News
Oct 16, 2020
The first Nest Summit — held at Javits Center in 2019 — was intended to provide an outlet for companies to hold meetings during Climate Week NYC, which had been held in the city for 11 years and focused on sustainability solutions. Spearheaded by the Javits Center and NYC & Company, it consisted of a single day of hosted meetings between companies interested in advancing sustainability and investing in the future.
This year, reimagined as a five-day virtual event held Sept. 21-24, The Nest Summit at Climate Week NYC featured nearly 50 sessions produced live-to-film out of the new… more
Oct 15, 2020
If you’ve ever stayed in a hotel such as Acqualina Resort in Miami, Waldorf Astoria in Chicago or Conrad New York Downtown, you may have noticed a fresh collection of books on the nightstand. You have a company called Bedside Reading to thank for that. Started by Jane Ubell-Meyer, this program places new books from every major publisher, as well as independent publishers and self-published authors, for guests to read (or take) for free in hotel rooms. Books change out monthly and are tailored to the hotel’s demographic, meaning guests have the opportunity to gain a fresh read every time they… more
Oct 14, 2020
With ski season fast approaching, Big Sky Resort in Montana is thinking outside the — ahem, gondola — to reimagine how guests will be able to attend meetings and conferences at ski resorts. Thanks to a new program called Hybrid Mountain Meetings, conference organizers will be able to plan virtual events, presentations and speakers broadcasted from within the resort at Yellowstone Conference Center, while attendees remain socially distanced and comfortable inside their resort accommodations.
At 55,000 square feet, the resort’s Yellowstone Conference Center is one of the largest conference… more
Oct 12, 2020
UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, and SISO, the Society for Independent Show Organizers, are calling on global policymakers and governments to follow a “testing before quarantine” approach for business-related travel and activities. This approach, both organizations say — which would include activating the potentials of rapid antigen COVID-19 tests — would enable businesses to move forward out of a global recession not seen in generations.
A statement signed by UFI President Mary Larkin (president of Diversified Communications, USA) and SISO Chair Doug Emslie (group… more
Oct 09, 2020
While the California Department of Public Health’s latest guidelines continue to prohibit in-person gatherings, San Diego meeting venues will be ready the moment that changes. “Our tourism industry collectively has instituted best-in-class protocols and procedures so meeting planners and attendees should feel comfortable when it is time to welcome them back,” says Julie Coker, president and CEO of San Diego Tourism Authority.
As part of the new measures, San Diego’s largest venue — the 2.6 million-square-foot San Diego Convention Center — has achieved GBAC STAR accreditation after… more
Oct 07, 2020
The first use of the phrase “care package” to refer to parcels of food or supplies sent to people located far away came during World War II. These days, event organizers are utilizing the same concept to bring a bit of the flavor of live gatherings to virtual attendees. From branded boxes filled with locally sourced goods to gifts carrying corporate social responsibility components, these five corporate gifting companies offer an array of options.
Batch
According to co-founder Sam Davidson, Nashville-based Batch seeks out the best gifts made by small businesses across the United States.… more
Oct 06, 2020
The home of the Packers will also be home to an expansive new event venue by January 2021. Resch Expo, a 125,000-square-foot, column-free exposition center, is located in Green Bay, Wisconsin, adjacent Lambeau Field in the city’s entertainment district. Together with the existing Resch Center — which opened in 2002 and hosts events from concerts to trade shows — it will make up the new Resch Complex.
More than 700 hotel rooms and a dozen restaurants are within easy walking distance of the complex, complementing the city’s more than 4,500 total hotel rooms.
Design of the non-union Resch Expo… more
Oct 05, 2020
Seattle-based event marketing platform Banzai recently acquired High Attendance, a cloud-based virtual and hybrid event management software for enterprises.
Banzai plans to integrate its flagship marketing automation platform, Banzai Reach, with High Attendance’s platform to give Banzai customers — including Adobe, Chef Software, Dell, Pure Storage and other large enterprises — a seamless experience for growing and engaging their audiences.
“Currently the event marketing landscape is a mess,” said Brian Goldfarb, CMO at Chef Software. “It’s littered with half-baked solutions that were not… more
Oct 02, 2020
In a rather bold move amidst a tumultuous year for the tourism industry, Visit Spokane has unveiled a restructuring of its business model that will lead to a short-term reduction in revenue but ultimately open up other avenues of funding and allow the organization to live more fully into its mission of marketing the whole region.
“We found our old model to be antiquated and restrictive,” says Meg Winchester, president and CEO of Visit Spokane. “The hope is that by restructuring the way we do business we will create better partnerships with Spokane’s hospitality community, which will make… more
Sep 30, 2020
Originally scheduled for May 27 and postponed due to the pandemic, Exhibition and Convention Executives Forum (ECEF) will now be held Nov. 18 as a retooled virtual experience.
To aid in transitioning the annual information-sharing and networking event for independent organizers and leaders of associations, Sam Lippman, ECEF producer and president of Lippman Connects, has partnered with Freeman. As part of the partnership, Freeman will provide the virtual event platform and serve as the exclusive gold sponsor.
“I have watched the Freeman team strengthen their capabilities in strategy,… 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