What are your favorite destinations? Destin, Fla., because of the friendly people and its beautiful white beaches; Chicago for its architecture; New Orleans for the food; Atlanta because of its culture, food and entertainment; and Cancun, Mexico, for its beautiful sunsets, food and Mayan history.

Do you use volunteers for your events? Yes, I love using volunteers. We reach out to the local community colleges and universities as well as utilize volunteermatch.org.

What’s your favorite planning resource? Other planners. I appreciate learning new things from my peers and trying new approaches to my sometimes outdated routine. I also utilize the online resource MeetingsCommunity (MeCo).

How do you stay informed on the industry? I subscribe to and read many industry digital and printed publications and participate in several online webinars and conferences. I am a member of National Association of Women Business Owners, MPI-Carolinas Chapter, Christian Meetings and Conventions Association and Senior Planners Industry Network.

Did you always want to be a meeting planner? At first, I wanted to be a marketer and focus on product launches. I was going to travel the world promoting a Fortune 500 company’s products within various venues. Little did I know, I was thinking like a planner.

How did you get into meeting planning? I worked as a front desk clerk at a local hotel while I was in college and I noticed that we bent over backwards for this one particular lady when she had her meetings at the hotel. So, I asked her what she did and she changed my path from marketer to meeting planner. I began my pursuit to become a planner by working on a local conference and then moved to Maryland and worked for several nonprofits within their events departments.

What’s your best advice for fellow planners? You must be comfortable with change. A change to your program can happen one week before the event or one minute before the event begins. You must be able to handle it with grace under fire. If you cannot adjust to the idea that there will be changes all the time, maybe this is not the career for you.

In Caraway’s words:

When I’m planning events…
I always visualize the event from the attendee’s point of view.
I can’t live without a massage and a pedicure. We all know being a planner is hard on your feet. As soon as I return home from the conference, I am at the spa and nail salon. Oh, and my lip gloss!
I communicate with my mother, daily.
I most miss salespeople being genuine and truly appreciating your business, from the signing of the contract to the event payment.
I am most inspired by the people that implement my details—the convention service managers and staff. They become an extension of my team and show me that I’m in their “house” and they are going to take care of me, my client and the attendees.
I learn the most from my grandmother. She taught me that even if you don’t have a high school diploma, you can always learn. Things change all the time in this industry and if I am not willing to adapt to new technology and other changes, my business and my professional growth would suffer.
My favorite music is tough to choose as I appreciate R&B, hip-hop, neo-soul, rock and jazz. I love Mary J. Blige, U2, Adele, Jill Scott, Lady Antebellum, Anthony Hamilton, Kem and Boney James.
My favorite book is the Bible and books by James Patterson.
My favorite movies are “The Color Purple” and “The Notebook.”

Watch Caraway and other planners in videos from our Connect Marketplace events at youtube.com/connectmeetings.

Caraway’s photo by Luther Thomas.

Burt Cabañas
Chairman and CEO
Benchmark Hospitality

From exile to hotelier to entrepreneur heading a leading U.S.-based independent hospitality management company, Burt Cabañas’ experience has been as interesting and diverse as any in the industry. Here he reflects on 30 years in the business.

Background:
Cabañas came to the hospitality industry in 1961 as a 14-year-old pool boy, after leaving Cuba in the aftermath of Castro’s revolution. He became a general manager at 25, ran a multi-unit operation at 27 and headed a private management company at 34, purchasing it at age 39. After periods with hotel brands such as The Shelbourne, Sheraton, Doral and Stouffers, he now leads Benchmark Hospitality International, which he founded 30 years ago. The corporation currently has a portfolio of 35 properties and more than 6,000 employees coast to coast, in Hawaii and Japan.

What’s the biggest single change you’ve seen in the hotel business?
E-commerce and technology; the ability to drive hotel occupancy through online and cross-channel, web-based marketing distribution platforms. Web-based hotel booking has leveled the playing field against the chains and franchises that monopolized occupancy through their “800” number portal for years.

What about the meetings segment?
Growth in meetings as a percentage of industry business volume has slowed due to alternative ways to communicate, but the need for “pressing the flesh” will never leave our society in good times or in recessionary periods. It’s a motivator and a bonder.

What was your greatest challenge?
Investing in systems and services that better serve our properties and our customers, while working through four recessions in 30 years. Last year, we invested $2 million in an advanced technology platform [to enhance] our ability to customize reporting and decision-making tools.

