In a bold show of solidarity, more than 600 leaders from the U.S. tourism and events industry united with the U.S. Travel Association to sign a letter to congressional leadership urging swift enactment of federal policies to spur demand for business and international travel and help stabilize the broader travel economy.

Supporters included representatives from destinations, venues and industry organizations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam.

As event professionals embark on 2022 amid ever-evolving circumstances of the pandemic, a new research report released by Splash, an event marketing technology company, points to a robust year for in-person, virtual and hybrid events through insights on event strategies, event technology, budgets and attendee attitudes.

On Dec. 28, Jeff Guaracino, president and CEO of VISIT PHILADELPHIA, passed away after a battle with cancer. He was 48 years old.

A Philadelphia native and passionate tourism leader, Guaracino served two stints at VISIT PHILADELPHIA, first as director of communications and vice president of communications from 2001 to 2012, and then as president and CEO in 2018. 

Christine Duffy, national chair of the U.S. Travel Association and president of Carnival Cruise Line, announced nine industry leaders to serve on a committee to identify the association’s next president and CEO following the retirement of Roger Dow in July 2022.

The newly launched Global Business Events Barometer from the Events Industry Council (EIC) has found a significant upswing in global group demand during Q3 2021, while overall, business meetings and events activity has recovered to approximately half of pre-pandemic levels.

In an effort to help inspire and empower the global meetings and events industry to create a more sustainable future, experience design company Maritz Global Events recently became a signatory of the Net Zero Carbon Events pledge, a joint commitment across and a global collaboration throughout the events and meetings industry focused on achieving the targets laid out in the

As part of its evolving lineup of innovative technology solutions, Maritz Global Events gave attendees at the recent IAEE Expo! Expo! show in Philadelphia a sneak peek of its new First Person Experiences initiative. The new technology is designed to increase return on investment for event organizers through a digital replica of a trade show, product launch or other event experience.

Destinations International, the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) and the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) will launch

Knowland, a leading provider of data-as-a-service insights on meetings and events for hospitality, released the U.S. Meetings Recovery Forecast (MRF) with predictive insights into event recovery over the next three years. The company will update the model quarterly.

The iCompli Sustainability division of global assurance provider