EXPERTS & OPINIONS
Oct 19, 2022
At the recent Corporate Event Marketing Association (CEMA) Summit 2022, hospitality industry visionary Michael Dominguez, CEO of Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI), “edutained” attendees with his “State of the Industry” trend forecast. Michael delivered what can best be described as a full semester of macro and micro economics in an hour—in his signature high-energy, engaging and accessible style.
His key takeaway was that it’s an important time to be decisively indecisive. The post-pandemic dust hasn’t fully settled, so it’s prudent to not make definitive, long-term decisions.… more
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Oct 11, 2022
When successfully executed, webinars contribute significantly to demand generation efforts and offer a valuable experience for the audience. More than half of marketers cite webinars as generating the most qualified leads of any content format they use. But to maximize a webinar’s impact on the marketing funnel, event professionals must treat webinars as true events with the same attention to planning, goal-setting and follow-up given to other events.
According to an analysis of business events hosted with Bizzabo’s Event Experience OS, 18% of events are webinars, and 25% of Bizzabo… more
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Oct 06, 2022
With two years of various restrictions, work-from-home conditions and fewer options outside of our homes, we had ample opportunity to reflect on and reassess what it is attendees will most desire when they return to the show floor. At the top of the list is the one space many of us may have taken for granted prior to 2020: the outdoors.
With a renewed gratitude for gorgeous scenery and fresh air, folks are far less inclined to settle for the mundane, florescent, insular and frankly, boring indoor environments of past live events.
Couple this with an unspoken competition with the comfort of… more
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Sep 28, 2022
As an event planner, you’re in the business of attention. You likely spend your days searching for ways to generate buzz and sustain audience engagement—an increasingly difficult feat in a highly fragmented marketplace. So it makes sense that you and others are looking toward a new trend: non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
Unfortunately, interest in the NFT market reached its lowest point in May. Amid the crypto crash of 2022, people are pulling away from digital assets. But that doesn’t mean their value has disappeared. NFTs are inherently unique and exclusive, and they can be used to provide a… more
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Sep 21, 2022
Remote, hybrid, on-site–whatever work style your company utilizes affects how you are able to promote employee connectedness and positive work culture. Having a strong sense of belonging in an organization directly impacts employee happiness, productivity and the longevity of their time with a company. A study by McKinsey Global Institute found that employee productivity increases by 20-25% in organizations where employees feel connected. So now we have to answer the question, “How do we bring all of these different work styles together and help them feel like a team?”
Different Types of… more
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Sep 14, 2022
This year, marketers continue to find themselves in a tough spot as COVID-19 and other viruses such as monkeypox impact the event industry. Cancel an in-person event? Postpone it? Move it to a virtual platform? Even with limited viable options, major events scrambled and struggled to change course in an efficient and gratifying manner. In the same vein as the initial COVID outbreak in 2020, experiential marketers, brand managers, digital marketers and every practitioner in between found themselves in another round of unexpected adversity. Today, COVID is still a consideration, as attendees… more
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Sep 07, 2022
Believe it or not, a successful event organizer recently said to me, “Now that face-to-face events are back, I can forget about event tech.” He had been in the business a while, but this comment made me realize that he is probably a dinosaur living on a different planet. Or not? This organizer is my friend, and we had a fascinating debate on this subject. He said that my reaction was a bit extremist.
Sound extremist? Let me elaborate on why I don't think so. I started my events career almost 30 years ago during my Apple days. Back then, way before virtual events and event tech, I realized… more
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Aug 31, 2022
It’s hard to know what to feel when you hear “rebrand” during a company meeting. As marketers, we may feel excited about the opportunity to make changes to reach new audiences, explore new and interesting design concepts and develop a lasting communication system. In any rebrand, there are challenges to maintaining the essential parts of your company and not to stray from who you are. How much do you draw from history? Will your rebrand alienate your current client base? What happens to your internal shared identity?
It is more essential than ever for a brand to remain flexible to reach… more
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Aug 24, 2022
Some folks can get really caught up in the “grass is always greener” syndrome. I can understand that tendency, of course, as I have my fair share of lawn envy, and I mean that both metaphorically and literally. Lately, for me at least, it’s been about automobiles. It seems everywhere I go, my eye is catching that certain car that makes me salivate. After the initial emotional rush, I can usually remind myself that I currently don’t have a car payment and then take a moment to recall exactly how much I dislike those.
The point is that the greener view, more often, is an illusion. It warns… more
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Aug 16, 2022
The meeting and events industry has seen a boom in requests to create memorable moments to celebrate being together again. As in-person events come back in a major way, we’ve found there are groups that have been saving up and now have large budgets to spend on over-the-top celebrations, and there are still many that have conservative budgets. Yet, they all have the same goal: to create something that is unique and feels luxurious. How do you do that? Focus on the power of all five senses.
Tapping into the senses means going beyond thinking about the food and beverage choices you offer.… more
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Partner Voices
MGM Resorts is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse culture, not just among employees and guests but also within its supply chain. The company prioritizes procuring goods and services from businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans, people with disabilities, LGBTQ individuals and those facing economic disadvantages. This commitment is integral to MGM Resorts' global procurement strategy.
Through its voluntary supplier diversity program, MGM Resorts actively identifies and connects certified diverse-owned suppliers to opportunities within its supply chain. The company is more