Meetings Today Podcast: Recent Episodes
Meetings Today
Meetings Today and partner podcasts share valuable insights on topics pertinent to the industry such as current events, the future of meetings, career advice, expert interviews and more.
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Visit Anaheim Chief Marketing Officer Scott Oklin and VP of Intermediary Strategy Virna Navia discuss the DMO's new rebrand as it embarks on a "Golden Decade," which will see massive new developments such as OCVIBE and DisneyForward as well as a new drive to attract visitors to "tentpole" events.
With the largest convention center on the West Coast, this SoCal city is upping the ante while still savoring its standing as the center of Disney's iconic theme parks.
From pricing and cost increases to declining attendance, nuanced security concerns and the ever-shrinking definition of what exactly constitutes force majeure, meetings industry attorney extraordinaire Joshua Grimes discusses the latest business meetings and events contract issues and strategies for planners to deal with them.
Discover how you can protect your organizations, and career, via these strategies to push back via contract clauses and anticipating problems before its too late to deal with them appropriately.
Courtney Stanley, host of Meetings Today's Dare to Interrupt podcast, has championed women's empowerment in the meetings and events industry for more than a decade, including co-founding the #MeetingsToo movement.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson spoke with Courtney about how she got into the meetings industry, the inspiring women she's interviewed, and how women (and men) can further female advancement and influence in an industry that is roughly 80% female but underrepresented in C-level positions.
In this Meetings Today podcast, destinations content manager Taylor Smith sits down with Carolina Viazcan, vice president of sales at Visit Greater Palm Springs, and Colleen Pace, chief sales and marketing officer at Visit Greater Palm Springs, to talk about what's new in Greater Palm Springs, from air service updates, new and renovated properties and more, and to learn little bit about the benefits of booking during Greater Palm Springs' off-calendar season.
From the recent re-opening of a particularly scenic stretch of Highway 1 to new hotel developments, major sporting events, news from Pebble Beach and two marketing initiatives from his DMO, Meetings Today checks in with See Monterey President & CEO Rob O’Keefe to get the skinny on the latest meetings, attractions and hotel haps in California's Monterey County.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Elliott L. Ferguson, president and CEO of Destination DC, at PCMA Convening Leaders 2026 to discover what's new in the nation's capital in regard to meetings and conventions.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Lisa Messina, chief sales officer for Visit Orlando, and Mike Tester, executive director for the Orange County Convention Center, at PCMA Convening Leaders 2026 to discuss goings-ons in the nation's most popular meetings and leisure destination.
Orlando is a destination that is no stranger to superlatives. From being named the top meetings destination in North America for the 10th time to logging record visitor numbers both in the leisure and meetings segments, this Florida phenomenon is always ahead of the competition.
Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson met up with Lisa Messina, chief sales officer for Visit Orlando, at IMEX America 2025 to discover what’s new and improved in a destination that is always top of mind with meeting and event planners.
From the first new theme park in 25 years to property announcements and its hot dining scene, Messina shares why this Central Florida standout is always earning the attention and accolades it receives.
Following the release of the 2025 Incentive Travel Index (ITI) on Smart Monday and an insightful panel discussion in which industry leaders broke down this year's survey results, Meetings Today's Taylor Smith tapped Padraic Gilligan, SITE's head of research and consultancy, to get his quick, 15-minute snapshot of the 2025 ITI and the key takeaways today's incentive travel professionals need to know.
Human trafficking is one of those issues that is difficult to talk about yet so critical to address. Three meetings and hospitality industry giants, Maritz, Marriott and Hilton, have stepped up to the plate to form the Fight Against Human Trafficking Coalition, which will provide a wealth of resources and training to combat this travel industry scourge.
Meetings Today's Taylor Smith sat down with Hyatt's Trina Camacho-London, vice president of group sales, and Christina Gambini, vice president of global sales, to talk business travel trends and how they've shifted since the first half of the year.
What are the top four legal concerns impacting the meetings and events industry?
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Maritz Deputy General Counsel Jill Blood at IMEX America 2025 to find out what's keeping both planners and suppliers up at night, and strategies to overcome these vexatious legal dilemmas.
Discover how you can protect your organization.
On this episode of the Meetings Today podcast, learn all about the meeting planner's guide to Indianapolis' new developments with Leonard Hoops, CEO and president of Visit Indy.
In this Meetings Today podcast, destinations content manager Taylor Smith sits down with Richard Bliss, CEO of BlissPoint Consulting, a LinkedIn Top Voices Influencer and a 2025 Meetings Trendsetter, to understand he helps executives master modern communication tools for strategic business advantage, specifically through LinkedIn.
In this Meetings Today Podcast, recorded on the IMEX America tradeshow floor, Taylor Smith sits down with Amanda Armstrong, senior vice president of communications and industry relations at Encore, to talk about how Encore made an impact at IMEX, the importance of awakening all of your attendees' senses and the future of event technology.
Note: This episode was originally published October 18, 2024
In this Meetings Today podcast episode, Content Developer Taylor Smith speaks with Kim Mueller, Director of Sales for Ocean City, Maryland’s Department of Tourism about everything that makes this East Coast destination the total package for meetings and events of all kinds.
Note: This episode was originally published April 9, 2025
On this episode of the Meetings Today podcast, our own Taylor Smith talks with Tahira Endean, head of program at IMEX, about her new book released at the end of March that invites industry professionals to see events “not merely as logistical undertakings but as powerful catalysts for happiness, productivity and trust.”
Note: This episode was originally published April 24, 2025
National keynote speaker, MC and author Joel Zeff joins Logan Pratt on this episode of the Meetings Today podcast to talk about the necessity of a good MC at events, the power of "ta-da," celebrating life's small wins and how the power improv can change people's lives for the better.
Joel Zeff is the author of Make the Right Choice: Lead with Passion, Elevate Your Team, and Unleash the Fun at Work. And for nearly 30 years has been using the tools of improv and comedy to increase collaboration, productivity, passion and innovation by celebrating life's small wins, or "ta-da" moments.
Tyler Davidson sat down with Doane Liu, chief tourism officer for the City of Los Angeles, to discuss some of the global marquee events headed to the City of Angels in the next few years, along with general happenings impacting its meetings and conventions scene, including the much-anticipated improvements at LAX.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson caught up with new San Diego Tourism Authority President & CEO Daniel Kuperschmid at ASAE's Annual Meeting to find out what the new DMO leader's objectives are, how his 30-year career in hotels informs his new position, major meetings-related developments in what may be the hottest destination in the U.S., and some of the undiscovered gems of this SoCal standout.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson caught up with Al Hutchinson, former president and CEO of Visit Baltimore, to explore his new venture, AVH Enterprise, and its mission to provide comprehensive leadership development, strategic planning and social impact solutions tailored specifically to DMOs.
Visit Irving Executive Director Maura Gast explains how this Dallas Metroplex meetings destination is making strides in wellness and its skill at hyper-personalizing its meetings offering for planners and attendees.
On this episode of the Meetings Today podcast, digital content coordinator Logan Pratt sits down with Carolina Viazcan, vice president of sales for Visit Greater Palm Springs, and Laruen Bruggemans, director of sustainability and community engagement, to learn how the destination is both creating new developments while balancing its commitment to environmental and social sustainability.
This podcast was produced in partnership with Visit Greater Palm Springs.
With $10 billion in infrastructure investment and new dining, retail and entertainment districts such as OCVIBE, Anaheim, California, has embarked on what it has dubbed the "Golden Decade."
Meetings Today caught up with Ronnie Collins, senior vice president of sales for Visit Anaheim, to learn the details, and also about mega events coming to the destination, a major property renovation project and a meetings incentive program named Meetings Momentum.
Phoenix has earned the moniker "Championship Valley" because of its extensive experience in hosting big sporting events like the Super Bowl and basketball championships. Lorne Edwards, chief sales officer, Visit Phoenix and Eric George, special events administrator, City of Phoenix, discuss what goes into the execution of large-scale sporting events and world-class conventions in Phoenix ahead of more major events coming to town.*Created in partnership with Visit Phoenix
Gaylord Pacific Resort & Convention Center DOSM Russ Mitchell talks about the brand's massive new $1.3 billion property near San Diego, which will be the largest hotel on the West Coast.
Located in Chula Vista, California, and set for a May 15, 2025 opening, the property will offer a whopping 1,600 rooms and more than 477,000 square feet of meeting space that includes the 47,000-square-foot California Ballroom, the largest in the Golden State.
The threat by the Trump Administration to levy significant tariffs against three of the biggest trading partners of the U.S. became reality March 4, 2025, and the impact on the meeting and events industry is still unfolding.
Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson engaged Voices in Advocacy’s Roger Rickard, the leading expert on political advocacy in the meetings industry and beyond, to gauge how the 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada, and now 20% on China—and reciprocal actions by those nations—may touch the industry.
Will meeting and event costs skyrocket? Will international attendance plummet? Will organizations from those countries take a pass on bringing their events to the U.S.?
At the time of recording the impact was far from clear, but Rickard outlines some very real scenarios as well as provides resources for how those in the meetings and events industry can reach out to their political representatives to make sure their voices are heard.
Former Freeman Company CEO Bob Priest-Heck has helmed one the largest events industry companies in the world, collecting a vast reservoir of knowledge on the profession.
Now, in tandem with Freeman Board Chair Carrie Freeman Parsons, he's put that knowledge down on paper in their new book Inside Live Events.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Priest-Heck to discuss why the book is such a valuable resource for meeting and event planners, as well as key industry trends and the importance of sharing our knowledge with the next generation of meeting professionals.
Michael Krouse, president and CEO of the Greater Ontario, California CVB, aka GOCAL, and regional vice president convention centers for ASM Global, shares details on a massive expansion project that will double the size of the Ontario Convention Center (including a parking garage that can double as an event venue!) as well as a new entertainment district, Empire Sports Complex and baseball stadium, and an expansion of Ontario International Airport and a downtown improvement project.
In this episode of the Meetings Today podcast, Senior Content Director Danielle LeBreck speaks with Lisa Bethea, director of destination services for Visit Frisco, about how planners can host memorable events in rapidly growing Frisco. Learn how to tap the Destination Services team at Visit Frisco, what new developments are on the horizon and more.
Tyler Davidson checked in with David Peckinpaugh, president and CEO or global MICE giant Maritz, at PCMA's Convening Leaders event in Houston, Texas to discover findings from two major, recent Maritz surveys and what they reveal about the incentive market.
Tyler Davidson sat down with Casandra Matej, president and CEO of Visit Orlando, and Mark Tester, executive director of the Orange County Convention Center, to discover what’s new and coming down the pike in what is perennially the most popular meetings and conventions destination in North America.
Eric Zimmerman was named a 2024 Meetings Trendsetter for his innovative work at TripZero, which helps meeting planners host sustainable events at no extra cost.
In this Trendsetter Tuesday episode, Zimmerman shares his personal sustainability journey and offers practical tips for greening your next event.
Mandi Graziano, vice president, global accounts at HPN Global, wears many hats—a sales coach, podcast host, author, professional speaker and now, a 2024 Meetings Trendsetter.
Meetings Today's Taylor Smith sat down with this Trendsetter to hear her story and learn about how Graziano stays motivated and inspired.
Cape Cod is a destination that has been home to or frequented by some of the most influential people in U.S. culture, from literary lions like Kurt Vonnegut to American icons such as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and playwright Tennessee Williams.
Former Meetings Today editor Maria Lenhart, who has also written and edited for some of the other top meetings industry trade publications in a career measured in decades, has co-authored Secret Cape Cod and the Islands: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure.
Former colleague Tyler Davidson tapped into the making of this delightful new travel tome born during the pandemic, as well as Maria's observations from her many years covering travel and meetings, and how a group of senior ladies meeting in the Cape to play cards was treated to a private performance by Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, among many other decidedly quirky tales and travel tips.
Traci DePuy talks about her journey in the event marketing space, from her start as a PR representative to the Chief Marketing Officer for one of the largest associations of event professionals.
Monique Ruff-Bell is the Chief Program & Strategy Officer for TED, where she oversees TED’s flagship global events and conferences, TEDx programs and initiatives, global partnership sales and key marketing verticals. But before she was helping to run one of the most well-known conferences in the world, she was just a humble intern who decided to commit herself to the industry after meeting rapper LL Cool J.
Learn more about Monique's journey in the industry!
A 20-year food and beverage operations veteran, Thomas Whelan, director of events – Northeast for Access DMC, has helped launch off-premise and on-premise catering companies and curated experiences for millions of people at corporate events and social gatherings.
Whelan, a Meetings Today Trendsetter that was formerly the assistant GM for Levy Convention Centers at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center and also an outspoken advocate for inclusion in the meetings and events industry, is a font of meetings and conventions F&B knowledge.
Whelan also sits on the board of directors for the SEARCH Foundation, is a former board member of the LGBT Meeting Professionals Association and former president of the Massachusetts Live Events Coalition.
Learn the latest engaging catering and cuisine trends as well as the importance of joining industry associations and foundations.
In this Meetings Today podcast, digital content coordinator Logan Pratt sits down with Roger Rickard, founder and president of Voices in Advocacy to learn about how some of the key issues in the 2024 presidential election could impact the meetings industry. Rickard also talks about the effectiveness of destination boycotts, how groups can advocate for themselves in legislative policy and why there is always hope for the industry no matter who wins the White House.
On this spooky edition of a Meetings Today podcast, Meetings Today's own Taylor Smith and Logan Pratt read and react to some of the worst meetings horror stories submitted by Meetings Today readers. From firetrucks to bathrooms to palm trees, don't miss out on these hilarious horror stories this Halloween!
On this episode of the Trendsetter Tuesday podcast, Taylor Smith sat down with Amani Roberts, Chief Musical Curator at The Amani Experience to learn more about how Roberts uses tools like music to help those in the meetings industry unleash their creative minds.
AI represents a massive sea-change in the business world and beyond, and the business events segment is quickly adapting its benefits to workflows.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Amy Kramer, market and product innovation leader for Maritz, to see how the global MICE giant has integrated AI into its workflow, and also tips on how meeting professionals can implement this remarkable new technology to streamline workflows and gather information.
In this Trendsetter Tuesday podcast, Meetings Today digital content coordinator Logan Pratt sat down with Bill Reed, Chief Event Strategy Offer for the American Society of Hematology (ASH) and one of this year's Meetings Trendsetters.
Reed talks about his journey in the meetings industry to this point, why he is always asking questions and innovating and why he is never complacent with the status quo.
Native Los Angeleno Javier Cano wears many hats, from overseeing 10 hotels in Greater Los Angeles, including LA LIVE’s JW Marriott and The Ritz-Carlton, to being chair of the Los Angeles Tourism Marketing District and on the executive committee of the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board as well as the California Hotel & Lodging Association.
In addition, he’s on the board of directors of the California Travel Association, Hotel Association of Los Angeles and Central City Association, among others. Cano has also been recognized among the 500 most influential people in L.A., GM of the Year for Marriott and GM of the Year for Los Angeles. We also named him a 2024 Meetings Trendsetter.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson somehow got worked into Javier's busy schedule for a podcast interview.
Discover the unique perspectives, encyclopedic knowledge and inspirational advice this 45-year Marriott veteran brings to meetings and hospitality, and by all means share it with someone who may be considering a career in this dynamic industry!
From an association booking window that is slowly expanding to dealing with rising costs and the resilience of sustainability, the meetings industry is settling in following the post-pandemic period.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson got some time with Steve O'Malley, COO of business events solutions for global meetings giant Maritz, during IMEX America 2024 to explore the latest trends impacting the meetings industry.
See what this trends expert has to share about where we're at as an industry, and what the next five years may bring.
Orlando was just recognized as the top meeting destination in North America by Cvent--an accolade it has won nine times! While winning Cvent's top destination slot is nothing new for what is arguably the most popular meetings destination in North America, there's certainly plenty going on in this Central Florida powerhouse.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Casandra Matej, president and CEO of Visit Orlando, on the exhibit floor of IMEX America to get the skinny on major new happenings, from top-flight resorts such as Evermore Orlando Resort to the splashy new Live! at The Pointe Orlando event venue, four new Michelin-starred restaurants that speak to its hot dining scene, theme park special event venue additions and how the destination is gearing up to play a big role assisting Floridians as Hurricane Milton churns its way toward the west coast of the state.
