Meetings: Minnesota's Hospitality Journal

Valentine's Eve Hotel Specials

It's that time of year when the hotels around town start promoting Valentine's night specials. Have you ever participated in a Valentine's Day stay? Sometimes I think it's fun to take a night and stay in our own Twin Cities. Not only is it often less expensive then going somewhere out of town, it helps our local hospitality economy and creates a new-found appreciation for the cities in which we live.

+ I just received a press release that the Hilton Minneapolis/Bloomington Hotel is being hailed for its creative V-Day package: One night’s stay in a deluxe guestroom for two from $169, champagne or sparkling cider, chocolate covered strawberries, $50 voucher for the Bloomington ChopHouse or room service, robes, turndown service and late check-out of 3 p.m.

+ Geri at Eventful Ramblings made mention of the W Hotel - Foshay's sexy package for couples, which includes a unique spin-the-bottle game, bottle of bubbly and late check-out. Add on dinner at Manny's or a couple drinks in The Living Room and you'll have quite the fun evening.

+ The Saint Paul Hotel always offers two different Romance Packages, with goodies such as tuxedo strawberries (I've had them - they actually look like little tux-dressed berries!), champagne, breakfast, turn-down services and more. (Special Note: Attendees to our State of the Industry event will find a gift card in their bags from The Saint Paul Hotel, good toward one night's stay!)

What other specials have your heard about around town? Where will we find you on Valentine's Eve?

--Amanda Fretheim Gates
Managing Editor

Countdown: State of the Industry Event

Our State of the Industry Event is just a few days away (Feb. 3 at the Westin Edina Galleria). We're excited to present an expanded lineup of knowledgeable speakers on our schedule this year. Check it out:

• Editor Joel Schettler will present a fresh, interactive presentation of the State of the Industry survey results and discuss the state of the hospitality industry nationally.
  
• Featured Speaker Cynthia Lesher, former president of the host committee for the Republication National Convention, will talk about her experience with the RNC.
• Breakout Session (Sponsporships): Speaker Shawna Suckow of Compass Events will share tips about creative sponsorships.
• Breakout Session (Green Meetings): Speakers Sheri Brezinka, director of marketing for Weis Builders, Inc. and president on the board of the U.S. Green Building Council—Mississippi Headwaters Chapter; Autumn Salamack, manager of outreach and education at Aveda; and Zack Hansen, creator and project manger for GreenGatherings will speak about how to green meetings and events and be environmentally responsible in the hospitality industry.
• Keynote Speaker Joe Pine, author of Authenticity: What Consumers Really Want, speaker and management advisor to Fortune 500 companies and entrepreneurial start-ups, will speak about creating authentic relationships.

The event is a great chance to learn from these great speakers, check out the brand new Westin (and its catering), network with other hospitality industry professionals and take advantage of the chance to earn CMP or CSEP credit. Explore the State of the Industry Web site to find the entire schedule, directions to the Westin and more great details about this event. There are only five more days to pre-register online ($65 now, $75 on site).

Hope to see you there!
--Ellie M. Bayrd
Associate Editor

State of the Industry Event: Food Drive for Second Harvest Heartland

Did you know that January 2009 is more than likely going to go down as the first January in 30 years that we didn't reach above freezing (32 degrees)? This Saturday, Jan. 31, might eek out a 33, but I'm not holding out hope. As I heard that this morning, it made me think of all the people who don't have homes in Minnesota. That's a lot of cold nights to be homeless, and shelters around the Twin Cities have been making as much room as possible for those without a warm bed.

In addition to those who are homeless, did you know that 47 percent of households using food shelves in our area report that paid income is their major source of income?* And as more and more companies lay people off (including local giants like Best Buy, Target and Ameriprise), and people are forced to live off unemployment and/or a single-household income, these numbers may only increase over the next several months.

Keeping all that in mind, we decided to try and do our part during our State of the Industry event on Tuesday, Feb. 3. We're holding a food drive, and all grocery items and money donated that day, will be given to Second Harvest Heartland.

So, if you're coming to our event next week, please remember to bring something, anything, to help out. In fact, for every $1 donated, Second Harvest can provide $9 worth of groceries. We will also have on hand some literature from Second Harvest that explains how meeting planners and vendors can go about donating their leftover event food to the organization.

