News
Jan 23, 2018
Event Transportation Systems, a shuttle transportation management company for corporate and association meetings, conferences and conventions, has released its latest web-based versions of the ETS-Next-Shuttle app and ETS-Shuttle-Tracker transportation management software.
These next-generation transportation management and monitoring tools, which use proprietary GPS-enabled technology, were unveiled Jan. 8 at the PCMA’s annual Convening Leaders conference in Nashville.
“We created these technology tools because the modern meeting planner needs instant access to information and the modern… more
Jan 22, 2018
The Javits Center has officially launched Jake, a new online portal designed to improve the customer experience by simplifying the ordering process of products and services for upcoming events at the convention center.
Featured on the Center’s redesigned and revamped website, and only available to exhibitors at this time, the new system allows customers to order more than 200 products and services, from electrical and cleaning services to audio equipment and lighting fixtures.
In addition, Jake enables users to:
Obtain price quotes for anticipated services
Review costs before placing… more
Jan 18, 2018
“Experiential marketing” is a phrase that has been thrown around quite a bit within the events industry over the past ten years.
According to Wikipedia, experiential marketing is a marketing strategy that directly engages consumers and invites and encourages them to participate in the evolution of a brand or a brand experience. Rather than looking at consumers as passive receivers of messages, engagement marketers believe that consumers should be actively involved in the production and co-creation of marketing programs, developing a relationship with the brand.
Of course, Wikipedia also… more
Jan 17, 2018
On Jan. 16, the launch of the Visit U.S. Coalition was announced. Representing a broad cross-section of industries that have come together to address the decrease in international travelers to the U.S. and resulting opportunity cost to the U.S. economy and jobs, the coalition will partner with the Trump administration to reverse the decline in U.S. competitiveness for international travel dollars.
“America is the best country in the world to visit, but we’re losing the competition for international travelers and the dollars they spend when they come here,” said Roger Down, president and CEO… more
Jan 16, 2018
The Event Tech Tribe has once again expanded its event industry offerings, this time with venue booking software Meetingselect. Meetingselect is the seventh member of the collaborative ecosystem The Tribe comprises.
Established in 2007, Meetingselect is the world's largest independent meetings distribution system and online venue booking tool. The company’s software will integrate with all existing Tribe products.
Based in The Netherlands, Meetingselect expands The Tribe’s global footprint within Europe.
“It’s important to us that we serve planners and marketers wherever they are in the… more
Jan 15, 2018
Canada’s long-awaited Halifax Convention Centre opened on Dec. 15, 2017. The new $170M development, which is located in the city's downtown, features more than 120,000 square feet of new flexible events space.
The new convention centre includes 50,000 square feet of multi-purpose convention space, 40,000 square feet of intimate meeting space and a ballroom with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the city and harbor beyond.
The venue offers an online event planner toolkit to make it easy for event professionals to quickly find the information they might need for booking and beyond,… more
Jan 12, 2018
The Phoenix Convention Center recently has completed several energy efficiency upgrades by converting outdated lighting to energy efficient LED lighting technology.
Last year, the PCC participated in Arizona Public Service’s (APS) Solutions for Business energy rebate program, resulting in more than $175,000 in rebates for the LEED-silver certified facility.
The PCC took full advantage of the APS rebate program by converting to LED lighting in several areas of the campus including meeting rooms, loading docks, stairwells, food court, garages, production kitchens and its grand Atrium.
“… more
Jan 11, 2018
As the ongoing quest for business efficiency continues, it becomes more important for larger organizations to chart their course to implementing a Strategic Meetings Management Program (SMMP).
The Strategic Meetings Management Program (SMMP) moniker was created by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA). An SMMP is a disciplined approach to managing enterprise-wide meeting and event related processes, activities, metrics, standards and supplier strategies to achieve business objectives, quantitative cost savings, risk mitigation and optimal service levels.
SMMPs have been touted as… more
Jan 11, 2018
Internet pioneer, entrepreneur, and New York Times best-selling author Jay Baer gave a presentation at the PCMA Convening Leaders conference this week on “The 365 Day Event - Using Digital Content to Drive Year-Round Engagement.”
Baer spoke about the intersection of technology, social media, and customer service, and how this convergence relates to events.
The average person uses a smartphone 76 times a day. And many attendees now bring multiple devices to an event: a phone, a tablet, and a laptop. It therefore comes as no surprise that the biggest challenge experienced by most event… more
Jan 10, 2018
The empowerment of women and the need to provide equal opportunities are top of mind as we go into 2018. To that end, entrepreneurs Leonora Valvo and Marie-Claire Andrews have launched Women in Event Tech, a new movement supporting women who are trailblazing new products and services in event technology.
Womenineventtech.org is a centralized location for like-minded women to connect, share stories, and be inspired by each other. The site calls for participation and support to enable the founders to gauge interest in other products/services and assess the right times and locations to bring… 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