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The end of an era in conference centers

Posted by: JoanEisenstodt in Meetings, Industry Associations, IACC, Dolce, Conferences, Conference Centers, Complete Meeting Package CMP, Benchmark, Aramark on Aug 18, 2008

I have been a raving fan of conference centers for years, having first used Aberdeen Woods in Peachtree City, Georgia for a client whose faculty and constituents raved and couldn't get enough.

IACC's standards were held in high esteem by meeting planners and by conference center operators. IACC ensured that those who carried the IACC 'seal of approval' met the standards.

Today, this article made me shake my head in sadness - realizing that Dolce, a company for whom I've trained staff and customers, and a company that had properties that were part of the IACC-family of approved centers, is no more.

Ok.. they still exist but they are no longer what we who loved them loved about them.

What does this mean for the conference center segment of our industry? Others have done a bit of this - calling their properties "Conference Resorts" Or even "Conference Hotel Resorts" - to gain a stronger market share. It never felt right and this move by Dolce (sorry Andy .. I just hate it) feels like a nail in the coffin of what was once the one kind of property you could be sure cared about and serviced meetings, provided the room sets and furniture, the 24-hour holds on space, all the things that contributed to good meetings.

Hey Burt and Benchmark - don't do this, ok? Especially with the beloved Chaminade - it is a gem and needs to be what it is: a GREAT place to meet. And Aramark - you too. And all the others who have begun to move away from what has been a tried and true concept. We want to be able to trust the IACC-branded properties and we want conference centers to remain pure.

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written by JoanEisenstodt, August 28, 2008

Donna - your comments were interesting. Not sure what kind of conference centers you've been using - OR if you are confusing them w/ convention centers. Conference centers (www.iacconline.org) are complete. There are some that are non-residential - that is, they have the meeting and eating spaces but no sleeing rooms. In those cases, they always have a relationship with nearby hotels for guest rooms.
Conference centers are known for their great space (usually with solid walls and allowed to be held on 24 hour basis), equipment (ummm... "16 hour ergonomic chairs"), tackable wall surface; for their continuous breaks (no more figuring out how many gallons of coffee you need!); open spaces where groups can gather.
I think the problem is that planners haven't taken time to LEARN what a conf. center is and can do and still go to hotels bec. they are familiar AND thus some conf. centers are changing their monikers to use the word "hotel" to have the same offerings but w/ a diff. name. Still sad!

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written by Donna Primas, August 20, 2008

Just speculation here, but do you think the trend away from pure conference centers has to do with belt tightening on meetings? If one has the meeting at a hotel, they get a "package" (sleeping rooms, meeting psace, F&B, etc) and perhaps more negotiation power, plus the convenience of "one-stop shopping" (one vendor). With a conference center, one sometimes must source all needs separately.

Donna Primas

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written by Kimberly , August 19, 2008

In regards to conference center woes, just look at how many meeting professionals don't use them. I am always flabbergasted at planners that don't know what a conference center can do for them and their meetings. Chaminade is a prime example of a collaborative atmosphere - they ARE great. I can understand the need to examine marketing for conference centers. Obviously, if planners don't use them often, it means they don't know about what they can do! Conference centers: get involved with list serves; offer to do a class at a local MPI chapter; do a fam. There are greater ways to get your message to the buyers than putting "resort" in the title. I could list the benefits of using the conference center for your meetings, but why? I am sure some enterprising conference center sales person will jump at the chance to educate you all, right?