Alabama Gulf Coast CVB

Planning a meeting?

Gulf Shores/Orange Beach has become a favorite destination of meeting planners and delegates. With 32 miles of powder-white beaches and the beautiful waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the stage is set for successful and enjoyable meetings. Attendance is higher and creativity and productivity increase as participants enjoy the peaceful environment of the area. Many also find that adding a few extra days onto the beginning or end of their meetings offers a great opportunity to combine business with pleasure for a family vacation. The island is conveniently located within driving distance of most major southeastern cities. Airlines serve nearby Mobile and Pensacola airports, both approximately an hour’s drive from Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. All of the major rental car companieshave offices at both airports. In addition, the Jack Edwards Airport in Gulf Shores can accommodate private and corporate aircraft. Accommodations on the island offer the meeting planner unique alternatives with more than 15,000 hotel, motel and condominium units available.

These facilities have experience in providing quality service to groups of all sizes, from small board retreats and conferences to state, regional, national and even international meetings of up to 800. This year brought the addition of two new properties, offering 25,000 sq. ft. of divisible meeting space in one and 10,000 in another. During free time, golfers and anglers are in for a treat. Ten championship golf courses await players of all skill levels. With a charter fleet of more than 100 boats, a half or full day of fishing is only a phone call away. The Alabama Gulf Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau is well acquainted with the facilities, attractions and services available in Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, and is ready to help you plan your next meeting. The CVB can help you arrange group rates, assist with off-site functions and coordinate site inspections. Visit the CVB’s website to search for meeting spaces, to request a meeting planner’s guide or to complete an online RFP.

Beth Gendler
Sales Department
Alabama Gulf Coast CVB
Gulf Shores, Ala.
888/421-8715
alabamagulfcoastmeetings.com

Daytona Beach CVB

It’s a New Day in Daytona Beach! Although Daytona Beach is best known for its 23 miles of sparkling beaches, in recent years it has become known for its growing inventory of quality hotels and meeting and convention facilities. The newly expanded Ocean Center Convention Complex has opened to rave reviews.The NEWOcean Center has nearly 200,000 sq. ft. of state-of-the-art interior meeting and exhibit space.The expansion heralds the Daytona Beach area’s emergence as an attractive oceanfront meeting and convention market. The Daytona Beach area offers approximately 12,000 hotel rooms, with everything from quaint, upscale inns to larger, business-class meeting resorts.The Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort, The Shores Resort&Spa, The Plaza Resort & Spa and Daytona Beach Resort & Conference Center have undergone multimillion- dollar refurbishment projects. Accommodations in the area have never looked better. The Ocean Center Convention Complex and area hotels are all within minutes of the Daytona Beach International Airport, which is served by Delta Air Lines and US Airways.There is direct service from Atlanta and Charlotte and convenient connections from everywhere else.

For those driving, Daytona Beach is conveniently located at the intersection of I-95 and I-4. The Daytona Beach area features LPGA International with its two championship golf courses, along with dozens of other challenging courses in the area. The USTA Florida Tennis Center is located in Daytona Beach and boasts 24 clay hydro-courts and 20 lighted courts. Museum-goers will enjoy the Museum of Arts&Sciences, a Smithsonian affiliate, the SoutheastMuseum of Photography at Daytona State College and many others. For the maritime lovers, the Ponce de Leon Lighthouse is one of Florida’s finest nautical museums. And the neighboring Marine Science Center provides a delightful interactive look at marine life in Volusia County. Whether you are meeting on the beach, in the fast lane at Daytona International Speedway or doing a little tea mbuilding at Daytona 500 Experience, Daytona Beach is the perfect meeting location. With professional meetings and convention staff available to assist you with small meetings, large conventions and everything in between, your next event will be a memorable success.

