Is Paris a prospect for your future meeting?  It’s waiting for you to book at the top of the ICCA list of most popular European meeting cities.  Join Susan Sarfati and Liz Jackson on their IMEX hosted buyer 3-night post-IMEX trip June 2-5 to Paris sponsored by the Paris CVB.  (No need to be part of their IMEX hosted buyer group but are invited to join if you have not yet confirmed for IMEX.)

Criteria:

1. Association or AMC buyer with a European meeting prospect for Paris                                                                                  
2. Not held a recent meeting in Paris
3. Not been on a recent site visit to Paris
4. Meeting prospect of 100-400+ attendees

The plans include a Thursday evening transfer from Frankfurt to Paris after the IMEX show.  Two full days of visiting Paris landmarks which make this great city a wonderful choice for meeting attendance plus stops at several hotels and conference centers large enough to accommodate meetings.  Transportation, hotel, meals and sightseeing are covered by the Paris CVB.  Fly home from Paris on Sunday or stay in Europe longer on your own. 

Join us and contact Liz Jackson to RSVP 703.964.6030 or ljackson262@msn.com

In January, Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa in Bonita Springs, Fla., completed a multimillion-dollar guest-room renovation to mark its 20-year anniversary, about a year after updating its meeting and public spaces.

The latest updates include a full transformation of the property’s 426 guest rooms and 28 suites. These showcase a tropical feel with new hardwood flooring, coconut-wood bed frames, and modern furnishing and décor featuring light greens and vibrant ocean blues. In addition, the resort updated its corridors with wavy light-grey and green carpeting plus dark-brown furniture and fixtures.

The new guest rooms complement the resort’s recently renovated meeting spaces and lobby. Across the 40,000 square feet of indoor meeting space, updated features include light-grey carpeting with ocean-blue curved lines to complement the resort’s waterfront location. The two ballrooms—14,000 square feet and 7,000 square feet—feature new lighting, stages surrounded by deep grey and bright blue drapes, and red chairs. The eight breakout rooms of 600 to 1,480 square feet have new lighting and seating as well.

The property’s 42,000 square feet of outdoor event space includes a 12,000-square-foot courtyard framed by large palm trees plus a 5,400-square-foot terrace off the smaller ballroom. Groups can also host receptions in the resort’s smaller grassy courtyards or at its lakeside putting green.

The resort has a three-acre water park featuring a lazy river, five water slides, and several pools.  Of particular interest to meeting and incentive groups: The water park has an adults-only section with a pool and hot tub in a tranquil setting as well as several cabanas. Also, there’s the Stillwater Spa on site.

Guests can explore a quarter-mile boardwalk that winds through the mangrove forest and ends at the resort’s marina, which provides ferry service to Big Hickory Island, a private island that’s part of the Estero Bay Ecological Preserve. On the 15-minute boat ride, guests can keep an eye out for local marine life including manatees and dolphins. Set across the island’s white-sand beach are dozens of chairs and umbrellas.

Five on-site restaurants and a permanently stationed food truck provide F&B options for groups. Guests can watch the sun set while having dinner in the lakeside screened porch at Tarpon Bay restaurant or enjoy coastal comfort food with an international twist in Tanglewood restaurant.

Hyatt Regency Coconut Point is 18 miles from Southwest Florida International Airport, a 25-minute drive.

As 2022 has kicked off, we bring good news. Britain is open and easier than ever to visit. From February 11, fully vaccinated travellers will no longer need to test or quarantine after arrival (check out our COVID-19 update below). As travel restrictions continue to lessen, many airlines are reintroducing service or launching new routes to Great Britain.

We’re also excited to share VisitBritain’s new brand campaign, ‘Welcome to another side of Britain’ which is set to launch in the US on February 10. Scroll down for details.  

Birmingham and the West Midlands are buzzing this year. A six-month cultural program of art and community-led projects will start in March to celebrate creativity across the West Midlands as Birmingham prepares to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games this summer.  On February 6 this year, The Queen will become the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years of service to the UK and Commonwealth. Key celebrations will take place in June and continue throughout the year. Check out Tours International’s Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Tour and finally, don’t forget to tap into loads of Great Britain itinerary inspiration on Travefy!