With help from hotel and destination partners, industry professionals are getting back into meeting rooms with careful protocols and increasing confidence. We asked the Smart Meetings community to share what they are seeing and found a world of creative ways to help people feel connected, even if it requires sitting at least six feet apart.
Masterful Use of Meeting Space
Last November, the 27,625-square-foot America’s Ballroom on the second floor of America’s Center in St. Louis transformed into an immersive experience of the Sistine Chapel in Rome, Italy. In 37 event days, the experience sold 15,457 tickets and generated more than $210,000 in revenue. The GBAC STAR-accredited facility implemented touch-free entry doors, infrared temperature screenings for guests and rigorous sanitation to keep everyone safe.
Signs of a Well-Planned Event
Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center in South Carolina has elevated staging CDC-compliant meetings to an art. Since reopening in June, it has hosted 63 events, including the recent Governor’s Conference on Tourism and Travel, where tables were set 10 feet apart, traffic flow was carefully mapped out and temperatures were checked daily.
Show Time
Mohegan Sun Casino and Resort in Uncasville, Connecticut, recently hosted its first expo since reopening in June. The Women’s Health, Beauty & Bridal Show filled the 37,000-square-foot Uncas Ballroom with more than 50 widely spaced booths, and attendees flowed through in waves based on colored wristbands, with staff monitoring capacity.
‘Do Good. Feel Good’ Vibes
SITE Florida & Caribbean chapter’s “Do Good. Feel Good” event was three times as nice because the beach clean-up, reception and kayak outing was replicated in three locations on the same day. Yep, the good vibrations were happening at The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, Miami; St. Pete, Florida; and at Kimpton Seafire in the Cayman Islands.
Broadcast News
To show off a new plug-and-play, in-house broadcast studio for hybrid meetings at Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan, Discover Puerto Rico staged a virtual FAM from one of 15 meeting rooms that offers livestreaming, video broadcasting and interactive video editing.
