Celebrate

Tips & Trends

From the dawn of time, humans have been drawn to gather together near water. Today, our instinct to meet near water isn’t about survival—but the sense of togetherness that comes from sharing companionship and connection at one of Earth’s most bountiful elements means that we still flock to lakeside retreats, ocean beaches, and poolside parties.&nbsp;
That makes water a meeting planner’s secret weapon. At a time when event attendance is still struggling to return to pre-pandemic levels, hosting a meeting at a venue known for its water features can be an added draw for delegates.&nbsp;
But it’s not just about boosting attendance. Being in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/act.2019.29228.jha">“blue space”</a> brings health and social benefits that are particularly conducive to meeting planners’ goals, including reduced stress and deeper social interactions.
Gaylord Hotels and Resorts in particular are known for their water features, but the entire Marriott Bonvoy portfolio has a wealth of aquatic delights for planners to choose from. Whether your meeting is best suited for a tranquil lakeside retreat, boisterous water park fun after-hours, or beachfront access for post-session unwinding, bringing a little H2O to your event can strengthen your meeting’s mission—and add a lot of joy.

<h2>Indoor-Outdoor Gathering Spots: Four Beachside Properties</h2>
<ul>
 <li><a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/HNLMC">Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort &amp; Spa</a>: A champion of indoor-outdoor meetings, this resort offers attendees a uniquely Hawaiian way to connect with water—and with each other. The resort’s ʻauʻaukai ceremony, stemming from the belief of early Hawaiians who used it for renewal and connection, incorporates practices of purification via ocean water and is performed at sea. After team members return from their meetings, held in more than 30,000 square feet of event space, they can participate in the ceremony and emerge with a clearer focus on mutual goals.</li>
 <li><a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/MRKFL">JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort</a>: More than 140,000 square feet of event space spread over 62 rooms. Three miles of private beach along the Gulf of Mexico. Two championship-level golf courses. How could any meeting here be less than a success?</li>
 <li><a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/MIASB">The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach</a>: This restored landmark hotel offers private daybeds at the pool—and access to Miami’s world-famed South Beach, complete with white sand. There’s room for business, too: Attendees can gather in more than 20,000 square feet of event space, and meetings can culminate in the 10,000-square-foot art deco ballroom.</li>
 <li><a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/CUNJW">JW Marriott Cancun Resort &amp; Spa</a>: Spectacular for meetings with outdoor components (but no slouch in indoor spaces, with eight event rooms), the beachside hotel grants attendees access to a resplendent Caribbean beach.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Intimate Meetings, Massive Galas, and Everything In Between: Five Pool-Forward Properties</h2>
<ul>
 <li><a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/HOUMQ">Marriott Marquis Houston</a>: The Lone Star State gets Texas-sized treatment here, with a Texas-shaped lazy river alongside a rooftop infinity pool and whirlpool. With more than 153,000 square feet of meeting space and 52 event rooms, the Marriott Marquis Houston would already be a draw for planners. Add in the Altitude Rooftop &amp; Pool deck with panoramic views of downtown Houston, and meetings are primed for success.</li>
 <li><a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/MCORZ">The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/MCOJW">JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes</a>: These two neighboring properties can work as a pair. The Ritz-Carlton offers more than 147,000 square feet of meeting space, a day spa, and a lap pool. Attendees craving more water features have access to the Grande Lakes Waterpark—complete with lazy river, waterslides, and Jacuzzis—at JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes (which has more than 100,000 square feet of flexible indoor space and another 100,000-plus square feet of outdoor space as well).</li>
 <li><a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/PHXWS">The Westin Kierland Resort &amp; Spa</a>: Surf’s up—in Scottsdale, Arizona, thanks to a flow-board simulator that lets attendees “surf” in the desert. For those not ready to hang loose, there’s the pool, a 110-foot waterslide, and a lazy river. And with 41 event rooms encompassing more than 200,000 square feet of meeting space, it’s not all about catching waves.&nbsp;</li>
 <li><a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/PSPSR">Renaissance Esmeralda Resort &amp; Spa</a>: This Indian Wells space in the Greater Palm Springs area hosts midsize events, with space for up to nearly 2,000 attendees. The desert oasis has a sandy “beach” pool and spa amenities, including waterfall spas and a whirlpool.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Riverside Hustle, Lake Getaways, Boating Delights: Three Waterfront Gems</h2>
●	<a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/SATDT">San Antonio Marriott Riverwalk</a>: Located across from the convention center and right on San Antonio’s world-renowned River Walk, this hotel gives delegates the chance to relax on the riverside Oak Tree Terrace space before ambling to the Alamo Ballroom or any of the other 13 event rooms. (And for those who prefer their water to not be a spectator sport, the indoor pool awaits.)
●	<a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/AHNRZ">The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee</a>: An Eden of luxury meeting space offering bird-watching and other lake recreational activities, this Georgia property splits its 58,000 square feet of meeting space between 24,000 square feet of indoor rooms and the great outdoors. Executives, incentive awardees, board members—all will return from this tranquil lakeside retreat rejuvenated.
●	<a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/RSWWI">The Westin Cape Coral Resort at Marina Village</a>: Nestled amid 400 miles of navigable canals and waterways, this resort space offers opportunity for attendees to gather outdoors. Not that indoor spaces are ignored: Over 11 event spaces and nearly 30,000 square feet of meeting spaces let attendees take the inspiration that struck them on the canals and turn it into action.

