * Wireless connectivity enables you to shop the Kindle Store directly from your Kindle—whether you’re in the back of a taxi, at the airport, or in bed.
    * Buy a book and it is auto-delivered wirelessly in less than one minute.
    * More than 88,000 books available, including 100 of 112 current New York Times® Best Sellers.
    * New York Times® Best Sellers and all New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise.
    * Free book samples. Download and read first chapters for free before you decide to buy.
    * Top U.S. newspapers including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post; top magazines including TIME, Atlantic Monthly, and Forbes—all auto-delivered wirelessly.
    * Top international newspapers from France, Germany, and Ireland; Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine, and The Irish Times—all auto-delivered wirelessly.
    * More than 250 top blogs from the worlds of business, technology, sports, entertainment, and politics, including BoingBoing, Slashdot, TechCrunch, ESPN's Bill Simmons, The Onion, Michelle Malkin, and The Huffington Post—all updated wirelessly throughout the day.
    * Lighter and thinner than a typical paperback; weighs only 10.3 ounces.
    * Holds over 200 titles.
    * Long battery life. Leave wireless on and recharge approximately every other day. Turn wireless off and read for a week or more before recharging. Fully recharges in 2 hours.
    * Unlike WiFi, Kindle utilizes the same high-speed data network (EVDO) as advanced cell phones—so you never have to locate a hotspot.
    * No monthly wireless bills, service plans, or commitments—we take care of the wireless delivery so you can simply click, buy, and read.
    * Includes free wireless access to the planet's most exhaustive and up-to-date encyclopedia—Wikipedia.org.
    * Email your Word documents and pictures (.JPG, .GIF, .BMP, .PNG) to Kindle for easy on-the-go viewing.

Sounds pretty slick. It's probably not for me for a few reasons, two being: 1) I'd miss looking at a physical book, and because I'm in front of a computer all day long, well, looking at another similar device during my leisure time doesn't really appeal to me, and 2) The ability to buy most any book for under $10 at anytime right from my fingertips - well, that just spells trouble. And an empty bank account.

What do you think?

[UPDATE (Dec. 19, 2007): Here is a review of the Kindle (and Sony Reader) from the Pioneer Press.]

--Amanda Fretheim Gates
Associate Editor

New Venue: SteppingStone Theatre

Some good news this season, the SteppingStone Theatre - a local company that gives youth actors the chance to shine on stage - has moved into its new home in the former Grace Community Church on Victoria Street in St. Paul. The Star Tribune printed a nice story today about how the theater came to move there from its smaller location in the Landmark Center. Within the beautiful, monument-like building, the $4.8 million renovation not only made room for a 430-seat auditorium, classrooms and rehearsal halls, but meeting space as well. The theater will supplement it's yearly budget by renting out some of its space.

If you're interested in checking out the new space, a free community grand opening takes place on Dec. 1, from 1-4 p.m., complete with tours, mini performances and theater workshops for the kids.

Or, check out the SteppingStone's annual Christmas play: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever! It's one of my favorite childhood books of all time (I think I read it every year for 6 years in a row), and the theater's adaptation is always a hit (running Dec. 1-22).

--Amanda Fretheim Gates
Associate Editor

Hotel News

Just got word of two new hotel groundbreakings happening this month:

Hilton Garden Inn, Downtown Minneapolis & Convention Center breaks ground on Nov. 28. According to the press release,  the 10-story, 210-room Hilton Garden Inn Downtown Minneapolis & Convention Center will feature a state-of-the-art fitness center, indoor pool and spa, more than 3,000 square feet of meeting space, a full-service restaurant and bar, and a complimentary 24-hour business center. It's expected to open between December 2008 and February 2009.

The Hilton Garden Inn is just one of six new hotels to be added to Minneapolis in the next year, together bringing more than 1,000 new hotel rooms to the city.

The Cambria Suites Hotel is set to break ground tomorrow in Maple Grove. According to the press release sent out by Choice Hotels International and Grove Hospitality, the Maple Grove Cambria Suites hotel will feature stylish design that is more intimate than traditional hotel décor and guestrooms that are 25 percent larger than standard hotel rooms. When finished, the new facility will offer the latest in technology from a large-screen television in the open, airy two-story lobby to two flat-screen LCD televisions, CD/DVD player, and MP3 jacks in the guest suites and complimentary wired and wireless high-speed Internet access throughout the property. Amenities at the Cambria Suites hotel will include a dining area serving breakfast and dinner and full coffee barista bar, a state-of-the-art fitness center with resort-style indoor pool and spa and a 24-7 convenience store filled with healthy, organic and traditional convenience store fare.

--Amanda Fretheim Gates
Associate Editor

Earth-friendly Travel & Shopping

I was reading the latest issue of Popular Science, which listed its picks for the "100 Best Innovations of the Year." Two green items caught my eye, one picked as a best innovation, and one listed in the magazine's "How 2.0" section.

First, mentioned in the How 2.0 section, Orbitz is getting on the Eco bandwagon, launching a search engine and Web site specific to Eco-Tourism. If you aim to travel green, Orbitz lists eco-friendly destinations and hotels. To be considered eco-friendly, hotels must use environmentally friendly cleaning products, use a natural source of energy, use energy-conserving devices and contribute some funds to an environmental organization. The list is ever-growing, which is good because I didn't see Minnesota hotels on there yet. The site also helps you rent hybrid cars, partners with Carbonfund.org which offsets travelers CO2 emissions, and provides eco-tourism tips.

