EXPERTS & OPINIONS
Nov 11, 2020
When Covid-19 hit and dashed all travel plans, the scholarly community saw a wave of conference cancellations and a rapid scramble to virtual formats. Nine months down the line (and with another wave of the virus bearing down in many countries) it has become increasingly clear that conferences will not be returning to their pre-Covid formats any time soon. This is the new normal, one that offers a rare opportunity to reframe the traditional conference format and create better, more inclusive ways to bring the scholarly community together.
Looking ahead, we strongly believe that a hybrid… more
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Nov 06, 2020
with modern technology, it has become easier than ever to create online events. Event planning, whether in-person or digital, requires many of the same processes. Luckily, event planners are notoriously resilient folk and take the new paradigm in stride. Virtual events are opportunities for people, connected by common interests, to share their thoughts, ideas, knowledge and opportunities. The best virtual events will find a way to capture this and celebrate it — and you can do this effectively by using a social wall. Here’s how.
Bring Social Into Your Virtual Events
A major draw of… more
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Oct 30, 2020
If your event has a trade show component and you're shifting it online, make sure to focus on your exhibitors. While virtual events are a new format for almost all the stakeholders involved, exhibitors in particular may be apprehensive about this change. It is important you convey to them, that regardless of where you host the event, they will get the same return on investment.
Here’s how you can live up to that promise:
Customizable Exhibitor Booths
Enable your exhibitors to create highly personalized professional profiles on your virtual event platform. In the absence of physical… more
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Oct 20, 2020
It’s become increasingly apparent that we, as a society, should level-set our expectations for a post-COVID world. While a vaccine may be available as early as this winter (or even sooner), it is unrealistic to believe a vaccine will be the elixir that immediately returns life to normal. Realistically, we’re going to have to manage the lasting results of this pandemic over at least the next two to three years.
This means, we can expect years of smaller, more localized flare-ups, which will be preventable or can be contained with high levels of adherence to basic social distancing precautions… more
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Oct 13, 2020
If we’re keeping score from home, it sure seems like 2020 is winning.
On the heels of record-breaking travel and tourism numbers in calendar year 2019 — when, per VISA Analytics & Consulting, our industry was on pace to generate $1 trillion annually by 2025 — travel as we know it has come to a screeching halt for the bulk of this year, as indicated by some of tourism’s foremost data authorities:
Tourism and hospitality represents a little more than 10 percent of the total work force, but it also represents 40 percent of ALL non-essential jobs lost since the pandemic began (Source:… more
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Oct 08, 2020
The hospitality and events industry is always changing, forcing properties to consistently adapt in order to stay current. In March, when most of the world was placed on pause, adapting took on a whole new definition, especially when it comes to the food and beverage industry. So what will food and beverage look like at meeting and convention venues once we’re back to hosting live events again?
Here are a few changes that food and beverage is likely to experience in our new normal:
Added Safety
Many venues have adopted a contact-free set up that minimizes the risk of COVID-19 by reducing… more
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Oct 01, 2020
The 2020 global pandemic has caused brands to rethink their approach to event marketing. Due to health guidelines, most in-person events have been canceled for the foreseeable future; yet, the event channel is still required to fill the sales funnel. As such, we have seen the “Big Pivot” to virtual to help reach the marketplace.
As brands and organizations wade into this new virtual event environment, it is important to examine how established learning theories and an emerging framework for addressing virtual audiences can inform the creative design and experiences delivered through virtual… more
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Sep 23, 2020
Brands sponsor face-to-face events because they want to connect with key audiences. They want to increase brand awareness and improve brand perception. They want to generate leads and drive sales. And every single one of these goals remains relevant and achievable, even now that coronavirus has driven face-to-face events into the virtual sphere.
Consider these best practices to seamlessly integrate sponsors into your virtual experience and maximize the value you deliver.
Put attendees’ priorities first.
Concentrating on the wants, needs and emotions of your audience is always a wise thing… more
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Sep 16, 2020
Event marketers have long specialized in creating unique one-to-one engagement between brands and attendees. Enabling that same engagement digitally, however, requires a clear understanding of attendees’ digital behaviors.
We have to account not only for the nature and volume of the content they will want to consume in an online environment, but also their preferences and expectations for the environment itself. The five best practices below will help you design a digital event platform that delivers on just that.
1. Start with Sitemaps and Wireframes
In an online world, we’re bombarded… more
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Sep 10, 2020
COVID-19 came up quickly and took our industry by storm. We had to shut down immediately with no clear return to the “business as usual” that other industries are now getting to experience. There are some businesses that have been able to return to a semblance of normal with new adjustments to their procedures. The event industry, however, is being forced to do what we challenge our clients to do on a regular basis: Be inventive and creative.
With no set date, or even a solid prediction, for when we’d be able to return to in-person live events, we now must focus on what we can control — and… 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