Jun 10, 2022
Following months of advocacy, travel and events industry entities are praising the Biden Administration’s announcement that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will lift the pre-departure COVID-19 testing requirement for inbound air travelers, effective June 12, hailing the move as vital to the industry’s full recovery.   “As the face-to-face business events industry continues to work tirelessly to bring back international exhibitors and attendees to our conferences and trade shows, this welcome news removes one of the key barriers to jumpstarting our industry’s… more
Jun 06, 2022
In celebration of the event industry’s revival and promising post-pandemic future, the recent Connect Spring Marketplace provided meeting and event planners with a plethora of business development opportunities, top-notch education and stand-out meetings and event offerings, highlighted by the vibrant island culture of its host destination, Puerto Rico. Held May 22-24 at the Puerto Rico Convention Center (PRCC) in San Juan, the annual conference and trade show attracted more than 1,700 event professionals. Highlights included a trade show with 30 exhibitors, one-on-one appointments and… more
Jun 03, 2022
Ungerboeck, a global leader in event management software, has acquired the products of risk management agency Reliance Risk and will be debuting an industry-first application for mitigating risk to events and venues.   As the industry continues to be impacted by major issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic, terrorism, accidents and severe weather incidents, risk management is an increasingly essential factor that venues and event professionals must take into consideration. Ungerboeck is committed to helping its customers better manage risks of all kinds.    The acquisition of both Reliance… more
Jun 02, 2022
The Events Industry Council (EIC) and Vsef, founded by Explori as the global data format for the digital events industry, formed an alliance to further the mission of establishing data standardization for digital events to help organizers drive growth and innovation. The EIC, a global federation of more than 30 member organizations representing more than 103,500 individuals and 19,500 firms and properties in the events industry, works to establish professional standards of excellence across the entirety of the international events community through initiatives including the CMP Program, the… more
May 26, 2022
The highly anticipated Omni PGA Frisco Resort, located 30 miles north of Dallas, is on track to be unveiled in spring 2023 and has opened for group booking requests for events starting in June 2023 and beyond. “With group meetings and events returning quickly, we are eager to share our exciting new resort for groups to consider,” said Jeff Smith, vice president and managing director for Omni PGA Frisco Resort. “Omni PGA Frisco is excited to see the role it will play being a state-of-the-art meetings destination in Texas.” He added, “This extraordinary resort, in partnership with PGA of… more
May 09, 2022
As the trade show and meetings industry continues its emergence from the pandemic, this year’s Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance’s (ECA) signature ECA Legislative Action Week couldn’t be a more important and urgent one for event professionals to consider attending.  Set for June 6-10, the week-long virtual event will converge face-to-face business events industry advocates to meet with their members of Congress about the vital role that exhibitions and conferences play in helping communities across the U.S. recover from the devastating economic and employment impacts of the COVID-19… more
Apr 29, 2022
The 2022 survey for the Meeting Room of the Future Barometer, conducted by the International Association of Conference Centers (IACC), is pointing toward continued growth as the industry recovers after the pandemic. Respondents globally reported that 2023 would be the first year to surpass 2019 meetings and business events revenue levels. Predictions did differ slightly by country with projected revenues in Denmark to surpass 2019 levels as early as 2022 while the Americas had a slightly longer outlook with revenues not returning to pre-pandemic levels until 2024. Two-thirds of responding… more
Apr 27, 2022
In an effort to quantify the significant contribution made by the face-to-face business meetings and events sector to the global economy, the Events Industry Council (EIC) launched the data collection phase of its Economic Significance Study and revealed the results of its latest Global Business Events Barometer, showing positive signs for the industry’s recovery.  Conducted by Oxford Economics, the survey portion of the study is open through June 25 and applies to business meetings and events, including conventions, conferences, trade shows, exhibitions and incentives.  The ambitious… more
Apr 20, 2022
The future is beaming brighter for in-person professional meetings and events, with a recent Q1 2022 survey revealing that 84% of American business travelers expect to take at least one trip to attend conferences, conventions or trade shows in the next six months. The survey, which had more than 2,500 respondents, also found that less than one in 10 business travelers are uncertain if they would travel in the next six months and that business travelers expect to resume traveling at a slightly slower pace compared to pre-pandemic levels, averaging about 1.6 trips per month (compared to 1.7… more
Apr 14, 2022
As the non-profit fundraising arm of Meeting Professionals International (MPI), the largest global meetings and event industry association, the MPI Foundation (MPIF) serves an important purpose: to fund grants, scholarships and pan-industry research in support of the global meeting and event industry. But when the increasing humanitarian crisis resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began to take shape, the MPIF joined many event industry organizations in seeking an appropriate means to provide aid during the crisis. According to MPI officials, since its joint board meeting on March 1,… more
Partner Voices
Less than six months ago, Lisa Messina joined the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) as the first-ever chief sales officer after leading the sales team at Caesars Entertainment. A 12-year Las Vegas resident, Messina is a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and serves on MPI International’s board of directors. Corporate Event News had a chance to catch up with this dynamic leader and talk to her about her vision for the new role, current shifts in the trade show industry, creating more diversity and equity within the organization, and advice to more