Marriott International on Tuesday began the painstaking effort of moving on from the death of company legend Arne Sorenson, naming Anthony “Tony” Capuano and Stephanie Linnartz. Both internal promotions are effective immediately.

Arne Sorenson, the third CEO in Marriott International’s history, died unexpectedly on Monday, the hotel giant announced. Sorenson was diagnosed in May 2019 with pancreatic cancer and earlier this month took a leave of absence to battle the disease’s resurgence. He was 62 years old.

 The coronavirus understandably caught the events industry flat-footed last spring. Who can predict a once-in-a-century disease? But nearly a year into the pandemic, there’s been time to experiment, learn, adapt and develop better strategies going into 2021.

Louisville Tourism is about to get a new president and CEO. Cleo Battle, the CVB’s current chief operating officer, will assume his new role upon the forthcoming retirement of current president and CEO Karen Williams, who will close out her 30-year tenure at Louisville Tourism June 30.  

Hilton Hotels are set to introduce a new program made for 2021. Hilton EventReady Hybrid Solutions features a host of offerings for small meetings of roughly 20 attendees. It integrates feedback received from event planners who’ve adapted to the pandemic with the offerings its properties can provide.

“There are so many nuances to consider when planning a hybrid event,” noted Kelly Knowlen, executive director of sales engagement and special events at Hilton.

Trying to serve as a guiding light in a challenging period, PCMA brought together more than 3,000 attendees in an unusual experience befitting the COVID era.

Primarily a virtual event, PCMA’s Convening Leaders, held Jan. 11-15, also featured several hub cities where event professionals could enjoy an in-person experience while taking in the education.

Joe Biden becomes the country’s 46th president at a time when the United States is mired in a pandemic and its related economic challenges. His proposed solutions, and their effectiveness, is surely how the first part of his presidency will be measured.

In an effort to speed the process of distributing COVID-19 vaccines, the hotel industry is offering its services to the incoming Biden-Harris administration.

Chip Rogers, president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, sent a letter to the transition team detailing why hotels are well-positioned to assist the effort. Among the compelling arguments:

Carrie Abernathy never imagined a year ago that she’d be where she is now. The corporate event planner and founder of the Association for Women in Events is back in Virginia, but 3.5 hours away from her former stopping grounds in Northern Virginia. Figuratively, she is adapting like the rest of us to a new world.

 Imagine an event in which attendees are not skittish to touch a surface. While many never gave such a simple movement a second thought before, it will be a point of interest in a post-COVID world.

But a new technology, XTI-360, could put the fear factor back in Pandora’s box. Through nano-coating, seeping into the pores of surfaces, the product kills germs essentially on contact. The company pledges that any product sprayed is safe for up to one year.