Trending
Events Industry Adapts 1 Year After Marriott Commission Cuts
The one-year anniversary of the Marriott commission cuts brings guest experience to the forefront of all hoteliers minds.
Instagram vs. Reality: Five Event-Planning Lessons to Learn From the Failed Fyre Festival
Netflix and Hulu documentaries demonstrate Fyre Festival’s superb social marketing efforts and poor planning.
5 Ways to Use Pantone’s Color of the Year, Living Coral, at Your Next Event
From table settings to signage and cocktail drinks, here's how Pantone's vivacious 2019 Color of the Year, Living Coral, can be incorporated into the details
F&B Trends: Smaller Portions, Global Flavors, Small-Batch Rum, Craft Sodas
Brian Stapleton, vice president of food & beverage at Aramark, talks rising F&B trends and costs in the hospitality industry.
Timo Kiuru: 5 Things Every Public Speaker Secretly Hopes Event Profs Would Do
Timo Kiuru begins his monthly column series with Connect writing about what conference speakers like himself are thinking when working with planners.
Trending Now: Specialty Food Bars
Specialty food bars should be on the top of every event planner’s list of opportunities in 2019.
5 Takeaways from PCMA Convening Leaders
The future of events was the talk of the PCMA event held in Pittsburgh.
19 Trends to Watch in 2019
Experts agree events will grow in 2019, but what does that mean for trends throughout the industry?
Destinations
City Spotlight: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Tom Bennett, vice president of sales and services at Experience Grand Rapids, shares secrets about what to do in the River City.
Incentives
Meetings Uncorked in Napa Valley
With a host of resorts that offer memorable venues, Napa Valley draws cheers for meetings.
4 Reasons to Add Nemacolin Woodlands Resort to Your List
Nemacolin, north of Pittsburgh, provides an ideal backdrop for exclusive meetings and events.
5 Reasons to Meet at The Bahamas
The Bahamas evokes images of bright blue water, miles of beaches and mega resorts—making it ideal for incentives and intimate meetings.
F&B
Trending Now: Specialty Food Bars
Specialty food bars should be on the top of every event planner’s list of opportunities in 2019.
Strategy
How SMM Managers Can Drive Better Results
Why is a meetings management policy not being readily adopted? Ben Hoeksma & Laura Konwinski tackle the issue here.
6 Critical Steps for an Unforgettable Corporate Golf Outing
Sean Petersen, the founder of Golf Junkie, shares his six tips for a successful, large corporate golf outing.
How to Stop Overspending on Audiovisual for Events
Endless Events Founder Will Curran says knowledge is power when accounting for audiovisual costs in your event’s budget.
A Hand for Tipping
There are no universal rules for rewarding your vendors. Here are some tipping basics for doing it right.
How to Think Like a Startup
Many traditions born from startup culture go far beyond mere incentives in order to honor each individual employee’s contribution and dedication to the
Human Trafficking 101: See Something, Say Something
What you don’t know about human trafficking can hurt you.
How to Engage the Power of Informal Networks
It is imprudent for you to underestimate the power of informal networks by saying they are merely “nice-to-have.”
Andy Core’s Top 5 Tips To Achieve More
Author, motivational speaker and productivity expert Andy Core shares how to manage stress and achieve more.
How to Get the Most Out of a 20-Minute Workout
You unexpectedly have time for a 20-minute workout, and you’d love to cram some exercise in. But is 20 minutes really long enough to get a decent workout?
How to Use Songwriting in Teambuilding
Teambuilding exercises get stale and can make them an ineffective attendee nightmare. Award-winning composer, Billy Kirsch, suggests using songwriting
How to Understand and Use VR and AR
Late to the VR/AR party? Jim Spellos shares everything you need to know about the altered-reality technologies changing the way we experience things.
How to Remove Clutter to Keep Attendees’ Attention
An elite planner sits down with a behavioral scientist about removing clutter to retain attendees’ attention.
Tech
6 Helpful Apps Meeting Planners Should Download
From learning a new language to getting compensation for lost luggage, here are six free apps you didn’t know you needed.
A Guide to the Artificial Intelligence Galaxy
Artificial intelligence is the future, but it's not as distant as you may think. Follow this guide to learn five ways AI is changing the way we live and
How to Reach Generation Z on Social Media
Social media expert Alex Plaxen demystifies how Generation Z communicates online—and how to use that information to build a targeted marketing strategy.
Concept3D Adds Dimensions to Exploring Convention Centers
Concept3D, based in Denver, creates immersive online experiences for convention centers, through three-dimension mapping.
7 Essential Elements Every Event App Should Include
Connect speaker Brandt Krueger reviews the most important features any event app should include.
Q&A With the Founders of Event Tech Tribe
Founders Leonora Valvo and Marie-Claire Andrews discuss their careers, how they found Event Tech Tribe and their opportunity to launch women into the event
People
25 Things You Didn’t Know About Rhanee Palma
You know and love Vice President of Sales and Services for Visit Oakland Rhanee Palma, but here are 25 things you may find intriguing about the 10-year
Videos
The Whitley Adds Casual Luxury to Buckhead
David Friederich, Managing Director of The Whitley, explains how his hotel is brining casual luxury to Buckhead, Atlanta.
This Just Happened: May 7-14
Orlando World Center Marriott sets a new standard in produce; look for a more iconic experience aboard the observation wheel in Orlando; Park MGM takes
The American Hotel in Atlanta Merges Past With Present
A new $16 million renovation pays homage to The American Hotel’s place in history. The property was the first integrated hotel in Downtown Atlanta.
Site Visit: The William Vale, Brooklyn
Sebastien Maingourd. general manager of The William Vale, discusses how the 183-room hotel had adopted the feel of its vibrant Brooklyn neighborhood.
How Virtual Reality Advances Storytelling
Annie Eaton, founder and CEO, Futurus, and Ed Thomas, mobile and emerging tech product lead, CNN, discuss using virtual reality to tell your brand's story.
Hyatt Regency Maui’s Exec Chef on Going Local
Greg Grohowski, Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa's executive chef, describes the hotel's approach to food simply: "where farm to table comes to life."