News
Mar 01, 2024
Event-related organizations far and wide, particularly CVBs and suppliers, are elevating staff, welcoming new industry professionals and saying farewell to long-standing team members this month.
Huntington Place
Detroit’s Huntington Place welcomed Heather Anderson as its new marketing and communications director. She is succeeding Mary Klida, who has headed the downtown convention center’s marketing and communications efforts since 2010 and is retiring March 31.
In her new role, Anderson is responsible for leading the facility’s marketing and communications team and working closely with… more
Feb 29, 2024
Taking place each February, Black History Month is an ideal time to honor and celebrate the achievements of Black trade show and event industry professionals and renew our commitment to continue fostering diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
We want to recognize and highlight Black industry leaders and share their experiences. This week, we are featuring Julie Coker, president and CEO of San Diego Tourism and Al Hutchison, president and CEO of Visit Baltimore. Find out how their organizations are supporting the Black community and Black History Month, and how all of us can champion… more
Feb 27, 2024
What experiences do event attendees value most? During the Women in Exhibitions Network North America session, “New Audience Insights From Freeman,” on Feb. 16, Freeman Senior Vice President of Strategy Ken Holsinger provided a deeper dive into the 2024 Attendee Intent and Behavior, which garnered 3,200 respondents across a blend of events.
The one-hour online meeting covered the full report, but here are the top 11 things that attendees want from in-person events, according to the Freeman survey. When planning your event or exhibit and budgeting your spend, it’s helpful to know what… more
Feb 26, 2024
Online corporate events are here to stay, so how do event organizers make them more effective and enjoyable? Priya Parker, author of The Art of Gathering, published the Virtual Gathering Guide, which offers seven steps for meeting hosts to create moments of connection in the online event space.
Here are excerpts from the guide that are most relevant for corporate event managers.
1. Clarify the purpose of your virtual gathering. “Don’t assume your digital gathering shares the same purpose as your in-person one,” she advised. Ask: “What is the most important need for this group and how might… more
Feb 23, 2024
The Events Industry Council (EIC) awarded a water quality trade show and an events destination with its highest level of the Sustainable Event Standards for environmental and social responsibility within the global events industry.
Created by the EIC Sustainability and Social Impact Committee in partnership with industry professionals and leading sustainability practitioners, the EIC Sustainable Event Standards are a collection of eight specific standards that assess events and industry suppliers on a wide range of sustainability criteria, including organizational management, marketing,… more
Feb 22, 2024
Taking place each February, Black History Month is an ideal time to honor and celebrate the achievements of Black people in the events and trade show industry and renew our commitment to continue fostering diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
We want to recognize and highlight Black industry leaders and share their experiences. This week, we are featuring Marveen Hart, Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Freeman, a full-service exhibitions, exhibits and events company with a 97-year legacy, and Ed Jeffry, business development manager for Gielissen, a Netherlands-based exhibitions,… more
Feb 21, 2024
Hotels across the country are renovating their meeting spaces while a new boutique hotel brand recently made its debut outside of Atlanta.
W Boston
W Boston completed a multi-million-dollar renovation of its 5,438-square-foot (sf) meeting and event space, which began in June of last year.
The renovated spaces, which include eight event rooms and five breakout rooms, feature large-scale, graphic artwork, along with organic textures, wood and granite elements, and standout features including state-of-the-art technology, a wired business center and 80-inch wireless TVs with built-in… more
Feb 20, 2024
What’s new in Palm Springs, Calif.? We’ve got the scoop on five new venues for events, including:
The world’s first-ever Tommy Bahama resort that opened in November 2023
The Palm Springs Surf Club that opened in January
The Thompson Hotel Palm Springs that’s slated to open in Q2
The Spa at Sec-he that opened in April 2023
The Agua Caliente Cultural Museum that opened in November 2023
If you are looking for a sunny locale in Southern California for your next event, Palm Springs, Calif., averages more than 350 days of sunshine and only five inches of rain each year.
Located in Coachella… more
Feb 16, 2024
Taking place each February, Black History Month is an ideal time to honor and celebrate the achievements of Black people in the events and trade show industry and renew our commitment to continue fostering diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
We want to recognize and highlight Black industry leaders and share their experiences. This week, we are featuring Tavar James, head of field and partner marketing, Riskified, a publicly traded company that provides software as a service fraud and chargeback prevention technology. Find who inspires him and what tips he can offer others to champion DEI… more
Feb 15, 2024
A destination marketing organization (DMO) and global venue management company kicked off the new year on a positive note by launching and expanding programs designed to inspire, grow and support the next generation of hospitality, tourism and live event industry professionals.
Visit Anaheim
Visit Anaheim, the official DMO for Anaheim, Calif., launched a new program designed to develop the future tourism and hospitality workforce. Unveiled on Feb. 6, the DMO’s Workforce Development initiative was created to inspire local high school students to pursue careers in tourism and hospitality.… more
Partner Voices
Just when it seems like Las Vegas can’t get any bigger, brighter or more exciting for groups, MGM Resorts raises the bar again. The company continues to invest and innovate across its portfolio of Las Vegas resorts, with new attractions and upgraded experiences for attendees of all interests.
Remodeled Guest Rooms
MGM Grand is the largest single hotel in the world with over 5,000 guest rooms and an 850,000-square-foot conference center. It is home to the newly remodeled MGM Grand Studio Tower—700 reimagined guest rooms with a fun mid-century vibe. Nearby, the iconic New York-New York Las more