Sat.Apr 01, 2023 - Fri.Apr 07, 2023

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Accessible Tourism – Truths, Tips & Trends

Dana Communications

Who benefits from accessible tourism? Everyone does. More people get the opportunity to enjoy travel destinations they may not have been able to visit with ease (or at all) before. The tourism industry welcomes more visitors. New jobs become available in the travel sector. In fact, it’s quite likely that you or someone you know can benefit from more inclusive travel now or will in the foreseeable future.

Tourism 225
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10 Event Networking Ideas That Work

Smart Meetings

Would it surprise you to learn that 84% of attendees come to events for networking? Why? Because even the smallest meeting is the best place to find new leads, clients and prospects. Yet, approaching random strangers can be nerve-wracking, especially for work-from-home or introverted employees. However, there is good news. This blog post offers creative solutions that can be fun, engaging, and, most importantly, allow the shyest attendee to walk away with more connections than before they arrive

MICE professionals

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10 Tips for Pharmaceutical Events

Endless Events

Regular events are one of the best ways to boost your pharmaceutical brand. Whether you’re hosting a training, conference, product launch, board meeting, peer dinner, or investigator meeting, high-quality pharmaceutical events can put your business on the map. Regardless of your pharma brand’s size, events can be a brilliant addition to your marketing mix, boosting awareness, engagement, and sales.

Events 156
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Optimizing Your Corporate Events Through Organization Practices that Minimize Stress and Maximize Results

Traveler's Q

Organizing a corporate event can be a difficult and stressful task. To make the process easier, it’s important to be aware of the various event planning tips that can help you ensure that your event is successful. From setting realistic goals to creating an effective budget, many things need to be taken into consideration when it comes to planning a corporate event.

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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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SocialOffset: An Alternative to Destination Boycotts

Convene by PCMA

SocialOffset makes it possible for event attendees to donate to a vetted charity as a way to offset their travel to a state whose policies may be harmful to causes they support. In 2019, Elena Gerstmann, Ph.D., FASAE, CAE, found herself stuck at an airport where there were no options for food other than a Chick-fil-A. Between bites of her sandwich at the fast-food chain, Gerstmann, who now serves as executive director at INFORMS, an international association for professionals in analytics and op

Retreat 105
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Smart Moves in Salt Lake City, Seattle and More

Smart Meetings

Scott Cochran and Kitty Chau Scott Cochran (left) and Kitty Chau (right) Cochran is complex general manager and Chau is complex director of sales and marketing for dual-property Le Meridien and Element Salt Lake City Downtown. Cochran comes from W Aspen in Colorado, where he worked as director of operations. He has also worked as director of food and beverage for Two Roads Hospitality’s properties in Stowe, Vermont, and director of food and beverage at a Starwood Hotels & Resorts property i

More Trending

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Location, Location, Location: Maximizing Your Outcome by Selecting the Optimal Venue for Your Corporate Event

Traveler's Q

When it comes to corporate event planning, selecting the right venue is one of the most important decisions you need to make. Not only does the venue need to be able to accommodate your desired number of guests and any audio/visual needs, but it should also reflect the desired mood and atmosphere for your event. When selecting a venue, it is important to consider several factors: size, location, layout options, amenities, services offered, and cost.

Location 130
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Corporate Planners Talk Pain Points

MeetingsNet

Issues such as difficult negotiations, training novices, cost-saving measures, and pre-meeting attendee communications came to the fore in planners’ roundtable discussions at Pharma Forum 2023. Among the nearly 220 life-science event professionals gathered at the Marriott Marquis in New York during the third week in March, there was plenty of commiseration to go along with idea-sharing as planners rebuild their organizations’ event portfolios in an environment featuring several challenges that a

Planner 105
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Experts: Travel Industry Could Coast Through Recession

Smart Meetings

Why is hospitality industry sentiment upbeat even as predictions call for economic downturn? Economists rarely agree on anything, but reports from Moody’s Analytics, Jeffries and The World Bank are in alignment that a recession is coming, probably by the end of 2023. “This is an e ngineered recession, a recession by design,” said Christian Savelli, director of tourism economics with Oxford Economics, speaking at IACC Americas Knowledge Exchange this week in Durham, North Carolina.

