January, 2022

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Low In-Person Attendance Hurts Exhibitors: Here’s What Event Planners Can Do!

Endless Events

We might be over the biggest obstacles that COVID-19 has thrown at us (at least we can hope so), but in-person attendance is still nowhere as high as it was pre-2020. While we’ve talked a lot about how the pandemic affected planners and attendees, we haven’t focused on exhibitors’ experience all that much. We’ve talked about exhibitors at virtual events and virtual event sponsorship ideas.

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Smart Moves in Charleston, Nashville and More

Smart Meetings

Carly Skinner. Skinner joined Makeready hospitality company’s Emeline hotel in Charleston, South Carolina as general manager. She brings 14 years of hotel management experience to the position, most recently working at Proper Hotels and Residences’ The Hotel June as general manager in Los Angeles. Skinner has been hotel manager at Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood and Dream Hotel Group’s Dream Hollywood location.

MICE professionals

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New ETC report investigates impact of COVID-19 on tourists’ sustainable travel attitudes

ETC Corporate

Although consumers’ adoption of sustainable behaviour in tourism has been growing in the past years, research has shown that the global pandemic has driven more sustainable travel trends. Generally, travellers seem to be adopting greener options and paying closer attention to their impact on the environment and local communities. However, the willingness to adopt a more sustainable travel.

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Feeling Good: 2022 Wellness Tourism Trends

Dana Communications

When the global pandemic that started unfolding in 2020 shifted all of our lives dramatically, it fueled a wellness crisis—physical, mental and spiritual—in addition to putting the brakes on travel and resulting tourism revenue. But within these challenges hid a valuable opportunity to realign our priorities and make the mind-body-and-soul wellness, and that of guests and visitors, our ultimate mission moving forward.

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COVID-19 Travel Consumer Sentiment Study

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

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Seven Fun Activities for Bringing Teams Back Together Post-COVID

Best Corporate Events

As vaccination rates rise and COVID cases fall , live business events and meetings are coming back in a big way. The recent IMEX gathering in Las Vegas drew more than 3,300 meeting professionals for in-person education and networking, and Smart Meetings is reporting that urban venues are seeing the return of group business. Concerts are back. And according to AdWeek , while virtual and hybrid events are here to stay, “Few believe the limitless audience of a virtual event is worth the in-pe

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14 Must-Attend Hospitality Conferences for Industry Professionals in 2022

Social Tables

Hospitality professionals saw the industry undergo tremendous changes in 2021. Many hospitality conferences and conventions were virtual or hybrid events , while others were forced to cancel altogether. 2021 also brought about many exciting developments in hospitality technology, digital marketing, hotel services, and changes in travel trends. As a result, many industry professionals are wondering what to expect from the top hospitality conferences of 2022.

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What Meeting Professionals Can Learn from the Metaverse

Smart Meetings

Just as virtual meetings can’t replace in-person events, the Metaverse won’t replicate real life. But they are improving on in-the-flesh experiences in some key ways. Both digital solutions bring advances that can teach real-world lessons to meeting professionals looking to improve their experiences. Smart Meetings asked Liesl Leary-Perez, vice president of corporate marketing with the virtual and hybrid event platform Hubilo , for lessons that will make all engagements more, well, engaging.

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Intention for long-haul travel to Europe recovering from 2021 low point

ETC Corporate

Long-haul travel was a key driver of growth for the European tourism sector in the years before the COVID-19 pandemic but has been severely impacted since then. 2021 saw the start of a recovery, especially from the US market. In 2022, the global vaccine roll-outs will help Europe regain some of its prior prominence in terms of the importance of long-haul travel, though the full recovery will take.

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The Benefits of Utilizing User-Generated Content for Tourism

Dana Communications

Across industries, user-generated content (UGC) has become a key marketing tool. Retailers, small businesses, restaurants and more are leveraging UGC, and tourism is no different. But first, what is user-generated content? According to CrowdRiff , it’s “any content that is voluntarily created and shared by individuals, fans or consumers of a brand who are not associated with that brand.”.

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Make the meeting bigger!

Conferences that Work

Most of the event industry and our clients continue to assume that if you can make the meeting bigger it’s a good thing. It ain’t necessarily so. How we got here. The massive disruption of in-person events since March 2020 has shaken our industry to the core. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person events that weren’t canceled have seen drastically reduced attendance compared to prior years.

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Evolution of the DMC:Renewing Business Relationships with Deeper Trust, Transparency & Understanding

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

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A Guide to Burnout for Event Professionals

Skift Meetings

Mental health issues are not new to the events industry — these experiences have been present for some time. But with event profs currently facing exceptionally high-stress levels, more people are living with mental health challenges like burnout. Mental health can be somewhat of a taboo topic. People generally don't talk about their struggles and […].

