3rd Annual State of the Industry Event was a Success!

 

KCMPI’s 3^rd Annual State of the Industry Program 

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KCMPI’s Third Annual Past Presidents State of the Industry was held on February 17. After being rescheduled from the original January date due to inclement weather, we experienced a much warmer day with a great group of attendees. The Venue in Leawood provided a beautiful setting for the event. Guests networked in the larger event space while enjoying a delicious breakfast before transitioning into an adjacent room that came complete with built-in audio visual equipment for our meeting.

Carl Brandt represented The Venue and shared a brief overview of the facility and its capabilities. While only opening around a year ago, the facility has already experienced profound success.

Alton Hagen, CMP, DMCP of Agenda: USA moderated our distinguished panel including:

• Don Breckenridge – President, Hotel and Lodging Association of Greater Kansas City

• Ronnie Burt – President and CEO, Visit KC

• Dana Markle – President, Overland Park Convention and Visitors Bureau

• Angie Stanland, Vice President of Associate Services and Recruiting, Cerner Corporation

The panel’s discussion was very informative. It was a great addition to have Angie representing the corporate/consumer side of the equation. A few take-a-ways to share are:

• Visit KC continues to share the news that Kansas City is a thriving city with much to offer.

• It is continuing to shift to a seller’s market across the country.

• KC hotels are re-investing in properties, which will continue to drive rates higher.

• The downtown Hyatt convention hotel is currently in a holding state while litigation is underway. The delay will cause opening to be pushed back from 2018 to 2019.

• With the merger of Marriott and Starwood, it will be harder to leverage hotels against one another.

• The addition of a large hotel will potentially play a role in keeping the meetings of our growing local companies in Kansas City.

Thank you to our sponsors and presenters for the program!