WASHINGTON, D.C.
Meetings Focus checked in with Drew Maurano, director of event medicine for the George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates Department of Emergency Medicine, regarding th...
ALEXANDRIA, Va.
The Convention Industry Council (CIC) has launched a new suite of resources for planners to help combat the increase in room block piracy and poaching, which occurs when businesses ac...
When you travel boldly in the social media universe, mistakes are bound to happen.
“The biggest mistake is doing nothing,” says Noah Smith, executive consultant for AlexGPR.com, a public ...
ORLANDO
The American Automobile Association (AAA) has unveiled the most recent updates to its roster of Five-Diamond properties, an exclusive list that showcases what are considered to be some of the...
The National Geographic Society has announced a brand new hotel collection of boutique properties that emphasize sustainability and world-class experiences around the globe, several of which also have...
The right rhetoric and people in brochure photos used to suffice for a good diversity marketing effort by destinations and other industry suppliers, but no more. Today, marketing initiatives that defi...
Will a rising tide lift all boats? That seems to be the biggest question when examining meetings and hospitality industry predictions and the results from this year’s Meetings Focus Trends Surve...
PHILADELPHIA
The Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau has announced the creation of a 10-page editorial project in collaboration with National Geographic Traveler magazine for its December/J...
Meeting Incentive Experts (MIE) has launched a new mobile app, MIExperts, which can be downloaded from the iTunes Store for Apple devices.
The free app shares key information about some of Mexic...
Starwood Hotels & Resorts has commenced the rollout of its SPG Keyless program, allowing guest to unlock their rooms using an iPhone or Android-powered mobile device, at select Aloft, Element and ...
SPRINGFIELD, Mass.
CVBs are increasingly becoming more creative in their efforts to stir up interest among meeting planners, especially when you get into the mid-tier markets, where there is a lot of...
Celebrating its fourth year, IMEX America officially kicked off last week at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas. The conference was high-energy and insightful, providing valued perspective on the current sta...
AVENTURA, Fla.
gMeetings, a meetings management boutique, has been relaunched by its founder and managing director, Eli Gorin, CMP, CMM, and has formed a strategic partnership with Indigo Events, a l...
BOCA RATON RESORT & CLUB, Fla.
The challenge was proposed at the 2013 Florida Governor’s Conference: 100 million visitors in one year. And that figure was in the spotlight again at the 47th...
There is perhaps no destination with as much “star power” as the glitzy French Riviera towns of Cannes and Antibes Juan-les-Pins, boasting modern-age movie stars gliding down red carpets...
Economists likely did a double take after looking at job numbers for the month of August as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its monthly report showing that employers added just 142,000 jo...
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.
Mayor Don Guardian and other area officials met to discuss future plans for Atlantic City, including a focused effort to attract more meeting and convention business, during an Au...
MINNEAPOLIS
Meeting Professionals International (MPI) announced the selection of Robyn Mietkiewicz as Meeting Planner of the Year at its August 2-5 World Education Congress (WEC) in Minneap...
The Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki completed a $4.25 million restoration project of the hotel’s celebrated rainbow mural. First created in 1968, the mural covers both sides of the property&rs...;
“It May Hurt a Little...”
The motto of the Bear Grylls Survival Academy, created by the British extreme survivalist, adventurer and television personality, is not exactly comforting.
But...
That hotel contract you signed a couple of years ago may give you confidence about sleeping room rates, availability and your event budget, but behind your back, someone may be about to pounce on both...
April marked the 2014 launch of our Meetings Focus Live! series of hosted-buyer educational programs, with entertainment mecca Las Vegas dealing out the glitz and glamour to the meeting planner attend...
San Francisco’s City Skyline Challenge 2014, sent Meetings Focus editor Kelsey Farabee “over the edge” of the Hyatt Regency San Francisco in March, rappelling more than 230 feet as part of the Outward...
Hotel contracts can be complicated, but are a must to protect your organization and make mutual obligations perfectly clear. Additionally, contract risk reduction and cost containment have become an i...
Cassie Brown, CEO of TCG Events, which specializes in planning and executing corporate events that drive business for their clients through the company’s proprietary EventSmarter approach, offe...
Meetings Focus caught up with Jordan Schwartz, founder of the Pathable meeting management app, to get his take on this year’s tech trends; from the decline of Facebook to the emergence of targ...
In January, DoubleDutch, A San Francisco-based mobile event company, completely rebuilt its app, complete with a new interface and offline mode.
“We’re really seeing a shakeout in the mo...
ORLANDO
AAA recently announced the 183 select establishments that earned the AAA/CAA Five Diamond Rating in the past 12 months, qualifying them for the 2014 Five Diamond Award lists. This exclusive gr...
It’s wild to think about how integral the Internet and Wi-Fi have become to meetings and conferences—and life in general—in such a short span of time. Milko Figueroa, director of Wi-...
Diners can taste the bounty of Cascadia at Local 360, which sources 90 percent of its raw ingredients from producers within 360 miles of Seattle. The remaining 10 percent are items like coffee, lemon ...
In a recent blog, Jonathan Bradshaw, CEO of The Meetology Group—a U.K.-based events consulting firm that uses research to develop new, effective conference concepts—suggested that switchin...
Contrary to “digital detox” experiences that are becoming a trendy travel offering, Melia Hotels International debuted the Sol Wave House hotel in Majorca, Spain, billing it as “the ...
