News
Sep 07, 2022
Pittsburgh-based The Hutton Group–Inspired Meetings & Events, a women-owned and operated boutique company specializing in meetings, venues and hotels, debuted a new destination management company (DMC) as an extension of its parent company.
Announced on Aug. 23, the new DMC comprises experienced destination designers offering travel and ground services, VIP experiences, dine-arounds at culinary gems, tours and outings and unique venue procurement. It can also provide curated experiences, including teambuilding and corporate social responsibility projects, custom event design, amenities… more
Sep 06, 2022
Growing up in a culinary family in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, Chef Lumarie Rodríguez-Soto initially avoided a career in the culinary arts. As a young woman, she tried pursuing other career paths, but her innate creativity and love for baking eventually led her back to the kitchen and then to culinary school at La Escuela Hotelera de Puerto Rico, where she honed her skills, grew her knowledge and perfected her craft.
“Almost everybody in my family—my grandma, my mom and my brother—works in a kitchen, [and] I saw the behind-the-scenes, non-glamorous side of the business, so I knew how hard… more
Sep 02, 2022
The Atlanta CVB has become one of the first destination marketing organizations to embrace the metaverse with the launch of a marketing platform designed to allow event professionals and prospective visitors to explore the city and its venues through a rendered 3D virtual experience.
Atlanta Meta World is a visually realistic virtual world representation of Atlanta that enables users to discover the city while interacting with other virtual visitors and representatives of venues and ACVB in real time, in addition to viewing presentations on and the latest developments in the city.
“If… more
Sep 01, 2022
With industry professionals bringing a heightened focus to the ROI of their events, particularly due to soaring event costs and structural changes to events as a result of the pandemic, Event Leadership Institute (ELI) launched the industry’s first course specifically centered on measuring, interpreting and communicating an event’s performance to stakeholders.
The online Event Measurement & Analytics Certificate will teach participants a variety of data-driven ways to measure an event’s success for different stakeholders, including attendees, hosts, exhibitors and sponsors. More… more
Aug 30, 2022
Hotel News: Westin Indianapolis, Omni Fort Worth and More Unveil Property and Meeting Space Upgrades
As the hospitality industry turns its gaze toward a busier fall season, hotels across the U.S. and in overseas island territories are debuting revamped guest rooms and meeting spaces, as well as new amenities to lure back business groups and leisure guests alike. Take a look!
The Westin Indianapolis
The Westin Indianapolis recently completed an extensive multimillion-dollar property-wide renovation that has upgraded its guest rooms, public spaces, dining and meeting venues, and created an additional dining outlet and a new event space. Operated by Davidson Hotels, the 574-room, 15-story… more
Aug 29, 2022
As climate change increasingly becomes an undeniable reality across the globe, certain entities within the events industry are beginning to take the lead toward a less wasteful and more sustainable future. Here are two leading organizations working to lessen the industry’s environmental impacts.
SCS Global Services
SCS Global Services (SCS), a global leader in third-party environmental and sustainability verification, certification, auditing, testing and standards development, recently launched Zero Waste for Events, its newest Zero Waste Standard.
Designed to recognize municipal solid… more
Aug 26, 2022
IMEX Group has long been a leader in sustainable event initiatives, and the findings in the recently released IMEX America 2021 Sustainable Event Report are proving that its efforts are substantially paying off. With the impressive results from the 2021 show, in addition to the recent stark reminders of the increasing impact of climate change—record-high temperatures, wildfires and flooding—IMEX America 2022 is set to shine an even stronger light on the importance of green events.
“At IMEX, we’ve always set our sustainability sights high,” said Carina Bauer, CEO of IMEX Group. “For… more
Aug 25, 2022
Destinations International Launches Industry’s First Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Assessment Tool
Destinations International, the world’s largest association for official destination organizations and convention and visitors bureaus, unveiled a groundbreaking tool to measure equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) initiatives and discover ways to improve upon the results. The EDI Assessment Tool is designed to help its member organizations understand how EDI has been incorporated into their operational practices as a basis to elevate and integrate performance, and it is also expected to be a model for other entities in the business events industry to embrace.
The tool allows users to… more
Aug 23, 2022
For the past two years, the events industry has been in a flux. The pandemic made us rethink our event strategies, and we pivoted to the planning mode that worked best—virtual events. The pivot was hard, but we learned a new way of delivering content and building relationships.
At Hubilo, we enabled virtual experiences that delivered ROI that set the bar high. The benefits of virtual events seemed to be scalable.
That was the past, what now?
The world is coming back to normal. The pent up demand for in-person meetings is driving a new wave of change. In-person and hybrid events are in… more
Aug 23, 2022
While many event venues and organizations remain laser-focused on getting back to business as usual, that hasn’t stopped ASM Global from going the extra mile to make a difference for those in need. The leading venue management and event strategy company has been busy delivering on its almost year-old corporate social responsibility initiative, ASM Global Acts, which focuses on protecting the environment, investing in people and strengthening the communities in which it operates. Check out how ASM Global has been walking the walk when it comes to giving back!
KFC Yum! Center
On Aug. 15, ASM… 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