What can you donate?
Items high in protein, as well as toiletry items, are of particular need:
(no glass containers, perishable items or home-canned foods)

+ Canned meats, beef stew, chili
+ Boxed meals
+ Peanut butter
+ Rice
+ Fruit juice
+ Fruit preserves
+ Shampoo
+ Deodorant
+ Toilet paper, paper towels
+ Toothpaste
+ Diapers
+ Soap

Spread the word. We appreciate it!

* research courtesy of Second Harvest

--Amanda Fretheim Gates
Managing Editor

Mobil Travel Guide Awards 4 Stars to Hotel Ivy

Mobil Travel Guide, where all those star awards first began, has released its 2009 Annual Star Awards (four and five stars) for hotels, restaurants and spas. Last year, Minneapolis' own La Belle Vie was the only Minnesota venue to make the list. This year, Hotel Ivy walks away with the honor. Called out for its warmth, amenities and skyway connection, Hotel Ivy is the only Minnesota hotel to receive the honor this year, and the first Minneapolis hotel to ever claim Mobil's four stars, according to a press release.

Mobil takes great care when rating hotels on facilities and service. According to Mobil's Web site, there are two types of inspections: A facility inspection when "every property gets a visit from a facility inspector, who uses a checklist to evaluate cleanliness, physical condition and location," and a service evaluation, "when based on the facility inspection, properties that might qualify for a Mobil Four Star or Five Star Award certification receives a visit from a second, this time incognito, inspector. This inspector makes an anonymous visit and performs an incognito evaluation based on more than 500 service standards."

In related news, Chuck Paton recently came on board as the new general manager of the property. What a way to start out!

[UPDATE 1-28-09] And Paton came from The Saint Paul Hotel, which just received two honors of its own: inclusion on Travel + Leisure's Top 500 Hotels in the World list, and Conde Nast's 2009 Gold List as a reserve property. (It's the only hotel in Minnesota to be included on either list this year.)

--Amanda Fretheim Gates
Managing Editor

Ask Your Colleagues: Contingency Planning

Q: This issue of the magazine includes a feature story on contingency planning (see p. 72). We asked your peers what lessons they’ve learned to better prepare them for unforeseen surprises that can happen during an event?

A: I have learned that it is all about “plan your work and work your plan.” The more work you do in advance the better you are able to handle things on-site. I have also learned that you need to have processes in place for handling things—whether it’s supplies you always bring to the event so you know you have them, or procedures in place should something happen.

You can address a lot of scenarios but some things come up that you just can’t plan for. The key in this is to remain calm and have established relationships with your event partners to come to a resolution. Your problem could be not enough seats for the meal, and how you handle it so it has the least amount of impact to the attendee is key. You don’t want to show them things are not under control.

As already mentioned, look to your event partners as truly partners. In the end, you are all in this together, and if you keep the communication lines open in the process, they will look out for your interests as they become a stakeholder in the event along with you. It’s also important to continue to learn from events you manage as well as those you attend. The power of observation is key as you can continue to refine your process to make the next event even better.

-- Sean R. Schuette, CMP
Director of Meetings & Events
IntrinXec Management Inc.
sschuette@intrinxec.com

For other Ask Your Colleagues responses, see here. If you have an opinion on this topic, we'd love to hear it!

Follow us on Twitter!

If you had a chance to read our latest issue of Meetings: Minnesota's Hospitality Journal, you may have read my Editor In-sites column on Twitter. While I was all prepared to badmouth Twitter in my column, I did some research and realized Twitter may actually be good for business. So, now we editors here at Meetings have a Twitter account. You can follow us here: @MeetingsMHJ, plus you can see our twitter feed on the left-hand side of our blog.

We're still learning the ropes, but we hope to use Twitter as a way to keep our readers informed about industry news, new things we're doing at the magazine, restaurants, hotels and events we visit, and so much more.

So, in the name of learning: All you tweeters out there, why do you do it? How has it helped you? And for those of you who aren't on Twitter or are scratching your head wondering what I'm talking about, what do you think about all of this?

