Meant to mirror the world in its hue, Pantone’s color of 2022 exits its isolation like morning light across the sky—the color of dawn; like the daylight-touched ocean waters as you rise to the surface through a blur of layers of blue; like forget-me-not petals in bloom. We, too, are emerging.

PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri was announced as Pantone’s Color of the Year 2022 several days ago, after careful deliberation by Pantone Color Institute, the company’s business unit. The color is a new shade of periwinkle blue we haven’t seen before from Pantone—a fitting prelude to the promise of the new year after another full of unprecedented change.

“Trusted and Beloved Blue”: Why PANTONE 17-3938

The color comes as an eclectic mix of feeling with qualities of the bluest blues and its violet-red undertone. And this peaceful and grounded yet spirited duality of color is a timely representation of the state of our world, as well as what we wish it to be in the coming months—brimming with possibilities. Very Peri brings a dynamic tone to the global social conscious, intricately representative of the zeitgeist of the current moment, as Pantone puts it. Very Peri resembles the versatility and novelty of the digital, virtual and hybrid whereto we’ve stretched our previous limits.

Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of Pantone Color Institute, stated, “Very Peri illustrates the fusion of modern life and how color trends in the digital world are being manifested in the physical world and vice versa.”

It has been a year of even more new approaches, tactics and advancements in tech to meet the needs of a new world. Life just isn’t as it was—and it probably never will be. But that possibility should not instill dejection and reservation, according to Eiseman, but rather, it ought to inspire multitudinous potentialities for inquisitive curiosity and a strength that drives our collective continued betterment into the new year. New tech, textures and effects influence color and our relationship to it.

Very Periwinkle Events: How to Use the Color

This year’s choice is an elegant shade that stabilizes palettes of nearly all moods and themes. Its both cool and warm undertones play well with others and give the color a transitional disposition. Pantone has delicately crafted several color combinations to help spark creativity when piecing together your own palettes for meetings and events. This year’s color opens the door to options, just as we’ve made the unparalleled, ironically rapid evolution as a global collective in the midst and wake of the pandemic, developing shared solutions across industries.

Where event planners may typically look to their own company colors when organizing and decorating an event, ask yourself how the new color of the year might fit right in with your own. Colors are not always permanent, says Kate Patay, CPCE, Smart Meetings’ Smart Style ambassador and the chief strategy officer of her own firm, Patay Consulting. The brand strategist and event consultant has observed that a shade typically has a lifecycle of around four years before it becomes intrusive and fades into the pop-cultural background for a while. Instead of living and dying by the color of the year, Patay recommends adding Very Peri as a pop of color to floral arrangements, lighting and stage design, for instance.

Very Peri could steal the show or act as a unifying shade that gracefully blends into those beside it. In and around centerpieces, for table linens and chairs, from monochrome backdrops to the finest accents—Very Peri is a powerful yet subtle addition to your 2022 color scheme, keeping events bright and sophisticated.

It’s time to nominate the 2022 class of Smart Women in Meetings.

Do you know a woman in the industry who deserves special recognition? Perhaps, she has worked tirelessly to lead and inspire your team through the trials of the pandemic; maybe she is a fearless advocator for equality, equity and inclusion in the workplace. She could be the new intern who approaches every task with a smile. Whoever it is that comes to mind, we want to know them.

Please take a moment to share their names and what makes them special at the link below.

Nominate a Smart Woman Today! Click Here

Those selected as our next cohort of leaders will be featured in our Women’s Issue in March and honored at the 2022 Smart Woman Summit in a number of categories, including Visionary, Industry Leader, Innovator, Entrepreneur and Rising Star.

(Psst.. Check out last year’s feature here!)

The meetings industry is facing the potential of a winter Covid surge due to the Omicron variant. But the shaky state of the pandemic’s retirement is hardly a reason for business travel and tourism to return to lockdown.

At this point, epidemiologists, virologists and immunologists say is still difficult to draw any conclusions largely because the scientific community is waiting for peer-reviewed evidence and a broader sample pool. Researchers are learning more about the virus, and there is reason to be cautiously optimistic.

Variant Detection and Vaccination Success: It’s Time to Get Your Booster Shot

On Dec. 15, Omicron was reported to have reached almost 70 countries, and the U.K. is quickly rivaling South Africa for dominance as the number of new Omicron cases there climbs by as high as 200,000 a day. As of Dec. 12, over 50 million Covid cases were reported coronavirus in the U.S.—and the Omicron variant is believed to make up nearly 3 percent of those domestic cases.

