News

Sep 11, 2020
During the 2020 CEMA Summit, held virtually in July, Darcy Gabriele, a strategic account executive with Eventcore, gave a fascinating presentation on why it’s not a simple switch to move from in-person to virtual events — on many levels, but specifically when it comes to registration. When framing up your event strategy before opening registration, you first have to know your “why” and be able to articulate why your event exists. “It’s not a good reason to host a virtual event just because your in-person event can no longer happen,” said Gabriele, who previously built an all-virtual… more
Sep 09, 2020
Event producers wanting to know the most important issues they’ll be facing over the next six months will want to check out the fall season schedule for Digital Summit, a live virtual information exchange series kicking off Sept. 11. Produced, hosted and facilitated by Sam Lippman, president and founder of Lippman Connects, the upcoming series will feature seven 90-minute live video chat sessions via Zoom. Held on Fridays between 2:00–3:00 p.m. ET, the forward-thinking discussions feature up to 20 event executives, managers and seasoned professionals sharing user experiences, discussing… more
Sep 08, 2020
While live events continue to be overwhelmingly preferred, digital event elements have a role to play going forward, according to data from the ongoing Global Recovery Project conducted by event research company Explori in partnership with UFI. Supported by SISO and comprising responses from more than 9,000 respondents in 30 countries, the findings indicated that both visitors and exhibitors rated live events more highly in almost all aspects. This was especially true when it comes to networking, with 77 percent of exhibitors and 83 percent of visitors stating that face-to-face events were… more
Sep 04, 2020
If you missed Weeks 1, 2 or 3, start here to learn why event marketers need a personal brand in the first place. Then, read this to discover how to build your brand foundation and go here to learn what should be on your website. Last week, Natasa Djukanovic briefly mentioned the value of being consistent and service-focused in your content strategy. Today, we’ll dive in deeper on the topic of creating content for your personal brand with Hannah Nieves, principal and founder of her eponymous New York-based consulting firm for marketing, branding and PR. A key point to keep in mind: When you… more
Sep 02, 2020
After nine years in the meetings industry — where she went from managing large-scale, consumer-focused festivals to consulting on corporate events to guiding a software company as it transitioned its in-person roadshows to virtual when the pandemic hit —  Cara Galloway has launched her own company to assist businesses with virtual event planning and execution. Based in Toronto, Events by Cara aims to help entrepreneurs deliver high-impact events, workshops and summits that build community and scale their business. Galloway talked with CEN to share more about the launch of her new business… more
Sep 01, 2020
If events are held responsibly through strict implementation of health and safety guidelines, will people feel safe to attend in-person trade shows and events during a pandemic? That’s the question event organizers continue to struggle with, yet new data from event marketing and planning company GES sheds some light on the answer. In a survey of more than 1,300 attendees in June and July, GES research uncovered five distinct groups of show attendees based on their COVID-19 perception of risk assessment and mitigation requirements, including temperature checks, mandatory face masks,… more
Aug 31, 2020
On Aug. 27, the Events Industry Council issued the Health and Safety for Hotels Accepted Practices Guide, the second release from the APEX Covid-19 Business Recovery Task Force. The task force's hotel work group used various guides issued by hotel companies as well as resources such as the AHLA Safe Stay program to develop a baseline. This guide offers insights beyond those guidelines, focusing on four key areas: Transmission barriers Enhanced sanitisation Health screening Food and beverage guidelines It also includes baseline and enhanced protocols, a curation of hotel practices via a… more
Aug 28, 2020
If you missed Weeks 1 or 2, start here to learn why event marketers need a personal brand in the first place, then read this to discover how to build your brand foundation. You’ve set the stage for crafting your personal brand on the Internet, and now it’s time to execute. It’s important to remember that creating a personal brand takes time and effort, so consider it a long-term solution that will help you to yield the results you’re after — rather than a quick fix for a lay-off or furlough situation. To create a successful personal brand online, you should be two things: consistent and… more
Aug 26, 2020
Following the implementation of a “back on track” reopening program that included new health and safety measures directed by a local task force, Indianapolis has seen a surge in meetings activity. In the four-week period following the July 7 reopening of Indiana Convention Center (ICC) — which recently spent $7 million on health and safety improvements — the city successfully hosted 18 meetings and events with a total of more than 40,000 attendees.  “With more than 50 percent of the nation’s population within a day’s drive of Indy, coupled with the health upgrades to our center, we’ve seen a… more
Aug 25, 2020
To showcase measures being taken to support the safe return of in-person meetings and events, the Meetings Mean Business Coalition (MMBC) is enlisting corporate executives, policymakers and meetings industry leadership to engage in critical conversations in ongoing virtual discussions. The series, which premiered in July, will continue through this fall. Here are five highlights of conversations thus far: 1. Safety Comes First The meetings and travel industry has been hard at work putting protocols in place so that those who want to meet in small numbers can do so safely, even now. Each… 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