Nov 07, 2024
A downtown Las Vegas resort and a mixed-use development in New York City recently announced the completion of a guest room expansion and a new experiential meeting and event space, respectively.
Circa Resort & Casino Expands Hotel Tower
In October, Circa Resort & Casino in downtown Las Vegas completed an expansion of its 458-foot-tall hotel tower, unveiling 106 new rooms and suites. This increase brings the total room inventory to 618, marking a 20% rise since the resort's opening in December 2020.
The expansion introduces four panoramic sunset suites, 72 single kings, 24 double… more
Nov 06, 2024
According to a recent survey, it seems that a lot of corporate meeting planners are juggling more work beyond booking and building out their organizations’ events.
The 2025 Planner Sourcing Report, released in early October by event-technology giant Cvent, found that 66 percent of the 500-plus responding planners say they’ll handle sourcing for more meetings in 2025 than in 2024—but more than 70 percent are also involved in sourcing hotels for and otherwise managing their company’s preferred transient hotel program. In fact, 87 percent of those respondents say managing the transient program… more
Nov 05, 2024
What do corporate event organizers need to know about Orlando, Fla.?
In October, we spent 72 hours in the Sunshine State to discover what’s new for attendees and exhibitors in the theme park capital of the world, as well to find out what’s trending for meetings and trade shows.
Here’s what you need to know.
Getting there: Located about 20 minutes from downtown Orlando and with easy highway access, the Orlando International Airport (with the airport code of MCO) is about 12 miles away from the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) and major convention hotels that are connected or… more
Nov 05, 2024
Sponsored by MCI
As a corporate event organizer, hosting sustainable events is no longer a trend — it’s an essential part of the industry’s best practices. Event sustainability not only helps reduce your environmental impact but also enhances your brand’s reputation, particularly among eco-conscious sponsors, partners and attendees. Beyond benefiting the planet, organizing eco-friendly events can streamline processes and reduce costs. Here’s how you can incorporate green strategies into your next corporate event, ensuring it stands out as a sustainable success.
1. Go paperless. In the… more
Nov 04, 2024
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past four decades, you’ve likely heard of TED conferences, known for “ideas worth spreading” via talks spanning a cornucopia of inspiring, thought-provoking topics and diverse perspectives delivered by celebrities, thought leaders, and groundbreaking leaders and legends in their respective fields.
Originally launched in 1984 by architect Richard Saul Wurman and designer Harry Marks as a for-profit event focused on the intersection of technology, entertainment, and design (hence the acronym TED), annual TED conferences officially kicked off in … more
Oct 31, 2024
With annual events like Gartner’s IT Symposium/Xpo taking every inch of available space and even building additional temporary structures outside, the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort is set to embark on the largest renovation and expansion in the property’s history, highlighted by the addition of 120,000 square feet of event space to its current meeting and convention floorplan.
With an investment of $275 million over the next several years, the construction project will also include modernized upgrades to existing meeting spaces and Swan guest rooms, as well as technology… more
Oct 30, 2024
Distill down the elements of a changemaker, and you’ll find someone who can identify a problem, define a workable solution, and, most critically, execute that idea. With the creation of SocialOffset, Beth Surmont, FASAE, CMP-Fellow, CAE, checks all those boxes.
The problem: Surmont, vice president of event strategy and design at 360 Live Media, and her co-founder and wife Elena Gerstmann, FASAE, CAE, executive director of INFORMS, faced the challenge of attending conferences in destinations that had passed legislation that didn’t align with their values. While boycotting an event or a… more
Oct 29, 2024
Since September, several leading venues announced or completed major expansion and remodel projects while others upped the ante with high-level environmental and inclusivity certifications.
Off-Strip Las Vegas Hotel Completes Convention Renovation and More
The Rio Hotel & Casino Las Vegas recently completed of the first phase of its multi-year property-wide transformation. Since Dreamscape Cos. took over the resort’s operations in late 2023, the off-Strip hotel has undergone extensive Phase One renovations, including the addition of eight new food and beverage destinations, the… more
Oct 28, 2024
“A 72-hour whirlwind” is what Workday’s own senior content marketing manager called Workday Rising 2024 and its “Forever Forward” theme this year. And true to the motif, the annual conference for the financial and human-resource management platform boasted a footprint that extended beyond the trade show floor at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas to a tour bus, a rockstar-worthy experiential pavilion, and even Netflix.
Thus, it comes as no surprise that Workday Rising clocked 15% year-over-year attendance growth for its 2024 iteration Sept. 16-19, welcoming more than 30,000… more
Oct 25, 2024
In less than two months, Julie Coker, president and CEO of the San Diego Tourism Authority (SDTA), will leave San Diego to lead New York City Tourism + Conventions as its new president and CEO. Coker will remain in her current role until December 6.
As the first Black woman to serve as leader of NYC Tourism + Conventions, Coker will be filling the role of former President and CEO Fred Dixon, who served as the organization’s leader for 10 years, from 2014 until his departure in June 2024, when he was tapped to lead Brand USA. Since Dixon left the organization on July 15, Nancy Mammana, CMO… 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