March 2007 ACCESS Advantage
- ACCESS SCORES A HOME RUN AT ADME ANNUAL CONFERENCE!
- Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage to Open December 2007!
- Destination…Downtown!
- Spice it up with ACCESS
ACCESS SCORES A HOME RUN AT ADME ANNUAL CONFERENCE!
ACCESS Destination Services exhibited a strong presence at the 2007 ADME (Association of Destination Management Executives) Annual Conference, held February 7-11, in Rancho Mirage California. ACCESS CEO, Christopher Lee, DMCP, was honored as “Destination Management Professional of the Year”, the Association’s top recognition award while ACCESS Partner, Ilene Reinhart, DMCP, CMP, officially took the reins as President of ADME.
While much of the country was plagued with winter storms, the skies were sunny in Rancho Mirage as Reinhart was introduced as ADME’s new president. In her message, Ilene announced her presidential theme of “Step Up to the Plate!” Says Reinhart, “There is so much about the spirit of baseball that extends to volunteerism within an association. There is the leadership directing the team towards its goal, the support of the fans, or in this case the membership of ADME, that are the strength of any association. Then there is the teamwork between all of the Board members to work towards a common goal of building upon what others have done before us. I am looking forward to a very productive year serving as the President of ADME!”
This year’s attendance-breaking conference (the 12th Annual) took destination management professionals back in time to the golden days of Hollywood when the likes of Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra made the Palm Springs Desert Resort Communities their playground. In addition to the valuable business sessions, featured events at this year’s conference included a Polo Evening, complete with divot stomp, at the Empire Polo Grounds and a black and white themed Gala evening with the Rat Pack crooning old time favorites during the dinner awards celebration.
It was at the final night Gala, the Second Annual ADME Achievement Awards for Excellence in Destination Management, where ACCESS CEO, Chris Lee, DMCP, accepted the award for “Destination Management Professional of the Year”. This highly coveted award recognizes an individual who has given their time, dedication, leadership and knowledge towards the advancement of the destination management industry. States Lee, a co-founder and Past President of ADME, “This is a profound honor, to be recognized by my peers in the industry. I am proud of what ADME has become and hope that this will inspire future leaders to make a difference as well.”
ACCESS Destination Services Partner, Barb Smith, DMCP, and the ACCESS Palm Springs team were also recognized as Achievement Award Finalists in the Best Creative Events/Teambuilding Activity Category. Additionally Barb, who co-chaired this year’s ADME Conference Committee, was recognized in the business sessions for her appointment to the DMCP (Destination Management Certified Professionals) Board for the February 2007 through February 2009 term. Barb heads up the ACCESS Palm Springs team.
The Association of Destination Management Executives (ADME) is the only professional society for destination management executives with more than 225 members in North America and the European Community. (www.adme.org) Ilene Reinhart summarizes the continued support of ACCESS for this valuable organization, “All of the partners of ACCESS Destination Services are committed to ADME and the service that it provides, not only to its members but to the hospitality industry as a whole. The strides that have been made by ADME to certify destination management professionals, author a book about destination management, and present a united front in addressing specific industry needs, have helped to raise the bar of awareness of the value of DMCs.”
The accompanying photo, taken at the ADME Annual Conference, features ACCESS Partners (from left to right) Ken Smith, General Manager of the ACCESS Palm Springs Office, ACCESS President Candace Bisconte, DMCP, Barb Smith, DMCP, ADME Recognition Award Winner and CEO Chris Lee, DMCP, and Ilene Reinhart, DMCP, CMP and 2007 President of ADME.
Palm Springs
Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage to Open December 2007! Rancho Mirage, known as the Beverly Hills of the Coachella Valley and a resort playground to generations of politicians and Hollywood stars is about to shine even brighter in the Palm Springs area spotlight, taking center stage. A comprehensive $500 million, 40-acre project is set to transform the venerable Lodge at Rancho Mirage into a premier 5-star resort, The Ritz Carlton, Rancho Mirage. Nearly 100% of the existing hotel property will be renovated and an additional 23,000+ square feet of new construction will be added.
This “Cliff-Side Oasis”, owned by the Gencom Group of Miami, Florida will feature approximately 262 resort rooms and suites, 154 residences, a 25,000 square foot spa, nearly 20,000 square feet of meeting space and restaurants led by some of the best names in the culinary world. The resort is located on a 650 foot bluff, overlooking world-famous Palm Springs, the Coachella Valley and the San Jacinto Mountain range.
The resort’s design will be complimentary to its high mountain desert location by featuring many natural elements of stone, wood and fire reflecting the local landscape, colors, and culture. Just some of the features will include cliff-side swimming and relaxation pools, guest rooms with soaking tubs, flat screen television, balconies or verandas and much more.
