News
Apr 04, 2023
Workplace culture can have a direct impact on the overall success of an organization, as it affects how employees perceive their jobs, colleagues and employer. When staff are happy and motivated in their work environments, they tend to be more productive and engaged, as well as more likely to stay at a company long-term, thus reducing turnover and contributing to that organization’s productivity and financial success.
Contrast that with a toxic work culture that often leads to high employee turnover, low productivity and morale, and difficulties in attracting new talent, and it’s not hard to… more
Apr 03, 2023
The demand for face-to-face meetings and events is continuing to grow, pushing the industry beyond the darkest days of the pandemic and revealing the strong, enduring need and desire for in-person gatherings, according to Meeting Professionals International’s (MPI) recently published Winter Meetings Outlook (winter 2022/2023) report.
This is just the latest of MPI’s future-focused quarterly Meetings Outlook reports that identify new trends and innovations in order to enable meeting and event planners to budget and plan accordingly and ensure a strong foundation for building sound and… more
Mar 31, 2023
Event Tech Live (ETL) has launched its first hosted buyer program for its shows in Las Vegas and London using the MustMeet platform by Grip, a leading AI-powered event tech provider built for meetings and matchmaking.
Grip’s MustMeet product, a powerful meeting scheduling system for event organizers, is being used by ETL to automatically schedule, manage and host a range of meetings for buyers and suppliers.
“Our hosted buyer initiative is about expediting the ETL experience for brands and businesses typically unable to commit a day to the show,” said Adam Parry, co-founder of ETL. “… more
Mar 30, 2023
The Kentucky General Assembly has passed legislation that includes a revision (from 6% to 0%) to the commonwealth’s sales tax on exhibit and sponsor space rental for face-to-face business events. Signed into law by Governor Andy Beshear on March 24, it states that business event organizers will be exempt from charging sales tax to their exhibitors and sponsors, essentially reversing a new 6% tax that went into effect on Jan. 1.
Some event organizers began collecting taxes from exhibitors and sponsors to be in compliance with the new law, while others informed exhibitors who signed new… more
Mar 28, 2023
Across the corporate meetings and events spectrum, event-related organizations across the U.S. are continuing to grow teams and appoint new leadership as the industry forges ahead into Q2. Check them out!
The Hutton Group
The Hutton Group – Inspired Meetings & Events, a Pittsburgh-based, woman-owned and operated boutique company specializing in meeting planning, site selection and destination management, has welcomed Andrea Milrad Heilweilas vice president of sales and marketing. Her responsibilities include managing client site selection and hotel contracting needs, as well as… more
Mar 27, 2023
The Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee, Wis., will soon be known by a different name. The Board of the Wisconsin Center District (WCD), which owns and operates the Wisconsin Center, Miller High Life Theatre and UW-M Panther Arena, recently authorized the WCD to finalize an agreement with Milwaukee-based multinational independent middle market investment bank Baird to become the convention center’s official naming rights partner.
“The WCD leadership team and I are dedicated to leveraging our core values to Be Bold. Be Proud. Be Experience Obsessed. to guide every business decision we make,” said… more
Mar 24, 2023
Caesars Entertainment, long renowned for its celebrity chef establishments, has further elevated its Las Vegas dining scene with three delectable restaurants by Martha Stewart, Gordon Ramsay and Chris Santos, all of which are available for group bookings.
The recently opened additions join an already impressive list of Caesars Entertainment dining options by top chefs and restaurateurs, including Dominique Ansel, Michael Chow, Giada de Laurentiis, Guy Fieri, Bobby Flay, Nobu Matsuhisa, Gordon Ramsay, Buddy Valastro and Lisa Vanderpump.
The Bedford by Martha Stewart
Global lifestyle icon… more
Mar 24, 2023
RainFocus™, a next-generation event marketing platform, has released new data integration solutions in collaboration with Adobe to seamlessly connect real-time behavioral event data with Adobe's technologies for accelerated growth.
RainFocus recently became an Adobe Certified Platinum Partner and has been working with Adobe to elevate customer journeys for joint clients and optimize omnichannel marketing and sales programs.
The new capabilities easily ingest and map RainFocus data into the Adobe Experience Platform (AEP), enabling customers to manage and configure their instrumentation of… more
Mar 22, 2023
March, designated Women’s History Month, marks an opportune time to celebrate the female achievers of the events industry and beyond. We had the pleasure of checking in with six outstanding industry professionals to find out how their organizations support women, what they would advise for the next generation of female leaders and who they believe are women to watch.
Monique Ruff-Bell, Head of Events, TED Conferences
What are you most proud of in terms of the ways your organization supports women?
Internally at TED, many of our key departments and initiatives are led by women. We are… more
Mar 20, 2023
Destinations International, the world’s largest resource for official destination organizations, convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs) and tourism boards, has renewed its memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals (NCBMP).
Established in 1983, the NCBMP is a non-profit organization dedicated primarily to the leadership development of Black hospitality professionals and all hospitality professionals that support Black meetings and events. Since its founding, the organization has made a significant impact in the hospitality community by… 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