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IMEX America’s new Discovery Zone to inspire imagination

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The new Discovery Zone at IMEX America, taking place September 10-12, is packed with experiences to fire up the imagination and inspire attendees to explore new approaches to attendee engagement.

“With Imagination being the Talking Point for this year’s IMEX America, our new Discovery Zone provides vivid new experiences that will encourage attendees to stretch themselves – figuratively and imaginatively – testing the theory that experimentation leads to innovation,” says Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group.

Unleash creativity

Event specialists Heaps + Stacks have intriguing and innovative workshops on offer. Attendees can get creative with a 3D pen or discover a new, distinctive style of flower arranging called Freakebana.

Look out for cutting-edge signage that takes the form of floating-in-mid-air Thought Bubbles.

THINKERS Society promises to “put the brain back into brainstorming” with tried and tested tactics for discovering great ideas – and quickly.

AE&ES (Amusement, Exhibit & Event Services) will offer Brain Art, a revolutionary new concept that uses real EEG technology to allow attendees to create a one-of-a-kind artwork using only their minds!

Multi-sensory displays and storytelling done differently

Attendees can turn their movements into art using an experiential LED wall from Zuzor. Invented by a theoretical mathematician, computer engineer and professional dancer, Zuzor’s movement-based environments spark curiosity and transform the way brands connect with their audiences.

EyeJack Events combines art and technology to transport audiences into magical interactive worlds. Augmented reality brings artworks to life with animation and sound, creating a truly immersive – and fun – experience.

Picture yourself

SIX STAR EXPERIENCES, a hit at IMEX in Frankfurt, offer new ways to tell the story – and share the story – of a memorable experience. Their team has “a laser focus to wow with every opportunity”. Prepare to be wowed!

Fusing art and technology, Pixperience and AE&ES can bring the event experience to life with brand-able photo keepsakes. Attendees can freeze time at the 180-degree special effect photo booth or by creating a Crystal Sphere Refraction Photo.

Stretching yourself

MOVE Your MIND, BODY & SOUL LIVE is a movement and live music experience that awakens the heart, mind and soul. Every day at 7 a.m., Jessica Micheletti and Liani Moore will lead these enlightening workshops that combine mindful meditation, movement and a live mash-up of song and soundscapes. The perfect antidote to a busy work day.

A deep-dive into digital is offered by DAHLIA+ Agency who can review and advise on company branding online and also showcase the newest technology solutions.

Attendees can take the plunge at Champagne Creative Group’s Mystery Tattoos where they can “surrender their arm” to a surprise, but temporary, tattoo.

“With thanks to some amazing and inventive partners, we’ve worked hard to bring a wealth of new concepts to our planner and buyer audiences this year. As our Imagination Research Report will clearly show, there’s more pressure than ever on planners to find new and innovative activations for their events. The desire to achieve more engagement and more memorability is greater than ever so we’ve curated our Discovery Zone to help them fulfill these needs.” Carina concludes.

IMEX America takes place September 10 – 12, 2019, with Smart Monday, powered by MPI on September 9. Registration for the show is free of charge and open to all who work in the meetings, events and incentive travel industry.

eTN is a media partner for IMEX America.

MEDIA CONTACTS: Emma Blake (UK): [email protected] ; Norman Birnbach (US): [email protected]      

Hotel Zetta Amplifies Tech-Forward Guest Experiences with Elevated In-Room Service

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San Francisco’s most innovative hotel adds Volara-powered Alexa technology in every guestroom and Atari Pong® Table to its Zetta Suite

Hotel Zetta, a hotel managed by Viceroy Hotels & Resorts and owned by Pebblebrook Hotel Trust boasting ultra-modern guest rooms, innovative health and wellness programming, and cutting-edge tech experiences in the heart of San Francisco’s bustling SoMa district, is pleased to announce new tech-forward guest amenities that adds a new level of innovative in-room offerings and services.  As the most tech-friendly hotel in San Francisco, Hotel Zetta now gives travelers an intuitive way to engage with the hotel directly with newly installed Amazon Alexa voice assistants powered by Volara, the only provider of custom voice-based solutions for the hospitality industry, in all of the property’s tech-forward and design-forward guestrooms along with adding a retro-inspired Atari Pong® Table to its Zetta Suite.