North America

Need a Surefire Way to Help Attendees Connect? Just Add Water

It’s Time to Make a Splash: Water-Friendly Meetings

Educate

Meetings are about the future. That doesn’t mean planners should eschew the past. Choosing a host city that’s rich in history can set a theme—and an intriguing backdrop—for an event, and can help drive attendance. These five destinations are natural settings for rooting your meeting in heritage, while still looking toward what’s ahead.

<h2>Baltimore</h2>
If Washington, D.C., is the obvious choice for mid-Atlantic American history, Baltimore is the sleeper hit whose time has come. The city’s history is embedded in American lore—it boasts more statues and monuments per capita than anywhere else in the United States—making the city feel oddly familiar even to the first-time visitor.
Baltimore’s top attraction, Fort McHenry, is impressive both for its size and its history. When an oversized U.S. flag was hung there in 1814 to signify victory in the Battle of Baltimore, a local lawyer named Francis Scott Key was inspired to pen a poem titled “Defence of Fort M’Henry”—which, when set to music, became “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
The city’s familiarity doesn’t stop there. Remember the “B&amp;O Railroad” square on the Monopoly board? That’s the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and visitors can pop into the <a href="https://www.borail.org/">B&amp;O Railroad Museum</a>. And a stroll with the city’s free <a href="https://baltimore.org/bop-pass/">BoP Pass</a> takes visitors through a tour of Baltimore’s rich Black heritage and history, including an <a href="https://baltimore.org/listings/frederick-douglass-isaac-myers-maritime-park-museum/">interactive experience about the life of Frederick Douglass</a>, murals and monuments for Billie Holiday, and discounts on select <a href="https://baltimore.org/what-to-do/black-owned-businesses/">Black-owned businesses</a>.
The city’s 300,000-square-foot convention center is the largest of its gathering spaces, but multiple Marriott properties offer smaller spaces as well, including <a href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/BWIWF">Baltimore Marriott Waterfront</a>—which happens to be in Fell’s Point, one of Baltimore’s most historic neighborhoods.

<h2>Montreal</h2>
One of the largest French-speaking cities in the world, Montreal was centuries ahead of its time in thinking globally. Its early development as a fur trading center positioned it as a major player in everything from international transportation, the westward expansion of the U.S. and Canada, and the development of global finance.
That internationalist tradition continues today. A true melting pot of European and North American cultures, Montreal is considered one of the world’s great cosmopolitan centers. (In fact, it’s the first North American city to be granted the UNESCO City of Design designation.)
Like any citizen of the world, it knows how to play a gracious host when the time comes, as it did for the Summer Olympics in 1976. Its infrastructure for meetings has kept pace since then: The Palais des Congrès de Montréal convention center can support up to 20,000 users on its Wi-Fi network and has more than 500,000 square feet of meeting space—and it’s just steps away from <a href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/YULLE">Le Westin Montreal</a>, which offers an additional 48,276 square feet of meeting space.

<h2>Doha</h2>
Want to watch history being made—and even be a part of it? Host your next event in Doha. The newest city on this list, Doha’s history may be recent, but that doesn’t make it any less rich than its elders. A humble pearling village as late as the 1930s, Doha exploded in size and wealth in the 1950s with the advent of oil drilling, rocketing from 14,000 inhabitants to more than 80,000 in the span of 20 years.
When Qatar declared independence from Britain in 1971, Doha was named its capital. With its international prominence came international design, including the Museum of Islamic Art, designed by I.M. Pei, and the National Museum of Qatar, designed by Jean Nouvel. But if you and your attendees want a taste of the area’s history, head to the city’s souk, which has been restored with an eye toward preserving the original Bedouin style.
The city’s convention center boasts nearly 100,000 pillar-free square feet that can be spatially customized into five halls, in addition to its 18 meeting rooms. It’s surrounded by accommodations including <a href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/DOHMQ">Marriott Marquis City Center Doha Hotel</a>; <a href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/DOHRZ">The Ritz-Carlton, Doha</a>; <a href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/DOHWH">W Doha</a>; and <a href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/DOHSI">Sheraton Grand Doha Resort &amp; Convention Hotel</a> (which in and of itself has 16 meeting rooms and nearly 95,000 square feet of meeting space).

