( St. Louis, MO – December 2009 ) -- Tom Cappucci, President of The Americas Chapter of the International Association of Conference Centers (General Manager, University Place Conference Center & Hotel) announced a series of customer roundtables that are designed to gather direct feedback from current and potential customers.  According to Cappucci, “the primary purpose of this initiative is to expand and strengthen the conference center concept which continues to differentiate IACC members from traditional hotels and meeting venues.  We are confident that the feedback will allow us to focus on what’s important to our members and their customers.”

Designed as part of a market research program that will take place throughout the US and Canada, the customer roundtables are slated to take place at IACC-member properties in 16 cities in First Quarter 2010.  The information gathered at these roundtables will, according to Cappucci, “provide us with invaluable data that will allow us to make sure our Universal Criteria continue to evolve and serve our members in their effort to provide an exceptional meeting experience.”

According to Leslie Vanderzwet (General Manager of Conferences at The Banff Centre) and Eric Whitson (Director of Sales & Marketing, The National Conference Center), Chairs of the IACC Marketing Committee, the key objectives of the roundtables are:

• Strengthen and expand awareness of the conference center concept.
• Get direct feedback from customers to ensure that the IACC Universal Criteria are current and relevant.
• Generate quantifiable data and usable market intelligence to share with member properties.  

A pilot roundtable was launched at Babson Executive Conference Center in Wellesley, MA, where Neil Pompan, President of IACC Global, facilitated the event based on a purpose-designed format which he has successfully utilized throughout the United States over the past few years.  According to Pompan, the format “underscores the strength and vibrancy of the Universal Criteria, especially in the current economy and as we move toward the recovery phase of the recession. Participants have the opportunity to rate and discuss every component of a productive meeting and build what they consider to be the ‘ultimate meeting package.’”

Results from all the roundtables will be compiled and presented to the membership at IACC‘s 2010 Annual Summit “Not Business as Usual” at the Eaglewood Resort & Spa near Chicago on March 24-26.

Participating IACC properties include:
 
Doubletree Guest Suites/Esplanade Conference Center
Downers Grove, IL
 
Summit Executive Centre
Chicago, IL
 
Executive Meeting Center at Wyndham Lisle Chicago Hotel
Lisle, IL
 
Hilton DFW Lakes Executive Conference Center
Grapevine, TX
 
Sheraton Denver West
Lakewood, CO
 
Executive Meeting Center at Westin Southfield Hotel
Southfield, MI
 
University Place Conference Center & Hotel
Indianapolis, IN
 
Oak Ridge Conference Hotel
Chaska, MN
 
Glen Cove Mansion Hotel & Conference Center
Glen Cove, NY
 
Millennium Conference Center at Millennium Broadway Hotel
New York, NY
 
Wyndham Princeton Forrestal Hotel & Conference Center
Plainsboro, NJ
 
Desert Willow Conference Center
Phoenix, AZ
 
The Executive Conference Center at the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club
Durham, NC
 
Dolce Hayes Mansion
San Jose, CA
 
Kingbridge Conference Centre & Institute
King City (Toronto), ON Canada
 
The National Conference Center
Leesburg, VA
 
To participate in an IACC Customer Roundtable, contact Michele Schurk at IACC at (314) 993-8575 or [email protected]

Founded in 1981, the International Association of Conference Centres is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting understanding and awareness of the conference center industry and to giving member properties the tools necessary to provide an exceptional meeting experience. Active members meet a set of stringent Universal Criteria and agree to a Code of Ethics. Currently, the association includes approximately 400 members from the United States, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, France, England, The Netherlands, Germany and Japan. For more information, visit the website at www.iacconline.org.  IACC = exceptional meeting experiences.