News
Nov 14, 2019
The organizers of IBTM World are feeling pretty good going into next week’s event, set to take place Nov. 19-21 in Barcelona. This year, the event has double the number of first-time exhibitors compared to 2018, according to show officials.
Of the more than 2,600 exhibitors confirmed to attend the 2019 event, at least 35 have never participated before. The countries of Mallorca, Greece, Azerbaijan, Macau, South Korea and Croatia are among the first-time exhibitors.
Other new exhibitors this year include The Hoxton, Israel Ministry of Tourism, The Gleneagles Hotel, Renfe, Goyang CVB, Maison… more
Nov 12, 2019
For all the talk of living a healthy lifestyle these days, from working out in hotel gyms to eating better while on the road, sleep is an essential part of the wellness equation that often gets neglected.
There are many studies that show how vital sleep can be to your overall health. Getting enough sleep bolsters your physical and mental wellbeing, helps your brain function properly and improves learning and problem solving. Being sleep deprived has been shown to increase your risk for many serious health conditions, including heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes,… more
Nov 11, 2019
Several hotel brands and convention centers are jumping on the green bandwagon to help the environment and people in need through an array of sustainability and CSR initiatives.
TCF Center Snags LEED Gold Certification
Detroit’s TCF Center has been awarded LEED Gold Certification, making it the largest LEED-certified building in the state of Michigan. The LEED rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, is considered the foremost program for buildings, homes and communities that are designed, constructed, maintained and operated for improved environmental and human health… more
Nov 08, 2019
At the recent Kohler Food & Wine Festival last month, my husband and I kicked off the opening-night dinner event by taking a bite of something delicious: our own faces. It’s not what you might expect. Thanks to a cool company brought in by the event called Selffee, we had our photos taken, then printed onto iced sugar cookies — that were not only cute and fun to look at, but tasted delicious, too.
The activation at Kohler was sponsored by an automobile company, and as such, the sponsor got to collect our contact information via an iPad in exchange for our photo cookies. We got to see… more
Nov 07, 2019
Each year, Global DMC Partners, a global network of independently owned destination management companies and creative event experts, releases a Global Destination Index. The index ranks the top destinations around the world for meetings, conferences and incentives based on data collected from nearly 7,000 programs in more than 500 destinations.
Last month, the 2020 index revealed what will be the hottest destinations for the year to come — but the impact goes deeper than just where to plan next. Planners who bring their conferences and events to these cities will not only be providing an… more
Nov 06, 2019
Event marketers today are using digital tools to provide better end-to-end experiences. Attendees expect convenience along with accurate, real-time information and crave two-way conversations, says Danielle Puceta, Freeman’s senior vice president of digital.
These are the main drivers for Freeman’s new Explore, Luminate and Fluent digital solutions. The offerings are designed to help event marketers increase and enhance attendee engagement.
Explore by Freeman
Explore is a set of packaged immersive solutions that help brands showcase their products and tell their stories in multisensory,… more
Nov 04, 2019
Imagine chartering a plane to your event destination. You get to choose the plane size, configuration, even food and beverage service. Picture your attendees’ excitement at this extra-special treatment.
Freespeed Aviation serves as an agent in obtaining air charter services. The company sources its aircraft from 3 different charter operator platforms, utilizing a fleet of jets from qualified and carefully selected FAA and EASA Certified Air Carriers. This includes thousands of jets and turboprops that may not normally be based at your local airport, but can be made available for your special… more
Nov 01, 2019
Following an insightful session on leadership at IMEX, I was surprised to see a woman in a white doctor’s coat enter the room. “Everyone, stand up!” she said. Oh, great, I thought to myself — is this going to be one of those awkward, “go introduce yourself to someone new” activities? It turned out to be something much more fun.
Sarah Routman, founder of the company Laugh Healthy and a self-proclaimed “laugh doctor,” proceeded to lead our group in a new-to-me kind of exercise: laughter yoga. We practiced forced laughter, pretended to toss an imaginary laughing emoji up in the air, focused on… more
Oct 31, 2019
In 2018, the United States recorded 340 mass shootings and 108 natural disasters (hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, severe thunderstorms, wildfires and more), making it feel like emergencies are everywhere. Whether emergencies are more prolific than they used to be or not, the reality is event organizers must be ready for an emergency of any type to occur during their event. As such, emergency preparedness has gone well beyond hiring a team of security guards to stand at the door.
Event organizers must be prepared to keep their participants safe both inside and outside of the event. They… more
Oct 30, 2019
Have you ever hired a photographer for an event and wound up with very few photos you could actually use? Event photography is an important component of capturing the event, but often it’s something that planners don’t spend much time on aside from sourcing a photographer.
Professional photographer Chris Savas, who owns and operates Chris Savas Photography in the Atlanta area, has been in the business for more than 30 years. He worked as a photojournalist and in advertising for over a decade before switching his specialty to corporate meetings and events. We spoke with Savas about industry… 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