News
Jun 19, 2019
ConferencePulse has relaunched as ExpoIQ, a marketplace that helps technology event organizers find and connect with the right exhibitors for their events. The new platform leverages a database of more than 20,000 technology exhibitors, 5,000 IT exhibitions and 30,000 key decision makers, which ExpoIQ founder and CEO Val Tsanev says is what makes it unique.
“We’re trying to make the entire exhibition sales process — prospecting, finding and acquiring — seamless, expedited and much more efficient than it is today,” says Tsanev.
“Information is extremely decentralized in the public domain.… more
Jun 18, 2019
Michael Dominguez has been named president and CEO of Associated Luxury Hotels International. The well-known, well-liked industry veteran previously served as senior vice president and chief sales officer for MGM Resorts International for the past seven years. He also directed sales development for Loews Hotels as vice president of global sales prior to MGM.
Colleagues say Dominguez’s strategic leadership, innovative business development, hands-on sales oversight and implementation of effective sales strategies in both the MICE and transient segments will lead him to be successful in his new… more
Jun 17, 2019
Creating a sustainable food and beverage plan for your events isn’t just about reducing your carbon footprint. Ultimately, it’s about taking on the responsibility for making safe and healthy food choices for a number of people, says Tracy Stuckrath, president and chief connecting officer of Thrive Meetings & Event.
Stuckrath discussed sustainability and the ways that event menu choices can impact the well-being of attendees, budget and the planet in PCMA’s Bites and Sites webinar “Creating A Sustainable Menu for Your Event,” held live on June 6. Here are some key take-aways to consider… more
Jun 14, 2019
What if we told you that approximately half of all delegates attending large-scale, urban conventions are booking outside the designated room block? You might go into full-on panic mode — or, nod knowingly, as this has likely affected your meetings. And this is the new reality for meeting planners, according to a study conducted by Kalibri Labs and Prism Advisory Group.
The “Room Block of the Future," released in April, aimed to better understand room booking behaviors within the business events industry. The longer-term goal is to use this data to develop a system that better suits both… more
Jun 13, 2019
Event technology giant Cvent has once again expanded its reach, this time through the acquisition of San Francisco-based mobile app provider DoubleDutch. Over the past decade, Cvent has grown its portfolio and technology base through acquisitions of companies including Social Tables, Passkey and Kapow along with merging with Lanyon.
Cvent officials say that the company’s acquisition of DoubleDutch expands its commitment to the onsite experience, helping it accelerate its investment in mobile event technology. Cvent’s mobile and web application portfolio already includes CrowdCompass and… more
Jun 12, 2019
Event marketers are used to seeing a lot of buzz onsite at their events. Between messaging pushed out by the host organization itself, social media sharing and media coverage, an event is a hive of marketing activity. But what’s often lacking, says Rachel Stephan, chief snöballer at snöball, is the authentic voice that comes from the people who are actually experiencing the event — the attendees, speakers, partners and exhibitors.
That’s the idea behind snöball, a digital tool that helps event organizers harness the power of influencer marketing and put it to use at their events: to provide… more
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 07, 2019
PCMA EduCon 2019 will take place June 25-28 at JW Marriott Los Angeles LA Live. Known among PCMA’s portfolio of events for taking a more focused, practical approach to learning through small-scale, collaborative education sessions, the conference will bring in around 800 attendees (compared to PCMA’s annual Convening Leaders events, which draws 4,500).
“At EduCon, each person will be able to tailor programs specifically for her own needs, in the format that best suits his learning style,” said Tonya Almond, PCMA’s vice president of knowledge and experience design.
The conference will… more
Jun 06, 2019
“If you think back to when we were children, what did we do all day, every day? We played.”
Sharon Fisher, founder and chief “idea sparker” with Play With a Purpose, has spent the better part of the last three decades helping meeting planners incorporate elements that bring childlike — not childish — games into events. She extols the benefits of play in its many forms.
“Play is how we built relationships with other kids; understood how to get along; learned how to communicate; and discovered how to be imaginative and creative,” she says.
As adults, we can start to regress in some of these… 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
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