In the last two weeks, preliminary tests have taught us a few things and given insight as to what’s next for the event and travel industries. Researchers are still working with low numbers in Omicron comparative studies, but preliminary data from test manufacturers and government researchers maintains that PCR and rapid tests do not show any signs of a decreased success in detecting the Omicron variant. Vaccines are still believed to be “considerably protective” against the most severe Covid symptoms, such as hospitalization and death; but vaccines are less successful in protecting against Omicron contraction.

Citing eight lab studies, epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina wrote Dec. 13 that “Omicron significantly reduces the number of neutralizing antibodies from a 2-dose mRNA series compared to previous variants.’”

Based on a study published last week by British government researchers from the UK Health Security Agency, the standard two doses of the Pfizer vaccine are only 35 percent effective in preventing contraction and symptoms. A team of Duke University virologists found from a small study that with only two doses of the Moderna vaccine, the antibodies in the body are 50 times less effective at protecting against Omicron.

But “a ‘reduction in neutralizing antibodies’ is not the same thing as ‘reduction in vaccine effectiveness,’” Jetelina added. Researchers conducting the British study determined that after a booster shot, Pfizer became 80 percent more effective against the variant. And Duke University researchers saw that with a booster shot, antibodies in the body remained effective in blocking Omicron. Pfizer and Moderna, mRNA vaccines, improve antibody levels significantly more than Johnson & Johnson vaccine does, making mRNA vaccines the most reliable choice of booster.

Omicron Transmissibility and Severity

In the first two weeks of December, the Covid-19 reproduction number (the number of new infections caused by a single infected person) in South Africa spiked to the highest it’s been since the beginning surge of infections at the very start of the pandemic. With Britain and Denmark exhibiting similarly high reproduction numbers in their own countries, many South African, British and Danish researchers anticipate Omicron will spread faster than any other variant. Preliminary research suggests past infections aren’t a guaranteed barrier against Omicron, thus contributing to its transmissibility.

Omicron’s believed severity, on the other hand, is a hopeful projection. In every reported case from the EU and EEA, Omicron has been mild or asymptomatic. This notion of nonseverity is supported by some preliminary findings in South Africa; but many of the cases that have been studied in South Africa afflict members of young demographics, much less likely to be hospitalized or killed by the virus than those in older age groups.

Event Cancellations and Travel

U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes said in a statement released Dec. 3, “As more is learned about the Omicron variant, we must continue to welcome qualified global travelers from around the world, which will be critical to rebuilding the Leisure and Hospitality sector as well as advance the safe recovery of business travel and professional events. Now is not the time to enact policies that stifle growth and dissuade inbound travel.”

Widespread event cancellations have not been the response, but some regions are reacting more aggressively than others. Connecticut is seeing major event and gathering cancellations, at the recommendation of state Gov. Ned Lamont. All down the East Coast, Omicron is causing universities to cancel events and sports.

California’s Dec. 15 state mandate requires indoor masking once again, but comes as a precaution meant to stint the growth of Omicron across the West Coast and with an end date of Jan. 15 already in place.

As for travel, there has been a significant increase in hotel booking cancellations on a global scale, leaving a road bump in the recovery of international tourism and travel. Domestic travel is still popular. The travel site Trivago reports that cancellations have gone up by 35 percent and holiday travel bookings have gone down by 10 percent. Holiday trip planning has grown only by 4 percent—shy of last year’s 35 percent travel activity growth during the same two-week period.

Before, the pandemic-stricken planet was a new world; now we have history, said Jeremy Slick, vice president of client success at OptiMine Software company in Minneapolis. Slick impresses the importance of turning our attention to the data we have and applying what’s worked in the past as we wonder how grave a threat to returning industries and events this new variant is. He also notes that communication and confidence instill confidence in your business—be honest and forthcoming about what you are doing to mitigate Covid and what your limitations are. Preventing a momentous attrition of the travel industry takes leading people confidently, Slick said.

Contrary to the case across the Atlantic, the U.S. is not yet experiencing the same numbers of infections. We will likely have more conclusive data of the transmissibility and severity of Omicron and the repercussions it is to have on the travel and event industries in the following months.

The struggle is real at hotels where supply chain issues and the great resignation are negatively impacting operations, creating scarcity in everything from cleaning supplies to pillowcases and chicken tenders and generally increasing costs. A recent survey found that the problem is only getting worse, with no end in sight. Industry associations are advocating for legislative action to offset the costs.

