News

Apr 13, 2018
Hilton Des Moines Downtown opened its doors for guests on March 21, with a public ribbon-cutting and a grand opening event. Located just five miles from Des Moines International Airport, Hilton Des Moines Downtown is connected to the Iowa Events Center via the Des Moines Skywalk. It is the first convention hotel to open in Des Moines in more than ten years.  “We are immensely proud to bring this much anticipated facility to the Des Moines community,” said Mike Tousley, executive vice president and general manager of The Weitz Company, which developed, designed and built the property. The… more
Apr 11, 2018
“Content is king!” The saying has become cliche because content marketing, still a relatively young marketing concept, has quickly become the go-to strategy of marketers in many industries. According to Forrester, U.S. marketers spent more than $10 billion on content marketing in 2016. Additionally, reports from Content Marketing Institute state that marketers increased their budgets in 2017 and plan to again throughout 2018. Beyond dollars, when used strategically, content marketing helps organizations get results. Dax Callner, chief strategy officer at GES Events, said that content… more
Apr 10, 2018
One of the keys to event success is understanding your attendees. Who are they, why are they registering for your event, and what do they hope to take away when the event is over? Knowing the answers to these questions will help you design an event that will exceed your attendees’ expectations. For corporate events, it’s common to design content around your attendee personas or audience segment, but have you thought about your attendee profiles when designing the event experience? The American Express Meetings and Events 2018 Global Meetings and Events Forecast includes a section titled “… more
Apr 09, 2018
At Corporate Event News, our objective is to showcase the diverse people, programs, challenges and rewards of corporate events. Our ongoing Event Expert Profile series shines a spotlight on some of the many talented corporate event professionals who make this industry thrive. While we usually focus on planners who are employed directly by a corporation, this month I chose a different tactic. There are a large number of companies that choose to outsource some or all of their meetings and events programs, and some great independent planners and meeting management organizations whose staff act… more
Apr 05, 2018
The Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach is the destination’s newest beachfront hotel, and the fourth Hard Rock Hotel in Florida. Located just over a mile from the iconic Daytona Beach Pier and the Ocean Center meeting, convention and event complex, the 200-room property offers 20,000 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor meeting space. “The new music-inspired Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach is introducing the global brand’s iconic vibe and energetic beat to meetings and events along this wide stretch of world-famous Atlantic shoreline," said Kathy Masterson, director of sales, Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach… more
Apr 04, 2018
Glisser, producer of the Glisser presentation software, integrated audience response system and event analytics platform, has launched Glisser LIVE, a new online tool that allows event planners to promote and host hybrid and virtual events. Hybrid events extend marketing and community reach beyond face-to-face interactions. Glisser LIVE delivers the ability for event planners to connect a virtual audience to a physical event. The new offering combines the company’s existing slide-sharing and audience response app with a live video feed and brandable web platform to engage remote attendees.… more
Apr 03, 2018
VISIT Milwaukee has launched a new website designed to redefine the city’s image for visitors and capture the spirit of Milwaukee’s people, neighborhoods, events and attractions, while driving visitation to the region. The new site, which went live on March 17, has been expanded beyond the meeting planner to the convention attendee with entertaining new features including a slot machine-style “randomizer” on the homepage that provides a fun way to discover exciting things to do in the city, as well as a “My Trip” tool that allows visitors to plan their Milwaukee trip by curating a virtual… more
Apr 02, 2018
I hear it all the time: “How do I effectively market my events?” This is one of the greatest challenges meeting planners face. They want to improve app adoption, engage attendees with content and on social media, and increase visibility for their sponsors and exhibitors. The thing is, many planners who are using event management and attendee engagement software already have the tools they need. Let’s take a look… What is marketing? First, let’s clarify what marketing is. According to the American Marketing Association: “Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for… more
Mar 30, 2018
Meeting Professionals International (MPI) has selected Grapevine, Texas, as the destination for its World Education Congress (WEC) in 2020. The association will collaborate with the Grapevine Convention and Visitors Bureau to host the conference, which is scheduled for June 6–9, 2020, at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center. Grapevine is centrally located between Fort Worth and Dallas, where MPI is headquartered. WEC is MPI’s signature event through which it delivers premier education, business and networking opportunities in North America.  It attracts more than 2,000 attendees… more
Mar 28, 2018
Connect Marketing, a division of Connect (a Tarsus Group company), has acquired the eTourism Summit from North American Journeys, Inc. Founded in 2000, eTourism Summit is the leading event and community that connects destination marketing professionals with best practices and innovations in digital media. Connect Marketing’s mission is to connect marketers with the products, services, people and ideas necessary to thrive in a rapidly evolving and highly competitive global marketplace. The acquisition of eTourism Summit supports this growing mission. The restricted attendance format of the… more
Partner Voices
Just when it seems like Las Vegas can’t get any bigger, brighter or more exciting for groups, MGM Resorts raises the bar again. The company continues to invest and innovate across its portfolio of Las Vegas resorts, with new attractions and upgraded experiences for attendees of all interests.  Remodeled Guest Rooms MGM Grand is the largest single hotel in the world with over 5,000 guest rooms and an 850,000-square-foot conference center. It is home to the newly remodeled MGM Grand Studio Tower—700 reimagined guest rooms with a fun mid-century vibe. Nearby, the iconic New York-New York Las more