News
Jan 03, 2022
As 2022 begins, new hires and promotions continue to take place throughout the corporate events industry. Check out who’s moving in and moving up at event-related organizations throughout the U.S.—and across the pond.
Maritz
Professional services company Maritz has recently made some recent executive leadership changes. Following nearly 25 years of leading the company as CEO and chairman, Steve Maritz is transitioning into an executive chairman role, responsible for overseeing high-level functions, including finance, legal and board-related issues.
David Peckinpaugh, who for 11 years has… 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 23, 2021
Following the surge in online events that has swept the industry since the pandemic started, the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) and networking platform AC Forum have unveiled Digital Events Outlook: Insights, Behaviours, Best Practices. Funded by the PCMA Foundation, the report aims to demystify key myths about digital events and provide event organizers with a checklist for planning them in the future.
The release of the research findings coincides with a two-year strategic partnership between PCMA and AC Forum that is intended to strengthen both organizations through… 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 16, 2021
ASM Global announced a new name for the 723,000-square-foot convention center that it has managed in downtown Detroit since 2010. Formerly named Cobo Center, then TCF Center after TCF Bank purchased the naming rights for the facility in 2019, the venue is now known as Huntington Place. The new name comes after the recent merger between TCF Financial Corp. and Huntington Bank.
According to Karen Totaro, general manager of Huntington Place/ASM Global, Huntington is a well-respected brand, and the timing of the new moniker could not be any better.
“The renaming comes at a time when Detroit… more
Dec 15, 2021
Event experience leader Bizzabo recently acquired two new companies, Klik and TeeVid, and debuted the Ultimate Video Production Suite to further invest in innovative, experiential technology for virtual, hybrid and in-person events.
Klik is a pioneer of smart wearables technology to power onsite experiences at live events. Its technology helps event professionals elevate and measure attendee engagement, participation, and networking.
Bizzabo believes event organizers have established appetites for the rich behavioral and intent data that virtual events have captured for the past 18 months… more
Dec 14, 2021
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts recently debuted The Meetings Collection, a new element of the brand’s Wyndham Business program comprising a network of premium meetings-focused hotels offering meeting planners new incentives in desired markets and streamlined multi-year bookings.
Initially launched with eight U.S. hotels and resorts in highly sought-after meetings destinations and with plans to expand in the future, the collection was specifically designed to meet the needs of planners and offers rewarding solutions and a simple, streamlined way to book multi-year meetings at different hotels… more
Dec 10, 2021
Your sales reps' expectations from sales kick-offs (SKOs) have changed. They no longer want boring business strategy monologues. They want to network, get energized, and figure out how they’re going to be successful that year. There is also the added challenge of meeting these expectations virtually.
Here are 3 mistakes you could be making at your virtual SKOs that are affecting your sales results.
Mistake #1 - Packing it all into 48 hours
A typical SKO is an annual mega-event where sales reps are crammed into their seats all day and given one presentation after another. This drains their… 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