What All a DMC Can Do For You
Two Hotel Gems in Southern Europe
From the Field Hotel Report
How Do You Purchase Air Travel?
Around the Industry
Krisam & GEP News

What All a DMC Can Do For You

“It’s like having a well-connected best friend in a town you want to visit,” says Jennifer Patino, in describing the nature of a DMC. That best friend, she continues, frees up the meeting planner to concentrate on program content and attendees.

President of Baskow & Associates, Las Vegas, Jennifer advises planners to involve their DMC in the total concept of a meeting. “People come to us for transportation arrangements, ” or they submit a request “Send me information on some of your theme parties,” she says. But a DMC can do so much more and bring added value to your event. You’ll save money and time because of their knowledge and negotiating power.

Production services, décor and theme, venue procurement, entertainment, transportation, team building, outings - See how much weight a DMC can take off your shoulders.

Two Hotel Gems in Southern Europe

If peace and tranquility are what you need for a particularly important meeting or seminar, then two classic hotels in southern Europe may be the right choice. The Lapa Palace in Lisbon and the Hotel Ritz Madrid offer old-world elegance in great measure with some splendid extra touches. And, though they represent a peaceful sanctuary unto themselves, they provide easy access to urban excitement and natural adventures. Learn more about these gems.

From the Field: Chateau Elan, Brasleton, GA

Three golf courses on site, a fantastic spa, a winery, and a race track make the Chateau Elan a truly unique property. Get a brief Krisam representative report on this French country estate in the Georgia foothills.

Question of the Month: How Do You Purchase Air Travel?

The Internet has created quite a revolution in the way people research and book air travel. Yet, it still takes time to seek out the best route and rates. Do you do it yourself? Or, is it still best to leave the job in the hands of specialists? Let us know how your company handles purchasing air travel. Take the poll by April 5 and we’ll report the results in the April Event Insider.

Last month's poll results: What do you most want to learn more about? (Pick three)

• Contracts 16%
• Food and Beverage 16%
• Registration Systems 11%
• Professional Development 11%
• Meeting Content 11%
• Destinations 10%
• Latest Technology 6%
• Novel Hotels 5%
• DMC Services 2%
• Other 2%

Around the Industry

• Fortune Magazine Ranks Continental Airlines "Most Admired." For the sixth straight year, Continental Airlines was rated the most admired airline among FORTUNE magazine's annual list of Most Admired Global Companies. The carrier also ranked No. 1 in several key categories on Fortune’s America's Most Admired Companies airline industry list, including innovation, quality of management, social responsibility and quality of products and services. The Global Most Admired and America's Most Admired rankings are published in the magazine's March 7, 2005 issue.
• Brits favor Capetown and New York City In the Meetings & Incentive Travel 2004 Trends and Spends Survey, UK companies holding long haul meetings abroad chose Capetown and New York, one and two respectively, most often. They were followed by Chicago, Boston, Miami, Dubai, New Orleans, Orlando, Barbados, and Las Vegas.
• Best Dollar Values Overseas? In light of the weakening dollar, Smartertravel.com has a few suggestions on where to go where the dollar’s value is strong, or at least, unchanged. Singled out were Argentina, Mexico, Aruba, Barbados, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, and China.
• 2004 – The Safest Year Ever for Air Transport. Last year was the safest year ever for air transport according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Over 1.8 billion people traveled safely in 2004 according to Giovanni Bisignani, director general and CEO of the ATA. Further, he reported that although “Tragically, 428 people lost their lives in commercial aircraft accidents,” the loss number is similar to 1945 when the industry carried only 9 million passengers.
• NBTA Releases Analysis of Complex Airfare Changes. The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) released an analysis of the changes network carriers made in January to their domestic airfares and fare structures to assist its member travel managers in getting the best value. Among the study’s findings are:
  • Average undiscounted domestic fares fell seven percent from December 29, 2004 to February 6, 2005, from $286 to $266.
  • Network carrier changes in the restrictions will mean greater savings than changes in fares. The most significant such change is a move away from a Saturday-night stay requirement to a one-night stay requirement. With looser restrictions, average business airfares will likely drop 10% or more beyond the average 7% drop in published rates, for a potential decrease of more than 17%.
  • Most corporate buyers will realize price reductions – but the degree will vary widely between companies.

