May 06, 2019
As publicly funded destination marketing organizations across the country face increased scrutiny over budgets and spending issues, some agencies are finding themselves under the microscope of state and local legislators questioning their ROI and very reason for existing.
Case in point: Visit Florida, which faced what appeared to be its imminent demise in the state legislature before receiving a nine-month reprieve earlier this week. The state’s tourism marketing agency will receive a $50 million budget through June 30 at the request of Governor Ron DeSantis, who asked that the agency stay… more
May 02, 2019
Last year was a monumental one for Informa, with the purchase of UBM in January 2018 forming the largest exhibition company in the world. Earlier this week, the London-based company announced another big change: a new brand identity for one of its divisions. Going forward, Informa Exhibitions will be known as Informa Markets.
This new identity reflects the company’s ongoing development and expansion, along with its focus on enabling the success of its customers and the specialist markets in which they work, from health and nutrition to construction, pharma, agriculture and more.
Informa… more
Apr 17, 2019
IBTM China, which will be held Aug. 28-29 at China National Convention Centre (CNCC) in Beijing, is now accepting applications to its Hosted Buyer program. The program is open to senior event planners who have interest in bringing their meetings, events, conferences or incentives to the China and Asia Pacific region.
The 400 chosen hosted buyers will participate in over 9,000 pre-planned meetings (30 apiece) with approximately 380 exhibitors during the two-day long event. These exhibitors represent destinations and industry organizations from around the world, with the majority representing… more
Apr 08, 2019
On Thursday, April 4, meeting professionals around the world came together to celebrate our great industry on Global Meetings Industry Day. More than 230 GMID events spanning 42 countries were held on this international day of advocacy.
Research from Oxford Economics affirms that face-to-face meetings across 180 countries contributed $1.5 trillion of GDP in 2017. The research also shows that meetings support 25.9 million jobs worldwide.
I had a great time at the Bay Area GMID networking event, catching up with old friends and making some new ones. Here is a quick recap from #GMIDSF and… more
Apr 05, 2019
London-based event lead capture startup Akkroo has been scooped up by Phoenix-based demand orchestration company Integrate for $34 million.
Akkroo’s digital lead collection solution, which allows sales teams to expediently capture and process leads in real time using the Akkroo iOS and Android app, will soon be “integrated” into Integrate’s customer offerings with the goal of bolstering its demand orchestration capabilities, according to company officials.
“Revenue acceleration happens when you unify the top of the funnel,” said Jeremy Bloom, Integrate founder and CEO. “With this… more
Apr 01, 2019
Global Meetings Industry Day is a day where we can all come together and advocate for the value and power of face-to-face events. Together, we can keep our industry thriving.
More than 200 GMID events and activities are being held around the world this April 4. However, with busy schedules and disparate locations, many event professionals won't be able to attend in person. Therefore, Meeting Professionals International and the Meetings Mean Business Coalition are once again collaborating to present a free, 12-hour livestream from GMID events taking place around the world.
The GMID19 Live… more
Mar 26, 2019
As any event planner knows, event design takes a lot of work and involves many moving pieces. To help new meeting and event industry professionals learn the ropes, Caesars Entertainment has teamed up with the Event Design Collective GmbH to offer hosted certification in event design programs. Over the next 36 months, training programs will be offered in Las Vegas, Atlantic City and potentially additional destinations.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Event Design Collective so we can help our customers plan and execute world-class meetings and events," said Michael Massari, chief sales… more
Mar 22, 2019
Washington, D.C.-based event management software company Streampoint Solutions will run the inaugural Event Technology Week, an online conference, from March 25-29. Designed to help event planners managing the critical, yet often overwhelming world of event technology, this five-day event will feature webinars led by industry experts.
“As events and trade shows continue to evolve, event planners are inundated with new technologies and data points,” said Dharmesh Dayabhai, co-founder of Streampoint Solutions, in a press release. “It can be cumbersome to work your way around this data to make… more
Mar 14, 2019
April 4 is Global Meetings Industry Day 2019. Led by the Meetings Mean Business Coalition, GMID brings together event professionals around the world to champion the positive impact meetings and events have for business, communities and individuals.
MMBC believes in the power of face-to-face interaction, and that great things happen when people come together — as it states in the mission for both GMID and its Meetings Mean Business campaign, “deals are struck, relationships are forged and ideas are gathered.”
Research supports these assumptions. Did you know that meetings held in the United… more
Mar 13, 2019
The $130 million, 250,000-square-foot expansion of MGM Grand Conference Center is now complete, meaning MGM Resorts now offers a total of 4 million square feet of meeting and convention space on the Las Vegas Strip. (For reference, that’s more than all the convention space in Manhattan combined.)
“With our expansion, upgraded amenities, new outdoor space and user-friendly connectivity packages, we provide our convention customers an enhanced meeting experience with more options,” said Ernest Stovall, vice president of Sales for MGM Grand.
He continued, “I’m proud that many of our clients… 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