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The 2024 Northstar Meetings Group/Meetingjobs-Cadre Salary Survey reveals that the average salary for meeting planners has exceeded $100,000 for the first time, with an average base pay of $101,727. The gender pay gap has also narrowed, with female meeting planners now earning 92 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts. The highest salaries are found on the coasts, particularly in the Middle Atlantic and New England regions. The survey also highlights the busy workload of meeting planners, with an average of 26 events planned in 2023. [Extracted from the article]

The document provides a comprehensive guide to meeting and convention venues in Texas, focusing on Arlington, Austin, and Irving. It highlights newly opened facilities, upcoming developments, hotel options, convention centers, airport transit information, taxes, group venues, and contact details for each city. Additionally, it mentions a new Omni hotel development in Midland and unique group activities like the Presidential lounge in Austin and Cowboy Solution's leadership training with horses. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the importance of sustainable practices in meetings and events. While sustainable operations are more prevalent in Europe and Asia due to government mandates, North America lags behind. However, a survey shows that 71% of meeting professionals consider sustainability important. The article provides advice from industry professionals on how event planners can drive meaningful change, find mentors, create their own communities, and measure their events' carbon usage. The goal is to make sustainability a brand asset and competitive advantage. [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses eight luxury glamping spots that are perfect for adventurous groups who enjoy the outdoors. These glamping sites offer all the amenities of a top hotel, including comfortable sleeping quarters and delicious food, while also providing plenty of options for outdoor activities. The article provides details about each glamping spot, including their locations, accommodations, dining options, and nearby attractions. Whether it's camping in Montana, Utah, Maine, New York, Arizona, Illinois, Colorado, or even in Los Angeles, these glamping spots offer unique and luxurious experiences for those who want to enjoy the beauty of nature without sacrificing comfort. [Extracted from the article]

With a new presidential administration, heightened concern about security, global health scares and other factors, meeting contracts are becoming increasingly complex as planners attempt to mitigate worries in their agreements. [...]

Advice on how event planners in the United States should manage their careers to protect their jobs during the economic crisis are offered. Planners should find other areas of responsibility to be able to use their expertise. They can also use the economic downturn to define the need for their skills.

Boise, Idaho has seen several new hotel openings, including the 122-room Hotel Renegade, the 67-room Sparrow, and the 39-room Avery Hotel. Construction is also underway for a dual-branded Marriott property set to open in 2026. The city's airport is undergoing expansion due to a significant increase in passenger traffic. In terms of group accommodations, there are several options available, such as the Riverside Hotel, Grove Hotel, and Boise Hotel & Conference Center. Additionally, the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights is opening a new education complex, and there are various activities available for outdoor enthusiasts, including whitewater rafting and kayaking. Visitors can also enjoy unique dining experiences at the 8 Horses Lounge and Bacon restaurant. [Extracted from the article]

This article from Meetings & Conventions highlights some creative ideas from recent hosted-buyer events organized by Northstar Meetings Group. These ideas include a community book drive in the Bahamas, a wellness oasis with various relaxation amenities, a sweet surprise of homemade ice cream at registration, a sustainable power walking initiative, a make-your-own poké bowl station, and a Kentucky Derby hat-building activity. These unique additions to meetings and events aim to enhance participant experiences and contribute to the local community. [Extracted from the article]

Advice on how meeting planners should handle stress in the workplace are presented. Work demands should be lessened while resources are increased. Streamlining of work processes is also encouraged.

The International Association of Conference Centers is offering all-inclusive pricing through a complete meetings package to add value to its members' services. The package also includes rate covers, meeting space, meals and coffee breaks. The offer is part of the group's efforts to cushion the impact of the United States economic crisis.

MEETING HOTELS: Top meetings hotels in the city include the 491-room Dallas/Fort Worth Airport Marriott, 431-room Las Colinas Resort & Club, 421-room Omni Las Colinas, 364-room Marriott Dallas Las Colinas, 350-room Westin Irving Convention Center Hotel. MEETING HOTELS: Austin's top group properties include the 1,048-room Fairmont Austin Hotel, 1,012-room JW Marriott Austin and 801-room Hilton Austin. › The new Arlington Convention Center will open in 2024, sharing 200,000 square feet of meeting space and 66,000 square feet of outdoor event space with the new 888-room Loews Arlington Hotel, opening early next year. [Extracted from the article]

