News

Aug 03, 2020
Taking the lessons learned in helping client organizations transition in-person events to virtual or hybrid experiences, association management and services company SmithBucklin has created a fee-based service designed to aid other groups — including those in the corporate world — going through the same process.  “It’s not about taking an in-person event and placing it on a digital platform,” said Carol McGury, executive vice president of event and education services for SmithBucklin. “It’s about building a new experience that achieves the business outcomes.” As part of the new SmithBucklin… more
Jul 31, 2020
Corporate Event Marketing Association held its first online conference, CEMA Summit 2020, July 27-28. With more than 500 event marketing leaders in attendance, the event marked the highest attendance in its 30-year history—in part due to the fact that the conference was open to non-members this year for the first time. Nearly half the attendees were first-timers, including more than 100 non-members. Since the original in-person CEMA Summit was slated to be held in Nashville, the virtual version featured various Nashville-inspired experiences. This included a live singer-songwriter experience… more
Jul 29, 2020
Virtual Events Institute has debuted a global platform designed to bring the virtual and hybrid events community together to share best practices, educate, discuss, inspire and do business. The pandemic has rapidly accelerated the events industries’ adoption of digital events. Virtual events and experiences now play a crucial role in global marketing and event strategies, complementing live experiences and creating opportunities to get closer to customers, gain real-time market insight and widen global reach. Online events are currently at the heart of community building, so the need to… more
Jul 28, 2020
Instead of kicking off the new year with its usual in-person fervor, CES 2021 will be an all-digital experience connecting exhibitors, customers, thought leaders and media from around the globe in early January next year. According to the Consumer Technology Association, which owns and operates the show, CES’s new virtual format will allow participants to hear from technology innovators, see cutting-edge technologies, learn about new products, and engage with global brands and startups — all from the safety of their home or office. The decision to shift the massive global technology trade… more
Jul 27, 2020
Representing one of the industries hardest hit from the COVID-19 pandemic, American Hotel & Lodging Association continues to seek help for hotels and hotel workers from the legislators currently working on another relief package. In a letter sent to congressional leaders on July 20, AHLA noted that the leisure and hospitality sector has lost 4.8 million jobs since February — more jobs than construction, manufacturing, retail, education and health services combined, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  “We are a major economic driver, supporting millions of jobs and generating… more
Jul 24, 2020
As the event industry slowly begins to creep back, smaller venues are particularly well-suited to host gatherings, as groups often have the entire space to themselves and can limit the number of people that attendees come into contact with. This was a fact that the U.S. Census Bureau event team took into consideration when rebooking several job training sessions that had previously been canceled because of COVID-19. Anthony Thornton, Census field operations manager, first reached out to Quorum at the University City Science Center in Philadelphia in June. This newly expanded space, which now… more
Jul 23, 2020
The Corporate Event Marketing Association had planned on providing attendees with a true Nashville experience as part of CEMA Summit 2020, which was to be held July 27-28 at JW Marriott Nashville. When the pandemic nixed a live gathering, organizers decided to incorporate the sights and sounds — and even tastes — into its now-virtual summit as part of its “Bringing Nashville to You” experience for attendees In addition to creating a multimedia Music City theme on the conference home page, CEMA sent some of the city’s culinary treasures to attendees. That took the form of a gift box put… more
Jul 21, 2020
Event and tourism industry professionals aren’t about to sit out this pandemic, as evidenced by the number of meetings, webinars and conventions taking place virtually these past few months. Among these key industry events is Destinations International’s Annual Convention, which was held virtually for the first time July 14-15.  With a record attendance of 3,024 attendees from 14 countries, the global destinations industry gathering featured a packed agenda offering more than 20 educational sessions designed to inform and inspire. Keynote presentations were made by Author Mitch Albom, U.S.… more
Jul 20, 2020
PCMA last week released “Business Events Compass,” an actionable framework of insights and strategies for business event professionals and their business partners to guide their careers and businesses during the pandemic and beyond.  The PCMA Foundation-funded service and inaugural report provides research-based insights on geographic and industry sector business events recovery opportunities, as well as recommendations for the evolution of participant engagement, business models and expected reskilling needs. “In the spring I stated that our industry needs to be a part of the solution and… more
Jul 17, 2020
Held July 14-15, EventWell Digital Summit 2020 — the first mental health and wellbeing summit designed specifically for the event industry — went really well, according to Helen Moon, CEO and founder of London-based EventWell, which organized the event. Moon says feedback from attendees and speakers has been wonderful, and that she saw consistent engagement through the Q&A portions of the event. “People stayed with us right to the end,” says Moon. “That’s a great marker in terms of how well an event has gone, especially digitally as it is much easier for people to switch off.” The two-… 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