DESTINATION
Atlantic City
Reopened for meetings business, and ready to conduct it safely and successfully By George Seli
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re-COVID-19, Atlantic City’s meetings business was on a roll thanks to the dynamic team at Meet AC, major hotel re-brandings and timeless entertainment assets, including casinos, shows and the legendary Boardwalk. Beyond meetings and conventions, the city’s overall hospitality industry was responsible for an unprecedented economic impact. As Meet AC’s new President and CEO Larry Sieg points out, “Atlantic City couldn’t have had a better year than 2019. My sales team here at Meet AC had stellar performances in going out into the market and getting new business.” Like all other successful meeting destinations, Atlantic City is now working toward reliving those glory days. Replacing Jim Wood, Sieg took the helm of Meet AC in July and immediately addressed the challenge of facilitating the city’s reopening efforts. “When I first came on board, I was working in partnership with the convention center, Boardwalk Hall and the CRDA [Casino Reinvestment Development Authority] to put together what the guide for reopening was going to look like,” says Sieg, formerly Director of Communications and Marketing
FACILITIES & DESTINATIONS 2020 FALL
with the CRDA and a 30-year veteran of the city’s tourism and hospitality industry. The finalized guide focuses on cleanliness and sanitation as the top priority. “For example, all of our restrooms [in the Atlantic City Convention Center] have been changed over to contactless, from the soap dispensers to the sinks to the facilities. [We’re also] working on filtration and HVAC for indoor air quality. Our partner, Spectra Venue Management, has done a really good job of putting together a plan to welcome back our convention attendees.” While Meet AC retains large conventions on the books through 2026, the New Jersey government is currently restricting meetings to 25 or fewer participants indoors and 500 outdoors. Despite this limitation, “the city is open and doing well,” Sieg reports. “The casino industry has been doing really well since reopening, and many of the hotel properties have come up with creative ways [to host meetings]. Harrah’s, for example, created an outdoor meeting and convention space, so they’ve been able to do some events. Also, Ocean Casino Resort just had a tradeshow called Action Expo; it took place in their parking 29