“Hotel Zetta continues to be at the forefront of delivering the latest technological offerings and experiences to our savvy travelers who expect a high caliber of service every time they visit,” said Mark Beevor, Hotel Zetta’s general manager.  “Being in the heart of an innovation hub like San Francisco, we’re proud to now offer Volara-powered Alexa, as well as a robust selection of tech-centric amenities that can’t be found elsewhere in the city.”

With Volara now an integral part of the hotel experience, guests can speak commands to Amazon Alexa to order Hotel Zetta’s services directly from the comfort of their guestrooms.  This offering gives visitors full control of their in-room experiences, whether its ordering a toothbrush, setting up a wake-up alarm, syncing their music playlists through Alexa, finding out the dining specials at The Cavalier restaurant or trying the Relax & Rejuvenate in-room spa treatment.  These quick on-command services are designed to make the guest experience as smooth as possible and is facilitated by Volara’s secure integration hub, which interfaces with the ALICE Hotel Operations Platform and MCOMS Guest Room Entertainment Platform at Hotel Zetta.

The recently-installed Atari Pong® Table in the Zetta Suite is equipped with games loaded with retro sound effects, bouncing lights and the original game mechanics.  The table blends the high-tech mechanical engineering of today with the beloved game from the ‘80s.  Atari Pong® Table features the classic PONG® game, a Bluetooth speaker so players can customize their PONG tournament experience with custom soundtracks, a LED clock display and USB charging.  The control panels on the table can also be hidden so it can be enjoyed as a retro coffee table.

Other tech-centric amenities include a virtual reality booth located in the hotel lobby featuring action, underwater or adventure games, OCULUS GO virtual reality headsets and Nintendo Switch portable gaming consoles available to all guests for complimentary use. Additionally, the Playroom now features pinball machines, a shuffleboard and neon artwork.  Each guestroom also features broadband Wi-Fi to help our guests always stay connected, the most up-to-date streaming platforms such as Netflix so guests can watch their favorite content on the TVs while traveling, and convenient in-room wireless charging capabilities.

For more information, please visit hotelzzetta.com or @HotelZetta on Instagram and on Facebook.

About Hotel Zetta

Located at the iconic convergence of San Francisco’s Union Square, SoMa and Financial Districts, Hotel Zetta is perfectly situated to experience the best of San Francisco’s fashion, arts, technology and music. Originally built in 1913 and reopened on its 100th anniversary, this 116-room property effortlessly combines state-of-the art amenities with intuitive service. With 2,760 square feet of meeting and event space, and Playroom, Hotel Zetta is the go-to hotspot for San Francisco’s leading-edge cultural and business communities. Hotel Zetta is a member of the Viceroy Hotel Group family and is located at 55 5th Street in San Francisco, California.

About Pebblebrook Hotel Trust

Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (NYSE: PEB) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (“REIT”) and the largest owner of urban and resort lifestyle hotels in the United States.  The Company owns 59 hotels, totaling approximately 14,300 guest rooms across 16 urban and resort markets with a focus on the west coast gateway cities. Pebblebrook also owns The Unofficial Z Collection, which  includes other innovative hotels in San Francisco, including Hotel Zeppelin, Hotel Zelos, Hotel Zephyr, Hotel Zoe and The Hotel Zags in downtown Portland. For more information, visit pebblebrookhotels.com and follow us at @PebblebrookPEB.

Media contacts: Laura Gigounas, Morgan Moore, Angela Wong and Kate Bewak at Glodow Nead Communications, 415-394-6500 or [email protected].

Morocco wins Best Stand Design at Arabian Travel Market 2019

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It’s hard to stand out from the crowd when you’re one of 2,800 exhibitors – but the Moroccan National Provincial Tourist Office has been adjudged the Best Stand Design for its authentic representation of a typical Moroccan house at Arabian Travel Market 2019.

