ConferenceDirect APM 2012 - Day 2

Breakfast was hosted by Omni Hotels & Resorts, accompanied by a presentation highlighting some of their newer properties and renovation plans, including the $30 million going into the Hotel Omni Mont-Royal in Montreal. They unveiled a new mulit-year agreement incentive and reminded us again of their unique guest loyalty program - free to join, and avaialable to groups - that provides guests with complimentary morning coffee delivery.

Our General Session opened with a words of welcome from the Peabody, thanking ConferenceDirect for our support. ConferenceDirect CEO Brian Stevens provided company updates, and we learned about new standard contracts in place for our customers with MGM Resorts and Hilton worldwide (Europe, Middle East, Africa). There was a lively panel discussion on "Lead Spam".

VP Training and Development Jim Vandevender and Director of Operations Kini Akaka announce ehancements to our inhouse booking system.

We boarded Disney busses that took us to the Renaissance Orlando at Seaworld for lunch, hosted by Marriott Hotels, and learned about that brands's global growth (including the opening of a reservation call centre in China), their Autograph Collection (including the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas), and the acquisition of the AC brand in Spain, Italy, and Portugal.

Back to the Peabody we met with hotel suppliers all afternoon in a "reverse tradeshow". 

Canadian colleagues Mary Beth Holmes, Kelly Cyr.

 

Dinner was off-site, again, at the beautiful Waldorf Astoria Orlando, attached to the Hilton at Bonnet Creek, and the Peabody hosted an "Afterglow" in their popular Rocks bar.