Smart Meetings

MARCH 7, 2025

Mike Dominguez, president and CEO of Associated Luxury Hotels International ( ALHI ), highlighted a significant wave of upcoming renovations and new builds, many of which are on track for completion by 2028. Dominguez pointed to data showing that, on average, hotels currently have 14.5

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Smart Meetings

NOVEMBER 26, 2024

Since her mother was traveling in the 1990s, laws have changed to require hotels to contract for ADA rooms, guaranteeing they will be available when the person arrives, rather than making it upon request. ADA law requires that hotels offer equal accessible transportation for any other transportation available.

Transportation 246

Transportation 2024 Contracts Speakers 246

Smart Meetings

OCTOBER 4, 2018

Nearly 2,500 Marriott hotel workers at seven downtown San Francisco properties walked off their jobs Thursday morning, threatening to disrupt the city’s busy fall convention season. Francis San Francisco on Union Square chanting, “No contract? Moscone Center is currently the site of IDWeek, a health care conference.

Hotels 229

Hotels Contracts 2018 Technology 229

Smart Meetings

NOVEMBER 4, 2024

Meet the Experts Ellie Hurley, events director at Financial and Insurance Conference Professionals (FICP), has spent the past three years leading FICP’s event-specific approach to sustainability and social impact and also holds the Sustainable Event Professional Certificate (SEPC) from Events Industry Council (EIC).

Sustainability 219

Sustainability Event Planning Hotels Travel 219

EventMB

JUNE 27, 2022

If you thought event contracts were tricky before the pandemic, buckle up for even more complications. In 2020, executing the force majeure clause in a contract was fairly straightforward. Performing the activities stipulated in the contract had been made impracticable. A lot of contracts don’t specify that.

Contracts 185

Contracts 2022 Hotels Government 185

Smart Meetings

JANUARY 4, 2019

However, leaving audio visual (AV) equipment services to the end could be a costly mistake, especially when negotiating these services with a hotel. Many hotel contracts mandate use of an in-house AV provider and contain clauses prohibiting use of other vendors or charge for the privilege of using the planner’s preferred vendor.

Negotiating 206

Negotiating Hotels Contracts Food and Beverage 206

Endless Events

NOVEMBER 15, 2021

Let’s take the skill of hotel contract negotiations ; novice planners tend to feel overwhelmed by the nitty-gritty details of hotel contracts and often learn as they go. If you’re planning a conference, it’s very likely you’ll need to contract and negotiate a hotel room block for your attendees.

Contracts 126

Contracts Hotels Negotiating Food and Beverage 126

Smart Meetings

NOVEMBER 13, 2024

With all of this in mind, they knew that Meydenbauer Center , Bellevue’s conference center, alongside other activation spaces throughout the city, worked to meet those needs. How working with the CVB helps meet attendee needs When planners work with the local CVB of their chosen destination, communication is key.

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2024 Tech Transportation Negotiating 211

Smart Meetings

FEBRUARY 27, 2023

Do you need to find new monetary sources for conferences, conventions and trade shows? Give attendees a discount code on the last day of the conference that is only good for the next 30 days. Establishing the conference fee, contracting with the venue and locking the dates will require some effort.

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Conference Sponsorships Trade Shows Insurance 279

Smart Meetings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2023

A 7-Step Process A true process will go beyond RFP sourcing and site selection, contracting and negotiations. It should connect all the phases of conference planning, prevent unforeseen obstacles and set a solid foundation for the conference’s success. Procurement isn’t just about finding the cheapest option.

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Conference Site Selections Negotiating Contracts 246

Smart Meetings

FEBRUARY 21, 2025

Meeting planners are responsible for the success of corporate events, conferences, and incentive programs. Hotels, CVBs, and destinations looking to attract more group business, need to understand the top pain points of meeting planners.

Meetings 130

Meetings Sustainability Contracts Tech 130

Smart Meetings

OCTOBER 15, 2018

Denise Mope Hotel Crescent Court in Dallas’s Uptown neighborhood added Mope as director of sales and marketing. He’s based in Thailand and will help planners with site selection and contract negotiation throughout the Asian market. He climbed the ladder from director of operations at the hotel.

