Hot News

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. opened "aloft Charleston Airport & Convention Center" in Charleston, South Carolina this summer. The Charleston location was the latest venue opening in the 2008 of aloft hotels, a new "lifestyle" hotel brand that appeals to the younger business traveler and meeting attendee looking for an affordable yet upscale alternative to more mainstream lodging.

As baseball fans know, there’s always next year—but in the New York area, next year a new stadium will delight both the baseball faithful and meeting & event planners looking for new, unique and innovative space. The New York Mets and ARAMARK have announced the launch of Metropolitan Hospitality at Citi Field, a joint business venture creating a year-round hospitality destination for non-gameday events at the new home for the Mets beginning in the 2009 Baseball Season.

San Diego appears to be an exceptional draw for the ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership. The 2008 Annual Meeting and Exposition, hosted by the San Diego Convention Center, August 16-19, attracted 6,266 participants, which not only surpassed the number of attendees from 1999, the last time ASAE & The Center held an annual meeting in San Diego, but the 2008 national convention ranks as one of the highest attended meetings in the organizations’ history.

At most conventions, meeting attendees rush from an educational seminar to a networking event and still try to make time for the Exhibition Floor. Meetings, Conventions, Trade Shows—they’re busy days attendees, who also have to eat. Breakfast, lunch or dinner—meeting attendees want good food and a dining establishment convenient to the center of activity—the Convention Center. Convention Centers—great places to meet and exhibit—but to eat? Well maybe it’s time to cancel that offsite reservation because at least some large meeting venues have gotten the message. Two facilities—the Wildwoods Convention Center in Wildwood, New Jersey and the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego California—are the latest examples of the trend towards convention centers where you can actually both Meet & Eat! This Food & Beverage Spotlight is a quick update on both East & West coast Food & Beverage convention center news!