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
Aug 04, 2020
The State of the Industry Town Hall at last week’s CEMA Digital Summit 2020 focused on the future of digital events. Following the 75-minute session, a consensus emerged that while everyone misses live events, digital platforms have opened up exciting new avenues for communicating with customers. Kavin Schieferdecker, senior vice president of sales and services for Philadelphia CVB, moderated the event, which included presenters Angela (Angie) Smith, head of events and field marketing for Atlassian; Ben Nazario, division president for MC-2; and Sherrif Karamat, PCMA president and CEO. More… more
Jul 31, 2020
Corporate Event Marketing Association held its first online conference, CEMA Summit 2020, July 27-28. With more than 500 event marketing leaders in attendance, the event marked the highest attendance in its 30-year history—in part due to the fact that the conference was open to non-members this year for the first time. Nearly half the attendees were first-timers, including more than 100 non-members. Since the original in-person CEMA Summit was slated to be held in Nashville, the virtual version featured various Nashville-inspired experiences. This included a live singer-songwriter experience… more
Jul 28, 2020
Instead of kicking off the new year with its usual in-person fervor, CES 2021 will be an all-digital experience connecting exhibitors, customers, thought leaders and media from around the globe in early January next year. According to the Consumer Technology Association, which owns and operates the show, CES’s new virtual format will allow participants to hear from technology innovators, see cutting-edge technologies, learn about new products, and engage with global brands and startups — all from the safety of their home or office. The decision to shift the massive global technology trade… more
Jul 27, 2020
Representing one of the industries hardest hit from the COVID-19 pandemic, American Hotel & Lodging Association continues to seek help for hotels and hotel workers from the legislators currently working on another relief package. In a letter sent to congressional leaders on July 20, AHLA noted that the leisure and hospitality sector has lost 4.8 million jobs since February — more jobs than construction, manufacturing, retail, education and health services combined, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  “We are a major economic driver, supporting millions of jobs and generating… more
CEMA nashville
Jul 23, 2020
The Corporate Event Marketing Association had planned on providing attendees with a true Nashville experience as part of CEMA Summit 2020, which was to be held July 27-28 at JW Marriott Nashville. When the pandemic nixed a live gathering, organizers decided to incorporate the sights and sounds — and even tastes — into its now-virtual summit as part of its “Bringing Nashville to You” experience for attendees In addition to creating a multimedia Music City theme on the conference home page, CEMA sent some of the city’s culinary treasures to attendees. That took the form of a gift box put… more
Jul 21, 2020
Event and tourism industry professionals aren’t about to sit out this pandemic, as evidenced by the number of meetings, webinars and conventions taking place virtually these past few months. Among these key industry events is Destinations International’s Annual Convention, which was held virtually for the first time July 14-15.  With a record attendance of 3,024 attendees from 14 countries, the global destinations industry gathering featured a packed agenda offering more than 20 educational sessions designed to inform and inspire. Keynote presentations were made by Author Mitch Albom, U.S.… more
Jul 20, 2020
PCMA last week released “Business Events Compass,” an actionable framework of insights and strategies for business event professionals and their business partners to guide their careers and businesses during the pandemic and beyond.  The PCMA Foundation-funded service and inaugural report provides research-based insights on geographic and industry sector business events recovery opportunities, as well as recommendations for the evolution of participant engagement, business models and expected reskilling needs. “In the spring I stated that our industry needs to be a part of the solution and… more
Jul 17, 2020
Held July 14-15, EventWell Digital Summit 2020 — the first mental health and wellbeing summit designed specifically for the event industry — went really well, according to Helen Moon, CEO and founder of London-based EventWell, which organized the event. Moon says feedback from attendees and speakers has been wonderful, and that she saw consistent engagement through the Q&A portions of the event. “People stayed with us right to the end,” says Moon. “That’s a great marker in terms of how well an event has gone, especially digitally as it is much easier for people to switch off.” The two-… more
Jul 15, 2020
Orange County Convention Center in Orlando is getting back to business safely by welcoming a trade show and conference designed to help the live events industry do the same.  Set for July 24, the Together Again Expo will offer attendees and suppliers the opportunity to learn about new industry best practices, strategies and tools for safely and responsibly reopening live events, conventions and trade shows.  A collaboration between the OCCC and Alliance Nationwide Exposition, a nationwide general services contractor, the face-to-face event is open to all event professionals and suppliers… 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