Jun 07, 2019
PCMA EduCon 2019 will take place June 25-28 at JW Marriott Los Angeles LA Live. Known among PCMA’s portfolio of events for taking a more focused, practical approach to learning through small-scale, collaborative education sessions, the conference will bring in around 800 attendees (compared to PCMA’s annual Convening Leaders events, which draws 4,500). “At EduCon, each person will be able to tailor programs specifically for her own needs, in the format that best suits his learning style,” said Tonya Almond, PCMA’s vice president of knowledge and experience design. The conference will… more
May 03, 2019
Cincinnati USA has become known in the DMO world for making strides in diversity markets over the last few years, notably with the appointment of Jason Dunn as vice president, multicultural sales and community development. This spring, he was promoted to group vice president of diversity sales and inclusion — and is stepping into a role that’s quite novel in the industry. Corporate Event News sat down with Dunn to learn more about what changes he’s striving to make, and where the industry stands as a whole on diversity and inclusion efforts. Kelsey Ogletree: In your newly expanded role, how… more
Apr 02, 2019
Caesars Entertainment is an acknowledged industry leader in corporate social responsibility (CSR) which encompasses its commitment to employees, suppliers, communities and the environment. This work is done through Caesars' PEOPLE PLANET PLAY framework. In the past six months, the company has received significant news coverage around these initiatives, including: Being named as a leader by the CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) for its efforts in reducing emissions and lowering climate-related risk Making a global commitment to combat commercial sexual exploitation of children… more
Mar 12, 2019
One way event professionals choose to share their expertise within the industry is through books. In the past several months, I’ve read a number of editions that run the gamut from self-help to event design and strategic planning to improving sales. Here are some of our top picks. Create Conferences That Work Adrian Segar, event design expert and founder of Conferences That Work, is also the author of two books on event design. Segar wrote Conferences That Work: Creating Events That People Love to share with a larger audience the techniques he had discovered to be successful. “I invented [… more
Martha Donato
Mar 05, 2019
You could say the team members behind MAD Event Management are masters of creativity. Based in Warwick, New York, they’re owners and operators of several large pop culture conventions, from Long Beach Comic Expo to C3: Comic Creator Conference. As such, they’re frequently managing events that involve large numbers of attendees dressed in costume, as well as in-depth education sessions designed to help high-level comics creatives learn and grow in the industry. Yet for its latest challenge, MAD stepped into a similar, yet different role in a new location: Havana, Cuba. Working with the… more
Feb 18, 2019
Adrian Segar is one of the most interesting people that I know, and also one of the smartest. In his extensive career, he has been at the leading edge of several industries. He also happens to be the pioneer of what has become most commonly known as the “unconference,” although he prefers “participant-led and participation-rich event.” Segar began his career as a researcher in high-energy particle physics, doing graduate work at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) on the big accelerator in Geneva. He then moved to Vermont, where he started a solar energy company. Then he… more
Jan 30, 2019
It’s late; you’ve skipped dinner, again; and the hotel mini bar beckons. What will it be: overpriced potato chips, M&Ms, or maybe both? With a little advance planning, you could have prevented the strike of nighttime hunger — and perhaps a multitude of health issues down the road. While more research is needed on humans to determine whether calories eaten are night are more likely to cause weight gain than the same number of calories consumed during the day (as one study conducted on mice by Northwestern University suggested), there’s no question that making poor eating choices at night… more
Jan 24, 2019
You know the drill: Touch down in your destination, immediately bring up your Uber app to get a ride to your hotel, set down your suitcase and get right to work. Between site visits, responding to emails, answering incessant phone calls and putting out all the fires that go along with managing a meeting, you barely have time to eat, let alone meditate. Yet when you’re on the road — perhaps with elevated anxiety levels from the stress of your job, and guilt over missing out on family life for a few days — taking time to pause and hit your own personal reset button can make a big difference in… more
Jan 18, 2019
We’re already a few weeks into 2019, and if you’re like most people, your New Year’s resolutions to create a better work-life balance may already have gotten pushed to the wayside. Life happens; we get it — not to mention, work-life balance can feel especially out of reach to those in the events industry, where long, irregular hours and frequent “fires” can make you feel like you’re not in control of your time. Yet there are ways to gain back that control and make this the year you finally feel you’re creating a sense of equilibrium in your professional and personal lives. We spoke with work… more
Jan 15, 2019
Karen Kotowski, who has led the Events Industry Council (EIC) for the past 10 years, has tendered her resignation as CEO. With this change in leadership, EIC has initiated a search to identify a new CEO. During her tenure, Karen Kotowski oversaw the growth of EIC’s Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) program and the completion of three studies on the Economic Significance of Meetings in the U.S. In addition, she led the first-ever Global Economic Significance Study – research that has provided indisputable proof of the economic impact of our industry and a platform for articulating the… 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