Cherry Creek Shopping Center
WHAT: RMGA MEETING
WHEN: Monday April 8, 2013 Networking at 6:30pm. Program at 7pm. Brief announcements will follow the program.
WHERE: Brio Tuscan Grille, 2500 East First Avenue, west of Nordstrom and east of Elway’s next to the Cherry Creek Shopping Center. The Shopping Center is one of Denver’s premier tourist attractions.
PROGRAM: Pat Lee, whose enthusiasm for promoting Denver tourism is contagious, will be our hostess for the evening. In addition to providing us with the latest and greatest developments at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center, Pat has invited representatives of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Denver Zoo, Denver Art Museum, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, and Denver International Airport to provide brief highlights of upcoming events and activities. She will also provided hints on how to provide tour groups with the best possible experience at Cherry Creek.
PARKING: Plenty of free parking in the parking lots surrounding the complex.
Guide Line Review
Cherry Creek Shopping Center
This event was hosted by Cherry Creek Shopping Center (CCSC) and was held at Brio Tuscan Grille where we had beverages and several choices of appetizers.
The first presenter was Glenn Lawson representing Brio and gave us the parameters for group events including the capacity of the private rooms (one will serve 40 and the other 60 people). He also reminded us that Brio will do things off-menu and can accommodate guests who are looking for low gluten, low calorie, children’s’ menu and catering. Groups can use the private rooms without a room charge, minimum, or deposit. Gratuities will be added on to the bill. Brio is open fro 11 am – 10 pm daily. Brio’s happy hour has $3.95 appetizers and $5.00 drinks. Their motto is “Each guest, each meal, each and every day”.
Next was Dave Dixon, marketing director of CCSC. Dave gave us an update of CCSC; there are over 160 stores and 40 of these are unique to the Denver market, including Burberry and Louis Vuitton. Several are flagship stores: Elway’s, H&M, Omega, and Forever 21. New this year is Athleta which sells women’s athletic gear. CCSC caters to the tourism customer with relationships with hotels, passport to shopping (coupons and special discounts), easy transportation to and from downtown as well as being the starting point for daily Grey Line city tours to various destinations. CCSC also has a Farmer’s Market on Saturdays from the 1st of May to October and from June to October on Wednesdays as well. There are approximately 14 million visitors yearly and 27% of them visit CCSC. Many come from Mexico, Germany and the UK. Vouchers and information is available at the Customer Service counter in several languages including Spanish, French, German and Japanese. Customer Service can get visitors tickets to any play, concert or other event.
The Denver Art Museum (DAM) was represented Cindy Sewell who updated us on the ticketed show coming to the DAM - “Passport to Paris” which will feather French art of three centuries including several Monets, and Gauguin sketches. There is also a Bauhaus and Pre-Bauhaus exhibit on display now as is a Japanese Woven Bamboo exhibit. Spun, and Adventure in Textiles will be a hands-on exhibit and will be available with a general admission from June 9 through September 23rd. Rudy Rodriguez is the contact for group tours (10 or more). Check the DAM website for specific information.
Denver International Airport (DIA) was ably represented by Dan Melfi, Director of Customer Service & Terminal Operations. Dan gave us an update on the construction of the hotel and light rail line that he had announced last year with detailed information on the reconstruction of the West Terminal access. Dan said that construction on the hotel has started as has the commuter rail tunnel. Passengers with longer than a six hour layover can leave DIA and be able to return in time for their next flight. DIA suggests that if a passenger has less than six hours that they stay at the airport. Dan said that Iceland Air has added several friendly destinations to the schedule and that Valeros flies to Mexico, a popular destination. Dan also gave us some insights into the difficulty of getting new scheduled flights into DIA. It took 12 years to get BOAC and 14 years to get Lufthansa to bring flights to Denver. Both of these (BOAC and Lufthansa) have been very successful businesses. Business passengers generate over $100 million/year in revenue for DIA.
