Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Volusia Law Firm to help sponsor “Denim and Diamonds” Ball to benefit America Cancer Society

DAYTONA BEACH – The Port Orange-based law firm of Rue & Ziffra is a gold sponsor of the inaugural Cattle Baron’s Denim and Diamonds Ball set for June 18 in Daytona Beach.

A fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, the five-hour event begins at 6 p.m. at the Daytona 500 Club, inside the Daytona International Speedway at 1801 W. International Speedway Blvd.

Organized by a volunteer committee, the annual ball is hosted by the Volusia-Flagler Unit Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society.

Highlights will include a performance by country music recording artist Heidi Newfield, food created by the Daytona 500 Club chef, dancing, exciting casino games and two auctions.

During both live and silent auctions, guests may place their bid for a BMW or other valuable items donated to the organization by generous sponsors, according to Allan L. Ziffra, president of the personal-injury law firm.

“We’re very happy to be a sponsor of an exciting event for the community that also helps a great organization like the American Cancer Society,” said Ziffra, whose firm also helps sponsor other ACS events like the annual Relay for Life run.

Leslye Gale of Magic 107.7 FM and Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson will share hosting duties. Paul Hoover of Florida Hospital and Marisol Moreno of Homewood Suites are Cattle Baron Ball chairs, Dr. Beverly Grissom is co-chairman, and Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood is honorary chairman.

Proceeds from the ball will be used for research, advocacy, education and patient services throughout the American Cancer Society. Funds received during the live auction will benefit ROCK (Reaching Out to Cancer Kids).

Tickets for the event are $100 per person. For more information, contact Robin Mozingo at 386-561-1695, 386-274-3274, ext. 5851, or Robin.Mozingo@cancer.org, or visit www.TheBaronsBall.com.

About Rue & Ziffra: Founded by John D. Rue and Allan L. Ziffra, the personal-injury law firm of Rue & Ziffra has served the Central Florida community for more than 25 years. The firm’s commitment to its profession and its clients has earned it a reputation as one of the top personal-injury law firms in Central Florida. Known for handling everything from automobile and motorcycle accidents to medical malpractice, wrongful death, and social security and disability cases, Rue & Ziffra has recovered millions of dollars for injured clients and their families. With a staff of nine attorneys, the firm maintains offices in Port Orange and Orange City. For more information, visit www.rueziffra.com.

NAI Realvest Negotiates Expansion Lease with The Nemours Foundation at La Vina Marketplace in Southeast Orlando

MAITLAND, Fla. --- NAI Realvest recently negotiated an expansion lease agreement with The Nemours Foundation for 9,037 square feet of office space at La Vina Marketplace, 9145 Narcoossee Rd. in southeast Orlando.

Senior Associate Mary Frances West, CCIM negotiated the transaction representing the landlord, Orlando-based Ripley’s International LLC.

The tenant, who already occupies 12,345 square feet at La Vina Marketplace, is expanding its facilities on the second floor. The expansion brings the total square footage Nemours occupies to 21,382 square feet at the La Vina Marketplace.

Mickey Hage of Mickey Hage, Inc. represented The Nemours Foundation in the transaction.

About NAI Realvest
NAI Realvest, covering all of central Florida, is a fully integrated commercial real estate operating company specializing in brokerage, development, investment, leasing and management, consulting and research services in the U.S. and worldwide. NAI Global is an international commercial real estate network with over 350 offices spanning the globe. Since 1978, clients have built businesses on the power of NAI Global’s expanding network. Extensive services include multi-site acquisitions and dispositions, sublease, tenant representation, lease administration and audit, investment services, due diligence and related consulting and advisory services. To learn more,visit www.nairealvest.com

Ashton Woods Homes Offering Three New Floor Plans at Palm Cove in Pasco County

TAMPA, Fla. --- Ashton Woods Homes is now offering three new floor plans at its community of Palm Cove, located in Pasco County off Boyette Rd. and S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel.

