I’m in town for the Alliance for Continuing Medical Education annual conference, and this place is rocking. Well, it’s always rocking, but add the Saints win on top of a growing Mardi Gras fever and the energy is amazing. Saints flags are flying from every car antenna, and a parade went by my window at the Marriott at the Convention Center a little while ago. I could more hear than see it (actually, I even felt the walls shake a bit with the drumbeats) so I’m not entirely sure what it was all about, but it was so very NOLA.

I’ll be mainly posting about the ACME meeting over at the Capsules blog for the next few days, but it just feels good to be back in the Big Easy. Plus it’s a whole lot warmer here than back home in the frozen Northeast!

You have to love New Orleans — where else would you expect to find a confluence of blood transfusion and cellular therapy professionals and vampire enthusiasts, just in time for Halloween? According to a press release, that’s what’s happening right as the 2009 American Association of Blood Banks Annual Meeting TXPO arrives in town at the same time as the 2009 Vampire Film Festival. Though it doesn’t sound like the two groups will be hanging out together much, you have to like this quote:

“‘This weekend New Orleans wants your blood!” said Vampire Film Festival director Asif Ahmed, ‘We are thrilled to be in America’s most gothic city here along with AABB. Our vampire filmmakers are arriving from around the world and are already intrigued with the many charms and haunts of this city. Remember once you invite a vampire in, it’s hard to get us to leave!’”

After a jam-packed few days in Uluru, it was quite a shock to the system to come to the ultra urbane city of Sydney, which is the top incentive destination for Australia, according to International Congress and Convention Association and Union of International Associations rankings. I knew I was going to like the place when I got to my 20th floor room at the Four Seasons and saw this view out the window (Note: To see a larger version, click on the photo):

We had an opening night welcome dinner at The Loft at the Doltone House at Darling Wharf, where they take going green really seriously. This new venue boasts a system that treats sewage for reuse in watering the adjoining parkland; is constructed of concrete made from recycled products and high-performance glass, insulation, and building materials to minimize heat loss and gains; and includes C02 sensors and variable-speed fans to ensure high indoor air quality. And the food was spectacular, too. It was interesting to come together with the rest of the Dreamtime international buyers groups, who had pre-con fams in Adelaide/Kangaroo Island, Brisbane/Sunshine Coast, Melbourne, and Sydney while we were grooving in the Red Centre.

One of my cohorts had predicted that, after being used to getting up for the sunrise, we’d all be up at 3:30 am the next day. I cursed him as, sure enough, I bounced out of bed before 4. But I had the morning off, so I trotted off along the harborfront to see the sun rise over the famed Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbor Bridge, then wandered around the Botanical Gardens, into Hyde Park, and all around the business district before heading back for lunch with the rest of the international media at the Glenmore Hotel.

We worked off our lunch climbing up the Sydney Harbor Bridge as part of the new ExpressClimb route. I’d never even heard of climbing a bridge, but scrambling up through the infrastructure to emerge victorious at the top was a hoot, even with what seemed like gale-force winds threatening to blow us off (we were safely attached to supports throughout the whole climb, so any danger was all in my head).

Dinner that night was at a very cool new venue called The Ivy, operated by Merivale. Our group was at the poolside party area, which is just one of the many restaurants, bars, and lounges available for groups at The Ivy. It was a little nippy out that night, but the heat lamps, food, and wine kept us feeling toasty.

Then it was down to business for the next two days, with a full-day lineup of press conferences, one-on-one appointments, and a leadership forum to cap off the last day. What I learned most from the business portion of Dreamtime was that there was so much more to this country, both for incentive groups and for me personally. For incentive groups, there were three properties that really stood out both to me and to the U.S. incentive buyers I talked with about it:

Wolgan Valley Resort and Spa, a new property that recently opened in the Greater Blue Mountain World Heritage Area. I spoke with some people who did their pre-con fam there, and they said it was absolutely first class all the way.

Qualia, a luxury resort on Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays, on the Great Barrier Reef. Super high-end, gorgeous, with lots to do and see for those who want it, lots of relaxation and pampering for those who just want to dial it down.

The Southern Ocean Lodge, on Kangaroo Island. Just looking at the pictures of it made my shoulders relax. Again, those who had been there just raved about it as an ideal incentive spot.

At the press conference, tourism officials acknowledged that the economic downturn has caused a dropoff in business, especially from the U.S., and that the economic problems have been compounded by concerns about the perception some have of incentives as being nothing more than junkets. There was agreement all around that we need to do a better job of proving that incentives are good business tools, not boondoggles.

But it’s still a good business for Australia. They went over the results of a recent study conducted by Tourism Research Australia in 2008, which found that although business event and incentive travellers accounted for just 3 percent of all visitors to the country, they accounted for 5 percent of visitor nights and 7 percent of tourism expenditures. Also, nearly three-quarters of international business event travelers said they wouldn’t have come to the country were it not for the event, so meetings and incentives continue to play an important role in the country’s tourism mix.

