The April 2012 Elite Meetings Alliance (EMA) Draws 175 Industry
Decision Makers to the Brand-New Omni Dallas
'Elite Quality' Shines Through - in the Three-Day EMA Program, Technology Innovations
and Business Conducted among Prequalified Attendees
| Dallas,
May
4,
2012 – Elite Meetings International (EMI) brought together 175
prequalified decision makers from the meetings industry and top luxury
hotels to do deals, network, learn, and preview Elite’s latest
technology innovations at the Elite Meetings Alliance (EMA), April
21-24. Taking place at the brand-new Omni Dallas Hotel, the EMA included more than 1,000 prescheduled one-on-one meetings set up by Elite’s FaceTime Appointment Scheduler,™ plus continuing education sessions for CMP credit, inside perspectives from leading industry speakers, and a continued focus on corporate social responsibility. “Elite Quality” was the order of the day -- as attendees praised the content of the conference, the targeted new business opportunities that emerged from it, and Elite’s push to provide meeting planners and hotels alike with the most efficient, high-quality system of lead generation and management in the industry. Kelly Foy, Elite’s CEO, said, “Bringing together education, business-building, and ‘best in class’ technology, the April 2012 EMA was a great example of Elite Meetings in action.” He concluded, “We are especially proud to have welcomed a large group of new buyers to the EMA, which is a real forte for us. We consistently bring together top hoteliers with buyers they may never have met anywhere else. Of course, we could not have done it without the help of the attendees, associates, and fantastic Omni Dallas staff, who contributed to a stimulating, diverse, and productive few days.” Among other innovations, Elite formally introduced attendees to the newly enhanced EliteMeetings.com, which launched in March and includes tools for making the lead generation and management process easy and efficient. According to many hoteliers in attendance, the new tool solidifies Elite’s suite of RFP management solutions as providing the best-qualified leads in the industry. The lead-qualifying systems in place have reduced lead spam to an industry low of 5.9 hotels per RFP. In addition to the features added to the site, EliteMeetings.com introduced a “members-only policy to ensure the highest-quality buyers and sellers in the events marketplace. Prior to launching the new EliteMeetings.com, EMI also debuted significant enhancements to its proprietary RFP tool, SpeedRFP. Michael Garrow, Director of Sales and Marketing at the Innisbrook resort, said, “We always consider [leads generated by] Elite Meetings and SpeedRFP to be highly qualified opportunities.” He concluded, “We have experienced a significantly higher ratio of definite business through this channel, as compared with the other erfp tools in the marketplace.” More
information can be found at www.EliteMeetings.com, and
www.SpeedRFP.com. Speakers,
Continuing Education Sessions and Corporate
Responsibility For the second consecutive EMA, Shawn Seipler, Chief Executive Officer of Clean the World Global LLC, explained how the simple idea of recycling hotel soaps is saving thousands of lives around the world and helping to encourage “greener” and more sustainable meeting practices. Joanne Umbarger, American Shipping Group said, “The most useful and successful networking event I've ever attended.” The next Elite Meetings Alliance is scheduled to take place at the fabulous new Revel Atlantic City hotel, resort and casino, August 26-28, 2012. For
information, visit www.elitemeetingsalliance.com. About the Elite Meetings Alliance (EMA) The EMA is a three-day, invitation-only event that brings together prequalified corporate and association planners with leaders in the luxury hotel industry to cultivate relationships and build business. Featured are private, personalized business development meetings, continuing education breakout sessions for CMP credit, and unique networking activities. This spring at the Omni Hotel Dallas, attendees enjoyed a 1,001-room oasis in the center of the revitalized downtown. The hotel boasts richly appointed guest rooms, a contemporary reflective glass exterior and innovative guest amenities. Owned by the City of Dallas, the hotel features 67 luxury suites and 3 presidential suites. Omni Dallas Hotel is built to meet the U.S. Green Building Council LEED Silver Certification standards, placing it on the forefront of environmental awareness and conservation in the city. The 110,000 square feet of meeting space is infused with the history and style of Dallas. Each of the 39 meeting rooms, including two ballrooms, are named after area points of interest in the city and feature the work of local artists About Elite Meetings International  Based
in Santa Barbara, Elite Meetings International (EMI) provides free,
time-saving
tools for planners and integrated marketing solutions to suppliers that
enhance
the connection of meeting and hospitality professionals. EMI supports
this
community through a combination of innovative technology, direct sales
support,
customized marketing programs and face-to-face business-building
events. Additionally,
www.EliteMeetings.com serves as a commission-free RFP-generating tool
and a
comprehensive vehicle for sourcing luxury, upper-upscale and upscale
properties. EMI’s innovations include FaceTime™
Appointment
Scheduler (www.FaceTimeScheduler.com) a
sought after program for helping
conference attendees identify synergies, manage appointments and make
direct
connections with one another; and SpeedRFP™ (www.SpeedRFP.com), a new
time-saving product for
creating, submitting, and managing RFPs online. For
additional information,
please visit www.EliteMeetings.com or
call 805-730-1000. |