Jan 06, 2022
On Dec. 28, Jeff Guaracino, president and CEO of VISIT PHILADELPHIA, passed away after a battle with cancer. He was 48 years old.
A Philadelphia native and passionate tourism leader, Guaracino served two stints at VISIT PHILADELPHIA, first as director of communications and vice president of communications from 2001 to 2012, and then as president and CEO in 2018.
According to VISIT PHILADELPHIA officials, under Guaracino’s leadership, the official marketing agency of the Philadelphia region continued driving leisure tourism throughout the pandemic with omni-channel marketing efforts. These… more
Dec 31, 2021
Christine Duffy, national chair of the U.S. Travel Association and president of Carnival Cruise Line, announced nine industry leaders to serve on a committee to identify the association’s next president and CEO following the retirement of Roger Dow in July 2022.
The search committee, drawn from U.S. Travel’s board of directors, is representative of core segments of the travel industry, including two from destination marketing organizations, the largest segment of association membership. The individuals who will serve on the search committee are:
Christine Duffy, president, Carnival Cruise… more
Dec 30, 2021
The newly launched Global Business Events Barometer from the Events Industry Council (EIC) has found a significant upswing in global group demand during Q3 2021, while overall, business meetings and events activity has recovered to approximately half of pre-pandemic levels.
The barometer, which was created by Oxford Economics on behalf of EIC as part of the 2021 EIC Economic Significance Study, monitors the changes within the market relative to pre-pandemic (2019) levels and explores two key areas: hotel group room nights and request for proposal (RFP) activity.
The barometer indicates that… more
Dec 27, 2021
In an effort to help inspire and empower the global meetings and events industry to create a more sustainable future, experience design company Maritz Global Events recently became a signatory of the Net Zero Carbon Events pledge, a joint commitment across and a global collaboration throughout the events and meetings industry focused on achieving the targets laid out in the Paris Agreement. The goal? To eliminate the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Launched Nov. 10 at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland with 100 signatures, the Net Zero… more
Dec 17, 2021
As part of its evolving lineup of innovative technology solutions, Maritz Global Events gave attendees at the recent IAEE Expo! Expo! show in Philadelphia a sneak peek of its new First Person Experiences initiative. The new technology is designed to increase return on investment for event organizers through a digital replica of a trade show, product launch or other event experience.
First Person Experiences extends the value of a live event, increases audience reach and creates incremental revenue, according to Aaron Dorsey, vice president of product management for Maritz Global Events.
“… more
Dec 08, 2021
Destinations International, the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) and the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) will launch Business Events Industry Week, aimed at bringing the global events industry to the U.S. Capital region and consolidating several important annual gatherings into one week.
The inaugural Business Events Industry Week, taking place March 23-25, 2022, at Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., will be dedicated to community, commerce, content, awards and advocacy in order to unite the global business… more
Dec 06, 2021
Knowland, a leading provider of data-as-a-service insights on meetings and events for hospitality, released the U.S. Meetings Recovery Forecast (MRF) with predictive insights into event recovery over the next three years. The company will update the model quarterly.
“Knowland’s Meetings Recovery Forecast model is the foundation for future predictive forecasting," said Jeff Bzdawka, CEO of Knowland. "It applies the intelligence of machine learning to Knowland’s expanding meetings and events database to generate thoughtful, actionable AI-driven insights."
The MRF demonstrates projected… more
Dec 02, 2021
The iCompli Sustainability division of global assurance provider BPA Worldwide has become an official member of the new Maritz Global Events Wellbeing Network. The alliance is designed to provide a custom tool for clients to measure the carbon footprint of an event and then provides guidance to improve it.
Three phases will consist of measurement, improvement and implementation through the BPA iCompli Sustainability Carbon Footprint Measurement Tool and Maritz Global Events:
For phase 1, Discovery & Assessment, participating organizers are educated on the information required to… more
Dec 01, 2021
The Events Industry Council (EIC), the global voice of the business events industry on advocacy, research, professional recognition and standards, has extended the benchmarking survey for the first phase of its recently launched Equity Acceleration Plan. The landmark plan aims to provide a framework to turn its vision to action and lead the challenge against discrimination and systemic racism in the events industry.
The first phase was designed to focus on establishing a benchmark by which to measure progress for the industry through a survey that determines the current state of diversity,… more
Nov 24, 2021
The co-chairs of the Meetings Mean Business Coalition (MMBC), an industry-wide coalition created to showcase the undeniable value that business meetings, trade shows, incentive travel, exhibitions, conferences and conventions bring to people, businesses and communities, recently provided an update about next year’s Global Meetings Industry Day. Set for April 7, 2022, GMID is the meeting and event industry’s annual day of advocacy that shines a light on the positive impact that conferences, conventions and trade shows have on people, businesses and the economy.
“For the seventh consecutive… 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