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Meet the Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau's New President!
Well, spring has officially arrived and there is new life all around us. There is new steel in place at the City Center as they continue their expansion project. Several large groups will be descending on Saratoga this month, you will see them listed in our calendar update, and we all look forward to welcoming their delegates and participants. The Bureau team continues to work hard towards increasing our service levels to our incoming groups & conventions. We have identified technology enhancements that will allow us to promote our member attractions, restaurants, shops and services to our guests well in advance of their arrival so we can roll out the red carpet before they arrive. By discovering all that Saratoga has to offer ahead of time, hopefully, they decide to bring their spouse or add on a day or two to their visit with us. ---Todd Garofano, President
Mark your calendars for the Bureau's Annual Golf Tournament on Wednesday, May 19th at Saratoga National Golf Club!
More information coming soon!
Call the Bureau at 518-584-1531
The Saratoga Team is at it again! ESSAE's Annual Conference and Expo 2010 - June 2nd at the Saratoga Springs City Center and the Saratoga Hilton – is shaping up to be another great event! Are you a member of ESSAE? Have you registered for the event? If you did not answer “yes” to both, then you may be missing out on a great opportunity and event. Each year, all of the ESSAE exhibitors work hard to come up with original and fun ideas for our booths themes and decorations. The ESSAE trade show has always been a fantastic displays of creativity and vision over the years, and 2010 is shaping up to be better than ever. The Saratoga Team will be located in our customary aisle for the 2010 show; come by and say hello. We think this year will be “groundbreaking”!
MPI NENY's Golfapalooza
Meeting Professionals International Northeastern New York (MPI NENY) is hosting their 4th Annual Golfapalooza Golf Tournament at Saratoga National Golf Club on June 1st to benefit the Alzheimer's Association. It will be a shotgun start with scramble format at 1 PM. The Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau is the main sponsor of the After-party taking place at 6:30 PM with an open bar, silent auction and entertainment! Non golfers are encouraged to attend the After-party for $50.00 per person. Visit www.mpineny.org
Spring has arrived and so has our busy Convention Season. Our new Ultimate Saratoga Maps have been delivered and we will be getting them out to all the incoming groups that are holding their conventions in Saratoga. Check them out – they have been printed by none other than our own JIMAPCO – right in our backyard.
On March 16, 2010, Convention Services Director Kathy Denkenberger participated as a panelist at the ESSAE/MPI program at the Crowne Plaza in Albany. The following is a recap of that session:
During the March 16 session, panelists responded to participants’ questions and provided insights on building RFPs to help ensure the best responses. CVBs can be valuable assets to conference planners,
as they collaborate with colleagues across their state to replicate successful events, and generate leads through attending trade shows, telephone prospecting, and responding to RFPs.
New Services
We are looking to provide some new services to our incoming groups this year – one of them being to help create “landing pages” for their meetings. This page would be accessible to their attendees and provide some important information regarding their conference – before they arrive in Saratoga. This should assist delegates in their preparation and also provide them with some important information on all aspects of their convention. – i.e., transportation, weather, events during their convention, etc.
There is an Association for Everything and Everyone!
We feel very fortunate to have meeting in Saratoga this month – “Descendents of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence” for their regional meeting. How appropriate with all the history that Saratoga has to offer that this group chose to meet here this month. They will be taking the time to enjoy our history during their meeting as part of their program.
Please folks, keep Saratoga in mind the next time you attend a meeting of any kind out of town – give us a call if you think that meeting could possibly meet in Saratoga and we will take it from there. You could become one of our Hometown Heroes by bringing your meeting “home” to Saratoga. |
| Saratoga Springs City Center Expansion is Underway! |
The City Center saw extensive progress to the Expansion Project on Friday, March 26. The major steel girders were delivered and put in place by the end of the day. The City Center staff stood in awe as the truck drivers managed to back into a very narrow space in order to
off-load the 16 ton; 74 foot long sections of steel. The contractors began setting the pieces immediately and everything went together like a giant erector set. An indication of the size of the girders is shown in the picture – Judy LeCain, Director of Sales is 5’ tall!
Click here for more information on the expansion! Targeted completion late 2010!
Read the City Center's Blog, click here!
