2023

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How Hot is the Meetings Market, and Where is It Hottest?

MeetingsNet

Knowland’s report on year-over-year events growth says Nashville’s meetings scene jumped more than 30 percent in September. Here are the other high-percentage growth cities, and the industries driving it. Knowland, a data-as-a-service provider for the hospitality industry, has some of the answers. Its meeting-volume report for September was released October 5, and it shows growth for the events industry is strong.

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Satisfying wants and needs at conferences

Conferences that Work

I use the phrase “wants and needs” a lot when talking about participant-driven and participation-rich conferences. It even appears in the title of my third book ! Satisfying wants and what Abraham Maslow called growth needs are core goals of any event. But whose wants and needs are we talking about ? Whom is your event for? Conference organizers have, of course, every right to create an event that satisfies their wants and needs.

MICE professionals

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Gen Z Travel Trends: Why Destinations Should Cater to a New Generation

Solimar International

Tourism is a constantly changing industry that works best when it can anticipate and adapt to new trends amongst tourists. It’s in the best interest of destination management organizations (DMOs) to frequently engage in tourism planning , and to consistently navigate changing trends and adjust to new demographics. As we prepare for the changes to come in 2024, let’s take a look at how Gen Z travel trends are shaking up the tourism industry.

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Introducing the 2023 Endless Events Industry Trends Guide

Endless Events

2022 is in the books, folks. 2023 is a squeaky, shiny new year that promises brands plenty of opportunities (and a few challenges). So, what can we expect in the new year? Event planners need to know what’s on the radar for 2023, but don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. Endless Events’ 2023 Event Industry Trends Guide includes insights based on our years of experience in events and our team’s proprietary research into event trends.

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COVID-19 Travel Consumer Sentiment Study

TravelBoom and sister agency, The Brandon Agency, release new consumer sentiment study on travel amidst the COVID-19 second wave

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THE ABBI AGENCY NAMED AGENCY OF THE YEAR IN AAF’S BEST OF THE WEST AWARDS

The Abbi Agency

So, we may have left out one thing when we wrapped up last year. What can we say—we wanted to start this year out with a bang! The Abbi Agency is pleased to announce that we’ve been named Advertising Agency of the Year ($10-50M) by the American Advertising Federation’s (AAF) Western Region Best of the West Media Awards, a competition highlighting the best media companies throughout the entire western United States.

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It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Hotels Launch Fundraising Initiatives

Smart Meetings

Meet to make a positive impact this October October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. From Oct. 1 through 31 each year, the international health campaign organized by major breast cancer charities aims to increase awareness of breast cancer and raise funds for research into its cause, prevention and treatment. This year, a number of hotels around the United States host events and initiatives to raise money for charities that work to increase awareness of breast cancer and to fund research and pa

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More Trending

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How A Destination Management Company Will Help Your Corporate Event

Traveler's Q

How A Destination Management Company Will Help Your Corporate Event A destination management company (DMC) can help you create a memorable and seamless experience for your guests. When managing guests in a new, foreign location, it is important to have a well-planned strategy in place. DMCs are seasoned professionals who have extensive knowledge of the local cultures, traditions, and customs.

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Google Analytics 4 Webinar Pt 2

Advanced Travel and Tourism

You may have seen our webinar in partnership with STS in November of 2022, but as we all know GA4 is evolving and we are all learning a little bit more every day. Learn the most up to date information on GA4, and how you can ‘Wow’ your team and stakeholders with new and informative data that showcases users behavior on your site. There are actionable takeaways for your organization to use on a day-to-day basis.

Tourism 246
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Motivation Excellence Awarded Best & Brightest Companies to Work For® in the Nation 5 Years Running!

Motivation Excellence

The team at Motivation Excellence, a performance improvement incentive company headquartered near Chicago, is thrilled to accept the 2023 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For® in the Nation designation! “We work diligently as a company to show respect to our employees and foster an environment of collaboration and trust. It’s always a work in progress as we continually strive to be even better,” said David Jobes, CEO and President of Motivation Excellence.

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Events? In This Economy? Yes, and Here’s How

Endless Events

With COVID-19 guidelines loosening up this year, it’s time to tighten up your 2023 marketing plan. If events fell to the wayside over the past few years, now’s the time for you to get back on the horse. Whether online or in-person, events are a great way to drive brand awareness, generate leads, and connect with customers. 60% of business leaders and 80% of marketers believe that events are critical for success.

Sponsors 304
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Evolution of the DMC:Renewing Business Relationships with Deeper Trust, Transparency & Understanding

The evolution of the DMC industry requires that it embark upon a renewed relationship with clients that is built upon transparency, trust, and understanding.

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Marriott Full Price Displays Go into Effect May 15

Smart Meetings

Display Changes Will Not Apply to Group Rates What you see on your Bonvoy app is what you will get—including resort, destination and other fees—at the registration desk after May 15 if a promised shift in how prices are displayed goes through as required in a November, 2021 settlement with the State of Pennsylvania. The full room price will be displayed on all the company’s U.S. channels, including Marriott.com, the mobile app and voice reservations.

