New Strategies for Senior Meeting Planners at Prevue’s Atlantic City Summit

By
Barbara Scofidio
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Jim Marota, meetings
Harrah’s Director of Sales Jim Marota gets into the St. Patrick’s Day groove for the group.

Prevue’s Senior Meeting Planner Summit was packed with strategies for attendees to take back to their organizations—from SMMP to self-care.

Held March 17 to 19 at Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City, Prevue’s Senior Meeting Planner Summit brought together 30 planners from organizations ranging from Accenture to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. The focus was a mix of the strategic and the practical. An opening session by Christy Lamagna of Strategic Meetings & Events urged the audience to value their worth and prove to upper management that their skills lie beyond logistics, while SMM guru Betsy Bondurant shared the benefits of strategic meetings management for companies of every size.

Sandi Harvey, meetings
Sandi Harvey, vice president of sales at MeetAC, during one-on-one appointments with the planners.

Ira Ozer of Innovation Meetings introduced this new genre of meeting, working closely with MeetAC to create an “Innovation Experience” for the final evening. The group was educated about the various innovations that had started right where they were standing (from salt-water taffy to Monopoly) and then traveled to the new Stockton University campus to learn about all that is happening with higher education in the heart of AC.

Knife & Fork, meetings
The final evening dinner at the historic Knife & Fork

A highlight for all was a “Senior Meeting Planner De-Stress” by Martin Lowery of Opus Vertex International that had planners practically melting into their seats during a group meditation. Lowery emphasized the importance of self-care in such a stressful profession and showed the group how to seamlessly integrate it into their days.

Knife & Fork, meetings
The charming Knife & Fork Inn

The event was infused with the flavor of Atlantic City from the start. Harrah’s used its conference center’s pre-function space, which has sweeping waterfront views, for the meeting’s lounges and meals. Elegant coastal chic decor mirrored the destination. At the final evening dinner at the historic Knife & Fork Restaurant, attendees dined on classic Surf & Turf, featuring the restaurant’s signature dish, Lobster Thermidor. In between, the group was able to experience the new Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, now the brand’s largest property, during a fabulous tasting of Japanese specialties at Kuro.

Harrah's, meetings
Spring was in the air, thanks to these floral cupcakes.

Many thanks to our sponsors: MeetAC, Resorts Casino Hotel and Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, as well as our partners: our host hotel, Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City; Diane Katzman, who supplied beautiful bracelets for the group; and Power Event Group, our app concierge company.

Kuro, meetings
Attendees sampled a tasting menu of Japanese specialties at Kuro.

Learn more about Prevue’s upcoming 2019 Visionary Summits here.

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Barbara Scofidio
Barbara Scofidio is Editor of Prevue and heads up the Visionary Summits, our exclusive conference series targeting senior-level meeting and incentive planners. In her 30 years in the industry, she has become known for her passion around greening meetings, growing awareness of human trafficking and promoting CSR activities as part of business events. She is currently a member of SITE's Women IN Leadership committee and the media liaison for FICP's Education Committee. She was the first member of the media ever to be invited to sit on a committee by GBTA, where she spent three years on the Groups and Meetings Committee. She has also been an active member of SITE for 30 years, chairing its Crystal Awards committee and acting as a judge. Before joining Prevue in 2014, she served as Editor of Corporate Meetings & Incentives (MeetingsNet) for more than 20 years. She has a BA in Literature/Rhetoric from Binghamton University. Barbara is based outside Boston, in Groton, Mass.

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