A massive disruption in incentive travel programs has occurred in the last five years, with the global pandemic upending the very definition of top performer rewards and an influx of young people entering the workforce turning traditional programs on their ear.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson engaged Casey Epley, product director, incentives and engagement for Maritz, arguably the inventor of the modern incentive program, to see how the life cycle, inclusions and platforms for incentives has changed and how you can stay ahead of the curve.
In this Meetings Today podcast, senior contributor Jeff Heilman speaks with Destination DC President and CEO Elliott Ferguson at IMEX America 2024 in Las Vegas about the impact of Election 2024 on meetings and events, Destination DC’s new Connected Campus program for planners, sustainability and more.
Jill Blood, vice president and deputy general council for global meetings giant Maritz, is on the forefront of legal issues that are impacting the meetings and events industry.
Meetings Today Vice President & Chief Content Director Tyler Davidson sat down with Blood at IMEX America 2024 to discover what legal issues are keeping planners and the organizations they work for up at night.
From data privacy and AI workstreams to increasing costs colliding with shorter meeting time frames, it seems it's never been this complicated for those in the meetings industry. Find out what needs to be on your radar.
Taylor Smith sat down this morning with Hyatt’s Senior Vice President of Events Steve Enselein live on the IMEX America 2024 trade show floor to talk all the latest and greatest news in the Hyatt world that meeting planners should be aware of, including enhancements to Together by Hyatt and how planners can incorporate more sustainability and wellness into their Hyatt events. Tune in now!
Visit Phoenix is spiking the ball in the end zone via the launching of its Phoenix Sports and Events Commission, hoping to build on its success hosting marquee sports events such as Super Bowls and Final Fours.
We tapped Lorne Edwards, chief sales officer, and Jane Vukovich, director of destination services, to discover how this new division will also focus on cultural, music and other big events.
Plus, Jane Vukovich shares how the DMO can provide soup-to-nuts service to meeting planners bringing any type of event to the Valley of the Sun.
To celebrate our 2024 Meetings Trendsetters, Meetings Today launched "Trendsetter Tuesday," a podcast series of interviews with the 20 Trendsetters recognized in our July/August issue.
Heather Spangler, associate professor and event management certificate coordinator at the University of Iowa, educates and inspires students to become the industry's newest professionals, guaranteeing she helps set the industry up for a successful future.
In 2015, Spangler founded the University of Iowa’s Event Management Certificate, which draws 250 of the university’s best and brightest students each year. She is dedicated to providing a hands-on program focused on real-world skills and connections.
Meetings Today's Taylor Smith sat down with this Trendsetter to hear her story and learn more about the creation of the Event Management Certificate program and how Spangler makes it her mission to shape tomorrow's talent.
On this episode of Fast Forward, host Logan Pratt sits down with Anca Platon Trifan, the CEO of Tree-Fan Events and Fit Mindful Mavens who is also one of the foremost experts on artificial intelligence and AV technology in the industry. Learn how AI is currently being used in the industry, how it will be used and what its limitations are in this jam-packed podcast episode.
Our weekly Trendsetter Tuesday podcast series checks in with Rachel Andrews, senior director of global meetings and events for meetings and events industry technology giant Cvent.
After signing on with Cvent in 2011, Andrews built its event program from the ground up. Fourteen years later, she leads a team of 30 managing some 1,200 events every year. She also has catapulted Cvent’s annual user conference, Cvent CONNECT, into a globally recognized industry event.
Andrews is also the co-host of Cvent’s Great Events podcast and is an MPI International Board of Directors member, sought-after speaker and respected mentor and leader.
Debbie Garcia is the CEO of Virsitour, an online directoryfor meeting and event planners that allows them to experience virtual site tours of hotel and event venues from around the world. She is also a certified meeting planner and serves as the vice president of finance for MPI’s Tennessee chapter.
As part of our weekly Trendsetter Tuesday podcast series,Meetings Today digital content coordinator Logan Pratt sat down with Garcia to learn why she still believes in the value of virtual site tours and how she got to be where she is in the industry today.
Independent planner Chase Brunson is the foremost advocate for transgendered people in the meetings and events industry, frequently speaking for top industry associations such as MPI and PCMA.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson engaged Brunson to discover his journey and learn key tips for his planner colleagues to implement in their programs to ensure their events are welcoming to all attendees.
From the sprawling new Omni PGA Frisco Resort to major professional sporting facilities and a growing downtown, Frisco, Texas, is making moves in the meetings and events world.
Christina Decker, director of sales and services for Visit Frisco, explains the phenomenal growth of this Metroplex town and how the many additions and upcoming venues will dramatically increase its meetings and events clout.
To celebrate our 2024 Meetings Trendsetters, Meetings Today launched "Trendsetter Tuesday," a podcast series of interviews with the 20 Trendsetters recognized in our July/August issue.
Dr. Brandi Baldwin, CEO of Millennial Ventures, has made a massive effort to help companies and industry professionals thrive in their work environments.
Dr. Baldwin was named a 2024 Meetings Trendsetter by Meetings Today for her efforts to develop cutting edge strategies that foster equitable and thriving company cultures.
Meetings Today's Taylor Smith sat down with this Trendsetter to hear her story and learn more about what it means to make a difference.
To celebrate our 2024 Meetings Trendsetters, Meetings Today launched "Trendsetter Tuesday," a podcast series of interviews with the 20 Trendsetters recognized in our July/August issue.
Dami Kim is a wellness warrior who's been practicing how to effectively care for her physical, emotional and mental well-being for 26 years. Now, as director of Body & Brain Wellness, she is helping some of the most stressed professionals in the world do the same.
Kim was named a 2024 Meetings Trendsetter by Meetings Today for her desire to educate the industry through innovative and transformative practices fueled by her passion for helping others.
Meetings Today's Taylor Smith sat down with this Trendsetter to see how she turned her own life around and found her passion for helping others do the same.
Jim Spellos, president of Meeting U., has always been in the top echelon of meetings industry technology educators and speakers. AI such as ChatGPT has further fueled his fascination of transformative tech.
Spellos was named a 2024 Meetings Trendsetter by Meetings Today for his arguably unrivaled understanding of AI as it relates to the meetings industry.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with him to get his take on AI and what may lie beyond.
In this Meetings Today podcast for "The Z," Taylor Smith has a vulnerable conversation with Christy Renee Stehle, an award-winning hospitality professional, leadership trainer and professional speaker, about how to increase your magnetic presence to cultivate connections that make people remember you.
On this episode of Fast Forward, host Logan Pratt interviews David T. Stevens, one of the foremost wellness and fitness experts in the meetings and events industry on what the future of wellness looks like in the industry and how planners should be implementing wellness into their event agendas and how they can stay ahead of wellness trends.
To celebrate our 2024 Meetings Trendsetters, Meetings Today is introducing "Trendsetter Tuesday," a podcast series of interviews with the 20 Trendsetters recognized in our July/August issue.
In this episode, Meetings Today's Taylor Smith sat down for a conversation with Kristine Iverson, founder and president of CROW Practice, to learn about how she started her own live events wellness company, discovered the leadership techniques that work for her and what it means to her to be a 2024 Meetings Trendsetter.
To celebrate our 2024 Meetings Trendsetters, Meetings Today is introducing "Trendsetter Tuesday," a podcast series of interviews with the 20 Trendsetters recognized in our July/August issue.
For our first episode, Meetings Today's Taylor Smith sat down for a conversation with Alicia Jenelle, director of experience design at The Jenelle Group, to learn more about her story in meetings and events as well as what it means to her to be a 2024 Meetings Trendsetter.
Omni Hotels & Resorts Chief Sales Officer Dan Surette talks about how the Dallas-based brand offers a change of pace from other major hotel companies, from its unique ownership model and meetings and events offerings to the new Select Guest Program and dedication to employee growth and retention.
Surette also delves into recent and upcoming openings as well as what the hotel sales veteran sees as macro trends impacting an industry getting its stride following the dark days of the pandemic.
A year after taking the reins of Nashville Convention &Visitors Corp (NCVC), 27-year NCVC vet Deana Ivey shares her in-depth Music City expertise and what’s new in the destination.
With a new NFL stadium and dreams of hosting a Super Bowl, in addition to phenomenal hotel and event venue growth in the last few years, Music City is hotter than a plate of Nashville Hot Chicken.
Discover what the NCVC has been up to since the retirement of former bureau chief and industry icon Butch Spyridon retired, as well as what it's like to live in the "Capital of Country Music," where you just may bump shopping carts with a low-key celebrity when out on a grocery run.
And now for something completely different...
Association meetings thought-leader KiKi L'Italien, editor-in-chief of Association Chat and VP of marketing and community engagement at Big Red M, has put together what promises to be quite the party bus experience to shuttle ASAE Annual Meeting & Expo attendees from suburban D.C. to the convention in Cleveland, with conviviality and general merriment sure to ensue.
Discover how this outside-of-the-box networking road trip came together, and whether any DMOs or association-business craving properties along the way are marketing-savvy enough to provide the 2024 Association Chat Road Trip a reason for a pit stop.
L'Talien is joined by association consultancy vet Michael Butera, president and CEO of Association ActiVision, to discuss the current state of the segment, including a significant change to this year's ASAE Annual and some of the major challenges and opportunities ahead.
Are you on the bus?
On this episode of Fast Forward, host Logan Pratt interviews Stephen Cutchins, one of the foremost experts on accessibility in the meetings and events industry on what the future of accessibility looks like in the industry and how planners can better incorporate accessibility in their events.
Stephen Cutchins joined Cvent in 2022 as senior manager of accessibility and has spent over 15 years helping clients achieve accessibility-related goals. In prior work leading accessibility programs, he worked closely with People with Disabilities, including those who were Blind, Deaf, or had physical disabilities. Stephen has a passion as well as firsthand experience understanding how People with Disabilities use the web. As Cvent’s Senior Manager of Accessibility, Stephen works to ensure that our products are both usable and enjoyable by attendees who have disabilities.
Meetings industry veteran Gary Hernbroth, chief motivating officer for Training for Winners and popular business events industry speaker, has co-authored Twist the Familiar, a book detailing the stories of high-achievers and how their journey can create authentic pathways to success.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson engaged Hernbroth about his new book as well as macro trends that are shaping both the business word and meetings industry as we adjust to work and meetings life after the pandemic.
In this episode of the Meetings Today Podcast, Senior Content Director Danielle LeBreck speaks with Arlette Garibay, director of sales for Greater Ontario, California (GOCAL) about the destination's rapidly growing amenities for meetings and events.
Sponsored by Greater Ontario, California (GOCAL)
On this episode of Fast Forward, host Logan Pratt interviews Dahlia El Gazzar, one of the leading voices in event and marketing technology to find out how planners can and should be utilizing new technologies to better market their events.
As MPI's 2024 World Education Congress continues in Louisville, Kentucky, Meetings Today's Taylor Smith sat down with Jessie States, vice president of MPI Academy, to discuss all things education, from planning sessions for this year's conference to what's on the horizon for MPI Academy.
Curious about what your skill set should include in the future? Tune in now to learn more.
This year's MPI World Education Congress (WEC) is taking place May 20-22 in Louisville, Kentucky.
On day two of the event, Meetings Today's Taylor Smith sat down with MPI President and CEO Paul Van Deventer to talk WEC numbers, industry trends, the rise of AI and what's next for MPI.
In this Meetings Today Podcast for Taylor Smith's "The Z: Planning for the Industry's Next Generation," Smith chats with Mandi Graziano, vice president of global accounts for HPN Global, about the importance of networking in the meetings and events industry, the reality of how awkward it can be and ideas for how to make networking feel more natural. Tune in now for some tips and tricks from Graziano to keep in mind at your next networking event.
Zoe Moore, proprietor of Zoe Moore Consultancy, is one of the leading consultants and proponents of DEI, or diversity equity and inclusion, in the meetings and events industry.
Having co-chaired MPI's Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Advisory Committee and more recently leading Event Leadership Institute’s Event DEI Strategist certification course—and also an event planner—Moore has a uniquely qualified expertise on DEI and a keen perspective on why the concept is currently under attack.
Moore shares her unfiltered thoughts on the current state of DEI, or EDI, as she prefers to refer to it, with Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson.
If you're curious about DEI (aka EDI), this podcast is for you, as it illustrates its basic concepts as well as dives deeper to provide further understanding on what has recently become a politically charged topic.
In this episode of the Meetings Today Podcast, Lorne Edwards, chief sales officer for Visit Phoenix, checks in with Danielle LeBreck about the rapid growth in Phoenix, especially in the technology sector. Learn how this expansion brings big potential for meetings and conventions.
*Sponsored by Visit Phoenix
In this episode of Fast Forward, host Logan Pratt sits down with event technology expert and founder of Endless Events, Will Curran, to find out more about the future of event technology. Curran and Pratt discuss everything from AI to AR and Curran's newest project, leading Bizzabo's wearable event technology brand, Klik.
Late meeting and event registration keeping you up at night with heartburn and night sweats? Don't fret, planner! The later the registration the more ancillary spend an attendee drops at an event.
Maritz has released a groundbreaking Registration Insights Report that collected data over three years from 360,000 registrations at 30 tradeshows. Emily Laufgraben, market insight manager for the global meetings and events giant, reveals the sweet spot between fretting over late arrivals and taking their event spend to the bank.
According to a robust new survey from Maritz, late event registration translates into more ancillary meetings spend by attendees. Discover where this sweet spotbetween heartburn and revenue generation lies.
In the first ever episode of the Fast Forward podcast, host Logan Pratt sits down with hybrid meetings expert Bill Reed, who shares why meeting planners should still consider planning a hybrid event, and discusses the benefit of incorporating hybrid elements to events even four years after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jason Dunn, CEO of the National Coalition of Black MeetingProfessionals (NCBMP), has been a leader in hospitality and DMO diversity andinclusion efforts for decades, from his time at Visit Cincy—where he rose to bethe DMO's first Black vice president after initially participating in a travelboycott of the destination—to lead NCBMP in November 2022.
Now, after a little more than a year at the helm of NCBMP, Dunnreflects on his work there as well as where the meetings and events industry isin terms of diversity and inclusion, the nuanced issue of travel boycotts andadvisories, and the generational challenge of persuading young people toconsider a career in the meetings and hospitality industries.
Dominique Bonds, director of engagement for the Pennsylvania Convention Center, shares her vision as new president of Event Service Professionals Association, including DEIAB, generational shifts in the world of event service profs, sustainability and the evolution of the role of being the No. 1 on-the-ground point of contact for meeting and event planners.Bonds also fills us in on some of the big annual shows coming to Philly and the destination's big plans for 2026.
When most people think of standup comedy, they typically think of crude Netflix specials or dank nightclubs with comedians swearing like sailors. But when Greg Schwem takes the stage, you can hear the audience laughing about topics such as sales meetings, corporate websites or business advertising campaigns.
Visit Indy’s president and CEO made his debut as the new Chair of PCMA’s 2024 Board of Directors and Trustees known by vanquishing the association’s president and CEO, Sherrif Karamat, on the pickleball court at Convening Leaders (CL).
Thus sanctified, Hoops later sat down with Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson to discuss the record-setting attendance and other happenings at CL—including the epic pickleball showdown—as well as the many exciting new developments happening in Indy.
In this Meetings Today Podcast for Taylor Smith's "The Z: Planning for the Industry's Next Generation," Smith sits down with Luke Goetting, an award-winning communications expert, founder of Puffingston Presentations and a Gen Z speaker who specializes in crafting engaging, interactive experiences for audiences around the world.
