News
Feb 24, 2021
It goes without saying that the past 12 months have been an incredibly challenging and stressful time for event professionals. To lend a hand to fellow #eventprofs who may be suffering from job losses and mental health challenges, mark your calendars for the first-ever Event Relief 2021, a 24-hour global “vodcast” marathon created to raise funds for event industry professionals experiencing personal and financial hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Set for Wednesday, March 3, the event is organized and hosted by events and exhibitions professional, Dan Assor, creator and host of The Dan… more
Feb 23, 2021
Marriott International on Tuesday began the painstaking effort of moving on from the death of company legend Arne Sorenson, naming Anthony “Tony” Capuano and Stephanie Linnartz. Both internal promotions are effective immediately.
Capuano was previously group president of Global Development, Design and Operations Services. During Capuano’s time in that role, Marriott grew from more than 3,200 properties in early 2009 to more 7,600 properties by 2020’s end.
He joined Marriott in 1995, and in 1997 began leasing development efforts in the Western U.S. and Canada. In 2005, Capuano became senior… more
Feb 23, 2021
The motion picture was created in 1892, and arguably perfected by the time of Charlie Chaplin. Yet, event companies still trip over themselves trying to produce and distribute video.
Monique Elwell, president and COO of Storyvine, a guided video technology platform whose clients include IBM, has seen her fair share of cringe-worthy mistakes. Often, she says, these miscues stem from overthinking the process.
Anyone involved in marketing knows video is the gold standard of content (sorry, writers!). That knowledge is a blessing and a curse. Expenses and circumstances mean professional, high-… more
Feb 22, 2021
Perhaps a lost fact in the pandemic is that large groups are indeed gathering at one site with a common goal—the very definition of what a corporate event should be. Naturally, it would take experienced event producers to see the potential for enhancing the shared experience of getting stuck with a hypodermic needle.
“We are going in with a mindset of when they arrive, how do you ease them through it?” said Mimi Eayrs, chief operating officer of JWP, a boutique event and fundraising agency founded by Josh Wood that is in talks to energize vaccine centers across the county. “We want to make… more
Feb 18, 2021
Designed to inspire and educate event professionals to produce exceptional virtual and hybrid events, the Virtual Events Institute works to serve the global events community by providing education, knowledge, innovation and best practice to ensure digital event excellence. In an effort to help further that mission, VEI has been busy forming partnerships with industry-leading companies to prepare both contract and full-time event workers with the versatile skill sets that these specialized events demand. Take a look:
Soundings
Many event companies confronted the necessary evil of laying off… more
Feb 17, 2021
Last year wasn’t exactly a great one for Nashville. The popular music and events destination not only suffered fallout from the pandemic, but also a Christmas morning suicide bombing that injured eight people, severely damaged more than 40 buildings in a historic downtown district and crippled telecommunication systems throughout the Southeast for days.
While some cities might still be reeling from the one-two punch of such overlapping misfortune, the Music City is doing anything but ruminating. In the almost two months since the bombing, Nashville has been picking up the pieces, focusing on… more
Feb 16, 2021
Arne Sorenson, the third CEO in Marriott International’s history, died unexpectedly on Monday, the hotel giant announced. Sorenson was diagnosed in May 2019 with pancreatic cancer and earlier this month took a leave of absence to battle the disease’s resurgence. He was 62 years old.
Among Sorenson’s largest accomplishments was the 2016 completion of the acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, which immediately made Marriott the world’s largest hotel chain, with more than 5,800 properties and 1.1 million rooms in more than 110 countries.
“During his tenure as CEO, Mr. Sorenson was… more
Feb 15, 2021
It’s noon on a Wednesday (somewhere) when Intrado Digital Media President Ben Chodor jumps on a Zoom call. There is no ballgame to catch, rush hour to beat or train to hop on. Gone are the days of the easy excuses to take a break from work. Chodor is, for better or worse, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
On the bright side, Intrado employs 1,500 workers in 17 countries. The flexibility to meet with a team across multiple time zones has distinct advantages. It allows for more brainstorming sessions, which, in turn, facilitates innovation. Given Intrado’s crucial role in advancing… more
Feb 11, 2021
When General Motors rolled out its new electric battery capabilities at CES last month, the car advancement was only part of the story. The presentation, viewed by thousands at the entirely virtual trade show, was a case study for how the world will consume information in the future.
INVNT, an innovative branding and events company, partnered with GM to create virtual environments to simulate the car company’s research and development laboratory. The keynote team used 3-D imagery to take a deep d(r)ive into the inner workings of the technology.
Making this all possible was a mixed-reality… more
Feb 10, 2021
If absence makes the heart grow fonder, then the love companies feel for their employees working remotely must be at all-time high as we approach the first Valentine’s Day of the pandemic era.
Given that the recovery isn’t going quite as fast as we would like, a little prick from Cupid’s arrow can go a long way right now. It doesn’t take much to show appreciation to staff adapting to a new reality that very likely includes kids homeschooling and Zoom burnout.
While there is certainly more than one way to show the love this year, here are a few choice ideas for V-day gifts to help sweeten… 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