News
Nov 11, 2021
The city of Milwaukee will soon be doubling the size of its convention center via a multi-million-dollar expansion project. On Oct. 28, the Wisconsin Center District celebrated its long-awaited plan to grow the Wisconsin Center by hosting a groundbreaking ceremony attended by WCD leaders and staff, several local leaders, government officials and additional guests.
Speakers at the event included Wisconsin Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan; Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley; VISIT Milwaukee President and CEO Peggy Williams-Smith; VISIT Milwaukee Board Chair Dr. Eve… more
Nov 10, 2021
Connect teamed with World Meetings Forum (WFM), one of the most important events linking qualified hosted buyers with suppliers for the MICE industry, as part of its ongoing mission to present event planners with a diverse group of impressive destinations.
WFM has nearly 10 years of presence in Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean and was the first event in the region to return face-to-face in 2020 in Los Cabos.
Rafael Hernandez, chair of the WFM, will act as a liaison to Latin American, Central American and Spanish-speaking Caribbean DMCs to attend future Connect events.
“We are… more
Nov 09, 2021
Now that meetings and conventions are trickling back to an in-person format again, the question of what event food and beverage is going to look like for the foreseeable future is likely occupying the mind of many a pandemic-weary event planner these days. To find out how the last 20 months have influenced the kinds of menus events are opting to serve or forgo, we turned to the experts—in this case, 20-year culinary veteran Jen Bargisen, senior executive chef with Sodexo Live!—to find out which F&B trends are hot and which are not in this ever-evolving health and safety landscape.
What… more
Nov 05, 2021
The event and hospitality industries are rallying behind a new bill that would help restore communicable disease coverage within event cancellation insurance and keep jobs and businesses protected during future pandemics and public health emergencies. Reintroduced in Congress on Nov. 2 by U.S. Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), the Pandemic Risk Insurance Act of 2021 (PRIA), a version of which she first proposed in May 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, is music to the ears of those in industries still reeling from billions in pandemic-related financial losses.
If passed, the bill… more
Nov 04, 2021
Ask Carina Bauer about how she got into the events industry, and she’ll tell you that while she was “born into it” thanks to her father, Ray Bloom, a serial entrepreneur in the hospitality and meetings industry who founded IMEX Group in 2002, that doesn’t mean her fate was necessarily sealed.
“I actually started my career in catering, running a chain of coffee shops and later joined IMEX by accident when I stepped in to help when one of the team fell ill a year before our first IMEX in Frankfurt,” Bauer explains.
That happy accident resulted in a complete immersion into the business… more
Nov 02, 2021
North Carolina’s Charlotte Convention Center is now ready and able to host larger meetings and conventions, thanks to a $126.9 million expansion project that has added approximately 50,000 square feet to the 26-year-old downtown venue.
On Oct. 21, the City of Charlotte, the CRVA, construction partners, hospitality industry representatives and community leaders gathered to officially open and celebrate the new state-of-the-art space via a ribbon cutting ceremony that included the unveiling of a new public artwork and remarks from city government and tourism officials, including Mayor Vi… more
Nov 01, 2021
Change cannot be put on people. The best way to instill change is to do it with them. Create it with them. – Lisa Bodell
Employee engagement was once just a good-to-have goal and used to involve tactics to make the employees "feel an emotional connect" around special occasions and conventional team-building activities.
The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing organizations to throw away playbooks that they had become comfortable with. Employee engagement is now a mission-critical strategy, which can make or break the growth story of the company in both, short and long term.
Before the pandemic… more
Nov 01, 2021
The Las Vegas tourism community recently took a giant step forward in the development of the Vegas Loop, an express underground transportation solution designed to help reduce traffic congestion while offering visitors and locals convenient access to the city’s myriad resorts, meetings and entertainment offerings.
On Oct. 20, Elon Musk's tunnel company, The Boring Company, received unanimous approval by the Clark County Commission for a special use permit and franchise agreement for the proposed 29-mile tunnel transportation system, which will connect to the existing Las Vegas Convention… more
Oct 29, 2021
Tech Giants: Banzai’s Joe Davy on Event Marketers as Heroes, the Future of Events and How to Prepare
Raised in a small university town in North Carolina, where both of his parents were English professors, Joe Davy was self-taught when it came to tech smarts, which have been top of mind for him since childhood.
“I learned to program on our 386 PC desktop at home using a manual for a Tandy 2000 computer that I found in a box of free books at my parents’ office,” he said.
Davy’s early interest in technology and programming eventually turned into an interest in business and entrepreneurship.
“I was lucky to meet a few life-changing mentors and friends who shaped me into who I am today,” he… more
Oct 28, 2021
Leave it to the IMEX Group to always make you feel like you’re part of their great big family. Event professionals unable to attend IMEX America in person this year are in luck. The group announced plans to debut IMEX BuzzHub Live, offering a unique virtual window into the world of the show, which takes place Nov. 9-11 at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
“'There’s always a seat at our table’—this is our mantra, and we’ve worked to ensure IMEX America remains inclusive and available to all,” said Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group. “As part of this, we’re launching our first-… more
Partner Voices
MGM Resorts is renowned for its exceptional service and diverse venue options across Las Vegas, Detroit, Springfield, National Harbor, Biloxi, and Atlantic City, providing flexible spaces for meetings of any size. Beyond these offerings, MGM Resorts distinguishes itself through a strong commitment to social responsibility and sustainability, making it an ideal choice for your next meeting.
At the core of MGM Resorts' company values is its platform, "Focused on What Matters," dedicated to meeting customer needs while advancing socially responsible practices. This commitment is evident more