News

Apr 19, 2023
At a time when the meetings and events industry is becoming increasingly focused on green initiatives and conservation, with sustainability now a top priority for many event groups, a number of large U.S. convention centers are accelerating the adoption and development of sustainable practices to lessen their environmental impact and that of the events they host. Case in point: the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) in Orlando, Fla., which has been consistently and continuously working to pioneer stewardship that models how large venues can contribute to safer, more efficient environments… more
Apr 17, 2023
Across the country, event-related organizations are tapping new leadership and expanding their teams. Take a look! Visit Spokane Visit Spokane has tapped Rose Noble as its new president and CEO, effective May 15. She is currently finishing out a five-year tenure as president and CEO of Galena Country Tourism in Galena, Ill., where she has worked for more than seven years, previously as interim director and prior to that as director of marketing.  Bringing a wealth of marketing strategy and event planning experience to her new role with Visit Spokane, Noble was an active Illinois Council of… more
Apr 14, 2023
Thrust Carbon, a leading sustainability intelligence platform for the travel industry, recently unveiled Thrust Events, a powerful SaaS application designed to bring sustainability reporting with ease to large meeting and event (M&E) programs. The company’s organizations at launch represent more than 20,000 meetings per year. "We are thrilled to launch Thrust Events, a groundbreaking technology platform that empowers event management agencies to reduce the carbon footprint of their events in an affordable and efficient manner," said Kit Aspen, co-founder of Thrust Carbon. "Unlike… more
Apr 13, 2023
As the world gets ready to celebrate Earth Day on April 22, Corporate Event News caught up with the Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC) Executive Director Alexander Alles to find out the latest on Net Zero Carbon Events (NZCE), an initiative to connect the events industry globally to the rapidly growing movement toward net zero by 2050. Alles was appointed to the newly created position in August 2022 to oversee the initiative as part of his duties. When was the initiative launched?  In Nov. 2021, world leaders met in Glasgow, Scotland, at COP26 to present how their countries will achieve… more
Apr 11, 2023
Leading venue hospitality partner Sodexo Live! is continuing its sustainability journey with a new Earth-friendly initiative at the soon-to-open Rum Room restaurant and Venu event space at the Miami Beach Convention Center (MBCC). Organized in partnership with Compost for Life Miami, the Sustainability Project – Herb & Vegetable Garden was recently unveiled as part of a larger sustainability initiative aimed at reducing the environmental impact of the MBCC campus. Consisting of 192 square feet of herb and vegetable beds just outside of Rum Room and Venu, the new garden features organic… more
Apr 10, 2023
ASM Global is upping the ante with its sustainability goals via an ambitious plan to convert its global event venues portfolio into the most sustainable on Earth. The global leader in venue and event strategy and management is in the process of launching this strategy through its corporate social responsibility platform, ASM Global Acts, and in partnership with Honeycomb Strategies, a leading sustainability consulting firm specializing in the hospitality, sport and event industries.  Beginning this year, ASM Global will dedicate its full resources to achieving measurable results throughout… more
Apr 07, 2023
On March 30, the industry came together with record-breaking participation to celebrate Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID), an international day of advocacy that showcases the undeniable value that business meetings, trade shows, incentive travel, exhibitions, conferences and conventions bring to people, businesses and communities. This year’s activation carried the theme #MeetingsMatter and created 45 million impressions worldwide on social media, with 70 events held in 35 countries. GMID 2023 spotlighted the importance of in-person gatherings to create measurable benefits by advancing… more
Apr 06, 2023
Leading global event company Freeman has entered into a strategic partnership with Zenus, a top provider of behavioral analytics for events and retail, to introduce a service that gives event organizers cutting-edge tools to measure attendee sentiment and engagement. With Zenus’ ethical artificial intelligence (AI)-based behavior mapping, Freeman’s customers will receive aggregated and anonymized data around dwell time, sentiment and attendee activation. This metadata can be translated into actionable insights for ROI and future event planning. Freeman chose Zenus as its AI partner because… more
Apr 04, 2023
Workplace culture can have a direct impact on the overall success of an organization, as it affects how employees perceive their jobs, colleagues and employer. When staff are happy and motivated in their work environments, they tend to be more productive and engaged, as well as more likely to stay at a company long-term, thus reducing turnover and contributing to that organization’s productivity and financial success. Contrast that with a toxic work culture that often leads to high employee turnover, low productivity and morale, and difficulties in attracting new talent, and it’s not hard to… more
Apr 03, 2023
The demand for face-to-face meetings and events is continuing to grow, pushing the industry beyond the darkest days of the pandemic and revealing the strong, enduring need and desire for in-person gatherings, according to Meeting Professionals International’s (MPI) recently published Winter Meetings Outlook (winter 2022/2023) report. This is just the latest of MPI’s future-focused quarterly Meetings Outlook reports that identify new trends and innovations in order to enable meeting and event planners to budget and plan accordingly and ensure a strong foundation for building sound and… 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