San Francisco Makes America’s Cup History

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America's Cup Finals 2013 in San Francisco bay

San Francisco is a city of diversity, innovation, culture, and championship teams (Go Giants!), and as of this past August, they have also added “America’s Cup city” to their bright and shiny resume. In fact, not only has San Francisco been selected as the location for the America’s Cup 2012-2013, but they are also making a world record, as this is the first time that the America’s Cup races can be viewed from dry land. Typically the races are contested out in the deep blue sea, but now they are taking place closer to the shoreline so that spectators can watch the races in their entirety.

To prep for this big event, the city of San Francisco has redesigned the shoreline of the bay, and though plans to rehab piers 30 & 32 fell through because of funding, there are still many changes taking place in order to accommodate the vast crowds that they are anticipating for the Finals next summer.

For those of us in the event industry, this is a perfect opportunity to let our creativity shine while coming up with spectacular spectator boating activities, and themed dining events for all the groups attending the races. Also, if your group will be visiting San Francisco during the surrounding time frames, be sure to contact our AlliedPRA Northern California office to help you create a memorable meeting around this pinnacle event.

And just for some fun, here are some tips on how to not look like a tourist:

1)   Be sure to refer to it as “the city” or San Francisco, not “Frisco” or “San Fran.”

2)   If you’re there during the summer months, don’t let the California thing throw you. June & July can be some of the coldest months in the Bay Area and the locals can spot the non-locals from a mile away when they are wearing shorts and tank tops.

3)   Be sure to check out some of the “Locavore” restaurants, The hot new trend in the city is to eat all locally grown/raised food and the folks who stick firmly to that rule are called locavores. Several restaurants cater to this type of dining style, including one, appropriately called, “Locavore.”

Important dates to note:

  • America’s Cup World Series – took place this past August 21-26 & Oct 2- 7, 2012
  • Louis Vuitton Cup – July 4th – September 1st, 2013
  • Red Bull Youth America’s Cup September 1st- 4th, 2013
  • America’s Cup Finals – September 7th – 22nd, 2013

Are you planning on attending any of the America’s Cup races this year?

Congratulations to Platinum Choice Award Winner Sheraton Phoenix

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Sheraton Phoenix wins Platinum Winner Platinum Choice Award

Big congratulations go out to the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel, where we are privileged and honored to be the in-house DMC, for their Smart Meetings 2012 Platinum Choice Award. Smart Meetings magazine readers and editorial staff voted for their favorite properties and convention bureaus across North America, and only 125 hotels and 50 CVBs made the cut.

This prestigious award is demonstrating what we at AlliedPRA Arizona have known for years, which is that the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel consistently goes above and beyond expectations.

We are grateful for our close relationship with this property, and all of the great teamwork we are able to experience with them. Our most recent programs with the Sheraton Phoenix included a Teddy Bear, Rocking Horse, and Bike Building activity for 500 guests in which the final products were all donated to the Boys & Girls Club.

And tonight, to celebrate the election (I guess not everyone will be celebrating, depending on who wins), we are helping to throw an on-property event complete with red, white and blue balloons and bunting, wait staff in skimmer hats and bow ties, and TVs throughout the room so the guests can stay tuned into election coverage. Our National Sales Manager, Cindy Hedstrom, works hand in hand with CSM Lindsay Snair, on many client programs, and cannot say enough good things about Lindsay and her team.

If you are headed to the desert for your next meeting, be sure to consider the award-winning Sheraton Phoenix as your hub.

 

 

 

Looking Back on IMEX America 2012

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AlliedPRA at IMEX America 2012

On the heels of the highly successful IMEX America trade show in Las Vegas, AlliedPRA is taking stock of all the connections made and looking forward to the direction of those connections, as well as the industry as a whole. According to George Pohle, AlliedPRA Chief Executive Officer, “It was a very well attended show and there were many more tangible business opportunities than we have seen in industry trade shows in the last couple of years. General consensus was that 2013 is going to be a very good year for the industry.”

As the preferred DMC for the entire conference, the AlliedPRA Las Vegas staff had their hands full with airport arrival and departure meet and greets for the hosted buyers and shuttle service throughout the convention. Guests were entertained, while enjoying light show tunes provided courtesy of the AlliedPRA coach video. Everything ran seamlessly, with positive feedback from clients and attendees alike.

