Airport-Wide Mtgs. At LAX

<B> Airport-Wide Mtgs. At LAX</B>

By Norman Sklarewitz

In a move likely to be watched closely by other major cities, the Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau has been helping a group of nine hotels at Los Angeles International Airport market themselves cooperatively to large meetings, in much the way downtown properties work together to attract city-wide business. A full-time CVB sales representative now has the job of attracting meetings, conference and convention business specifically to nine "lead receiving" member hotels in the immediate LAX area.

This strategy contrasts sharply with CVB efforts in most cities, which work primarily to fill space in their convention center. The LACVB does that, too, but supplementing those efforts these days is a campaign to bring business to LAX.

Involved in the effort is an inventory of more than 6,500 rooms and 275,000 square feet of meeting space at the Airport Hilton & Towers, the Los Angeles Airport Marriott, the Continen-tal Plaza, the Embassy Suites LAX North, the Wyndham, the Furama Hotel, the Renaissance Los Angeles Hotel-Airport, the Sheraton Gateway LAX and the Westin. Eight smaller properties also will receive CVB support.

Such backing for a specific geographic area within a city not associated with a convention center is called "quite a trail blazer" by Clark Albright, Westin sales and marketing director at the LAX Westin. "We've never before had the opportunity to combine efforts like this. The airport makes up a significant amount of the city's total room inventory and this gives the CVB a more marketing focus," he said.

Beyond their normal CVB membership fees, the hotels do not pay additionally for this new support, nor do they pay any commissions for business generated.

Cory Abke, formerly director of group sales for the Sheraton Grande Hotel in downtown Los Angeles (now the Los Angeles Marriott Downtown) has been named director of Pacific Coast Hotels Sales for the CVB. That title reflects the Bureau's efforts to sell the properties as a destination offering considerably more than easy access to the airport. "This is a destination close to great beaches, fine restaurants and other activities ordinarily not found at conventional airport hotels," Abke said.

In addition to having Abke out drumming up meeting business, the CVB provides logistical support. In some cases, for example, it is able to provide site inspection trips to Los Angeles to pre-qualified meeting planners representing larger groups.

While it's obviously too early for bookings to be generated, Abke reports "great interest" among meeting planners and "people are very responsive.