What are the top three management lessons you’ve learned about motivating employees?
If you have a hotel that needs renovation but your employees know that they are the difference in the customer experience, no one will notice the slightly frayed carpet. Trust but verify—accountability must be made clear and fair. Open doors at all levels to allow employees to comment, recommend, commend and, when necessary, complain.

What are your top three business lessons?
Attitude and determination far outweigh experience and education. Nimbleness and adaptability to constant change are core skills today. Benchmark Hospitality’s brand is not as important as our properties’ brands.

What advice do you have for young people considering a career in the hotel/hospitality industry?
If you love people, enjoy service, do not mind working when everyone else is on vacation, like the fact that no two days are ever the same, and that your future is in your own hands, your career in hospitality should be satisfying and rewarding, and I’d encourage it. Additionally, they should know that all the marble, silver and gold in a hotel are never more important to a guest’s experience than friendly service and a smile.

What will the hotel industry look like 30 years from today?
Technology will play an even more critical role in all aspects of management, marketing and customer relationships. The desire to protect the environment will increase and be a critical expectation of customers in selecting our hotels over the competition.

In His Words:

How I relax: I don’t! But if I have to say something…by the ocean or on a golf course.

Must have when I travel: iPad, good beds, great showers

Favorite book: “The Fountainhead” by Ayn Rand

Favorite Movie: “The Old Man and the Sea,” based on the book by Ernest Hemingway

About: David Schargel describes himself as a high-tech refugee. He built a successful career in the computer industry on the East Coast, but one day he and his wife decided to make a big change. “I was always enamored with what my wife calls high touch rather than high tech—or dealing with people,” Schargel says. He’d always loved the Pacific Northwest, so they moved there, first to Seattle and then to Portland. Schargel began working as a hotel concierge before getting the urge to start his own company. Ten years ago, he launched Portland Walking Tours, which is still running today. He also established Hometown Advantage, a destination management company in Portland for conventions and meetings. Run Brain Run, Schargel’s latest adventure, started five years ago.

Run Brain Run: Schargel began organizing morale-boosting and teambuilding events with Run Brain Run, but he wanted to do something more. Three years ago, the company’s focus changed. “It’s what I call philanthropic teambuilding, where you feel good about having fun but you feel good about helping others.” Now, Run Brain Run helps planners organize fun teambuilding exercises (think scavenger hunts and bicycle races awarding the slowest rider) that incorporate a charitable component, giving back to children in the community or troops serving overseas.

Advice for Planners: “It’s really easy to do these events,” says Schargel, referring to charitable teambuilding activities. “Even if they don’t hire us and do it themselves, it’s not insurmountable to pull these things off. There are resources in every city to do this,” he says. “Also, early on, pick who you want to benefit. Kids? Adults? Military? When we start asking those questions, people on the other end of the [phone] line start smiling, because all of a sudden it’s tangible.”

Favorite Part of Job: “I really love that I’m able to employ people who are doing this,” says Schargel, who has 53 full- and part-time employees between Portland and Seattle. “They are all like, ‘I’m getting paid for this? Pinch me.’” The other part he likes about his job is knowing he’s helping people. Weeks after events, Schargel receives thank-you notes from people who benefited from an event organized by Run Brain Run. “I can’t help but think, ‘Wow, we did that,’” he says.

In His Words:
I am most proud of making it happen as a successful entrepreneur.
I have never asked anything of my team members that I haven’t or wouldn’t do.
I always try to stay flexible.
I can’t live without my iPhone.
I am most inspired by smiles.
I learn the most from listening.
My favorite music is Talking Heads.
My favorite book is “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand.
My favorite movie is “Cinema Paradiso.”
Favorite quote: “Do or do not. There is no try.” —Yoda

About: The International Association of Facilitators 2011 North America Conference, held annually for North American facilitators in support of group process methodologies, took place in Denver in April. The first half of the conference included one- and two-day training workshops. The final two days had shorter educational workshops in 90- or 180-minute sessions. “IAF conference attendees are asked [for feedback] at every conference so the next year’s planning committee can tailor their conference to meet as many requests as possible,” says Adams.

Venue: When asked what made this event different from previous years, Adams points to the venue. “The Grand Hyatt was a delightful setting for our conference,” she says. Adams prefers not to have what she calls “pockets of people” throughout a venue, spreading out attendees for different education sessions or workshops. At the Grand Hyatt, the registration office, exhibit area, breaks, meals and plenary were all located in the same general vicinity. “It enhanced the networking opportunities,” she says.

Challenges: Every hotel is different, and Adams found the meeting rooms within the hotel too long and narrow and sometimes inadequate for the size of the workshops slated to take place within them. She brought it up to the convention staff and they were able to help move larger sessions to different rooms to properly accommodate session participants.