Linda McMahon
Sales Manager
Daytona Beach CVB
Daytona Beach, Fla.
386/255-0415, ext. 132
daytonabeachmeetings.com

The Boardwalk Beach Resort & Convention Center

The Boardwalk Beach Resort & Convention Center is ideally situated on the white sandy beaches of Panama City Beach and offers a unique variety of accommodation choices as well as a flexible convention center boasting more than 40,000 sq. ft. of spacious indoor and outdoor convention and banquet space. We offer all of the elements needed to make your event memorable, including full-service, on-site catering and a dedicated staff of professionals. Our venue features:




• Flexible, free expanse meeting, exhibit and banquet space
• More than 40,000 sq. ft. of meeting space
• Eight breakout rooms and spacious pre-function areas
• Executive boardroom
• Business center
• Comprehensive on-site food and beverage services
• Professional staff dedicated to creating successful events

With a facility that can accommodate groups from 20 to 2,000, we will not only meet your needs, but exceed your expectations. Our 22-story Gulf-front condominium, overlooking the Gulf of Mexico and sparkling like a diamond along the Emerald Coast, is sure to impress. From luxurious one-, two- and three-bedroom condominiums to the tropical pool deck, our facility is unrivaled in its design, location and service. The resort offers exquisite
amenities, beach adventures, indoor and outdoor restaurants, an ultra-modern fitness center and the largest private beach in the area.

Resort amenities include:
• Fully equipped and elegantly appointed units—all with views of the Gulf
• On-property indoor/outdoor dining
• 2,500 sq. ft. zero-entry pool
• Two hot tubs
• Fitness center, sauna and steam room
• On-site massage facilities
• Beach activities

For more information about hosting your next meeting, event or conference at The Boardwalk Beach Resort & Convention Center, contact our group sales department at 850/230-4620 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Amy Harris
Director of Marketing
Brooke Meyer, CMP, CASE
Director of Sales
Boardwalk Beach Resort
850/230-4608
boardwalkbeachresort.com
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Hollywood Casino Bay

St. Louis Playground of the South

You won’t find any skylines in the shy yet spry town of Bay St. Louis, home of the most trusted meeting place on the Mississippi Gulf Coast: Hollywood Casino Bay St. Louis. Tucked between towering tropical palm trees among century-old live oaks laced in Spanish moss on 600 waterfront acres on the Bay of St. Louis emptying in the Gulf of Mexico, Hollywood Casino is the only casino resort with all amenities on site. Besides magnolia scented sea breezes and breathtaking sunsets, you’ll enjoy some of the best seafood cuisine you’ve ever savored in your life. Hollywood Casino is just minutes from both New Orleans and Biloxi and is easily accessible from both airports. Now we know why this area is called the “Playground of the South.” Hollywood Casino is the perfect meeting place, offering 24-hour gaming with fun-filled video and reel slots, 21 unique table games, a poker room and a new video poker bar. The Hollywood Hotel has 291 guestrooms and 14,000 sq. ft. of meeting space convenient to the hotel and completely separate from the casino floor. Entertainment is all around you, with monthly headline concerts, occasional boxing and a new casino stage bar expected to open January 2010.

There’s only one place you’ll find legendary jazz musician Pete Fountain, and that’s playing on selected Tuesday and Wednesday nights at Hollywood Casino. Hollywood Casino has four fantastic restaurants, a 100-site RV park and The Bridges, the state’s only Arnold Palmer Signature 18-hole championship golf course consistently ranked among the Top 40 casino resorts in the country andTop 10 in the state by Golf Digest magazine.The all can-do staff at Hollywood will make you shine. Simply contact the group sales department and leave the rest up to them. The casino and golf resort is conveniently located near Mississippi’s Gulf Coast beaches and the Bay St. Louis antique and art district and is just 40 miles east of New Orleans, La., and 20 miles west of Biloxi, Miss. Check for the latest hotel and golf offers on our website at hollywoodcasinobsl.com or call 866/7-LUCKY-1.

