News
Jan 24, 2019
You know the drill: Touch down in your destination, immediately bring up your Uber app to get a ride to your hotel, set down your suitcase and get right to work. Between site visits, responding to emails, answering incessant phone calls and putting out all the fires that go along with managing a meeting, you barely have time to eat, let alone meditate.
Yet when you’re on the road — perhaps with elevated anxiety levels from the stress of your job, and guilt over missing out on family life for a few days — taking time to pause and hit your own personal reset button can make a big difference in… more
Jan 22, 2019
The events industry is financially healthy — and growing, according to a new report from Eventbrite.
The global ticketing and event technology platform company has released its annual Pulse Report, which aggregates survey data from more than 1,200 event professionals based in the U.S. and Canada. Approximately one third of the participants organize business events.
Katie Sawyer, Eventbrite’s head of content, said the interactive report is designed to help event professionals be more successful.
“The data provides the insights they need to make smart decisions about hiring, budget and… more
Jan 21, 2019
We recently wrote about some of the new developments in Washington D.C. that are making the city even more attractive as an event destination. But with the U.S. government shutdown in effect, which has already stretched longer than any other in history, many event organizers are concerned about how this might impact their meeting programs.
Destination DC has been actively campaigning to let the world know that the city is open for business and ready to welcome both meetings and leisure travelers.
The “DC is Open” campaign was first launched in October 2013, during a previous shutdown, and… more
Jan 18, 2019
We’re already a few weeks into 2019, and if you’re like most people, your New Year’s resolutions to create a better work-life balance may already have gotten pushed to the wayside. Life happens; we get it — not to mention, work-life balance can feel especially out of reach to those in the events industry, where long, irregular hours and frequent “fires” can make you feel like you’re not in control of your time.
Yet there are ways to gain back that control and make this the year you finally feel you’re creating a sense of equilibrium in your professional and personal lives. We spoke with work… more
Jan 17, 2019
From black box spaces to renovated castles to cinemas, there are unique and transformative spaces around the globe. This ongoing series of articles highlights a few of the many options available for corporate events.
When people think of transformative, they typically think of a black box, or an empty warehouse. But the broader definition of transformative is “to cause a marked change in someone or something.” When planners are looking for a unique venue, one of the objectives is that it must provide a memorable experience for attendees — one that will live on when the event is long past.… more
Jan 15, 2019
PSAV is known by many planners as the in-house or preferred audio-visual provider at leading venues across the nation. In fact, PSAV has a presence in nearly 1,600 locations within 10 different countries.
The production, creative, technology and staging services company was acquired by investment firm Blackstone in August 2018 and will soon become even larger with the acquisition of Encore Event Technologies.
Encore Event Technologies, a global provider of event technology, staging and production services, was formed in 2014 when The Freeman Company merged acquisitions made respectively in… more
Jan 15, 2019
Karen Kotowski, who has led the Events Industry Council (EIC) for the past 10 years, has tendered her resignation as CEO.
With this change in leadership, EIC has initiated a search to identify a new CEO.
During her tenure, Karen Kotowski oversaw the growth of EIC’s Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) program and the completion of three studies on the Economic Significance of Meetings in the U.S.
In addition, she led the first-ever Global Economic Significance Study – research that has provided indisputable proof of the economic impact of our industry and a platform for articulating the… more
Jan 14, 2019
Event management solution provider Aventri and AI Chatbot company Sciensio have teamed up to offer an industry first: an end-to-end event management solution that leverages EventBots.
EventBots are now available as an add-on to the Aventri product suite, allowing planners to access the technology directly through the Aventri dashboard.
EventBots provide quick answers to thousands of the questions event attendees commonly ask. With the new Aventri/Sciensio chatbot technology, attendees simply text their questions to a phone number that the organizer provides (or use planner-defined channels… more
Jan 11, 2019
From black box spaces to renovated castles to cinemas, there are unique and transformative spaces around the globe. This ongoing series of articles will highlight a few of the many options available for corporate events.
The ability to take a blank slate and make it something amazing, unique and memorable is many planners’ dream. Enclave, a venue located just minutes from McCarran International Airport and the Las Vegas Strip, offers you the ability to brand to your heart’s desire without needing to worry about infrastructure, permits and individually sourced suppliers.
Enclave is a three… more
Jan 10, 2019
According to the Freeman Show Organizer Data Pulse Survey, 74 percent of show organizers use event data to inform their event strategy, event objectives and planning. Yet nearly half of non-profit show organizers find it challenging to get meaningful insights from their event data.
“Research has shown that attendees go to an event to learn, network and have fun,” said Richard Maranville, chief digital officer at Freeman. “However, until now, the industry didn’t have an all-encompassing solution to compile metrics and data that ultimately could help increase audience acquisition, retention… 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