BillMcMillan SeniorDirector of Sales VisitCharlotte
Collaboration, relationship-leveraging essential to moving industry forward
As the group travel market continues its slow but steady return to health, what will your destination be doing to remain competitive? Last year was marked by openings and expansions at every turn. Attractions like the NASCAR Hall of Fame and a new, 40,000-square-foot ballroomat theCharlotte ConventionCen- ter were added to the cityscape, resulting in tremendous meet- ing-space potential. Themomentumof our new assets continues in 2011, keeping us competitive and also separating us because of the city’s smart and forward-thinking development.
What valuable lessons or good habits with respect to the meetings business have you learned over the past two years, and how are you implementing these?
Collaboration is more important nowthan in recent memory. All of our constituents are facing challenges. Those that lever- age relationships and create strategic partnerships will be most successful.
What is your destination doing to help planners meet their goals for sustainability and corporate social responsibility? Sustainable practices aren’t just a request; they are mandatory for meeting planners today.We’ve made substantial strides in greening our event facilities through both big and small ini- tiatives.We’ve even seenmany meetings tapping into local vol- untourism initiatives that link organizations with charitable beneficiaries like Habitat forHumanity or Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina.