International Pow Wow 2009 to be hosted by Miami

International Pow Wow 2009, the travel industry’s premier international marketplace, will take place in Greater Miami and the Beaches on May 16-20, 2009, bringing more than 5,000 delegates from every

International Pow Wow 2009, the travel industry’s premier international marketplace, will take place in Greater Miami and the Beaches on May 16-20, 2009, bringing more than 5,000 delegates from every region of the US and more than 70 countries to the destination – including 1,000 travel organizations and close to 1,500 international and domestic buyers.

Sponsored by the US Travel Association for the past four decades, International Pow Wow is projected to generate more than US$3.5 billion in future international travel business with approximately US$400 million of that benefiting Greater Miami and the Beaches as host destination over the next three years. The International Pow Wow show will generate 18,665 room nights with a direct economic impact of more than US$8.5 million to Miami-Dade county’s local economy.

“There has never been a better time to visit Greater Miami, and we’re excited about being front and center on the world travel stage,” said William D. Talbert, III, CDME, president and CEO of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB), which was pivotal in bringing Pow Wow to the city. “Miami is a truly global community and offers amazing value for visitors.”

“No business event is more important to selling the US$100 billion international inbound US travel product than International Pow Wow, and we are excited about Greater Miami and the Beaches hosting this year’s event,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the US Travel Association. “Miami’s wide variety of attractions will help demonstrate the diversity of the US travel product to the world’s top international travel wholesalers and help Florida garner a greater share of the US$100 billion international inbound travel market.”

“International Pow Wow 2009 presents an extraordinary opportunity for Greater Miami and the Beaches to showcase its new tourism developments and highlight our cosmopolitan tropical paradise that offers world-class lodging, dining, shopping, nightlife, scores of compelling attractions, a vibrant arts and cultural scene, festivals, and sporting events,” Talbert commented. “There is no substitute for witnessing the dynamic change Miami has experienced over the past decade first-hand, and we are pulling out all the stops to ensure these important influencers see the best of the best.”

The US Travel Association will host one of the greenest Pow Wows on record in Greater Miami and the Beaches. In addition to adding recyclable trash cans in the exhibit hall and press rooms, a digital Delegate Registry replaces the traditionally-printed version, while print appointment schedules and labels will be replaced by electronic schedules. Greater Miami and the Beaches will work with Transportation Management Services, a leading transportation management company, which just announced an innovative Carbon Offset Shuttle program that provides a negative carbon footprint resulting from ground transportation.

Miami officials made the change to reflect the city’s burgeoning green initiatives, including recently being awarded LEED Silver Certification for Existing Buildings for its American Airlines Arena – one of only two arenas in America to receive the prestigious designation. The City of Miami has launched a number of proactive and ambitious sustainability programs in recent years, including a “Green Buildings” program that led to the installation of solar panels and other conservation measures at its City Hall and introduction of a “Green Fleet,” which requires all city vehicles to operate on hybrid technology or alternative fuels by 2012. Miami’s hospitality industry has been “going green” for years, with more than a dozen hotels now designated as Green Lodging properties through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Green Lodging Program.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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