Thomas Dean, CMP
Senior Sales Manager
Hollywood Casino Bay
St. Louis, Miss.
866/758-2591
hollywoodcasinobsl.com
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The Beach Club

Endless Possibilities

Endless views of pristine water and dunes. A village of meeting places, from high-tech rooms to grass-roots green spaces. For meetings that break past the expected limitations, call The Beach Club. Is the event one of personal significance? One of professional and strategic importance? There is no limit to the memories and progress that can be made when your meeting includes the amenities of The Beach Club. A European spa. An abundance of water, from the indoor and outdoor pools to a seemingly endless stretch of pristine coast. A private racquet club. Full access to The Club, along with its fitness facilities, social spaces and cuisine. Guest service to assist with individual, group and family excursions—golf, wildlife, deep-sea fishing. Your meeting’s possibilities are as open as the horizon. Because we envisioned The Beach Club as a complete village of amenities, your event can be hosted in any number of memorable venues. Groomed lawns await tented or open-air events. Our private beach has been the backdrop for the most photogenic of weddings. For each event, whether the scale is intimate or corporate, we can orchestrate the most elaborate arrangements. And with the luxurious pleasures of daily life here, the simple act of waking up at The Beach Club qualifies as a special event. Like the rest ofThe Beach Club, our Village Meeting Place pulls together unexpected amenities. Secluded location with inclusive service.

Old world architecture with prime meeting technology. At The Beach Club, audio-visual includes the sights and sounds of the Gulf-front village. Think beyond the boundaries of typical meeting menus: you’ll be freed from generic buffets atThe Beach Club.We’re known for outstanding Gulf Coast cuisine, a 300-year melting pot of spices and cultures. Our chefs plan menus based on the freshest catches and crops, and will create a meal that is an event in itself. Best of all, the high quality of our dining experience is planned to enhance the effect of your event. Accommodations? Exactly. We can select vacation residences that accommodate both the needs of your meeting and the wishes of your attendees. A village of cottages includes unsurpassed amenities and spaces for small gatherings. Our four luxurious towers offer a range of floor plans spacious enough for even large families and include lofts, family dining rooms and up to five bedrooms. Views are memorable, with the Gulf of Mexico in one direction and Mobile Bay in the other. Inside, the décor not only provides the comforts of home, it surpasses it.

Sarah Green
Group Sales Manager
The Beach Club
Gulf Shores, Ala.
866/601-9243
albeachresorts.com
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Bay Point Marriott Golf Resort & Spa

A Private Getaway

As the breeze sweeps across the scenic St. Andrews Bay and washes over the surrounding wildlife preserve, you could forget for a moment that you’re in the midst of Panama City Beach, Fla. The Bay Point Marriott Golf Resort & Spa is situated on a private peninsula set on a 1,100-acre wildlife preserve.With an array of recreational offerings for golfers, boaters, spa-goers and those simply in search of a soothing escape, you will find countless ways to relax and find serenity at this gem along Florida’s Emerald Coast. Discover pure relaxation in one of our 316 comfortable guestrooms featuring 60 luxury golf villas, three presidential suites and one vice presidential suite. Each room is luxuriously appointed with every amenity to ensure you a comfortable and productive stay while enjoying a fantastic view of the bay or resort. Play 36 holes of championship golf on the award-winning Nicklaus Course, the only Nicklaus design in Northwest Florida. Then, if you still have drive left in you, enjoy the country club-style Meadows Course. After a round of golf, enjoy a dip in one of the four outdoor pools. Also, you will find one indoor pool and three whirlpools perfect for relaxing. The premier pool, Serenity Pool, overlooks St. Andrews Bay, ideal for group settings, theme parties and networking opportunities. Serenity Spa at Bay Point is the region’s premier full-service spa and salon. The 12,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility offers you tranquility, rejuvenation, balance, peace and serenity.

Bay Point Marriott offers an exceptional experience for conferences, meetings, weddings and social functions of all types and sizes. Featuring a 40,000 sq. ft. conference center and flexible outdoor meeting options with lagoon and bay views, this exquisite hideaway is a sanctuary for meetings.We also offer spacious ballrooms and scenic outdoor venues including ample space for conventions for up to 700 guests. Come and experience Marriott Bay Point Golf Resort & Spa, recognized as the only Marriott on Condé Nast Traveler’s 2009 Gold List for U.S. Resorts. We look forward to your arrival.

