News
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
Jun 03, 2019
Digital invitation platform Evite has launched Evite Pro, a new custom platform designed to simplify and streamline the event planning and execution process for professional event organizers. This release comes just nine months after the launch of Evite Premium.
Evite Pro allows planners to manage the entirety of an event, including designing and sending invitations, tracking attendee status, managing ongoing guest communications, and accessing event analytics including deliverability and RSVP rate with real-time data.
Geared to meet the needs of small- to mid-size companies, the new… more
May 31, 2019
You know that incorporating corporate social responsibility activities during your events can be a win-win all around – for your attendees, charities in destinations that host your events, the destinations themselves, and of course, your organization. Yet you might be feeling overwhelmed and not sure where to begin.
While incorporating CSR can seem daunting, there are more resources than ever available to support planners in this process. To help inspire you to take that next step, Tammi Runzler, co-founder of CSRConnections, a corporate social responsibility company that helps match up… more
May 30, 2019
When Brad Dean, previously president and CEO of Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce for nearly two decades, had the opportunity to take the reins as CEO of the newly formed Discover Puerto Rico in May 2018, it seemed to be the perfect fit. After all, his wife was from the island; he knew the area somewhat well; and he’s never been one to shy away from a challenge — which was important, because he certainly had his work cut out for him.
We caught up with Dean, who just received the 2019 Destinations International Destination Organization Leadership Award, to learn about the progress he’s… more
May 29, 2019
“Hey Alexa, what’s next in new technologies designed to support the exhibition industry?”
That’s the question Freeman poses in its winning submission for the annual UFI Digital Innovation Award. The award, which recognizes new technologies designed to support the exhibition industry, was captured by Freeman for its artificial intelligence-powered chatbot services.
Freeman VP of Innovation, Wilson Tang“Innovation comes from a lot of different places,” says Wilson Tang, who was recently promoted to the role of vice president of innovation for Freeman. The idea for an Amazon Alexa-powered event… more
May 24, 2019
We've all been there — only a few hours into a looong event day, and your feet are already aching. When your feet hurt, it can truly be difficult to think about anything else. Yet aside from kicking off your professional shoes in favor of your old Nikes, what can you do to ensure your feet will be comfortable and presentable for the entire day?
Jacqueline Sutera, DPM, a podiatrist based in New York and spokesperson for the American Podiatric Medical Association, says women don’t have to sacrifice style for comfort. She recommends brands like Vionic, which offers a wide range of colors,… more
May 23, 2019
Industry veteran David Beckett is no stranger to events, having worked with Experient – a Maritz Global Events Company for the better part of the last two decades. Yet the former Clevelander, now Seattleite, this spring joined the team at Eventcore — a company providing enterprise-level event registration technology software — as senior vice president of professional services. His main role is to oversee the quality of service delivery with Eventcore’s clients and partners.
Corporate Event News sat down with Beckett in the midst of his big move out West to get his take on the latest trends… more
May 22, 2019
In the past several years, C-level marketers across all industry segments have been putting more emphasis on — and budget toward — digital and experiential marketing, says Chris Cavanaugh, chief marketing officer at Freeman.
Freeman, once known as Freeman Decorating Services, has long been known for exhibition logistics management, and has grown into an experiential marketing powerhouse. According to the recent Ad Age Annual Agency report, which gives Freeman strong rankings, the experiential marketing category grew 2.1 percent in the U.S. over the past year, outpacing the “all marketing… more
May 21, 2019
Is face-to-face marketing still relevant, and are there plans to use it moving forward? What is the image of the business-to-business exhibition channel today? A new report from the Center for Exhibition Industry Research aims to answer those questions — and more — from the perspective of marketing leaders.
The first in the new “Head of Marketing Insights” series, “Overview of Marketing and Sales Approaches, Most Urgent Objectives, and Brand Image of the B2B Exhibition Channel to Support Needs” examines the perception of B2B exhibitions as a marketing channel.
The report draws from survey… more
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