Smart Meetings

JANUARY 29, 2024

Marin Bright often told the story of how she launched the meetings and events industry’s first lifestyle magazine in 2002, a few months after the devastating attacks on 9/11 and the downturn in the travel industry. Over 22 years, through economic recessions, a global pandemic and personal health issues, as CEO of Bright Business Media, LLC and Smart Meetings , she continued to exemplify the resiliency and grit required to build the Smart Meetings community into the most engaged in the in

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Publishing Website Media Hospitality 306

ETC Corporate

FEBRUARY 13, 2024

Towards the end of 2023, European tourism continued its robust recovery, nearing pre-pandemic levels despite inflationary pressures. Across reporting destinations, foreign tourist arrivals stand at 1.6% below 2019 figures, with nights 0.6% below, showcasing a resilient travel demand across the continent – a trend which is expected to continue into 2024.

Tourism 281

Tourism Tourism Trends Travel 281

MeetingsNet

APRIL 8, 2024

The keynote address for HPE Discover 2024 will use the venue’s 160,000-square-foot wraparound screen as the band U2 did a few months back. When Hewlett Packard Enterprise brings its HPE Discover 2024 conference to the Venetian Convention and Expo Center in mid-June, attendees will have to walk a bit farther than usual to take in the keynote presentation from HPE President and CEO Antonio Neri—but it’s unlikely that many of them will mind the inconvenience.

Events 132

Events Entertainment Technology Technology 132

Conferences that Work

FEBRUARY 19, 2024

After a four-year gap due to the COVID pandemic, we eagerly returned to Anguilla for a two-week vacation. We love this tiny Caribbean island and have taken a welcome break from Vermont winter for fifteen years. I have written many posts about lessons from Anguilla gleaned during our visits, and this trip uncovered more. The trip For the first time in many years, Celia and I stayed in Anguilla without company.

Retreat 134

Retreat Proposal Conference Entertainment 134

TravelBoom and sister agency, The Brandon Agency, release new consumer sentiment study on travel amidst the COVID-19 second wave

Travel

Convene by PCMA

APRIL 14, 2024

Showcase — presented by PCMA and Destinations International during Business Events Industry Week in Washington, D.C. — began with a discussion about “The State of Sourcing.” (EPNAC photo) The topic for panelists participating in “The State of Sourcing” discussion kicking off Showcase — presented by PCMA and Destinations International on April 10 during Business Events Industry Week in Washington, D.C. — was RFPs: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Incentives 122

Incentives Events Venue Panel 122

Bizzaboo

MARCH 19, 2024

Bizzabo has been named a Leader in the 2024 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Event Technology Platforms. In the first-ever Magic Quadrant for event technology platforms, Gartner conducted a detailed evaluation of Bizzabo and 12 other vendors against specific criteria that analyzed the company’s overall Completeness of Vision and Ability to Execute, based on a comprehensive survey, executive briefing, demo video, customer interviews, and Gartner Peer Insights reviews.

Event Technology 116

Event Technology Platform Technology Technology 116

EHL Insights

APRIL 9, 2024

The luxury industry is undergoing a change. As a result, its products are reaching more and more people. In order to avoid losing exclusivity and uniqueness, many brands are now relying on ‘experiences’. These are enabling them to strengthen their relationships with their customers, offering them a unique experience without sacrificing status or reputation.

Hospitality 105

Hospitality Meeting Production Management 105

Skift Meetings

MARCH 26, 2024

Skift Take: Keynote speakers with expertise in artificial intelligence are in high demand as organizations embrace the new technology. One emerging speakers bureau is crafting bespoke sessions to meet client objectives.