Ada Barnes
National Sales Manager
Bay Point Marriott Golf
Resort & Spa
Panama City Beach, Fla.
850/236-6000
marriottbaypoint.com
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The San Luis Resort, Spa & Conference Center

Offers Luxury on Sale When Booked by January 15

When planning a meeting on Galveston Island, ensure your event’s success by choosing The San Luis Resort with top-rated luxury service and superior offerings now on sale. Plan your 2010 meeting and receive our special incentives and superior offers, including special guestroom rates from $99 per night and complimentary meeting space within the hotel properties. Book a new meeting directly with the property and receive 5 percent of the guestroom revenue as a credit back to your master account or donated to your favorite charity. “We feel this is a great opportunity for meeting planners to explore their option at The San Luis,” says Paul Shultz, vice president of hospitality for Landry’s Hotel Division. “We’re confident that they will tell others about us as well.” All referrals that result in a contracted program of at least 35 room nights will receive a $100 Landry’s dining certificate. Honored with the AAA 4-Diamond award since 2000, The San Luis Resort is at the heart of  the Texas Gulf Coast’s most elegant beachfront resort, featuring unparalleled hospitality, dining, entertainment, meeting and convention facilities. The 30-acre San Luis Resort property offers stunning, unobstructed views of the Gulf of Mexico and is home to Hilton Galveston Island; Holiday Inn Resort on the Beach; and The San Luis Hotel, Spa & Conference Center, offering a 40,000 sq. ft. IACC-certified conference center and the renowned Landry's Seafood House, a Rainforest Café and an International House of Pancakes. Offer subject to availability. Not available for prospects, tentative or definite group bookings. Management has the right to cancel promotion at any time. Must mention this offer upon inquiry.

Kristin L. Skille, LES
Regional Director of Sales
The San Luis Resort
Galveston, Texas
800/445-0090, ext. 2121
409/744-1500, ext. 2121
sanluisresort.com
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Galveston Island CVB

Meet by the Sea

Among out-of-state visitors, Galveston Island is the number one attraction in Texas, according to a new survey commissioned by the Texas Governor’s Office. And why wouldn’t it be? The 32-mile-long island is just 50 minutes from Houston and offers newly replenished beaches, world-class attractions and a variety of restaurants and lodging. With more than 5,000 sleeping rooms, state-of-the-art, modern convention facilities and an unforgettable history, attendees will find plenty of variety and charm in Galveston. The Galveston Island Convention Center at The San Luis Resort is the perfect destination for your next meeting or event. Located on Galveston’s famous Seawall Boulevard, the two-story, 140,000 sq. ft. property combines executive conference facilities with luxurious resort amenities. In this dramatic beachfront setting with breathtaking views of the Gulf of Mexico, you’ll find a column-free, 43,100 sq. ft. exhibition hall, a 15,500 sq. ft. grand ballroom, 12,000 sq. ft. of breakout meeting space and 29,000 sq. ft. of pre-function space. Equipped to host the most technologically advanced meetings, Galveston Island Convention Center features cutting edge audio-visual technology, including soundproof rooms; individual lighting, sound and climate controls; and wireless Internet access throughout. More than 700 guestrooms are immediately adjacent to the center, and another 1,400 are located within two miles.

The convention center offers complimentary shuttle service to and from contracted meeting hotels as well as complimentary covered parking on site. When you meet in Galveston, your group has plenty of unique venues for memorable off-site events. Your attendees can experience the thrill of a lifetime with a flight in an authentic WorldWar II aircraft at the Lone Star Flight Museum and Aviation Hall of Fame or learn about Texas’ rich oil history at the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum. Moody Gardens, one of the area’s most popular attractions, offers the Aquarium Pyramid or the Rainforest Pyramid.