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Elevating Engagement

Smart Meetings

Creating a safe, friendly and memorable event Forging a safe and engaging space can be a tall order for some meeting planners, but there is a road map to creating an inspiring event that will continuously drive engagement for your current and future events. To get the low-down on event engagement Smart Meetings chatted with Amanda Lea Kaiser, speaker, engagement strategist and author of “ Elevating Engagement: Uncommon Strategies for Creating a Thriving Member Community. ” Progressiv

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Together, We Can Do Hard Things 

Smart Meetings

A special message in advance of Global Meetings Industry Day 2023 As we approach Global Meetings Industry Day 2023 on March 30, we’re going to talk a lot about the economic value of meetings. Facing renewed economic uncertainty, that’s an important message for any organization. But here’s another important message: Let’s advocate for the intrinsic value of meetings to connect and unite communities, beyond the immediate commercial aspect.

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Are Regenerative Meetings Even Possible? Ask Paso

Smart Meetings

A quest to find sustainable event experts leads to an emerging wine region in California’s Central Coast It’s not your imagination. The quest to design green meetings often feels like a greenhouse gas-cutting limbo game. At first, it was enough to do away with plastic straws to save the turtles. Then the bar was set on removing single-use plastic bottles in favor of branded, refillable jugs.

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What One Thing? Curing the Busy Brain with Dr. Romie Mushtaq

Smart Meetings

On this episode of What One Thing? podcast Smart Meetings Vice President and Content Director JT Long chats with Dr. Romila “Romie” Mushtaq on what constitutes a Busy Brain and best practices to cure a Busy Brain. Find out more about Dr. Romie here: Brain Health Keynote Speaker | Dr. Romie (drromie.com) Curious if you have a Busy Brain? Take the Busy Brain quiz here: Busy Brain Test – Dr.

Speakers 279
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Top Event Technology Trends for 2024

Smart Meetings

How emerging AI and other technology will boost event humanity by putting attendee needs at the center of conference design Attendees expect more from events today and emerging technology is helping to deliver on those demands. We sat down with the Maritz team to ask what top event technology trends they see for 2024 and how they will fundamentally change the meeting professional’s job.

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Why Attendees Aren’t Committing Early to Conferences

Smart Meetings

In recent years, many event organizers have observed a notable trend: despite offering enticing early bird registration discounts, many attendees are hesitant to commit to conferences well in advance. Let’s delve into the reasons behind this hesitancy and what event professionals can do about it. What’s Behind Attendee Hesitancy 1. Ongoing Uncertainties Due to Covid-19 The ramifications of the Covid-19 pandemic are still out there.

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Why In-Person Events Came Back in a Big Way Post-Pandemic

Smart Meetings

How to choose between in-person, virtual and hybrid for your next event When Covid-19 lockdowns pushed the world into all-digital interactions, they presented event organizers with a gift: the opportunity to test digital-only event strategies. Prior to the pandemic, we never had the data to compare a digital-only approach to events against in-person programming.

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Meeting Profs Travel Report: Who Travels for Business?

Smart Meetings

How You Look May Be Affecting How Often You Travel for Business The SAP Concur Global Business Travel Survey has published its fifth year of findings with an astonishing report that nearly two-thirds of global business travelers feel they haven’t had “equal opportunity to travel for business compared to their coworkers, and they attribute this primarily to their age, accent or gender.

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10 Event Networking Ideas That Work

Smart Meetings

Would it surprise you to learn that 84% of attendees come to events for networking? Why? Because even the smallest meeting is the best place to find new leads, clients and prospects. Yet, approaching random strangers can be nerve-wracking, especially for work-from-home or introverted employees. However, there is good news. This blog post offers creative solutions that can be fun, engaging, and, most importantly, allow the shyest attendee to walk away with more connections than before they arrive

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Creative Methods to Generate More Revenue for Your Next Conference

Smart Meetings

Do you need to find new monetary sources for conferences, conventions and trade shows? While sponsorships have been prevalent for a long time, further information about the popularity of digital and print options might surprise you. This blog won’t only address revenue initiatives but also cost-cutting measures. Research Finds Sponsorships Are Still Relevant According to a 2019 report from the Center for Exhibition Industry Research ( CEIR ) of 200 show executives and 728 exhibitors, spons

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5 Tips for Positive and Profitable Planner-Vendor Relations

Smart Meetings

You can be the best event planner in the world and have wonderful clients who love you, but none of that will matter if you don’t have a solid team of vendors to work with. Vendors and planners need each other. A planner without a vendor cannot produce an event. Period. We each play our role to bring an event to life so we need to be on good terms and work well together for the sake of the client’s event and our industry as a whole.

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Best of 2023: Event Contracts and Budgeting

Smart Meetings

Creating experiences, setting the stage for networking opportunities, and fostering connections among colleagues and association members are what the meetings and events world is all about. However, without a proper budgeting plan and contractual agreement with vendors and hotels that play a part in making your event a reality, there’s no event to be had.