Travel 246
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Creating Empathetic Events

Convene by PCMA

One way to design an event with empathy is to begin right away at registration — by providing snacks and drinks while attendees wait. (Whatever Media Group) ‘We sometimes forget that our audiences are made up of people.’ — Beth Surmont, CMP-Fellow, FASAE, CAE Of all the tools in my event design toolbox, I think that empathy is the most powerful one.

Events 101
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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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The Time Is Now: MICE and business travel are on the rise

Travel Daily Media

The post The Time Is Now: MICE and business travel are on the rise appeared first on TD (Travel Daily Media) Travel Daily. Over the past few decades, business travel has experienced a significant rise as companies expand their operations globally and seek to tap into new markets. In parallel, the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) industry has also grown in importance, providing a platform for businesses to connect, network, and promote their products and services to a wid

Travel 101
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The Sharing Economy and the Tourism Industry Prospects, Opportunities and Challenges

Travel Daily News

The sharing economy issue started at the beginning of the 21st century with the general goal of sharing the additional benefit through different business models, helping people save money. The sharing economy has managed to create a new way of traveling, through online sharing platforms that facilitated direct transactions between ordinary citizens to share houses and cars, traditional foods and local information, enabling social interactions that connected tourists to the local community.

Prospect 100
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Meeting Profs Travel Report: Overseas Flights to Meet ‘Soaring’ Demand

Smart Meetings

United Adds New Non-Stops to 100+ International Cities This Summer to Meet ‘Soaring Overseas Travel Demand’ United Airlines has announced that it will fly to 114 different international cities this summer and has expanded its flying by 25% versus last year to meet the sharp increase in demand for travel outside of the U.S. The summer’s schedule includes nearly 25 new routes.

Meeting 246
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Is AI Putting Our Humanity at Risk?

Convene by PCMA

As artificial intelligence develops, the real threat is not that we will lose our jobs to robots, author Douglas Rushkoff predicted in 2019. “The real threat is that we will lose our humanity to the value system we embed in our robots, and that they in turn impose on us.” (Iain Marcks/WGBH) ‘Let’s take a peek into the future. You might want to buckle up.

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Meetings Biz Is Strong, but Comes with Planner Pain

MeetingsNet

The latest MPI Meetings Outlook survey reports outstanding prospects for business in 2023, but the trials of a hotel seller’s market and staffing issues aren’t going away. Business is brisk and optimism runs high for meeting professionals and suppliers who responded to the 2023 winter edition of Meeting Professionals International’s Meetings Outlook survey.

Planner 98
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It’s About Time: 5 Faster Ways to Source Your Next Venue

Skift Meetings

Skift Take: Time is a planner’s most precious resource. Make the most of it by utilizing venue sourcing technology to cut through the clutter and book your meeting essentials at record speed, leaving you free to get back to what you do best: creating event magic.

Venue 96
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Top 3 DMC Trends as Tracked by an AI Proposal Platform

Smart Meetings

New PURE Local Services tool builds RFPs for activities, decor and transportation What if sourcing activities, decor and transportation were as easy as checking boxes to produce an RFP for a venue? That is the vision of Fiona Volmrich, CEO of PURE Local Services, based in Park City, Utah. When Covid hit, this serial entrepreneur started building a database of local services in cities around the country tied to a platform that would inspire, organize and help planners be more efficient by produci

Proposal 246
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Is Event Technology Prepared for Another Pandemic?

