AMI hosts an engaged group of senior executives from major corporations around the globe on a two day advisory board featuring professional speakers, valuable networking and exciting destinations. To participate in a future Advisory Board, visit www.AmericanMeetings.com.
Site searches and selections have begun for 2015, and the AMI offices are abuzz with all of the awesome options we have for domestic meetings in the coming months. We have interviewed all of our hotel group partners, and below is our top 10 hottest pics for the new year!
We are super excited about this green-but-glam, block-long 1925 art deco landmark featuring reclaimed wood interiors, hemp-filled mattresses, and a fleet of chauffeured Teslas. The 1 has much to brag about: farm-to-table food from Tom Colicchio, the city’s largest rooftop pool and the longest stretch of beach of any South Beach hotel.
The city of Austin has a unique way of doing just about everything. All the time. From the nearly 200 live music venues – making it the “Live Music Capital of the World” – to the trendy “street eats” springing up all over town. If you’re looking for an authentic meeting experience, The JW Marriott Austin is it. The property will feature more than 112,000 square feet of flexible meeting space and easy access to the Austin Convention Center – just two blocks away.
According to their press release, the Mama Shelter Los Angeles should be opening in February 2015, but except for a job posting on LinkedIn and a tightly wrapped building under construction on an LA intersection, one would never guess! We can’t wait to find out what the secrecy is all about when this ultra-hip brand makes its entrée in to the US.
Loews Chicago Hotel will occupy the first 14 floors of a highly visible 52-story tower located north of the Chicago River and two blocks east of North Michigan Avenue. The hotel will feature meeting spaces both indoors and out… perfect for a Spring or Summer meeting.
21c has become one of our planners’ favorite brands. You won’t find 21c in any of the major US meeting corridors such as Los Angeles, New York, Miami or Vegas. These properties are perfect if you’re looking for a mid-east/west destination and trendy charm. Durham, NC is a natural fit for this unique brand that features curated, rotating exhibits of “museum-quality” contemporary art throughout all of the common and meeting spaces.
There is no scandal here! The Watergate Hotel will reopen its doors this summer with a reinvention of its scandalous past, but what is most exciting is the addition of 17,000 square feet of meeting space that was not in the building’s original footprint.
One of the challenges we face with booking Denver for fly-in meetings is the 25 mile snowy drive to the downtown area, which could take upwards of an hour with traffic. That’s why we are super excited to be able to offer the new Westin Hotel as a convenient option for clients. It is fully integrated with the airport’s new public transit center, and the sleek form resembles a bird with its wings extended as it hovers above the public plaza. This property features mountain views, an elite conference facility, and fine dining all without ever having to step foot in a sedan.
It’s not very often that a major city sprouts a new neighborhood, but that is exactly what has happened in Boston’s Fort Point. Part of the South Boston Waterfront (Seaport District), Fort Point is home to a new construction site soon to be the Envoy Hotel. This $70 million project is said to include a pedestrian plaza that links to Boston’s HarborWalk and a rooftop terrace with spectacular views of the Boston skyline. Can’t wait to return to our favorite city and check out this new location!
What can we say? We are suckers for old historic properties! The exclusive neo-renaissance social club that was founded in 1926 by namesake, Scottish-born businessman George Stephen, is about to become the lobby of this spectacular property. Located close to Montreal’s chic boutiques and museums, it will house three banquet halls capable of accommodating up to 500 guests, an inventive à la carte restaurant, a garden patio and state-of-the-art meeting rooms.
This property will bring the rare beauty of a setting between the mountains, the sea and a palm oasis. Besides the raw natural beauty, features will include a picturesque world-class marina, two signature golf courses, and an abundance of recreational activities.
So there you have it! We reviewed almost 100 entries, and these are our top picks for 2015. We are excited about the potential for our clients in the coming year.
Art Coley from AlphaGraphics talks about how AMI is more than just a vendor, but a strategic partner to the organization.
Thank You For Your Interest in our community. There are two ways for you to gain access to the American Meetings Network community of Meeting Planning Professionals.
1. Banner Advertising Sponsorship – On the Networks 4 Main Websites
The American Meetings Network is one of the industry’s largest interaction points for meeting planners and meeting spend decision-makers. Leverage the power of our network of over 95,000+ corporate meeting planners and meeting spend decision-makers to get your message to professionals making financial decisions on meetings over our four websites with one media buy!