Meg Winchester, CMP
Director
Galveston Island CVB
Galveston, Texas
866/505-4456
409/797-5163
meetgalveston.com
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Harborside Event Center

The Perfect Venue

Whether you are a promoter, meeting planner, event coordinator or business owner, our skilled event team will work with you to assure your event is a success. From trade shows and meetings to black-tie galas and weddings, we customize menus to suit your every need and ensure that each and every detail is handled with the greatest of care. At Harborside Event Center, entertainment, trade, education and commerce all come together in a vibrant riverfront environment. Couple this with our professional event team dedicated to achieving the highest levels of customer and guest satisfaction, and you’ll clearly understand why Harborside Event Center is the perfect venue for your next event. The uniqueness of the center is apparent in the flexibility of the venue. Harborside Event Center offers the opportunity to host everything from large exhibitions, concerts and sporting events to the most intimate of gatherings.

Harborside Event Center offers 42,000 sq. ft. of exhibit and event space and is fully wired to accommodate the networking needs of our clients. Our versatile seating configurations and exhibit space comfortably accommodate multiple and simultaneous events. From the most important business events to the most awe-inspiring performance, we invite you to use your imagination and our skills to enhance your event’s potential. In other words, think large, small and everything in between. We look forward to your next visit!

Rhonda Decherd
Event Services Manager
Harborside Event Center
Fort Myers, Fla.
239/321-8120
harborsideevents.com
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Wilmington/Cape Fear Coast CVB

Looking for a new kind of meeting adventure? Your ship has come in.

For your next meeting, why not aim for something a little out of the ordinary? Take it from us: If you really want to get their attention, pull out the big guns. Do you think attendees would rather be standing in the middle of an anonymous conference room under buzzing fluorescent lights or standing in the middle of a World War II battleship under the glorious evening sky? And that’s just one example of the enticing locations you’ll find in Wilmington and NC’s Cape Fear Coast—out-of-the-ordinary and oh-so-inviting destinations for 10 or a thousand. Imagine getting together in an elegant antebellum mansion or alongside a 200,000-plus gallon saltwater fish tank. Aquarium or movie studio, formal garden or World War II battleship deck, our team of experts will help you find the perfect place to convene. And they’ll assist with all the other details as well, from locating lodging to organizing dining to arranging entertainment and unique off-site events. (You wouldn’t want to invite people to this vacation hotspot and not let them enjoy the Cape Fear Coast beaches, riverfront, museums, outdoor sports and everything in between, would you?) So, whatever you’re planning, give us a call. We’ll make sure that next time your event will be a surefire hit. For more details and your very own meeting planner kit, contact John Sneed at 866/638-2055 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it today. Come & Meet. Come & Play.

John W. Sneed II, CHSP
Convention Sales Manager
Wilmington/Cape Fear
Coast CVB
Wilmington, N.C.
866/638-2055
meetatcapefear.com
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Marina Inn at Grande Dunes

Are you searching for the extraordinary?

You will find it at the AAA 4-Diamond Marina Inn at Grande Dunes. Among the unique touches that make this resort the preferred choice among meeting planners are the Inn’s 200 oversized hotel rooms and suites. Exceptional amenities include two award-winning golf courses and three dining options. The property’s secluded 15,000 sq. ft. of event space includes a 5,100 sq. ft. ballroom, two breakout rooms, a boardroom and the outdoor Grande Lawn that will accommodate groups of up to 500. Marina Inn is centrally located, just minutes from all of the activities the area has to offer. Getting here is easy. The Myrtle Beach Airport is 15 miles away and offers more than 30 flights daily. In the end, you’ll find Marina Inn at Grande Dunes is unlike any other resort in the Southeast. Contact us today and ask about our current meeting specials at 866/582-3820 or visit us at marinainnatgrandedunes.com/forum.