Dan was asked about the sequester impact on DIA. The result seems to be that getting through Customs is slow. This can cause one in seven passengers to miss their next flight due to the long lines in Customs. Forty-four percent of international business travel has stated that they will not return to the US for business because of the delays. Dan mentioned that there will be 28 international flights expected to come in one day and getting them through Customs and out into the city or ski slopes is very important. Customs is in charge of this not DIA so they have no real control of the timing. TSA (Security) has adapted by having many of their people work split shifts to accommodate the passengers. There are approximately 600 TSA employees at DIA. The security level in the US currently is moderate except for Category X airports (DIA is a Category X airport).
On the other notes about DIA - the blue horse is staying. There will be video available showing a simulation of the construction projects from the current level of construction simulated through completion. The hotel under construction has been lowered to only 12 floors because the tower must have full sight of all the runways.
The pre-check option for passengers which will allow you to keep on your shoes and jacket and not take your laptop out may be available for frequent fliers on several airlines including United, American, Delta and Alaska Air.
DIA is the 11th busiest airport in the world and the second busiest in the US. DIA is busy because we have a lot of convention trade and business shows here. There are twenty flights/day to NYC, Dallas, and other large cities. A lot of DIA’s increase in business is due to Southwest Airlines. There are over 1700 flights/day to and from DIA, 1/3rd (450) are commuter flights (Denver-Colo Spgs, or Denver-Aspen, Denver-Vail, etc.)
Dan also reminded us that when weather causes problems at DIA, the culprit is usually the wind, not the rain or snow. Many of the commuter flights are not able to take off or land because of the high winds which may blow them off the runway.
Dave Rubin, Brand Manager represented the Denver Botanic Gardens and presented their summer theme “Catalyst Colorado Sculpture” which runs from May 4, 2013 through January 12, 2014. The summer concert schedule has just been announced and there is something for everyone – country, classic rock, etc. Lawn chairs can be rented for $10/each so that your lawn chair can be left at home for the concerts. Chatfield’s summer concert schedule was announced as well. Chatfield can seat about 5,000 for a concert though DBG can seat about 1,200. For group tours, call the Visitors Services main line.
Charlotte Hurley, Public Relations Director of the Museum of Nature and Science (DMNS) told us about the current and future programs at DMNS. Mammoths and Mastodons – Titans of the Ice Age is the current major exhibit and we each received one free admission ticket for this exhibit. In the IMAX Theater, “Flight of the Butterflies” is playing – chronicling the life of Monarch butterflies and their migration from Mexico to Canada. In the fall Mythbusters – A Test will be shown telling the truth about myths that we all have heard. Eli – A Day in the Life of a Curator was produced here after nine-year old Eli applied for the position as Curator of DMNS last year. Eli’s story made CBS Sunday Morning. In February 2014 there will be new construction started. Group rates are available and there are many coach parking spots. Check the website for more detailed information.
Alyssa Weeks represented History Colorado and told us about Thomas Jefferson’s Bible is on loan to the museum from the Smithsonian. There are photo exhibits of American soldiers to be on display from Memorial Day to Labor Day this year. All military get in free. In late November there will be an exhibit called Living West which will depict life in the West at Mesa Verde, during the Dust Bowl (which was pronounced in Southeast Colorado) and the mountain environment. Group tickets are available.
Flora Jane DeRienzo with Denver Center for Performing Arts (DCPA) reminded us that DCPA brings in Broadway attractions – Book of Mormon, etc. as well as having the largest theater company under one roof in the US (Lincoln Center is the largest, but not under one roof). This theater company is one of five or six in the US. The current show is Sense and Sensibility. Tickets are generally available even on short notice for the theater company productions. Under certain circumstances tickets may be available for as little as $10 - $15 each and are generally affordable. Group sales can give a discount up to 30%. There are group tours and senior’s tours available for DCPA and Red Rocks. A quick update on activities at Red Rocks for 2013 shows that there are 107 concerts booked for 2013.
Chrystal Ray, Manager, Visitor Information Centers for Visit Denver, the Convention & Visitors Bureau represents several venues and many diverse events. These include sports activities, the Kirkland Museum, Foothills Art Center and the Ogden Theater. Visit Denver also sponsors many weekend events such as Cinco de Mayo, Five Points Art. Over Memorial Day, Pavilions downtown is showcasing local artists. Other events include the Cherry Creek Arts Festival which drew 300,000 people in 2012 and the Chalk Arts Festival. You can also get information on self-guided walking tours.
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