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Inside IACC’s vision for a smarter, greener future in meetings and hospitality Attendees at this years 2025 IACC Americas Knowledge Exchange in College Station, Texas, were in for an exciting experience. Mark Cooper Smart Meetings Compared to last year, what made this year’s event different? Its all connected.
From AI to inflation, whats ahead for hospitality in the New Year In 2024, Michael Dominguez, CEO of Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI) , told the Smart Meetings community that the hospital industry was entering a new normal stage following the pandemic. The important thing is that when companies merge and acquire, they meet.
Hiltons 2025 Trends Report features a special section to spotlight the future of meetings and events. Hiltons 2025 Trends Report identifies the key takeaways for planners to meet the needs of their evolving audience. At the heart of the matter is building events that are welcoming and therefore inspire this maximization.
What attendee doesnt get excited about a great F&B setup at a meeting? What about a meeting immersed in enjoying the latest innovation in F&B? The outstanding ability to customize continues with the dining , with personalized menus and flexible beverage packages. Read More: What’s Wine Got to Do with It?
Avoid pitfalls and protect your event Contracts are the lifeblood and backbone of the meetings industry. Read More : Event Contracts: What to Watch in 2025 “The first thing I do when I review a contract is go through and put dollar signs everywhere that I find a fee or surcharge, so Im sure I captured them all, said Warner.
Data The meetings and events industry is projected to flourish in 2025, with meeting professionals expressing confidence in its future and noting planned increases in meetings budgets, as revealed in the 14th Annual Global Meetings and Events Forecast by Amex GBT Meetings & Events.
By Yaron Lipshitz, CEO of Prismm (previously Allseated) This time last year, the Meetings Industry PULSE Survey (Jan 2024) showed a surge in event tech investment with 46% of planners intending to increase their tech spending, despite a cost-conscious environment. People want to see a space before committing time to visit it in person.
For Nelson, its all about starting the conversation among event planners, attendees and, most importantly, venues to rethink how we orient networking and food and beverage. I’m an extrovert, I’m a speaker, I’m there to be involved in the meeting, be involved with the attendees, and I wasn’t doing it.
The Prices are Too Damn High Aguero put up a chart showing the prices of consumer products like electricity, airline fares, food, vehicles, childcare and more, highlighting that the price of everything has gone up. The post Preview Las Vegas 2025: A Capital of Multitudes appeared first on Smart Meetings.
Every new venue member undergoes a thorough audit across their business before joining the consortium, ensuring they meet our high standards. Our Learning and Development Academy has experienced a significant increase in delegate attendance in 2024, with a diverse range of courses designed to meet the evolving needs of the hospitality sector.
And, as always, the Forecast includes our Annual Meetings Market Survey , which gives us a strong sense of where we stand at this moment in time the ups, the downs, the challenges, and our overall mood. One of the five biggest business trends a Forbes story predicts for 2025 is a focus on customer experience.
In the early months of 2025, meeting professionals and their groups can expect an all-new Universal Orlando Resort Signature Collection property, Universal Helios Grand Hotel, a Loews Hotel. of meeting space. of meeting and function space, including two ballrooms, five breakout spaces and a 24-person Admiralty Boardroom.
Breaking down the company’s recent sustainability strategy International exhibition and convention center ExCel London is a carbon-neutral venue and an advocate for the path towards green meetings. There, over 300,000 worms convert leftover food waste into compost that is used in the center’s green spaces. At over 100,000 sq.
Local food, music, architecture and traditions shined through the events and experiences presented around the city ahead of Super Bowl LIX on Feb. Inside Toyotas 2025 Sequoia and Land Cruiser, attendees could co-star in a video alongside NFL stars Brock Purdy, Christian Gonzalez, Kyle Hamilton, Michael Pittman Jr. or Eli Manning.
And for the opening night concert, which takes place off-site, Salesforce team members meet up with first-timers to guide them to the venue. So we might have a 20-minute little food and beverage [experience] with here’s what to look out for this week, and here’s some tips and tricks from some of our alumni, says Preiss.
Professor Tyra Warner on the latest risk factors in this uncertain year From force majeure to data protection, meeting professionals are trying to cover the unexpected in contracts during what could be a tumultuous year for business and the economy. Instead, she sees menu prices being guaranteed closer to meeting dates.
Mahon is also a 2021 Smart Woman in Meetings: Innovator award winner. Phoenix Porcelli and James Frankis Phoenix Porchelli (left) and James Frankis (right), Convene Convene , a hospitality company that manages and designs meeting, event and office spaces, promotes two senior leadership team members. branded property in Louisiana.
Contract tips to keep in mind A quarter century into the second millennium, there are several things that remain constant: humans need food, water and shelter to survive; the law of gravity is still in play; and event contracts are still a necessity between meeting professionals and hospitality venues. We encourage you to book them.
Now in its second year, Skift Meetings Awards celebrate the industry’s most respected suppliers, setting the standard for excellence in business events. So, without any further ado, here are the 2024 Skift Meetings Awards winners! At Marriott, innovation transcends all aspects of the global business.
At several points of the day a long line could be seen stretched across the aisle with meeting professionals eager to have their headshot taken. In addition to this observation here at Smart Meetings, there were a host of other observations—as well as celebrations—we made on the second day of IMEX America 2024.
Smart Meetings chatted with Cheryl M. Payne, CMP, CMM, strategic partner at INNOV8 Meetings + Events , to get her take on the current marketplace and its impact on meeting planners, and some helpful tips and tricks planners should be looking at when drafting up a contract with a hotel or venue.
Highlights included experiential activations designed to inspire what comes next in designing better meetings. Download “Pathways to Clarity” a joint IMEX, Smart Meetings White Paper outlining the state of the meetings industry. The Smart Meetings team was on the expo floor getting updates and sharing snapshots of the action.