Convene by PCMA

Panos Tzivanidis, director of corporate events and services for the International Olympic Committee; Paula Rowntree, head of events for the Australian Psychological Society, and Veemal Gungadin, CEO of GEVME, discuss the challenges facing business events with Convene Editor in Chief Michelle Russell at Convening Leaders 2023. (Whatever Media Group) In March, a New York Times opinion piece posed the question : What if the next pandemic happens tomorrow?

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SEARCH Foundation Hits Giving Records

MeetingsNet

The organization, formed in 1997 as a safety net for people in the events, meetings, and catering industries, continues to raise funds—and hopes—during tough times. The SEARCH Foundation has hit a remarkable milestone. The 26-year-old organization that assists meeting, event, and catering professionals during times of crisis has now distributed over $1 million to industry colleagues in need.

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Cyprus Deputy Ministry of Tourism teams up with ECTAA to showcase destination’s full range of experiences

Travel Daily News

BRUSSELS – ECTAA and Cyprus Deputy Ministry of Tourism have announced a joint campaign to promote Cyprus as a destination to ECTAA members. The campaign will feature a series of webinars specifically designed for travel agents and advisors who are members of national travel agent associations in Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Poland and the Czech Republic.

Tourism 93
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IACC Set Sights on Creative Innovation During Knowledge Exchange

Smart Meetings

Annual conference center gathering in Durham addressed staffing, sustainability and collaboration A nine-year average drop in the age of the meeting/hospitality professional since the start of the pandemic translates into a loss of nine years of collective knowledge. Mark Cooper, president and CEO of IACC, a global association representing top conference center professionals, kicked off the annual Americas Knowledge Exchange in Durham, North Carolina, intent on rebuilding some of that collective

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The Multiple Realities of Meeting in the Metaverse

Convene by PCMA

Some cast and crew members from the film the multiverse-filled “Everything Everywhere All at Once” show off the films seven Academy Awards on Oscar night. (ABC Entertainment) Michelle Russell Editor in Chief “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is not a movie you can land on midway through while channel surfing and get your bearings. The film about the multiverse that scooped up the most Oscars this year is loosely based on the physics concept of quantum superposition — that an infini

Meeting 98
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New Survey Results on Planners’ Psychological Wellbeing

MeetingsNet

In general, responding planners do not feel overwhelmed in their work, but North American planners lag their international counterparts in a measure of work-related optimism. A survey of 135 professional congress organizers around the world found an average wellbeing score of 69 out of 100 when they considered their work life, with a score of 50 being neutral.

Planner 97
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The picturesque island of Serifos welcomes the first sustainable boutique hotel N?STOS

Travel Daily News

Imagine crystal clear blue waters, the aromas of thyme and oregano wafting around, no crowds bustling for the best sunset views, wholesome Greek dishes, blue/white houses and churches and you get just a feel for the island of Serifos where the new sustainable boutique hotel Nōstos will welcome guests from July 2023 onwards. So why Serifos? The island is known as one of the most unspoilt Greek islands and has been overlooked or may be overshadowed by its more famous neighbours of Mykonos and Sant

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Top Legal Issues Meeting Profs Should Be Aware of in 2023

Smart Meetings

Force Majeure clause and employment classifications changes coming for MPs The legal nuances of meeting planning can be a bit overwhelming even for the seasoned planners. To offer some helpful insight in what areas to be on the lookout for, Smart Meetings sat down with Ty M. Sheaks, attorney, author and faculty legal advisor for International Association of Venue Managers to break down the major legal challenges meeting profs should be aware of in 2023.

Contracts 244
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‘Relationships Change Us More Than Facts’

Convene by PCMA

Sherrif Karamat, CAE, President & CEO, PCMA and CEMA To mark the third anniversary of World Health Organization’s declaration of a global pandemic, The New York Times asked a panel of public health experts how they would respond if a new pandemic were to appear tomorrow — whether they would or would not recommend measures such as international travel bans, mask and vaccine mandates, or school closures.

