Black Meetings & Tourism - Omni Hotels & Resorts Launches Omni Meeting University

Industry Briefs
Omni Hotels & Resorts Launches Omni Meeting University
Luxury Hotel Develops Educational Meetings-Focused Curriculum for Planner Professional Development Omni Hotels & Resorts recently unveiled Omni Meetings University (OMU), the luxury hotel brand's online meeting planner educational portal that provides planners with a deeper understanding of the Omni brand, as well as top meetings industry and technology trends. This new offering was introduced at the brand's first Be Collaborative event of 2014. Be Collaborative is an annual development series offered to meeting planners across the nation. Each year the road-show style events offer new insights on how Omni and their clients can collaborate by embracing each other's points of views and achieving mutual success. Through the dynamic new portal, meeting planners will receive first-hand knowledge of the brand, which is made up of Convention, Resort and City Center collections. Each collection is distinct to its local market, and offers planners a variety of venues to meet the objectives of their different meeting or event needs. The portal is also a dynamic platform that will be continuously updated based on Omni's portfolio updates or unique meeting offerings, current industry trends, and new technology available to planners. OMU will eventually be customized based on planner disciplines for corporate or association planners alike. "Omni Meetings University is another example of how we collaborate with our partners and it demonstrates our commitment to their professional development," said Tom Faust, vice president of sales for Omni Hotels & Resorts. "We've had great success with our other educational programming initiatives - Be Collaborative events, as well as our other portal tool, Travel Agent University - and want to continue to be able to equip planners with useful and timely information so they can make the best decisions to meet their business goals." Each participant who completes the curriculum of OMU will become a certified Omni Meetings Specialist and will receive a "personalized FAM trip" that includes a complimentary night stay at any Omni property to experience the brand and underscore what they learned through OMU. New Omni Meeting Specialists will be automatically upgraded to Platinum level status in Omni's Select Guest Loyalty Program; and will receive a 5 percent discount on their group's Master Account for the first meeting contracted after successful completion of the course. Lastly, the Convention Industry Council (CIC) has verified this program for one clock hour of continuing education towards CMP certification or recertification. Omni collaborated with Encore Event Technologies to develop OMU to provide educational course material for meeting planners to utilize Encore's technology to enhance their meeting or event. Encore also is working with Omni to provide planners information on the next generation of event technology trends. "Encore is the leading provider of unique, creative and technically innovative in-house audiovisual services for hotels, conference centers and resorts. We have a longstanding relationship with Omni, and look forward to what we can provide planners through Omni Meetings University," said David Smith, vice president of strategic accounts for Encore. "The forward thinking inherent in the Omni organization, combined with the creative event technology style of Encore, will provide customers a platform for a truly spectacular experience." Planners interested in becoming a certified Omni Meetings Specialist can visit omnimeetingsuniversity.com . To book a meeting or event and for terms and conditions regarding Omni Hotels & Resorts meeting offerings, customers can visit omnihotels.com/MeetingsAndEvents/omniunderstands or by calling (800) 788-OMNI.

Industry Briefs

Omni Hotels & Resorts Launches Omni Meeting University

Luxury Hotel Develops Educational Meetings-Focused Curriculum for
Planner Professional Development

Omni Hotels & Resorts recently unveiled Omni Meetings University (OMU), the luxury hotel brand's online meeting planner educational portal that provides planners with a deeper understanding of the Omni brand, as well as top meetings industry and technology trends. This new offering was introduced at the brand's first Be Collaborative event of 2014. Be Collaborative is an annual development series offered to meeting planners across the nation. Each year the road-show style events offer new insights on how Omni and their clients can collaborate by embracing each other's points of views and achieving mutual success.

Through the dynamic new portal, meeting planners will receive first-hand knowledge of the brand, which is made up of Convention, Resort and City Center collections. Each collection is distinct to its local market, and offers planners a variety of venues to meet the objectives of their different meeting or event needs. The portal is also a dynamic platform that will be continuously updated based on Omni's portfolio updates or unique meeting offerings, current industry trends, and new technology available to planners. OMU will eventually be customized based on planner disciplines for corporate or association planners alike.

"Omni Meetings University is another example of how we collaborate with our partners and it demonstrates our commitment to their professional development," said Tom Faust, vice president of sales for Omni Hotels & Resorts. "We've had great success with our other educational programming initiatives - Be Collaborative events, as well as our other portal tool, Travel Agent University - and want to continue to be able to equip planners with useful and timely information so they can make the best decisions to meet their business goals."

Each participant who completes the curriculum of OMU will become a certified Omni Meetings Specialist and will receive a "personalized FAM trip" that includes a complimentary night stay at any Omni property to experience the brand and underscore what they learned through OMU. New Omni Meeting Specialists will be automatically upgraded to Platinum level status in Omni's Select Guest Loyalty Program; and will receive a 5 percent discount on their group's Master Account for the first meeting contracted after successful completion of the course. Lastly, the Convention Industry Council (CIC) has verified this program for one clock hour of continuing education towards CMP certification or recertification.

Omni collaborated with Encore Event Technologies to develop OMU to provide educational course material for meeting planners to utilize Encore's technology to enhance their meeting or event. Encore also is working with Omni to provide planners information on the next generation of event technology trends.

"Encore is the leading provider of unique, creative and technically innovative in-house audiovisual services for hotels, conference centers and resorts. We have a longstanding relationship with Omni, and look forward to what we can provide planners through Omni Meetings University," said David Smith, vice president of strategic accounts for Encore. "The forward thinking inherent in the Omni organization, combined with the creative event technology style of Encore, will provide customers a platform for a truly spectacular experience."

Planners interested in becoming a certified Omni Meetings Specialist can visit omnimeetingsuniversity.com . To book a meeting or event and for terms and conditions regarding Omni Hotels & Resorts meeting offerings, customers can visit omnihotels.com/MeetingsAndEvents/omniunderstands or by calling (800) 788-OMNI.