Come see thousands of Jack-O-Lanterns and have a day filled with family fun, kids games, pumpkin carving, great tunes, face painting, a costume parade and much more!
Come see thousands of Jack-O-Lanterns and have a day filled with family fun, kids games, pumpkin carving, great tunes, face painting, a costume parade and much more!
A one-stop taste and sipping experience to explore the varied food and drink in Maine where guests walk table to table to try and buy tasty treats and sips from local makers and epicurean purveyors.
New this year – a self-guided tour of food and drink spots in Portland including tasting rooms, bars, retail spots and restaurants. This event marks the finale of the nearly week-long festival with a sample bite or glass at each location.
1:15pm – 2:30pm Keynote Presentation
Be Inspired with Christina Miranda, Co-Founder Redpoint Marketing – Inspiration can transform stagnancy into brilliance, challenges into opportunities, and ordinary into extraordinary. Learn how our associations are uniting to lead and succeed in today’s challenging hospitality sector. (Q&A to follow) Click here to learn more about Christina and Redpoint Marketing.
Select the one that is right for you!
Marketing for Independent Hotels with Holly Zoba, Senior VP, Signature Worldwide – Explore effective strategies using the right tools to optimize your hospitality plan. Learn to craft messages that lend drama to your inn or hotel’s story and expand your customer base. Click here to learn more about Holly. Ballroom
Cutting Edge Trends and Best Practices for Independent Restaurants with Hudson Riehle, Senior VP, National Restaurant Association – Topics include consumer demand, food preparation, technology, human resources, marketing and operations. Finishing up with a Restaurant Round Table – Free flowing discussion of statewide hospitality issues and how the Association should be involved. Click here to learn more about Hudson. 95 Ocean Room
4:30pm to 5:30pm Free Time
5:30pm – 7:30pm Trade Show Happy Hour at The Colony Hotel
Mingle with leading hospitality suppliers and network as talented bartenders from Southern Maine shake up the latest cocktails in our Mixology Mix-off. Vote for the best as you encounter new products and services. Heavy hors d’oeuvres, come hungry! Grand Dining Room
7:30pm Music from The Windmills on The Colony’s veranda. Dessert and Coffee in the Marine Room
Tuesday, October 24th – Colony Hotel
6:30am to 7:30am – Rise and Shine on the Ocean, The Colony – Beachfront
Join us for morning fitness on the beach.
7:30am to 9:00am State of the Industry Breakfast, The Colony – Grand Dining Room
Steve Hewins and Greg Dugal discuss our past successful year, future trends and share the direction our organization will take in 2018.
9:15am to 10:15am – Social Media Panel – Carriage House
Social media is changing the way we eat and travel. Hotels and restaurants that embrace free visual marketing tools like Instagram gain business. Mary Strain of the Migis Hotel Group, Don Littlefield of Maine Brew Bus and Dream Local Digital founder Shannon Kinney share best social practices. (Q&A to follow) Moderated by Kathleen Pierce
10:30am to 11:30am – Dialing into Digital Sales – Carriage House
A panel of representatives: Lyndsey Bjork of Booking.com, Ashley Audet of Expedia and Peter Gosdanian, District Director Northeast for Open Table discuss the ins and outs of this here-to-stay online reality. (Q&A to follow)
12:00 – 2:00pm – Lunch and Keynote Presentation with Kevin Hancock – Grand Dining Room
Maine Innkeepers Annual Meeting – Jean Ginn Marvin, Association Chairperson conducts the brief formalities.
Hospitality Workforce Training – Derek Langhauser, President, Maine Community College System.
Kevin Hancock, president of one of Maine’s oldest family run businesses, Hancock Lumber, shares a transformational personal story guaranteed to empower. Not for Sale: Finding Center in the Land of Crazy Horse, includes signed copy of his book. To learn more about Kevin and his book “Not for Sale” click here.
2:30pm to 3:30pm – Labor Pains in Maine – Carriage House
A panel of hospitality experts will discuss how to outsmart staffing issues, master retention and handle audits. The panel will include Allyson Cavaretta – Director of Sales & Marketing of the Meadowmere Resort, Laurel McClead of Drummond Woodsum’s Labor and Employment Group, and Garret Oswald – Director of the State Workforce Investment Board, Maine Department of Labor. Moderated by Greg Dugal
3:45pm to 4:45pm – Cannabis: From Regulation to Tourism – Carriage House
The newly emerging marijuana industry could be a boon to hoteliers and restaurateurs. Maine’s top lawyers on the subject, Ted Kelleher and Hannah King of Drummond Woodsum will lead a panel discussion along with State Sen. Roger Katz and Lynn Tillotson, CEO of Visit Portland. Moderated by Greg Dugal
5:30pm to 7:00pm Gala Cocktail Reception – The Nonantum
Join us for a rousing start to an evening of celebration!
7:00pm – 8:30pm MEIA AND MERA Dinner – The Nonantum
A feast fit for Maine’s leading hoteliers and restaurateurs! Featuring the music of Jim Ciampi and a live auction, and culminating with our Awards presentation.
8:30pm Celebrate under the stars into the night! More big surprises and details to follow.
For registration questions contact: [email protected]
Deals for new members apply, contact: [email protected]
For room reservations call 1-888-205-1555 for the Nonantum or 207-967-3331 for the Colony.
Please join Maine’s environmental community on October 25th at Brick South on Thompson’s Point to celebrate our hard work and get inspired to continue protecting the Maine we love.
This year we are delighted to feature keynote speaker Brian Deese, a Senior Advisor to former President Obama who oversaw climate, conservation, and energy policies and was one of the key architects of the Paris Climate Agreement.
We are also proud to honor George Smith with our 2017 Environmental Leadership Award for writing, speaking, advocating, and inspiring all of us to care for the nature of Maine and her wild places.
Welcoming Portland’s Newest Raw Bar, The Shop!
WHEN: Friday, October 27th | 5PM to 7PM
WHERE: INKWELL Bar & Lounge | The Press Hotel
WHAT: Skilled shuckers from Island Creek Oysters will be serving the
company’s classic, briny Island Creek oyster from Duxbury, MA along
with Mookie Blues from Damariscotta, ME.
Mookie Blues Oyster farmer Bill Mook will join the Island Creek Oyster
team to amaze with oyster trivia, tasting notes and talk shop with fellow
oyster aficionados!
Oysters served with beverage pairings of Allagash Two Lights Ale brewed with Sauvignon Blanc grape and glasses of Prosecco.
$35.00pp for oysters & beverages.
All proceeds donated to the Maine Aquaculture Association
Save the date for this year’s Halloween Bash!
Friends of Casco Bay is delighted to host the Wild & Scenic Film Festival at University of Southern Maine’s Abromson Center for the 10th year! Wild & Scenic is a festival with a purpose. It is a gathering of storytellers and story-makers with a love and appreciation for our glorious natural environment.
TEDxDirigo was co-founded in 2010 as a world-class platform to celebrate innovation and creativity in Maine. In the same spirit of the state motto, TEDxDirigo leads the way with ideas from Maine’s brightest innovators and changemakers. Our goal is for TEDxDirigo to be a catalyst for positive change in the state and world, where new ideas are supported for the greater good of all. To register click here.
Save the date for the 10th Annual Wild and Scenic Film Festival
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