Big Impacts

A November survey released in early December of 500 hotel operators by American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), found that 86 percent said supply chain disruptions are impacting operations. The biggest challenges were linens (85 percent said they couldn’t get them and 77 percent said the cost had gone up), cleaning supplies (72 percent said they were not readily available and 79 percent said the cost had increased) and food and beverage suppliers (availability was a problem for 76 percent and cost was an issue for 77 percent).

More than half (53 percent) said the problem had gotten worse over the past three months. And they didn’t see an end in sight. Almost half (46 percent) said they expected the problem to last 6-12 months and one in three (36 percent) said it could go on for more than a year.

The outlook is also grim on the employment front where a disappointing November jobs report revealed that the leisure and hospitality sector is still missing nearly 8 percent of jobs.

“The latest jobs report…underscores the need for smart, effective policies as well as stability in the inbound and business travel segments to facilitate an even recovery, said U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes, in a statement.

Save Hotel Jobs Act

AHLA, U.S. Travel Association, International Franchise Association and UNITE HERE, North America’s largest hospitality workers union are all endorsing Save Hotel Jobs Act as a way to provide relief during this transition time. The combination of direct payroll grants and tax credits would help to offset the increased costs of goods and human resources.

IFA Senior Vice President for Government Relations and Public Affairs Matthew Haller, explained: “More than 200,000 jobs were lost in the franchise lodging sector, representing a 33% drop in employment. This legislation will allow these franchise owners much-needed time to recover and rebuild their operations, ensuring they can rebuild their workforce and support local communities until travel resumes to pre-pandemic levels.”

Chip Rogers, AHLA president and CEO summed it up. “Hotels have a complex supply chain that requires regular procurement of a wide range of goods and services each day. And whether it’s production backups or shipping delays, supply chain disruptions are compounding hotels’ existing problems and increasing operating costs during an already tough time,” he said. “This survey highlights just how widespread these challenges are for hoteliers. That’s why now is the time for Congress to pass the Save Hotel Jobs Act, so hotel employees can get the relief they need during these difficult times.”

Simpler, more flexible and discounted. Airlines are updating their business travel programs to be friendlier for groups struggling with last-minute changes, rising costs and reporting requirements. Here is what you need to know.

Saving Time

United for Business, the Chicago-based airline’s international offering for groups of 10 or more accessible through its United Jetstream dashboard, offers travel waivers, self-serve rebooking, plus information about sanitation and Covid restrictions. Recent enhancements make managing travel and redeeming rewards for meetings and events quicker and more streamlined. Discounts can be set up and available within one business day with instant amenity redemption for things like beverage coupons, travel certificates, and United Club passes and memberships. They can be used for travel on United’s partner airlines as well, making connecting flights easier.

More: Demystifying Covid Testing: The Differences, Access and What It All Means for Travelers

Similarly, Southwest Business Meetings product offers discounted fares, incentives and even name changes for groups of 25 or more. Jessica Martini, national account manager with Southwest Business, shared that the bulk of group travel is made up of under 150 people so most companies can take advantage of the benefits. It even integrates with GDS, API/Direct Connect and SWABIZ, a big improvement from filling out a form and waiting for someone to respond.

“Meetings products have evolved over the years,” explained Doreen Burse, senior vice president of worldwide sales with United. Old-school seat-blocking didn’t work for airlines or travelers. If a big group cancelled at the last minute the plane flew with empty seats. The program also didn’t offer flexibility for companies bringing people from multiple locations.

Now, the meeting planner can leverage a company’s umbrella agreement for set discounts (say between two city pairs) based on availability rather than paying market pricing. “It offers economic value and flexibility,” explained Burse.

Real-time Reporting

United Jetstream offers personalized reports accessible at the click of a mouse. A dashboard tracks number of tickets booked, flights flown, amenity funds earned and the number of tickets needed for the next amenity award. The DIY dashboard puts the power in the hands of the meeting planner. No phone calls or hold music required.

Southwest’s Martini explained that one of the benefits is access to a Partner Service Desk for additional support, including enhanced reporting. That way meeting organizers can track, manage and identify trends in travel usage.

“Group products can also be helpful for associations,” said Burse, but very few people know about the product.

Covid Shifts

business travel groups

A lot of Covid-era airline changes go beyond business class. United and Southwest have permanently eliminated change fees. “You don’t have to worry about being charged for unexpected circumstances,” said Burse.

She sees the return to business travel as inevitable, if uneven. “We think the omicron variant will delay the return of business travel a bit, but won’t delay it as much as Delta did.” She explained. “People are resilient and they understand how to protect themselves now.”

