These stories dive behind-the-scenes of events. Prone to hiccups as events are, there are numerous tips to glean and lessons to learn. Read on to get the inside scoop.
The truth of large-scale corporate catering is that the chaos lives in the prep window, and the calmest day in the operation is the day of the event itself, if you have built the architecture correctly underneath it. A 2,800-guest Diwali showcase highlighted the planning and deliberation that goes into creating traditional dishes at scale.
Hospitality and Sales Management Association International (HSMAI) Las Vegas Chapter recently held an event at Caesars Palace, where wellness was placed front and center.
Formerly known as a destination marketing organization (DMO), Visit Salt Lake has since dropped the word “marketing” from its name, moving from a “destination marketing organization” to a “destination, sales and experience organization” (DSXO).
Held at Washington Hilton, the annual Dr. Robert H. Goddard Memorial Dinner gathers more than 2,000 leaders across government, aerospace and academia to honor innovation at the highest level.
In a discussion with J.J. Wills, senior vice president of marketing programs and business development at ConferenceDirect, we highlight the purpose of the organization’s inaugural event, challenges and successes, and lessons learned.
The North American-based trade association, the American Bus Association (ABA), brought 2,800 attendees from the motorcoach, charter bus, group travel and tourism industries to the Reno-Sparks Convention Center for its Marketplace 2026 event.
After three years of cancelled events, Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) brought back its annual gathering, this time with a rebrand.
Among all the technological advancements at CES 2024, Walmart attended the tech tradeshow to showcase its tech-forward developments at the tech tradeshow for the first time.
Indoor Ag has been taking place in Las Vegas for 11 years. Even after more than a decade of operating, the event continues to find new ways to connect the farming community.
Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) rebranded its annual event to Leaders Conference, with a focus on bringing together leaders in the all medical fields.
The first annual Oakland Style was created by Visit Oakland to celebrate the vibrancy and creativity of the city known as “The Town.” The event aimed to focus on the positive characteristics of Oakland, such as its vibrant artistic culture and thriving culinary scene.
Wichita is home to many innovative creations, tech companies and engineers. FlagshipKansas.Tech’s Ad Astra Technology Summit, now in its second year, is held there and was designed to bring together a diverse set of voices in Kansas’ tech sector.
Last year, National Association of Music Merchants had to cancel its annual shows amid myriad challenges. What followed is a tale of resilience, positivity and a burning desire to make things happen.
Walmart and Sam’s Club associates met in Fayetteville, Arkansas, for the 2022 Associates Week, June 1-3. For the first time since 2019, more than 14,000 domestic and international associates came together in person for a singularly inspiring experience.
The pivot to digital events over the last year revealed that a lot of value delivered at face-to-face meetings can effectively be online. One of the big exceptions, however, was incentive programs. Julie Sibthorp, senior director of corporate meeting and events with CHG Healthcare (and a Smart Woman in Meetings Award winner) shared the thought process behind the company’s graceful pirouette to an alternative celebration.
Visit Orlando hosted a three-day virtual FAM last week for more than 600 planners, showing off what’s new and safe at Orange County Convention Center and a panoply of hotels and resorts.
Sometimes a run-of-the-mill virtual award show is not going to cut it. Veritas Technologies created an interactive, opulent virtual VIP environment to deliver a star-studded awards experience.
How do you keep an annual event fresh? Smart Meetings asked Sharon Bonner, founder of Bright Ideas Events, after she staged a ball for 1,500 employees.
How does a small team plan and execute a seller conference for 18,500 Cisco sellers and help save the planet at the same time? In a word, partnerships.
What better way to celebrate the impact of incentive travel than by producing an event that brought the “wow” of a motivational experience to life? Smart Meetings asked Barrie Hanlon, vice president of marketing for Florida with 360 Destination Group, to share a glimpse behind the stage for Incentive Research Foundation’s 26th annual education event at Loews Miami Beach Hotel.
How can a nonprofit, nonpartisan group focused on bringing 1,800 people together from across the country pull off a win with a skeleton staff?
We have all been there. A spectacular event has been in the planning stages for months. We have enlisted the top talent in the industry to create an experience unlike any other, but the day of the event, Mother Nature has different ideas.
Smart Meetings interviewed Nondie Jemison, special event sales manager for the venue, about how a brand known for animating even the wildest planner dreams breaks new ground.
Sometimes, you don’t know something is broken until you fix it. Smart Meetings sat down with American Bakers Association Education Manager Pippa O’Shea and Senior Director of Meetings and Education Samantha Moore to find out how the two convinced a group of 250 cookie- and cracker-makers to add a little chaos into an annual conference that had been meeting for 94 years.
Introducing new employees to a company’s way of operating is a critical job. Smart Meetings sat down with Megan Faretta, regional training coordinator for Turner Construction Company, which onboards as many as 1,000 new employees every year, to talk about a meeting that ventured into uncharted territory.
Events have the power to bring the world closer together. To find out how a two-person marketing team wowed 500 current and prospective clients with world-class experiences in seven floating venues, Smart Meetings interviewed Som Puangladda, vice president of global marketing for ad tech company GumGum, which uses artificial intelligence to unlock value in web images and videos.
We sat down with Erin Scholes, president of SD Meetings & Events, to talk about the work that goes on behind the scenes at the California STEAM Symposium.
For a fresh take on how to throw a fund-raiser that brings in millions of dollars for a serious cause and raises the bar on high-profile, event-as-performance-art, Smart Meetings sat down with Sally Dewhurst, vice president at UKNY Productions.
All planners take the job of protecting attendees seriously. However, some industries put more emphasis on risk management than others. Smart Meetings interrogated Joanne Orlando, account manager at Total Event Resources, about tips for making safety and fail-safe execution centerpieces of an annual event.
