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 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
Aug 24, 2020
With a new report showing nearly one out of every four hotel commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) loans are delinquent, industry leaders continue to press Congress to enact the HOPE Act. This bipartisan piece of legislation was introduced by Representatives Van Taylor (R-Texas), Al Lawson (D-Fla.), and Andy Barr (R-Ky.) to provide assistance to small businesses operating in the commercial real estate market.
As part of the push to pass the legislation, nearly 4,000 hotel industry leaders — including those from the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), Asian American Hotel… more
Aug 19, 2020
As she watched organizations continue to transition their events from live to virtual, Liz Lathan, CEO of Austin, Texas-based Haute Dokimazo, noticed the increasing importance of creating real human connection and conversation within a digital platform. From there, the Age of Conversation Summit was born.
Scheduled to take place on Sept. 9 with a registration fee of $20, the summit will include tracks like Shift Happens, the Woowoo Room, Unicorns & Rainbows, Dial-Up Disco and Central Perk. While playfully named, these tracks will build conversations focusing on addressing real problems… more
Aug 18, 2020
With the widespread cancellation of corporate events and no clear timeline of when they may be back in person again, it’s a good time to look for inspiration on ways to hold a truly unique virtual event.
For the first time in its 11-year history, the San Francisco Giant Race presented by Alaska Airlines is going completely virtual.
Previously scheduled for the Labor Day weekend, Sept. 4-6, at Oracle Park in San Francisco, the Giant Race Series’ flagship event now will be held virtually Sept. 6 because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
This annual series — held in Scottsdale, Sacramento… more
Aug 17, 2020
PCMA Foundation has launched the Accelerating Reskilling initiative, a massive fundraising campaign designed to help event industry professionals recover, adapt and thrive through the pandemic and beyond.
Launched on Aug. 5, the campaign’s goal is to raise $250,000 by the end of 2020 to provide scholarships for the immediate reskilling of 1,000 event professionals, supplier professionals, young professionals, faculty and current students with the new and updated skill sets they will need for career recovery and success.
“Together as a community, we can bring these educational opportunities… more
Aug 11, 2020
IBTM Americas this week announced details of a virtual summit that will take place Aug. 25-26. The interactive digital experience will be hosted on the Go To Webcast platform and will bring together 16 speakers to share topical insights and learnings that will provide tangible benefits for attendees, all under the theme of “humanizing the change."
The complimentary virtual summit will be run in both Spanish and English to allow for the global reach of the IBTM Americas audience, and will cover subject matters including event finance, sustainable events, event planning, innovation and… more
Aug 10, 2020
As meeting and event professionals continue to grapple with the impact the pandemic has had on the industry, the Event Leadership Institute has developed a new online certificate course in partnership with MPI to provide planners with strategies, tactics and resources to move forward with modified in-person events and meetings.
The first six-week Pandemic Meeting & Event Design Certificate course begins Sept. 1 and is eligible for 20 CMP hours. Curriculum is jointly designed by ELI’s and MPI’s education experts, experienced event and meeting practitioners and industry-leading instructors… more
Aug 04, 2020
A new weekly peer-to-peer roundtable series for event professionals launches this week. Hosted by mdg, a Freeman Company, the “Leading Through Disruption” program focuses on helping event professionals manage change and gain the insights and connections needed to navigate the pandemic.
Each hour-long session, scheduled to run for six weeks starting Aug. 5, will have a theme introduced by thought leaders who then facilitate the discussion.
“We have leaders in strategy, design and data/research from Freeman and mdg who will be challenging participants to seize the opportunities associated… 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