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Event Tech Mergers & Acquisitions: A Double-Edged Sword

Endless Events

Last week, the Event Tech Podcast hosted Kyle Kocinski as a guest of honor and went over event technology trends and predictions for 2022. Today, the dynamic tech duo picks up where they left off last week, focusing on one 2022 event trend in particular: mergers and acquisitions in the event technology world. It all started in 2020 and continued with full steam head in 2021: we saw huge investments in event platforms and multi-billion dollar valuations of some of the largest players in the field

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When Do Event Pros Need to Start Thinking about the Metaverse?

Smart Meetings

Hint : Not anytime soon. metaverse. Since Facebook changed its name to Meta, you can’t escape media coverage on the metaverse. It’s the Next Big Thing in tech. In case you don’t already know, the metaverse is a digital construct that mirrors the real world. Using a VR headset , you can enter a digital room that looks like a real room, where your avatar will interact with other avatars representing other real people.

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Super Bowl Plans a Covid Blitz

MeetingsNet

It won’t be enough to be vaccinated or test negative if you want to see the big game in person. This weekend’s football matchups will determine which two teams go to the Super Bowl. Whoever plays in the big game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., on February 13 will jog onto the field and look up at an unusual sight: 70,000-plus fans cheering through KN95 masks.

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The Benefits of Utilizing User-Generated Content for Tourism

Dana Communications

Across industries, user-generated content (UGC) has become a key marketing tool. Retailers, small businesses, restaurants and more are leveraging UGC, and tourism is no different. But first, what is user-generated content? According to CrowdRiff , it’s “any content that is voluntarily created and shared by individuals, fans or consumers of a brand who are not associated with that brand.”.

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US State Department Starts Off 2022 With 16 New Travel Advisories

Travel Pulse

The US State Department issued elevated travel warnings for 16 international destinations earlier this week, due to Omicron infection levels and other safety concerns.

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How Event Planners Are Tackling Staff Shortages

Skift Meetings

Staffing shortages, supply chain issues, rising costs and, of course, the ongoing pandemic are creating a perfect storm of challenges for event managers. Out of the storm may come more efficient approaches to event planning and respect for hospitality employees. It’s no secret to event managers that the so-called Great Resignation has hit the hospitality […].

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Taking A Break As An Event Professional: A Little Goes A Long Way

Endless Events

The Event Brew is back after a well-deserved holiday break! Inspired by their time off, the Brew Crew will talk about taking a break as an event professional. Will, Dustin, and Thuy know all about staying productive all year round and have all experienced event-industry-related burnout in the past. But as they matured, they learned their ways to work around it.

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This Week in Travel: Covid Tests, Airline Fees and Sustainable Travel

Smart Meetings

Keeping you and your groups up to speed with weekly travel updates. The Buzz. “If you listen to the narrative in the country right now, it’s about testing. Testing must be a component of our events. As a country we’re deficient on tests, we got so focused on vaccines we forgot about the testing component.”. -Michael Dominguez, president and CEO of Associated Luxury Hotels International ( ALHI ) at Smart Meetings’ 2020 Hospitality Predictions webinar.

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Topic Experts Provide Event Advice for 2022

MeetingsNet

Veterans in strategic event management, risk management, and virtual/hybrid meeting production weigh in on what’s most important for planners to focus on this year. With the uncertainty around in-person meetings now approaching the two-year mark, planners of business events are forced to have not just a plan A but also a plan B and plan C to make sure they can execute events that meet their stakeholders’ objectives.

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Electra and Flyv Partner for On-Demand Air Mobility

Business Traveler USA

Electra.aero, a US-based clean aviation technology company, and Flyv, a German start-up airline specializing in on-demand air mobility, have partnered to employ a new generation of hybrid-electric aircraft in underserved regional travel markets in Europe. The ultra-short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) fixed-wing plane uses quiet distributed electric propulsion and sustainable flight technology to take off and land on spaces “as small as rooftops, parking lots and soccer fields,” according to the co

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Tech Experts Weigh In: How Has the Digital Event Experience Changed?

Convene by PCMA

Indra Nooyi, former CEO and chairman of PepsiCo, speaks with CL22 host Holly Ransom. Nooyi appeared as a hologram on the Main Stage via technology that events have put to use more than ever in the past two years. (Jacob Slaton Photography). If you were to name one thing that has changed about the digital audience’s expectations during 2021, what would it be?

