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Enthusiastic
Business, Emotional Highs, and a Look at New
Initiatives
Highlight May 2015 Elite Meetings Alliance in Las Vegas
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Santa
Barbara, CA – May 2015 / Newsmaker Alert / Elite
Meetings International (EMI), recently acquired by Cvent, Inc., concluded
its May 2015 Elite Meetings Alliance (EMA) with reports of new business
opportunities, positive feedback on education and team-building sessions,
and appreciation for the quality of attendees. The event, which took place
May 3–5, 2015, in Las Vegas at Vdara Hotel & Spa, combined education,
networking, and two days of one-on-one appointments. Once again in exit
surveys, 100% of responding meeting planners and suppliers said they expect
to book business with a buyer or supplier they met with at the EMA.
In
his opening speech, EMI General Manager and Founder Kelly Foy addressed
the changes, expected growth, and new initiatives taking place as a result
of the company’s recent acquisition by Cvent. His presentation summed up
the company’s new position in two words: better, stronger. He discussed
next steps, including Elite Meetings magazine’s redesign to celebrate
its tenth anniversary; new blog, Meet Well; SpeedRFP’s mobile interface
plans; plus the robust new suite of offerings now available to planners
and suppliers alike.
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“The
response from attendees was overwhelmingly supportive and I believe that
kind of positive energy channels itself into an environment for great business,”
Foy says. “Vdara set an incredible backdrop for good business and we received
very favorable feedback throughout the show for our host property.”
Hotelier
Erik Dombroski of Hotel Terra Jackson Hole says that the most valuable
aspect of the EMA for him was the attendee list. “There were only two planners
whom I had met prior to attending this event. Gaining the exposure to new
companies and planners is one of our main goals for travel this year. The
EMA was a perfect event for us,” he says.
Feedback
from meeting planners was equally revealing. Shawshonee Stokes of Cardinal
Health says, “As a fairly new planner I was completely blown away by the
experience. The educational talks were spot-on with content that was very
thought-provoking, the activities were amazing, and the one-on-ones were
super valuable as I have made so many contacts that I plan to use in the
near future. I will recommend this conference to all meeting planners.”
Education
and Team Building
Education
sessions eligible for 4.5 hours of CMP credit covered topics ranging from
Human Trafficking to Industry Trends, Corporate Social Responsibility and
becoming a Corporate Athlete©. One highlight was the Jam Session presented
by Hello! Las Vegas which took place on opening night. Teams worked with
local high school students competing for their student to win an orchestral
instrument. When it was revealed that all participants would—and did—receive
a violin, cello, or bass, the night hit an emotional high.
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Business
Over
1,100 one-on-one appointments between suppliers and buyers—plus countless
networking interactions—provided a wealth of opportunities for business.
In exit surveys, 100% of responding meeting planners and suppliers said
they expect to book business with a buyer or supplier they met with at
the EMA.
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The
Experience
As
always, great hotel partners played an essential part in the event’s success.
The Vdara Hotel & Spa, a nonsmoking, non-gaming casino in the heart
of downtown Las Vegas, provided a sanctuary of sorts in the high-energy
city. Separated from the hustle and bustle normally associated with Las
Vegas, the attendees had the unique opportunity to meet, learn, and network
in an inviting, mellow environment—yet still had the action of The Strip
a short walk away. The Bellagio (Vdara’s sister property) hosted the theme
dinner and after-party at their chic nightclub, HYDE. Situated directly
above the iconic Bellagio fountains, HYDE offers attendees a spectacular
view of the glowing cityscape. One lucky attendee won the opportunity to
start the evenings’ fountain show paired to their music of choice, a once-in-a-lifetime
experience for any Las Vegas visitor.
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The
Future
The
third EMA of 2015 will take place at La Cantera Hill Country Resort in
San Antonio, Texas, September 20–22, 2015. Registration is now open. To
learn more, 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. It centers on private, personalized
business development meetings, continuing education breakout sessions for
CMP credit, and unique networking activities. For more information on the
Elite Meetings Alliance, visit www.EliteMeetingsAlliance.com,
contact EMATeam@EliteMeetings.com
or call 805-879-4485.
About
Elite Meetings International
Based
in Santa Barbara, California, Elite Meetings International (EMI), a subsidiary
of Cvent, provides integrated solutions to enhance the performance of meeting
and hospitality professionals. EMI supports this community through a combination
of innovative technologies, 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 AttendeeHub™ (www.AttendeeHub.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 time-saving
product for creating, submitting, and managing RFPs online. For additional
information, please visit www.EliteMeetings.com
or call 805-730-1000.
About
Cvent
Cvent,
Inc. (NYSE: CVT) is a leading cloud-based enterprise event management
platform, with more than 14,000 customers worldwide. Cvent offers software
solutions to event planners for online event registration, venue selection,
event management, mobile apps for events, e-mail marketing and web surveys.
Cvent provides hoteliers with an integrated platform, enabling properties
to increase group business demand through targeted advertising and improve
conversion through proprietary demand management and business intelligence
solutions. Cvent solutions optimize the entire event management value chain
and have enabled clients around the world to manage hundreds of thousands
of meetings and events. For more information, please visit Cvent.com,
or connect with us on Facebook,
Twitter
or LinkedIn.
“Safe
harbor” statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995
This
press release contains forward-looking statements, including the company’s
plans and expectations regarding the growth and performance of Elite Meetings
following its acquisition by Cvent, the redesign of Elite Meetings magazine,
and the development of SpeedRFP’s mobile interface. The achievement or
success of the matters covered by such forward-looking statements involves
risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If any such risks or uncertainties
materialize, or if any of the assumptions prove incorrect, the company’s
results could differ materially from the results expressed or implied by
the forward-looking statements we make. For a detailed discussion of these
and other risk factors, please refer to the risks detailed in Cvent’s filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation,
our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 16, 2015, our Form 10-Q filed
on May 11, 2015, and other reports and filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission.
Media
Contacts:
Karen
Cahill
Elite
Meetings International
805-879-4488
Lana
Sieg
Cvent,
Inc.
571-830-2335
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