News
Nov 17, 2020
With its convention center expansion on track for completion by the end of the year and hotels continuing to open, Las Vegas keeps improving its ability to host events. This fall, the city debuted two adults-only properties, Circa Resort & Casino and The Cromwell, with the new Virgin Hotels Las Vegas scheduled to open in January. Here’s what to expect from each.
Circa Resort & Casino
The first new resort-casino to be built from the ground up in downtown Las Vegas in four decades, the 1.25 million-square-foot Circa Resort & Casino opened its first five floors and parking hub —… more
Nov 16, 2020
The city of Grapevine, Texas, played host to Meeting Professionals International’s World Education Congress, held in hybrid format Nov. 3-6. “Reunite for Recovery” was the theme of the event, which took place at Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center and drew nearly 700 in-person attendees and 1,000 virtual participants.
Grapevine CVB partnered with MPI in developing Duty of Care procedures that allowed for safe general sessions, breakout sessions and one-on-one appointments. The goal was to demonstrate the new standards for a safe return to live, in-person meetings and conferences. In… more
Nov 13, 2020
Event technologies everywhere are stepping up to the plate in 2020, attempting to ease meeting planners’ woes that virtual experiences can never quite measure up to face-to-face events. Yet one element that hasn’t been addressed is the virtual awards show — until now.
MeetingPlay, a Maryland-based technology company for events and conferences founded in 2011, has launched a new feature designed to nearly replicate the experience of an in-person awards night, both for recipients and attendees.
The impetus for designing this feature came from MeetingPlay listening closely to its clients. “A… more
Nov 12, 2020
While virtual events and video conferencing aren’t a perfect substitute for face-to-face, technology that replicates the real-life experience as much as possible could be a viable option, particularly for work teams and stakeholders wanting to stay connected during the COVID-19 era. Enter Preciate, a relationship-building platform for workplaces that launched Preciate Social, the first virtual socializing and teambuilding platform designed specifically for companies and teams, in late September.
Built to provide an immersive experience that replicates the atmosphere of real-life business… more
Nov 10, 2020
Eight months after Caesars Forum was scheduled to have its grand opening and start welcoming a packed schedule of groups before it was stopped in its tracks by COVID-19, the new venue hosted its first event: the 2020 ConferenceDirect Annual Partner Meeting.
“We have always admired the work that Brian Stevens and the team at ConferenceDirect do,” said Michael Massari, chief sales officer for Caesars Entertainment. “We enjoy a long-standing partnership and are pleased that we hosted this important event.”
During the closing general session, Massari was recognized by Jerry Horan, the president… more
Nov 09, 2020
The Puerto Rico Convention Center hosted its first event since achieving GBAC STAR accreditation — the only Caribbean facility to do so — last month. The meeting of the Puerto Rico Chapter of the Association of General Contractors of America (AGC) on Oct. 17 featured a debate among local governorship candidates as well as the organization’s annual convention. More importantly for tourism officials and event organizers, it served as a testimony to Puerto Rico’s ability to produce a safe and successful gathering.
“We hope that our event will serve as an example for other associations and… more
Nov 05, 2020
SIAARTI, the Italian Society of Anaesthesia, Analgesia, Intensive Care and Resuscitation, together with AIM Group International, a company with 60 years of experience in congresses, events and communication, broke the mold and re-invented the concept of a congress. Through its Traveling with ICARE tour, which took place Sept. 21-Oct. 4, anaesthesiologists and resuscitators were greeted around Italy with a traveling knowledge exchange event.
“We understood that the scientific society members needed to feel closeness to their colleagues engaged in the ongoing health emergency, and it was… more
Nov 04, 2020
With more and more planners looking at a hybrid model for their meetings, Louisville Tourism and its industry partners showcased their ability to host such an event while also highlighting the work they’ve done as a city to welcome guests back safely. Held on Oct. 29, Barreling Ahead brought together 35 attendees at Kentucky International Convention Center, with an additional 103 joining virtually.
Currently, all Louisville hotels are open to guests, and event venues and restaurants are allowed to host groups at 50 percent capacity. “Louisville is ready to welcome business to our city,”… more
Nov 02, 2020
Clarion Events has announced it has acquired California-based Quartz Events, the fastest growing producer of invitation-only, executive summits in North America.
Clarion Events has a diversified business model that has evolved through high-growth market acquisitions, diversification across industry sectors and a strong focus on digital and virtual products. With the live event space under tremendous pressure today, Clarion has been able to find new ways to quickly and successfully deliver customer value and attract new customers in uncertain times. Quartz Events will be key in stimulating… more
Oct 29, 2020
With the launch of its pre-travel testing program on Oct. 15, the State of Hawaii officially began welcoming visitors back to the islands. According to John Reyes, senior vice president and chief meetings, conventions and incentives (MCI) sales officer for Meet Hawaii, the reopening is positive news for groups looking to book meetings and events — even if, at the moment, allowable gatherings are still small.
Currently, Hawaii has limited social gatherings to 10 people inside and 10 people outside. In an attempt to increase that number, Reyes says the tourism industry is urging political… 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