As a Millennial company leader, Goetting coaches Gen Z employees on how to maximize their effectiveness at work and consults with clients aiming to inspire Gen Z. His expertise has helped him learn and develop invaluable tactics for navigating the challenges and opportunities of working with Gen Z, fostering a collaborative and productive environment that aligns with the expectations of this tech-savvy and socially conscious generation. From virtual meeting etiquette to leveraging innovative technologies, tune in now for some tips from Goetting on fostering collaborative and productive environments for incoming professionals.
As the leader of perhaps the most unique meetings and events draw in the U.S. if not the world, Destination DC President & CEO Elliott Ferguson oversees an operation that represents everything from world-class museums and global government event venues to iconic hotels and a cuisine scene that has taken a seat at the table of top dining destinations.
Meetings Today caught up with Ferguson on the bustling floor of The District exhibitor area at PCMA Convening Leaders 2024 to discuss Destination DC's Only One D.C. marketing campaign, new hotels and meetings venues on the scene, its status as the first city in the world to achieve Platinum level LEED for Cities and Sustainability District, and his and the bureau's ongoing efforts leading DEI and supplier diversity initiatives.
From AI and generational shifts to rethinking event design, supplier diversity, prices and the latest and greatest innovation impacting the meetings and events industry, Maritz President & CEO David Peckinpaugh is an authority on what's coming down the pike in the business events world.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Peckinpaugh at PCMA Convening Leaders 2024 to discover what the leader of one of the biggest MICE companies in the world is seeing, including whether hybrid and virtual meetings are fading post-pandemic.
What lays in store for you in 2024?
From major new ultra-luxe properties such as Evermore Orlando Resort and the Conrad Orlando, the high-speed Brightline train linking Orlando to Miami and a cuisine scene that is raking in recognition from Michelin, Central Florida's meetings and events magnet is an attractive force.
We sat down with Visit Orlando Chief Sales Officer Mike Waterman at PCMA Convening Leaders 2024 to discover what's new in a destination Cvent designates as the top meetings draw in the U.S., along with the most recent meetings numbers.
Visit Irving Texas Executive Director Maura Gast shares how this Dallas Metroplex convention magnet, often described as the "headquarters of headquarters" due to the proliferation of Fortune 500 HQs, has transformed into an entertainment mecca and Bleisure draw.
Gast also details the new Ritz-Carlton taking over for the Four Seasons as well as the most recent meeting facility news and the 50th anniversary of Las Colinas, one of the first master-planned communities of its kind that has become a foundation of the destination.
From AI and attrition to data privacy and security, these are the top legal issues currently impacting the meetings and events industry.
We tapped the expertise of Jill Blood, VP, deputy general counsel for global meetings and events giant Maritz, along with Sarah Kiefer, VP, Brand, to see what legal issues are expected to be top of mind in 2024.
Mark Vincent, emergency preparedness manager for the Georgia World Congress Center Authority, talks about his job ensuring attendee security at the 220-acre convention complex and provides tips for any meeting and event planner to consider to help ensure the safety of their gatherings.
Meetings Today's Taylor Smith joined World of Hyatt at the company's headquarters in downtown Chicago as one of the first to learn about the brand's latest loyalty program updates, including new perks for meeting planners.
Beth Lubotsky, head of loyalty strategy for World of Hyatt, shares how planners, as well as attendees and leisure travelers, stand to benefit via the revamped loyalty program.
Prices for meetings and events essentials have skyrocketed and show no signs of easing, especially room rates in the upscale hotel and resort segment that are the bedroom of business events.
In fact, the upper tiers of the hotel chain scale are experiencing room rate increases hovering around a jaw-dropping 30%.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson engaged Maritz COO Steve O'Malley, one of the most respected trends experts in the meetings and events industry, to discuss the global events giant's latest survey, timed to be released at IMEX America 2023.
O'Malley also delves into how events programs are changing due to the new generation entering the business world, as well as how a polarized U.S. political atmosphere is impacting where organizations are holding meetings.
Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson sat down with PCMA President and CEO Sherrif Karamat at IMEX America 2023, where the association revealed the enhanced versions of artificial intelligence software Spark, to discover the major impact this tool made by and for meeting professionals will have on the business events industry.
Meetings Today Vice President & Chief Content Director Tyler Davidson sat down with Amy Kramer, innovation leader, and Aaron Dorsey, vice president of product management, for Maritz at IMEX America 2023 to get their take on how AI will transform the meetings industry, as well as other tech trends business event planners should have on their radar.
During IMEX’s Smart Monday powered by MPI, SITE Chief Marketing Officer Padraic Gilligan took to the stage to moderate a panel discussion breaking down the data. We caught up with Gilligan after the panel to learn more about this new report from SITE and to find out more about where the meetings and events industry is headed.
Greater Phoenix is on a growth spurt that is welcoming new industries into the Valley of the Sun, with a robust tech sector in particular leading the way.
Deborah Lahti, director of resort and hotel sales for Visit Phoenix, shares how the fifth-largest city in the U.S. is continuing to expand, with spectacular new hotels and resorts and improvements to traditional favorites transforming its meetings and events offering.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Lahti to discover more about the impressive new resorts coming online and also learn about some of the top offsite event venue options in Greater Phoenix.
Gaming and hospitality giant Caesars Entertainment is upping its wellness ante via a new Wellness Menu that not only offers healthy food and beverage options for its meetings and events clients, but also selections such as wellness speakers, activities and services.
Caesars Entertainment Vice President Catering and Convention Services Las Vegas Don Ross delves into the new wellness initiative as well as some of the big trends he's seeing in meetings and events food and beverage.
Attendees at IMEX America are in for a special treat in the form of the Google Xi CoLaboratory, where the tech giant is teaming up with other exhibitors and speakers to stage sessions and spaces focusing on experience design and inclusion.
Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson spoke with Kate Walsh, Megan Henshall and Naomi Clare Crellin to discover what Hello! Destination Management, Google and Storycraft Lab are cooking up in concert with other collaborators such as Marriott and Maritz on the exhibit floor at IMEX America 2023, and how the message they are delivering resonates beyond the annual event.
Meetings industryveteran Eric Rozenberg is one of the foremost experts on international businessevents, having served as chair of MPI's International Board of Directors and byrunning his own business serving a global clientele.
Rozenberg is also an author ofbusiness books and a speaker and instructor on the topic of entrepreneurship,especially in the meetings and events industry.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson caught up with Rozenbergto talk about the state of international meetings as well as his work with Dr.Lalia Rach, who leads ALHI Strategic Consulting Services, where he helpsbusiness owners navigate their journey in starting and running businesses.
From a spectacular new 976-room Signia by Hilton headquarters hotel rising from the site of the former Georgia Dome to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Centennial Olympic Park and the Georgia World Congress Center itself, Atlanta's 200-acre Georgia World Congress Center Campus--the largest combined convention, sports and entertainment campus in North America--is a meetings and conventions powerhouse.
Beyond Atlanta, the Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA) is also busy with a massive expansion to the Savannah Convention Center that will transform that storied coastal Georgia destination in terms of its conventions offering.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Jennifer LeMaster, chief administrative officer of the GWCCA, during ASAE's Annual Meeting & Exposition to discuss the new facilities and major expansions throughout the "Championship Campus" and beyond.
EventMobi recently acquired virtual events platform Run the World, which held an astonishing 50,000 virtual events during the pandemic for heavy hitters such as Forbes, Meta, Amazon, the United Nations Development Programme and Harvard University.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with event management software company EventMobi founder and CEO Bob Vaez to explore the benefits of the acquisition as face-to-face meetings have rebounded post-pandemic, as well as his take on some of the major meetings and events technology issues impacting the industry.
Hear why EventMobi is upping its hybrid meetings offering, and why you should continue to explore both standalone virtual events as well as meetings that combine virtual with in-person.
Omni Hotels & Resorts has embarked on its first brand refresh in more than a decade, coinciding with an impressive growth phase that figures convention hotels large in the equation.
Dan Surette, chief sales officer for Omni Hotels & Resorts, explains how the privately owned hotel company is placing a premium on the customer by working with global experience transformation company Materials Plus on a $1 million project to create two signature employee training programs that focus on personalization.
The meetings industry is losing a vast reservoir of institutional knowledge with the retirement of Christine "Shimo" Shimasaki, whose most recent position was managing director of 2SYNERGIZE, a Simpleview consulting company specializing on delivering intelligence to DMOs.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson caught up with Shimo shortly after the retirement announcement to discuss her 40 years in the meetings and hospitality industry, advice for those just starting out, as well as her post-career plans.
Feeling boxed in and not recognized for your accomplishments? Lifelong hospitality industry veteran Dr. Lalia Rach has a prescription to help you manage your evolution within your profession, and in particular women executives and those climbing the organizational ladder.
The author of Managing the Book on YOU!, who is also executive managing director of Strategic Consulting Service, a division of ALHI, and founding dean of the NYU Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management, shares her experience being “born into” the hospitality industry, how she elevated NYU’s meeting planning certificate program into an undergraduate degree program and her work helping hospitality industry professionals via her consulting work with global luxury hotel sales powerhouse ALHI.
Georgia World Congress Authority (GWCA), which owns and operates Atlanta’s 200-acre Convention Campus, including the Georgia World Congress Center, prides itself on sustainability.
From bee hives to its Intentional Gatherings program, launching the Making HERstory Tea for Women's History Month, career-building efforts for local youth and DEI and food rescue efforts, the Georgia World Congress Authority excels at giving back to its community as well as the world.
Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson sat down with Shavannia Williams, director of strategic partnerships for Georgia World Congress Authority, to see how the organization’s “People, Planet, Performance” motto can inspire meetings and conventions.
Like many of the leading issues that were top of mind until the pandemic sucked all the oxygen out of the room, in-person event risk management is once again being discussed as the industry ramps up to pre-pandemic levels and attendees are traveling for meetings.
But while DEI and sustainability have regained their status as key industry concerns as the pandemic wanes, many believe now is the time to elevate risk management back to its pre-pandemic prominence.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Gary LaBranche, CEO of Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) at ASAE's 2023 Annual Meeting & Exposition, to push the reset button on this critical topic.
Included in the conversation are tips on how you can ensure the safety of your attendees, an active-shooter situation that impacted RIMS's RISKWORLD event in Atlanta in May, as well as how RIMS is teaming with ASIS and ASAE to develop a risk management toolkit that will help planners keep their events safe.
KiKi L'Italien, CEO and host of Association Chat, an online community for the association industry, always calls it like she sees it, and her observations from ASAE 2023 are no exception.
From association talent pipeline struggles and the impact of AI to what she believes is the curious lack of a hybrid component at "The Super Bowl of Meetings," L'Italien is one of the leading, authentic voices covering the world of associations and meetings technology.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson caught up with L'Italien at ASAE's 2023 Annual Meeting in Atlanta for a frank discussion about the state of the associations segment and what she's hearing from her large audience of association professionals.
Non-profit organization CreatiVets helps veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries by teaming them with songwriters to share what are sometimes their most guarded experiences and emotions.
Meetings Today got to experience the concept of this musical magic firsthand when it brought in CreatiVets to facilitate the writing of songs about meeting and event planning at its Meetings Today LIVE! South event in Nashville as part of a CSR program.
In this Meetings Today Podcast, Vice President & Chief Content Director Tyler Davidson discusses the mission of CreatiVets with Brett Gillan, its program director. Discover how you can help this amazing organization help our veterans through its unique form of music therapy.
Curious about generative AI and its applications in the meetings industry...but didn't know to ask?
Meetings technology expert educator Jim Spellos previews his upcoming webinar, "Everything You Need to Know About AI...But Didn't Know to Ask," on this disruptive technology and the benefits and risks of its use. While the ramifications--and possible regulations--regarding generative AI are yet to truly reveal themselves, Spellos will get you up to date on where were at as the adoption curve seems primed to rapidly ascend.
Fresh from participating in Maritz Global Events' Innovation Lab at IMEX Frankfurt, Amy Kramer, innovation leader for the global events leader, discussed the "new language of events," which includes disruptive technology such as NFTs, the Metaverse and generative AI.
How close are meeting and event planners to including these new technologies in their programs, and how are younger meeting and event attendees driving the adoption trend. Discover what's around the corner for your events, and how sustainability is still a major concern as in-person and hybrid meetings come charging back and looking much different than ever before.
Stay ahead of the curve!
Wolfgang Puck transformed the way Americans thought about cuisine and is the O.G. celebrity chef.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson asked Puck about his journey to become a entrepreneurial cuisine legend, the 25th anniversary of Wolfgang Puck Catering and what he believes his legacy will be. Along the way, the Austrian-born chef dishes out stories about some of the entertainment industry celebrities that frequented his legendary Spago restaurant, how he emerged from the back of the kitchen to become an F&B icon, and the continuing evolution of high-profile events catering.
Leading Asian American inclusivity consultant Jolene Jang discusses the many facets of the Asian American and Pacific Islander culture and the challenges faced by this massive demographic in the meetings and events industry. From assimilation and the complexity and wide scope of the myriad AAPI cultures to safety issues and representation, Jang is a staunch advocate for inclusion. and moving the industry forward.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson engaged Jang to get her take during this podcast discussing the state of AAPI people and cultures in the meetings and events industry as Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month comes to a close.
Meetings Today sat down with Eugene Blabey, director of event planning and operations at Renaissance Dallas at Plano Legacy West Hotel, to discuss the unique ways in which the hotel infuses local culture into its offerings, welcomes guests to a "West of Zen" experience and provides top-tier meeting services through the R.E.N. Meetings program, offering planners opportunities to try something different when they gather their groups at Renaissance Dallas at Plano Legacy West Hotel.
For Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) May 18, Meetings Today sat down with Stephen Cutchins, senior product manager-accessibility at Cvent, to discuss his work around driving accessibility in Cvent's meetings and events technology tools and raising awareness about accessibility across the meetings and events industry.
As we move through 2023 with the mindset of making meetings and events industry trends a long-term reality, Alicia Jenelle, a multi-hyphenate professional and international experiential design expert from Toronto, shares how to push the DEIB conversation one step forward.
DEI, or diversity, equity and inclusion, is an unstoppable force in the meetings and tourism industry and beyond.
Meetings Today touched base with two leading DEI proponents, Greg DeShields, executive director of Tourism Diversity Matters, and Sheila Alexander-Reid, executive director diversity for PHL Diversity (a division of the Philadelphia CVB) to get their take on successes as well as the challenges ahead.
Also, information about Tourism Diversity Matters' The Collective Experience conference in October 23-24 in Philadelphia, and why the City of Brotherly Love has always been at the forefront of societal change.
As the leader of the association representing major conference centers in Europe and North America, IACC CEO Mark Cooper is in a unique position to gauge the recovery of the segment, which was hit especially hard by the pandemic.
How is the conference center segment currently faring? How are corporations using these facilities to gather a workforce that in many respects was scattered to the wind, or evaporated, over the last three years? Is the message of sustainability getting through as we face climate change?
Meetings Today touched base with Cooper at IACC's Americas Knowledge Exchange, its renamed annual conference that seeks to strengthen both the bonds of knowledge and integrate an influx of new leaders into the world of that thoroughbred meeting facility, conference centers.
In some respect, the pandemic allowed the islands of Hawai'i to heal, as mass tourism came to a halt. The break only solidified the realization—long held by many Native Hawai'ians—that it is paramount for the unique culture of the islands to be understood, and respected, by visitors.
John G. Reyes, senior vice president and chief MCI sales officer for Meet Hawai‘i, shares how Hawai'i's tourism community has come together to honor the true spirit of aloha, and communicate the responsibility for visitors to give back to a people and culture that has given so much of itself in welcoming them.
From incorporating indigenous cultural programming and activities to unique excursions and CSR that honors the native culture, Hawai'i is sharing a deeper understanding of itself with the world.
While millions know Coyote Peterson as the guy who gets stung and bitten by just about every animal under the sun in his YouTube hit Brave Wilderness–where his videos have been viewed more than 4.3 billion times worldwide–he's also a fan of his adopted hometown of Columbus, Ohio, headquarters of his media company.
After meeting him during a familiarization trip to Columbus before PCMA Convening Leaders 2023, Meetings Today touched base with Peterson to record a podcast about why Columbus holds such a special place in his heart, as well as more details about his globetrotting derring-do.