<h2>Kyoto</h2>
To understand Japanese history, there may be no better destination than Kyoto. For more than a thousand years, Kyoto was the capital of the nation. Tokyo took that title in 1868, but today Kyoto’s 2.5 million residents enjoy the cultural wealth that resulted from its centuries as the heart of Japan. For international attendees, Kyoto offers a particularly rich buffet of Japanese icons such as kabuki theater, tea ceremonies, and samurai culture.
But Kyoto holds another, more subtle sense of history for meeting planners in particular. Much of the world knows of Kyoto through a meeting: the gathering that birthed the Kyoto Protocol. Hosting a meeting in Kyoto can lend an event a sense of gravitas—after all, global, even universal, history was made here. <a href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/UKYAK">The Prince Kyoto Takaragaike, Autograph Collection</a>, situated a seven-minute walk from the Kyoto International Conference Center, hosts an additional 27,000 square feet of meeting space over eight meeting areas.

<h2>Bogota</h2>
The capital of Colombia, Bogota has played a key role in South American history for centuries. Pre-colonial Indigenous groups developed sophisticated metallurgy techniques, thousands of which are on display today in the city’s magnificent Museo del Oro, or gold museum. When the Spanish founded the city in 1538, it became a seat of colonial power on the continent; similarly, when colonial rulers were overthrown in the early 19th century, Bogota served as a gathering place for prominent nationalists.
In the 1980s and early 1990s, Bogota’s political turmoil may have made meeting planners question its suitability as a host city. But the city has worked hard to reclaim its spot on the world stage, investing in security, public transportation, and tourism infrastructure. Today, the city of 11 million is known as an Andean jewel filled with world-class restaurants and art. The <a href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/BOGJW">JW Marriott Hotel Bogota</a> is situated in El Chapinero, the city’s hub of dining destinations, and has capacity for intimate meetings and easy public transportation access to Bogota’s convention center.

Global

Anchor Your Events in Heritage and History.

Five Destinations That Will Make Your Meeting Historic

Life is but a game—or at least, it can be if you incorporate play into your meetings from the ground up. Here are a couple of ways to make the gaming life a part of your next event.
 
<h3>Gamify Engagement, Hybrid-Style.</h3>
One of the challenges of hybrid meetings is making sure that virtual attendees and in-room attendees both stay engaged with the goal of the meeting. Introducing a gamification element that is rooted in the event’s virtual capacity can bring both sets of attendees together.
While there are plenty of apps and services available for gamifying sessions, your basic platforms probably already enable gaming to a degree. A Zoom poll turns into a game when the prompt is trivia or an icebreaker question; collaborative whiteboards allow participants to, say, solve a challenge together.
Another fun option: social media. Set up a scavenger hunt or photo challenge, and ask attendees to participate using a custom <a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tips-and-trends/article/422/perfect-the-art-of-the-hashtag">hashtag</a>.

<h3>Design the Meeting Around a Purpose-Built Game Space.</h3>
Bringing games into a space is one thing—but bringing participants into a game space is another. When looking at venues, consider the value-add of venues that have built-in game rooms. They’re an obvious choice for icebreaker events, but imagine what a small group session at an in-house bowling alley could turn into!
A few spots that set a playful example:
<ul>
 <li>Harbor Social at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/wasgn-gaylord-national-resort-and-convention-center/overview/">Gaylord National Resort &amp; Convention Center</a>, National Harbor, Maryland: Shuffleboard? Check. Air hockey? Check. Duckpin bowling, 10,000-square-foot sports bar, bocce court? Check, check, and check. That’s in addition to 94 event rooms, 101 breakout rooms, and nearly 550,000 square feet of event space. This space was purpose-built for networking after an evaluation of what people missed most about in-person gatherings: being together and networking with others.</li>
 <li>Rampart Casino at<a target="_blank" href="https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/lasjw-jw-marriott-las-vegas-resort-and-spa/overview/"> JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort &amp; Spa</a>: The on-site team is experienced in coordinating with meeting planners who want to give attendees a taste of the Vegas experience without spending valuable convention time roaming the Strip. A meeting-branded casino night would be a hit—but if that doesn’t fit the tone of your attendees, take advantage of on-site lessons.</li>
 <li>10K Alley at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/mrkfl-jw-marriott-marco-island-beach-resort/overview/">JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort</a>: The <a target="_blank" href="https://10kalleyatjwmarco.com/">bowling alley</a> isn’t the only game on tap here—arcade games and mini golf round out the offerings. (And games aren’t the only thing on tap either; the bar hosts more than 50 Florida-brewed craft beers.) With state-of-the-art facilities (virtual reality, anyone?), it’s well-equipped for events.</li>
</ul>

Let’s Talk About How to Gamify Your Next Event.