Pamela Shelley
Director of Sales &Marketing
Marina Inn at Grande Dunes
Myrtle Beach, S.C.
866/582-3820, ext. 1335
marinainnatgrandedunes.com/forum
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Emerald Coast CVB

Florida’s Emerald Coast Best Beach Town in the South

DESTIN • FORTWALTON BEACH • OKALOOSA ISLAND, Fla. — Florida’s Emerald Coast—famous for 24 miles of sugarwhite sands and emerald-green waters— is recognized as one of the South’s most attractive meeting places for all types of gatherings. From regional events to conferences of Fortune 500 companies, the southern sea towns of Destin • Fort Walton Beach • Okaloosa Island are a perfect setting for serious or fun meetings followed by relaxing on sunbleached beaches and activities ranging from championship golf to sampling sumptuous seafood. Situated along the upper Gulf Coast and named the “Best Beach Town in the South” for 14 consecutive years by the readers of Southern Living, the Emerald Coast makes any meeting group proud. Located on Okaloosa Island, the Emerald Coast Conference Center features 35,000 sq. ft. of flexible meeting space within a short “flip-flop” stroll of the Gulf of Mexico. The conference center showcases 12 breakout meeting rooms ranging in size from 450 to 1,800 sq. ft., including the 21,500 sq. ft. Emerald Grand Ballroom. Technology needs are met through wi-fi, T-1 lines, satellite and ISDN video conferencing capabilities, LCD projection, surround sound speaker systems and plasma televisions. The conference center features full inhouse, award-winning catering services and a convention services staff that works directly with meeting planners to ease stress and to promote perfectly planned functions. For ease of booking, the Emerald Coast’s website, destin-fwb.com, offers planners information “at-their-fingertips” on the conference center, including fast facts, floor plans, pricing and capacity charts, center guidelines, event calendars and an online request for proposal.

For meetings with free time, Destin • Fort Walton Beach • Okaloosa Island present simple pleasures such as the “World’s Luckiest Fishing Village,” spirited seaside celebrations, links of great championship golf and undeniably fresh seafood—all embraced with an unassuming charm.

Natural Wonders
Many miracles of nature caress the Emerald Coast. The underwater 100 Fathom Curve draws closer to Destin than to any other spot in Florida, creating the speediest deep-water access on the Gulf. This phenomenon makes the area the “Billfish Capital of the World,” with a world record catch of 1,061 pounds and an area of sensational seafood offering more than four times more types of fresh fish per season.

Fishing
Known as the “World’s Luckiest Fishing Village,” the Emerald Coast offers a fish-filled experience complete with deep-sea and inshore fishing excursions with lessons from “old salts” who know the Gulf waters like the backs of their hands. Numerous deep-sea excursions— offshore, bottom, inshore and others— are available for as little as $35 per half-day and make for great cocktail reception storytelling.

Golf Escapes
Acclaimed for its sporting collection of great golf escapes, the area touts the most holes of golf on Florida’s Gulf Coast, with an incredible 1,080 holes. The courses, created by such world-renowned architects as Finger, Dye and Fazio, utilize surrounding waters—bay, bayou, gulf and sound—and natural contrasts of woods and wetlands for scenic, yet challenging oppositions.

Dining
Dining diversions spotlight some of the freshest seafood in Florida. It’s a justified claim since there is always a variety of tasty types of fish, from amberjack and red snapper to yellowfin tuna, available straight off the docks. Required “dress code” is flip-flops and beach tops; more than 400 culinary characters—cedar seafood shacks, boardwalk oyster bars and salt-air cafes—shrug off sophistication and showcase local seafood celebrities with pure unbridled zest.

Accommodations
Surprisingly, Destin • Fort Walton Beach • Okaloosa Island accommodations provide priceless meeting locations without the price. More than 15,900 Gulf-edged rooms are available, including popular hotels, spacious condominiums, a bed and breakfast inn, beach cottages and five-bedroom bungalows. Seaside savings are year-round with exceptional bargains September through February.

Getting There
The Northwest Florida Regional Airport offers continuous service by five major airlines. Ground travel is easy
along primary feeders: Highway 98, Highways 331 and 85 and Interstate 10.

Sherry Rushing, CTIS
Travel Industry Sales Director
Emerald Coast CVB
FortWalton Beach, Fla.
800/322-3319
850/651-7647
destin-fwb.com
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