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The Downside of the Metaverse for Events

Skift Meetings

The metaverse opens up a world of possibilities and opportunities for event professionals. But what are the downsides of the metaverse, and how can we protect ourselves and our attendees? The last couple of years have seen event professionals adapting to many new event technologies, with current trends indicating that this process will not be […].

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New Year, New Ideas: Event Tech Predictions For 2022

Endless Events

Can you believe it? It’s 2022! And what better way to kick off a new year than with an event tech predictions episode? As our most loyal listeners know, Will and Brandt love to make educated guesses about the events industry. From evaluating what Starlink might mean for the events industry to brainstorming about facial recognition technology , they never shy away from having a heated discussion about the future.

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MeetingPlay and Aventri Merge as First Big Event Tech Deal of 2022

Smart Meetings

Event platform MeetingPlay and meeting management SaaS provider Aventri announced today that they will merge to create a full-service event software company. The deal, backed by a growth equity investment from Sunstone Partners and Camden Partners, is positioned as a blend of technology and service to close gaps in the planning process and deliver a full-service solution for meetings ranging from 100 people to more than 200,000.

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In a Difficult Moment, Meetings-Industry Event Set to Go Forward

MeetingsNet

With demand for its in-person experience holding strong despite a new wave of Covid infections, Professional Convention Management Association gathers in Las Vegas early next week using several logistical changes. Over the past 60 days, the meetings and events industry has been whipsawed by the Covid pandemic. First, early November saw the IMEX America show in Las Vegas become the first event in the U.S. to welcome back international visitors, and the absence of health-security issues during the

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ANA Extends SAF Options to Corporate Travel

Business Traveler USA

ANA has announced it is extending its ‘SAF Flight Initiative’ to corporate customers and their travelers, helping participating companies reach their sustainability goals. The carrier says the program will reduce CO2 emissions from flights and at the same time increase the demand for and use of sustainable aviation fuel. Under the Green House Gas Protocol , emissions from a company’s business travelers are considered Scope 3, while for the airline they are Scope 1.

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World Health Organization Says COVID-Related Travel Restrictions Should Be Lifted

Travel Pulse

The agency said the spread of the Omicron variant shows the ineffectiveness of travel restrictions over time.

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What Events Are Missing With the Climate Crisis

Skift Meetings

In parts of North America, there is a growing practice of acknowledging the land rights of indigenous tribes during opening speeches at events. Is it time to introduce a similar policy of acknowledging the current climate emergency at gatherings worldwide? The event industry has been discussing climate change for a long time. "The biggest issue […].

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5 Reasons Why You Should Produce A Hybrid Event In A Studio

Endless Events

Just two years ago, a hybrid event was nearly synonymous with a live-streamed in-person event. Most planners didn’t even hear of them prior to 2020! But today, this perfect blend of face-to-face and digital experiences is considered one of the biggest event trends in 2022. A ‘hybrid event’ is quite an umbrella term. Depending on the venue and the size of in-person and virtual audiences , these experiences can take many forms.

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Jade Simmons: Develop Purposeful Metrics for Success

Smart Meetings

“Re-imagine yourself as the directorial, experience-creating superhero of tomorrow,” Jade Simmons, classical concert pianist and lauded transformational speaker, urged planners in this week’s Smart Chat Live! webinar session: “Planning with Purpose: How to position yourself for a powerful year.”. “Connection is more important than ever before—it’s…vital,” Simmons said.

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Lunar New Year – Celebrating The Year of the Tiger

Special Events

Lunar New Year is traditionally celebrated with banquet-hall gatherings, gift-giving, fireworks shows, dragon dances and parades that attract huge crowds to Chinese communities.

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How This Groundbreaking Event Professional Remains an Eternal Learner

Convene by PCMA

“We can’t be afraid to show up and take a seat at the table, and in those moments [when] I have been afraid, I took a seat anyway,” said Yolanda Simmons Battle, a PCMA Groundbreaker Award nominee. Editor’s note: ? PCMA Groundbreakers is an initiative honoring industry trailblazers who represent diverse sectors of the business events community, recognizing those who have made a significant contribution to their organizations and programs that advance inclusion and equity.

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The true cost of food and the pillars of sustainable gastronomy

EHL Insights

Reducing food waste is a global, multidimensional challenge, but what can hotels, restaurants and hospitality schools specifically do to be more mindful of its role in educating the future generations? Addressing the food waste challenge requires both a paradigmatic change toward food and a swift change in how food waste is managed in businesses and educational institutions.

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Vaccination Now Required For Non-US Citizens To Enter US by Land or Ferry

Travel Pulse

The U.S. just implemented new policies requiring all non-U.S. citizens to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination at land and ferry crossings, even if they’re traveling for essential purposes.

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