After traveling the planet for the past decade to get up close and personal with often misunderstood animals in extreme environments, this Emmy Award-winning hunkers down in Columbus, which has become a center of innovation and entrepreneurship stemming from The Ohio State University (where Peterson is an alumni) and many Fortune 500 companies.
Major travel and meetings industry sustainability efforts such as the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative are a top priority in Europe, where the meetings industry is organizing to adopt stricter sustainability standards before governing bodies step in to enforce regulations.
The sense of urgency seems to be a great deal less in North America, however. Why is this, and how can travel and meetings industry professionals join the fight against climate change via self-regulation?
Meetings Today interviewed James Rees, executive director, conference and events, ExCel London and former president of the International Congress and Convention Association, about the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative and other major sustainability efforts underway in Europe and North America.
Having a wealth of experience on the major venue side, as well as leading a major industry association and holding top sales positions for Hilton Hotels, Rees can address the subject of sustainability from a variety of vantage points.
Denise Reid, new president of Event Service Professionals Association (ESPA), shares how event service professionals are often on the front line of ensuring destination DEI for meetings and events, as well as her plans for ramping up the association following the pandemic upheaval, and also favors listeners with an amazing rendition of Ave Maria!
Aside from delivering memorable event service at the Hyatt Centric French Quarter in New Orleans, Reid, you see, is a classically trained mezzo-soprano who has performed with the Gulf Coast Opera Théâtre and the Keesler Air Force Base production of Handel's Messiah in Biloxi, Mississippi. She's also a member of Women@Hyatt, Hyatt B.L.A.C.K. Diversity Business and Resource Group and Loyola University New Orleans Alumni Association.
San Antonio, already the seventh-largest city in the U.S., is on a population and development boom that has seen the recent opening of 10 hotels and approximately 70 restaurants in the last two years, along with a $2.5 billion expansion of San Antonio International Airport that will include a new terminal and a resulting spike in air lift.
Meetings Today checked in with Tyler Orwig, vice president of association and tradeshow sales for Visit San Antonio, to discover what's new in the meetings and events world and beyond in this always-popular Texas destination.
Always a draw because of its epic history, San Antonio will make you remember it for much more than the Alamo.
Taylor Smith has a conversation with Greater Ontario Convention and Visitors Bureau Director of Sales Arlette Garibay about Ontario, California’s newest meetings and events offerings, as well as the benefits of working with the Greater Ontario CVB. This podcast was produced in partnership with the Greater Ontario CVB.
Speaker Andre Norman stirred the crowd at SITE Global Conference 2023 in Manhattan with a gritty story of determination and redemption that will lift anyone, no matter what background they came from.
Norman relayed his incredible journey of being raised in poverty by a single mom with five brothers and sisters and serving 14 years in prison before turning his life around to become a Harvard Fellow and travel the world on a mission to help inmates and others suffering dire situations.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Norman to delve into his remarkable journey and discover how his message can move audiences to widen their beliefs on the possibilities of bettering our society by nurturing our young.
Since accepting a full-time position leading the sustainability efforts of one of the most influential meetings, events and incentives travel powerhouses in the world, Maritz Global Events, Rachel Riggs is in a key position to affect change as the hospitality industry comes under intense pressure to reduce its carbon footprint.
We caught up with Rachel at SITE Global Conference 2023 in New York City to get her take on what could be considered an existential threat to the travel industry, reducing its carbon footprint voluntarily before governments enforce mandates.
Learn what green initiatives Maritz Global Events is embarking on as well as tips planners of all events and incentive travel programs can tap to make their own efforts more sustainable.
Association meetings veteran Willis Turner shares how the new AI technology ChatGPT will revolutionize the meetings and events industry.
Is your job safe? Depends on how fast you adapt.
Turner recently published The Power of ChatGPT: How to Put ChatGPT to Work for You, available on Amazon and via his website, www.oldclayburn.com, and also is the founder of Virtual Memorial Gatherings, which stepped in to fill the critical need for virtual funerals during the pandemic lockdown.
From the mammoth stage production facilities at Rock Lititz, where top acts such as Taylor Swift, Billy Joel, Rihanna and Justin Bieber tighten up their stage show before tours, to excellent teambuilding opportunities and the simple pleasures of the Amish way of life, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, offers up surprising lures for meetings groups.
Discover Lancaster President & CEO Edward Harris shares some of these "secret" offerings, such as wineries, breweries, ziplining and hot-air ballooning, as well as the destination's GBAC-accredited convention center and his experience joining and then leading the DMO through the pandemic.
The Reno Tahoe area of northern Nevada is easy to get to, easy to navigate once you're on the ground, and is easy to love for meetings and events. Thanks to an economic boom, new and refreshed venues, and a plethora of outdoor activities, Reno Tahoe is catching the attention of people around the country to work, live and play there. Just what can this fast-growing destination do for your next meeting or event? In this episode, Senior Content Director Danielle LeBreck chats with Mike Larragueta, vice president of sales for the Reno-Sparks Convention & Visitors Authority to learn more.
This podcast was produced in partnership with Reno Tahoe
In the run-up to his keynote address at Event Service Professionals Association’s 2023 annual conference, meetings industry leader and DEI champion Elliott L. Ferguson II, president and CEO of Destination DC, explains why DMOs and event service professionals are key partners in ensuring meetings and events are living up to their promises of delivering diversity, equity and inclusion at their events, in experiences but also in including minority vendors in the economic benefits.
From offering offsite events and experiences that include local culture that may have been previously overlooked to tapping LGBTQ+ and BIPOC vendors to provide key event services, DMOs and event service professionals are the frontline resources that can ensure inclusion in a meaningful, and equitable, way.
PCMA Convening Leaders held its 2023 edition in Columbus, Ohio, a destination that unveiled many surprises to attendees who enjoyed its booming restaurant scene, thriving arts and entertainment districts and the many facets of the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
Did you know that Columbus is the largest city in Ohio and the 14th largest in the U.S., and is home to a diverse population that includes one of the largest LGBTQ+ populations per capita in the nation? It's also considered the fourth largest center of design in the U.S. and the headquarters city of a number of major Fortune 500 companies.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Experience Columbus President & CEO Brian Ross to get his impressions on major new developments in the destinations, Experience Columbus initiatives and what the impact of PCMA Convening Leaders will be on Ohio's capital city.
What's new and coming online in the perennial popular Central Florida destination of Orlando? From major new hotel and attractions openings and renovations to group activity options, and the hugely anticipated Brightline high-speed rail line connecting Orlando and Miami, there's a wealth of updates to share.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Casandra Matej, president and CEO of Visit Orlando, to discover what's in store for meetings and conventions groups in 2023.
Perhaps the biggest news at PCMA Convening Leaders 2023 was the association's acquisition of Event Leadership Institute, a major player in the meetings and conventions education space.
ELI founder Howard Givner, now senior vice president of knowledge and innovation for PCMA, sits down with Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson to discuss the details of the acquisition, the mutual benefits PCMA and ELI members will receive, and what he sees as the future of education in the meetings and conventions industry.
How is the meetings and events faring as the worst of the pandemic seems to be in the past, and where are we headed as new headwinds confront the industry? Maritz Holdings and Maritz Group President & CEO David Peckinpaugh shares his insight as the leader of the global MICE powerhouse. Also: What's new inside Maritz, from DEI and sustainability to its leadership role in fighting human trafficking in the hospitality industry.
Meetings Today caught up with Peckinpaugh at PCMA Convening Leaders in Columbus, Ohio, to get the skinny from one of the top leaders in the global MICE industry.
Sun, fun and a convention district seemingly made for meetings make San Diego a popular destination for business events, but the San Diego Tourism Authority (SDTA) believes brainpower—such as its emerging biotech industry—needs to be added to that list. We sat down with the SDTA’s Kavin Schieferdecker to explore this SoCal standout’s new promotional message for the meetings and events industry.
VisitScotland Business Events launched an ambitious Journey to Change initiative in 2021 that aims to showcase how business events in the country can drive social and economic transformation. Most of Western Europe seems to be following the same path, especially in terms of sustainability.
Meanwhile, while the U.S. meetings and events industry actively sings the praises of issues such as sustainability and the impact business events have on the environment, the message doesn't seem to be translating into actual practices and government regulations like it does across the Atlantic.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with VisitScotland's Neil Brownlee at IMEX America to explore the country's ambitious initiative, as well as meetings and events trends, facility information and the benefits of bringing meetings to Scotland.
Have a need for a turnkey conference solution in the Big Apple, with a little touch of English elegance?
Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson sat down with Fiona Macpherson, vice president of business development and sales for etc.venues, a 30-year-old, U.K.-based non-residential conference center operator that just opened a third location in Manhattan.
Discover what this London-based urban conference center option—which in 2019 hosted nearly 1 million delegates—brings to the U.S. market, being known for its interior design, F&B, technology and, being from England—a stellar tea selection, of course!
Lauren Grady, director of global event center of excellence at Bizzabo, discusses the state of in-person events in relation to data collected by Bizzabo this year, including how, looking ahead to 2023, 85% of event organizers plan to host at least three in-person events next year.
Where are meetings and events at in the great post-shutdown recovery? Who is winning the force majeure battle? Are room rates and other meeting component prices going to ease up anytime soon? And what does it mean when someone says that attendees should design meetings?
Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson caught up with Maritz Global Events Enterprise Vice President and COO Steve O’Malley at IMEX America 2022 to see what the global meetings and events juggernaut is noticing take shape regarding key industry issues.
O’Malley and his team are seeing organizational values such as sustainability and DEI stressed in RFPs, and data privacy is once again rising to the fore. And what about attendance levels? Will we ever get back to “normal?”
You’ll have to hear what O’Malley reveals to get the answers.
One of the hottest topics in the meetings industry is talent acquisition and retention. Michael Massari, chief sales officer of Caesars Entertainment, started out his career in the hospitality industry as a busboy. But is the next generation of workers willing to start at the bottom? An industry vet chimes in during this Meetings Today podcast taped at IMEX America 2022.
Marriott's Head of Global Sales Tammy Routh discusses up-and-coming Marriott projects and properties, industry trends and what to look forward to from the brand in 2023 at IMEX America 2022.
Everyone's after attendee engagement at events, and Encore Global may have just cracked the code with its "Break Free" immersive environment debuted at IMEX America 2022.
Ben Erwin, president and CEO of the global event planning, creative, production and technology juggernaut, talked with Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson about its mysterious and magnificent "multi-room" environment shrouded by towering black draping in the back of the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.
But it was much more than the proverbial big show reveal at IMEX America, as Erwin said the concept can be customized for any industry or event, and that meeting planners may see their clout greatly increased as they work to create connections within organizations in a dynamic new workplace environment that has been rocked by remote work and retention and staffing challenges.
Visit Orlando has teamed with the Orlando Economic Partnership to launch the "Unbelievably Real" marketing campaign, which seeks to communicate the message of the top meetings and events destination's authenticity and unique nature, which often gets lost due to its profile as the world's preeminent theme park destination and leisure travel magnet.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Matej at IMEX America 2022 to discuss the new initiative as well as how the destination fared during Hurricane Ian and the phenomenal response of its hotel community to help residents of Florida's hard-hit communities weather the storm.
The world is very, very sick, as its climate is increasingly spiraling to doom. The meetings and events industry is particularly vulnerable to what we call "climate change." But the very term climate change doesn't convey the need for urgency because of the potentially catastrophic diagnosis for the planet, according to PCMA President & CEO Sherrif Karamat, who uses the provocative term "climate cancer."
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson caught up with Karamat at IMEX America to expand on his dire diagnosis for the meetings and events industry and the planet itself, as well as his thoughts as the incoming chair of the Events Industry Council and happenings at PCMA, including the January 2023 Convening Leaders conference in Columbus, Ohio.
Gerardo Tejado, general manager for American Express Meetings & Events, discusses highlights of the 2023 annual Global Meetings & Events Forecast with Meetings Today's Danielle LeBreck at IMEX America 2022.
Many organizations, and especially associations, are challenged by legislation and policies that are counter to the values of their members, such as "bathroom bills" and statewide measures outlawing abortion. The firm opposition to these laws leads some to consider cancelling their meetings in the destinations in which the laws were passed.
But cancelling or moving meetings can lead to legal and financial exposure and also impact those in the destination that rely on meetings and conventions to make a living, such as hotel, restaurant and transportation workers, among many others.
To provide an alternative to cancellation, or attendees deciding to not participate in a meeting or convention, meetings industry veterans Beth Surmont and Elena Gerstmann created SocialOffset, which allows attendees and organizations to donate to charities that counter the legislation and policies in question.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson recently talked with Surmont and Gerstmann to discover what SocialOffset, now in its pilot phase, brings to the conversation about destination boycotts, especially in the association segment.
From a new hockey arena to expanded airlift and its ever-present roster of top spas and golf resorts, the Greater Palm Springs area has emerged from the pandemic reinvigorated to win meetings and conventions business.
Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson talked with Carolina Viazcan, vice president of sales for Visit Greater Palm Springs, to discover what’s new up and down the Coachella Valley, and how groups themselves can turn a meeting there into an opportunity to reconnect and reenergize.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson touches base with Lori Cassidy and Pam Kressley, 30-year hospitality industry veterans who just launched an incentive travel option that greatly simplifies the reward process while multiplying travel options for both awarders and awardees.
And if exclusive resorts and luxe cruises don't do the trick, companies can even launch their high-performing incentive winners into space!
Check out all the deets of this turnkey incentive travel reward option that promises to disrupt the segment by giving award-winners more say in what travel experiences they want. It's an idea whose time has come, and one that also helps organizational recruitment and retention efforts in a time when workforces have been stretched thin and employees have more bargaining power and desire more flexibility.
Meetings industry veteran Kevin Iwamoto, chief customer officer and head of enterprise for meetings technology company Bizly, has occupied top positions in meetings industry organizations, from president of NBTA (now GBTA) in the wake of 9/11 to senior-level positions on Hewlett-Packard’s global travel and meetings team and Disney. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson spoke with him about stereotypes and other challenges faced by Asian American and Pacific Islanders in meetings and events, as well as his veteran perspective on where the industry is at as we emerge from the pandemic to face economic and global political headwinds.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson chats with KiKi L'Italien, host of Association Chat podcast and senior consultant with Tecker International, about ASAE's Annual Meeting & Exposition, including the successes and challenges of its stringent COVID-19 testing policy (COVID spoiler alert!), as well as a unique new CSR option that encourages association attendees to contribute to organizations that counter potential boycott issues rather than having organizations cancel events or attendees decline to participate.
IMEX America has always had a robust educational program, but is now embarking on a three-year strategy to consolidate and redesign the offering.
Helping shepherd the process is Tahira Endean, an industry veteran and former head of events for SITE who was recently hired as IMEX Group's Head of Programme. Carrying the theme "Pathways to Clarity," IMEX America will kick off October 10 in Las Vegas with its Smart Monday educational day.
Learn more about the new educational strategy as well as what else new to expect during IMEX America 2022, the 11th edition of the show, with this Meetings Today podcast with Endean.
IMEX America has always had a robust educational program, but is now embarking on a three-year strategy to consolidate and redesign the offering.
Helping shepherd the process is Tahira Endean, an industry veteran and former head of events for SITE who was recently hired as IMEX Group's Head of Programme. Carrying the theme "Pathways to Clarity," IMEX America will kick off October 10 in Las Vegas with its Smart Monday educational day.
Learn more about the new educational strategy as well as what else new to expect during IMEX America 2022, the 11th edition of the show, with this Meetings Today podcast with Endean.
Many planners think a hybrid event is simply a program that ties together a single in-person event with a simultaneous digital component. Think again!
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson talks with Cvent's Rachel Andrews, senior director, Global Meetings & Events, and Patrick Smith, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, about their experience producing the hospitality tech giant's Cvent Travel Summit, which featured specialized content for different subsets of audience and multiple event formats, as well as in-person elements in two different countries before and after the main production.
Sound complicated? Let Rachel and Patrick share how they pulled it off, because hybrid meetings are here to stay and the race is on to deliver the most engaging and relevant experience for all attendees.
