Meetings Today Podcast

From an association booking window that is slowly expanding to dealing with rising costs and the resilience of sustainability, the meetings industry is settling in following the post-pandemic period. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson got some time with Steve O'Malley, COO of business events solutions for global meetings giant Maritz, during IMEX America 2024 to explore the latest trends impacting th...

Orlando was just recognized as the top meeting destination in North America by Cvent--an accolade it has won nine times! While winning Cvent's top destination slot is nothing new for what is arguably the most popular meetings destination in North America, there's certainly plenty going on in this Central Florida powerhouse. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Casandra Matej, president an...

A massive disruption in incentive travel programs has occurred in the last five years, with the global pandemic upending the very definition of top performer rewards and an influx of young people entering the workforce turning traditional programs on their ear. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson engaged Casey Epley, product director, incentives and engagement for Maritz, arguably the inventor of the...

In this Meetings Today podcast, senior contributor Jeff Heilman speaks with Destination DC President and CEO Elliott Ferguson at IMEX America 2024 in Las Vegas about the impact of Election 2024 on meetings and events, Destination DC’s new Connected Campus program for planners, sustainability and more.

Jill Blood, vice president and deputy general council for global meetings giant Maritz, is on the forefront of legal issues that are impacting the meetings and events industry. Meetings Today Vice President & Chief Content Director Tyler Davidson sat down with Blood at IMEX America 2024 to discover what legal issues are keeping planners and the organizations they work for up at night. From dat...

Taylor Smith sat down this morning with Hyatt’s Senior Vice President of Events Steve Enselein live on the IMEX America 2024 trade show floor to talk all the latest and greatest news in the Hyatt world that meeting planners should be aware of, including enhancements to Together by Hyatt and how planners can incorporate more sustainability and wellness into their Hyatt events. Tune in now! 

Visit Phoenix is spiking the ball in the end zone via the launching of its Phoenix Sports and Events Commission, hoping to build on its success hosting marquee sports events such as Super Bowls and Final Fours. We tapped Lorne Edwards, chief sales officer, and Jane Vukovich, director of destination services, to discover how this new division will also focus on cultural, music and other big events....

To celebrate our 2024 Meetings Trendsetters, Meetings Today launched "Trendsetter Tuesday," a podcast series of interviews with the 20 Trendsetters recognized in our July/August issue. Heather Spangler, associate professor and event management certificate coordinator at the University of Iowa, educates and inspires students to become the industry's newest professionals, guaranteeing she helps set...

On this episode of Fast Forward, host Logan Pratt sits down with Anca Platon Trifan, the CEO of Tree-Fan Events and Fit Mindful Mavens who is also one of the foremost experts on artificial intelligence and AV technology in the industry. Learn how AI is currently being used in the industry, how it will be used and what its limitations are in this jam-packed podcast episode.

Our weekly Trendsetter Tuesday podcast series checks in with Rachel Andrews, senior director of global meetings and events for meetings and events industry technology giant Cvent. After signing on with Cvent in 2011, Andrews built its event program from the ground up. Fourteen years later, she leads a team of 30 managing some 1,200 events every year. She also has catapulted Cvent’s annual user con...

Debbie Garcia is the CEO of Virsitour, an online directory for meeting and event planners that allows them to experience virtual site tours of hotel and event venues from around the world. She is also a certified meeting planner and serves as the vice president of finance for MPI’s Tennessee chapter.  As part of our weekly Trendsetter Tuesday podcast series, Meetings Today digital content coordina...

Independent planner Chase Brunson is the foremost advocate for transgendered people in the meetings and events industry, frequently speaking for top industry associations such as MPI and PCMA. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson engaged Brunson to discover his journey and learn key tips for his planner colleagues to implement in their programs to ensure their events are welcoming to all attendees.

From the sprawling new Omni PGA Frisco Resort to major professional sporting facilities and a growing downtown, Frisco, Texas, is making moves in the meetings and events world. Christina Decker, director of sales and services for Visit Frisco, explains the phenomenal growth of this Metroplex town and how the many additions and upcoming venues will dramatically increase its meetings and events clou...

