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 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 09, 2019
2018 was a banner year for the Meetings Mean Business Coalition (MMBC) — an industry-wide coalition focused on showing the value of face-to-face meetings — and this week, at the PCMA Convening Leaders conference, representatives shared plans for building on that success in 2019 and beyond.
Julie Coker Graham, MMBC co-chair and president and CEO of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, stated that in 2018, the coalition created deeper, more sustained engagements among industry economic influencers.
“To do this, we introduced a new advocacy strategy and tailored our… more
Dec 11, 2018
Freeman has expanded its offerings to clients even more by acquiring mdg, a full-service event marketing and public relations agency.
The acquisition enhances the Freeman spectrum of services from pre-event marketing and on-site user experience to post-show communications based on data-informed insights.
“The events business is undergoing a significant transformation - one that requires a sophisticated degree of integration around the convergence of brand strategy, data and content,” said Bob Priest-Heck, president and CEO, Freeman.
He added, “Our ability to translate strategy and data… more
Dec 05, 2018
Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) has added two MICE industry veterans to their management team. Tahira Endean, CMP, DES, CED has been named Head of Events starting immediately, and Jennifer Juergens will assume the role of Director, Industry & Media Relations on Jan. 1, 2019.
Endean brings three decades of diverse event management experience to SITE. Most recently she was event producer for the #BCTECH Summit, during which time she authored and published her first book, "Intentional Event Design: our Professional Opportunity." Endean is replacing Tina Gaccetta who has… more
Nov 30, 2018
The winners of the IBTM World 2018 Tech Watch Awards were announced at the IBTM World event in Barcelona this week. Zenus and Fielddrive were the joint recipients of the Tech Watch Award, while Kubify took home the inaugural “People’s Choice” award for its Learning Toolbox.
A panel of well-known industry experts selected Zenus and Fielddrive for their pioneering and impactful work in bringing facial recognition software to the events industry.
“Zenus is the creator of the software, and Fielddrive has been a significant implementor of the product by exploring and measuring the onsite best… more
Nov 28, 2018
Hannover, Germany-based mega-show CEBIT, which was focused on computers and in its height attracted up to 1 million attendees, will no longer exist as a standalone event, according to Deutsche Messe officials.
Deutsche Messe is streamlining its event portfolio and will integrate CEBIT's industry-related topics into the HANNOVER MESSE event, while also developing additional CEBIT topics into specialist events for decision-makers from vertical industries.
Deutsche Messe will cancel CEBIT 2019 because of declining visitor numbers and a continuing reduction in exhibitor bookings. The event was… more
Nov 22, 2018
IBTM World’s goal is to bring together and connect people from across the global meetings industry to create better business results. With more than 15,000 attendees expected and a reported record-setting 77,651 pre-booked business meetings — a five percent increase from last year’s event — the event is well on its way.
There will be a large infusion of new blood at IBTM World 2018. More than half of this year’s hosted buyers are first time participants, and 50 percent of the hosted buyers overall have had no previous experience with the IBTM portfolio. Twenty percent of the hosted buyers… more
Nov 01, 2018
The more things change, the more some things stay the same. A new report from Development Counsellors International (DCI) highlights the changes, challenges and trends taking place within the meetings and events industry while showing that the power of face-to-face interactions remains strong.
“A View from Meeting Planners: Winning Strategies in Destination Marketing” collates data from 181 North American decision-makers and influencers with global meeting planning responsibilities. Respondents span the corporate, incentive and association segments and nearly half have more than 20 years of… 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
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