Shaw Conference Centre

Edmonton, Alberta

The News: The new Hall D is open.

Specs: With a dramatic glass wall facing the scenic North Saskatchewan River Valley, Hall D has room for 1,200 people for meals or receptions or 2,000 theater-style. The new hall adds 26,900 square feet to the conference center, which was built in 1983.

The Hyatt Regency Bonaventure Conference Center & Spa

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The News: The conference center and spa completed a $100 million renovation of all guest rooms, restaurants, and meeting and conference space.

Specs: The 100,000-square-foot conference center has three ballrooms, an amphitheater, three executive boardrooms, and 10 breakout rooms.

The 501 guest rooms and suites feature high-speed Internet access, dual-line cordless telephones, LCD television with cable/satellite, and iHome AM/FM clock radio with iPod dock.

The hotel will launch a fine-dining restaurant, Ireland's Steakhouse, by the end of the year. The recently opened 48,000-square-foot Red Door Lifestyle Spa, Elizabeth Arden has 30 treatment rooms, a “Zen Garden,” Pilates studio, movement studio, fitness and weight room, and sauna.

Millennium Broadway Hotel

New York

The News: The 750-guest room Millennium Broadway Hotel has completed a total renovation of its 37-room conference center.

Specs: Located on West 44th Street, a half block from Times Square, Millennium Broadway is the only hotel in New York with an on-site conference center approved by the International Association of Conference Centers. The Millennium Conference Center has 110,000 square feet of space and a fully staffed business center. Renovation of all six conference center floors was completed this year.

Extra: Planners can use the newly restored, historic Hudson Theatre, also under Millennium management, which accommodates as many as 700. The 102-year-old theater features Tiffany chandeliers and newly uncovered and restored glass mosaics.

The Hub Cira Centre

Philadelphia

The News: The Hub Cira Centre, a new Philadelphia meeting and conference center, opened this year on the second-floor mezzanine level of The Cira Centre, adjacent to Amtrak's 30th Street Station.

Specs: Offering all-inclusive pricing, the Hub has 14,000 square feet of space, including a 5,000-square-foot event space and 12 conference rooms.

Sheraton Denver West Hotel

Denver

The News: The hotel has received IACC certification for its 18,000 square feet of renovated conference space.

Specs: The hotel can host 800 attendees for conferences and offers 242 refurbished guest rooms, as well as a 10,000-square-foot health club with heated swimming pool and spa services. The hotel is eight miles west of downtown Denver, adjacent to the Denver Federal Center.

Inverness Hotel and Conference Center

Denver

The News: The hotel and conference center opened The Spa at the Inverness, the culmination of a 15-month, $9 million renovation.

Specs: The 4,500-square-foot spa has six treatment rooms and a couple's suite. All 302 guest rooms and suites were included in the renovation. The IACC-certified conference facilities were also upgraded with new AV equipment and more than 900 ergonomic Herman Miller Aeron chairs. Inverness has 43 meeting rooms.

Extra: Also on-property: the 18-hole, Preston Maxwell-designed golf course

Chaminade

Santa Cruz, Calif.

News: Benchmark Hospitality International, operator of Chaminade, was awarded “Green Business Certification” by Santa Cruz County for exceeding environmental regulatory requirements, preventing pollution, and conserving natural resources.

Specs: Chaminade offers 156 guest rooms and 12,000 square feet of meeting space.

Skokie Banquet & Conference Center

Skokie, Il.

The News: The $10 million Skokie Banquet & Conference Center opened adjacent to the 244-room Holiday Inn North Shore.

Specs: 15,000 square feet of meeting space and a 12,000-square-foot ballroom, the largest on Chicago's North Shore. The ballroom can be divided into eight rooms.

Time Frame: Opened February 2007

Extra: Eight crystal chandeliers, each 15 feet wide, grace the facility.

The Chattanoogan

Chattanooga, Tenn.

The News: Renovations to guest rooms, lobby, and Foundry Bar are complete.

Specs: 199 guest rooms all feature complimentary high-speed Internet access. The conference center has 25,000 square feet of meeting space. The property also has a spa with four treatment rooms.

Time Frame: Renovations finished in September.

Mirror Lake Inn

Lake Placid, N.Y.

The News: The Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa recently unveiled its $3.2 million lakeside accommodations, featuring 11 “ultimate” suites.

Specs: The suites are in the Colonial House, which was recently rebuilt on the footprint of the old Colonial House, and offer 9-foot or 16-foot cathedral ceilings and 8-foot birch doors that enter into living areas with stone or mahogany fireplaces. Each room is accented with oriental rugs, custom-made black forest inspired carved chandeliers and mahogany woodwork. The oversized marble bathrooms have in-floor heat and state-of-the-art soaking tubs.

Each suite has a private deck or patio opening out to Mirror Lake with views of the Adirondacks.

The resort has meeting space for up to 150 guests in a ballroom, smaller spaces for breakouts, and board rooms that fit eight to 14 guests.

The X and Y Factors

The board of the Inter-national Association of Conference Centers North America has created a board associate position to focus on identifying and advising the board on emerging trends from Generations X and Y (those born from 1965 to 1995).

Emily Heckaman, University Place Hotel & Conference Center, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, is the board associate.

“It is imperative that we maintain a cutting-edge perspective on technological and societal trends that affect our industry,” says Neil Pompan, president of IACC.

News Makers:

Bruce McIntosh, a hotel development and management specialist with extensive international experience, is the new vice president and general manager of the National Conference Center. The NCC is the largest conference center of its kind in the United States. It features state-of-the-art technology, 950 accommodations in three categories (managed by ARAMARK Harrison Lodging), and 250 flexible meeting rooms, including a 4,000-square-foot conference and exhibit hall.