News
Oct 24, 2018
The Corporate Event News Event Expert Profile series features interviews with some of the many talented corporate event professionals who make this industry thrive.
Stefanie Maragna, or Stef, as she prefers, has been involved in sales, marketing and events for more than 20 years, but has a special place in her heart for the events portion of her roles. Her diverse background has allowed her to better understand the needs and motivations of all the stakeholders who are involved with events, from marketing to sales to partners and executives.
Maragna was recently named as one of SmartMeetings… more
Oct 23, 2018
Plans are in the works to update, modernize and expand the America’s Center Convention Complex in St. Louis. Dubbed the “AC Next Gen Project,” the goal of the $175 million project is to secure the facility’s place as an economic and employment driver for the entire region.
According to St. Louis City and County officials, the need to expand the Complex has become critical as cities across the U.S. are making substantial investments in their convention centers as well as taking aggressive steps to lure lucrative meetings and conventions to their communities and regions.
“I’m excited to… more
Oct 22, 2018
IMEX America 2018, billed as the industry’s largest trade show in the United States, broke its own records for success. Held Oct. 16-18 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, this was the show’s eighth year in Las Vegas.
The show statistics, provided by IMEX, are impressive:
13,000 estimated participants
6,000 attendees
3,300 hosted buyers
More than 3,500 exhibitors
More than 150 countries represented
70,000 estimated appointments
Economic impact of $19.1 million
Smart Monday, the MPI-powered day of education immediately prior to IMEX America, also broke its previous… more
Oct 17, 2018
Event technology provider Cvent has acquired Social Tables to improve collaboration between planners and venues while growing its market share.
Social Tables offers the world's largest database of to-scale function space. Planners and venues use Social Tables’ Event Services Solution to diagram events, create seating charts and share files.
“With Social Tables, we can offer new ways for our event and hospitality customers to work better together to manage events,” said Reggie Aggarwal, CEO and founder of Cvent. “We’ve known and respected Dan [Berger] since the inception of Social Tables,… more
Oct 16, 2018
Today is opening day for IMEX America 2018, the country’s worldwide exhibition for incentive travel, meetings and events. Held annually at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, this year's IMEX America runs Oct. 16 – 18.
Smart Monday, the MPI-powered free educational day immediately prior to the main IMEX activities, broke attendance records yesterday, and keeping in line with the industry predictions for an event size increase, IMEX America’s showfloor will be its largest yet with more than 3,500 exhibitors representing 150 countries.
Twenty-eight percent of returning… more
Oct 16, 2018
Hard on the heels of its rebrand, Aventri is growing. With today’s acquisition of mobile NFC and cloud-based event solutions company ITN International, the event management software company intends to broaden its current onsite technology and service offerings and ultimately provide the most powerful end-to-end event solution on the market for SMBs and enterprise corporations.
ITN provides solutions for online registration, event content and program management, onsite services, reporting and analytics, and NFC and RFID badging. The company provides services for over 125 events, 10,000… more
Oct 15, 2018
Today, Oct. 15, 2018, is Smart Monday, powered by MPI — the educational session-based precursor to IMEX America. Approximately 1,000 event professionals are gathered at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas, making this year’s Smart Monday bigger than that of any previous year.
MPI is offering more than 30 breakout sessions covering a wide variety of topics such as augmented reality, contract litigation, crisis management and women in leadership. The majority of the education sessions are eligible for certified meeting professional (CMP) certification clock hours.
The event is also more interactive… more
Oct 15, 2018
Steady growth is the meetings and event industry’s “new normal” according to the American Express Meetings & Events (M&E) 2019 Global Meetings and Events Forecast, released today at IMEX America.
For the fourth consecutive year, our industry has achieved consistent growth in both spend and attendees. In 2019, global meetings activity is expected to continue to grow, accompanied by small increases in budget allocation for meetings and events. This matches data from CWT Meetings & Events’ 2019 Meetings & Events Future Trends report, released earlier this month.
“2019 will be a… more
Oct 12, 2018
Event platform Bizzabo has launched a new application to help event marketers create a more personalized attendee experience through community building.
The Bizzabo Events Cloud offers tools that allow event marketers to build end-to-end branded experiences for attendees, plus measure performance and ROI. Organizations can create websites, event communities, marketing emails and now event apps that are seamlessly interconnected.
“The events app market has evolved tremendously since we began in 2012, and over the years, brands have sought out more holistic and more high-end customizable… more
Oct 11, 2018
Lion Square Lodge has completed the $1.25 million meeting space renovation it began in May.
The property’s newly renovated meeting and event space has been tailored to meet the needs of businesses, offering five meeting rooms and more than 5,000 square feet of flexible event space that can accommodate groups of 10 upwards to 200. Two of the five rooms offer floor-to-ceiling windows and walkout balcony space overlooking Vail Mountain.
State-of-the-art technology capabilities, from high-speed internet and USB hook-ups to a brand new sound system, add even more corporate appeal, said Bill… 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