Hot News

It’s one thing for other hoteliers and venue managers to recognize your hospitality and meeting expertise, and it’s another thing for travel writers and meetings industry publications to vote on and issue awards. Both are certainly noteworthy. However, what hotels value most is formal recognition from an actual, high-profile client and its meeting planning staff. This what has happened to a famous Florida meetings hotel. Bank of America, which holds several meetings of varying sizes across the U.S. each year has given this holy grail of venue awards by declaring  Loews Miami Beach Hotel its number one meetings/conference partner.

SMG will continue to reign as the ultimate source for meetings and events in Oklahoma City. In July, by unanimous vote, the City of Oklahoma City approved the renewal of their agreement with SMG to continue managing the Cox Business Convention Center and Ford Center.

Meeting, Exhibition and Convention executives will be able to find Las Vegas in Washington D.C. this year, next year, and the year after that! The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) has announced that it will be the platinum sponsor of the Exhibition and Convention Executive Forum (ECEF) in Washington, D.C., for the next three years.  ECEF is the premier educational and network gathering of exhibition and convention planners and executives. The forum provides attendees the opportunity to discuss trends and developments as well as provide insight into the many existing and potential challenges impacting the convention industry.

Virginia’s capital city knows a strong entertainment venue management partner when it has one. In addition to recently renewed its management contract with SMG for its Richmond Coliseum through June 2012, the worldwide management company will manage two additional Richmond venues—the Landmark Theater, and the Carpenter Theatre—an exciting new arts and entertainment complex due to open in Fall 2009.