AlliedPRA preferred DMC for IMEX America Trade Show Las Vegas

For the AlliedPRA UK office, IMEX America was also the perfect platform to showcase several of our USA destinations and introduce clients to owners and managers from our USA and European offices. “The AlliedPRA UK office, in conjunction with the Fairmont, Raffles & Swissotel UK global sales team, took care of one of the largest UK hosted buyer groups of thirty guests, traveling to Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles,” says Maxine MacPherson, Director of Global Sales for the UK. “We also had the privilege to work alongside Ritz Carlton and Leading Hotels of the World to promote the AlliedPRA destinations on additional post show fams.”

It was a win-win week, all the way around, and we have already marked our calendars for IMEX America 2013 slated for October 15-17 at the Sands and Expo and Convention Center at The Venetian and The Palazzo, Las Vegas, USA. See you there!

Related Links:

10 Items to Pack for a Convention

Finding the Right Keynote Speaker

Best Apps for Event Planners

P&MM Hosts Memorable Networking Event –The Clipper Challenge

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AlliedPRA boat wins the P&MM Clipper Challenge

P&MM, one of the leading event and communications agents in the UK, took the notion of corporate networking to a whole new level, sea level to be exact, with their inaugural P&MM Clipper Challenge just a few weeks ago.

The P&MM Clipper Challenge consisted of bringing together key corporate clients, hoteliers, suppliers and DMC partners for a weekend of networking on the ocean blue. Before jumping aboard the boats, however, the attendees were treated to a thought-provoking seminar, led by managing director of P&MM, Nigel Cooper, on the future of social networking, which challenged them to assess their presence in the social world and to adapt accordingly to the ever-increasing and ever-changing industry of online media. Immediately following, the guests enjoyed a cocktail mixer at Spinnaker Tower and were then literally rocked to sleep aboard the sailboats, in the most basic of conditions.

Side note:  The boats used in the Clipper Challenge were actually the same boats that had just previously sailed around the world in the World Clipper Challenge which added quite a bit of excitement to the event.

On the day of the race, albeit a bit tired from the cocktails and the rocky sleep, the guests were rarin’ to go. They spent a few hours in training and then spent all afternoon competing in two different races. The AlliedPRA boat won both races, though it was rumored to be a close call in both. The sense of competition was strong amongst the racers, and the relationships developed during the 24 hour event were even stronger.

Overall, the P&MM challenge was a huge success because it was the perfect scenario for serious bonding and relationship building. By taking people out of their comfort zones, challenging them with a new skill, and then turning it into a competition, while still providing a safe, friendly and fun atmosphere, P&MM hit the nail on the head with this corporate networking event.

Cheers to P&MM for creating such a memorable, provocative and successful event. We look forward to winning, I mean, participating again next year.

AlliedPRA New York Wins a SITE 2012 Crystal Award

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Reinventing clever program ideas is a constant challenge for any DMC, but particularly when it’s located in one of the biggest, most widely visited cities in the world. Patrick Sullivan and his team at the AlliedPRA New York City office are in a perpetual state of brainstorming, coming up with new ways to spin the Big Apple. Recently, SITE recognized their creativity with a 2012 Crystal Award in the category Most Effective Team Effort at Producing an Incentive Program or Event.

SITE awards in Beijing China

Though many of the program elements were “typical” New York activities, the AlliedPRA team, led by Chelsie Caruso, and in conjunction with their partner, W&O Event Management, worked together to produce a unique and memorable experience for the UK division of a luxury automotive brand, showing the attendees sides of New York that they had never seen before. The highlight of the program, was the evening on Broadway, for the highly-acclaimed show Spiderman, which included a pre-show reception at the Apollo Link (a private, elegant salon area that is part of the main theatre) with a surprise appearance from Spiderman himself, premium seats for the show, and a post-show reception and meet n’ greet with some of the show’s main actors.

 Spiderman makes appearance at Lexus event

This elaborate of an evening had never been done before, and although there were some concerns ahead of time as to how everything would flow, the night was seamless and perfect.

Patrick Sullivan, President & Owner of the AlliedPRA New York office, attended the SITE awards in Beijing, China earlier this month to proudly accept the award on behalf of AlliedPRA. Patrick has been the sole owner of the NYC office for fifteen years and has seen the company, the city and the industry go through a lot of changes. Here is a quick Q & A with Patrick on running programs in the city that never sleeps.

Q: What is one of the best restaurants in the city right now?

A: Probably, SD26, owned by an Italian family that recently reopened this well-established restaurant in a new space near Madison Square Park. Everything on the menu is divine and they have wonderful private spaces for smaller groups.

Q: What is the biggest challenge running a program in NYC?

A: The unknown. Since the city has so much hustle and bustle, we’re never sure when there will be street closures or other obstructions, which might affect our transfers. We just make sure our guide staff is thoroughly trained and prepared to handle any situation that might arise.

