Meetings Today Podcast

Major travel and meetings industry sustainability efforts such as the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative are a top priority in Europe, where the meetings industry is organizing to adopt stricter sustainability standards before governing bodies step in to enforce regulations. The sense of urgency seems to be a great deal less in North America, however. Why is this, and how can travel and meetings in...

Denise Reid, new president of Event Service Professionals Association (ESPA), shares how event service professionals are often on the front line of ensuring destination DEI for meetings and events, as well as her plans for ramping up the association following the pandemic upheaval, and also favors listeners with an amazing rendition of Ave Maria ! Aside from delivering memorable event service at t...

San Antonio, already the seventh-largest city in the U.S., is on a population and development boom that has seen the recent opening of 10 hotels and approximately 70 restaurants in the last two years, along with a $2.5 billion expansion of San Antonio International Airport that will include a new terminal and a resulting spike in air lift. Meetings Today checked in with Tyler Orwig, vice president...

Taylor Smith has a conversation with Greater Ontario Convention and Visitors Bureau Director of Sales Arlette Garibay about Ontario, California’s newest meetings and events offerings, as well as the benefits of working with the Greater Ontario CVB. This podcast was produced in partnership with the Greater Ontario CVB.

Speaker Andre Norman stirred the crowd at SITE Global Conference 2023 in Manhattan with a gritty story of determination and redemption that will lift anyone, no matter what background they came from. Norman relayed his incredible journey of being raised in poverty by a single mom with five brothers and sisters and serving 14 years in prison before turning his life around to become a Harvard Fellow...

Since accepting a full-time position leading the sustainability efforts of one of the most influential meetings, events and incentives travel powerhouses in the world, Maritz Global Events, Rachel Riggs is in a key position to affect change as the hospitality industry comes under intense pressure to reduce its carbon footprint. We caught up with Rachel at SITE Global Conference 2023 in New York Ci...

Association meetings veteran Willis Turner shares how the new AI technology ChatGPT will revolutionize the meetings and events industry. Is your job safe? Depends on how fast you adapt. Turner recently published The Power of ChatGPT: How to Put ChatGPT to Work for You , available on Amazon and via his website, www.oldclayburn.com, and also is the founder of Virtual Memorial Gatherings, which stepp...

From the mammoth stage production facilities at Rock Lititz, where top acts such as Taylor Swift, Billy Joel, Rihanna and Justin Bieber tighten up their stage show before tours, to excellent teambuilding opportunities and the simple pleasures of the Amish way of life, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, offers up surprising lures for meetings groups. Discover Lancaster President & CEO Edward Harris share...

The Reno Tahoe area of northern Nevada is easy to get to, easy to navigate once you're on the ground, and is easy to love for meetings and events. Thanks to an economic boom, new and refreshed venues, and a plethora of outdoor activities, Reno Tahoe is catching the attention of people around the country to work, live and play there. Just what can this fast-growing destination do for your next meet...

In the run-up to his keynote address at Event Service Professionals Association’s 2023 annual conference, meetings industry leader and DEI champion Elliott L. Ferguson II, president and CEO of Destination DC, explains why DMOs and event service professionals are key partners in ensuring meetings and events are living up to their promises of delivering diversity, equity and inclusion at their event...

PCMA Convening Leaders held its 2023 edition in Columbus, Ohio, a destination that unveiled many surprises to attendees who enjoyed its booming restaurant scene, thriving arts and entertainment districts and the many facets of the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Did you know that Columbus is the largest city in Ohio and the 14th largest in the U.S., and is home to a diverse population that inc...

What's new and coming online in the perennial popular Central Florida destination of Orlando? From major new hotel and attractions openings and renovations to group activity options, and the hugely anticipated Brightline high-speed rail line connecting Orlando and Miami, there's a wealth of updates to share. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Casandra Matej, president and CEO of Visit O...

Perhaps the biggest news at PCMA Convening Leaders 2023 was the association's acquisition of Event Leadership Institute, a major player in the meetings and conventions education space. ELI founder Howard Givner, now senior vice president of knowledge and innovation for PCMA, sits down with Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson to discuss the details of the acquisition, the mutual benefits PCMA and ELI m...

How is the meetings and events faring as the worst of the pandemic seems to be in the past, and where are we headed as new headwinds confront the industry? Maritz Holdings and Maritz Group President & CEO David Peckinpaugh shares his insight as the leader of the global MICE powerhouse. Also: What's new inside Maritz, from DEI and sustainability to its leadership role in fighting human traffick...

Sun, fun and a convention district seemingly made for meetings make San Diego a popular destination for business events, but the San Diego Tourism Authority (SDTA) believes brainpower—such as its emerging biotech industry—needs to be added to that list. We sat down with the SDTA’s Kavin Schieferdecker to explore this SoCal standout’s new promotional message for the meetings and events industry.

VisitScotland Business Events launched an ambitious Journey to Change initiative in 2021 that aims to showcase how business events in the country can drive social and economic transformation. Most of Western Europe seems to be following the same path, especially in terms of sustainability. Meanwhile, while the U.S. meetings and events industry actively sings the praises of issues such as sustainab...

Have a need for a turnkey conference solution in the Big Apple, with a little touch of English elegance? Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson sat down with Fiona Macpherson, vice president of business development and sales for etc.venues, a 30-year-old, U.K.-based non-residential conference center operator that just opened a third location in Manhattan. Discover what this London-based urban conference...

Lauren Grady, director of global event center of excellence at Bizzabo, discusses the state of in-person events in relation to data collected by Bizzabo this year, including how, looking ahead to 2023, 85% of event organizers plan to host at least three in-person events next year.

Where are meetings and events at in the great post-shutdown recovery? Who is winning the force majeure battle? Are room rates and other meeting component prices going to ease up anytime soon? And what does it mean when someone says that attendees should design meetings? Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson caught up with Maritz Global Events Enterprise Vice President and COO Steve O’Malley at IMEX Amer...

One of the hottest topics in the meetings industry is talent acquisition and retention. Michael Massari, chief sales officer of Caesars Entertainment, started out his career in the hospitality industry as a busboy. But is the next generation of workers willing to start at the bottom? An industry vet chimes in during this Meetings Today podcast taped at IMEX America 2022.

Marriott's Head of Global Sales Tammy Routh discusses up-and-coming Marriott projects and properties, industry trends and what to look forward to from the brand in 2023 at IMEX America 2022. 

Everyone's after attendee engagement at events, and Encore Global may have just cracked the code with its "Break Free" immersive environment debuted at IMEX America 2022. Ben Erwin, president and CEO of the global event planning, creative, production and technology juggernaut, talked with Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson about its mysterious and magnificent "multi-room" environment shrouded by towe...

Visit Orlando has teamed with the Orlando Economic Partnership to launch the "Unbelievably Real" marketing campaign, which seeks to communicate the message of the top meetings and events destination's authenticity and unique nature, which often gets lost due to its profile as the world's preeminent theme park destination and leisure travel magnet. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Mate...

The world is very, very sick, as its climate is increasingly spiraling to doom. The meetings and events industry is particularly vulnerable to what we call "climate change." But the very term climate change doesn't convey the need for urgency because of the potentially catastrophic diagnosis for the planet, according to PCMA President & CEO Sherrif Karamat, who uses the provocative term "clima...

Gerardo Tejado, general manager for American Express Meetings & Events, discusses highlights of the 2023 annual Global Meetings & Events Forecast with Meetings Today's Danielle LeBreck at IMEX America 2022.