With many organizations in the midst of setting their travel and event budgets for 2025, the recently released Global Business Travel Forecast from business-travel and meetings agency CWT and the Global Business Travel Association provides data that planners can use to justify next year’s funding requests. hotel prices. .
It commends practices in the field of Food and Beverage, Energy and Water Conservation, Waste Management and Recycling, Corporate and Social Responsibility, and rooms, facilities and consumables. We especially like the “Carbon Neutral Meetings” initiative, says Perolls.
General Motors is headquartered in another tower—though the auto giant recently announced it will be moving in 2025 to a brand-new downtown development on the site of the former J.L. Summer Markets at Cadillac Square brings artisans, entrepreneurs, and food and beverage vendors to tempt you. Hudson Department Store.
Meet with Momentum Boston, the second installment of a new event series by Marriott that began this June, continued the brand’s mission to educate meeting and event planners in its redevelopment projects—from convention resorts to spaces to food and beverage—and to empower planners amid a booming return to meetings.
Expert negotiator tips for managing policy changes in uncertain times Other than expensive, unreliable Wi-Fi, there are few things meeting professionals hate more than uncertainty. Control What You Can Brittney Cobb, director of global events with INNOV8 Meetings + Events, tried to take an optimistic approach.
Another is Create Dining Studio , which adds to the dining experience by allowing diners to interact with chefs and watch their food be cooked and prepared. Read More : South Florida Meetings: Health, Wellness and Productivity. In 2025, Indianapolis will have added $1.7 Power Report appeared first on Smart Meetings.
Now you have been tapped to plan an offsite for the executive team, a quarterly all-staff meeting or a new product activation. We asked some of the people creating meeting magic today alongside the massive influx of new meeting designers that have come to the industry since Covid for tips on what to ask your partners and when to get started.
Highlights included experiential activations designed to inspire what comes next in designing better meetings. Download “Pathways to Clarity” a joint IMEX, Smart Meetings White Paper outlining the state of the meetings industry. The Smart Meetings team was on the expo floor getting updates and sharing snapshots of the action.
hosted by fandom merch brand BoxLunch, food allergy safetybut most importantly, food allergy inclusivity is in the spotlight. Its a stark reminder for event planners, as the nonprofit FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) reports food allergies affect 33 million Americans.
We spoke with her about what’s new for meeting planners in Branson and taking attendees beyond “sitting and being inside” syndrome. What’s new in Branson that would be of interest to meeting planners? The Hilton Convention Center hotel is slated for its refresh in 2025.
With more companies focusing on incorporating sustainability into their business events, Marriott International is prioritizing farm-to-table cuisine as a way to help planners minimize their meetings’ carbon footprint. In addition to sustainable F&B, Marriott is committed to green meetings through its EcoEvents initiative.
Expert negotiator tips for managing policy changes in uncertain times Other than expensive, unreliable Wi-Fi, there are few things meeting professionals hate more than uncertainty. Control What You Can Brittney Cobb, director of global events with INNOV8 Meetings + Events, tried to take an optimistic approach.
But Myers, now the executive director of catering, conventions and events for Caesars Palace Las Vegas, said she liked the “unpredictability of food and beverage. Plus, I love food and wine, so that was a huge portion of it.”. You don’t work nine to five — it’s minute by minute. Learn patience. Don’t make rash decisions.
Orlando ushers in a year of meetings innovation and excitement with new experiences and venues for planners to include in their agendas in 2025 and beyond. Universal Helios Grand Hotel , with a dedicated entrance into the new Universal Epic Universe, will open May 2025.
There were more reasons than ever to attend IMEX America 2016, the biggest three-day exposition for incentive travel, meetings and events, which concluded yesterday at Sands Expo and Convention Center at The Venetian | The Palazzo Las Vegas. Among the initiatives that IMEX America has introduced to meet this need is the EventTechTours.
Candle Fest additionally included a set by DJ Kyle Cooke, Winter Candy Apple-themed beverages, samples of PocketBac hand sanitizers and, naturally, photo ops next to the giant countdown candle. 5, 2025, the installation is dripping with dcor that evokes a classic French ball. Open through Jan. 1 in Florida.
The appointment of a new head chef emphasises The Murrayfield Experience’s commitment to delivering a world-class food and beverage experience, with a variety of tailored offerings available all year round. It celebrates partnerships championing local food, drink, and business partnerships.
Thinking about the Caribbean for your next meeting or incentive? Morgan 2025 Industrials Conference and addressed the overall impact on government travel, saying that the 2 to 3% of the carriers business from the U.S. Hiring on the Rise, but Skills Gap Remains: 47% expanded their workforce in 2024, and 36% plan to hire in 2025.
The theme was “Creating a Resilient and Sustainable Future for All” with officials addressing trade, investment, facilitation, the digital economy, clean energy and climate, health, gender equity and equality, along with anti-corruption and food security. A Powerful Meeting John R. More than 100,000 registered to follow along remotely.
What the Food Donation Improvement Act Means for Events A new federal law could make it easier to donate unused food from a conference to those in need. An estimated 40% of the food produced in the U.S. We want the food to be handled properly and safely,” says Second Servings founder and President Barbara Bronstein. “We
Why free time, authenticity and immersion are redefining program inclusions What are the latest trends emerging for incentive travel 2025 and beyond? Only 8% of North American corporate and agency buyers report decreased activity over 2024 and 2025, and only 6% have reported decreases for 2026.
Modernity and history entwined to welcome European meeting professionals The best ideas happen when diverse points of view come together. Read More: MPI Gears Up for EMEC 2025 in Turkiye The country is a tapestry of seven distinct regions, each offering its own culinary, cultural and even dancing traditions. billion in revenue and 62.2
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