Reproducing elements of both a ‘riad’ and a ‘dar’, the Moroccan stand featured a traditional townhouse with pink walls, a courtyard and a fountain, while EXPO 2020 was highly commended for its colorful and engaging stand.

The awards also covered Best Stand for Doing Business; Best Stand within the Travel Tech Show at ATM; Best Stand Feature and Best Stand Personnel.

Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: “Arabian Travel Market would not be the huge success it is, without the incredible amount of effort and investment that exhibitors put into creating and manning these exceptional stands at the show. Since its inception, the annual award program has not only recognized exhibitor’s efforts but has also encouraged exciting, fresh and creative designs.”

Competition in the Doing Business category was tougher than ever but the judges – Faye Bartle, Managing Editor, Hot Media Publishing; Leo Fewtrell, Managing Partner, Gulf Reps; Nicholas Hall, CEO and Founder of Digital Tourism Think Tank; and Matt Gibson, CEO, UpThink – were impressed by the Marriott International stand for its scale and impact.

“The layout of the stand was very inviting and efficient, encouraging both social networking as well as private business meetings. It was exceptionally busy throughout and there was a real buzz and sense of anticipation – it was a stimulating environment,” said Faye Bartle, Managing Editor, Hot Media Publishing.

Babylon Booking’s sleek all-black design and creative use of space meant the Iraqi company won Best Stand within the Travel Tech Show at ATM while Sharjah Tourism’s diverse use of attractions – from a powerboat and photo booths to LED floors and tunnels – meant it was the clear winner in the Best Feature category.

Judges selected The Garden Hotel Company’s stand for Best Stand Personnel and picked out the Guangzhou property for its friendliness and staff knowledge.

Fewtrell, who has never missed an ATM over the past 25 years, said: “It never ceases to amaze me how exhibitors continually manage to raise the bar, improving the appearance and practicality of their stands, in both subtle and significant ways.”

The winners of this year’s awards were announced at a photo-call on the exhibition show floor on Tuesday 30th April.

Launched in 2015, the Best Stand Awards were created to recognize the design creativity and business-friendly appeal of exhibiting companies’ physical presence at ATM.

MEDIA CONTACT: NATHALIE VISELE, Director, Shamal Communications, Arjaan Office Tower, Dubai Media City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tel: +971 4 365 2711 | Mobile: +971 50 457 6525, E-mail: [email protected] , Website: www.shamalcomms.com

Puerto Rico Tourism: Out with the old, in with the new

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“Since our inception last July, we hit the ground running to accelerate the tourism economy,” said Brad Dean, CEO of Discover Puerto Rico. “This brand campaign follows a strong publicity effort that set up Puerto Rico as the top place to visit in 2019 and a recently revamped website, DiscoverPuertoRico.com.

“The creative highlights our two strongest assets – our culture and our people – and will help us strengthen traveler’s familiarity with what makes our Island one-of-a-kind.”  The campaign officially launches today across digital channels via digital banners, social, pre-roll and a follow-up TV spot that will launch in coming weeks in key markets. Additional marketing support is expected throughout the rest of 2019, to attract visitors to the Island during the summer travel season.”

Discover Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico’s newly-established Destination Marketing Organization (DMO), announced today the rollout of Puerto Rico’s brand campaign called “Have We Met Yet?” which draws inspiration from Puerto Rico’s cultural and natural offerings and at its essence, focuses on the hospitable and welcoming nature of its people. By posing the question “Have We Met Yet?” the creative re-introduces the Island to the world and brings to life the exotic yet familiar essence of Puerto Rico. As the U.S. mainland’s “neighbor to the south,” the new campaign showcases through Puerto Rico’s iconic doors how the Island welcomes visitors with open arms.

Following extensive research that showed that Puerto Rico’s brand identity was neutral in the minds of travelers, this new campaign is this next phase of Discover Puerto Rico’s brand repositioning process, enabling the Island to fully capitalize on its rich tourism product offerings and emerge as a leading Caribbean destination. The creative repositions the island as that neighbor that one dreams of – with the festive flair, the ocean view, the incredible art collection, the delicious food. Puerto Rico is the neighbor you’ll laugh with, celebrate with, and maybe even fall in love with.