Contracts 264
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5 Innovative Strategies to Incorporate Wellness into Your Meeting or Convention

Smart Meetings

Finding ways to elevate attendee well-being is the new gold standard Prioritizing wellness in meetings and conventions is rapidly evolving from a nice-to-have feature to an essential component of creating a productive and positive meeting. Today, meetings and convention planners have an opportunity to enrich their gatherings like never before to ensure attendees are well cared for from head to toe.

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Best of 2023: Sustainability

Smart Meetings

Articles, surveys and webinars, oh my! In 2023, Smart Meetings released a stream of multimedia resources for planners to learn about sustainability in the world of events. This year, sustainability was just as much about education and how-to’s as it was about why it’s important to be sustainable. We know sustainability is important. We know attendees want the events they take part in to make a positive impact, and that they don’t want to contribute to excess carbon emissions.

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Smart Moves in Hawaii, Half Moon Bay and More

Smart Meetings

Jaye Moreau and Beth Haddock Jaye Moreau (left) and Beth Haddock (right), Kōloa Landing Resort Luxury Kaua’i resort, K ōloa Landing Resort , has appointed Moreau as destination weddings and sales manager. She brings over 10 years of experience in hospitality sales and marketing and a specialty in weddings, milestone anniversary celebrations, reunions and more special events.

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What One Thing? Finding Joy at Events with Jacques Martiquet The Party Scientist

Smart Meetings

On this episode of What One Thing? Smart Meeting’s Vice President JT Long chats with The Party Scientist Jacques Martiquet to explore the concept of bringing joy to events, turning attendees from spectators into connectors and the impact of movement and music on attendees. Read more about how to create engaging events from Martiquet here. Don’t Miss a Podcast Drop.

Events 264
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Formula 1 Las Vegas Sees a Successful Inaugural Event

Smart Meetings

Formula 1’s first year shook things up on the Las Vegas Strip In a weekend filled with more drama than your mom’s favorite soap opera, Las Vegas’ inaugural Formula 1 race ended with practice race mishaps , record-level betting numbers and a more than $1 billion economic impact to the city. Big Numbers Las Vegas Grand Prix reported a 315,000-person attendance number over the course of the event.

Contracts 264
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Could Event Freelancers Save 2024 Meetings?

Smart Meetings

A Survey Exploring the Motivations and Values of Independent Planners Might Help Lean Planning Teams Elevate Events The future of events is a little unpredictable, to say the least. Predictions of a recession and headlines about military and health crises seem to pop up every day. That leaves companies hesitant to plan too far ahead or even fully staff their event teams.

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Event Case Study: Healthcare Facilities Symposium and Expo

Smart Meetings

Where healthcare professionals share design and architecture ideas 1998 was the first year Jenabeth Ferguson, symposium director for Healthcare Facilities Symposium and Expo (HFSE), became aware of the expo, formerly Symposium on Healthcare Design. “I was early in my career producing events, so I wasn’t always focused on the purpose of each event, but the Symposium was different,” she says.

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New and Renovated: New England Meetings Take Center Stage

Smart Meetings

Meetings from quintessential Virginia, to the mountains, to Capitol Hill Make your way to the places where the fall foliage turns the red, orange and gold of everyone’s favorite autumn movies and art: New England. Not only will you be front and center to some of the country’s most historic locations; you’ll have no shortage of convenient meeting space in a wealth of diverse locations.

Meeting 264
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Will Meetings Thrive in 2024?

Smart Meetings

Experts weigh in on what needs to change to work together better Editor’s Note : Hospitality sales consultant Steve Steinhart will be speaking at Smart Meetings Extraordinary Experience in Monterey, California, Nov. 5-7. Register here to hear him in person. Steve Steinhart Both planners and sellers will have to make paradigm shifts if 2024 is to become the new high watermark for group attendance and revenue.

Meeting 264
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Smart Moves in Chicago, Arizona and More

Smart Meetings

Ali Amin Ali Amin, One10 Leading travel, events, incentives and marketing services company One10 has appointed Amin EVP, Product Management and leader in SaaS product. He will oversee product management, engineering, design and data strategy for PerformX, a SaaS-based incentive and recognition technology that helps to amplify business results. He will also oversee Rewarding You, One10’s global rewards catalog.

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Help Improve CMP Standards with Events Industry Council

Smart Meetings

The Events Industry Council (EIC) invites meeting and event professionals to participate in a survey that will help inform the next stage of the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) standards and exam. CMP accreditation has played a huge part in the lives of meeting professionals, with more than 12,000 CMPs to date. To keep up standards EIC conducts a competency profile project every five to seven years that uses feedback and expertise from industry professionals through focus groups, a task for

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Spectacular End-of-the-Year Team Building for Your Next Meeting

Smart Meetings

Create one-of-a-kind, unforgettable group experiences. As we near the end of 2023, planners looking to finish their year with a bang may want to consider some interesting and different team-building activities to bring the year to a close. Check out these experiences available for your next group meeting. Cabaret in Seattle If you find yourself in Seattle, you may want to check out Teatro ZinZanni , the legendary theatrical cirque that is part circus, part cabaret experience that recently starte

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