Meetings Today Podcast

Tyler Davidson details some of the top stories of the week from Meetings Today, including our latest installment of Meetings Horror Stories , Joan Eisenstodt's blog post on F&B cost-control and an article on an event special effects company that brings the WOW and cuts the red tape. [Also Mentioned: My Lunch With Tom Sietsema, Washington Post Food Critic ] Enjoying this episode?  View mor...

Tyler Davidson talks with Alon Alroy, co-founder of cloud-based event management software company Bizzabo , about disruption in the meetings and events industry due to the forces of marketing ROI, data collection and analytics. Plus: Alroy's take on trends to look out for in the near future. Enjoying this episode?  View more episodes of the Meetings Today Podcast!  

Tyler Davidson chats with the trailblazing Will Curran , "chief event Einstein" at Endless Events and a meetings and events cross-platform content machine. Learn why podcasting is so important to meeting planners, and how to identify the warning signs that you are about to get fleeced for your event Wi-Fi service. [Related Content: How to Use Gamification to Influence Attendee Behavior ] Enjoying...

Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson details some of the top stories of the week, including big news from Destinations International’s Annual Conference , tips for executing a successful hosted-buyer event and how to make sure your feet—and the rest of you— hold up on the road.   Enjoying this episode?  View more episodes of the Meetings Today Podcast!  

Tyler Davidson talks with Hilton's Daniella Foster, senior director of corporate responsibility, and Carole Munroe, director of portfolio, loyalty and content, about the hotel chain's many charitable efforts as it celebrates its centennial. Enjoying this episode?   View more episodes of the Meetings Today Podcast! Don't have time to listen? Read the transcript here.

Editor Tyler Davidson talks about some of Meetings' Today's latest coverage, including stories on how to begin podcasting , hotel loyalty programs for meeting planners and news and a podcast episode from Cvent CONNECT. Get your week’s news in early with the Weekly Wrap! And also make sure to keep circling back to see  what's new on the Meetings Today website . Enjoying this episode?&nbsp...

When I spoke at the Insurance Marketing and Communications Association (IMCA) Annual Conference in Minneapolis in 2019, I was greeted by a member of the speaker selection committee. Bryan Byrd with the California Earthquake Association introduced himself as my ambassador. That meant he was helping me for the day. What a great program and one I hadn't seen before. Organizer Paula Negro shares the t...

Tyler Davidson checks in with recent coverage including our annual Meetings Trendsetters list , some actionable summer event design tips and onsite coverage of the opening of Disney's meetings-friendly Gran Destino Tower .  Enjoying this episode?  View more episodes of the Meetings Today Podcast!

Meetings Today Brand Director Jim Krotz checks in with Cvent CEO Reggie Aggarwal at Cvent CONNECT 2019 , the event tech company’s annual conference where it showcases new technology and hosts educational sessions for its customer base of event planners and industry suppliers. Aggarwal elaborates on a couple big announcements from the event—including its new interactive floor event maps and online...

While onsite for the grand opening of the new Gran Destino tower at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort , Danielle LeBreck sat down with Disney's Director of Convention Sales and Services, Amy Pfeiffer and Show Director at Disney Event Group, Alan Bruun to walk through the design of the property's newest meeting spaces and how groups can use them for events.

Sure, some hotels just put the gym into an empty guest room. Or it's a couple of machines in another room that was never meant to be a gym. But some travelers—including event attendees—have demanded more. In this episode, I'm chatting with Steve Conklin, of the Marriott Marquis Chicago , about how hotels in the Marriott Convention and Resort Network (CRN) are stepping up their gym game . For examp...

Chief Content Officer Christoph Trappe checked in with Drew Eckman, destination sales executive at Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel , to learn more about how the property is using plants and nature-inspired design to separate itself from the competition and encourage productivity. Enjoying this episode?  View more episodes of the Meetings Today Podcast!

Tyler Davidson discusses the massive Los Angeles Convention Center expansion project and what it means to the meetings industry with Discover Los Angeles' Darren Green and Paige Cram. The CVB is hitting the road with an attention-getting hologram station that shows off the project. Enjoying this episode?  View more episodes of the Meetings Today Podcast!

