Blogs

Aug 02, 2023
I'm looking forward to attending the Corporate Event Marketing Association (CEMA) Summit, which will be held Aug. 6-8 at the Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City. Powered by PCMA, CEMA advances strategic event marketing and marketing communications for senior-level event marketers and industry professionals.  Last week, I spoke with CEMA Vice President, Strategy and Operations Sandra Marcus, who told me the event had nearly 500 total attendees registered as of July 27, compared with 455 attendees in 2022. Of those, 32% are event marketers, she said. I’ve attended the event before, but it’s been a… more
Jul 26, 2023
The live events industry is roaring back to life, but this trend is more than just the post-pandemic surge in attendance. Customers don’t want the typical small business conference or corporate event. They are increasingly demanding an experience.  Attendees are craving uniqueness, such as concierge service, VIP booths, gourmet food, virtual check-ins, mobile apps and much more. But how do you make your conference or corporate event stand out from the noise? As the CEO of a major California event rental company, I oversee a company that services more than 12,000 annual events, and we’ve… more
Jul 19, 2023
Artificial intelligence (AI) has undoubtedly been a hot topic of many event and conference agendas lately, but are we missing a trick?  There is no doubt that there have been significant advancements in AI technology and how it can support event businesses with marketing content, matchmaking and transcriptions, for example. However, one area is being overlooked: data and insight.  Event organizers have faced a significant challenge over recent years: grappling with the overwhelming amount of data generated by their events and online activities, and knowing what to do with these data… more
Jul 12, 2023
Although the COVID-19 pandemic caused a decline in the amount of in-person events, this was only temporary — the events space has returned to thriving the way it was before. However, in this post-COVID landscape, event organizers struggle to find ways to connect with their attendees. Luckily, there are some principles that brands can follow to ensure their events resonate with their attendees. What to Think About When Planning Your Event The first thing to consider when planning an event is your target audience and design it to cater to those people you hope to reach. Think about what might… more
Jul 06, 2023
Artificial intelligence (AI) is here to stay, and tools such as ChatGPT by OpenAI are transforming the way the world conducts business, including the events industry. In the second part of our blog series, "9 Ideas for Using ChatGPT in Event Marketing," we detail the remaining five innovative ways event professionals can employ the revolutionary tool. 5. Chat GPT for Custom Designs The potential for pairing ChatGPT and DALL·E 2 in creating marketing materials has been explored in our recent CES 2023 social media campaign below. We told ChatGPT: I need some cool design ideas for the above… more
Jun 30, 2023
By now, you’ve likely seen ChatGPT all over your social feed. This cutting-edge AI language model is revolutionizing the events industry, streamlining processes and making life easier for event professionals. You may be wondering how you can use this in marketing your events. But first, what exactly is ChatGPT? ChatGPT is a conversational AI language model developed by OpenAI. It uses deep learning techniques to generate human-like responses to text inputs, allowing it to converse with users on various topics. It’s trained on a large corpus of text data, allowing it to have a wide range of… more
Jun 21, 2023
Diversity and inclusion in the workplace aren’t new concepts, but companies that organically realize these aspects in their culture undoubtedly see varied viewpoints and perspectives worked into their day-to-day operations. For some companies, this is simply part of their fabric and is quietly woven into their culture.  The practice of inclusion attracts a diverse group of people with unique perspectives, backgrounds and experiences that can positively weave into the work of your team and execution of events. Here are some ideas for fostering a more inclusive and diverse workplace at your… more
Jun 14, 2023
Following a nearly three-year cessation from conferences and events in most industries due to the pandemic, events are back in a big way. As organizers begin crafting new events, there is an increased focus on inclusivity and accessibility for nursing mothers, largely due to the new Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act, which went into effect in April 2023.  An extension of the Break Time for Nursing Mothers Act of 2010, the PUMP Act mandates employers to provide reasonable break times and private space for breastfeeding employees to pump during the day.… more
Jun 07, 2023
Inflation impacts all industries, and the event industry is no exception. An economic downturn means higher venue prices, even as the end of the COVID-19 state of emergency causes a greater demand for face-to-face events. And event professionals and teams are caught in the crossfire, forced to find ways to cut costs while still delivering ROI for event attendees. These pressures, in turn, can lead to burnout and turnover.  Fortunately, there is a solution to thriving in the face of adversity: resilience, a kind of professional flexibility. It is the ability to snap back from difficulties.… more
May 31, 2023
Making events easily accessible and inclusive for neurodiverse participants — like those with autism, ADHD, dyslexia and others — should be an essential consideration when planning any event, large or small. Let’s dive into how events could be tweaked to cater to everyone, no matter how your participants interact with the world around them. Understanding Neurodiversity Before planning any changes for your upcoming event, it’s important to understand what neurodiversity means and then consider the various types of neurodiverse individuals who may attend your event. Neurodiversity is a… 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