Speakers 103

Speakers Meeting Technology Technology 103

Special Events

JANUARY 31, 2024

Special Events talks with entertainment services company Production Resource Group (PRG)

Entertainment 119

Entertainment Events Production 119

Redfin

APRIL 22, 2024

Nestled in the heart of California’s Central Valley, Tulare is a charming city with a rich agricultural heritage and a warm, welcoming community. Living in Tulare means being surrounded by the breathtaking beauty of the Sierra Nevada mountains and enjoying a laid-back, small-town atmosphere. So whether you’re searching for apartments in Tulare , homes for sale , or are already a local, this Redfin article will be your guide.

Fashion 71

Fashion Retail Entertainment Sustainability 71

The evolution of the DMC industry requires that it embark upon a renewed relationship with clients that is built upon transparency, trust, and understanding.

Smart Meetings

APRIL 8, 2024

As American makes it easier to travel with pets, what will this mean for passengers? The next time you’re on an American Airlines flight, don’t be surprised if things look a little, well, furrier. American recently updated its pet policy, which could serve as encouragement to travelers—specifically, those who normally leave their small friends at home or try to pass them as support animals—to bring them along.

Airlines 278

Airlines Hospitality Management Travel 278

ETC Corporate

MARCH 19, 2024

For the seventh year in a row, ETC continues its partnership with the European Cultural Tourism Network (ECTN), Europa Nostra and the Network of European Regions for Competitive and Sustainable Tourism (NECSTouR) to encourage the development of sustainable cultural tourism practices in European destinations.

Culture 261

Culture Sustainability Tourism Tourism 261

MeetingsNet

FEBRUARY 16, 2024

The Federal Trade Commission has finalized a rule allowing it to take scammers to court—including those who fraudulently use conference names, logos, and mailing lists—and seek financial penalties. “Advocacy works!” said Tommy Goodwin, FASAE, CAE, PMP, CMP, vice president of the Exhibitions and Conferences Alliance, applauding both the Federal Trade Commission for finalizing an anti-impersonation fraud rule and the many business event industry organizations that advocated for it.

Conference 126

Conference Affiliate Trade Show Government 126

Conferences that Work

JANUARY 22, 2024

My January 15, 2024 article “ Concerns about using facial analysis at events ” generated much discussion. (See, e.g., this thread on LinkedIn which has, at the time of writing, four thousand impressions.) Five days later, Panos Moutafis , co-founder & CEO of Zenus , the “ethical facial analysis” company, responded. I find his response inadequate, and this post explains why.

Technology 137

Technology Technology Events Attendee 137

Convene by PCMA

APRIL 21, 2024

r.World, a company that provides reusable service ware, estimates 4 billion single-use plastic cups are used annually at live events in North America. The official theme for Earth Day 2024 is “Planet vs. Plastic,” a call to arms issued by Earthday.org to reduce all plastic production by 60 percent by 2040 and to rapidly phase out all single-use plastics by 2030.

Venue 115

Venue Entertainment Hospitality Production 115

Bizzaboo

MARCH 18, 2024

New research demonstrates Bizzabo SmartBadge™ advantages over traditional name badges New York, NY – Bizzabo, the Event Experience Operating System (OS), today announced groundbreaking data demonstrating the impact of Klik wearable event technology on lead generation, attendee networking, and event engagement compared to traditional name badges and lead capture methods.

Event Technology 111

Event Technology Technology Technology Event Apps 111

Smart Meetings

APRIL 17, 2024

Feeling classy? These New and Renovated spaces are for you. These new and renovated hotels all share one fabulous commonality: rich, luxurious spaces that transport visitors to what feels like a European castle, with jewel-toned hues, plush furnishings and ambient lighting. Whether you’re meeting in Washington’s wine country or lively New Orleans, you’ll find your event brimming with a feel of decadence and elegance.