Q: What is the hottest trend in evening events in the City?

A: Private penthouses with a view and rooftop bars.

Q: What’s the most popular activity?

A: 70-80% of our clients go see Broadway shows with Q & A’s after the show. The best part about that is that a portion of the proceeds goes to the nonprofit Equity Fights AIDS. Another popular trend is artisan tasting tours in the various NYC neighborhoods.

Q: What has been the most popular swag item this year?

A: Beats by Dr. Dre.

Q: What has been the most rewarding program to run this year?

A: The Amway incentive program we ran earlier this year, because it involved 21 languages, 24 nationalities, 11 full-time interpreters, 400 iPads programmed in relevant languages, the hotel contract at the Waldorf and fireworks, and it went off without a hiccup.

We’re proud of our NYC team and look forward to seeing what new and inventive program ideas they develop next!

How to Build a Strong Relationship With a Client

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Building a strong relationship with a client

A strong working relationship between a DMC and a meeting planner is at the crux of running a successful program. In some instances, there is an immediate chemistry with a client, professionally speaking, which is an incredible bonus, but other times the relationship needs a little work and finesse. Here are a few tips in building a strong relationship from the beginning of a program and continuing it all the way through to the end.

How to Build a Strong Relationship With a Client:

1)   Talk. Have verbal communication early on in the planning process, either by phone, video chat, or even better, in person. Subtle details and nuances of a person’s personality, sense of humor and style of communication can be lost via the written word so, although the majority of the planning process will take place via email, the written word should not take the place of verbal communication 100% of the time, particularly in the first stages of planning or when a problem has arisen.

2)   Trust. Encourage an open dialogue from the beginning so that the client can learn to trust you and vice versa.  For example, ask direct questions about budget restraints, expectations, and any past areas of concern. It is difficult and sometimes a waste of time and energy, to put a proposal together without all the important information. According to Francine McKanna, President and Owner of AlliedPRA Las Vegas, “One of our commandments in our office is ‘Thou Shalt Not Make Assumptions’ and we abide by that whole-heartedly with our customers. It is THEIR event, not ours and the decisions are theirs to make. Open communication is the key to building trust and a strong partnership with our clients.”

3)   Research: Going into a proposal pitch or a site inspection having done homework on the client’s past programs will show that you are prepared and on top of things, which will automatically reflect positively on you and will help build that trust. Heather Phillips, National Sales Manager from Northern California says she also, “researches the client’s background, hot buttons, and likes and dislikes, via the Internet, our own company database , and by calling other offices that have worked with the client for their knowledge, experiences, and advice.

4)   Be Willing to Switch it Up: Not all matches are made in heaven, so if for some reason you can sense that the relationship might not be going smoothly, finding someone else on the team who might be a better fit is always an option. Denise Dornfeld, Senior Vice President of the AlliedPRA Southern California offices, likes to say in situations like this, “If you feel it, say it.” If you’re feeling like the client is not happy about the way something is going, then ask them (also goes along with Francine’s notion to not make assumptions), and then simply make adjustments with your team. If you catch a problem soon enough, it is easily mendable, plus it demonstrates that you are proactive and in touch with the client’s needs.

We recently published a case study on a successful program run by our AlliedPRA South Florida office with Danaher Corporation. In the interview with Janele Marquez, who is the Executive Assistant to Danaher’s Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer, it is clear that they had developed a strong working relationship using the steps above. Their communication was open and honest from the get go, and, “In spite of unforeseen obstacles and set-backs, the program became a tremendous success for which Janele credits AlliedPRA’s hard work, thorough planning, flexibility and deep understanding of her company’s needs.”

What are other ways to strengthen a DMC/client relationship?

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Image courtesy of Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Picking a Good DMC Can Help Mitigate Risk

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Picking a DMC helps risk mitigationOne of the best arguments for why a meeting planner should hire a DMC partner is that the DMC plays a critical role in risk mitigation. DMCs are more than just a supplier; they are the consultative experts, about not only the destination, but also about the inherent risk factors associated with running programs in that destination. A reputable, responsible and thorough DMC will have done due diligence by vetting all their suppliers, creating emergency preparedness plans for each venue, and performing quality assurance tests on all proposed suppliers, venues and partners. The DMC takes on the responsibility of making sure the program runs smoothly, that the objectives of the meeting are met all while mitigating all possible risks.