Michael Roche, vice president of sales and marketing for Ashton Woods Homes in the Tampa Bay region, said new floor plans will range from 1,634 square feet of living space to 2,639 square feet.

There are 25 three, four and five-bedroom single-family homes in the current phase priced from $154,900.

Ashton Woods Homes is one of the nation’s largest private homebuilding companies, with operations in Orlando, Tampa, Atlanta, Raleigh, Dallas, Houston, Austin and Phoenix. Visit www.ashtonwoodshomes.com.

THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING BOOKING WINDOW

Winter Garden, Fla. ..... Ask a lodging industry expert the definition of a “short-term meeting” and they’ll likely cite anything booked within 90 days of the meeting taking place. Ask 150 meeting planners and they’ll say 13 days, according to a recent survey that, for the first time ever, examined what many see as a booking trend that isn’t ending anytime soon.

In a survey commissioned by technology startup Zentila and conducted by the Y Partnership, a pool of 150 corporate meeting planners were asked to comment on their current booking activity. The results were eye-opening. Planners reported that on average, they booked 15 off-site meetings in the last 12 months with an average booking window of only about 36 days.

When asked what booking window* would constitute a “short-term” meeting, they said 13 days. How long did it take them to find a facility for this meeting? Fifty-three percent said two to three days, while 33 percent said more than four days.

“These numbers are telling and represent a fundamental shift in the meetings industry from a more planned and budgeted meetings strategy to an ad-hoc, off-budget strategy. The number of short-term meetings is a far greater percentage of overall meeting demand than we ever expected,” said Mike Mason, chief executive officer and founder of Zentila, a new hospitality technology company. “Meeting planners -- both professional and non-professional -- are being asked to do more with fewer resources and less time.

Unfortunately, the process of booking a meeting has generally remained the same. The current list of new technology has had an incremental effect, but hasn’t hit the major points of pain; the constant back and forth that occurs between the planner, hotel, or third party.” What obstacles exist inside this window? The number one challenge indicated by survey participants was “finding the right type of hotel or meeting space,” followed by a close second of “catering cost.”

“Some interesting findings began to emerge when we drilled down on this data and asked questions about how planners are addressing these obstacles,” said Mason. “And what all this amounts to is that planners play by a different set of rules when the time frame is constricted,” said Mason.

Following are a few highlights:

* Relationships are important…to a point. Ninety-seven percent cited that they are more willing
to be flexible about their short-term meeting space options, which includes about half of the
planners who said they were actually open to trying an unknown facility.

* Upscale properties are the short-term meeting go-to’s. Seventy-two percent of planners will
only consider upscale and luxury hotels for their short-term meetings, according to the survey.
And those who can’t find what they need are three times more likely to upgrade vs. downgrade
their hotel choice.

* Shorter lead time equals planner empowerment. The survey found that most planners (68
percent) have permission to sign off on their short-term meeting contracts without
management approval.

* The need for speed sometimes trumps the need to meet. Almost 20 percent of planners said
that if they can’t find the facility they need in time, they will either cancel the meeting or host it
in their own facility.


So what does it all mean?

“The amount of pressure on meeting planners to perform these days is unprecedented, “said Mason, a 25 year veteran of the hospitality industry. “This data is eye-opening on many levels, but most critical to us are the very specific needs planners have identified once they enter this short-term zone.”

For more information, visit www.zentila.com or call (407) 656-5683.

Ashton Woods Homes Names New Sales Associate

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Ashton Woods Homes in Orlando has named Wanda Belair a new sales associate.

Mike Roche, vice president of sales and marketing at Ashton Woods Homes, said Belair has more than 20 years of experience and will work out of Ashton Woods’ Lakeside Townhomes in Windermere.

Ashton Woods Homes is one of the nation’s largest private homebuilding companies, with operations in Orlando, Tampa, Atlanta, Raleigh, Dallas, Houston, Austin and Phoenix. Visit www.ashtonwoodshomes.com.