Spring surprise: “The morning we officially opened the conference with the plenary session, it was snowing outside,” Adams says. “When I welcomed everyone to spring in Colorado, I stated that we’d likely have sunshine in the afternoon. We had strolling dinner with a jazz trio planned on the 37th floor of the tower building that evening. As it turned out, we did indeed get sunshine and clear skies, and participants enjoyed the spectacular views of the Rockies and the sunset.”

Coming up: The 2012 IAF North America conference will be May 9-12 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. IAF also has events around the world for international members. Upcoming conferences are planned in Bangalore, India, Sept. 8-9, 2011; Istanbul, Turkey, Oct. 14-16, 2011; and Melbourne, Australia, March 7-9, 2012.

Advice for fellow planners: “Develop a budget and stick to it meticulously to avoid surprises,” Adams says. “Have a strong, committed and available team of people to whom you can confidently delegate planning, on-site and post-conference tasks. Most of all, have fun—and make sure your conference attendees do too.”

A few shots from IAF 2011:

Name:

Client: Home Machine Quilting Association

Event: Home Machine Quilting Show

When: May 5-7, 2011

Where: South Towne Exposition Center, Salt Lake City, Utah

Number of attendees: 5,000

This three-day event held each May has 100 quilting and sewing classes for attendees, 500 machine-quilted quilts on display, a vendor mall with about 120 quilting-related companies, free demonstrations by expert quilters, quilt trunk shows, concerts, a late night shopping fest in the vendor mall and a quilt competition with cash awards in 20 categories.

Salt Lake City: “Ultimately, we wanted to host our show in a city that was clean, friendly, safe and economical,” says Pond. “Utah is quite a hub for quilting, so it makes sense. There are lots of fabric shops and longarm machine companies headquartered in Utah.” Pond also says Salt Lake City is clean, easy to get around and stocked with places for attendees to visit after show hours, including LDS Temple Square Gardens and Mormon Tabernacle Choir rehearsals. “From a vendor standpoint, the South Towne Exposition Center built for the 2002 Winter Olympics is really ideal,” she says. “Parking is free, there are nice restaurants and theaters across the street, the whole building is one level, and the vendors can actually drive right into their booth spaces to unload during move-in.” It’s also inexpensive and a right-to-work state, eliminating the additional costs of union fees for vendors, she adds.

Planning Philosophy: “Ann Collet, the show director, and I are both dedicated to doing everything in our power to ensure that all who participate have a positive and successful experience,” she says. “We review surveys from our attendees, vendors and teachers after our event each year to determine where we can improve the show. We have grown tremendously in the past eight years since we started this event, and we attribute our success to this philosophy.”

Favorite Tool: “I love ACT. It’s a database software by Sage. It helps me keep track of all our attendees, vendors, sponsors and teachers.”
Path to Planning: Pond was part of Salt Lake County Mayor Nancy Workman’s public relations team during the 2002 Winter Olympics. She worked with a local management company called Bruno Group Signature Events. After leaving the mayor’s office, she took a job with the Bruno Group doing PR for clients such as the Episcopal Diocese of Utah, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Rulon Gardner and winter Olympians. The Bruno Group managed a few other events as well. “It was fantastic work experience,” says Pond. “When Ann Collet approached the Bruno Group about starting a machine quilting show here in the West, it was a great opportunity.” After a few years with the Bruno Group, Pond moved on and started her own company, Paragon Partners, with her husband and became the HMQS show manager. “I feel so blessed to be working in my field and with such tremendous people,” she says.

Advice: “Treat everyone you work with how you would want to be treated; base your decisions on [that] golden rule,” she says. “When you sincerely care about those you interact with, they can feel it. I’ve found that everything runs smoother when people are happy,”

What: Association of Family and Conciliation Courts 47th Annual Conference

When: June 2-5, 2010

Where: Denver, Colorado

The annual AFCC decided to go green at last year’s annual conference in Denver. The primary reason was the size of the conference proceedings books—averaging 1,000 pages and printing a minimum of 1,000 for attendees each year. Walker made a few other changes to the programming as well, and attendee reaction was mixed.

Green changes: The tote bag for conference registration materials was made of recycled materials and had a flat bottom to make it ideal for groceries and other uses once the conference was complete. The two-inch thick proceedings books were replaced with advanced access to online handouts for attendees who wanted paper copies for their sessions or the option to receive either a CD or USB flash drive on-site. Program pages previously reprinted in the proceedings book were merged with meeting room assignments and printed on 100 percent recycled paper. Other necessary printed items were also on the same paper, with the exception of 30 percent recycled color paper when it was needed. Attendees could only access overall conference evaluations online.