That ever-elusive idea of work-life balance seems to be on everyone’s cluttered mind in today’s hectic world. Meetings Today’s Lori Tenny took a breather with Deb Gee , experiential design lead for Lululemon, and Nova Browning Rutherford , workplace wellness facilitator, keynote speaker and media personality, for their mindful perspectives on achieving a healthy and sustainable work-life balance....

Christoph Trappe spoke with Keith Kehl, director of marketing and sales with The Westin Michigan Avenue in Chicago, about what it means to be part of Marriott's Convention & Resort Network (CRN) and the personalized meeting experiences the hotel can offer groups. Enjoying this episode?  View more episodes of the Meetings Today Podcast!

   Christoph Trappe asked Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile Executive Frank Sanchez to identify the things meeting planners should ask their executive chef or catering team about when planning an event. His responses cover the areas of sustainability, food labeling, local sourcing and menu customization. Enjoying this episode?  View more episodes of the Meetings Today Podca...

Destination DC President and CEO Elliott Ferguson talks with Jeff Heilman about the sector-driven Connected Capital strategy for meetings, the real D.C. for visitors and groups, and his new role as national chair of the U.S. Travel Association. Enjoying this episode?  View more episodes of the Meetings Today Podcast!  

News that PCMA CEO Sherrif Karamat, a Canadian citizen, has yet to obtain a post-hiring EB-2 Green Card, and that PCMA has posted his position on its job board, has led to a great deal of confusion at the association and in the industry. PCMA Chair of the Board of Directors Greg O'Dell fills in Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson on the situation and Karamat's status at the association. Also: Learn mo...

Tyler Davidson sits down with Tonya Almond, vice president of knowledge and experience with PCMA, to find out how meeting planners can incorporate the successes of PCMA EduCon 2019 into their meetings. EduCon is like a meetings laboratory, so listen to its key facilitator to discover the new trends and formats that may supercharge your programs.  Enjoying this episode?  View more episode...

Tyler Davidson talks with Kim Condon and Lauren Bachynski, from furniture—and research!—company Steelcase about its new " 5,000 People, 5,000 Personal Journeys " study with PCMA about meeting attendee psychology that will help guide planners in producing more-relevant meetings. Enjoying this episode?  View more episodes of the Meetings Today Podcast!

Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson talks with podcasting veteran Mike McAllen, of Podcasting4Associations , on how and why organizations should jump into the exploding podcasting scene to drive engagement and secure sponsorship revenue. It's basically free to begin, so don't be left out of the podcasting game! Enjoying this episode?  View more episodes of the Meetings Today Podcast!

Meetings Today's Danielle LeBreck chatted with Chief Content Officer Christoph Trappe about the Las Vegas Convention Center after he attended the annual American Institute of Architects (AIA) conference there in 2019. While Trappe has attended a lot of Las Vegas meetings, it was his first time meeting at the Las Vegas Convention Center. He shares his thoughts on current state of the event space, t...

Tyler Davidson sits down with counterterrorism and security professional David Lau and risk management educator Alan Kleinfeld at MPI WEC 2019 to discuss what meeting and event planners as well as facility operators need to know to identify a possible active shooter, what security concerns to include in the RFP and site selection process, and how to react onsite if the unthinkable happens. [Relate...

Meetings Today editors Tyler Davidson and Danielle LeBreck just returned from a content-producing frenzy at MPI WEC Toronto. Check out our coverage— all in one place! —on the Meetings Today website. And probably the biggest news of the week, meetings industry fixture Michael Dominguez is leaving MGM Resorts  to take the top job at ALHI. A big congrats from all of here at Meetings Today, Mike!...

Tyler Davidson sat down with MPI CEO Paul Van Deventer at MPI WEC 2019 in Toronto following the association’s press conference. Van Deventer provided an update on what’s new with the organization and discussed its latest initiatives, including its work to fight against human trafficking.  Enjoying this episode?  View more episodes of the Meetings Today Podcast!