Panel 98
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Changemaker Nominations Are Open!

MeetingsNet

Do you know a meeting professional who stands out for driving change that made a substantial impact on their organization or our industry over past year? MeetingsNet is now accepting nominations for its annual list of meeting professionals who have created a specific positive change for their organizations, their professional communities, or the meetings industry as a whole.

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15 Foodie Influencers to Get Cooking With

DCI

Appealing to all of travelers’ senses can be tricky, which is why foodie influencers and content creators are a winning way to make sure your destination has your travelers’ taste buds covered. Working with these digital influencers who specialize in food means destinations can connect with hungry travelers and showcase their culinary offerings more directly.

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Don’t Blame Covid if Rooms Aren’t Ready When Guests Check In

Smart Meetings

Why the future workforce may require more gig workers and regional meetings All those workers who disappeared from event services, housekeeping and meeting staffs over the last three years are not at home watching soap operas according to author and speaker Eric Termuende. In fact, Covid isn’t the be-all reason for the lack of responses to hospitality help-wanted ads.

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Africa Travel Week Trends Report reveals tourism drivers for 2023

Travel Daily News

CAPE TOWN – Leisure travel, and particularly safari, is driving the recovery of travel and tourism in Africa. This according to the Africa Travel Week Trends report released this week at World Travel Market Africa , being held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre this week. Date released by research firm ForwardKeys highlighted in the report reveals that all the top destinations on the continent are showing a marked improvement in Q1 2023, from 2022, with the improvement continuing i

Tourism 91
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Even with Staffing Issues, Hotels See Strong Rate Gains

MeetingsNet

February and March stats show guest-room rates considerably higher than the same period in 2019. Meanwhile, new hires nationwide slowed to the lowest level since December 2020, with hospitality still short more than a million jobs than pre-pandemic. Here’s an interesting conundrum: Hotel-room occupancy rates in the top 25 U.S. urban markets were 1.5 to 3.5 percent lower in February and March 2023 than in February and March 2019—but average daily rates were 14 to 20 percent higher in Q1 2023 vers

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How to Throw a Kentucky Derby Party: A 10-Step Guide

Social Tables

The Kentucky Derby is an incredibly popular broadcasting event, bringing millions of in-person and virtual spectators together to watch the race live each year. According to recent Comcast reporting, the event draws an average of 16 million viewers annually. Full of pomp, circumstance, and tradition, the Kentucky Derby is a fashion-forward event that sports fanatics, horse racing enthusiasts, socialites, gambling-lovers, fashionistas, and party-goers look forward to each year.

Fashion 78
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Two New Birds Take Flight in Florida and Chicago Displays Its “Wit”

Smart Meetings

Spring is the season of birds in flight, no less so than two renovated properties in Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg. Chicago sports a brand new, “witty” Hilton property, designed for business as well as pleasure. Pink Flamingo Photo: Jeff Herron, courtesy of The Vinoy Resort & Golf Club St. Petersburg, Florida’s 100-year-plus icon, The Vinoy Resort and Golf Club, Autograph Collection has just completed the initial phase of a comprehensive renovation led by architecture and design firm Rockwell

Venue 242
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Air Mauritius appoints APG as GSA

Travel Daily News

Air Mauritius announce the appointment of APG as its GSA Sales and Marketing in Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Luxemburg, The Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. APG is a global firm with more than a hundred offices operating in over one hundred and seventy countries. This partnership represents a significant opportunity for Air Mauritius to strengthen its global presence, expand sales in critical markets, and generate additional tourism from these markets.

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40 Under 40 in Economic Development: Winners By the Numbers?

DCI

In January, DCI and Jorgenson Consulting gathered in Tucson, Arizona to celebrate the 40 individuals’ hand-chosen by our selection committee as the economic development industry’s best and brightest for the bi-annual 40 Under 40 awards. These young professionals have shown time and again that they are committed to making their organization, community and industry the very best it can be.