Push “Play” on Your Next Meeting With Games

Promote

Roughly half of business travelers say they want local cultural experiences to be a part of their meeting experience, according to research from Mintel. To meet this demand, it’s easy enough for planners to throw some information about the destination into orientation materials—museum this, Restaurant Row that.
But to make these cultural experiences more meaningful, planners can look for ways to incorporate local experiences into their overall agenda. We’ve rounded up ideas from the experts, including North American destination marketing organizations and convention and visitors bureaus, along with Marriott Bonvoy properties.
<ul>
 <li>Start the relationship from Day 1. “During familiarization trips, we’ve coordinated event safety and security training with Tampa Police Department representatives hosted in their downtown command center,” says Adam DePiro, vice president of convention sales at Visit Tampa Bay. Planting seeds for programming ideas on familiarization trips can help you get ahead of the game.</li>
 <li>Let the destination lead your team-building activities. “We partner with Mardi Gras World, the local company that designs and produces all the big Mardi Gras floats, to incorporate Mardi Gras experiences for groups,” says Emily Liuzza, complex director of marketing at New Orleans Marriott, Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, and New Orleans Marriott Warehouse Arts District. “This can include hosting events in their den around all the big floats to groups renting floats and having their own Mardi Gras parade downtown. We can also close off streets, and groups can ‘second-line’ [parade] with a live jazz band leading the way to an off-site venue in the French Quarter or someplace within walking distance downtown.” Making a destination-specific activity part of your kickoff can root the entire event in both time and place.</li>
 <li>Contribute to the community. “Many native plants that have been added are varieties that once thrived in our region but have declined due to development and the introduction of foreign plants,” says Jaydene Kanekoa, senior marketing manager at Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort &amp; Spa. “In 2022, our Activities and Culture team activated the Ho’okupu Initiative. In Hawaiian, Ho’okupu translates to an offering, a tribute, or to cause growth. This program is aimed toward planting endangered, endemic Hawaiian plants across our beachfront location while removing invasive species.” Getting attendees to jump into the community with a joint activity—in this example, weeding and planting to preserve natural habitats—builds team bonds and adds meaning to multiday events.</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>Location-hop, topic-hop. “New Orleans is known for its cuisine,” Liuzza says. “Groups will frequently do dine-arounds one night at the various restaurants around the two hotels. Sometimes they will do a second line out of the hotel to start the dine-arounds.” Add variety to round-robin discussions by adding a change of location to each new topic of discussion: At the first location, attendees focus on breaking the ice. At the second, they focus on dissecting a shared problem that unites the attendees. At the third, they focus on finding solutions.</li>
 <li>Let the location anchor group goals. “We offer groups the opportunity to ‘adopt a native plant or tree,’” Kanekoa says. “Working with our experts, groups can purchase a native plant or tree from our local nursery, and we curate a special planting ceremony where attendees may witness or assist with planting the seedling on property. This is typically accompanied by an ‘oli [Hawaiian chant].” Planting native flora during a goal-setting session can add a sense of responsibility to goals. When attendees waver in their action plans toward goal achievement, they’ll have a place on terra firma to think about, anchoring goals that might otherwise seem abstract.</li>
 <li>Bring in local experts. Take a cue from your peers: When JW Marriott Tampa Water Street hosted the 2021 Meeting Professionals International Thought Leaders Summit, Tampa Bay itself played a critical role. “Aligned with MPI’s five critical conversation topics, Visit Tampa Bay identified and secured local subject matter experts,” DePiro says. In 2022, the Homegrown: Marriott Hawai’i &amp; French Polynesia’s Operations Conference brought in knowledgeable experts to participate in panel discussions, including farmers, distributors, and cultural practitioners.</li>
 <li>Follow the locals’ lead in collaboration. “Chef Jayson has been with the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort &amp; Spa for 37 years,” Kanekoa says. “His decades-long tenure at the resort reflects his commitment to his craft and strong bond with local growers.” Meetings are all about collaboration—asking a venue coordinator to share how collaboration played a critical behind-the-scenes role in the evolution of the event (say, by talking with the chef about their relationships with local growers) can drive that point home.</li>
 <li>Get local personalities involved. Aligning your meeting’s values with the values of local stars adds a punch to your event. For example, Tampa Bay is known for its inclusive mindset, as evidenced by the election of Mayor Jane Castor, the first openly gay mayor of Tampa—and a mayor who greets various conventioneers in person. Turning to local makers can serve a similar purpose: Portland, Oregon’s My People’s Market hosts the sale of goods of more than 100 diverse local entrepreneurs. “One service our organization can offer to planners meeting in Portland is the opportunity to create a mini My People’s Market as a part of the meetings and convention experience, offering the chance to engage directly with our creative community right on the conference room floor,” says Angela Nelson, vice president of equity, diversity, and inclusion at Travel Portland.</li>
</ul>

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