Attendee reactions: “Attendees’ reactions were mixed, as expected,” says Walker. She sent a quick post-event survey after the conference, and when asked how attendees viewed the session handouts, 180 printed them before the conference, 43 used a laptop with the flash drive or CD, 17 used a laptop with materials downloaded from the web and 145 did not look at handouts during sessions. Walker did receive a few responses when asked how to improve next year’s conference like “Bring back the conference proceedings book” and “Written materials should be available (as in the past) for those who want them.” Walker says there were a number of positive responses about the green initiative, too. “The positive comments outweighed the negatives,” she says.

Future events: “We will continue implementing the green features that we put into practice last year, adding all evaluations to daily electronic surveys,” says Walker. Last year, only the overall conference evaluation was online; session evaluations were still printed.

—Libby Hoppe

Details: About 250 meeting industry professionals attended the live event, while another 60 people participated online by watching live streaming video and communicating with other attendees on Twitter and Skype. The conference was mostly education-based, with speakers addressing sustainable meetings topics in general sessions and breakouts.

Game On iPad app

New ideas: Conference organizers integrated a gaming component to the event. Attendees were divided into teams when they arrived, and each team was given an iPad. Throughout the conference, team members applied knowledge they learned during breakout sessions to complete a case study challenge as a team. Members were also encouraged to Tweet, post blogs, attend sessions, visit exhibitors and take part in a volunteer event, all of which added points to the team total.

The good and bad: A number of attendees commented that the gaming component really got them involved. It increased the number of attendees in sessions, created a team environment and helped people apply what they were learning in sessions directly to the case study. But the gaming component also hindered networking time as any free time between sessions was used to brainstorm with team members. There wasn’t enough time built in to the schedule to complete the tasks and have free time throughout the day. Also, team members often sat together during breakfast and lunch sessions, further separating them from other attendees.

Sustainability: Organizers chose the Doubletree Hotel because of its reputation as one of the nation’s greenest hotels. Meals included locally sourced food as part of the hotel’s FLOSS program, which stands for Fresh, Local, Organic, Seasonal, Sustainable. Attendees were encouraged to ride the light-rail transit system to and from the airport. All conference materials were given to attendees electronically in advance; schedules, speaker bios and other information could be pulled up on smartphones, iPads or laptops, but no printed materials were handed out during the conference.

Big announcement: Attendees were hoping to hear good news about the GMIC’s APEX green meeting standards, which have been in the works for a few years. They were hoping to hear a release date, and instead, the big announcement was that the standards would be released “soon.” Sue Tinnish, principal at SEAL Inc., and Lawrence Leonard, APEX program director at the Convention Industry Council, hinted that soon probably means sometime by the end of the year.

—Libby Hoppe

When did you join Hutton Hotel?
I actually have been with Amerimar Enterprises for seven years and was based out of Philadelphia. I started on this project in October of 2007.  I was here for the majority of development of the property and was first person in Nashville.

What kind of green planning was involved in the development process?
What we did is try to come up with as many different components as we could to develop a green property. We worked with a design group—you’ll see bamboo in the lobby, the lighting fixtures are all LED overhead lighting, the first in the country to have that. We then went back to energy and asked them what we could do, from putting energy-efficient glaze on the glass to what was the best equipment we could be using. Then we started looking at operations… We use induction heating stations at events. It provides for better service, looks good, has controlled heat. You get this initial wave going, and you build it into your operations and recycle programs. We have recycled content in our tissue paper,  we’re part of the Monterey Bay Seafood Program. But we also want to make sure we’re doing our part with energy conservation.

When did you first become aware of the importance of sustainability, and when did you start to see the industry become more interested in it?
We have a senior vice president, Stephen Eckley [who has led the movement]. I don’t think either one of us had a ton of experience but it’s something we think is important. A lot of great groups out there are putting out great information; you try to find experts and consult with them. We wanted to be conscientious developers.

What are some of the things you’re doing at Hutton Hotel to promote green meetings?
Planners who are interested in our property are trying to look for places that match their own core values. What we try to do is provide a unique environment that’s green and matches their core criteria. People are not as aware of what they can do to be green. What a lot of people assume is that green means bad service or no service and takes away from experience of guests. But it doesn’t. We ask planners, “Do you want to do the paper? Do you need to the pens?” We try to make it a great green experience, and once people see how easy it is to do little things to help, they appreciate that knowledge.