Transportation 261

Transportation Conference Sustainability Booking 261

Smart Meetings

MARCH 7, 2024

Event tech native Nick Borelli: AI will remove the drag stuff so you can produce A+ events Nick Borelli, director of marketing for the ethical facial analytics company Zenus Inc., has good news for meeting professionals. AI is not just one more thing they have to learn to do their jobs. “It is actually a tool that will get some of that ‘drag stuff’ out of the way to focus on the things that you really want to do, the reason you got into the events industry in the first place,” he explained at Sm

Events 278

Events Technology Technology Meeting 278

Smart Meetings

MARCH 29, 2024

Meeting professionals spend months and sometimes years designing events that are engaging, inspiring and educational. But once the custom tablecloths have gone back to the rental company and the stage deck has been struck, we are often slackers when it comes to deconstructing how it all went so we can improve the next time. A recent visit to Sedona Mago Center for Well-being for a taste of Body & Brain Wellness experiences in Arizona was a reminder that as meeting professionals, we have to l

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Retreat Events Entertainment Communications 264

Smart Meetings

MARCH 26, 2024

The non-gaming property further develops its wellness focus Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas’ director of sales and marketing is a “spa girly.” “When I’m on vacation, it’s a big priority for me,” says Ali Murray. “It’s something I’ve always loved and I think that it’s something our city is missing a little bit. You don’t think of Vegas as a health and wellness destination typically.

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Retreat Planner Trends Attendee 264

Smart Meetings

APRIL 2, 2024

On this episode of Meeting of the Minds, Smart Meetings is joined by Jaclyn Bernstein, president and owner of Empire Force Events, and Alexis Dick, an event planner at HARDI. The two professionals discussed not only how to build networks and maintain them, but the value these relationships add to a person’s professional life and how they can evolve.

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Meeting Networking Planner Event Planning 261

Smart Meetings

MARCH 22, 2024

How planners can safeguard their attendees against hotel room breaches In 2022, at a private event in Las Vegas during “hacker summer camp,” as the Black Hat and Defcon hacker conferences have come to be known, a group of researchers found a flaw that could put millions of hotel rooms around the world at risk of being breached. Security researcher Lennert Wouters, Seats.aero flight awards search tool founder Ian Carroll and a team of researchers have just recently come out with the news of what

Planner 264

Planner Venue Preparation Attendee 264

Smart Meetings

MARCH 21, 2024

Get ready to change everything about how you think about your job! On this episode of What One Thing? JT Long, vice president and content director of Smart Meetings, has an insightful conversation with Edward Perotti, an award-winning meeting designer and principle of EP Events and Experiences. With over 27 years of experience, Perotti shares valuable insights on transitioning from being an order-taker to a strategic leader in the events industry.

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Event Planning Logistics Meeting Design Events 264

Smart Meetings

MARCH 20, 2024

Where Certified Meeting Professionals gather, connection and innovation flourish From March 11-13, 2024, events industry professionals who hold the esteemed Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation gathered in Toronto at the Fairmont Royal York. Between enlightening presentations, sessions with expert panels and bustling networking receptions, the 200 CMPs in attendance—about 70% of them planners and 30% on the supplier side—left with a treasure trove of knowledge around today’s highest-

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Affiliate Events Panel Education 264

Smart Meetings

MARCH 18, 2024

Women are taking the lead in GM roles Smart Meetings continues to celebrate Women’s History Month! We are highlighting women who have worked their way up and earned the position of General Manager (GM) to show our appreciation for their dedication to hospitality, their genuine passion for helping others and for standing strong in an industry where men still dominate the majority of leadership roles.

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Management Hospitality Culture Meeting 264

Smart Meetings

MARCH 8, 2024

Sam Newton Sam Newton, Louisville Tourism Newton is Louisville Tourism ’s first-ever Airport Welcome Center Manager. He will lead Muhammad Ali International Airport’s new welcome center through its opening and oversee the center’s staff in greeting visitors and helping them navigate Louisville. Most recently, he served as senior manager of operations at Frazier History Museum.