To celebrate our 2024 Meetings Trendsetters, Meetings Today launched "Trendsetter Tuesday," a podcast series of interviews with the 20 Trendsetters recognized in our July/August issue. Dr. Brandi Baldwin, CEO of Millennial Ventures, has made a massive effort to help companies and industry professionals thrive in their work environments. Dr. Baldwin was named a 2024 Meetings Trendsetter b...

To celebrate our 2024 Meetings Trendsetters, Meetings Today launched "Trendsetter Tuesday," a podcast series of interviews with the 20 Trendsetters recognized in our July/August issue. Dami Kim is a wellness warrior who's been practicing how to effectively care for her physical, emotional and mental well-being for 26 years. Now, as director of Body & Brain Wellness, she is helpin...

Jim Spellos, president of Meeting U., has always been in the top echelon of meetings industry technology educators and speakers. AI such as ChatGPT has further fueled his fascination of transformative tech. Spellos was named a 2024 Meetings Trendsetter by Meetings Today for his arguably unrivaled understanding of AI as it relates to the meetings industry. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat do...

In this Meetings Today podcast for "The Z," Taylor Smith has a vulnerable conversation with Christy Renee Stehle, an award-winning hospitality professional, leadership trainer and professional speaker, about how to increase your magnetic presence to cultivate connections that make people remember you.

On this episode of Fast Forward, host Logan Pratt interviews David T. Stevens, one of the foremost wellness and fitness experts in the meetings and events industry on what the future of wellness looks like in the industry and how planners should be implementing wellness into their event agendas and how they can stay ahead of wellness trends.

To celebrate our 2024 Meetings Trendsetters, Meetings Today is introducing "Trendsetter Tuesday," a podcast series of interviews with the 20 Trendsetters recognized in our July/August issue. In this episode, Meetings Today's Taylor Smith sat down for a conversation with Kristine Iverson, founder and president of CROW Practice, to learn about how she started her own live events wellne...

To celebrate our 2024 Meetings Trendsetters, Meetings Today is introducing "Trendsetter Tuesday," a podcast series of interviews with the 20 Trendsetters recognized in our July/August issue. For our first episode, Meetings Today's Taylor Smith sat down for a conversation with Alicia Jenelle, director of experience design at The Jenelle Group, to learn more about her story in meetings...

Omni Hotels & Resorts Chief Sales Officer Dan Surette talks about how the Dallas-based brand offers a change of pace from other major hotel companies, from its unique ownership model and meetings and events offerings to the new Select Guest Program and dedication to employee growth and retention. Surette also delves into recent and upcoming openings as well as what the hotel sales veteran sees...

A year after taking the reins of Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp (NCVC), 27-year NCVC vet Deana Ivey shares her in-depth Music City expertise and what’s new in the destination. With a new NFL stadium and dreams of hosting a Super Bowl, in addition to phenomenal hotel and event venue growth in the last few years, Music City is hotter than a plate of Nashville Hot Chicken. Discover what the...

And now for something completely different... Association meetings thought-leader KiKi L'Italien, editor-in-chief of Association Chat and VP of marketing and community engagement at Big Red M, has put together what promises to be quite the party bus experience to shuttle ASAE Annual Meeting & Expo attendees from suburban D.C. to the convention in Cleveland, with conviviality and general me...

On this episode of Fast Forward, host Logan Pratt interviews Stephen Cutchins, one of the foremost experts on accessibility in the meetings and events industry on what the future of accessibility looks like in the industry and how planners can better incorporate accessibility in their events. Stephen Cutchins joined Cvent in 2022 as senior manager of accessibility and has spent over 15 years helpi...

Meetings industry veteran Gary Hernbroth, chief motivating officer for Training for Winners and popular business events industry speaker, has co-authored Twist the Familiar , a book detailing the stories of high-achievers and how their journey can create authentic pathways to success. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson engaged Hernbroth about his new book as well as macro trends that are shaping...