Dallas is embarking on a $2 billion convention center expansion that will also result in a new downtown entertainment district and neighborhood. VisitDallas President & CEO Craig Davis goes over the details of this massive project that will reposition the city as a top meetings and conventions draw.
Meetings Today sat down with Lee Rubin, keynote speaker and one of two featured speakers at this July's Meetings Today Live! West Denver/Aurora to hear about his backstory and highlight the key elements of a strong, consistent corporate team.
Meetings Today sat down with Lee Rubin, keynote speaker and one of two featured speakers at this July's Meetings Today Live! West Denver/Aurora to hear about his backstory and highlight the key elements of a strong, consistent corporate team.
The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is a centrally located meetings mecca with lures ranging from big-city attractions such as world-class museums to charming small towns with only-in-Texas appeal, to suburban communities filled with facilities that are purpose-built for large meetings and events. Plano is a Metroplex city that offers a little bit of it all, and also boasts close proximity both of the region’s major airports as well as downtown Dallas.
Meetings Today sat down with Visit Plano’s Marisa Obando, SMERF and Government sales manager for the DMO, to discover why Plano could be a good fit for a wide range of meetings across many segments.
The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is a centrally located meetings mecca with lures ranging from big-city attractions such as world-class museums to charming small towns with only-in-Texas appeal, to suburban communities filled with facilities that are purpose-built for large meetings and events. Plano is a Metroplex city that offers a little bit of it all, and also boasts close proximity both of the region’s major airports as well as downtown Dallas.
Meetings Today sat down with Visit Plano’s Marisa Obando, SMERF and Government sales manager for the DMO, to discover why Plano could be a good fit for a wide range of meetings across many segments.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Encore's Cathy Schlosberg, senior VP of marketing, and Amanda Armstrong, SVP of Brand & Community Engagement, on how meetings technology from in-person to hybrid has undergone a radical transformation because of the pandemic. Discover the latest stats from this essential meetings and events player, and why it is bullish on the vitality of all meetings as a more-remote workforce becomes an increasing reality.
Meetings industry veteran Maura Gast, executive director of Visit Irving Texas, is one of the most engaged leaders in the business—name a board and chances are she’s been on it! Hear what she has to say about the recovery from the pandemic, in terms of both Irving and the industry as a whole, and key destination updates as major Irving attractions such as Toyota Music Factory rev up to welcome meetings and conventions groups en masse.
May 19, 2022, is Global Accessibility Awareness Day, so we sat down with meetings tech titan Cvent to talk with their new senior product manager for accessibility, Stephen Cutchins, and senior director of product management, Carl Aldrich, to discuss the strides and challenges the meetings and events industry has experienced in ensuring everyone is included. Learn about cutting-edge accessibility tech from Cvent and beyond, and how our industry and world is rapidly changing for the better by including more voices in the conversation.
Meetings Today catches up on the latest events and development news in Milwaukee with Leslie Johnson, vice president of sales and services for VISIT Milwaukee. We discuss the highly anticipated Wisconsin Center expansion, what the city's various entertainment districts can offer groups, and new hotel openings on the horizon.
*Produced in collaboration with VISIT Milwaukee
Garrett Ronan, U.S. chief operations officer for etc.venues, talks about post-pandemic meetings and conference center trends and the company's potential expansion plans in the U.S. after opening two New York City venues shortly before COVID-19 roiled the industry.
What does it take to put on an event like the Super Bowl? Darren Green, Chief Sales Officer for LA Tourism, joins Meetings Today to share how his team worked with L.A. hospitality partners and the NFL to host Super Bowl LVI and its surrounding events. We also discuss new developments in L.A. that meeting planners should know about and big events coming to town in the next few years.
Meetings industry veteran Christine “Shimo” Shimasaki, of Simpleview's 2Synergize, is privy to booking pace data from hundreds of DMOs. Here's her well-informed take on where the meetings industry is regarding the return to in-person events, and how data-driven strategic decisions are the key to its future.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with PCMA leader Sherrif Karamat and DI leader Don Welsh to discuss the organization's upcoming Business Events Industry Week, current in-person meetings trends and the associations' stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
It’s no secret that the hospitality industry faces a challenge attracting the next generation of talent. In fact, it’s a major topic of discussion among its leaders. In this Meetings Today Podcast, recorded at PCMA’s Convening Leaders, EIC CEO Amy Calvert tackles the subject of the hospitality industry talent pipeline, as well as a major revamp of the EIC’s CMP program.
Tyler Davidson talks to James Rees, president of Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC), about one of the events industry's most pressing issues: sustainability. At PCMA Convening Leaders 2022, Rees details the Net-Zero Carbon Events Pledge initiative, key challenges surrounding business travel and carbon footprints, and the way forward for greener in-person meetings.
Tyler Davidson checks in with Michele Polci, citywide director of catering sales, Las Vegas, for Caesars Entertainment at PCMA Convening Leaders about how the meetings and conventions giant navigated the pandemic, critical questions planners should ask about service levels and the supply chain, and the latest cuisine trends for large gatherings.
JUNO’s Josh Hotsenpiller sits down with Tyler Davidson to discuss the events platform’s big partnership with PCMA, and how everything we do comes down to one important concept: human connection.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson discussed Visit Corpus Christi's meetings offer in which the destination will host an opening or closing reception in one of the destination's many interesting offsite venues. The CVB's Nicole Olivares details the Coast Your Own Way meetings offer and what the Gulf Coast destination offers for meetings and events.
Meetings Today's Sarah Kloepple sits down with Stephanie Glanzer, senior vice president and chief sales officer for MGM Resorts International, to discuss how the company has come through the pandemic better, with new safety protocols, the launch of new meetings campaign "Here" and how planners can make a difference through their events at MGM.
This podcast was produced in partnership with MGM Resorts International.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Mike Wainwright and Don Pfeffer at IMEX America 2021 to get key insights from the global hotel giant's Convention & Resort Network (CRN) regarding the recovery of the meetings industry.
CRN's Mike Wainwright, vice president of sales, Gaylord Hotels and Marriott Convention & Resort Network, and Robert Pfeffer, senior director, Convention & Resort Network, Resort Portfolio at Marriott International, delve into what the network is experiencing as far as bookings and leads, as well as how the pandemic experience will shape the post-COVID-19 landscape.
In this podcast, recorded live from the IMEX America 2021 show floor in Las Vegas, Tyler Davidson speaks with with Gerardo Tejado, general manager for Meetings & Events, American Express Meetings & Events, and Amanda Chamov, marketing manager, about the compelling reveal of the global business travel giant's major annual survey, 2022 Global Meetings and Events Forecast.
The 11th edition of the annual forecast garners planner perspectives on virtual and hybrid meetings, how they think their budgets will fare, the cost of key components and the relevance of issues such as sustainability, DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) and more.
Since launching virtual meetings company MeetingPlay in 2011, former Marriott global e-commerce expert Joe Schwinger has seen virtual meetings grow from their infancy to the transformative pandemic period in which the technology became ubiquitous.
What's next for virtual and hybrid meetings, and how are global corporate giants implementing them in their meetings mix? What has the pandemic period taught us about the future of in-person meetings and how technology will impact their core?
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson taps the innovative mind of Schwinger to get a glimpse of how we will meet in the future.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sits down with Steve Jones, a music industry veteran, speaker and author of Brand Like a Rock Star and Start You Up for this Meetings Today Podcast episode.
From the Foo Fighters and Bob Marley to Kiss, Jimmy Buffett, AC/DC and Aerosmith, see how key learnings from these rock legends can translate to your brand and inspire your meetings and events audiences.
Jones was a keynote speaker at Meetings Today LIVE! South, held in mid-October in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and had an audience of meeting planners on the edge of their seats as he recounted backstage stories and how these epic performers overcame adversity.
Following up on an earlier podcast in which the conversation turned to what future skills meeting and event planners will need, Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson talked with meetings technology giant Cvent’s Paulina Curto, senior manager, meetings and events, and Rachel Andrews, senior director of global meetings and events, to expand on the topic.
From data analytics skills to a deeper understanding of technology, the meeting planner of the future will need to have a much larger skillset and a proficiency at cross-departmental communication and collaboration, such as with marketing departments.
Does your skillset match up with the needs of the future?
Greater Ontario—which includes the cities of Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga—is a Southern California meetings and conventions gem you should know about. Hear why in this podcast interview with Michael Krouse, president and CEO of Greater Ontario CVB.
*Created in partnership with Greater Ontario CVB
Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson talked with Cvent’s Patrick Smith and Rachel Andrews about the company’s successful CONNECT hybrid event and the future skills meeting and event planners will need to master to stay relevant in a dynamic profession.
Jaki Baskow, CEO and founder of Las Vegas Speakers Bureau and Baskow Talent is a Las Vegas entertainment and speaker booking legend, having plied her trade in the Entertainment Capital of the World for more than 40 years.
Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson checked in with Baskow in mid-July to get a take on how she sees the in-person meetings and events recovery progressing in Las Vegas, as entertainer and speaker bookings is provides a good barometer for the overall health of the market.
How is Vegas faring, and what interesting stories and tips can Baskow share from her four decades in the Vegas show biz? Listen to find out.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sits down with Hilton Worldwide Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales Americas Frank Passanante about some big news from the iconic hotel company, including an innovative new group room block booking engine for meeting planners and the massive new Virgin Hotels Las Vegas development and Resorts World.
Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson talked with Julie Brackenbury, president of Event Service Professionals Association and director of destination services for Visit Raleigh, about what role event services will play as we reboot the meetings industry.
In this Meetings Today Podcast recorded in March, Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson talks with Julius Solaris, the founder of EventMB who just joined Swapcardas its head of engagement. Always a leading meetings and events industry thinker, Solaris shares his take on the confusing “new normal” we’re all in, as well as recent findings from a meeting planner survey he conducted and how the mix of virtual and in-person events will shape up in the future.
Featured guest: Tammy Dickerson, CMP, President & Lead Planner, tbg Events
How can we lead with excellence during times of great uncertainty and change? Tenacious powerhouse entrepreneur Tammy Dickerson, President & Lead Planner at tbg Events, discusses how being your own biggest cheerleader, putting people first, and taking care of yourself are all important actions to implement when catalyzing professional momentum, especially during COVID-19.
Danielle LeBreck and Jill Vance, director of sales for The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel, discuss how to weave wellness into meeting agendas. Listen for more.
*Created in partnership with The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel
ESPA’s Paola Bowman, destination services manager for the Arlington CVB, and Jamie Huckleberry, director, event services for Pittsburgh’s David L. Lawrence Convention Center, talk with Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson about how the convention services manager association’s COVID-19 Services Recovery Roadmap can apply to meeting planners, and of the impact the pandemic has had on event and convention services professionals.
Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson talks with Cvent Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Patrick Smith about the meetings tech giant’s new hybrid meeting solution, Virtual Attendee Hub, how the company has fared during the pandemic, and what he and others at Cvent see as positive signs for an industry recovery from the COVID calamity. Listen Now.
Access another Meetings Today podcast about Cvent: Cvent Execs Talk Trends and CONNECT Virtual
When the COVID-19 pandemic is behind us, companies will be eager to reward their employees with unforgettable incentive programs. Australia has always fit the bill for wow-worthy trips—and there’s plenty more incredible experiences waiting for North American-based attendees, from dinners under the stars at Uluru to life-changing expeditions over the Great Barrier Reef.
To learn more about the current COVID-19 situation in Australia and what inspired outdoor event ideas and under-the-radar destinations await for future incentives, we caught up with Tourism Australia’s Mary Ann McDonald in this episode of the Meetings Today podcast.
*Created in partnership with Tourism Australia
In this Meetings Today Podcast, David Meerman Scott and Michelle Manafy, co-authors of Standout Virtual Events: How to Create an Experience That Your Audience Will Love, explain the basics of virtual platforms and which ones may be the best fit for you.
Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson chats with Maribel Denner, director of sales marketing for the JW Marriott Anaheim Resort, and Junior Tauvaa, chief sales officer for Visit Anaheim, about the impressive new JW and how it will add a tech-forward luxury hotel offering to a city that is seeing its meetings and conventions product grow by leaps and bounds in recent years. Listen now.
Learn about contact tracing at meetings and events and how planners can limit the impact of COVID-19 on their program. And what do you do if someone tests positive? Listen for more.
In this Meetings Today podcast, Danielle LeBreck sits down with Caesars Entertainment and ConferenceDirect, who collaborated together to design ConferenceDirect's annual partner meeting at the new CAESARS FORUM in Las Vegas. Listen to learn about their hybrid approach, how F&B was modified and more.
The new Grand Hyatt Nashville is adding a luxury hotel with ample meeting space to Music City, which has been on a torrid development pace over the past few years. Read more.
Meetings Today catches up with Kylie Brajak of Australia’s Crystalbrook Collection to learn more about new properties in Cairns, incentive options in Queensland and more in this podcast.
*This podcast was created in partnership with Business Events Australia. Note: Read Australia Next, the newly launched magazine for North American planners from Business Events Australia.
See photos and read the transcript here.
Kevin Dana of CORT Events highlights key design trends and how the pandemic is changing meeting space designs for live meetings. Learn more.
Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin massively revamped its operating procedures to host the Major League Soccer bubble, from accommodations and equipment to F&B. Here’s how three key staff members handled it. Read more.
Michael Dominguez, CEO of ALHI (Associated Luxury Hotels International), brought meeting planners to the Omni Dallas Hotel for a one-day showcase of what their events may look like after the industry awakens from its COVID-19 slumber.
Top Cvent execs Brian Ludwig and David Quattrone talk with Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson about how the meetings tech giant pivoted to virtual for its big annual conference and is expecting 40,000 attendees. Also, discover their predictions about the direction of the meetings industry.
Buffets? Gone. And don’t even think about a donut wall!
The meetings F&B environment has been disrupted flatter than a collapsed souffle, but that doesn’t mean you need to let the air out of your culinary programs.
Tracy Stuckrath, owner of thrive! meetings & events, is the foremost expert on food allergies in the meetings and conventions environment, and has extended her knowledge to operating in the COVID-19 environment. This Meetings Today Podcast with Vice President & Chief Content Director Tyler Davidson gets Stuckrath’s take on how to manage your post-shutdown culinary programs, what to ask venues and attendees, and the life-and-death matter of food allergies.
Furloughs. Layoffs. An economy-crippling pandemic with seemingly no end in sight.
Who could’ve predicted the tumult that would enter our lives in 2020? In troubling times such as these, maintaining one’s sanity can often seem like the most important job of all.
Mindfulness speaker, trainer and author Lee Papa, a leading wellness expert on the meetings and conventions circuit and beyond, is well-versed to help us through these chaotic times.
Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson talked with Papa about her new book, A Year of Mindfulness for Beginners: Daily Mantras, Meditations and Prompts, and her advice for all of us who are weathering these most-stressful days.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, legal issues in the meetings industry primarily centered around cancellation, attrition and what became the moving target of force majeure.
Now, with face-to-face meetings taking baby steps to resuming, meeting and event planners need to cover their organizations and ensure the safety of attendees by including key contract clauses in an environment that lacks definition.
In this Meetings Today Podcast, Tyler Davidson check in with leading meetings industry attorney Joshua L. Grimesto see what contract clause musts planners should include going forward.
Key elements of a “COVID contract provision” could deal with cleaning protocols; the right to cancel if government-required measures make it so restrictive that your meeting can’t go forward; and indemnification. Grimes also offers one contract addendum all planners should make sure are included in their contracts.
And will we soon start seeing “COVID surcharges?” Listen to this Meetings Today Podcast to find out more.
Business development expert and speaker Scott Steinberg shares some positive survey results regarding planner optimism about a face-to-face meetings revival by the end of 2020, with a few caveats thrown in, of course.
Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson interviewed Steinberg about some of the statistics he’s crunched to come to his conclusions, and also how the meetings industry will be fundamentally changed by the rise of virtual and hybrid events.
June 4, 2020, marks the day when Las Vegas awakens from its coronavirus shutdown slumber, with major casino-resorts reopening their doors at least for leisure travelers.
