News
Mar 24, 2021
Gilberto Salcedo, vice president of tourism at ProColombia, loves to study numbers. “That’s one of my obsessions,” he admitted.
The pandemic has, naturally, curtailed the momentum Colombia had generated hosting meetings and events. But Salcedo is convinced the slowdown is temporary and has the statistics to back his case.
With travelers across the world relegated to their homes, the tourism branch of the burgeoning South American destination launched a digital campaign in 12 key markets that netted 250 million impressions.
“That allows us to tell you we are top-of-mind,” Salcedo said.… more
Mar 23, 2021
As the event and tourism industry begins its slow journey toward post-pandemic normalcy, it has become clear that hybrid events – those with both socially distanced in-person and virtual components – will be a vital part of the return of live meetings and conventions. Thus, many hospitality communities across the nation are doing their part to adapt to this new reality, including CVBs.
Case in point: Fort Worth, Texas and its tourism bureau, Visit Fort Worth, which successfully hosted its 8th Annual Meeting & Breakfast in hybrid format on February 5. Held at the Omni Fort Worth Hotel,… more
Mar 22, 2021
Do you have Zoom fatigue? Haute Dokimazo CEO Liz Lathan and President Nicole Osibodu are willing to bet you’ll never get tired of a virtual shark dive. In the first of four virtual events known collectively as Convo 2021, the two event virtuosos sent nearly 80 sales and marketing executives jaws to jaws with, well, Jaws, from the comforts of their own home.
While it seems like a deep-sea adventure that only the wildly creative Haute Dokimazo team could imagine, Lathan and Osibodu note that event planners have the capability to create memorable experiences — whether attendees are together in-… more
Mar 19, 2021
Add Oahu to the destinations ready to welcome groups back. Days after the island’s gathering restrictions were eased on March 11, Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu launched a campaign alerting events professionals that it is open for business.
As is the case with meeting facilities on the mainland, the center has implemented health and safety protocols for meetings and events, led by ASM’s Global’s Venue Shield program. These include:
Enhanced cleaning and sanitation and the use of electrostatic sprayers;
The installation of thermal cameras and touchless temperature checks;
The use of… more
Mar 18, 2021
As the events industry readies to turn the page on the COVID-19 dark times with a seemingly speedy recovery, a final chapter recording the final ugly numbers from 2020 is coming together.
The U.S. Travel Association released a report on Wednesday indicating the U.S. economy lost out on $1.1 trillion dollars from travel. Along those same lines, the data shows travel-supported jobs fell by 5.6 million in 2020 (16.7 million to 11.1 million) while the industry’s footprint shrunk by 42%. As proof that the pandemic disproportionately hurt the travel and hospitality world, 65% of all lost American… more
Mar 17, 2021
Awaiting a renaissance of the events industry, Explore St. Louis turned to Michelangelo to drive customers to the America’s Center.
The international touring exhibit, Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition, adorned the ceilings of a 27,625-square-foot. ballroom inside the convention center. Open Thursday-Sunday between Nov. 6, 2020-Jan. 17, 2021, the attraction sold 15,457 tickets and generated $210,000 in revenue at a time when meetings and conventions were not operating inside the facility.
“We made productive use of American’s Center,” said Brian Hall, chief marketing officer at… more
Mar 16, 2021
Toby Lewis, CEO of the UK-based Live Group, used to be fearful for the future of the MICE industry. That was well before March 2020 sent us all into a panic.
Lewis’ concerns grew over the course of the last decade while reading yearly analysis reports in which little changed besides dates and venues. The stagnation was equally perplexing and infuriating for someone who always looks ahead.
“Live group was unashamedly geeky before [COVID-19] in terms of the way we adopted technologies across the board,” he said. “We were finding our clients were kind of resisting and we didn't really know why… more
Mar 15, 2021
New eased restrictions in Nevada on large gatherings, including meetings and conventions, entertainment venues and large group gatherings, allow capacity up to 50%. The welcomed news became official on Monday after Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak announced the move on Friday night.
The state also will streamline the process for submission and approval of large gatherings.
The new directive is another step toward re-igniting the meetings and events industry. The announcement comes on the heels of the governor also expanding vaccine eligibility to hospitality and food service workers yesterday.
“… more
Mar 11, 2021
You have about six minutes to read this article before your attention may wane, according Ben Hindman, CEO and founder of the event marking platform Splash. It’s not personal, but the reality is that digital content needs to be cut into shorter time periods to remain effective.
“I think many formats are still stuck in the past,” said Hindman, who was an event planner at Thrillist before creating Splash, which counts several Fortune 500 companies as clients. “The shorter and more concise you get, the better.”
There’s wiggle room to about 10 minutes for a solid chunk of content, he explained… more
Mar 10, 2021
As the corporate events and hospitality industries gear up for better days ahead, hotels and event-related companies across the U.S. are appointing new leaders and expanding their teams. Take a look:
Thirty-year hospitality management industry veteran Jacqueline “Jackie” Volkart has been appointed dual general manager at The Ritz-Carlton Resorts of Miami Beach, including the newly reimagined, 376-room Ritz-Carlton, South Beach and the 95-room Ritz-Carlton, Bal Harbour.
Most recently, Volkart served as general manager at The St. Regis San Francisco, where, under her leadership, the hotel… 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