The other cool green innovation mentioned has to do with a new kind of biodegradable plastic made by Metabolix. Using E. coli microbes, the plastic breaks down in the Earth, unlike most other plastics. The first company to use this new technology? Target. The Minneapolis-based company will use it for their gift cards. Spending your Christmas money was never so cool.

--Amanda Fretheim Gates
Associate Editor

Beatles Mania

Maybe I'm behind here, but I just learned of the Hard Days Night Hotel opening up in Liverpool, England, in February 2008. Completely devoted to the Fab Four, the hotel will be decorated with specially commissioned Beatles artwork that covers many key moments in the artists' lives. The hotel will have 110 rooms. Blakes Restaurant will serve organic, classic cuisine and be decorated with images influenced by Sir Peter Blake's Sergeant Pepper's album art.

Guest can stay in the Lennon suite, complete with a white piano and artwork dedicated specifically to Lennon's life, while the McCartney suite will house a full suit of the knight's armor. With a gallery and open brasserie with imagery that will change with the time of day, the hotel will welcome guests and non guests alike, hoping to be the next great hangout.

So, what do you think Beatles fans? Somewhere you'd like to stay? Who would you like to see the Twin Cities pay homage to through a new hotel? Purple Rain Hotel? Tambourine Man Hotel?

--Amanda Fretheim Gates
Associate Editor

Update: Airport Upgrades

As an update to my post on Oct. 19, 2007:

The MSP airport is looking at a few more upgrades besides the pet-boarding facility. According to the Star Tribune today:

"While airlines are getting dinged for lousy customer service, the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport plans to turn on the charm with a spa for travelers and a "cell phone lot" for their drivers.

By Thanksgiving, drivers can park on a lot on airport grounds, free of charge, until they get a call from their visitor, on the ground and waiting for pickup.

The airport also could have a 5,000-square-foot "Wellness Center" in time for next year's Republican National Convention.

The center is to be part spa -- including hair and nail care, and massage -- part medical clinic, with a health practitioner available to diagnose and treat basic illnesses, said Kathleen Bangs, marketing manager at the airport, where officials decided this week to look for vendors."
(by H.J. CUMMINS)

Personally, I think the "cell phone lot" is a great idea. And a long time overdue. What do you think? Do you know of other airports that have similar features? Would you use a spa and/or the cell phone lot?

--Amanda Fretheim Gates
Associate Editor

Hotel News from Around the World

Here are a few hotel-related stories that I found interesting and/or mind-blowing:

From Yahoo News: Through a $150 million renovation, Boston converted its former Charles Street Jail into the luxurious Liberty Hotel. More than 150 years old, the now hotel offers rooms from $300/night to $5,500/night. My favorite part? One of its restaurants is named "Clink" and the hotel bar is called "Alibi."

From Hotel & Resort Insider: Pod hotels, small, affordable accommodations that have been popular in Asia for years have arrived stateside. A pod hotel can now be found in New York City. While on the small side (see photo), these rooms are stylish and cozy, with all the same amenities as other luxury hotels. According to the article: "All the rooms are accompanied with iPod docking stations, free Wi-Fi access, large screen LCD TVs, as also, shared bathrooms, with designer sinks, rain-head showers, marble and granite interiors and cool music."

The Hydropolis Hotel (or underwater hotel with 220 suites) in Dubai is set to open before year's end. Brings a whole new meaning to "sleeping with the fishes."

And lastly, take a swim in the largest pool in the world (20 acres, 1/2 mile long in Chile), that's also oceanside.

--Amanda Fretheim Gates
Associate Editor
Meetings: Minnesota's Hospitality Journal

The Social Media Discussion

One of the industry blogs I frequently peruse is ASAE & The Center's Acronym (I love the name!). Throughout November, Acronym is discussing social media and Web 2.0 - blogs, YouTube, Wiki - and the effects those things have on the business world. The information is great - I check back daily to see what more I can learn. Yesterday's post, The Naked Org, discussed the underlying fears of bringing Web 2.0 into you office, association, etc.: Lack of control, lack of privacy, and all the other cans of worms that can open should you decide to speak publicly about the way you do business. The post links to several sources that talk about the benefits and disadvantages of social media.

One article mentioned, from the March issue of Wired, I found extremely interesting. Author Clive Thompson writes about companies, such as Southwest Airlines or Microsoft, that use social media to talk about good news, trends, mistakes and even allowing employees to comment - quite publicly - about what they would like to see. Thompson gives examples of how this technique can both help and hinder your business. For example, if a company makes a PR blunder, it can try to cover it up, or through a blog or video, apologize, reassess or even put a positive spin on the mistake.

What are your thoughts? Should everything be out on the table like this, or should companies remain private about squabbles, issues, etc.? Have you ever used social media to make decisions about a company? Does your company have a blog? Do you see a benefit?

UPDATE (Nov. 8, 2007): Our editor, Joel Schettler, pointed me toward an article from Folio that may be of interest, and also makes mention of MPI and The Meeting Professional.

--Amanda Fretheim Gates
Associate Editor
Meetings: Minnesota's Hospitality Journal

Printer Power

The latest issue of Wired hyped the newest printer from Samsung. Not even 5 inches tall, the ML-1630 puts to shame the old monstrosity you've been using for years. Focusing on function, but also design, the new Samsung printer is sleek, black and easy on the eyes. Just as fast as others, with touch-sensitive blue LED sensors, the ML-1630 performs the same tasks while taking up less space - all for around $200.

--Amanda Fretheim Gates
Associate Editor
Meetings: Minnesota's Hospitality Journal