News
Mar 20, 2024
Exclusively sponsored by Honeycomb Strategies.
When events adopt sustainability goals such as reducing water and energy, organizers are then tasked with finding host venues that have the systems in place to support such goals. We’ve compiled this guide for event planners on what to look for and which questions to ask when reviewing convention centers and meeting spaces for sustainability.
1. Certifications
Sustainability certifications show that the building’s operations and infrastructure have been reviewed and approved by an established third-party authority. They are a great shorthand… more
Mar 19, 2024
Cvent CONNECT, an annual user conference that drew 10,000 meetings, events and hospitality professionals in 2023, in-person and online, unveiled its full 2024 agenda and its first keynote speaker, Blackstone Global Head of Portfolio Operations Jennifer Morgan. As the co-CEO of SAP, she is the first female to lead a company on the DAX, a stock market index consisting of the 40 major German blue-chip companies trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
Previously held in Las Vegas, the 2024 edition of Cvent CONNECT is moving to San Antonio for the first time and will be held June 10-13 at the… more
Mar 18, 2024
How do you take your corporate event from good to great? The first step is understanding your audience, advised Senior Event Marketing Leader Kimberly Kee — who has managed event programs for MCI, Hughes, Boeing, Arrow and TeamViewer — during a session at EXHIBITORLIVE 2024.
“Be prepared to ask a lot of questions to find out where you need to focus your planning priorities,” she said. “Understand both objective and subjective data by using online survey tools combined with more personal tactics.”
Here’s an overview of nine more steps for planning a great corporate event.
1. Event branding… more
Mar 15, 2024
What’s new for events in Anaheim? The Southern California city is expecting to host nearly 1 million attendees in 2024, said Visit Anaheim Senior Vice President, Sales & Services Ronnie Collins. The Anaheim Convention Center (ACC) is home to a number of major conventions, including the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Show, Natural Products Expo West, WonderCon, VidCon, D23 and more.
Visit Anaheim, the city’s official destination marketing organization (DMO), has confirmed 148 conventions, meetings and events for 2024, which are projected to generate 610,000 room nights… more
Mar 14, 2024
Celebrated every March, Women’s History Month is an opportune time to celebrate the female achievers of the trade show and corporate events industry. In this first in a series of exclusive interviews with several outstanding female industry professionals, we had the pleasure of speaking with Kitty Ratcliffe, president of Explore St. Louis and Kathy Springstead, general manager, convention center operations for Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, to find out how their organizations are supporting women, whether they believe we are making progress when it comes to gender diversity in the C-suite… more
Mar 12, 2024
Are you attending Connect 2024 Spring Marketplace in Las Vegas? Considering it?
Connect Spring Marketplace is scheduled for April 2-4 at The Venetian, Las Vegas. Designed for event professionals, Connect Spring Marketplace is expected to draw more than 2,000 leaders who produce association, citywide, corporate, sports, eTourism and diversity events.
We’ve got the scoop on what you need to know before you take off for this popular desert destination for trade shows.
1. Speed date with suppliers. Engage in personalized 1:1 sessions with representatives from top destinations, hotels and… more
Mar 11, 2024
If your trade show or event organization works with independent contractors, it’s important to know how a new employment rule that takes effect on March 11 could impact labor costs for businesses that rely on contract labor or freelancers, such as trucking, manufacturing and more.
The industry sector most likely to be impacted: general service contractors, AV companies, freight companies and other suppliers that rely on independent contractors.
Why it matters: Increased costs for suppliers could be passed on to event organizers or exhibitors, who were already facing increases of 7%-30% for… more
Mar 08, 2024
Ask about Visit Salt Lake (VSL) President and CEO Kaitlin Eskelson’s long and accomplished career in the travel and tourism industry and prepare to be impressed. As the organization’s youngest chief executive and only the fourth person to hold the leadership role in its 36-year history, she has made her mark through passionately crafted programs and strategies designed to secure a strong future for business events and tourism in Salt Lake City and Utah.
Since taking the helm at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 16, 2020, Eskelson’s achievements to build back the city’s meetings and… more
Mar 07, 2024
As the corporate meetings and events industry moves into full recovery mode this year, there are myriad industry events for event professionals to take advantage of. After all, not only are industry conferences an excellent source of professional development with plentiful educational opportunities designed to inform and inspire, but also they’re a great way to connect with peers and make new business contacts, all in one place.
Here, we’ve curated a short list of upcoming U.S.-based events that meeting and event professionals should consider adding to their schedules in 2024.
Connect… more
Mar 05, 2024
Exclusively sponsored by Honeycomb Strategies.
The United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals, adopted in 2015, “recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.” If that sounds like all-encompassing, world-changing rhetoric… well, it’s the U.N. That’s their job.
But it’s our job as sustainability consultants to help our clients ladder up to the U.N.’s lofty goals. And in doing so, we… 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