Event Planning

SPONSORED BY

metavent
Sep 30, 2019
One of the biggest challenges event organizers face is capturing — and keeping — attendees’ attention onsite. Join us on Oct. 16, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. EDT for a special webinar brought to you by Evenium and Corporate Event News, to find out how to boost attendee attention retention. Have you ever felt that your event attendees are busy playing Candy Crush or responding to their emails during your thoughtful event sessions? Or they aren’t paying attention to the speaker who you paid a trillion dollars to be there? Well, our experts know some guaranteed ways to change that. In this hour-long… more
Sep 27, 2019
Together with research partner Oxford Economics, three industry organizations — Society for Incentive Travel Excellence, Incentive Research Foundation, and Financial and Insurance Conference Professionals — released the second annual Incentive Travel Industry Index this month. Known as the largest-ever survey undertaken on the incentive travel industry, the 2019 edition includes data collected from 2,600 submissions from more than 100 destinations around the world. This number is almost triple the submissions received in 2018, said Didier Scaillet, CEO of SITE. “Almost half of all responses… more
Aug 30, 2019
Lemon chia breakfast bread. Spirulina goji berry energy bites. Adzuki bean brownies. It’s safe to say Murray Hall, executive chef of Bank of Montreal Conference Center, got creative with these healthy treats dubbed “foods of the future” at MPI World Education Congress in Toronto earlier this summer. The spread was part of the inaugural Meeting Room of the Future showcase put on by IACC at WEC, intended to give a glimpse (and a taste) of what’s to come for meetings and events. While at WEC these were called foods of the future, serving healthier offerings at corporate events has picked up… more
Aug 23, 2019
It’s no secret that trade shows and conferences produce a sizable amount of waste that becomes destined for the dumpster after just a few days in the spotlight. Having witnessed this problematic pattern for years, event management and production firm Decibel Event Management has partnered with Reborn Clothing Co. to help tackle event waste by upcycling signage, graphics and other single-use textiles into one-of-a-kind, durable products. According to David Sonntag, Decibel CEO, the company’s new UpCycling Initiative is designed to not only keep surplus textiles out of landfills but also… more
Aug 05, 2019
GSO. DMO. DMC. CVB. Our industry is full of acronyms — and it can be challenging to figure out where to go when you’re looking to book the right hotel or venue for your event. We’ve written previously about the value of CVBs and DMOs. Now it’s time to talk about meetings and incentive representation organizations, sometimes referred to as global sales organizations (GSOs) or hospitality partner representation companies. The majority of these organizations cater to the high-end meetings market, providing complimentary sourcing services for planners. The idea is to match the planner with the… more
Aug 01, 2019
In recent years, mobile event applications have evolved from a novel concept into a commodity. Today, attendees expect most events to have a mobile app. The question for event planners then becomes, what app features will give attendees the best experience at their events.  Alon Alroy, co-founder and chief marketing officer of Bizzabo, says it is becoming more challenging to drive adoption of mobile event apps because people have app fatigue. He believes corporate event planners need a great value proposition.     “Event apps need two main features—amazing agenda management that allows… more
Jul 01, 2019
Hotel ballrooms, expo halls and restaurants all serve important purposes for corporate events, but sometimes it’s necessary to break out of the event venue mold to create an impactful experience. The venue can play a key role in helping planners achieve the goals of the meeting — whether it’s a corporate retreat, team building event, client reception, seminar, user conference, or something else entirely. Here are some ideas for unique venues that can spark even more creative ideas and make corporate meetings more successful. Museums Museums — in all their diversity — offer elements of… more
Jun 17, 2019
Creating a sustainable food and beverage plan for your events isn’t just about reducing your carbon footprint. Ultimately, it’s about taking on the responsibility for making safe and healthy food choices for a number of people, says Tracy Stuckrath, president and chief connecting officer of Thrive Meetings & Event. Stuckrath discussed sustainability and the ways that event menu choices can impact the well-being of attendees, budget and the planet in PCMA’s Bites and Sites webinar “Creating A Sustainable Menu for Your Event,” held live on June 6. Here are some key take-aways to consider… more
Jun 14, 2019
What if we told you that approximately half of all delegates attending large-scale, urban conventions are booking outside the designated room block? You might go into full-on panic mode — or, nod knowingly, as this has likely affected your meetings. And this is the new reality for meeting planners, according to a study conducted by Kalibri Labs and Prism Advisory Group. The “Room Block of the Future," released in April, aimed to better understand room booking behaviors within the business events industry. The longer-term goal is to use this data to develop a system that better suits both… more
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
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