Coming Together
A family reunion in Daytona, Fla., requires as much planning as a corporate convention.
By Sandi Cain
WHEN THE BOTTOM DROPPED OUT OF THE MEETINGS MARKET LATE LAST YEAR, planners looked to new sectors for business opportunities. Some found weddings and family reunions that can require as much complex planning as corporate conventions. They also carry their own sets of challenges not typically found in the business environment.
Letitia Sippio, who has planned plenty of meetings in her role at a technology company in California, figured she could put that expertise to use planning her next family reunion in 2010. Her goal was to bring together family factions from a variety of locations, races and creeds for the first time in more than 25 years. Various reunions were held during that span, but none encompassed the entire family of 200 people.
“In the corporate world, it’s the meeting details you deal with; for reunions, it’s the personalities,” Sippio said.
And there’s no shortage of the latter in her family. Matriarch Julia Ann Emanuel is 114, has outlived four husbands and had 19 children. The family has spread out to various parts of California, Florida, Massachusetts and New York. But the different branches don’t always see eye to eye. So, Sippio chose the theme “The Remarkable Life of Julia Ann Emanuel” to remind everyone that they all have the same roots. Then, she set about convincing different family groups to come together for one reunion in Daytona Beach, Fla. Affordability was an issue, since the recession hit some family members hard. Sippio turned to the Daytona Beach CVB for assistance.
Linda McMahon, a Daytona Beach Area CVB sales manager, says Sippio was specific with requests and knew her goal, but wasn’t sure how to reach it.
“That’s where we came in,” McMahon said.
With groups arriving from across the country and from various lifestyles and financial situations, the CVB jumped in to help Sippio find the right mix of activities at the right price point. They provided contacts for family T-shirts, caterers, fundraising companies and cruises. The CVB played host to Sippio on a FAM trip. McMahon also helped open doors with the city for park permits for the outdoor event.
“We find it’s usually better for the planner to speak directly with the venue,” McMahon said, but she’s always willing to make the introductory call. “We’re as hands-on as the planner wants us to be.”
With a strict budget in mind, the CVB arranged citywide coupon books and worked with Starlite Dinner Cruises and other area attractions to obtain group rates.
Sippio knows that such programs help local businesses as much as they help visitors.
“It encourages spending within the community,” she said. “We support mom-and-pop shops at home, so we want to do the same in Daytona.”
Meanwhile, McMahon researched companies in the family’s regional markets to be part of monthly raffles; profits would help financially struggling members attend the reunion. Winning numbers were drawn from Florida Lottery results.
Sippio assigned family members as regional reunion hosts to handle special requests, questions, raffle ticket sales and requests for financial help. She also had a laundry list of other needs not typically found in the corporate environment (among them: babysitting services and hair dressers). But before she tackled those, she wanted to find a host hotel that would meet the needs of all family members and still be affordable. She visited the Shores Resort & Spa, the Plaza Resort & Spa and the Wyndham Ocean Walk in Daytona Beach. The Wyndham got the business in part because of its variety of activities including a lazy river, an arcade, pool tables and a kids’ playroom.
But she’s not ignoring the other hotels. Sippio plans to get gift cards for the spa at the Plaza and for the restaurant at the Shores.
Rick Andino, regional director of sales and marketing for the Wyndham, says the hotel plays host to quite a few reunions. He’s acutely aware that it takes slightly different skills to set up a reunion than it does a corporate event.
“Corporate meetings are more structured, and the family members know what they want when they walk in,” he said.
Family reunion organizers tend to need more help, as well.
“We hold their hands more to make it an experience they’ll remember,” Andino said.
Most reunions held at the Wyndham involve local or regional families that have a local family member do site inspections and handle details. Some know what they want, but have to rely on the hotel to help figure out the best way to achieve goals.
When Andino got the RFP from Sippio, he was surprised at the level of detail.
“She’s a breeze to work with,” he said. “It’s obvious she’s done [meetings] before.”
He was appreciative of Sippio’s registration form for family members that helped the hotel be aware of special requests or requirements.
Sippio’s own special requests for the hotel included the following.
• Delivering the day’s agenda to rooms each morning.
• Delivering breakfast baskets to family members on the day that begins with free time and box lunches with afternoon free time with lists of suggested activities in and around Daytona.
• Converting a meeting room into a church-like venue for Sunday for an all-denominational service, brunch to follow. “A lot of reunions have clergy in the family and enjoy having a service, so we make that available to them,” Andino said.
• Optioning a murder mystery dinner through a local caterer.
• Providing a family suite for after-event mingling.
• Preparing meet-and-greet mini-receptions similar to those used by cruise lines, including photos of new arrivals.
The reunion is this summer, but with the help of the CVB, vendors and the Wyndham Ocean Walk, Sippio is confident everything will be in order long before the August date arrives. One+
SANDI CAIN is a freelance writer based in Laguna Beach, Calif.
What’s New in Daytona Beach
• The Ocean Center Daytona Beach recently completed a US$80 million expansion that added 100,000 square feet of exhibit space and 30,000 square feet of new meeting space to the convention center, which sits 400 feet from the Atlantic Ocean.
• The US$437 million entertainment and retail project Daytona Live! is under construction on 71 acres that will house retail, dining and entertainment facilities, residential units and commercial office space that will be home to the International Speedway Corp. and NASCAR. Phase 1 is expected to open by year’s end.
• Several hotels have completed renovations, including a $20 million project at the 742-room Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort; a $70 million overhaul at the 322-room Plaza Resort & Spa and a $31 million renovation at the 212-room Shores Resort & Spa.
Transportation Tips
• Daytona Beach International Airport offers carrier service from AirGate Aviation, Delta Air Lines and US Airways and regular service to Atlanta; the Bahamas; and Charlotte, N.C. The airport has a 3,100-square-foot meeting room with audiovisual services and catering for up to 200.
• Getting around town is easy via the A1A Beachside Trolley (January-September), which operates throughout the tourist area and includes on and off privileges from noon-7 p.m.
Mondays through Saturdays.
• The Daytona Orlando Airport Shuttle and Daytona Orlando Transit Services provide service to and from the Orlando International Airport. The Daytona Shuttle provides service between the local airport and area hotels, by reservation.
Fun Facts
• The National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) launched in Daytona Beach in 1947.
• The Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach is where the famed baseball player of the same name played in the first integrated baseball game in 1946 as a member of the Montreal Royals, a farm team of the (then) Brooklyn Dodgers.
• Endangered green sea turtles nest on the beaches between May and October. Beach driving, parking and lighting is restricted during that time to protect the turtle eggs and hatchlings.