Event Technology 264

Event Technology Hospitality Technology Technology 264

Smart Meetings

JANUARY 3, 2024

Smart Meetings is looking for extraordinary women to honor in the ninth annual Smart Women in Meetings Awards. As the industry’s first program to recognize and uplift female leaders, our special March issue of Smart Meetings magazine highlights incredible women in meetings and events, followed by our annual Smart Women in Meetings Awards Gala to honor the exclusive group of Smart Women in Meetings.

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Meeting Networking Events 277

Convene by PCMA

JANUARY 16, 2024

There’s encouraging news in the Freeman Trends Report: 2024 Attendee Intent and Behavior , released Tuesday, Jan. 16, by the global events company: Attendance at in-person events, which has risen as the worst of the pandemic has receded, is expected to hold steady over the next 12 months. But comparisons with the past aren’t the point, said Ken Holsinger, Freeman’s senior vice president, strategy and research.

Attendee 130

Attendee Events Networking Trends 130

Convene by PCMA

MARCH 27, 2024

For a sense of how the business events industry is — or isn’t — embracing sustainability, let’s take a look at three different surveys. We’ll start with whether climate change is being incorporated in the program content. According to the “ 2024 Speaking Industry Benchmark Report ,” sustainability comes in tenth on a list of 17 relevant speaking topics — between technology and human rights — that organizers are planning their events around this year.

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Sustainability Contracts Contracts Events 119

Convene by PCMA

APRIL 8, 2024

Head to Crescent Heights for some of the best views of Downtown Calgary. (ROAM Creative) As many major cities work on their downtown revitalization strategies, one city stands out as a role model that can help them harness new possibilities: Calgary. The third-most populated city in Canada is in the midst of a massive transformation that is best summed up by The Washington Post — “Almost every direction one looks in downtown Calgary,” the paper’s editorial board wrote in the middle of 2023, “the

Culture 116

Culture Meeting Attendee Audience 116

Convene by PCMA

JANUARY 22, 2024

Organizations have been shifting away from boycotting, banning, or canceling their events in controversial destinations, and shining a spotlight on the issues. In 2023, proposed and enacted laws targeting the rights of minority populations swept the U.S. in record-breaking numbers. According to the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, more anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced in state houses last year than in

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Organization Meeting Tourism Tourism 121

Convene by PCMA

FEBRUARY 5, 2024

MidJourney created this “timber pavilion in nature” from prompts written by Digital Media Editor Magdalina Atanassova. The recently published “The Future 100: 2024” report identifies 100 trends across industries — from culture to technology to travel and hospitality — that will shape the way people live and work this year and beyond. Each year, editors from VML Intelligence, the futurism, research, and innovation unit of global creative agency VML, offer thought-provoking observations for the an

Online 119

Online Meeting Publishing Trends 119

Convene by PCMA

APRIL 4, 2024

Nutrition experts caution that the anti-diet movement is “hurting people at risk of health problems related to excess weight and a poor diet,” according to a recent story in The Washington Post. In March, I wrote about new research suggesting that the oft-recommended practice of intermittent fasting — abstaining from eating for 16 hours during the day — is actually detrimental to your health.

Medical Meetings 111

Medical Meetings Trade Show Proposal Social Media 111

MeetingsNet

MARCH 22, 2024

A large fund from the national government is now available to destinations making bids to host larger events from outside the country. Over the next three years, Canadian cities that are making bids on conventions and trade shows from the U.S. and elsewhere can tap into a new $36.75 million (CA $50 million) fund to enhance their destination’s appeal to event decision-makers.

Incentives 111

Incentives Government Manufacturing Trade Show 111

MeetingsNet

APRIL 15, 2024

A veteran planner explains how to push back tactfully but effectively when a proposed change isn’t for the better. During the 12-hour educational marathon hosted by Meeting Professionals International on April 11—Global Meetings Industry Day—one session presenter touched on a delicate issue that surely had all the business-event planners in attendance nodding along: Yes, change is essential and inevitable.

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Rehearsal Contracts Contracts Transportation 104