Krisam & GEP News
Updates on Krisam member properties & GEP partners. For more information on any of the partners below, contact your Krisam or GEP representative directly or email us today.

Micato Safaris Wins Luxury Tour Operator of the Year Award
Travel AgentMagazine has named Micato Safaris this year’s “Leader in Luxury” winner in the Tour Operator Category. In the cover story on the awards, the magazine said of Micato “Traveling under the protective wings of Micato is a little like having your own concierge with you everywhere you go.” In further describing the outfitter they said “Exceptional is an understatement.”
For more on Micato, check out: The Ultimate Theme Party: A Safari in East Africa”.

Gulf Dunes Dubai Voted Best Incentive DMC
Andre Agassi Praises Dubai
Gulf Dunes Dubai was named Best Destination Management Company for 2005 in the Incentive Travel Category as voted by the readers of the prestigious magazine MIT Meeting & Incentive Travel. The award was presented in London in February according the Wolfgang Hartmann, vice president, travel, tourism and events at Gulf Dunes.

Dubai itself ranked sixth in the Meetings and Incentive 2004 Trends and Spends annual survey for the outbound United Kingdom market, and third most popular city for business travel in a CNN poll.

Based on an interview in Gulf News Dubai, it is now one of Andre Agassi’s favorite cities. Here is an excerpt:

“Andre Agassi left Dubai disappointed to have lost a semifinal to Roger Federer but delighted with the possibility of being a sort of self-styled ambassador for the Middle East. Agassi, whose father Mike represented Iran as an Olympic boxer, claimed to be amazed at the cosmopolitan culture and prosperity of the fast developing Emirate and appears to believe he might help change some American perceptions....”

In the newspaper interview Agassi praised Dubai “If I were to take a message back home it would be ‘come to the Middle East before you form any opinions’.”....“What is happening here is a reflection of a lot of vision and passion. Seeing all these different people living together peacefully – it’s the way the world is meant to be...”

Alaska Fam Tour Draws High Praise

“Phenomenal.” “Wow.” “Great time.” A recent Fam tour in Alaska organized by Logistics LLC of Anchorage drew high praise from participants for the tour and for the offerings available there for meetings and events.

Vanessa J. Daniels, meeting planner for American Express Corporate Meeting Solutions onsite at Nokia, called the Fam “phenomenal - probably one of the best I've attended. Everything flowed and clicked better than a well-oiled machine.” In her note to Karen Lovell of GEP, she tried to single out her favorite activity. “ I think my favorite event was either snowmachining or dogsledding or the train tour or the flightour/visit with Martin, or the start of the Iditarod or shopping at the Convention Center or touring the Alaska museum, or... - oh, who am I kidding - they were all my favorite!...The venues were great as well. I especially enjoyed Alyeska Prince Resort.” And Vanessa concluded, “ I hope I'll be able to send a group there very soon. I've already shared some pricing with my client for the June event.”

Doug Wheeler, partner, Summit Performance Group, had a similar reaction. “Wow...” he wrote to Rachel Elliott at GEP, “the trip to Alaska was a condensed ... version... of a $10,000 per person incentive program that we would sell at Summit. We had a great time and Toni [Toni Walker, president/owner of Logistics LLC], the hotel teams and you showed Jane and me what the allure of Alaska is and will be for our future business. ...We are really happy that we participated. I knew little about Alaska and now know that I can recommend the location to various clients. We look forward to returning again on a future personal trip as well.”  Find out more in this first-hand account from Michael Day. 

Omni Shoreham Celebrates 75th Anniversary
The Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, DC, is celebrating its 75th Anniversary in 2005 and hopes to outdo its 2004 record-breaking year, according to Dave Gerdes, director of marketing. Washington’s largest AAA Four Diamond Hotel was cited as having the best location in the city by the Washington Diplomat newspaper.

The Diplomat also described the Omni Shoreham, which sits on a hillside overlooking Rock Creek Park, as “feeling more like a resort than an actual hotel.” The hotel boasts the city’s largest guest rooms and the most ballrooms (seven). It has 834 guest rooms and more than 100,000 sq. ft. of flexible meeting space.

Upcoming Industry Events - 2005