It was interesting to attend a business meeting in the middle of Luna Park, an amusement park that also has a trade show hall (which used to be the bumper car emporium, someone from the park told me), a restaurant and bar (which was transformed during the daytime hours into the media/press briefing area), and a theater that was home to a Slayer concert by night, and the Leadership Forum by day. The back wall of the room looked out over the park, which was kind of fun because I could swivel around from watching the speakers on the stage to see kids on the Tilt-a-Whirl flying by. Must have been a little strange for the presenters, though. Lunches on both days were held under an outdoor tent at the end of the park, and were catered by the Luna Park chef. The food was outstanding–no cotton candy or hot dogs in sight, just excellent cuisine.

The only other things I have to mention are The Quay restaurant, where the press dinner was held last Thursday night. The function room upstairs is to die for, with a deck overlooking the harbor and 360-degree views of the bridge and Opera House. The food is amazing, if very chi chi. Also, the Australian Technology Park where the final evening gala was held was very cool. It once housed the old Eveleigh Railway Workshops, and now is a state-of-the-art events venue. I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was, all gussied up with chandeliers and chef stations. Hard to imagine, I know, but the chefs really outdid themselves cooking in central stations throughout the venue.

I really had to drag myself to the airport the next day. I did not want to leave, especially after hearing about all the other things there are to do and see in Australia. Why oh why didn’t I extend the trip for another week (or month, or year)? I tried not to be too big a baby, but I did snuffle a little and hug my stuffed kangaroo as we took off up the coastline, then off across the Pacific toward L.A. and, eventually, back home to Boston.

Last Sunday morning I landed in Uluru, aka Ayers Rock, in the Red Centre of Australia. I had an aisle seat over the wing and so didn’t get this gorgeous aerial view, but I knew the second I set foot on the tarmac that this would be as magical a place as I had always imagined it would be. (Note: To view a larger version of the pictures, just click on the photos.)

We hopped over to the resort that was hosting the U.S. contingent for Dreamtime 2009’s pre-conference fam trip, Sails in the Desert, one of the Voyages Ayers Rock Resort properties. From the airy lobby and art gallery to the Kuniya and Winkiku restaurants to the huge pool, the hotel really was an oasis after the long haul from Boston (I think it was 20-something hours of flying time, plus a long layover in LA). We barely had time for a quick shower before heading over to the Oval, the sole green space in this corner of the outback, for lunch, dot painting, spear throwing, punu carving, and meeting some of the local critters.

Then we were off again, this time to the Walpa Gorge at Kata Tjuta for a walk before drinks and canapes at sunset (I know, it’s a tough life, isn’t it?).

What the photo doesn’t show is the flies, which while they didn’t bite, were pretty annoying. As soon as the sun set, however, they all disappeared.

We headed back to the hotel for dinner, where I was talked into trying the kangaroo tartare, even though I don’t eat red meat. It was a fabulous meal, but I had to beg off before dessert and crawl to my room for some much-needed shut-eye, especially since we were getting up early for a sunrise breakfast.

Next on the agenda was a bus and walking Spirit of Uluru tour, which took us all around the base of the rock as our guide told us creation stories and myths about how certain features of the rock came to be.

We also took a trip to the Uluru Cultural Centre, where one of the highlights was the “Sorry Book,” a collection of letters from tourists who had taken rocks from the sacred land around Ayer’s Rock and, after either learning that this was inappropriate or experiencing bad luck ever since, were returning the stolen pieces to their rightful home. It’s hard to describe, but you could feel the sacredness of the place, even in a tour bus, and even more so when we got out and walked around to the main watering hole and a cave with some drawings on the walls.

After going to the Outback Pioneer, where I put some honest-to-goodness shrimp on the barbie for lunch (they called them prawns, though), we headed back to the Oval for an intercultural, intergenerational lesson in football with some of the local indigenous kids.

The kids, who ranged in age from pre-teen to almost 20 and were brought to the resort from their homes throughout the region, proved to be good coaches, though the innate shyness of the Anangu, as the local indigenous people are collectively known, did make for a rocky start. After a brief lesson for the Americans in how to kick, hit, and pass the ball, we retired to the sidelines as the boys came out on the field and began to play. Once the game got going and the kids, now in their element, became more comfortable, some of us Americans slipped onto the field and joined the play. Before long, differences in age, origin, culture, and physical abilities melted away as everyone strove to score goals for their team.

It was, as one of the U.S. incentive planners told me, one of the highlights of the trip.

Then we were off to Longitude 131, which is the most luxurious of the Voyages Ayers Rock resorts, a tent enclave nestled into a hillside with spectacular views pretty much everywhere. We went up on a bluff for sunset viewing and canapes, set to the unearthly music of Dwain Phillis on the didgeridoo.

We rounded out the evening with dinner under the stars, complete with a “star talker” who explained the different constellations (it was the wrong time of year to see the Southern Cross, darn it! But I haven’t seen the Milky Way so clearly since I was a kid at summer camp in Maine).