“Puerto Rico’s people, its rich culture and unparalleled natural offerings, combined with the fact that it’s a U.S. territory and easily accessible, were key factors that led to this creative. We’re excited to debut this brand campaign as it opens the door, literally, to endless possibilities that showcase the spirit of the Puerto Rican people and everything the Island has to offer,” said Leah Chandler, CMO of Discover Puerto Rico.

Travelers exposed to the new brand campaign will be immediately drawn by the colorful vibrant doors and stunning imagery found throughout the Island. The creative highlights many aspects that make Puerto Rico a unique destination—ranging from its people, its cuisine, its festive spirit, its natural attractions, and much more.

“The campaign invites travelers to visit Puerto Rico and meet us, the neighbor that you can’t live without,” said Chandler. “Puerto Rico was named the #1 Place to Visit in 2019 by the New York Times and has topped over 20 other notable lists of places to visit this year,” she added. “We want to send a message to all travelers that this is THE year to visit Puerto Rico. The entire island is eager to welcome them.”

The creative was ideated and produced by Beautiful Destinations, with support from local production crews who traveled throughout the Island to capture the beautiful scenery, thousands of colorful doors, and welcoming faces of the Puerto Rican people.

To view the “Have We Met Yet?” creative online, visit YouTube.com/DiscoverPuertoRico and be on the lookout for additional campaign creative coming soon.

Travel News | eTurboNews

SITA: Tracking airline passenger bags drives 66% improvement in baggage delivery

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Airlines that are adding tracking at more points of the baggage journey are enjoying a huge improvement in bag delivery globally. The SITA 2019 Baggage IT Insights – officially launched at an event in Abu Dhabi International Airport today – shows that where tracking is done at check-in and loading onto the aircraft, the rate of improvement is as high as 66%.

These results come as the record drop in the baggage mishandling rate achieved globally over the past decade plateaus, with the rate steady at around 5.7 bags per thousand passengers over the past three years. In 2018, the rate was 5.69 per thousand passengers.

Over the past year, an increasing number of airlines and airports have started to introduce tracking at key points in the journey – check-in, loading onto the aircraft, transfers and arrival – to improve baggage management and further reduce the chances of a bag being mishandled. SITA’s research provides the first glimpse of the success of this tracking. It reveals that where bags were being tracked when loaded onto the aircraft, the rate of improvement ranged between 38% and 66% depending on the level of tracking introduced.

Peter Drummond, Director of Baggage at SITA, said: “While the mishandling rate has started to plateau over the past few years, this comes against a continued growth in passenger numbers and their bags. In 2018, 4.36 billion travelers checked in more than 4.27 billion bags. More bags makes things more challenging. Everyone across the industry needs to look beyond the process and technology improvements made in the past decade and adopt the latest technology such as tracking to make the next big cut in the rate of mishandled bags.”

Ahmed Juma Al Shamsi, Acting Chief Operations Officer at Abu Dhabi Airports, said: “For our passengers the timely delivery of baggage is key to ensuring a seamless passenger experience and therefore an area in which we continue to make further improvements. Looking forward, baggage tracking is fundamental to driving more accurate bag delivery not only at Abu Dhabi International Airport but across the entire passenger journey. We have led the way with the introduction of tracking on arrival and we have already seen significant improvements.”

Transferring baggage from one aircraft, or airline, to another remains a pinch point in the journey and in 2018 it was again the main reason for bags being mishandled. Transfer bags accounted for 46% of all mishandled bags.
Drummond added: “Transfer is by far the most difficult stage to track a bag as there are multiple airlines and airports involved. However, data from this year’s report shows that tracking at key points in the journey, such as transfers, will go a long way to eliminating mishandling and will allow airlines and their passengers to keep tabs on where their bags are at every step of the way.”

Over the past decade, total number of mishandled bags per annum has plummeted 47% from 46.9 million in 2007 to 24.8 million in 2018, while the annual bill footed by the industry has shrunk 43% to $2.4 billion, down from $4.22 billion in 2007.

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