--Amanda Fretheim Gates
Managing Editor

State of the Industry Event: Getting There

On Wednesday we toured the Westin Edina Galleria to finalize the details of Meetings: Minnesota's Hospitality Journal's State of the Industry Event (Feb. 3, 2009). While there we made sure to check out the best parking for you, our attendees. After all, everyone wants to have a smooth arrival and easy parking, especially in winter.

To help you out we've posted the recommended directions from the Westin as well as a link to a map on our Web site. Take note: parking is a breeze with the new (free!) ramp located to the rear/south of the Westin. If the weather is freezing, we recommend you try their attached tunnel system for access from the ramp to the hotel. Anyone interested in staying at the Westin should know that the hotel is offering a room rate of $109 per night (for a traditional king sleeping room) to State of the Industry attendees.

Before you head out for our event, take a quick moment to register online. Pre registration ($65) lasts through Feb. 2, so save time and money by taking advantage of this deal (day of registration: $75). If you have any questions, contact Editor Joel Schettler (jschettler@greenspring.com, 612-371-5869).

And remember, at our event you'll get to choose between two breakout sessions: Shawna Suckow on sponsorships and a green meetings panel featuring Sheri Brezinka, Autumn Salamack and Zack Hansen. The green meetings panel will also be recorded for a future podcast.

We hope to see you at the Westin Edina Galleria on Feb. 3, 2009.

--Ellie M. Bayrd
Associate Editor

A Sneak Peek of the Eats at the State of the Industry Event

One of the reasons we’re so excited for our State of the Industry event on Feb. 3 is our venue: the new Westin Edina Galleria. Julie Broders, the Westin’s director of catering sales, was kind enough to give me a sneak peek at the catering and presentation plans for the big day, and ran through some of the things the Westin’s kitchens are doing to get green.

The hotel’s restaurant, McCormick & Schmick’s, is headed by Chef Sean Thomas, who comes to the Westin by way of Chicago and oversees all kitchen operations from banquets to in-room service. Any McCormick and Schmick’s fans out there can expect a few classics from the well-known name in seafood, from crab cake appetizers to the restaurant’s signature desserts such as apple pie, chocolate espresso cake, carrot cake, New York-style cheesecake and possibly crème brulée ramekins.

As usual, I’m getting ahead of myself and skipping straight to dessert. Let’s back up. The main lunch will be what Broders calls the “signature Westin serving table,” which will include options of chicken, beef and salmon, plus several side salads including tossed greens with the Westin’s signature white balsamic vinaigrette (yes, the Westin officially has a signature everything). Broders also notes the presentation will be “very minimalist, very clean, very contemporary yet warm.” In short, very Westin. “Some of the nice things you’ll see when you come in the door are the use of furniture pieces instead of skirted, draped tables. We don’t do a lot of the ‘fluff and stuff.’ We use these gorgeous wood and marble tabletops,” Broders says. You’ll also see griddles and induction heaters in place of chafers. “That way you’re able to see the presentation of the food and see what you’re getting versus having to dig inside,” Broders says. “It’s just a cleaner look.”

Joe Pine at TED

In 2004, Joe Pine spoke at the famed TED Conference. Pine will be our keynote speaker at the upcoming State of the Industry Event, Feb. 3, at the Westin Edina Galleria. Catch a sneak peak at his presentation here.

--Joel Schettler
Editor

New Sustainability Report Released

We at Meetings: Minnesota's Hospitality Journal have been talking about sustainability for meetings and events for a long time on this blog and we have even planned a green meetings panel at our State of the Industry event (Feb. 3, 2009, at the Westin Edina Galleria), so its no surprise that today's release of the State of the 2009 Sustainable Meeting Industry by Meetings Strategies Worldwide caught our eye.

In the announcement, Nancy J. Wilson, CMP, Meeting Strategies Worldwide, said, “We are proud to present our inaugural 2009 State of the Sustainable Meeting Industry report. Trends and forecasts speak to continued economic challenges and increased demand for sustainable meetings. Both present a perfect storm of conditions to continue to motivate all of us to improve the value of what we do by exploring new ideas to be most sustainable and maximize return on investment."