More: Omicron Event Cancellations Abroad, Travel Bans and Returning Resident Restrictions

Government restrictions are having the biggest impact on business travel trends. She predicts that the end of 2022, beginning of 2023, business travel will be back to 2019 levels in the aggregate, but some sectors will exceed 2019 in 2022 because they are coming back faster.

Business travel may look a little different one everyone is back in the terminal. “The days of traveling for a one-day meeting may be gone because of climate impacts, but the need to connect isn’t going to go away,” she said. “Trips will just be more mindful.”

Sustainable aviation fuel could help to bridge the gap once enough is produced to bring the price down. “Business travel can be part of the solution by generating demand to signal producers that there is a need,” Burse said. Already, every United flight out of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is powered in part by sustainable aviation fuel. “Most people don’t understand that,” she said.

Improved Alternative Service

The large airlines aren’t the only ones rolling out the red carpet for business groups. PS, formerly known as The Private Suite, spent the pandemic upgrading its offerings. Amina Belouizdad, Co-CEO, said the brand currently based out of LAX took the downtime during the early days of the pandemic as an opportunity to renovate and upgrade the facility, amenities and service. “As the industry is seeing with many airports upgrading, we expected that when travelers get back to travel for business meetings or vacations, we have a part to play in making that experience incredible and exciting again.”

She reported in November that business has broken pre-pandemic records. The company is also growing its footprint to other airports with plans to expand in New York and Miami.

“TSA volumes show that we are within 20 percent of being fully recovered in comparison to 2019 numbers,” Belouizdad said. “This is especially remarkable given that international travel is still impaired.”

She mourned the brief moment of rejoice when the U.S. loosened its restrictions, but with the recent news of the Omicron variant developing, countries are closing their borders in some cases or increasing barriers to entry.

“Though different in nature, the 9/11 travel shock took about three years to recover; with the Covid-19 pandemic, we anticipated a faster recovery for PS given the affluent traveler that our private airport terminal appeals to,” she concluded.

The event production company Freeman has worked on some pretty high-profile projects, including Super Bowls and Olympic competitions. But this week, the Dallas-based company led the logistics, design and broadcast production team behind the U.S. Department of State’s global effort to promote better governance at the highest level. President Joe Biden’s Summit for Democracy brought more than 100 heads of state from all over the world together for a two-day virtual experience tasked with accomplishing important goals normally advanced in-person. Foreign Policy Magazine labeled it “the most impressive gathering of potential champions of democracy ever assembled.”

Freeman Senior Vice President of Design Enablement Mike Wohlitz called the experience, “an honor.” He shared: “We were often awe-struck by the significance of the historical moment we were producing.” President Joe Biden’s goals included defending against authoritarianism, addressing and fighting corruption and advancing respect for human rights.

That is a tall order that required a lot of thoughtful solutions. Wohlitz explained the strategy and logistics behind the end-result, including some creative production steps that could be scaled to smaller, less history-making programs.

Read More: Backstage tips from a global automation event. 

Setting the Stage

International consortiums are complex affairs. The team was tasked with creating easy accessibility and broadcasting public portions of the gathering while facilitating closed-door conversations that were secure.

news desk at Summit for Democracy

A sound studio that resembled a distinguished news desk at Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., alternated with sessions broadcast from South Court Auditorium at The White House and two other off-side studios. Other attendees Zoomed in from one of 22 time zones.

“The summit required a comfortable environment that felt like everyone was in the same room,” said Wohlitz. “We didn’t want a Zoom screen with 49 thumbnail faces.”

Zoom was the connection, but attendees were brought in through Freeman’s broadcast platform so if a cabinet member was having a conversation with six panelists, it felt intimate and the rest of the audience could still audit the conversation. The proceedings were livestreamed on state.gov. An intermediary layer allowed for direct conversations.

Read More: Tips for driving attendee engagement at virtual events. 

Preparation played a leading role in the production. Penetration studies ensured private sessions were protected. “Security was a priority,” Wohlitz emphasized.

Tech checks started a week before the event and some leaders from places where democracy and broadband are still developing were coached “so their head of state looked as stately as all the others.”

tech teams Summit for Democracy

About 250 people worked on the tech side along with hundreds of government officials to orchestrate the action behind the scenes. Separate teams managed each session from separate rooms to keep the broadcast flowing back-to-back with one video feed picking up when the other stopped and no time out to set up the next panel.

In order to ensure that everyone was being heard and understood, comments were translated into six United Nations languages plus Portuguese and American sign language according to International protocol by a team of 60 translators provided by the Secretary of State’s office. “We considered using technology to do the translation, but diplomatic protocol made that less attractive of a choice,” Wohlitz said.