2. Weekly E-Mail Blasts Sponsorship – Sponsorship of our weekly Opt-In e-mail blasts to 95,000+ Meeting Planning Professionals and Meeting Spend Decision-makers.
During this season of giving thanks, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) events are more popular than ever. When incorporated in to any meeting or event, such as an incentive program, sales meeting, user conference or holiday party, CSR events spread a feeling of being part of something great. CEO, Andy McNeill, reflects on our own Bike Build event that we hosted for AMI employees during our annual partners conference. “Everyone walked away with a sense of pride for what they accomplished and a renewed sense of loyalty to our organization.”
Here are 9 CSR ideas that we have implemented for our clients. ‘Tis the season!
Remember how much fun you had painting as a child? Well, with the Art of Giving program, your group will paint huge, wonderful canvas for donation to a public care facility. These colorful works of art will adorn the walls for all residents to enjoy. This is a great way to build teamwork skills among your employees, while enriching the lives of people in your community. We manage to instill a great sense of accomplishment in creating these beautiful works of art while making the artwork itself pretty foolproof, which is an art in itself!
THE BEST NEW BIKE BUILD IDEA IN 20 YEARS! After organizing and delivering the best Bike Builds in America for the past 20 years, we proudly announce the future of this very popular charitable event. With help from our SmartHunts® App and a ton of Apple iPads®, we have developed the most fun, fast-paced, hi-energy, hi-tech Bike Build program in the world! This worthwhile, charitable program now features text, audio and vido clues, gaming, fun challenges and activities and the ability to capture and save all your memories of this truly heartwarming event.
Build-a-Wheelchair® is another first in charitable build-type teambuilding programs. In this fun and worthwhile charity event, your group is formed into teams that complete tasks to get the parts and materials necessary to assemble, test, and decorate wheelchairs for donation. This Corporate Social Responsibility program will help disabled Americans with serious mobility issues. Our Build-a-Wheelchair program will touch your team’s heart and make it an inspiring day that all will remember.
Charity Miniature Golf Course Build is one of our fun philanthropic team builders where your group will design, construct and play a miniature golf course using canned and boxed goods which are then sent as charitable contributions to a local food charity! Working in small teams, each hole has a special theme and rules which are unique to that hole. After the course has been built, a fun tournament ensues with scoring and fun competition. Once completed, the course will be deconstructed and the food donated to a predetermined food bank or similar organization.
With our Charity Shopping Spree, shopping was never so much fun – even the guys on your team will enjoy this adventure. A point system drives competition, but the ultimate goal is a donation to the charity of your choice so everyone wins! Armed with cash, clues about the items for donation and clues to all the store locations; teams go on wacky photo scavenger hunts, snapping photos, participating in social team activities and researching the stores on the route to develop their final shopping strategy.
Teams will engage in fun, challenging team builder activities leading to the assembly of care packages for your chosen charity. This is an extraordinary way to build team spirit & infuse your group with positive energy and goodwill. Examples of charities include homeless shelters, food banks, hospices, nursing homes and other community and social service agencies. A representative from the charity may surprise your group, speaking passionately about the organization and their mission.
Locate and Donate™ is a fabulous philanthropic program in which teams navigate through a customized route to complete photo challenges and brain teasers to earn points. Unbeknownst to the participants, an undisclosed charitable mission is hidden in the fun and excitement of this treasure hunt game. Each team is tasked with locating and returning a packaged mystery item to the ending location of the event. When all the teams packages are opened and assembled, the donation is revealed to the group!
Teams work through a series of fun and engaging team building games to earn “points” which are used to purchase products and materials leading to the assembly of care packages for soldiers and military personnel overseas! In this touching philanthropic program, mind benders, problem solving initiatives and various puzzles keep the group interacting and fully engaged. Participants are then introduced to a surprise military guest, who accepts your generous donation on behalf of the troops! This is an extraordinary way to infuse your group with energy and feelings of goodwill.
We Care for Kids is a charitable giving program which creates immediate, tangible results through the building and donating of items for children in the local community. During the event, teams may be assembling camp packs, teddy bears or other stuffed animals, rocking horses, wagons, bikes and more. If you want to make a difference in the life of a child, We Care for Kids is an event your group will never forget.
