News
Nov 27, 2018
Events are mirrors of the organizations and industries they serve, reflecting their values and priorities. Therefore, it’s no surprise that green initiatives have flooded the event industry as more and more companies include sustainability goals and practices in their missions. And just as sustainable practices can be good for business, reducing costs and potentially raising customer loyalty, for example; they can be great for events for many of the same reasons.
Britt Zarling, vice president, corporate communications at Fiserv, notes that the company’s corporate values apply to all areas of… more
Nov 26, 2018
Indianapolis is no stranger to convention business. USA Today’s top ranked convention city, Indy already has a robust infrastructure in place to support large events. But the city is aiming for even bigger and even better, with new plans for significant expansion.
The Indiana Convention Center already boasts 12 connected properties and 4,700 connected rooms. But last month, an expansion project was green-lighted that will include adding a 50,000 square foot convention center ballroom — the largest in the state — and two new hotel towers connected to the Convention Center.
This will be the… 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 21, 2018
There’s a new component in IMS Technology Services’ IMS Concierge suite, and it’s designed to encourage audience participation and increase engagement — in real time.
The newly launched IMS 2nd Screen, powered by Glisser, is an integrated platform that includes presentation software, an audience response system and event analytics. The audience participation app shares slides to personal devices and uses audience interaction to provide analytics that can help planners and presenters improve the attendee experience.
“We understand that content is the core of all meetings and the more… more
Nov 19, 2018
Julia Spangler’s website urges people to make sustainability a part of their events’ success stories. Spangler is a sustainable events consultant and speaker specializing in waste diversion and zero waste events. Her services include green events, green weddings and helping venues become more sustainable.
She also recently launched an online course, “How to Plan Zero Waste Events,” that teaches event organizers how to keep waste out of the landfill, improve guest satisfaction and achieve zero-waste results.
I met Spangler at the ILEA Live conference, where she was presenting a breakout… more
Nov 16, 2018
Less than a month after Vancouver became the first city in the world to adopt a comprehensive zero waste strategic plan and the first city in Canada to ban plastic straws and polystyrene containers, the city played host to Sustainable Brands, the annual global flagship conference of one of the leading corporate sustainability communities of brand innovators and sustainability professionals working to shape the future of commerce worldwide.
Held June 4-7 at the Vancouver Convention Centre and for the first time in Canada, Sustainable Brands drew more than 2,300 participants from across the… more
Nov 15, 2018
More than a decade after the launch of the Green Meetings Industry Council (GMIC), now the Events Industry Council Sustainability Initiative, we’re still trying to make our events more environmentally friendly. One area where it’s easy to make a difference is food waste, or the reduction thereof.
“It’s really just having a plan going in about what waste you’re going to generate and trying to minimize that as much as possible,” said sustainable event consultant Julia Spangler.
She continued, “Maybe you’re serving on all disposable dishes and using plastic cups or handing out a lot of bottled… more
Nov 14, 2018
Data is a top priority for leading corporate marketers today. Properly used, data helps marketers set strategy, secure budgets, show return on investment (ROI) and pivot as needed to become more effective.
The Freeman Data Benchmark Study, from Freeman®, in collaboration with Chief Marketer, is the result of a survey of more than 650 enterprise brand marketing executives. The report examines how brands are leveraging data across the entire marketing mix.
Survey results show that:
89 percent of marketers use data to make strategic decisions
98 percent of marketers use data to secure… more
Nov 12, 2018
Last month, NYC & Company, New York City’s official destination marketing organization and Discover Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico’s newly established destination marketing organization, signed a first-ever partnership to boost tourism between the two destinations
Formalized at a press conference on Oct. 23 at El Museo del Barrio in Manhattan, the new one-year city-to-island alliance includes a collaboration agreement between Puerto Rico and New York City; the exchange of marketing assets to boost reciprocal travel; the sharing of best practices in tourism marketing and management, and the… more
Nov 09, 2018
If you attend a fair amount of industry conferences, you’ve likely run into Jim Spellos, an incredibly popular and engaging technology speaker whose educational sessions on topics ranging from mobile apps and digital security to VR and other hot technologies have a reputation for packing a room. But besides his love for tech and rock music (he’s an accomplished musician and songwriter, too!), Spellos harbors a lesser-known passion: saving the planet while helping those in need.
As a board member and director of technology for Rock and Wrap It Up!, an anti-poverty think tank dedicated to… more
Partner Voices
Just when it seems like Las Vegas can’t get any bigger, brighter or more exciting for groups, MGM Resorts raises the bar again. The company continues to invest and innovate across its portfolio of Las Vegas resorts, with new attractions and upgraded experiences for attendees of all interests.
Remodeled Guest Rooms
MGM Grand is the largest single hotel in the world with over 5,000 guest rooms and an 850,000-square-foot conference center. It is home to the newly remodeled MGM Grand Studio Tower—700 reimagined guest rooms with a fun mid-century vibe. Nearby, the iconic New York-New York Las more