Sodexo Group recently launched Sodexo Live!, a new global brand dedicated to the hospitality space. Designed to unify and leverage the company’s extensive expertise in the sports, events and hospitality sector, the fresh identity reaffirms the company’s commitment to being a market leader in a space on the verge of rebounding, according to Sodexo Live! officials.

As the industry returns to face-to-face events, rest assured there will be no shortage of spectacular spaces in which to convene. With the array of new and expanded convention centers that have opened this year and are on track to debut in the near future, this seems to be one of the most prolific periods of new construction the industry has seen.

Meetings, events, travel and tourism industry leader, Connect, is gearing up to welcome a pre-pandemic number of event professionals to its signature summer marketplace conference and trade show in Detroit next year. Set for Aug.

NYC & Company, the official destination marketing organization and CVB for New York City’s five boroughs, is aiming to get event professionals in a New York state of mind. The organization recently unveiled “It’s Time to Make It NYC,” a marketing and sales initiative designed to highlight the city’s vibrant comeback and major new developments and invite event professionals to choose the destination for in-person gatherings.

It’s no secret that waste is a leading sustainability issue plaguing the entire global hospitality industry. In the U.S. alone, nearly 40% of food waste is generated from consumer-facing businesses including restaurants and hotels, according to leading conservation organization World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

The Vendry, a digital sourcing and planning marketplace and professional community for corporate event planners, has secured $6.5 million in seed funding to empower event professionals as they navigate the next generation of live events.

The funding round was led by Peter Boyce, founder of Stellation Capital, with several other investors participating in the raise. 

Officials throughout the tourism, exhibitions, conferences and events sectors overwhelmingly applauded the Biden Administration’s announcement Sept. 20 that U.S. travel restrictions for vaccinated international visitors will be eased in November. The move reopens the country to millions of people and paves the way for a massive boost to the industry’s recovery.

In what was perhaps the strongest argument to date calling for the full return of in-person professional gatherings, leaders from the business and travel sectors joined together Sept. 15 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. to deliver a powerful, data-driven, science-backed message: Travel for and participation in professional meetings, exhibitions and events can safely resume, and doing so will significantly accelerate America’s economic recovery.  

Meetings, events, travel and tourism industry leader, Connect is gearing up to launch a second signature conference next year. Set for May 22-24, 2022 at the Puerto Rico Convention Center, Connect Puerto Rico will host more than 2,000 meeting and event professionals at a multi-track event designed to serve as a hub for networking and business development for corporate, association and sports planners. Connect will host a second large-scale conference in Detroit, Aug. 8-10.

In an effort to showcase its health protocols and spur along the recovery of the meetings and events industry, Marriott International recently hosted its largest in-person customer event since the start of the pandemic. Held Aug. 24-27 at Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin in Orlando, Florida, “The Exchange” brought together nearly 800 corporate and association meeting professionals, and Marriott executives and sales professionals.