USAE
THE WEEKLY COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER OF ASSOCIATIONS, CVBs AND HOTELS VOLUME 43, ISSUE 3
J A N U A R Y 2 7, 2 0 2 5
PCMA Announces Visionary Awards Lifetime Achievement Honorees By Todd McElwee
wrote in a January 14 post on X. “This is unacceptable. This needs to be fixed TONIGHT.” Tillis called the circumstances “a total breakdown on the part of FEMA that is causing unnecessary pain for families” in a January 14 post on the social media platform. N.C. Governor Josh Stein released a plea to FEMA on January 16 to extend the TSA program through September 30 for eligible state residents. “The people of western North
Honoring distinguished careers and recent achievement, PCMA has announced the 2025 Visionary Awards Lifetime Achievement Honorees and Professional Excellence Finalists. Lifetime Award winners include Elliott Ferguson, President & CEO, Destination DC; Donald Getz, PhD, Professor Emeritus, University of Calgary; Lyn Lewis-Smith, CEO, Business Events Sydney (BESydney); Carol McGury, Retired Executive Vice President, Event & Education Services, Smithbucklin; and David Peckinpaugh, President & CEO, Maritz. The Visionary Awards will be held April 10 during Business Events Industry Week (BEIW) at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Ferguson is currently Brand USA’s Chair. A supplier honoree, he has served in his current post since 2009. He was U.S. Travel’s National Chair in 2019–2020. Prior to joining Destination DC, he was vice president of
Please turn to page 6
Please turn to page 4
Chef Gordon Ramsay recently hosted a special event to commemorate the grand opening of the second Gordon Ramsay Burger location on The Strip at Flamingo Las Vegas. Guests included television personality and restauranter Lisa Vanderpump. Left to right: Regional President of Caesars Entertainment Sean McBurney; Ramsay; Vanderpump; and SVP and GM of Flamingo Las Vegas Dan Walsh. Photo by Denise Truscello/Getty Images for Caesars Entertainment
FEMA Extends N.C. Hotel Program for Hurricane Victims By Jordan Bradley The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has extended transitional sheltering assistance (TSA) for victims of Tropical Storm Helene in western North Carolina following complaints of unfair and early removal from hotels. The agency had issued an extension of its TSA program, which pays for hotel rooms for victims of disasters, to January 25 due to dangerous winter weather in the region. This follows two
previous extensions. But social media posts from U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis and U.S. Sen. Ted Budd said their offices were receiving reports of victims being ousted from their hotel rooms with nowhere to go the next day and with no communication from FEMA. “My office is hearing from dozens in WNC who have been kicked out of their hotels tonight, despite FEMA’s announcement yesterday that they were extending Transitional Sheltering Assistance through January 25,” Budd
Westgate Station Opens for Vegas Loop By Jonathan Trager The Westgate Station for the Loop in Las Vegas has officially opened, offering riders a fast and convenient way to move between key locations in and around the Las Vegas Strip corridor. The Vegas Loop Westgate Station connects Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino to the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC). The opening was announced on January 22. In addition, the station will connect to Resorts World Las Vegas and in-
tegrate with future Vegas Loop expansions, including connections to Harry Reid International Airport, Allegiant Stadium, and the Las Vegas Strip. “The addition of the Vegas Loop at Westgate demonstrates our commitment to innovation and convenience,” said Cami Christensen, President & General Manager of Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. “We’re thrilled to partner with LVCVA and The Boring Company to provide this cutting-edge transportation option for Please turn to page 3
Inside
Page 2
Page 3
Baltimore Convention Center Receives Sustainable Event Standards Certification
Page 4 Jay Talwar Retiring as SVP/CMO of Hawaii VCB Page 5
Registration Open for U.S. Travel’s Destination Capitol Hill 2025
Page 7
California Developer Wants to Bring First U.S. Atlantis Resort to Oahu
California Officials Warn Hotels Against Price Gouging Following Wildfires By Jordan Bradley California’s attorney general has issued at least 500 letters of warning against price gouging to hotels and landlords in the state since January 16 in the wake of the Los Angeles wildfires that began on January 7. According to California law, hotels, motels, shortterm rentals, and landlords cannot legally raise rates by more than 10% of the price charged prior to the declaration of a state of emergency by the state’s
governor. Despite that, reports of price gouging by hotels and landlords have been coming in to Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office. “The price gouging that we’re seeing and hearing about needs to stop now,” Bonta said. Bonta’s office told USAE via email that it was not able to identify the hotels that had received warning letters “as this is considered an investigative material.” However, a representaPlease turn to page 3