Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/244474
•pg_13-27__BMT_pg3-58 1/8/14 6:35 PM Page 15 Meeting the Needs of Your Meeting By DARLENE DONLOE MEETING THE NEEDS It's time to decide which destination and venue to book for your next event, conference, convention or board meeting. Back in the day, organizing those occasions was more of a routine task - make some phone calls, prepare an agenda, assemble the minutes, reports and documents and put them all in a neat little binder. That was then, this is now. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA So you're thinking about making Las Vegas your next meeting destination? It's easy to understand why. Las Vegas is known not only as the Entertainment Capital of the World, but it has also been the #1 trade destination in North America for 19 consecutive years. Meetings have taken on a life of their own. A lot more details are involved in making them a success. Bells and whistles aside, what meeting planners need to be armed with is information, information and more information. This column aids meeting planners in their decision-making process by providing vital information on specific destinations. Highlighted in this column are Las Vegas, Nevada; Nashville,TN; Atlanta, GA and Berkeley, CA. Las Vegas is so cool it doesn't even need to sell itself to meeting planners. The place sells itself. Hotel rates are reasonable, food is relatively cheap, shopping is exceptional and The Strip holds its own fascination. According to VegasMeansBusiness.com, following are the Top 10 Reasons to Meet in Vegas: 1. Accommodations With more than 150,000 rooms, Las Vegas reportedly offers best group value in the world. 2. Convention Services With more than 270,000 resort industry employees, Las Vegas will provide the best convention experience in the world. B M & T ••• November/December 2013 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 15