The Palace of Auburn Hills opened 20 years ago this year and during those two decades, Neil Diamond racked up 16 sold out shows—the most of any artist. The pop music legend—he’s been writing songs and performing since the 1960s and has reportedly sold more than 120 million records worldwide—was honored for his sellout mark at The Palace with a a banner in the arena's rafters during the concert. Posing backstage prior to the concert in front of a photo of the arena banner are (left – to - right): Katie McNeil, Manager- Neil Diamond, Marilyn Hauser, Booking/Marketing PS&E EVP, Neil Diamond and Tom Wilson, President & CEO, PS&E.

In August, Def Leppard, currently on a world-wide tour in support of their 2008 release, Songs From the Sparkle Lounge, made a stop at the John Labatte Centre, the Global Spectrum-managed facility in London, Ontario. Global Spectrum Facility Management Dave Harris (Second from left), Director of Marketing and Chris Connolly (Right), Assistant General Manager welcomed Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen and guitarist Phil Collen backstage, presenting the band with a selection of organic foods and products from the London area.

In a crowd-pleasing hard-rock touring presentation, Rocker Billy Idol opened for  Def Leppard. Backstage, Harris, gave Idol his own personal John Labatt Centre welcome, which included a local historical basket featuring books on the Black Donnellys.

Meeting planners and the venues they book have exhibited more environmental awareness that most other industries in recent years. The LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort in Naples, Florida is applying the green sensibility by enabling meeting planners to make a tangible difference in saving a threatened species, the loggerhead sea turtle.  Named as the three-year Turtle Awareness Partner with the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort has launched  “GROUPS GO GREEN” as a way to protect the Conservancy Sea Turtle Monitoring and Protection Program. Upon booking a meeting or group event at the upscale Naples resort, planners can receive a five percent credit to the master account, of which the full amount or a portion can be donated to the Conservancy for rebuilding a turtle tank used for rehabilitating sea turtles and releasing them back into their natural environment. 

From May to October, approximately 50,000 sea turtles in Florida come ashore and deposit 70 to 180 eggs, of which only about one in 1,000 hatchlings survive to maturity. The Conservancy of Southwest Florida patrols beaches, marks nests, counts hatched eggs and educates the community about important conservation measures that will give sea turtle hatchlings the support they need to survive. As the sea turtle tank at the Conservancy is in need of major repairs from years of housing juvenile loggerhead sea turtles, LaPlaya is offering this package as a way for groups to give back and donate to the rebuilding of the tank, which is a significant part of rescue mission efforts for the threatened loggerhead sea turtles.  A dedication plaque is being placed in front of a glistening fountain on-property in an area deemed Lantern Lane. Entitled “Wishing Turtles Well,” this plaque serves as recognition of LaPlaya’s partnership with The Conservancy of Southwest Florida and both parties’ devotion to rescuing endangered sea turtles. All change tossed into the fountain is also being donated to the Conservancy.  “This program further demonstrates LaPlaya’s desire to set the gold standard for sea turtle protection issues,” said Rob Moher, vice president of marketing & development for the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. “Through this great partnership, groups receive a wide array of first-class amenities at LaPlaya while having the opportunity to help the environment.”

A “boutique” beach resort & conference center on the Southwest Florida Gulf Coast, LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort, features 16,000 square feet of lavish indoor and outdoor meeting space, which includes more than 11,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, the Vanderbilt and Bay View Ballrooms and eight breakout meeting rooms ranging from 735 to 1,250 square feet and 189 guestrooms.  Meeting Planners who book the “GROUPS GO GREEN” package can also arrange team-building eco-excursions at the Conservancy through the resort concierge. For more information on the “GROUPS GO GREEN” package at LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort, call (800) 237-6883 or visit www.laplayaresort.com.

On 8-8-08, the Philadelphia Sports Congress, a division of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, along with the City of Philadelphia, hosted the Evening of Champions to coincide with the start of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. More than 5,000 people reveled in the free street festival that celebrated the spirit of Olympism. Participating in the festivities was Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter (with microphone), who was joined on stage by more than 30 local Olympians.

With a convention center that encompasses six city blocks, Philadelphia is a global meetings destinations. That worldwide spirit was much in evidence last week, when the city of brotherly love shared Olympic spirit with Beijing, 7,000 miles away, when that city celebrated the beginning of the 2008 Summer Games. Philadelphia held its Evening of Champions in Philadelphia’s Chinatown—only two blocks from the Pennsylvania Convention Center, in the city’s China Town section.  The City of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Sports Congress, a division of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, transforming 10th Street between Arch and Race streets into a festival of Olympic and Chinese traditions.  The festivities included Sports Showcase, featuring demonstrations of several sports that are part of both winter and summer Olympics, a Chinese Cultural Showcase and an Asian Arts Initiative Youth Arts Workshop and the Mural Arts Program.  The Evening of Champions is the culmination of the City’s year-long celebration of the Olympics—U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Table Tennis were held before sell-out crowds in January, a USA Boxing World Dual Match featuring the U.S. and Puerto Rico took place in April, and the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Gymnastics were held in Philadelphia in June. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, was joined during the event by 30 Olympians, all from the Philadelphia area, who competed in Summer and Winter events as far back as 1964.