Hotels 180

Hotels Site Selections Airlines 2015 180

Velvet Chainsaw

NOVEMBER 16, 2022

The meeting rooms you contracted for may have been double booked. Overloaded account and project managers — Nearly every hotel, general service contractor, AV, and registration company had to lay off a significant number of client-facing team members. What are some other ways you have dealt with staff shortages at your conferences?

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Conference Food and Beverage 2022 Hotels 195

GEVME

JUNE 13, 2018

The unique story of any conference should begin with the goal and then a detailed plan on how to reach this goal. In his article for Smashing magazine , the founder of HybridConf, Zach Inglis, states that the aim of every conference organiser should be to create experiences that reenergize people and fill them with new zeal for their work.

Conference Planning 200

Conference Planning Conference Speakers Advertising 200

Smart Meetings

OCTOBER 23, 2023

A Renewed Group Focus “Just hold the contracted meetings that are on the books and minimize the cancellations that have occurred in prior years due to the pandemic, economic uncertainty and a general reluctance to hold in-person meetings,” said Dan Piotrowski, senior vice president of operations for Omni Hotels. “If

2024 264

2024 Meetings Contracts Hotels 264

Smart Meetings

DECEMBER 16, 2024

Our webinars, the Knowledge Exchange, brought us essential insights on AI, incentives, wellness and contracts, just to name a few! In 2024, we invited industry experts to offer their insights, tips and trends to help planners create the best event possible.

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2024 Healthcare Contracts Travel 130

Event Marketer

OCTOBER 4, 2023

The city’s challenges related to homelessness, crime and drugs are part of a combination of factors that are impacting the city’s event business, with a number of big tech conferences announcing historic moves out of the city and to Las Vegas. And the hotels are beautiful in San Francisco. We can’t easily change the size of our hotels.

Travel 306

Travel 2024 2026 2025 306

Smart Meetings

NOVEMBER 15, 2022

After two years of not meeting, companies and audiences may have different goals and expectations so conferences that were previously produced as simple iterations on the previous years’ event must now be reinvented whole cloth. Once the contract has been signed, the tough talk doesn’t stop. By the Numbers. Jeff Calmus. Tell a Story.

Financial 245

Financial Insurance Medical Meetings Contracts 245

Smart Meetings

DECEMBER 13, 2018

Three weeks after Hyatt Corporation confirmed that it would cut planner commissions, thereby following the lead of three other large hospitality companies, Meeting Planners Unite held its first conference in Washington, D.C. Some CVBs have also offered to make up the difference. He is negotiating with transportation companies, as well.

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2019 Meetings Insurance Negotiating 223

Smart Meetings

AUGUST 2, 2024

Whether the playing field is national politics, a Southern California crime scene or a hotel contract negotiation, leading with love, empathy and respect is the fast track to building relationships across what might otherwise feel like unfathomable divides, according to keynote Corporal Ryan Tillman.

Contracts 264

Contracts Negotiating 2023 Conference 264

Smart Meetings

OCTOBER 3, 2023

How can you word the hotel contract to protect your company? You want to give as many details as possible about who, what, when, why, everything about your program to the hotel,” Poole said. Hotels are being inundated right now with RFPs and they hit the decline button real quick.” What should you include in the RFP?

Negotiating 264

Negotiating Contracts Hotels Consulting 264

MeetingsNet

JUNE 18, 2020

One of the best-attended sessions of the 17th annual Pharma Forum conference for medical-event planners, held virtually this year from June 15-19, was “Meetings Contracts in the Post-COVID Era.” In other words, the cleaning protocols listed in the contract are solely the responsibility of the property to fulfill and monitor.

Contracts 114

Contracts Negotiating Financial Travel 114

Planning Pod

JANUARY 10, 2021

Hotel sales, banquet and private event managers know what it’s like to work under pressure. Whether they’re responding to new prospects, following up with them for contract signatures or chasing down clients for payments or vital input for their event, there is rarely any free time in their schedule. Planning Pod can help.

Hotels 148

Hotels Event Management Management Contracts 148

Smart Meetings

NOVEMBER 14, 2024

She brings over two decades of experience managing high-profile conferences across various industries, spending the last decade of her career as president of events at Digiday, where she oversaw a team responsible for producing some of the media industry’s most influential gatherings.

Tourism 130

Tourism Food and Beverage Hospitality Hotels 130

Smart Meetings

DECEMBER 7, 2018

That is why he strongly recommends planners include indemnification clauses in their contacts, ensuring hotels and third parties take on as much of the risk as possible. The most common mistake Howe sees planners make is that they don’t read their contracts. Contracts are self-inflicted wounds,” he says. Do Your Homework.