Not to be forgotten is the restaurant experience. Under the guidance of one of America’s well-known celebrity chefs, an “Exhibition Kitchen” is in the works and cliff-side dining at “The Edge” will make for a casual dining experience with first-class views.
Contact the ACCESS Palm Springs team for your next site inspection to the Palm Springs Desert Resort Communities and to discuss the many cultural, dining, and recreational activities that would put your next meeting or incentive travel program “over the edge” during a program at this bluff-side resort!
San Diego
Destination…Downtown! Just when we wonder what can possibly be added to downtown San Diego’s exciting venue offerings, something new pops up or shows itself to be on the near horizon! A representative sampling of the types of new venues available or soon to be available for your next conference or incentive travel program are highlighted below.
For art aficionados, the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art Downtown, incorporating the beautifully renovated historic Jacobs Building – formerly the 1915 Santa Fe Depot baggage building – and the new Richard Gluckman-designed Copley Building represents historic preservation, renovation, and modernist response to the Spanish Mission-colonial Revival style Santa Fe Baggage building. The historic renovation of original finishes and the architectural elements complements the building’s original steel truss roof system and clerestory windows that stretch the length of the building’s east and west sides. Combined with the existing MCASD Downtown facility, the expanded space features more than 16,000 square feet of exhibition space, media space, interactive art activities and multiple areas perfect for your next “Art Alive” special event theme.
The newly expanded San Diego Wine & Culinary Center now offers greater space options for a creatively planned wine tasting or elegant dinner featuring the finest locally-produced products. If a planned evening function is not on your agenda, perhaps a daytime demonstration, seminar or team-building event will fit within the scope of your next program. Let the San Diego ACCESS team create a memorable event for your attendees at this center for culinary learning and exploration.
The Witherby is a new venue within walking distance of the Convention Center and located in the hub of San Diego’s famous Gaslamp Quarter. Arrive at the Witherby’s main entrance to your personalized door greeter and dramatic stairway leading you to the illuminated and cascading waterfall at the entrance. This venue, featuring urban style, timeless details, historic relevance and elegant design features two grand ballrooms and a formal foyer, allowing for separate entrances or an all-venue special event. Let the creative sales managers at ACCESS San Diego, experts in space planning, take you back in time on a custom designed themed journey into early San Diego history at this fabulous new venue.
Just one of several new restaurants serving the culinary passions of downtown visitors is Dussini Mediterranean Bistro, an upscale and intimate restaurant, located at the site of the Old Spaghetti Factory in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter. Dussini features a warm and friendly atmosphere and an inviting range of exciting Mediterranean dishes. The interior has been transformed, creating three main levels – a main floor, mezzanine and upstairs lounge with fireplace and billiard room. A brushed steel staircase climbs through the center of the building’s main floor and a three-story wine room provides another exciting feature to this new restaurant’s distinctive space.
For your VIPS, a new penthouse with extraordinary views of San Diego’s sparkling bay may just fit the bill perfectly. Designed in rich, warm colors, the penthouse features a game room with leather chairs and red-felted game tables, dramatic views from the upper salon of both the harbor and the ornately structured living room grand fireplace, and a grand hall with a specially constructed curving iron staircase, a true showpiece. Allow ACCESS to treat your VIPS to an upscale dining experience at this dramatic new venue.
Fall of 2007 promises the grand opening of the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego, with its 420 “crash pads” and Rock Star Suites. Located strategically at the entrance to the Gaslamp Quarter, across from the San Diego Convention Center and adjacent to Petco Park, the Hard Rock will feature the Woodstock Terrace, an expansive 8,700 foot urban garden and pool area with great views, The Studio, a 7,500 foot private concert venue, the internationally-acclaimed Nobu Restaurant, featuring Japanese-Peruvian cuisine and much, much more.
Look to future editions of The ACCESS Advantage for more of what is hot and new in San Diego. In the meantime, contact the San Diego office of ACCESS Destination Services for more information on the venues listed here.
Spice it up with ACCESS
Caribbean Spinach, Crab, and Ham Soup! A tasty soup dish, from “The Hollywood Cookbook, Cooking for Causes” is a favorite of actor Esai Morales and is sure to keep you warm on a chilly day.
Serves 4-6
1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups spinach, finely chopped
3 cups chicken broth
½ cup skim milk
1/8 teaspoon coconut extract
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
4 ounces imitation crabmeat
3 ounces ham, cut into thin strips
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (optional)
Directions:
In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Reduce heat to low and add the onion and garlic. Cook, covered, for 3 to 4 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the spinach and cook, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Add the broth, milk, coconut extract, and white pepper. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 3-4 minutes.
Add the crabmeat and ham and, if using, the hot pepper sauce. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until meat is warmed through. Serve warm.
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“…I’ve never met such a fun group of people who do their jobs as perfectly as all of you do. You are top notch professionals who provide excellence as a standard to your customers.”
Senior Administrative AssistantThe Ritz-Carlton Club