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As the meeting and events industry waits for business to return to pre-pandemic levels, no one is living in the past. Event professionals have discovered new opportunities, bolstered by the emergence of virtual technology all with an ever-present focus on safety.
Virtual events and hybrid meetings are here to stay, given the opportunity they provide to safely and effectively gather together in large groups. Cvent recently published a detailed eBook to help hotels and venues build back trust and ensure that planners and suppliers feel safe and secure.
Here, we give an overview of five ways that hotel marketers and hospitality professionals can convey that they’re taking necessary steps to make safer meetings top of mind for everyone involved from prospective planners and attendees, to vendors and staff.
DAYTONA BEACH They lined up early on Friday for the Jeep Beach “Main Event” on the infield at Daytona International Speedway.
Like a massive military invasion, the line of Jeeps extended as far as the eye could see along the entrance roads just inside the track entrance along Williamson Boulevard.
Drivers waved and molar-rattling train horns honked as event organizer Charlene Greer shouted out greetings during a bumper-to-bumper procession that lasted roughly an hour.
“That’s right! Jeep Beach, baby,” Greer exclaimed. “We are so excited! Jeep Beach is back, you guys!”
After taking a hiatus in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the annual Jeep Beach celebration has returned stronger than ever this week, Greer said.
After the 2020 edition of Jeep Beach was called off amid the slew of event cancellations tied to the coronavirus pandemic, the Paces were more eager than ever to return to this year s event, which runs through Sunday in Daytona Beach.
“It’s a Jeep family,” Pace said. “It’s a ‘Jamily.’ We’ve met just some of the nicest people here.”
On the beach, the couple parked their customized 2020 Jeep Gladiator next to one of those Jeep Beach friends.
Lance Collins, 51, met the couple at Jeep Beach four years ago in the hotel bar at The Shores Resort & Spa in Daytona Beach Shores. It turned out that he lived less than an hour away from them in Wilmington, Delaware, and that they had mutual connections in the roofing and home design industries.
DAYTONA BEACH Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower and the owner of the Hard Rock Hotel both reported a “frank” discussion on Thursday after emerging from an hour-long closed-door meeting about beach driving and the poles that limit it behind the hotel.
But did they come to any terms about beach driving? Brief statements after the meeting didn t indicate any agreement.
“We’re going to continue to talk; it was very, very frank,” said Brower, who pledged to make beach driving a priority after his November election win. “It was very cool, very friendly, but to the point.”
Almost the same words were used to describe the meeting by Abbas Abdulhussein, head of the company that owns the hotel, Asante Asset Management LLC. The company was previously known as Summit Hospitality Management Group.
Great escapes for future family spring breaks outside of Washington Lori A. May, SeattlePI
Spring break looks a little different this year with remote learning and virtual workcations filling in the winter gaps as leisure travel resumes. As the coronavirus vaccine makes its rounds, and families consider how to travel safely during the pandemic, routine events like taking a family spring break may almost seem normal once again.
Before you book your family getaway, be sure to research what it’s like to fly right now and verify the local health and safety guidelines of your intended destination. While many travel hot spots are operating, there are variances when it comes to dining venue protocols, attraction hours and capacity limitations, and local regulations to follow when visiting parks and beaches.