Jun 10, 2019
Adding a page to the comeback story of Puerto Rico, Connect announced it has selected the destination as host of Connect 2021.
Formerly known as Collinson Media & Events (and also now owned by Corporate Event News’ parent company, Tarsus Group), Connect is known for its national marketplace-style shows for meeting planners in the corporate, sports, diversity, association and faith sectors.
Connect 2021 is expected to bring 3,500 planners, suppliers and other industry leaders to Puerto Rico for face-to-face meetings, education, networking and its signature lively receptions.
“We are… more
Jun 05, 2019
Does your salary reflect what you think you’re worth? If you’re like most corporate event professionals, the answer is probably no (more on that below); yet the forecast for our industry in this area is looking at least partially sunny.
Nearly 75 percent of business event organizers received a raise over the past year, averaging a 7-percent increase, according to PCMA’s annual Salary Survey, released this week.
While that 7-percent increase is more than twice the average raise for North American workers across all industries, only half of the 550 respondents in PCMA’s survey reported… more
May 29, 2019
“Hey Alexa, what’s next in new technologies designed to support the exhibition industry?”
That’s the question Freeman poses in its winning submission for the annual UFI Digital Innovation Award. The award, which recognizes new technologies designed to support the exhibition industry, was captured by Freeman for its artificial intelligence-powered chatbot services.
Freeman VP of Innovation, Wilson Tang“Innovation comes from a lot of different places,” says Wilson Tang, who was recently promoted to the role of vice president of innovation for Freeman. The idea for an Amazon Alexa-powered event… more
May 21, 2019
Is face-to-face marketing still relevant, and are there plans to use it moving forward? What is the image of the business-to-business exhibition channel today? A new report from the Center for Exhibition Industry Research aims to answer those questions — and more — from the perspective of marketing leaders.
The first in the new “Head of Marketing Insights” series, “Overview of Marketing and Sales Approaches, Most Urgent Objectives, and Brand Image of the B2B Exhibition Channel to Support Needs” examines the perception of B2B exhibitions as a marketing channel.
The report draws from survey… more
May 16, 2019
Hard on the heels of Uber’s vouchers offering launch, Hilton has announced a new travel and hospitality partnership with rideshare provider Lyft. Now, Hilton Honors members will be able to earn points for riding with Lyft within the United States and Canada.
This partnership may make Hilton even more attractive for planners looking to keep their attendees within the host hotel or room block. Hotel brand loyalty is a powerful tool, as meeting attendees will often choose where to stay based on loyalty status and points earned.
“What makes this partnership unique and different is the… more
May 10, 2019
The new “State of Inclusion in Meetings & Events” research report from Meeting Professionals International shows that improvement is needed across all facets of event planning. The report discusses how event professionals plan for inclusivity and diversity, highlights knowledge gaps and offers best practices for planners to create inclusive experiences.
Driven by MPI’s inclusion initiative, which involves offering education and tools to make meeting experiences more welcoming, the association partnered with New York University’s Jonathan M. Tisch School of Hospitality to conduct a… more
May 06, 2019
As publicly funded destination marketing organizations across the country face increased scrutiny over budgets and spending issues, some agencies are finding themselves under the microscope of state and local legislators questioning their ROI and very reason for existing.
Case in point: Visit Florida, which faced what appeared to be its imminent demise in the state legislature before receiving a nine-month reprieve earlier this week. The state’s tourism marketing agency will receive a $50 million budget through June 30 at the request of Governor Ron DeSantis, who asked that the agency stay… more
May 02, 2019
Last year was a monumental one for Informa, with the purchase of UBM in January 2018 forming the largest exhibition company in the world. Earlier this week, the London-based company announced another big change: a new brand identity for one of its divisions. Going forward, Informa Exhibitions will be known as Informa Markets.
This new identity reflects the company’s ongoing development and expansion, along with its focus on enabling the success of its customers and the specialist markets in which they work, from health and nutrition to construction, pharma, agriculture and more.
Informa… more
Apr 17, 2019
IBTM China, which will be held Aug. 28-29 at China National Convention Centre (CNCC) in Beijing, is now accepting applications to its Hosted Buyer program. The program is open to senior event planners who have interest in bringing their meetings, events, conferences or incentives to the China and Asia Pacific region.
The 400 chosen hosted buyers will participate in over 9,000 pre-planned meetings (30 apiece) with approximately 380 exhibitors during the two-day long event. These exhibitors represent destinations and industry organizations from around the world, with the majority representing… more
Apr 08, 2019
On Thursday, April 4, meeting professionals around the world came together to celebrate our great industry on Global Meetings Industry Day. More than 230 GMID events spanning 42 countries were held on this international day of advocacy.
Research from Oxford Economics affirms that face-to-face meetings across 180 countries contributed $1.5 trillion of GDP in 2017. The research also shows that meetings support 25.9 million jobs worldwide.
I had a great time at the Bay Area GMID networking event, catching up with old friends and making some new ones. Here is a quick recap from #GMIDSF and… more
Partner Voices
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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