Jun 11, 2021
Hugs replaced fistbumps as the days of yesteryear reappeared during the Connect and BizBash collocated event at Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas.
The B2B conference geared toward matching event planners with venue personnel to spur future business, and evrent inpiration from BizBash, drew about 750 attendees in-person May 22-24, with another 1,500 event professionals participating online.
Connect and BizBash were in the unusual position of hosting a second event during the pandemic, having executed a scaled-down and delayed version of its largest annual conference last fall in… more
Jun 07, 2021
Hyatt Hotels Corporation is going all-in on hybrid with the release of a new meeting and event offering designed to make the return of events as simple as possible for event planners. Launched on April 28, Together by Hyatt comprises a new suite of hybrid event offerings designed to simplify and streamline the event planning and execution process, with attendee safety, technology, support and wellbeing at the forefront.
The new program not only offers planners the chance to take advantage of new resources, capabilities and hybrid solutions, but also provides them with the support, education… more
Jun 02, 2021
Like many key aspects of events, food and beverage is having a moment of adaptation as the industry looks to a post-COVID future. For example, buffets aren’t gone completely, but they will look a little different for a while, with health and safety expected to remain a major concern at events for the foreseeable future. But pandemic or no pandemic, F&B remains one of the most discussed aspects of an event, according to Tracy Stuckrath, chief connection officer at Thrive Meetings & Events. She believes that smart planning can help planners turn a complicated event feature into a golden… more
Jun 01, 2021
After 30 years in the Las Vegas events business, Melanie Bash isn’t exactly a deer in the headlights maneuvering down the Strip. But she knows that for event organizers and corporate meeting planners, the city’s vast options can be daunting. Trying to find the right venue is hard enough in regular circumstances, but even worse when factoring all of the health and wellness research that goes into bringing events back to life.
Recognizing a need to personalize experiences as Las Vegas reopens, Bash has teamed with DMC veteran Molly Hoisington to found a concierge service in partnership with… more
May 17, 2021
If meeting planners and event organizers have learned one thing from the pandemic, it’s that they are not always in control. So, in an industry defined by concrete numbers and steadfast dates, they are now asking for some leeway. After all, things change and no one situation is alike during this pandemic.
“I think the biggest thing for us is we are looking for flexibility so they’re not putting us all into a bucket,” explained LeAnn Koenig, vice operations of operations at Vertical Xchange, which organizes intimate gatherings among leaders of myriad industries.
Terry Matthews-Lombardo,… more
Apr 20, 2021
Ryan Costello, founder of Event Farm, has made a career off of bringing people together since graduating from Georgetown University. In more than 18 years as an event producer and experiential marketer, Costello has assisted the likes of Nike, Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Adobe and JP Morgan Chase execute thousands of event experiences around the world.
Needless to say, he is eager to get back to business as usual. But Costello is concerned about how the industry revives itself. “There is this kind of pressure to hurry up and get back,” said Costello, whose company, Event Farm, was acquired by… more
Apr 14, 2021
For event professionals who are passionate about sustainability, this past year has raised some concerns about the future of green events. As the trade show and meetings industry begins to recover, and with event budgets tighter than ever, will anyone care enough about sustainability to help the cause or will green practices end up on the bottom rung of importance? And with many events using chemical cleaning agents to keep participants safe from possible virus spread, how do eco-minded event planners reconcile this not-always-green operating procedure with creating an environmentally… more
Feb 22, 2021
Perhaps a lost fact in the pandemic is that large groups are indeed gathering at one site with a common goal—the very definition of what a corporate event should be. Naturally, it would take experienced event producers to see the potential for enhancing the shared experience of getting stuck with a hypodermic needle.
“We are going in with a mindset of when they arrive, how do you ease them through it?” said Mimi Eayrs, chief operating officer of JWP, a boutique event and fundraising agency founded by Josh Wood that is in talks to energize vaccine centers across the county. “We want to make… more
Feb 10, 2021
If absence makes the heart grow fonder, then the love companies feel for their employees working remotely must be at all-time high as we approach the first Valentine’s Day of the pandemic era.
Given that the recovery isn’t going quite as fast as we would like, a little prick from Cupid’s arrow can go a long way right now. It doesn’t take much to show appreciation to staff adapting to a new reality that very likely includes kids homeschooling and Zoom burnout.
While there is certainly more than one way to show the love this year, here are a few choice ideas for V-day gifts to help sweeten… more
Feb 08, 2021
How do you guarantee a new experience for your next meeting? Book at a hotel that is not even open yet.
That’s what Sandra Geiger, a global account executive with ConferenceDirect, opted for when planning an Alabama association’s annual membership meeting.
The June 2021 event will be held at Hotel Effie in Destin, Florida. The boutique property opened its doors the first week of February.
From all accounts, the hotel appears to be the latest gem along the Emerald Coast. Geiger is certainly counting on it—as she signed the contract without setting foot on the property.
“We have never… more
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