While most of the world has been conducting business fromhome, construction workers and craftspeople at a numberof hotels have been putting the finishing touches onnew-builds and renovations. The property features a host of accommodationoptions, from main-building guest rooms (111 ofwhich are suites) to a five-bedroom estate house,cottage rooms and two three-story brownstones. Improved Sheraton PhoenixDowntownbit.ly/NMGsheratonp The 1,000-room Sheraton Phoenix Downtown is the firsthotel to undergo the transformation that will take placeacross the Sheraton brand, and renovations are expectedto be complete at the Arizona property when it reopensfor business on Aug. 1. [Extracted from the article]

Just taking your current contract and pushingit forward could do you more harm than good, because theguarantees you have in that contract -- the room block and F&Bpickup and all the rest -- are notnecessarily going to be applicable. There's nosuch thing as an ideal contract, because that ideal contract for youis not going to be the ideal contract for the other guy. When you face that dilemma with the property orthe vendor, ask them, Can you guarantee and would you be willingto sign a letter or an agreement with me that you'll be fully able andcapable of performing in full everything outlined in the contract?. [Extracted from the article]

Austin and Fort Worth have convention center expansions in the works; Irving will welcome a Ritz-Carlton in 2024; and Arlington is gaining a new convention center and hotel. • Two new meeting hotels are planned for the city: the 344-room CitizenM Austin Downtown, expected to open in 2023; and a 330-room Conrad hotel by Hilton just west of the Austin Convention Center. CONVENTION CENTER: Fort Worth Convention Center; exhibit space, 208,573 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 20; fortworth.com/conventioncenter AIRPORT TRANSIT: Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, about 10 miles from downtown. [Extracted from the article]

According to the 2022 North-star Meetings Group/Meeting jobs-Cadre Salary Survey, average pay increased 6 percent this year compared with the 2020 Salary Survey, which was based on respondents' 2019 earnings. The effects of Covid on the meetings industry still might be lingering, but there's clear recovery in one important metric: planner salaries. The gender pay gap has gotten wider: Female meeting planners earn slightly more than 81 cents to the male dollar, down from 84 cents in 2019. [Extracted from the article]

But, says Vade, that's the fastest way to marginalize audience members and ruin diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. ANTHONY VADE, ENCORE "We have to find solutions that will move the event forward with a new mindset", says Vade. Clearly, we need to rethink the way we deliver content if we stand a chance of competing with these distractions, says Anthony Vade, Encore's event experience strategy director. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses various attractions and dining options in Cleveland, Ohio. It mentions the recently expanded Huntington Convention Center, which hosted ASAE's Annual Meeting. The popular restaurant, Fahrenheit, is highlighted for its Vietnamese chicken spring rolls, seafood tower, seared scallops, and cotton candy tree dessert. The Cleveland Museum of Natural History's upcoming expansion and renovation is also mentioned, along with the West Side Market in the Ohio City neighborhood. The article concludes by mentioning the redevelopment along the Cuyahoga River and the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame's plans to add more event space. [Extracted from the article]

HOTEL CONTRACTS M&C's legal expert answers your questions aboutthe changing nature of today's agreements Protection at meetings comes in manyforms these days: masks, vaccinations,sneeze guards on banquets, socialdistancing. We see contracts with planners insistingthat hotels will have everythingopen, will have 24-hour room service,will do turndown service upon request,will clean rooms and change the sheetsand the towels daily. Otherwise, you mightbe able to get out of the hotel contract,but you won't be able to get out of thecatering, or the deal with your speakers,the A/V company, transportation, etc. [Extracted from the article]

Experient, I see a lot of contracts, and the best ones Guzman: We're seeing more and more contracts where Rosenbaum: It's standard amongst most contracts, I Mary's contract, and we'll note things like maybe the. [Extracted from the article]

The article reviews convention facilities in Austin, Texas including Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa, Marriott's 1,840-room Sheraton Dallas Hotel and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts' largest property, the 1,048-room Fairmont Austin.

For the growing number of women playing golf, Levco Video Productions of Mukwonago, Wis., offers a tool at teaches how to conduct business between shots. The $29.95 Business on the [...]

The QLink Pendant aims to help a golfer focus by using a resonating cell, a tuning board and an amplifying coil to tune out conflicting energies and strengthen the body's [...]

New from mental-game guru Dr. Bob Rotella is Putting Out of Your Mind (Simon & Schuster, $23; www.simonsays.com), aimed at improving the final stroke on a hole. History fans will [...]