Recently, PlanYourMeetings.com published an interesting article on ways meeting planners can limit liability, entitled, “Planning for the unplanned: Limit Your Liability!”  The article breaks down many of the potential liabilities of a program and then provides ways to prevent those risks, which includes every thing from ways to limit alcohol consumption to making sure your events are ADA compliant.

One major risk, inherent in this current, unsteady economic climate, is the financial risk that a client takes in signing contracts and paying deposits up front and sometimes years in advance. We at AlliedPRA have the backing of an international corporation, which allows us the ability to guarantee that even in the unfortunate circumstance of one of our subsidiary offices closing, a program on the books will still run. As quoted by Robert Patterson, CFO & COO of AlliedPRA, “AlliedPRA (Allied International Holdings) stands behind the liabilities of its subsidiaries. In the event of any subsidiary becoming economically unviable and as a consequence ceases trading, the client is protected from financial loss.” We certainly don’t want the opportunity to put this claim to the test, but are proud to have the legs to take this stance and stand steadfast in our commitment to it.

All of the work that goes into risk mitigation and limiting liability is the part of a DMC’s job that the clients and the attendees never see, but it is certainly an important aspect that helps lay the groundwork for any successful program.

 

Ways to Use Social Networks to Boost ROI on Incentive Programs

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ALLIED EXPERIENCES creates unique social media platforms for meetings

With the use of social media spreading like wildfire across both personal spaces and the business world, our AlliedPRA team has been helping clients find ways to use technology and social networking to enhance incentive programs to boost ROI and make the experience last longer than the 24+ hour duration of the program.

There are a few different ways in which meeting planners can incorporate a social network into their incentive program. One option is to use existing “public” social platforms, like Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn to run a campaign or contest, or simply create a hub for attendees to communicate with each other, before, during and after the program. Private group pages on Facebook and LinkedIn are a viable option, as is creating a hashtag on Twitter that the attendees can follow throughout the program.

Many clients have some privacy concerns, however, with using existing social media platforms, so a second option is to develop an equivalent, internal social network. This is a service that AlliedPRA can assist with and even manage as an option to clients who don’t have the manpower to oversee a social media aspect to the program via our newly developed ALLIED EXPERIENCES. A specially-tailored social network will create a virtual “workroom” where the participants can continue to interact over time. (Click here to download a PDF for more information on ALLIED EXPERIENCES).

By setting up a special social network surrounding your program, you:

1)   Provide a common ground for the attendees to share contact information, stories, tips, and tricks.

2)   Create a memory book of the trip where the participants and the professional photographers can place images and video.

3)   Incentivize employees who are not there by allowing them access to the site, so they can see what they are missing and energize their own future performance.

4)   Keep the party going, so to speak. With a social network, the communication and camaraderie can continue well after the trip is over.

5)   Create a central platform to track incentive-oriented performance, which will give the attendees a reason to go back to the site over time.

6)   Have access to immediate feedback from attendees.

7)   Capture statistical analysis about the program for the future.

8)   Engage the younger generations who are accustomed to using social networks.

As an extension to the web-based social network that is established for the program, a mobile or tablet app can also be created so the attendees can have the meeting agenda at their fingertips, and be privy to changes or updates in the schedule in a moment’s notice.

It is the series of recurring visits to the site by the attendees and others that have the largest potential to drive the return on the original investment in the incentive trip.  This is the area where companies have the greatest potential to focus their ROI efforts.   These sites can also be used year after year to give the incentive program further momentum.

Have you ever attended a conference that utilized social networking and or a web/tablet based app? Did it hinder or help your experience?

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Image courtesy of sscreations / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

AlliedPRA Scores in Cvent’s Top 50 Meeting Destinations List

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Cvent, the largest event management software company in the US, also
dubbed as “Expedia for event planners,” has named the nation’s top
50 meeting destinations in the U.S. With offices in 9 of the top 10 cities, AlliedPRA is batting 900.cvent names top 50 destinations

Orlando, Florida claimed the number one slot, which should be no surprise considering it’s the theme park capital of the world, as well as a leader in the medical research and training fields, and a maverick in the way of corporate-friendly hotels.

The rest of the cities in the Top 10 are as follows:

 
2. Washington D.C.
(Click any city to be taken to the AlliedPRA office that services the city)

 

To come up with this ranking, Cvent evaluated 1,000 major citites and 200 major metropolitan areas and the numbers were based on several factors, including total number of hotel rooms booked through the Cvent Supplier Network as welll as total RFPs submitted and how many pieces of business were awarded.  To see all 50 destinations and to read more about the process of determining this list and about Cvent themselves, check out their website. 

Are there any cities that you think should have made this list?