In an effort to speed the pace of recovery in Indianapolis, Visit Indy has pooled together its tech partners to offer discounted prices for citywide hybrid meetings.

The CVB says it is the first in the nation to present citywide discounts on audiovisual and WiFi. Planners who take advantage of the offer can receive 25 percent off WiFi and 10 percent off AV equipment. Thirteen venues, including Indiana Convention Center and a mix of hotels, are participating.

Destinations International has released two studies that look at key issues facing the travel industry. The first focuses on the role destination organizations play in advancing equity, diversity and inclusion, while the second—conducted with Longwoods International—examines the perception of the travel industry by U.S. residents.

The slow-moving transition of power in Washington, D.C., is causing far more damage than anguish and partisan bickering. 

With hopes dimming on a new stimulus package before the new year, the American Hotel & Lodging Association reports stalled negotiations are endangering properties that have survived the pandemic so far.

Nearly three-quarters of the meeting professionals surveyed in the most recent Meetings & Events Pulse Survey conducted by Global DMC Partners (GDP) expect their events to be held in a virtual or hybrid format in 2021. The surveyed planners also see having a vaccine in place as the most important factor in bringing back face-to-face events. 

The city of Grapevine, Texas, played host to Meeting Professionals International’s World Education Congress, held in hybrid format Nov. 3-6. “Reunite for Recovery” was the theme of the event, which took place at Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center and drew nearly 700 in-person attendees and 1,000 virtual participants.

Eight months after Caesars Forum was scheduled to have its grand opening and start welcoming a packed schedule of groups before it was stopped in its tracks by COVID-19, the new venue hosted its first event: the 2020 ConferenceDirect Annual Partner Meeting.

“We have always admired the work that Brian Stevens and the team at ConferenceDirect do,” said Michael Massari, chief sales officer for Caesars Entertainment. “We enjoy a long-standing partnership and are pleased that we hosted this important event.”

SIAARTI, the Italian Society of Anaesthesia, Analgesia, Intensive Care and Resuscitation, together with AIM Group International, a company with 60 years of experience in congresses, events and communication, broke the mold and re-invented the concept of a congress. Through its Traveling with ICARE tour, which took place Sept. 21-Oct. 4, anaesthesiologists and resuscitators were greeted around Italy with a traveling knowledge exchange event.

Clarion Events has announced it has acquired California-based Quartz Events, the fastest growing producer of invitation-only, executive summits in North America.

The first Nest Summit — held at Javits Center in 2019 — was intended to provide an outlet for companies to hold meetings during Climate Week NYC, which had been held in the city for 11 years and focused on sustainability solutions.

UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, and SISO, the Society for Independent Show Organizers, are calling on global policymakers and governments to follow a “testing before quarantine” approach for business-related travel and activities. This approach, both organizations say — which would include activating the potentials of rapid antigen COVID-19 tests — would enable businesses to move forward out of a global recession not seen in generations.