Caesars Entertainment is joining the party by reopening its Caesars Palace and Flamingo properties, with more set to join them shortly.
Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson caught up with Michael Massari, chief sales officer for Caesars Entertainment, to get updates on the casino and entertainment giant; his team’s reaction to having the shutdown hit right before the launch of its crown jewel CAESARS FORUM conference center; what visitors to Las Vegas can expect when they arrive; and his take on how the meetings industry will fare in the next year.
The Las Vegas meetings and events landscape is always evolving. Stay up to date with what’s new on ourLas Vegas destination page!
Outspoken Orlando hotel icon Harris Rosen believes constant guest and staff screening is critical to getting the meetings industry out of its deep depression.
Hear what the firebrand independent hotelier told Vice President Pence and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at a coronavirus hospitality industry roundtable at his Rosen Shingle Creek property.
In this Meetings Today Podcast, Tyler Davidson engaged Rosen on the deep funk coronavirus has put the meetings industry in, the state of tourism in Orlando and his Rosen Plan for getting back to business pronto.
Meeting venues like the Javits Center have been pulled into service as field hospitals and other spaces for healthcare delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jim Henry, healthcare sector leader at CallisonRTKL, walks us through what it takes to transform hospitality and meeting spaces into sophisticated healthcare facilities.
What will the meetings and events F&B experience look like after the COVID-19 shutdown ends? Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson sat down with Mary Cline, regional director, catering sales-East Coast for Wolfgang Puck Catering to get an idea of what the meetings cuisine scene will look like when we all start meeting face-to-face again.
Meetings Today's Sarah Kloepple talks with Chip Rogers, president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), about the organization's Safe Stay guidelines, supporting hotel workers as these new healthy and safety protocols are put in place, and how technology will play a critical role in future live meetings.
As we reach mid-May, Meetings Today's Sarah Kloepple checks in with Stephanie Glanzer, chief sales officer and vice president of MGM Resorts International, who delves into MGM's new Seven-Point Safety Plan for enhanced health and sanitation protocols at its properties.
Glanzer also explains how meeting and event spaces specifically will look different, from exploring pre-packaged F&B, coordinating foot traffic flow, to helping planners put on a virtual component.
Thinking about launching virtual meetings as a standalone event option or augmentation to a live event?
Amanda Ma, founder and CEO of Innovate Marketing Group, dove into the virtual events pool headfirst after COVID-19 hit, and offers her expert tips on how to pull them off, from pre- and post-event preparation and follow-up to technical issues to look out for and how to put that little personal touch on them that the digital world often lacks.
Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson spoke with Ma, who wrote “Case Study: 5 Pandemic Safety Tips for High-Level Summits” story in late March, about her secrets to virtual meetings success.
Led by exhibitions and event management giant Freeman, Go LIVE Together put together and advocacy group with hundreds of member organizations at breakneck speed.
Being on the ground—literally—at meetings, conventions and exhibitions also gives the Dallas-based company a unique perspective on what the “new normal” will look like when we start gathering again.
What will this new world look like? Will the government step in to regulate the industry? How is the conventions and exhibitions industry especially well-suited to meeting challenges such as social distancing and sanitation policies?
Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson talked with Sue Sung, senior vice president of corporate strategy for Freeman, about the ambitious efforts of Go LIVE Together as well as what the brave new world of meetings, conventions and exhibitions will look like after the COVID-19 shutdown ends.
Alarming initial statistics reflecting the massive loss of employment and revenue in the U.S. travel industry in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic have only gotten worse. Tyler Davidson talks with Roger Dow, president and CEO of U.S. Travel Association, abouthow bad it isand where we go from here.
After COVID-19 is in the rear-view mirror, how will the meetings and hotel industry have changed forever? Meetings Today Contributing Editor Robert Nieminen discussed what this new world may look like with top designer Michael Suomi, founder of Suomi Design Works. From social distancing to a hyper-aware focus on cleanliness, hospitality design and the meetings and conventions experience may never be the same.
The coronavirus crisis has led to a revolution in the workplace—at least temporarily—in which the office is now in workers’ homes.
Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson spoke to Heather Mason, founder and CEO of Caspian Agency, to get her insights on the best strategies to implement if you’ve found yourself working in this “new normal” environment.
The hospitality and meetings industries are at a standstill as the COVID-19 crisis levels its crippling effect on travel and public gatherings of any size. Its top market, Las Vegas, is always a bellwether of the health of an economic segment that is one of the top drivers of the U.S. economy.
Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson talks with Stephanie Glanzer, chief sales officer and senior vice president of MGM Resorts International, about the status of meetings and events in Las Vegas and the city’s substantial inventory of MGM properties.
Are meetings and events rebooking cancelled events, and in what time frame? What questions should meeting planners ask facilities to ensure their events enjoy the standard of service they are accustomed to as currently shuttered properties quickly ramp up to resume business?
Glanzer answers these questions and details MGM’s laudable efforts to help its employees weather the coronavirus crisis.
How are you coping with the coronavirus pandemic? Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson talks with Kristine Iverson, owner and founder of wellness company CROW Practice, about strategies all of us can incorporate to calm the mind and ease the body while we navigate the global pandemic and resulting economic turmoil.
Tyler Davidson checks in with meetings risk management expert Brenda Rivers to talk about the free on-demand Risk Management Primer: How to Protect Your Attendees and Organization From Disasterwebinar she presented for Meetings Today. Brenda talks about the current state of coronavirus meetings and events readiness as well as lessons to apply for future events.
COVID-19 has rocked the travel and meetings industry. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson talks to Dare to Interrupt podcast host Courtney Stanley about how she and those she's talked with in the industry are navigating these turbulent time, and resources you can tap to help you cope.
Meetings Today blogger Joan Eisenstodt has been participating in many of the thrice-weekly COVID-19 press conferences from the World Health Organization (WHO). Here's what she found out from the experts fighting the spread of the virus, how it impacts the meetings and events industry, and what the industry needs to learn from the crisis.
Danielle LeBreck and President & CEO of VISIT Milwaukee Peggy Williams-Smith talk about the event-packed year ahead for Milwaukee, new developments in the city, and all the best venues and offsites for meetings and events.
Enjoyed this podcast, and seriously considering Milwaukee for your next event? Apply to attend our Meetings Today LIVE! MidAmerica event May 3-6--a fully-hosted event for meeting planners. We'll connect you 1:1 with suppliers in the Midwest, do a bunch of site visits and explore Milwaukee's best attractions.
Inquire now!
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Top meetings industry attorneys Joshua L. Grimes and Tyra Warner discuss the legal issues involved with cancelling a meeting due to coronavirus. Learn how to protect your organization and what your op
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson talks with Seema Jain, director, multicultural affairs for Marriott International about the hotel giant's Culture Days program. Jain travels the world training Marriott staff on how to best serve the cultural needs of its very diverse clientele, and offers critical information to meeting planners on how they can do the same for their attendees.
Danielle LeBreck stops by the “All Roads Lead to Caesars Forum” road show in Minneapolis, Minnesota to catch up with Lisa Messina—VP of Sales for Caesars Entertainment—about the highly anticipated grand opening of Caesars Forum in Las Vegas in March.
Coronavirus has hit China hard, and it's difficult to get an accurate assessment of its severity because of the secrecy in that nation, although many confirmed cases have been reported in the U.S. Check out our Corona Virus Risk Management piece by Brenda Rivers to see how you can prepare. Also, discover what you need to do if you get sick on the road; a podcast with the LVCVA's Chris Meyer on what's new in Las Vegas; the need for sabbaticals; and the new trend of Biophilic design in meetings.
Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson chats with Chris Meyer, vice president of global sales for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, about what’s new in the center of the meetings and events universe. Topics include Elon Musk’s bold new Boring Company people mover; exciting new technology offerings; highlights of the Las Vegas Convention Center expansion; and how the Las Vegas is attracting a global sporting event audience.
*Podcast was created in partnership with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority
Danielle LeBreck and Jill Vance, the director of sales for The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel, take a deep dive on why this tranquil Southwest Florida destination is ideal for your next meeting. They cover its natural beauty and inspiration surroundings, unique waterfront venues, team activities, CSR programs and more.
* This podcast was created in partnership with The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel
Meetings Today is proud to collaborate with Courtney Stanley, a women's empowerment leaders in the meetings and events industry. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson asks her about the new podcast and Courtney shares some information about the first show, which is now available!
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Oracle just announced it is pulling up stakes and moving its 60,000-strong OpenWorld conference from San Francisco to Las Vegas for the next three years, citing exorbitant hotel prices and perceived safety issues due to the city's homeless crisis. Also, check out our podcasts from Lead Destination Strategist Danielle LeBreck, who traveled to Australia for the Dreamtime incentives event and a fam to the idyllic Whitsunday Islands.
Lead destination content strategist Danielle LeBreck tours the Whitsundays, a collection of islands near the Great Barrier Reef in northeastern Australia, during a fam trip with Business Events Australia. Listen to an overview of two resorts ideal for incentive groups—qualia and InterContinental Hayman Island Resort—along with an interview with qualia’s director of business event sales, Julie Ford.
This podcast is brought to you in partnership with Business Events Australia*
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson describes the impact Patti Shock has had on the meetings industry, through the eyes of the people she's impacted, including Joan Eisentsodt, Tyra Warner, MaryAnne Bobrow,Dan Cormanyand Dan Parks. Also, our Top 10 stories of 2019 and a podcast from Australia's Dreamtime 2019.
Lead Destinations Content Strategist Danielle LeBreck sits down with Tourism Australia’s Penny Lion during Dreamtime 2019 in Perth, Australia, to chat about how Australian destinations can help you plan one-of-a-kind incentive trips.
* This podcast is brought to you in partnership with Business Events Australia
Heka Health's Tony Salah, an innovator of wellness challenges that have been incorporated at large meeting industry events such as IMEX America, PCMA Convening Leaders and ASAE's Annual Meeting, explains how meeting planners can get their attendees competing in fitness challenges that will get their blood pumping and increase their overall engagement.
Meetings and hospitality veterans Joan Eisenstodt and Roger Rickard—no strangers to entering the fray when it comes to addressing hot-button issues and promoting industry advocacy and awareness—discuss the rather unenthusiastic current state of industry advocacy and how we can all get more involved to champion issues that directly impact our profession.
Golfing is still a great way to conduct meetings and network. Learn some of the ways this outing has evolved and why scheduling your next golf event goes beyond the course from Mark Crabb with Greater Palm Springs CVB, interviewed at Meetings Today Live 2019.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson details some of the top stories on MeetingsToday.com, including how one group weathered the California blackout--with tips for handling power outages--VISIT Milwaukee's hiring of Peggy Williams-Smith as president and CEO, and Jeff Heilman's podcast with Middleburg, Virginia's Goodstone Inn & Restaurant.
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Meetings Today Senior Contributor Jeff Heilman finds instant kinship and lasting memories at this exclusive group enclave in Virginia's horse and wine country. Check out Jeff's On the Scene story about his visit to the Goodstone Inn.
Meetings Today Vice President & Chief Content Director Tyler Davidson shares a few yuks from his Laughter Yoga story with Sarah Routman, as well as the best places in Texas for groups to get barbecue, searing your attendees' selfies on pancakes and the importance of speaking up for our industry.
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Laughter yoga practitioner Sarah Routman shares a few yuks with Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson after her Laughter Lab session at IMEX America. Laughing loudly out of context, it seems, is a tonic that heals and invigorates attendees while creating bonds with their colleagues. Have a laugh on us!
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Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson offers up his experiences at Meetings Today Live! West in Victoria, British Columbia, and how this magical little English Colonial-style city fueled his love for travel.
Also, Danielle LeBreck is reporting from Music City, USA—Nashville—during her press trip with Marriott's Convention & Resort Network.
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After a tour of Nashville's legendary Grand Ole Opry, Danielle LeBreck sat down to talk with tour operations manager Laura Leigh Jones Robertson about the famous country music venue's recently enhanced group tour offerings, event options and celebrity encounters—including Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Patty Loveless.
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Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson talks with Trippus Event Solutions' Martin Klofver about his company's utilization of facial recognition technology for Keller Williams Realty's Mega Camp 2019, and how this brave new tech may transform the industry and society. They also discuss privacy concerns and pushback.
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Little Fib at Renaissance Nashville Hotel aims to "put the supper back in supper time" through its modern take on comfort food classics.
Meetings Today's Danielle LeBreck sat down with Chef James Kerwin during a Marriott Convention & Resort Network press trip in Nashville, Tennessee, to discuss the restaurant's group catering options as well as the local touches it can offer attendees that are meeting or dining at the property.
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Well, almost. On a visit to NYC, Playa Cativo Sales and Marketing Director Cesar Vargas talks with Meetings Today Senior Contributor Jeff Heilman about all the temptations of this boutique beachfront eco-lodge accessible only by boat in Costa Rica's rainforest.
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Tyler Davidson sat down at IMEX America with Jerry Harper, deputy director of the Phoenix Convention Center, to find out what's new in the destination and at the facility, as well as why the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown is used as test hotel for that brand's news innovations.
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Tyler Davidson details Meetings Today's coverage on IMEX America, an On Location broadcast about destination boycotts, an in-house vs. outside AV primer and how to etch your attendees' faces into macarons onsite.
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Tyler Davidson sat down with Destination DC President & CEO ElliottL. Ferguson at IMEX America 2019 to find out what exciting new offsite venues and developments are opening up options for meeting planners in the U.S. capital. They also discussed the DMO's ambitious Connected Capital program targeting key industries such as tech, biotech/pharma, education and medical.
[Related Content: Destination DC CEO Elected to Chair U.S. Travel Association]
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Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson spoke with Atlantis Paradise Island's Christina Fischer at IMEX America about the luxury resort's ongoing charitable efforts to help Bahamians devastated by Hurricane Dorian.
Listen for more information on how you can help, too.
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Meetings Today’s Kate Cripe talks with Steve Hill, CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Bureau, at IMEX America about some of the largest projects happening in Las Vegas now. Hill shares information of the Las Vegas Convention Center expansion and details on the new Allegiant Stadium, future home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders, which will debut ahead of the 2020 NFL season.
[Related Content: Las Vegas Goes Full Speed Ahead on Future-Defining Investments for Meetings and Events]
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Bishop-McCann's new Return on Experience With Immersion Neuroscience technology, developed by Dr. Paul Zak, could transform the relevance and impact of meetings and event content via the brain waves of attendees.
Far-fetched? Welcome to the future.
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The results are in, and the incentive segment is trending up, but what reward program winners desire is rapidly changing.
Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson talks with Pádraic Gilligan, chief marketing officer for the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE), about the results from the joint study with the Incentive Research Foundation that tapped the insights of more than 2,500 incentives professionals.
Read our coverage of the Incentive Travel Industry Index results.
[Related Content: 10 Tips for Planning a Corporate Incentive Travel Program]
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Caesars Forum, the 550,000-square-foot conference center in the center of the Las Vegas Strip, is gearing up for its March 2020 opening. Meetings Today’s content developer Kate Cripe was on location at the facility for a hard hat tour and to talk to Michael Massari, chief sales officer, Caesars Entertainment about the project. In this episode, Massari shares more details on the space and its offerings.
[Related Content: Caesars Forum Conference Center Breaks Ground in Vegas]
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Tyler Davidson highlights the latest stories from Meetings Today, including how planners should prepare for hurricanes, ourAwe-Inspiring Decor! contest (win a free trip for two to Mexico!) and ways to leverage digital signage at convention centers to save money and foster sustainability. .
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What should planners consider when selecting a sustainable city and convention center for their next event? What sustainability questions should they ask facilities to help their meetings go green? We explore all of this and more in an interview with Jeff Johnson, the executive director of the Minneapolis Convention Center, and its director of sales and marketing, Katie Smith.
[Related Content: How 4 Cities Make It Easy to Go Green in 2019]
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Tyler Davidson details some of the top stories from Meetings Today, including how you can win an all-inclusive trip for two to Mexico's Riviera Maya just by submitting a photo of your recent meeting or event design triumph!
