Meetings Today Podcast

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.

Many organizations, and especially associations, are challenged by legislation and policies that are counter to the values of their members, such as "bathroom bills" and statewide measures outlawing abortion. The firm opposition to these laws leads some to consider cancelling their meetings in the destinations in which the laws were passed.  But cancelling or moving meetings can lead to legal...

From a new hockey arena to expanded airlift and its ever-present roster of top spas and golf resorts, Greater Palm Springs has emerged from the pandemic reinvigorated to win meetings and conventions business. Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson talked with Carolina Viazcan, vice president of sales for Visit Greater Palm Springs, to discover what’s new up and down the Coachella Valley, and how groups t...

Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson touches base with Lori Cassidy and Pam Kressley, 30-year hospitality industry veterans who  just launched an incentive travel option that greatly simplifies the reward process while multiplying travel options for both awarders and awardees. And if exclusive resorts and luxe cruises don't do the trick, companies can even launch their high-performing incentive wi...

Meetings industry veteran Kevin Iwamoto, chief customer officer and head of enterprise for meetings technology company Bizly, has occupied top positions in meetings industry organizations, from president of NBTA (now GBTA) in the wake of 9/11 to senior-level positions on Hewlett-Packard’s global travel and meetings team and Disney. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson spoke with him about stereotypes a...

Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson chats with KiKi L'Italien, host of Association Chat podcast and senior consultant with Tecker International, about ASAE's Annual Meeting & Exposition, including the successes and challenges of its stringent COVID-19 testing policy (COVID spoiler alert!), as well as a unique new CSR option that encourages association attendees to contribute to organizations that...

IMEX America has always had a robust educational program, but is now embarking on a three-year strategy to consolidate and redesign the offering. Helping shepherd the process is Tahira Endean, an industry veteran and former head of events for SITE who was recently hired as IMEX Group's Head of Programme. Carrying the theme "Pathways to Clarity," IMEX America will kick off October 10 in Las Vegas w...

Many planners think a hybrid event is simply a program that ties together a single in-person event with a simultaneous digital component. Think again! Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson talks with Cvent's Rachel Andrews, senior director, Global Meetings & Events, and Patrick Smith, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, about their experience producing the hospitality tech giant's Cve...

Dallas is embarking on a $2 billion convention center expansion that will also result in a new downtown entertainment district and neighborhood. Visit Dallas President & CEO Craig Davis goes over the details of this massive project that will reposition the city as a top meetings and conventions draw.