What advice do you have for meeting planners working with suppliers in planning green events?
Challenge properties to come up with packages that are green and enhance the level of service and experience for the event. Make sure to get everything out of the properties. What we want to see happen is we continue to try to help the planner and have them challenge us to do new things as well.

—Libby Hoppe

What: ACA National Paddlesports Conference

When: Nov. 5-7, 2010

Where: Asheville, N.C.

Details: The conference began in 2008 with 50 attendees. The 2010 conference drew 175 people, and the goal for the 2011 event, planned for Louisville, Ky., in early October, is 250. The core part of the conference is educational sessions for certified paddlesports instructors. “We have people across the country in flatwater canoe instruction to whitewater instruction,” says Stec. The conference also has educational sessions for general membership attendees on how to rescue, how to make a boat go straight, etc.

Agenda: The first day of the three-day conference is traditional, with classroom education, general session speakers and breakout sessions. On day two, 90 percent of events take place on the water, so attendees travel to different nearby locations near the city depending on their education track. The second evening includes a dinner and awards banquet. The final day includes more education sessions and on-water activities.

The destination: “Our members do everything from flatwater to whitewater, from a lake to the ocean. We try to find a venue that within a short drive has the water we need,” he says. “Asheville didn’t have a coastal environment, but it had a range of water venues literally within 30 minutes of the hotel. The location, from a paddling standpoint, was outstanding. The area, near western North Carolina, is considered one the paddlesports meccas of the country.”

Challenges: On the second day of the conference in Asheville, it began to snow. “With the proper gear, we were able to get people safely and comfortably on the water,” he says. The conference is around the same time every year in late fall, so when the location varies, the weather can vary, too.

Advice for a fellow planner: “It will take longer than you think to plan an event, and getting professional development immersion is so important,” says Stec. “I did it two years on my own in the conference-planning world, but I took that crash course at Connect Marketplace, and that professional development was huge. It really did help me out because it was focused, concise and gave me the information I needed to plan events.”

Up next: Louisville, Ky. “The Ohio River has flatwater and whitewater rapids. We can literally go right outside our hotel to the water. It’s an ideal situation,” he says.

Rick Dungey, Convention Staff and Public Relations Manager

Organization: National Christmas Tree Association

Biggest event: About 500 people attend the NCTA’s Annual Convention and Trade Show each year, which includes a general session, workshops, trade show, Christmas tree farm tours, social events and awards banquet. Dungey needs 20,000 square feet of exhibit space for the trees. “Because we display so many harvested cut Christmas trees, the fire code being used and enforced is a big consideration,” he says. “Also, because farm tours are such an important part of the convention for attendees, we must have our convention near an area of tree production.” Winston-Salem, N.C., hosted the 2010 convention in August, and next year the event heads to Sawmill Creek Resort in Huron, Ohio.

Event highlight: The winner of the convention’s annual Tree Contest presents the First Lady with the White House Christmas tree. Since 1966, the convention has hosted the contest, and farmers become eligible to enter by winning their local, state or regional contests. They bring six- to eight-foot trees and attendees vote for their favorites, picking a winner for each of the five tree categories (pine, fir, spruce, Douglas-fir, other). Then, members of the general public vote for the wining tree from the top five, and that tree grower becomes Grand Champion. “We notify the White House chief usher immediately after our convention and they make arrangements to visit the farm later in the fall to pick out the Blue Room tree,” says Dungey. “It’s really a big deal in this industry. Winning Grand Champion status is something a tree farmer can always claim and they are part of a very small, exclusive group of farmers. If you win, there’s simply no question that you really know how to grow trees.”

Favorite planning tool: “I typically start with the CVB. Most of them are very good at making 90 percent of what you need to know quickly and easily available so you can conduct your search efficiently.”

Best advice: “Don’t be afraid to outsource some services if it’s more cost-efficient for your [organization] and less of a headache for you.”

Favorite movie: “Heartbreak Ridge”

Favorite inspiration: “‘The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.’ It’s on a window sticker on my car. I got it and put it on after I completed my first marathon this past spring.”

Update: Dec. 13, 2011 – This year’s White House Christmas tree is a Douglas fir, and it came from Crystal Spring Tree Farm in Leighton, Pa. Tree farmer Christopher Botek won the National Christmas Tree Association’s contest at the annual convention in August, and White House officials visited the farm the next month to pick out the country’s most famous tree.

This is the second time Botek won the contest. Still, he was thrilled to hear that the tree to end up in the Blue Room would again come from his farm. ”Words can’t describe how I’m feeling,” he told a local reporter. The tree was presented to First Lady Michelle Obama in November by Botek and his family.