California Association of Bed & Breakfast Inns

Take a Look Back
And be InnSpired!

The 2010 InnSpire Conference & Trade Show hosted by the California Association of Bed & Breakfast Inns (CABBI) was recently held at the Meritage Resort & Spa in Napa. Conference attendees experienced three days of intense educational workshops and a two-day trade show packed with attendee-exclusive discount offers. The conference had a 20% increase in attendance from 2009. Many local innkeepers took advantage of the Monday-only promotion, which included roundtables, workshops, a networking reception and trade show.

Here's what InnSpire 2010 attendees are saying:

“Wow! I have been to the past 15 years of conferences and this was absolutely the best location and Wine Cave dinner. The seminars and speakers were exceptional!”

“Fabulous!”

“The best we've participated in to date!”

“Loved, loved, loved the roundtables.”

“Thank you! We truly enjoyed ourselves and had a great time, and picked up some great information!”

Conference Highlights

InnSpire was hosted in Napa for the first time in the conference’s 18-year history. Attendees experienced a once-in-a-lifetime dinner in the Meritage Wine Cave. This elegant setting provided an unforgettable networking opportunity for innkeepers and exhibitors.

Michael Pritchard, nationally acclaimed wellness coach and motivator, set the inspirational tone for the event with his keynote presentation “Hospitality, Humor and the Joys of Comfort.” Pritchard’s down-to-earth sense of humor had the crowd roaring. Through his humor, he taught innkeepers how to handle stress, frustration and anger, as well as how to better communicate to resolve conflict. “We should always start with comedy,” said one attendee. “A perfect pick us up!”

On Sunday afternoon, attendees enjoyed some exclusive time in the trade show with exhibitors. “This was my second year at InnSpire, “said Linda McCrae of Comphy Company. “Great People with great ideas coming together for the information and the social opportunities. I made some good sales and some good contacts. Always a good thing for a vendor. I look forward to InnSpire in San Diego next year.” In addition to the memorable Wine Cave Dinner, Monday was packed with educational opportunities including roundtables featuring: “10 Practical Ways to Get More Online Reservations” from Bill Mitchell of RezStream, “Get Your Website Critiqued by an Expert” with Scott Crumpton of White Stone Marketing, “How to Increase Repeat Business” with Susan Zolla, owner of Inn at Playa del Rey.

With the current economy, the conference schedule focused heavily on Internet marketing as a means of informing innkeepers how to increase reservations through marketing strategies. Some of the marketing workshop highlights were: “Online Tools to Knock Your Socks Off” by Trent Blizzard of Blizzard Internet Marketing, “The Proof is in the Placement: Search Engine Bootcamp” by Lisa Kolb of Acorn Internet Services, and “15 Minute Marketing Makeover: Refocus your Revenue Goals with the Help of Web Statistics” by Steven Dunston of InsideOut Solutions.

Our popular annual trade show featured many new and repeat exhibitors both featuring a variety of exciting new products. In attendance were more than 40 vendors who supply innkeepers with the products and services that are essential to running their business. Conference attendees could see, smell and touch the amenities that make their guests feel so special. Attendees had the opportunity to talk one-on-one with Internet marketing companies, insurance providers, realtors and more who cater their products and services to the bed and breakfast industry.

During the CABBI Update and Luncheon on Tuesday, the Inspiring Ideas Winners were announced. Monique Grazadei of the Foxes Inn at Sutter Creek won for her inspiring idea to make a “Walk-in Special” banner to encourage last minute bookings. Marjorie Woodbridge of Casa Tropicana Beachfront Inn shared her inspiring idea to invite local tourism-related business owners and employees to come experience the inn on slower days to encourage cross-promotion of businesses in your market.

Innkeeping as a Profession (IAP) Workshop

During the conference, 12 aspiring innkeepers attended the two-day Innkeeping As a Profession (IAP) workshop to learn about the industry and what it takes to run a bed and breakfast on a day-to-day basis. Here’s what IAP attendees had to say:

“The candid conversations provide some of the best insight into the industry.”

“It’s good to know this is such a supportive and helpful industry.”

“I really appreciate the support of innkeepers and their willingness to share their knowledge and wisdom.”

Congratulations!

A special congratulations to Stephanie McCaffrey of the McCaffrey House Bed & Breakfast, who was awarded the Inspiring Innkeeper Award for her unprecedented five-years of volunteer leadership as the InnSpire Conference Committee Chair.

Also congratulations and thank you to Jim Beazley of the Beazley House Bed and Breakfast, who was awarded for his outstanding leadership as the CABBI Council Chair from 2008-2009.

Congratulations to the winners of the InnSpire Wine Cave Dinner raffle. Winners included:

Jenny Oaks of the Victorian Inn won a one-night stay at the El Colibri Boutique Hotel & Spa in Cambria

John Aguilar of the El Morocco Inn & Spa won a two-night stay at the Marriott Mission Valley in San Diego, the site of the 2011 InnSpire Conference

Dan Cocilova of Arbor Guest House won a one-year membership to Bed & Breakfast Inns & Guesthouse International

Jim Boyer of the Napa Inn won a one-night stay with dinner to come back and visit the Meritage!

A Special Thank You

A special thank you to Roby and Carolyn of Wowi Zowi Productions for helping to capture the memories of the InnSpire Conference through their photography. Wowi Zowi Productions is a full-service company focused on branding and marketing through custom website design and complete visual concept development to the hospitality and leisure industries. Visit WowiZowi.com for more information.

Thank you to the following wineries who provided wine at the InnSpire Conference: Trade Show Opening Reception: Nexus Brands, Geerling and Wade, Peju Province Winery and Black Stallion Winery; Monday Reception: Jessup Cellars, Trinchero Family Estates and Vsattui; InnSpire Wine Cave Dinner: Nexus Brands, Girard Winery and Vsattui.

Thank you the following companies for donating items to the InnSpire Silent Auction. Fifty percent of the proceeds will be donated to the California Hotel & Lodging Association (CH&LA) Education Foundation: Comphy Company, Hillcrest House Bed and Breakfast, Lanier Publishing International, Old World Inn, Albert Shafsky House Bed and Breakfast, Inn at Locke House, California Mutual Insurance, Chelsea Garden Inn, ADA Compliance Consultants, BookingCenter, Alain Pinel Realtors, Ballard Inn, Captain’s Inn at Moss Landing, Crauford Winery, Beazley House Bed and Breakfast, Bridge Brand Chocolates and Cypress Apparel Group.

An extra special thank you to the members of the 2010 InnSpire Conference Committee. Thank you for all your feedback and efforts towards making the conference a success. InnSpire Conference Committee members include: Stephanie McCaffrey of the McCaffrey House Bed and Breakfast, Bruce Abney of the El Morocco Inn & Spa, Jim and Carol Beazley of the Beazley House Bed and Breakfast, Ann Callahan of Hillcrest House Bed and Breakfast, Doug Cook of Brannan Cottage Inn, Lani Eklund of Inn at Locke House, Dick Lopez of Lodging Property Brokers, Rita Timewell of Albert Shafsky House Bed and Breakfast, and Marjorie Woodbridge of Casa Tropicana Beachfront Inn.

Thank you to everyone who attended InnSpire 2010 and to those that helped make it a success!

We look forward to seeing all of you at InnSpire 2011 in San Diego at the Mission Valley Marriott from January 30-February 1, 2011.