News

Jul 23, 2018
The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) has released the fourth and final report in its new How to Grow Attendance series for event attendee marketers. By uncovering attendee marketer commitments to improve existing approaches and evolve with fast-changing marketing norms, Report Four: Plans on Where to Improve Approach in Near-term Future offers a look at the most popular marketing approaches and the characteristics that are tied to success in attendee growth. “This is the last report in the series,” explained Nancy Drapeau, CEIR senior research director. “It provides marketers… more
Jul 19, 2018
Puerto Rico’s newly established destination marketing organization has been officially dubbed Discover Puerto Rico. Established July 1, the new DMO will be responsible for all global marketing, sales and promotion of Puerto Rico as a premier destination for leisure and business travelers.  Brad Dean, CEO of Discover Puerto Rico, unveiled the new name during the Destinations International Annual Convention. The  yearly gathering, which was most recently held July 10-13 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, attracts more than 1,600 destination marketing and management… more
Jul 18, 2018
Community Brands, a provider of cloud-based software solutions for associations, nonprofits, schools and faith-based groups, has entered into a partnership with Pathable, provider of mobile event apps, conference apps and websites for meetings, conferences and trade shows.  Following Community Brands’ recent acquisition of event technology company, Expo Logic, the new partnership with Pathable and its mobile event app technology is designed to further strengthen the Community Brands event management suite as an end-to-end solution while enabling organizations to improve the event attendee… more
Jul 17, 2018
On July 16, Caesars Entertainment Corporation broke ground on its newest development: the CAESARS FORUM Las Vegas conference center. Slated to open in 2020, the venue will feature 550,000 square feet of flexible meeting, event and convention space. As the emcee for the ground breaking ceremony, Roger Dow, president and CEO of U.S. Travel Association and long-time meetings industry veteran, spoke about how when he was first starting in the industry, the meetings market was an afterthought for Las Vegas. Forty years later, the city is now the leading destination for meetings within the U.S… more
Jul 16, 2018
Registration is now open for SPINCon, the annual conference produced by SPIN: Senior Planners Industry Network. SPIN is the world’s largest association limited to senior-level planners with at least 10 years full-time planning experience. SPINCon 2018 will be held Nov. 11-13, 2018 at The Don CeSar, a landmark hotel affectionately known as “The Pink Palace," in St. Petersburg, Florida.  “Each year SPINCon focuses on the whole person: brain, body, being and business," said SPIN’s executive director, Tracey Smith.   She added, “This year, we are excited that the content has been curated by… more
Jul 12, 2018
I attended Meeting Professionals International (MPI)’s 2018 World Education Congress (WEC) last month in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was my first time in both the state and the city, and I was favorably impressed by the location, the conference and the local destination management organization (DMO), Visit Indy. While I was onsite, I spoke with Susie Townsend, Visit Indy’s senior vice president of visitor experience, about Visit Indy and how they partnered with MPI for WEC. Townsend has been with the organization for 29 years, so has a rich history and knowledge of the events industry and DMO… more
Jul 12, 2018
Effective today, etouches will be known as Aventri. The name Aventri is a result of three ideas; avenue, events, and entry. The rebrand combines these three elements as part of the company’s continuing effort to transform the event experience through products, people and innovation. Aventri’s new tagline “Connect Better” reflects the company’s mission to foster deeper relationships with event, meeting and strategic marketing professionals and enable them to create deeper and more meaningful relationships with their own networks. “Our rebranding project was ignited by the desire to take our… more
Jul 10, 2018
Marriott International has purchased the 1,000-room Sheraton Grand Phoenix hotel for $255 million. The property is slated for a significant renovation designed to transform it into a model for the revamped Sheraton brand. Marriott acquired Sheraton as part of the Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide purchase in Sept. 2016. In early June, Marriott International revealed its comprehensive transformation strategy for the Sheraton brand, building a 4,200 square foot vignette at the NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference in New York. The new brand strategy is focused on… more
Jul 09, 2018
Many corporate event professionals work either within or very closely with the marketing department. Yet there often is not a lot of cross-training provided to help event managers who are not directly responsible for marketing operations learn the processes and terminology involved. Event marketers who understand the other marketing functions within their organizations are not only more effective, but are also better positioned for career advancement. Liz Lathan, founder of Corporate Event Marketer, aims to make it easier for event professionals to get that education. She was inspired to… more
Jul 06, 2018
MCI has added the Middle East-based ONE Communications and Marketing Group (ONE CMG) to its portfolio of brands. ONE CMG is formed of industry leading agencies across advertising and brand communications, digital marketing, content marketing and video production, public relations, events and publishing. The acquisition brings Turret Media, Saluki Media, tmh, ONE PR and ONE Digital under the MCI umbrella. Ajay Bhojwani, managing director of MCI Middle East, believes that the collaboration with ONE CMG will further strengthen MCI’s presence within the region.  “It not only increases our… 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