Once again we were up before dawn for more sunrise viewing, this time on camels from the Uluru Camel Farm. Once again, the views were stupendous. Our camel, Wombat, was a pretty good sport about the whole thing, too, though he was determined to get some attention from the guy in front of us, who wanted nothing whatsoever to do with him.

OK, so now we’d seen the rock on foot, by van, and on camel-back — what could be left to do? Oh yeah, fly over it in a helicopter. So we did that, too, before boarding a plane back to Sydney.

I’d never flown in a heli before, much less in a place as starkly beautiful as Uluru, so I was bouncing around like a kid, especially after my new friends let me take the shotgun seat. It was so cool; I was bubbling over about it for hours.

I can’t begin to do justice to this amazing place, the people, the food, the views, the culture. All I can say is that I am so grateful to have been able to experience it.

From this post on the Cvent blog, it sounds like the answer might be “yes,” at least in D.C.: See Is the DC Hotel Market Faring Better Thanks to a “Business Only” Reputation?

I know that the glitz and glam destinations are hurting, as are some of the more entertaining places (though D.C. can be pretty entertaining, in my book). I’d be curious to know if other more-serious types of destinations are seeing the same thing, or if D.C. is just blessed with a strong association-meetings market base and lots of tourists staying closer to home this year?

Check this out: Want a $10 Buck Room, How About One-cent Room?
Some Orlando Hotels Slashing Rates

While understandable, this is not a good trend. For anyone. If you have a meeting scheduled for the Orlando area right now, be on the lookout for some serious booking around the block.

Update: Looks like a similar situation is brewing in Las Vegas: Luxury hotels in Las Vegas lure guests with ultra-low rates

The latest roundup of the world’s funkiest hotels is up at Budget Travel. This is one of my favorites (makes me feel like the cast of Lost will be manning the front desk:

But for sheer funk, the Hang Nga Guest House and Art Gallery is tres cool:

Thanks to Boing Boing for the pointer.

That’s what we heard from pretty much everyone we spoke with while on vacation sailing in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (we just got back last night. I am so not ready to get back to work!). The word was that there were markedly fewer people there from the U.S., and that they missed us horribly because we spend a lot of money and we don’t tend to haggle over everything the way they say the Europeans do!

You know the ripples of the bad economy here in the U.S. spread far and wide, but when the guys selling fresh fish and ice from their dinghies in the Tobago Keys are noting a serious shortage of Americans, it really is striking just how far that can be. And, according Phylis, our taxi driver in St. Vincent, they’re only starting to see the shortage, because people like us who booked their trips and paid their money long before the economy headed south are still coming, but not so many new trips are being booked right now.

The upside is that everyone was really glad to see us (and our money)! And we also got lots of kudos on our choice of president—Obama seems to be at least as popular in the Caribbean as he is in the U.S.

We had a great trip, with great weather, and I would recommend Barefoot Yacht Charters to anyone and everyone considering a sailing trip in SVG. Tell Seth we sent you!

It’s easy to forget what’s going on in the virtual world of Second Life when there’s so much going on here in 3D-land, but according to a press release I got earlier, the place is rocking. Specifically, Virtualis, already the largest convention center in Second Life, is seeing so much demand that it is expanding beyond its already lavish educational breakout rooms, grand ballroom, and exhibition hall to include “an arena with a center stage allowing each attendee to hear live presentations with colleagues and/or peers all in real-time. From each of the quadrants of the arena design are four additional breakout rooms where virtual attendees walk through glass tunnels to go to their respective smaller sessions. Additional space is available if the agenda has need within the vast space offered at Virtualis™.”

I wish I was going to Meeting Professionals International’s MeetDifferent conference next week (even though I really do not like the new name of the meeting!) so I could hear from Virtualis’ creator and grand poobah Dan Parks, also of Corporate Planners Unlimited, unveil all the changes. Then again, I’ll be on vacation, sailing in the Grenadines next week, so I guess that’s some compensation for having to miss it.

If you’re curious about what a meeting there would look like, check out this video of a meeting Trend Micro held at Virtualis not long ago. Very cool!

I’m also betting that Dan would be more than happy to show anyone around and explain all the new bells, whistles, and spaces, so if you’re interested in learning more, feel free to drop him an e-mail or give him a call at (800) 493-2545 Ext. 201. Don’t forget to ask him to show you our press office there while you’re at it. I need to spend more time over there…

Something to think about when doing the site selection for your next meeting: How does the personality of a place mesh with that of your group? According to this article in the Wall St. Journal, there’s a study that looked at the geography of personality, and came up with some trends that fit with the usual stereotypes (stressed New Yorkers, for example), and some that don’t (denizens of West Virginia and Mississippi also are stressed, for different reasons; North Dakota is the most outgoing state).

This bit made me laugh:

In Florida, meanwhile, tourism official Dia Kuykendall groped to explain her state’s high “conscientious” ranking. She was having trouble reconciling that with, say, the party scene on Miami Beach. “Conscientious of how they look?” she wondered.

The research did give Ms. Kuykendall an idea for a new Florida tourism pitch: “Come visit us, we’re not neurotic!”