USAE
THE WEEKLY COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER OF ASSOCIATIONS, CVBs AND HOTELS VOLUME 42, ISSUE 32
NOVEMBER 18, 2024
Proposal to Remake Salt Lake City Convention Center Stirs Controversy By Jonathan Trager
Jake Steinman (center), Founder of TravelAbility, and Kristy Durso (left), TravelAbility Ambassador and Founder of Incredible Memories Travel, moderate a panel session featuring hoteliers, including Steven Yang, CEO of Yang Capital. Panelists discussed their perspectives on accessibility in hospitality at the TravelAbility Emerging Markets Summit on November 14 at the Hotel Argonaut in San Francisco.
TravelAbility Summit Hosts Innovative PitchFest for Travel Solutions
By Jordan Bradley
The TravelAbility Emerging Markets Summit 2024 InnovateAble Showcase PitchFest: Elevating Accessibility and Beyond! highlighted the technology of five companies at the forefront of inclusive travel solutions. Attendees heard pitches from Be My Eyes, an AI app that guides travelers who are blind or low-vision through hotels and attractions; Aira, an app providing visual interpreting services; True Omni, an inclusive visitor kiosk that can be modified to
suit any user; Hero Door Opener, a cost-effective automatic door opener that can be accessed through an app; and 360 Direct Video, an app providing deaf conference attendees with access to American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters. Winners were chosen by a panel of judges, with 360 Direct Video taking first place. Hero Door Opener and Be My Eyes tied for second, while Aira took third. During the session, each of the four companies shared a video exemplifying their product, offering three-min-
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NYC Man Who Lived in Hotel Rent Free Declared Unfit for Trial By Jordan Bradley A man living rent free for years in the New Yorker Hotel due to a legal loophole in New York City has been declared unfit to stand trial following a medical evaluation, according to prosecutors and two doctors involved in the case. I n Fe b r u a r y, M i c ke y Barreto was evicted from the New Yorker Hotel and charged with 24 counts, including 14 felony fraud and criminal contempt, after years of attempted evictions
from the hotel’s management. He pleaded not guilty. During the proceedings this summer, Barreto was ordered to take a psychiatric exam. The two doctors conducting the exam concluded that he did not fully comprehend the court proceedings and that he had two mental illnesses and a drug addiction, according to the New York Times. That prompted the judge overseeing the case, Justice Cori H. Weston of New York City Criminal Court in Lower Please turn to page 3
ute pitches followed by seven minutes of follow-up questions from judges Ron Pettit, Director, Disability Inclusion and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliance, Royal Caribbean Group; Allison Rowe, Room Operations and Guest Experiences, Marriott International; Paul Kent, Founder, disABLED Life Alliance; Jeff Ossenkop, General Manager, W Hotel San Francisco; and Matthew Harrinton, The Schoolhouse Hotel. The 360 Direct Video app’s sign language accessibility tool reach-
Page 3 Page 2 ASAE Calls for Proposals for Annual Meeting & Exposition Page 5
Associations Slam Chicago Mayor’s Proposal for 34% Increase in Alcohol Taxes
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TravelAbility Partners with KultureCity to Foster Sensory Inclusive Travel
Page 8 NCBMP Looks to “Strength & Resilience” in Birmingham
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A proposal from the mayor of Salt Lake County to divert millions of dollars in transportation funds for a Salt Palace Convention Center rebuild has met with pushback from some local leaders. The Salt Lake County Council voted 7-2 on November 5 to allocate $10.5 million to explore a convention center renovation using money from a transportation fund. The idea is part of the revitalization project in downtown Salt Lake City with Smith Entertainment Group. However, local news outlet KSLTV reports that Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson is calling for a rebuild, a project that could cost north of $1 billion. “There’s an opportunity on the table to not just rebuild what we have, but rebuild it better so that we can attract even bigger and better conventions and hopefully grow that revenue stream by tens of millions of dollars more [annually],” said Andrew Please turn to page 3
NCBMP Opens Conference with Message of Hope at Historic Birmingham Church By Todd McElwee
The pews of Birmingham’s historic 16th Street Baptist Church were full, with those occupying them standing, swaying, clapping and singing on the evening of November 13. The congregation: attendees of the National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals’ (NCBMP) 41st Annual Conference. After learning about the church’s tragi September 15, 1963, bombing that killed four little girls, attendees
left with messages of hope, resiliency, acceptance and community. Jason Dunn, CEO, NCBMP, told USAE: “The 16th Street Baptist Church is a beacon of resiliency and strength for the community and reflective of the spirit of NCBMP’s founders.” He added the church and those involved with what happened in 1963 turned the power inward and changed the nation. “What happened here, and outside of the church, Please turn to page 7