Meetings Today Podcast

Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Mike Wainwright and Don Pfeffer at IMEX America 2021 to get key insights from the global hotel giant's Convention & Resort Network (CRN) regarding the recovery of the meetings industry. CRN's Mike Wainwright,  vice president of  sales, Gaylord Hotels and Marriott Convention & Resort Network, and Robert Pfeffer, senior director, Conven...

In this podcast, recorded live from the IMEX America 2021 show floor in Las Vegas, Tyler Davidson speaks with with Gerardo Tejado, general manager for Meetings & Events, American Express Meetings & Events, and Amanda Chamov, marketing manager, about the compelling reveal of the global business travel giant's major annual survey, 2022 Global Meetings and Events Forecast. The 11th edition of...

Since launching virtual meetings company MeetingPlay in 2011, former Marriott global e-commerce expert Joe Schwinger has seen virtual meetings grow from their infancy to the transformative pandemic period in which the technology became ubiquitous. What's next for virtual and hybrid meetings, and how are global corporate giants implementing them in their meetings mix? What has the pandemic period t...

Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sits down with Steve Jones, a music industry veteran, speaker and author of Brand Like a Rock Star and Start You Up for this Meetings Today Podcast episode. From the Foo Fighters and Bob Marley to Kiss, Jimmy Buffett, AC/DC and Aerosmith, see how key learnings from these rock legends can translate to your brand and inspire your meetings and events audiences. Jones w...

Following up on an earlier podcast in which the conversation turned to what future skills meeting and event planners will need, Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson talked with meetings technology giant Cvent’s Paulina Curto, senior manager, meetings and events, and Rachel Andrews, senior director of global meetings and events, to expand on the topic. From data analytics skills to a deeper understandin...

Greater Ontario—which includes the cities of Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga—is a Southern California meetings and conventions gem you should know about. Hear why in this podcast interview with Michael Krouse, president and CEO of Greater Ontario CVB. *Created in partnership with Greater Ontario CVB

Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson talked with Cvent’s Patrick Smith and Rachel Andrews about the company’s successful CONNECT hybrid event and the future skills meeting and event planners will need to master to stay relevant in a dynamic profession.

Jaki Baskow, CEO and founder of Las Vegas Speakers Bureau and Baskow Talent is a Las Vegas entertainment and speaker booking legend, having plied her trade in the Entertainment Capital of the World for more than 40 years. Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson checked in with Baskow in mid-July to get a take on how she sees the in-person meetings and events recovery progressing in Las Vegas, as ente...

Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sits down with Hilton Worldwide Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales Americas Frank Passanante about some big news from the iconic hotel company, including an innovative new group room block booking engine for meeting planners and the massive new Virgin Hotels Las Vegas development and Resorts World.

Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson talked with Julie Brackenbury, president of Event Service Professionals Association and director of destination services for Visit Raleigh, about what role event services will play as we reboot the meetings industry.

In this Meetings Today Podcast recorded in March, Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson talks with Julius Solaris, the founder of EventMB who just joined Swapcard as its head of engagement. Always a leading meetings and events industry thinker, Solaris shares his take on the confusing “new normal” we’re all in, as well as recent findings from a meeting planner survey he conducted and how the mix of virt...

Featured guest: Tammy Dickerson, CMP, President & Lead Planner, tbg Events How can we lead with excellence during times of great uncertainty and change? Tenacious powerhouse entrepreneur Tammy Dickerson, President & Lead Planner at tbg Events, discusses how being your own biggest cheerleader, putting people first, and taking care of yourself are all important actions to implement when cata...

Danielle LeBreck and Jill Vance, director of sales for The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel, discuss how to weave wellness into meeting agendas. Listen for more. *Created in partnership with The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel

ESPA’s Paola Bowman, destination services manager for the Arlington CVB, and Jamie Huckleberry, director, event services for Pittsburgh’s David L. Lawrence Convention Center, talk with Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson about how the convention services manager association’s COVID-19 Services Recovery Roadmap can apply to meeting planners, and of the impact the pandemic has had on event and conventio...

Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson talks with Cvent Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Patrick Smith about the meetings tech giant’s new hybrid meeting solution, Virtual Attendee Hub, how the company has fared during the pandemic, and what he and others at Cvent see as positive signs for an industry recovery from the COVID calamity. Listen Now. Access another Meetings Today podcast abo...

When the COVID-19 pandemic is behind us, companies will be eager to reward their employees with unforgettable incentive programs. Australia has always fit the bill for wow-worthy trips—and there’s plenty more incredible experiences waiting for North American-based attendees, from dinners under the stars at Ulu r u to life-changing expeditions over the Great Barrier Reef. To learn more about the cu...

In this Meetings Today Podcast, David Meerman Scott and Michelle Manafy, co-authors of Standout Virtual Events: How to Create an Experience That Your Audience Will Love , explain the basics of virtual platforms and which ones may be the best fit for you.

Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson chats with Maribel Denner, director of sales marketing for the JW Marriott Anaheim Resort, and Junior Tauvaa, chief sales officer for Visit Anaheim, about the impressive new JW and how it will add a tech-forward luxury hotel offering to a city that is seeing its meetings and conventions product grow by leaps and bounds in recent years. Listen now.

Learn about contact tracing at meetings and events and how planners can limit the impact of COVID-19 on their program. And what do you do if someone tests positive? Listen for more.

In this Meetings Today podcast, Danielle LeBreck sits down with Caesars Entertainment and ConferenceDirect, who collaborated together to design ConferenceDirect's annual partner meeting at the new CAESARS FORUM in Las Vegas. Listen to learn about their hybrid approach, how F&B was modified and more.

The new Grand Hyatt Nashville is adding a luxury hotel with ample meeting space to Music City, which has been on a torrid development pace over the past few years. Read more.

Meetings Today catches up with Kylie Brajak of Australia’s Crystalbrook Collection to learn more about new properties in Cairns, incentive options in Queensland and more in this podcast. *This podcast was created in partnership with Business Events Australia. Note: Read Australia Next , the newly launched magazine for North American planners from Business Events Australia.  See photos and rea...

Kevin Dana of CORT Events highlights key design trends and how the pandemic is changing meeting space designs for live meetings. Learn more.

Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin massively revamped its operating procedures to host the Major League Soccer bubble, from accommodations and equipment to F&B. Here’s how three key staff members handled it. Read more.

Michael Dominguez, CEO of ALHI (Associated Luxury Hotels International), brought meeting planners to the Omni Dallas Hotel for a one-day showcase of what their events may look like after the industry awakens from its COVID-19 slumber.