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Danielle LeBreck talks digital display tech with Ted Arbeiter, the tech services coordinator at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minnesota. Learn how digital display tech can bring your event into the 21st century, elevate the attendee experience and enhance your event branding in a cost-effective way.
[Related Content: 4 Reasons to Leverage Digital Displays at Conventions]
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Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson details some of the top stories of the week from Meetings Today, including Hollywood-worthy meeting venues, how to book a celebrity speaker and a Cvent study that says meeting planners can expect to be busy, busy, busy planning more and more meetings.
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Mindfulness seems to be everywhere these days, grabbing our attention on magazine covers at the grocer’s checkout stand, in posts on our social media feeds, in conversations from our favorite podcasts and in chats with friends and colleagues.
Ever wonder what mindfulness really is and how it can truly benefit you—and your clients? Lori Tenny checked in with Lee Papa, mindfulness speaker, trainer and author, and creator of the successful Mindfulness Lounge™ to discuss mindfulness and meditation—demystifying it and focusing on key benefits and strategies for busy meeting professionals to incorporate it into their lives and event agendas.
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Tyler Davidson details some of the top stories of the week from Meetings Today, including our latest installment of Meetings Horror Stories, Joan Eisenstodt's blog post on F&B cost-control and an article on an event special effects company that brings the WOW and cuts the red tape.
[Also Mentioned: My Lunch With Tom Sietsema, Washington Post Food Critic]
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Tyler Davidson talks with Alon Alroy, co-founder of cloud-based event management software company Bizzabo, about disruption in the meetings and events industry due to the forces of marketing ROI, data collection and analytics.
Plus: Alroy's take on trends to look out for in the near future.
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Tyler Davidson chats with the trailblazing Will Curran, "chief event Einstein" at Endless Events and a meetings and events cross-platform content machine. Learn why podcasting is so important to meeting planners, and how to identify the warning signs that you are about to get fleeced for your event Wi-Fi service.
[Related Content: How to Use Gamification to Influence Attendee Behavior]
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Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson details some of the top stories of the week, including big news from Destinations International’s Annual Conference, tips for executing a successful hosted-buyer event and how to make sure your feet—and the rest of you—hold up on the road.
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Tyler Davidson talks with Hilton's Daniella Foster, senior director of corporate responsibility, and Carole Munroe, director of portfolio, loyalty and content, about the hotel chain's many charitable efforts as it celebrates its centennial.
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Don't have time to listen? Read the transcript here.
Editor Tyler Davidson talks about some of Meetings' Today's latest coverage, including stories on how to begin podcasting, hotel loyalty programs for meeting planners and news and a podcast episode from Cvent CONNECT.
Get your week’s news in early with the Weekly Wrap! And also make sure to keep circling back to see what's new on the Meetings Today website.
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When I spoke at the Insurance Marketing and Communications Association (IMCA) Annual Conference in Minneapolis in 2019, I was greeted by a member of the speaker selection committee. Bryan Byrd with the California Earthquake Association introduced himself as my ambassador. That meant he was helping me for the day. What a great program and one I hadn't seen before.
Organizer Paula Negro shares the thinking behind the speaker ambassador program and how you can start one for your own meeting, event or conference.
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Tyler Davidson checks in with recent coverage including our annual Meetings Trendsetters list, some actionable summer event design tips and onsite coverage of the opening of Disney's meetings-friendly Gran Destino Tower.
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Meetings Today Brand Director Jim Krotz checks in with Cvent CEO Reggie Aggarwal at Cvent CONNECT 2019, the event tech company’s annual conference where it showcases new technology and hosts educational sessions for its customer base of event planners and industry suppliers.
Aggarwal elaborates on a couple big announcements from the event—including its new interactive floor event maps and online community offerings—and shares what’s in store for the future of the company.
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While onsite for the grand opening of the new Gran Destino tower at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort, Danielle LeBreck sat down with Disney's Director of Convention Sales and Services, Amy Pfeiffer and Show Director at Disney Event Group, Alan Bruun to walk through the design of the property's newest meeting spaces and how groups can use them for events.
Sure, some hotels just put the gym into an empty guest room. Or it's a couple of machines in another room that was never meant to be a gym. But some travelers—including event attendees—have demanded more. In this episode, I'm chatting with Steve Conklin, of the Marriott Marquis Chicago, about how hotels in the Marriott Convention and Resort Network (CRN) are stepping up their gym game.
For example, the J.W. Marriott in Chicago, has kinetic treadmills and dumbbells up to 100 pounds. That will accommodate many gym rats, including NFL teams and players in town to play the Chicago Bears.
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Chief Content Officer Christoph Trappe checked in with Drew Eckman, destination sales executive at Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel, to learn more about how the property is using plants and nature-inspired design to separate itself from the competition and encourage productivity.
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Tyler Davidson discusses the massive Los Angeles Convention Center expansion project and what it means to the meetings industry with Discover Los Angeles' Darren Green and Paige Cram. The CVB is hitting the road with an attention-getting hologram station that shows off the project.
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That ever-elusive idea of work-life balance seems to be on everyone’s cluttered mind in today’s hectic world. Meetings Today’s Lori Tenny took a breather with Deb Gee, experiential design lead for Lululemon, and Nova Browning Rutherford, workplace wellness facilitator, keynote speaker and media personality, for their mindful perspectives on achieving a healthy and sustainable work-life balance.
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Christoph Trappe spoke with Keith Kehl, director of marketing and sales with The Westin Michigan Avenue in Chicago, about what it means to be part of Marriott's Convention & Resort Network (CRN) and the personalized meeting experiences the hotel can offer groups.
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Christoph Trappe asked Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile Executive Frank Sanchez to identify the things meeting planners should ask their executive chef or catering team about when planning an event. His responses cover the areas of sustainability, food labeling, local sourcing and menu customization.
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Destination DC President and CEO Elliott Ferguson talks with Jeff Heilman about the sector-driven Connected Capital strategy for meetings, the real D.C. for visitors and groups, and his new role as national chair of the U.S. Travel Association.
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News that PCMA CEO Sherrif Karamat, a Canadian citizen, has yet to obtain a post-hiring EB-2 Green Card, and that PCMA has posted his position on its job board, has led to a great deal of confusion at the association and in the industry.
PCMA Chair of the Board of Directors Greg O'Dell fills in Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson on the situation and Karamat's status at the association.
Also: Learn more about PCMA EduCon 2019 in Los Angeles and a number of research studies and initiatives PCMA is pursuing.
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Tyler Davidson sits down with Tonya Almond, vice president of knowledge and experience with PCMA, to find out how meeting planners can incorporate the successes of PCMA EduCon 2019 into their meetings.
EduCon is like a meetings laboratory, so listen to its key facilitator to discover the new trends and formats that may supercharge your programs.
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Tyler Davidson talks with Kim Condon and Lauren Bachynski, from furniture—and research!—company Steelcase about its new "5,000 People, 5,000 Personal Journeys" study with PCMA about meeting attendee psychology that will help guide planners in producing more-relevant meetings.
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Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson talks with podcasting veteran Mike McAllen, of Podcasting4Associations, on how and why organizations should jump into the exploding podcasting scene to drive engagement and secure sponsorship revenue. It's basically free to begin, so don't be left out of the podcasting game!
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Meetings Today's Danielle LeBreck chatted with Chief Content Officer Christoph Trappe about the Las Vegas Convention Center after he attended the annual American Institute of Architects (AIA) conference there in 2019.
While Trappe has attended a lot of Las Vegas meetings, it was his first time meeting at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
He shares his thoughts on current state of the event space, the convention center expansion, where to stay and how to get to the center.
[Related Content: 2019 Las Vegas Destination Supplement]
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Tyler Davidson sits down with counterterrorism and security professional David Lau and risk management educator Alan Kleinfeld at MPI WEC 2019 to discuss what meeting and event planners as well as facility operators need to know to identify a possible active shooter, what security concerns to include in the RFP and site selection process, and how to react onsite if the unthinkable happens.
[Related Content: 9 Active Shooter Risk Management Tips]
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Meetings Today editors Tyler Davidson and Danielle LeBreck just returned from a content-producing frenzy at MPI WEC Toronto. Check out our coverage—all in one place!—on the Meetings Today website. And probably the biggest news of the week, meetings industry fixture Michael Dominguez is leaving MGM Resorts to take the top job at ALHI. A big congrats from all of here at Meetings Today, Mike!
Get your week’s news in early with the Weekly Wrap! And also make sure to keep circling back to see what's new on the Meetings Today website.
Enjoying this episode? View more episodes of the Meetings Today Podcast! And stay tuned for more Weekly Wrap bonus episodes in coming weeks.
Tyler Davidson sat down with MPI CEO Paul Van Deventer at MPI WEC 2019 in Toronto following the association’s press conference. Van Deventer provided an update on what’s new with the organization and discussed its latest initiatives, including its work to fight against human trafficking.
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At MPI's World Education Congress (WEC) in Toronto, Danielle LeBreck sat down with Sheriff Karamat, president and CEO of PCMA, to chat about the new data intelligence service BEAM and how meeting professionals can use it to create memorable experiences.
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The main theme of MPI's World Education Congress 2019 and many of its educational sessions is designing event experiences. For venues, this means taking a completely new approach to meeting space design. Adam Wueller, director of creative product innovation at Hilton, discusses with Danielle LeBreck the hotel brand's new innovative approach to the design of its meeting spaces.
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Tyler Davidson talks with representatives of MPAHT (Meeting Planners Against Human Trafficking) at MPI WEC 2019 about how planners and facilities can join the fight against a terrible scourge that often involves the sexual exploitation of children.
[Related Content: MPAHT Signs 'The Code' to Protect Children]
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What new tech will save you money and make your job planning meetings and events easier? Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson joins up with Dahlia El Gazzar, from Dahlia+, to explore the event tech offerings at MPI WEC's Tech Pavilion.
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Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson talks with Michael Cerbelli, ringleader of Michael Cerbelli's The Hot List™, about the hottest new event products and performance trends, and how planners can incorporate them into their events.
Check out more of Michael Cerbelli's Favorite Finds as showcased in The Hot List™ newsletter from Meetings Today!
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IACC CEO Mark Cooper details findings from the 2019 Meeting Room of the Future Report, and explains how meetings and events will be transformed in the near future. This episode was recorded live at MPI WEC 2019.
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In this edition of Meetings Today's The Weekly Wrap, Tyler Davidson details stories on meetings tech giant Cvent's acquisition of DoubleDutch, Joan Eisenstodt's series on end-of-life event planners, a comprehensive guide to planning for people with disabilities and our upcoming F&B trends webinar with Caesars Entertainment's Michele Polci.
Get your week’s news in early with the Weekly Wrap! And also make sure to keep circling back to see what's new on the Meetings Today website.
Enjoying this episode? View more episodes of the Meetings Today Podcast!And stay tuned for more Weekly Wrap bonus episodes in coming weeks.
From hosting the first-ever World Pride in the U.S. this June to major openings in all five boroughs, New York City is having a “monumental” 2019. Chris Heywood, SVP of Global Communications for NYC & Company, shares the highlights with Brooklyn-based Senior Contributor Jeff Heilman.
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Rampaging horses! Fallen doves! Banquet cheese that is not cheese at all! Check out our Meetings Horror Stories story on Meetings Today--you'll have to read it to believe it! Also: MGM layoffs, mini-toiletry bottle bans, a Rubik's Cube artist for your events and Aventri's top U.S. meeting and event venues.
Get your week’s news in early with the Weekly Wrap! And also make sure to keep circling back to see what's new on the Meetings Today website.
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Keynote speaker. Meeting planner. Hotel sales professional. Deborah Gardner has done it all, and shares her nearly 30 years of meetings industry knowledge and trends predictions with Meetings Today Vice President & Chief Content Director Tyler Davidson.
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Vice President and Chief Content Director Tyler Davidson discusses some of the top developments in the meetings industry on MeetingsToday.com, including our June cover story about stellar rooftop event venues and MGM International's scuttling of plans for a $2.6 billion resort casino in the Boston suburb of Everett, Massachusetts.
Get your week’s news in early with the Weekly Wrap!
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Meetings Today Contributor Jennifer Juergens sits down with Craig Schoninger, director of marketing at northeast Florida’s Ponte Vedra Inn & Club and The Lodge & Club, to discuss the fascinating history of the property and why its status as an independent, family-owned hotel translates into high levels of service and the flexibility to offer 10 percent commissions for meeting planners.
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In our newly rebranded weekly podcast covering some of the top stories from Meetings Today, editor Tyler Davidson highlights an article on what could be severe meetings industry financial ramifications resulting from states' restrictive anti-abortion laws, along with a piece on laws governing service animals at facilitiesand coverage of the buying power of the LGBT MPA.
Get your week’s news in early with the Weekly Wrap!
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Jim Allen, chairman of Hard Rock International and CEO of Seminole Gaming, talks about major expansion in South Florida, hitting the right chord with groups and brand values with Meetings Today senior contributor Jeff Heilman.
[Related Content: Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City Electrifies Groups]
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The Military Reunion Network's Sharon Danitschek explains how her company and its military veteran attendees accommodate service animals at their meetings. She also shares information about how her meeting planner colleagues and facilities can comply with federal law regarding service animals.
[Related Content: Laws Governing Service Animals at Meetings]
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In this edition of Destination Spotlight, I chat with Christoph Trappe and Sandra Fancher—who work for Stamats, our corporate parent—about their recent trip to Anaheim for a meeting. We discuss the best airports serving the Anaheim area, meeting spaces at Hyatt Regency Orange County and ways to enjoy the outdoors after work hours such as an evening meal on a rooftop bar overlooking the Disneyland fireworks show.
Learn more about outdoor venues in Anaheim in our related article Planning Your Event: Outdoor Venues in Anaheim and Orange County.
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Meetings Today Chief Content Director Tyler Davidson discusses a new event app download lure—free drinks! Plus a first look at new software that may eliminate the need to hire translation services and rent equipment and booth space, and the resignation of Phillip Jones as the CEO of VisitDallas.
Get your week’s news in early with The Wednesday Wrap!
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Completing an $18 million refresh, Galloway, New Jersey's historic Seaview is a group sanctuary with perennial appeal. Mike Tidwell, director of sales and marketing, shares some of the unique stories and renewal highlights of the historic property with Meetings Today Senior Contributor Jeff Heilman.
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I stayed on the Tampa Riverwalk during a trip to southern Florida in 2019 and of course couldn't pass on the opportunity to share some updates that might be of interest to you as you are planning your next event in the area.
In this episode of the Meetings Today Podcast, I'm discussing the Riverwalk neighbor, Amalie Arena as well as the Tampa Convention Center and surrounding hotels.
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From oversized balconies to fresh greens grown on-site, Destination Sales Executive Marc Alexander describes several of the top-notch amenities meeting and event planners can expect to find at the Orlando World Center Marriott, the world's largest Marriott. Read about the property's innovative produce program.
Discover what else is new in Florida in our special destination supplement.
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Chief Content Director Tyler Davidson reviews the week's most interesting stories, including a discussion on the joys and challenges of being an end-of-life event planner, the news that Las Vegas approved pot consumption lounges and a reflection on Charles Chan Massey's The Personal Stories Project.
Get your week’s news in early with The Wednesday Wrap!
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Meetings Today Lead Destinations Content Strategist, Danielle LeBreck, is in Orlando this week to review offerings for meeting and event planners. Here's a quick overview of what the Four Seasons Orlando Walt Disney can offer groups.
Discover what else is new in Florida in our special destination supplement.
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Coverings 2019, a global stone and tile expo, is utilizing a modern marketing technique: influencers. Staff writer Adrian Thompson chats with Becca Sass, account supervisor for Coverings social media, on working with influencers like John McClain to digitally promote and cover this year’s show.
Tyler Davidson talks with Michael Owen, a 30-year meetings and events industry veteran who has also worked in the entertainment industry for half a century, about why planners need to secure music licensing through performing rights organizations such as BMI or ASCAP—or risk paying hefty fines for playing music at events.