Bureau's Annual Meeting Recap
On Wednesday, March 24th, the Bureau celebrated 25 years of incorporation with a dinner and reception held at the Hall of Springs. A record crowd of 170 members, government officials and past chairs attended! We even had our very first Board Chairman David Morris and first Executive Director Michael Mendrick in attendance. Dan Murphy, President of the New York State Hospitality and Tourism Association, and one of the founding members of the Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau was our special guest speaker. The Board and Bureau recognized outgoing board members and a special recognition was given to Kathy Denkenberger, Convention Services Director, who was celebrating her 20th year with the Bureau! It was also a great opportunity for our new President, Todd Garofano to meet everyone! Special thanks to: Angelo Mazzone of Mazzone Management, Kevin Sykes and the entire staff of the Hall of Springs, Dan Murphy of NYSHTA, Jim and Gretchen Squires from the Posie Peddler, Tom Stock of Stock Studios Photography, Ralph Pascucci of Myriad Productions for the video and to everyone that participated in the video. The next 25 years will even be better and exciting and we are all looking forward to being a part of it!!
Dan Murphy of NYSHTA wrote a great article featured in the Saratogian, READ HERE!
Click Here to See PHOTOS
| Upcoming Saratoga Conventions! |
April 7-11---NYS Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Inc.---400 ppl
April 10-13---College Stores Association of New York State---150 ppl
April 12-14---New York Medical Equipment Providers---200 ppl
April 14-18---Association of Fire Districts of the Sate of New York---1,500 ppl
April 15---New York State Art Teachers Association---800 ppl
April 16-18--- Office of University Life, SUNY System Administration---235 ppl
April 19-21---New York Section American Waterworks Association---500 ppl
April 22---New York State United Teachers Association---300 ppl
April 23-25--- Adirondack Sports and Fitness Summer Expo
April 23-25---Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence---60 ppl
April 23-25---Saratoga Rowing Association---2,000 ppl
April 24-27---New York State Town Clerks Association---500 ppl
April 28-30---Fourth District Dental Society---900 ppl
April 30-May 5---Rotary District #7890---200 ppl
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| Featured Hotel News/Updates: |
At the Saratoga Springs Hilton Garden Inn, their cook, Joe Wakefield, recently won an award from NYSH&TA as "Outstanding Lodging Employee of the Year" for Hotels less than 150 rooms!
Also, the Hilton Garden Inn won an award from our Owners, Apple REIT; The Shining Apple Award. "Apple REIT's highest form of recognition, the Shining Apple. Each year Apple REIT chooses two properties in their portfolio that best exemplify growth in revpar, house profit, guest satisfaction, index and overall realization of the company vision" Click here to read the press release!
The Hampton Inn & Suites Saratoga Springs Downtown was recognized for its high rankings in overall accommodations, service and quality. The award criteria was based on customer feedback measured through guest satisfaction surveys on the hotel, as well as product quality and service scores measured quarterly by the Hampton Hotels brand.
"The competition to be among the elite group of Hampton Lighthouse Award winners becomes stronger each year as the Hampton brand continues to add more hotels and continually looks for ways to strengthen the guest experience. This makes us especially proud to receive the honor," said Nancy Langford, general manager of Hampton Inn & Suites Saratoga Springs Downtown.
For further information or to make reservations for the Hampton Inn & Suites Saratoga Springs Downtown , please visit www.saratogaspringssuites.hamptoninn.com or call 518-584-2100. |
From special event planning to promotion and lodging assistance. The Saratoga Convention & Tourism Bureau makes hosting a successful meeting so much easier!
+ FILL OUT AN RFP
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Arm yourself with all the tools you need to plan a successful meeting or convention in Saratoga Springs. The toolkit has videos, media, photos and much more!
+ GO TO TOOLKIT |
You can find “all the news that’s fit to print” (or email, or blog, or send by video…) about Saratoga conventions and meetings. Read our press releases to find out what we’ve been up to. Current local Saratoga news, blogs, recent videos, and a gallery of photos give you a better idea of why Saratoga meetings and conventions are productive, successful, and always fun!
+ GO TO MEDIA PAGE |
Meeting planners know there is always something to do in the Spa City year-round - perfect for meetings, conventions, reunions, and group tours!
+ SEE AREA EVENTS |
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