Meetings Beat - 1997-01-27
PlanSoft Revisted
PlanSoft is in the debugging of the code stage, and the software will be ready by March, according to ITT Sheraton director of marketing Frank Camacho. He has been involved with the ongoing and arduous effort to bring PlanSoft's Meetings Exchange-a database of destinations, facilities, and meeting suppliers online for virtual site inspection- and Ajenis, a suite of planning tools, to planner's desks (Meetings Today, Aug. 19, 1996). Camacho said hotels will pay for servers but planners will get the database for free.
Ritz-Carlton Tops Survey
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. took first place in the first J.D. Power and Associates Meeting and Event Planner Satisfaction Study, done in partnership with Meeting Professionals International and announced at the recent San Francisco Professional Education Conference. Polling 2,655 meeting planners, the survey ranked Marriott second, followed by Hilton and Westin. On average, respondents planned 33 meetings per year, spending about $235,000 on each. Survey criteria include a desire and appreciation for the client's business, quality of communication, on-site availability and flexibility, and an effective wrap-up. J.D. Power said it intends to run the hotel survey annually and expand its survey sample.
Sheraton To Roll Out Updated CD-ROM
Next month Sheraton plans to roll out a second version of its CD-ROM "electronic brochures" showcasing the features and specifications of Sheraton and Four Points properties throughout North America, according to Frank Camacho, director of marketing for ITT Sheraton Corp. The CD-ROM boasts an enhanced search engine, improved graphical user interface and "greatly improved floor plans" that are scaled to fill the screen. The next step for the CD-ROM collection? To place it on DVD, a digital storage format with enough capacity to feature information on Sheraton properties worldwide.
Associations Debut Tech Conference
The Professional Convention Management Association and the American Society of Association Executives will cosponsor a national technology conference for meeting and exhibition professionals, called METCON (Meetings and Exhibitions Technology Conference). Scheduled for April 10 through 12, 1997, METCON will include an interactive learning laboratory and educational sessions that feature industry software and emerging technologies such as interactive resume systems and CAD/CAM floor-plan designs. For more information, contact PCMA's Bill Myers at 205-823-7262.
Delta Launches Meetings Website
Delta Air Lines' Meeting Network has launched a subsite of its corporate World Wide Web site, http.//www.meeting.delta-air.com, detailing its meetings and incentive services, including its zone fares and its incentive travel certificate program, Win the World. "Future enhancements will allow meeting planners to communicate and purchase with us through the Website," said Gail Childs, Delta's system manager for meetings, incentives and group sales.
N.Y. Sheraton To Upgrade Facilities
Slated for a new look as part of an effort to better serve its group clients, the New York Sheraton will be retrofitted so that the trade show space and other second-floor ballrooms will be transformed into a full-service, "very upscale" 20,000-square-foot conference facility with 13 meeting rooms. Planners took part in extensive focus groups to give Sheraton their input and "had a dominant impact on the first round of design plans," said a Sheraton official. Further details will be announced next month.
Bermuda Package Offers Savings
The "Right Place at the Right Time" meeting promotion jointly offered by the Bermuda Department of Tourism and the island's five largest hotels- the Elbow Beach Bermuda, Marriott's Castle Harbour Resort, the Princess in Hamilton, the Southampton Princess and the Sonesta Beach Resort-is being offered through March 1997. Developed in conjunction with planners, the promotion includes a three-night hotel stay, free breakfast and coffee breaks, and complimentary cocktail party for as low as $155 per night.