News
Aug 23, 2024
Corporate event planners are constantly challenged with going above and beyond their last event, especially when it comes to creating more immersive environments designed to deepen attendee engagement and foster brand recognition. In this never-ending quest to generate a more profound “wow” factor at face-to-face events, planners can look to their staging and production partners to create innovative experiential activations and environments via the latest technology.
To get the inside scoop on what’s trending in creative technical production innovations for events, we consulted Ariane… more
Aug 22, 2024
Entrepreneur, speaker, and internet personality Gary Vaynerchuk, who you probably know as Gary Vee, welcomed 5,000 fans to his conference-meets-festival, VeeCon, for its 2024 iteration. This year, attendees descended on the sprawling, nearly 6 million-square-foot L.A. LIVE entertainment district for the three-day event, which last year took place in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The expanded layout and footprint was the most notable change at the third edition of VeeCon, according to MyLinh Chau, the executive vice president of VeeFriends, Vee’s entertainment company that first gained… more
Aug 21, 2024
Exclusively sponsored by Honeycomb Strategies.
As more organizations recognize the environmental impact of their operations, many are beginning to take a closer look within, seeking ways to improve their practices. One great approach is to create an internal task force, which fosters employee engagement and drives meaningful progress in sustainability efforts. An effective sustainability team, or “Green Team,” can lead the way in coming up with creative sustainability solutions that benefit your organization.
To get started and work effectively, here’s a framework for building and managing… more
Aug 21, 2024
Corporate meeting planners now have a new way to source and book hotels, and better manage the event planning process: Planner+, a new online platform specifically designed to provide enterprise-level meeting and event planners with the support and tools needed to coordinate and manage corporate events.
Created by Groups360 and powered by its integrated web-based hotel and event space booking platform GroupSync, the new solution offers a specialized set of tools and features to help planners simplify, standardize, and streamline the planning process, including request and approval… more
Aug 20, 2024
In the fast-paced, increasingly complex and competitive business world, making professional connections at meetings and events can often feel overwhelming and impersonal for many attendees and exhibitors. MatchPoint, a new AI-powered matchmaking mobile app, was created to address this challenge by seamlessly connecting attendees and vendors with like-minded professionals to make networking at events more curated, effective, and impactful.
The app’s patent-pending machine learning algorithm, bolstered by a sophisticated large language model (LLM), optimizes networking by matching users based… more
Aug 19, 2024
Mid-July saw the debut of the Palmetto Marriott Resort & Spa in Palmetto, Fla., connected by an indoor skybridge to the Bradenton Area Convention Center (BACC) on the northern shore of the Manatee River across from downtown Bradenton.
Featuring approximately 9,000 square feet of meeting and event space, the 252-room Marriott has a 7,400-square-foot ballroom that’s divisible by five, along with a divisible 1,700-square-foot breakout room. And between the hotel and the convention center next door is the Yard, a 40,000-square-foot outdoor space (below) with a stage at one end.
The BACC… more
Aug 16, 2024
This summer, event planning companies, hotels, and suppliers blazed hot with talent acquisitions and promotions, attracting experienced industry professionals and young talent alike as they prepare for a robust fall season.
CEN’s take on the biggest move in July: Optica, Advancing Optics and Photonics Worldwide welcomed Lauren Parr as its chief meeting and exhibits officer, responsible for overseeing Optica meetings and events. Bringing a robust background in scientific program development, instructional design, and event strategy to her new role, Parr boasts more than 20 years of experience… more
Aug 15, 2024
Thousands of union workers, many at meetings-focused hotels, could walk out within weeks—or sooner, as some labor contracts have already expired.
More than 50 hotels in Boston, Honolulu, and San Francisco are facing the possibility of a labor stoppage after more than 10,000 members of labor union Unite Here voted almost unanimously to allow for a strike. Union members’ goal: To secure contracts with better financial terms and working conditions than their previous contracts, which were negotiated in the pre-pandemic era.
Hotel employees represented by Unite Here include front-desk workers,… more
Aug 13, 2024
We're just two weeks out from Connect Marketplace—a corporate conference where attendees can get a week's worth of business done in two days while dancing to Lil Jon or crushing it on the trade show pickleball court. Yep, this isn't your average conference.
At Connect, attendees can expect a B2B event that, above all, values one-on-one appointments and purposeful education—but planners and partners who take time out of their schedule to attend deserve an experience too. That's where lively networking events and other perks come in.
Wondering what's on the docket for Connect Marketplace 2024… more
Aug 12, 2024
Workday Rising 2024, an annual corporate event produced by human capital management software company Workday with $7.3 billion in revenues in fiscal 2024, will culminate in the annual Customer Appreciation Party at Allegiant Stadium, featuring a live performance by rock star Gwen Stefani.
“We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate our rock star customers than with a REAL rock star performance,” said Workday's Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Emma Chalwin in a blog.
Scheduled for Sept. 16–19 at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, this year’s conference is set to bring together… 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