The historic Glen Cove Mansion joins official list of LGBT-friendly properties
The Glen Cove Mansion Hotel and Conference Center in Long Island, N.Y., recently gained “TAG Approved” status...
Spray-paint artist Chor Boogie has been painting professionally for more than 12 years and now travels the world for exhibitions and collaborations. He recently showcased his art (don’t call it ...
The Westin Kansas City at the Crown Center debuted the brand’s new Tangent meeting concept as part of a $22 million renovation. Tangent areas are designed to be flexible workspaces that can acco...
The InterContinental New York Barclay and the Center for Sustainable Design Strategies at the Pratt Institute launched a Barclay the Bee comic series on the property’s sustainability blog New Yo...
There are more distractions to take a virtual audience member’s attention away from your session than an in-person audience member. Therefore, it is up to you as a speaker to engage the vir...
Founded by graduates of Pennsylvania State University’s illustrious Ice Cream Short Course, Je & Jo is one of New York City’s newest hot spots for a cool treat.
The duo pairs organic...
“We’ve all attended conferences where we were excited to speak with luminaries in our field and meet potential collaborators, only to end up lost in a sea of name tags talking to the perso...
With a still-sluggish economy casting its shadow over the meetings landscape, staying within a limited budget can be the first priority for any planner, but it’s easy to fall into the trap of sa...
The social media world is abuzz about the new position created by Westin Hotels. The brand, which has always been enthusiastic about health initiatives, is looking to hire a “Fitness Concierge.&...
Meeting and event risk assessment starts with the inspection and selection of destinations and facilities. For further reference, the free, on-demand version of my “Averting Disaster: How Planne...
McMenamins, purveyor of unique dining and lodging throughout Washington and Oregon, unveiled the new 22-room English Wing at the Kennedy School Hotel.
Built in a former elementary school, rooms have ...
The rise of smart phones and tablets is changing some key premises of team building as planners have known it for decades. These devices, especially iPhones and iPads with their camera, display, GPS a...
Fruits, vegetables, chocolate and wine are no longer merely F&B item choices for meeting groups. They are now appearing on the treatment menus of an increasing number of resort and hotel spas, as ...
No one can accuse Heather Mason, president and owner of A Caspian Production, of not expressing lofty goals when it pertains to the value of meeting planners.
“My entire mission is to show that ...
We need to use our collective voices to communicate the important values that live, in-person meetings have on the growth and development of our society. Advocacy is the pursuit of influencing outcome...
This year’s game-changing innovations aren’t 110-inch TVs and table-sized tablets, but are instead found behind the scenes.
Mobile computing. Event and venue websites must be optimi...
As every planner knows, organizing an event typically begins months in advance and includes several rounds of communication with suppliers and attendees, catering contracts, AV partnerships and a host...
The New York City Seminar and Conference Center in Manhattan’s Flatiron district upgraded to a fiberoptic connection and expanded its bandwidth this year, to better accommodate the growing techn...
Want to ensure the service and amenities you want are delivered at your next event? These steps will help:
Discuss your needs and desires with the hotel during negotiations, and insert your agre...
Your corporate entertainment company should provide you with not only a list of headliners, but also their photo, biography and possibly their routing information, availability and cost. Your favorite...
Gamification is one of the hot trends in the meetings industry, but what exactly is it?
Simply put, gamification is the use of game mechanics in a non-game context in order to engage users. Coined in...
Marc and Darlynne Menkin of San Diego’s Where You Want To Be Tours are experts on what it takes to organize and run a successful scavenger hunt.
The husband and wife team founded the company 10...
Every planner wants to save a little money. But sometimes being penny smart can be pound foolish. Following are seven things to look out for when stretching your meeting dollars.
Allow continge...
Want to know the one thing worse than doing your taxes? Doing your expense reports! Use your cell phone’s camera and an agreement with your accountant to end expense reports!
Immediately ...
Done well, philanthropic (community service) experiences and team building can leverage each other like nothing else. Done not so well and you risk diminishing the power of both with service burnout o...
It’s prudent to use caution when discussing sensitive topics or secret information, especially in the semipublic setting of a meeting. Art Lesser, president of Merit Security, recommends planner...
Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa in Galena, Ill., launched a new meetings-focused website last month, featuring a blog and interactive planner resources.
In 2012 Eagle Ridge hosted more than 250,000 ov...
Manhattan’s Javits Center is installing a green roof as part of its renovation and environmental enhancement following the 2010 opening of the new Javits Center North.
Germany-based Xero Flor ...
The Virginia Beach CVB established a new corporate social responsibilty (CSR) program, offering groups a variety of ways to get involved in the community. Planners may choose partner organizations foc...
It doesn’t get more star-studded than the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills during awards season, and planners looking to experience Hollywood glitz—and hoping for a celebrity siti...
Element Hotels has installed bike-powered chargers in gyms across all 10 of its brand properties. Guests simply plug in their cell phone or other electronic device and pedal away. Electrifying!...
Saving money on food and beverage functions takes a bit of creativity and strategy...or just follow what experienced planners have already figured out.
Guests eat less during receptions if thei...
Quality entertainment can raise the bar at meetings, differentiate your organization from its competitors and enchant attendees. The people that represent headliner entertainers are professional in wh...
“At a big networking event, you might know the type of people you want to meet but not specifically who. You scan name tags and hope you get lucky, but it might not happen,” says David Aub...
“Ten to 20 years ago, banquet menus were printed and static,” says Stephen Rosenstock, senior vice president of food and beverage and brand standards at Omni Hotels & Resorts, “t...