Contracts 209

Contracts Insurance Hotels Fashion 209

Eventinterface

JULY 27, 2016

Obviously, you want the most impressive facility for your conference. Here are a few questions or issues to be aware of as you search for your next conference venue. You can market the conference as an opportunity for checking out the town and its attractions, restaurants, museums and entertainment and shopping district.

Venues 157

Venues Conference Negotiating Contracts 157

Smart Meetings

NOVEMBER 14, 2024

She brings over two decades of experience managing high-profile conferences across various industries, spending the last decade of her career as president of events at Digiday, where she oversaw a team responsible for producing some of the media industry’s most influential gatherings.

Tourism 130

Tourism Hospitality Food and Beverage Hotels 130

Event Marketer

JULY 12, 2021

Inadequate staffing at venues and hotels is the No. When asked, “If you are working with hotels and venues for future meetings or events, are you experiencing any of these difficulties? Select all that apply,” 39.69% of event marketers said a lack of adequate staffing at hotels and similar event venues is their top concern.

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2021 2020 Event Marketing Hotels 334

GEVME

JUNE 27, 2018

Every conference starts with an idea. Whether it’s increasing awareness about a niche-related issue or building a platform for new ideas, your goal will define the vision of your conference. Your ideal picture of a conference venue shouldn’t be tied to a nice, accessible locale only. When to start looking for a venue.

Conference 149

Conference Venues Food and Beverage Transportation 149

Smart Meetings

NOVEMBER 14, 2024

She brings over two decades of experience managing high-profile conferences across various industries, spending the last decade of her career as president of events at Digiday, where she oversaw a team responsible for producing some of the media industry’s most influential gatherings.

Tourism 130

Tourism Hospitality Food and Beverage Hotels 130

MeetingsNet

NOVEMBER 16, 2023

engine is impressive, but planners need to understand how best to use its contracts section and how human expertise is still required. of Grimes Law Offices, LLC, the legal contracts section of the Spark platform should be approached with care. For example, he asked the system for an overbooking clause for a group hotel contract.

Contracts 103

Contracts Meetings Hotels Transportation 103

Smart Meetings

NOVEMBER 14, 2024

She brings over two decades of experience managing high-profile conferences across various industries, spending the last decade of her career as president of events at Digiday, where she oversaw a team responsible for producing some of the media industry’s most influential gatherings.

Tourism 130

Tourism Hospitality Food and Beverage Hotels 130

Smart Meetings

NOVEMBER 14, 2024

She brings over two decades of experience managing high-profile conferences across various industries, spending the last decade of her career as president of events at Digiday, where she oversaw a team responsible for producing some of the media industry’s most influential gatherings.

Tourism 130

Tourism Hospitality Food and Beverage Hotels 130

Smart Meetings

OCTOBER 12, 2022

Events Industry Council (EIC) in partnership with its global EIC Equity Task Force, released the results of its 2022 Equity Benchmarking Study at an IMEX press conference. At this new conference center, there are no restaurants, says Director of Group Sales Louis Gonzales. “It DEI Task Force Marks Starting Point for Improvements.

2022 293

2022 Airlines Hotels Tourism 293

Smart Meetings

NOVEMBER 14, 2024

With all of this in mind, they knew that Meydenbauer Center , Bellevue’s conference center, alongside other activation spaces throughout the city, worked to meet those needs. How working with the CVB helps meet attendee needs When planners work with the local CVB of their chosen destination, communication is key.

2024 130

2024 Tech Transportation Negotiating 130

Smart Meetings

NOVEMBER 15, 2024

She brings over two decades of experience managing high-profile conferences across various industries, spending the last decade of her career as president of events at Digiday, where she oversaw a team responsible for producing some of the media industry’s most influential gatherings.

Hospitality 130

Hospitality Tourism Hotels Food and Beverage 130

Smart Meetings

FEBRUARY 8, 2024

Meet with Momentum debuted in May 2021 to promote the distinction among Marriott CRN’s leading hotels and resorts, and each event is different. Room availability is a challenge; hotels are struggling to manage huge demand. In the face of these challenges, hotels are reimagining how they do business. And prioritize.

Meetings 246

Meetings Trade Shows Contracts Sustainability 246