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Chief Content Director Tyler Davidson details his story and video about Marriott's CRN's bold 48-Hour Film Challenge, shot in Vancouver and event technology expert Jim Spellos' take on a free In Case of Emergency app that could save your life.
Get your week’s news in early with The Wednesday Wrap!
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Providence’s grande dame Biltmore Hotel recently got an A+ renovation from Graduate Hotels. Meetings Today Senior Contributor Jeff Heilman checks in with Scott Williams, general manager of the Graduate Providence, to find out how the historic property has benefited from its multimillion-dollar makeover.
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Following the recent announcement of a measles exposure in Los Angeles and at LAX, five cases in the county have been confirmed. Learn how to protect your meeting attendees. Also: A special Earth Day sustainable meetings podcast episodeand article with MeetGreen's Nancy Zavada and our new Science of Meetings column by Michael Dominguez from MGM Resorts International.
Get your week’s news in early with The Wednesday Wrap!
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Earth Day Special! Tyler Davidson talks with leading green meetings expert Nancy Zavada about simple ways meeting planners can make their events more sustainable. Plus, the hottest sustainable F&B trends!
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Learn the A-to-Z of event tech and AV. Tyler Davidson talks with tech expert Jon Trask, who details his related event tech best practices primer article with Meetings Today. On this episode, Trask will arm you with the basic information you need to offer a robust AV and tech offering without busting your budget.
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The Providence Warwick CVB named Kristen Adamo its new president and CEO. Meetings Today Senior Contributor Jeff Heilman had the exclusive opportunity to sit down with Adamo to discuss her new post as well as the culinary scene that has foodies taking note of Rhode Island's capital region.
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Tyler Davidson reviews some of the week's top stories, including his piece on fire safety, Lori Tenny's stress-busting tips from top wellness speakers and Danielle LeBreck's report on the rise of "bleisure" travel.
Get your week’s news in early with The Wednesday Wrap!
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Tyler Davidson delves into the week's events and Meetings Today coverage, including Joan Eisenstodt's blog on some of the stupid questions planners and suppliers have heard and an interview with a planner of major marijuana industry events.
Also, some of the top Trending stories on the Meetings Today website and what’s up on our Podcast page. Get your week’s news in early with The Wednesday Wrap!
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Meetings Today Senior Contributor Jeff Heilman does a deep dive on the Vegas food scene for groups with insider Donald Contursi, founder of award-winning Lip Smacking Foodie Tours.
[Related Content: 2018 Meetings Trendsetters: 20 Industry Agents of Change]
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Tyler Davidson talks with Michael Dominguez, chief sales officer of MGM Resorts International, about Global Meetings Industry Day 2019, a day when the hospitality industry gathers throughout the globe to extoll the value that meetings and conventions deliver to economies.
[Related Content: MGM Resorts ROARS Into 2019 With New Event Offerings]
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Meetings Today Senior Contributor Jeff Heilman talks to Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino's Director of PR and Community Affairs Gordon Prouty about the historic Elvis residency, staying competitive and life after 50 for the 1969 Vegas landmark.
[Related Content: Four Iconic Vegas Resorts Keep Meetings Scene Competitive]
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Tyler Davidson talks about some of the major stories Meetings Today has covered this week, including puppies at meetings, a controversial new teambuilding program and a fresh podcast on Elvis Presley and the Westgate Las Vegas Resort Casino!
Also, some of the top Trending stories on the Meetings Today website and what’s up on our Podcast page. Get your week’s news in early with The Wednesday Wrap!
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Meetings Today's Christoph Trappe was in Greensboro for an NCAA Women's Basketball Elite 8 March Madness tournament game (Iowa vs. Baylor). While there, he checked in with Henri Fourrier, president of the Greensboro CVB, on what's new and worth knowing for event planners. Listen to their discussion here.
Plus: Learn more about Greensboro's group offerings in this related article.
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Spring Is Here! And John and Yoko Love You!
Tyler Davidson details a week’s worth of some of the most interesting stories, including John and Yoko’s love nest, an amazing hospitality industry charity and Deb Gee’s spring wellness rituals you can incorporate into your daily routine.
Also, some of the top Trending stories on the Meetings Today website and what’s up on our Podcast page. Get your week’s news in early with The Wednesday Wrap!
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In a statement on Sunday, American Airlines announced it will be extending flight cancellations through April 24, 2019, as it waits for information from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the grounded Boeing 737 MAX jets, following a Lion Air crash in October and an Ethiopian Airlines crash on March 10. American Airlines says this extension will result in about 90 flights canceled per day.
Meetings Today Chief Content Officer Christoph Trappe and Lead Destinations Content Strategist Danielle LeBreck discuss this recent news, what it means for your upcoming travel plans and how it may affect your next event.
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Meetings Today Vice President and Chief Content Director Tyler Davidson details his exclusive access to shadow Marriott’s CRN 48-Hour Film Challenge, a truly out-of-the-box marketing concept that was ready for its close-up on location in Vancouver at the DOUGLAS, An Autograph Collection hotel. Read more here.
Also, some of the top Trending stories on the Meetings Today website and what’s up on our Podcast page. Get your week’s news early with The Wednesday Wrap!
Enjoying this episode? View more episodes of the Meetings Today Podcast! And stay tuned for more Wednesday Wrap bonus episodes in coming weeks.
According to a press release from VisitBrasil.com, the official Brazilian tourism website, the South American country will soon be allowing visitors from the U.S., Canada, Australia and Japan to travel to and from the nation without a visa. Starting on Monday, June 18, 2019, travelers from the United States will no longer be required to complete the lengthy e-visa process currently in place.
This makes it much easier for those visiting the Brazil for business, pleasure or both to take part in conferences, conventions and its plentiful tourism opportunities.
Meetings Today Chief Content Officer, Christoph Trappe, has traveled to Brazil several times and shares some insights into the change. Listen below for more details. And as always, feel free to leave comments or reach out directly to Christoph with your thoughts on this travel update.
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Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson interviews Marion Harper Treskin, general manager of the dual-branded JW Marriott Parq Vancouver and the DOUGLAS, An Autograph Collection Hotel, about the unique brand positioning of the DOUGLAS and how its independent movie vibe jibes with Marriott’s Convention & Resort Network’s innovative 48-Hour Film Challenge. Also check out our related podcast episode.
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Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson talks to the key players behind Marriott’s Convention & Resort Network’s “crazy” idea of holding the 48-Hour Film Challenge, filmed at Vancouver, British Columbia’s the DOUGLAS, An Autograph Collection Hotel, and how this outside-of-the-box concept ties into meetings.
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Meetings Today Vice President and Chief Content Director details the latest news in the meetings industry, including Meetings Today’s coverage of International Women’s Dayand the growing storm surrounding Boeing’s 737 MAX safety.
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On the first Wednesday Wrap, Tyler Davidson talks about major events in the meetings industry and what Meetings Today has been working on, including his March 2019 cover story on San Franciso's work to help its homeless population.
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The Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells, home to America's largest indoor waterpark, just got bigger. The resort's freshly expanded convention center, which includes an additional 112,000 square feet of meeting space, will open in September 2019.
Tifani Jones, Kalahari Resort's corporate sales director, shares how this expansion will positively affect future events, and what makes Kalahari an ideal (and family-friendly) destination for your next meeting.
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Tyler Davidson explores Marriott International's collaboration with the PCMA Foundation on their "Trends for the Future of Meetings" project. Marriott's senior marketing manager, Amy Popper, explains the program and is joined by four of her Marriott property colleagues who describe how they're facilitating the trends at their hotels. Also: an update on Marriott's ambitious new Mastermind program.
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Tyler Davidson sits down with Javier Cano, vice president and market general manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles and The JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE about how L.A. LIVE has transformed a once-neglected Downtown L.A. into a high-profile meetings mecca with "star power" that is unequaled in the industry.
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Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson talks with Marriott meetings and conventions veteran Alex Shotwell about three critical mistakes that can derail a meeting.
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Chief Content Director Tyler Davidson explores the many water-based activity options for groups visiting San Diego, with Blaine Amidei of DMC company Access. In San Diego there's water, water everywhere, so get your groups out on it!
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Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson talks with Mark Vaughan, executive vice president and chief sales officer for the Atlanta CVB, about how the destination is gearing up for Super Bowl LIII, and what it means for meetings and conventions groups in the future. Don't miss our related coverage showcasing Atlanta's meetings upgrades.
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Sarah Kloepple and Christoph Trappe discuss recent airport travel experiences during the government shutdown and provide tips for navigating security and reducing stress for everyone. Remember to be nice to TSA workers!
Related Meetings Today Podcast Episodes:
Government Shutdown (What Planners Need to Know)
Destination DC's Elliott Ferguson on the Government Shutdown
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Richard Hovel, Mid-Century Modern expert and owner/manager at the Palm Springs' Desert Star vacation rental complex, discusses with Meetings Today’s Marlene Goldman the history of Mid-Century Modern architecture and how groups can experience the popular phenomenon in Palm Springs, California. He also talks about the annual Modernism Week event, this year from Feb. 14 to Feb. 24, 2019.
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Staff Writer Sarah Kloepple talks with Becky Andrzejak, exhibit and events manager for Johnson Controls, at AHR Expo in Atlanta about why her company's two-story exhibit booth, also referred to as a double-deck booth, provides some serious competitive advantages on the tradeshow floor.
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Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson talks with Frank Passanante, Senior Vice President of Hilton Worldwide Sales - Americas, about the iconic brand's Golden Anniversary. Learn more about the Hilton Effect on the hotel company's website.
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Michelle Milligan, president of the Society of Government Meeting Professionals National (SGMP), discusses with Meetings Today the impact of the U.S. federal government shutdown on meeting planners and the meetings industry.
Read more industry insights on the shutdown here.
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Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson talks with Destination DC chief Elliott Ferguson about the federal government shutdown and how Washington, D.C., is navigating it. They also discuss hot spots for planners and attendees to visit while in D.C.
Read more insights from Ferguson and others regarding the shutdown here.
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Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson talks with Thrive! Meetings & Events’ Tracy Stuckrath about what planners need to know about F&B preferences, restrictions and how to make sure attendees who have allergies are protected. Stuckrath is the foremost group F&B food allergy expert in the industry, and the knowledge she shares just may save a life at your next meeting. Also: Some of the key F&B-related results of the 2019 Meetings Today Trends Survey are discussed.
Click here to view or download a PDF from Thrive! Meetings and Events containing sample food allergen protection clauses.
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Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson discusses the “what-ifs” regarding internet connectivity and audiovisual services following reports that CenturyLink suffered severe outages across its network. Also, Jon Trask of Strategic Meeting Tech fills meeting planners in on his tips for saving money on AV at events.
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Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson saddled up for behind-the-scenes access to the Grand National Rodeo, held in mid-October 2018 at the Cow Palace, in Daly City, California. Like the 77-year-old venue, the multigenerational world of rodeo is a quintessential study in Americana, attracting young and old to test their mettle.
Tyler interviews Cindy Rosser, the second-generation leader of Flying U Rodeo Company, and Ellen Carr, a 70-year-old former competitor whose granddaughter tested her skill at Jackpot Barrel Racing at the event.
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Meetings Today’s Lori Tenny discusses sexual harassment and strategies to combat it in the hospitality and meetings industries with Michael Massari, chief sales officer for Caesars Entertainment, and Sarah Soliman Daudin and Courtney Stanley, creators of #MeetingsToo: How to Prevent and Address Sexual Harassment at Events. Listen to another related podcast episode here.
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Amid the high-energy hustle of IMEX America, Meetings Today’s Lori Tenny takes a breather in the Be Well Lounge with Dale Hudson, knowledge and events director for IMEX, and Lee Papa, mindfulness speaker and trainer, to discuss innovative CSR and wellness initiatives at the show and in the industry.
They also talk about the importance of self-care for meeting planners, with a short meditation session thrown in for good measure.
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Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sits down with Trippus Event Solutions' Martin Klofver at IMEX America to talk about his eminently easy to use end-to-end meetings and event solution and meetings tech trends.
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Meetings Today Chief Content Director Tyler Davidson discusses LGBT+ issues in the meetings industry with Charles Chan Massey, a 30-year meetings industry veteran and advocate who remembers the "secret handshake" days. Now LGBT+ meeting professionals have their own association. Read more on that here.
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Meetings Today's Lori Tenny sat down with a meeting planner, a changemaker and a major industry leader at IMEX America in Las Vegas to have a candid conversation about sexual harassment in the meetings industry and how we can propel change and make the biggest impact moving forward.
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Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson talks with Dan Berger about the game-changing sale of his meeting facilitation solution, Social Tables, to industry tech giant Cvent. Short on time? Read our news coverage of the acquisition.
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Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson runs down the latest meetings trends with Carol McGury, EVP, Events & Education Services for SmithBucklin, including the consumerization and customization of events.
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Christoph Trappe chats with Jack Reed, director of sales with the Hilton Head Island Visitor & Convention Bureau, about the impact of increased regular air travel into town after the Hilton Head Island Airport in South Carolina extended its runway from 4,300 feet to 5,000 feet, encouraging more direct flights.
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Tyler Davidson interviews Michele Polci, director of citywide catering sales for Caesars Entertainment, about catering trends at IMEX America.
Are you up to speed on the latest in F&B? Listen to find out!
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Vice President of Digital Innovation at Aventri Brian Friedman joined Meetings Today at IMEX America in Las Vegas for a conversation on artificial intelligence, which Friedman believes can help planners create a successful event.
Friedman also discusses Aventri's recent acquisition of ITN International, which broadens its current on-site technology and service offerings. The acquisition will allow the company to expand its global reach and the events it supports.
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Meetings Today Vice President & Chief Content Director Tyler Davidson and Chief Content Engagement Director and speaker Christoph Trappe talk with Christine Ahanotu, booking agent with AE Speakers, about the most critical issues meeting planners need to know before hiring a speaker.
Check out this article Christine wrote for even more speaker selection advice.
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Vice President & Chief Content Director Tyler Davidson talks with Omni Hotels & Resorts' Dan Surette, senior vice president of sales and marketing, and Laura Trussel McKoy, creative director and vice president of interior design, about the hard-charging brand's newest developments and design concepts.
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One of the brightest lights and biggest thinkers in the meetings and events industry, Event Manager Blog editor and author Julius Solaris, joins Meetings Today for this podcast exploring the latest trends and technology developments impacting the meetings industry, the unceasing viability of face-to-face meetings and his IMEX America Smart Monday keynote that is sure to turn heads.
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Protect the safety of your attendees and the legal liability for the organization you plan for before, during and after an event via a sound risk mitigation strategy. Hear what risk management and duty of care expert Brenda Rivers has to say by tuning into this essential episode of the Meetings Today Podcast!
Brenda Rivers and Meetings Today also partnered to publish "The Meeting & Event Risk Management Guide: How to Develop a Customized Risk Management Playbook," which is available for purchase at: https://meetingstoday.com/books
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ASAE, the “association of associations,” provides a learning laboratory for association planners and others at its annual events. Join Meetings Today and ASAE’s Amy Ledoux, SVP, Meetings and Expositions, to discover how ASAE manages its big annual meeting and expo and cutting-edge XDP event, including more details on a new risky and revolutionary new pricing model for 2019!
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Meetings Today Podcast host Tyler Davidson checks in from ASAE's Annual Meeting & Exposition in Chicago and investigates the meeting and association strategies of some of the most intelligent people on Earth—Mensa. From game shows to code-crunching robots, Meetings Today and Association Chat’s KiKi L’Italien sit down with Mensa CEO Trevor S. Mitchell to get the skinny!
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The security lapse that caused the evacuation of Germany’s Frankfurt Airport resulted in the predictable level of chaos when a major global hub goes down, even for a short time. Read more on the August, 7, 2018, security lapse here.
Join Meetings Today and our chief content engagement director—and frequent traveler and speaker—Christoph Trappe as we discuss what your options are as a planner and attendee when your best-laid travel plans go awry.
Listen to the full episode of the Meetings Today Podcast in the player below. Low on time? A transcription of the conversation is available here.