The two courses at Lost Canyons Golf Club opened recently in Simi Valley, Calif.: the SKY course in November and the SHADOW course in April. A 250-room hotel will be [...]

Satisfy midgame hunger pangs with a healthy Caddy Bar. Made by Phoenix-based Golf Nutrition Inc., each bar is packed with 19 nutrients like Ginkgo biloba and vitamin B12. Caddys come [...]

Players will appreciate this Callaway shoe bag, offered by San Francisco-based Corporate Golf. There's plenty of room for shoes and more, and the right-hand panel can sport a sizable logo. [...]

In March, San Antonio's Westin La Cantera Resort opened the new PALMER COURSE, designed by Arnold Palmer's Course Design [...]

A fun prize to hand out at the end of the tournament is USAopoly's Scrabble Golf. This version marks the first time the venerable word game has been produced with [...]

Many golfers prefer to play without a wristwatch but still need to know the time. The handsome Loop It watch has a customizable face that comes in black, white or [...]

THE WILD TURKEY GOLF CLUB opens this summer at the Crystal Springs Golf & Spa Resort in Vernon, N.J., bringing the resort's total to 81 [...]

In the universe of golf-meeting venues, meccas like Scottsdale rank high, especially when the PGA Tour is in town. The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess hosts the Phoenix Open every January, but [...]

During a golf tournament in New Jersey in May 1999, a Cadillac was offered as a prize for a hole in one on the seventh hole. Keith Lewis aced it, [...]

NEW on the Las Vegas Strip is the BALI HAI GOLF CLUB, just south of Mandalay Bay Resort & [...]

BARONA CREEK GOLF CLUB, built on Native American land in Lakeside, Calif., opened in January adjacent to the Barona Casino, about 30 miles from San Diego. A 400-room resort also [...]

Golf event companies and resort destinations are seeing cancellations as the economy continues to sputter. One e-commerce company was planning an event this past May in Las Vegas that would [...]

The DOT is evaluating whether airline passengers deserve more money for their trouble Paid enough to wait? No traveler likes to be bumped, but getting an airline coupon for a [...]

Handheld devices and wireless phones make getting from here to there easier and ore fun With the proliferation of tiny computers -- Palms, Visors, iPaqs, Web-enabled cell phones -- it's [...]

EVENT: The inauguration of President George W. Bush at the Capitol Building, Washington, D.C., Jan. 20, 2001. PLANNER: Brian Losurdo, senior account manager at TCI Companies, a meetings and events [...]

On April 1, the Opryland Hotel Nashville instituted a $9-a-day 'incidental services' fee per guest, similar to the fee some resorts charge to cover amenities such as fitness centers and [...]

EVENT: The Great Plains Pioneer Days 2000, held at two hotels, the Civic Center and Great Plains' campus in Fargo, N.D. The event, an annual anniversary, recognition and education get-together [...]

What's included in the 'complete meeting package,' and is it a fair deal? Very rarely in the meeting world does a planner consider a room rate of $250 or $300 [...]

A Washington, D.C., think tank hatches a plan to fix a troubled system Taking control. This will come as no surprise to frequent flyers, but the Federal Aviation Administration reports [...]

As dotcoms continue to close their doors, a natural question to ask is: How healthy are the meetings technology companies? So far, none of the major players has disappeared from [...]

Benjamin Zander not only celebrates the spirit of childhood, at age 62, he still embodies it. A supremely motivational speaker, Zander is conductor of the Boston Philharmonic and co-author of [...]

Local flavor can mean more than gumbo in New Orleans, clam chowder in Boston or crabs in Baltimore. At the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, table displays and creative room amenities like [...]

As plans are finalized on the $268 million expansion of Denver's Colorado Convention Center, recommendations from meeting planners will help the city save more than $20 million. The Denver Metro [...]

New on the Scene HAVE A BALLROOM. Irving's 357-room Four Seasons Resort and Club has added some impressive meeting space. The new $15 million, 8,000-square-foot ballroom, which opened in January, [...]

Should you launch a virtual event? How to extend the life of a physical show online 'Virtual trade shows will replace real meetings when virtual honeymoons replace real honeymoons,' says [...]

Meeting planning is an industry rife with temptations... How can department managers set and enforce guidelines to be sure professionalism is not compromised? A lovely silver clock worth about $45 [...]