Eventful: The Podcast for Meeting Professionals

Dawn Penfold, an executive recruiter for the meetings industry, offers advice for event professionals.   The unprecedented job losses and economic damage caused by the pandemic shutdown have seriously impacted almost all areas of the meetings industry, as countless event professionals are now out of work or suddenly unsure about their futures. But while things might be unclear and even alarmi...

Michael Dominguez, president and CEO of Associated Luxury Hotels International, sees reasons for hope for the meetings industry — and not just in the distant future. "I see a light at the end of the tunnel and it's not another train coming at us," he says. How bright that light is depends on where you're located. "What's happening in New York, New Jersey and other states in that area is diff...

Meetings Mean Business Co-Chair Trina Camacho-London on how the industry must be proactive in the face of global challenges. Last Tuesday, April 14, was supposed to be Global Meetings Industry Day — the annual day of advocacy for in-person events in which groups around the world gather together to celebrate. But due to lockdowns and travel restrictions in response to COVID-19, that was not a...

Positive Impact Events' Fiona Pelham outlines how the events industry will need to get more strategic in the wake of the pandemic.   The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected the global economy, public health and the meetings industry in particular. And even as events return, it is likely that planners will face more questions on why an event must happen in person and feel greater pressur...

Crisis management expert Edward Segal shares his tips for getting through such unprecedented times.   These are challenging times for any meeting planner. But instead of being fearful of the economic upheaval brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, this is a time to focus on what can be done to survive the crisis and bounce back once it ends. That’s the advice of Edward Segal, a crisis-man...

Productivity guru David Allen offers tips on how to cut out wasted time at meetings and events. While the industry continues to reel from the COVID-19 pandemic, we thought we would pause the news onslaught and get back to basics: How do meetings help us get things done? Whether hosting a gathering in-person or from home, with five attendees or 5,000, there are some constants when it comes to makin...

These are unpredictable times, to say the least, with all signs pointing to a dramatic economic downturn. When conditions improve, many businesses will not look the same as they once did. Instead of just bracing yourself and hoping for the best, now is the time to take proactive steps to shore up your business. That’s the advice of Jonathan Slain, author of Rock the Recession, who in 2009 ha...

The world has been turned upside down in the past week by the spread of COVID-19, and even the most knowledgeable experts are unsure of what it will mean to the travel and meetings business in the months and even years ahead. But while such unpredictable times create challenges for forecasting about the future and the meetings industry specifically, upheaval and change also demand creative thinkin...

The fast spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) has led a large number of event and meeting organizers to ask tough questions about changes they might need to make to the event or whether it can be held at all. At the top of most of these lists: What are our options as far as insurance? While this often depends on the specific event and policy held by the organizer, there are some general rules of t...

Puerto Rico has seen more than its fair share of adversity in recent years. Just this year, it has experienced a 6.4-magnitude earthquake and thousands of smaller quakes and aftershocks since, as well as political unrest and protests. This as the destination is still recovering from the impact of Hurricane Maria in 2017 and the Zika virus before that. But as it has been hit by one challenge after...

Each day brings alarming headlines about the fast-spreading coronavirus, with the numbers of people infected and countries impacted rising steadily. Health concerns haven’t just halted travel in China, they’ve taken a toll on the global travel and meetings industry. In reality though, there’s no reason for meetings outside of China to be canceled, according to Dr. William Spangle...

Last year saw a surge of public interest in climate change — and the impact of travel and meetings on the environment. Since travel, consumption and producing waste are often components of large-scale gatherings, pressure is growing on events to find ways to reduce their carbon emissions. But how can we accomplish this goal when travel, consumption and waste are usually integral components t...

As we dive into a new decade, it’s a good time to stop and consider the value that events and the people who plan them provide — both in a direct, revenue-generating sense and in a more big-picture way. To discuss the evolving role of meeting planners, we spoke with Sherrif Karamat, CEO and president of the Professional Convention Management Association. Here he discusses why financial...

In a time of unpredictability, instability and security concerns, the meetings industry has proven surprisingly resilient, enjoying more than 10 straight years of growth. But while the outlook remains positive, it is important to maintain a sense of caution, as well. At the most recent Northstar Leadership Forum, held in Sea Island, Georgia, we had the chance to speak one-on-one with Roger Dow, pr...

The fast-changing legal status of cannabis has introduced some important issues for meeting professionals. These include ensuring that attendees know the rules on cannabis consumption in the meeting location, the proliferation of events related to the legal cannabis industry and what exactly CBD is — and how it can be integrated into an event. “Will we be seeing bud bars at receptions...

It's a phrase plenty of meeting planners have heard before: "meetings are boring." It's often true, but it doesn't have to be. What needs to change so that the audience is excited, engaged — and not tempted to check email?   For this episode of Eventful: The Podcast for Meeting Professionals, sponsored by Wynn Resorts, we speak with a pair of experts on busting up the typical boring mee...

Planning a med-pharma event requires navigating a complex maze of regulations and laws on the federal and state levels — not to mention new rules in a growing number of international destinations. But keeping your eye only on compliance can dull the engagement elements. Health-care professionals are people, too, and want to meet at memorable venues, hear great speakers and partake in fun act...

Fostering a sense of inclusion is of growing importance for any meeting or convention today, and key to accomplishing that is the selection of a destination. A city that creates a sense of welcome to attendees of a wide range of experiences and backgrounds can make the difference between an engaging, well-attended event and one that gets skipped. But what makes a destination “inclusive&rdquo...

Fiona Pelham, CEO of Positive Impact Events, discusses how business events can play a role in the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals, how climate change must be central to meeting and event planning strategy, and how we, as an industry, can adopt more sustainable behaviors in our professional and personal lives. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To understand how the youngest members of the workforce are approaching meetings differently than those who came before them, we speak with David and Jonah Stillman. David, a longtime researcher and expert on generational marketing, teamed up with his son Jonah (a member of Gen Z himself) to found Gen Z Guru. The two speak on the topic of how to connect to Gen Z employees and customers and are the...

From the producers of Eventful: The Podcast for Meeting Professionals, this special podcast episode, created in partnership with Wynn Resorts, focuses on how these innovations provide big benefits to corporate groups. Wynn Resorts Chief Sustainability Officer Erik Hansen discusses how this cutting-edge approach to energy procurement enhances meetings and events held at a Wynn property. He outlines...

Domestic cities offer cost savings and logistical ease compared to more far-flung options. But can they also work as an incentive destination — providing immersive experiences as motivating as any posh getaway? For this episode, we speak to experts from One10, BCD Meetings & Events and more to discuss how to make domestic cities succeed as incentive destinations. See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

Convention centers are changing. Rather than huge boxy buildings set on the outskirts of a city, ambitious new facilities are being fully integrated with their surrounding cities, putting attendees in the middle of the action, even if they spend much of the day on the trade show floor. Consider Seattle, where the Washington State Convention Center is in the midst of a transformation.  We spok...

Are your meetings and events welcoming environments for LGBTQ participants? The meetings industry has made progress, but there is plenty of room for improvement. In the latest episode, we spoke with Jim Clapes, conference and events manager for Drug Policy Alliance, who is also chair of the LGBT Meeting Professionals Association. He discussed how small changes — providing all-gender bathrooms, enc...

Innovation in the meetings industry is moving at a fast pace. New tools and creative solutions are making it easier than ever for planners to create impactful events and boost their bottom line. For today's episode, we speak with a pair of experts who have their fingers on the pulse of how the industry is using tech: Keith Johnston, managing partner of i3 and the person behind Plannerwire, and Mar...