News

Apr 05, 2018
The Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach is the destination’s newest beachfront hotel, and the fourth Hard Rock Hotel in Florida. Located just over a mile from the iconic Daytona Beach Pier and the Ocean Center meeting, convention and event complex, the 200-room property offers 20,000 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor meeting space. “The new music-inspired Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach is introducing the global brand’s iconic vibe and energetic beat to meetings and events along this wide stretch of world-famous Atlantic shoreline," said Kathy Masterson, director of sales, Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach… more
Apr 04, 2018
Glisser, producer of the Glisser presentation software, integrated audience response system and event analytics platform, has launched Glisser LIVE, a new online tool that allows event planners to promote and host hybrid and virtual events. Hybrid events extend marketing and community reach beyond face-to-face interactions. Glisser LIVE delivers the ability for event planners to connect a virtual audience to a physical event. The new offering combines the company’s existing slide-sharing and audience response app with a live video feed and brandable web platform to engage remote attendees.… more
Apr 03, 2018
VISIT Milwaukee has launched a new website designed to redefine the city’s image for visitors and capture the spirit of Milwaukee’s people, neighborhoods, events and attractions, while driving visitation to the region. The new site, which went live on March 17, has been expanded beyond the meeting planner to the convention attendee with entertaining new features including a slot machine-style “randomizer” on the homepage that provides a fun way to discover exciting things to do in the city, as well as a “My Trip” tool that allows visitors to plan their Milwaukee trip by curating a virtual… more
Apr 02, 2018
I hear it all the time: “How do I effectively market my events?” This is one of the greatest challenges meeting planners face. They want to improve app adoption, engage attendees with content and on social media, and increase visibility for their sponsors and exhibitors. The thing is, many planners who are using event management and attendee engagement software already have the tools they need. Let’s take a look… What is marketing? First, let’s clarify what marketing is. According to the American Marketing Association: “Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for… more
Mar 30, 2018
Meeting Professionals International (MPI) has selected Grapevine, Texas, as the destination for its World Education Congress (WEC) in 2020. The association will collaborate with the Grapevine Convention and Visitors Bureau to host the conference, which is scheduled for June 6–9, 2020, at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center. Grapevine is centrally located between Fort Worth and Dallas, where MPI is headquartered. WEC is MPI’s signature event through which it delivers premier education, business and networking opportunities in North America.  It attracts more than 2,000 attendees… more
Mar 28, 2018
Connect Marketing, a division of Connect (a Tarsus Group company), has acquired the eTourism Summit from North American Journeys, Inc. Founded in 2000, eTourism Summit is the leading event and community that connects destination marketing professionals with best practices and innovations in digital media. Connect Marketing’s mission is to connect marketers with the products, services, people and ideas necessary to thrive in a rapidly evolving and highly competitive global marketplace. The acquisition of eTourism Summit supports this growing mission. The restricted attendance format of the… more
Mar 28, 2018
There are a number of events and activities taking place globally to celebrate Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) on Apr. 12. However, many event professionals won’t have the ability to attend these face-to-face events. To help bring the celebration to you, Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and the Meetings Mean Business Coalition (MMBC) are collaborating to present a free, 12-hour livestream  of GMID events taking place around the world. The GMID Virtual Event will begin at 6 a.m. CDT on Thursday, Apr. 12 and will conclude at 6 p.m. CDT. This inaugural broadcast is designed to… more
Mar 27, 2018
The Association for Women in Events (AWE), a not-for-profit organization supporting gender equality and diversity in the event industry, has launched 2018 nominations for its Hall of Fame Recognition Program, hosted by the AWE Awards Committee. “Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is a lifetime honor,” said Marie-Claire Andrews, AWE board member and chair of the AWE Awards Committee. “It doesn’t begin and end with a simple recognition, rather our winners will be part of our community and celebrated long-term!” This is the program’s second year. See 2017 inductees here. The AWE Hall of… more
Mar 27, 2018
Corporate events are all about brand experiences. However, it isn’t always easy to design a memorable, immersive experience that connects your attendees with your brand. Helios Interactive, a Freeman Company, is an experience design studio that specializes in building engaging, interactive experiences for consumers in the events and retail channels. One of the ways they deliver these experiences is through augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR). I attended a session at MPINCC ACE last month in which Demetrius Wren, digital creative director at Helios, explained… more
Mar 26, 2018
When a top leader makes his grand entrance to Walk the Moon’s “Shut Up and Dance with Me,” you know it’s going to be a fun conference. Indeed, Chris Cahill, CEO of luxury brands for AccorHotels, set the stage for a creative four days of meetings, talks and workshops at the brand’s seventh annual Global Meetings Exchange (GME), held Feb. 28-Mar. 3 in Montreal. It was the first time the event has been held in North America, and to some meeting planners and media in attendance, their first in-depth exposure to the brand. Meetings managers who primarily coordinate domestic events may be… 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