| Athens Now:
The monthly newsletter of the Athens Convention & Visitors Bureau |
News You Can Use: Trend Watch 2012 
'Tis the season, for resolutions and Trend Watch lists. We've received more than our share, as we're sure you have. Here are a few favorites:
- For Hotels: Are consumers still in charge? Discounting vs. added value. Drive market focus. From Glenn Haussman at Hotel Interactive.
- 10 Self-Improvement Tips for Hotels, courtesy of HotelChatter.com.
- Meetings Market Trends: Results from a recent survey of 700 meeting planners. See what their needs and concerns are, as well as trends in attrition clauses and virtual meetings. From Tyler Davidson at MeetingsFocus.com.
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Meetings & Conventions News
The CVB Sales team's activity in December included an In-Town Familiarization tour for local hotels, continued sales calls in Atlanta, and the Georgia Society of Association Executives Luncheon at the Georgia Aquarium (co-sponsored by the Athens CVB and The Classic Center).
CVB Director Chuck Jones and Classic Center Executive Director Paul Cramer will attend the Religious Conference Management Assn. conference January 24-27 in Kansas City. They will be heavily promoting The Classic Center expansion.
Over the next few months the sales team will be making sales calls in Macon, Augusta, and Columbus. In addition, Sales Manager Danielle Evans will display at the Athens Wedding Professionals Bridal Show on January 29 and will attend the Foundry Park Inn & Spa Bridal Show and Tasting on February 26. |
Athens on Display  - Athens is the featured destination for January and February at the State Visitor Information in Lavonia (the GA-SC state line at I-85). The mammoth, four-sided showcase has been outfitted with the many sides of Athens, from Antebellum heritage to our world-renowned nightlife. Thanks to CVB Information Coordinator April Skelton and Classic Center Theatre Event Planner Elizabeth Wythe for creating the vision and making it happen!
- The Next Cool Event returns to Atlanta February 17-18. Film, television, music, interior design, and event industry professionals get together for a giant show and tell of the Georgia resources supporting the entertainment industry. The CVB has joined a coalition of creative Athenians to sponsor an Athens entry to highlight our Camera-Ready city as the next great Georgia destination for film. Check out this video to get a taste of what The Next Cool Event is like!
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Hospitality Newsmakers 
- Eddie Abraham is the new Spa Supervisor/Senior Massage Therapist for the Spa at Foundry Park Inn. Eddie is a former massage therapist at the Spa; for the past three and a half years he has been a massage therapist at the Ritz Carlton Reynolds Plantation and an instructor at Atlanta School of Massage.
- Kelly Acosta, formerly Marketing & Communications Manager at The Foundry Park Inn & Spa, has moved into a new position with the hotel as Senior Sales Manager, focusing on the UGA Market. The Foundry Park Inn & Spa welcomes Jason Harwell, who replaces Kelly in marketing.
- The CVB said farewell to Sales Manager Jayne Tannenbaum in December. Jayne is now Director of Sales at the Country Inn & Suites - Athens. We wish her all the best in her new position and thank her for her excellent work at the CVB!
- The Gallery@Hotel Indigo-Athens has a new name . . . and a new curator, Athens area art expert Didi Dunphy. For more information about Didi and her opening exhibition DRAWN: From Athens, click here.
- The Classic Center Cultural Foundation has announced an exciting project to raise funds for the Endowment Fund by giving our community an opportunity to leave a legacy. The Classic Center Cultural Foundation is selling personalized commemorative bricks, to be placed in front of the three Classic Center theatre entrances. Engraved bricks are available in two sizes. 4" x 8" bricks can be purchase for $150 and 8" x 8" bricks are $275. Both are 100% tax deductible. Contact Julie Walters at 706.357.4417 or Julie@ClassicCenter.com to purchase.
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 SAVE THE DATE: | |
Jan. 13 - Feb. 10, 2012
SBDC GrowSmart
Develop a strategic business plan with a vision and growth in mind.
Scholarships available
Contact: SBDC, 706.542.7436
Jan. 24, 2012
Tourism Day at the Georgia Capitol
Tourism partners promote the economic impact of the industry to state legislators.
Contact: Hannah Smith
706.357.4430
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| LINKS & RESOURCES | |
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| WHO'S COMING TO TOWN? | |
Upcoming M&C calendars are available from
Mark Adams
or
Danielle Evans
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IN THE NEWS |
"Hugh Acheson"
Episode 506 "Four Coursemen"
Oct. 2011
"The South's Best College Towns"
"Travel Short List: College Towns"
Everyday
with Rachael Ray Sept. 2011
more |
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