Conclusion

The Biden administration committed to producing another summit next December after “a year of action.” Each country left a testimonial video about what they committed to work on in next 12 months. “This is not checking a box and moving on; it will be a continuing process,” said Wohlitz.

It will also be an active year for the Freeman team. “Virtual offerings are not going to go away,” Wohlitz said. Neither are live events, he clarified. “We have proof of what we suspected all along, virtual programs extend the audience.” He pointed out that shows that might have had a live audience of 5,000 in the past draw a virtual audience of 15,000.

Read More: 3 tips for successful virtual events.

“This is an art form that allows us to scale the message,” he beamed. “How you deliver the message is going to be very different depending on whether the action is rebroadcast on a massive screen for those in the back of the in-person ballroom or watching from a 15-inch laptop in their kitchen.”

The Summit for Democracy took its cues from news broadcasts with different camera shots so there is always something intriguing for a public audience or summit attendees. That is a strategy that can work for events of all sizes.

 

 

Lindsay Breining

PRA, a corporate event planning company in Chicago, has promoted Breining to global sales director. Breining has a long, accomplished history in marketing and management, previously PRA’s director of sales. She has also been PRA’s national sales manager, as well as account manager. Breining is an active member of Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) on its board of directors as director of programs for the Northern California chapter.

Pina Purpero

Purpero has been hired as general manager at Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City. Before, Purpero was general manager at Hyatt Regency Lake Washington at Seattle’s Southport. She has also been general manager of the luxury destination The Bellevue Hotel in Philadelphia of the Unbound Collection by Hyatt and has worked for hotels from Los Angeles to Chicago.

Clement Koh

General Hotel Management Ltd. (GHM) in Singapore has appointed Koh executive vice president of sales and marketing. Koh enters the role with more than 30 years of commercial, branding and hospitality management experience, most recently the senior vice president of sales and marketing at GHM. He has also been vice president of sales and marketing at Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group in Hong Kong, as well as group director of sales at Minor International in Thailand.

Carole Manning-Kim

Manning-Kim has joined Visit Oakland as its director of sales. With over 25 years of experience in her field, Manning-Kim has held multiple sales and marketing leadership roles across the San Francisco Bay Area. She has worked as director of sales and marketing at Sonesta Emeryville Oakland, Hotel Shattuck Plaza of BPR Hotels, Hotel Vitale in San Francisco and Pier 2620 Hotel Fisherman’s Wharf, among additional properties. Manning-Kim was also corporate director of national sales and marketing at Joie de Vivre Hospitality.

Indy Dodanwala

Springboard Hospitality’s Kauai Beach Resort & Spa in Hawaii has named Indy Dodanwala general manager. Dodanwala has spent over 20 years in luxury hotel management and has been general before manager at properties of InterContinental Hotels Group, Evolution Hospitality, Adaaran Resorts Maldives, as well as at a dual property that includes Sheraton Hotels & Resorts and InterContinental. Most recently, Dodanwala was general manager at Heritance Aarah in the Maldives.

Nancy Helman and Lauren Townsend

Helman has been appointed director of Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau (VBCVB) in Virginia and Townsend appointed its vice president of marketing and communications.

For the past year, Helman has been leading the organization as its interim director while also serving as sports marketing representative. With over 20 years in sports tourism and management, Helman helped to launch the sports division of VBCVB in 1999.

Townsend has spent the last five years at VBCVB as its director of marketing and interim vice president of marketing and communications, now stepping into the latter permanently. Before joining the bureau, Townsend was marketing manager at Visit Norfolk, where she had worked before in years prior.

Amanda Parsons and Matt Ojinaga

Thompson Denver of Hyatt Hotels has named Parsons area vice president and general manager and named Ojinaga director of sales and marketing.

Parsons has spent 20 years in hospitality management, sales and marketing leadership. She most recently was general manager at Thompson Seattle, where she spent five years. Parsons has also served as area director of sales and marketing at Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, general manager at Kimpton Hotel Vintage Seattle and Kimpton Hotel Monaco Seattle and has held similar positions at several additional Kimpton Hotel properties.

Ojinaga also brings 20 years of experience in hotel sales and boasts nearly 17 years in leadership positions with Hyatt Hotels. Most recently, Ojinaga was director of sales, events and marketing at Andaz West Hollywood and, before that, was area associate director of sales at Grand Hyatt Denver and Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center.

Peter Palli

Palli has joined Omni Hotels & Resorts in Dallas as chief commercial officer. With 25 years of experience in hospitality management, Palli has held multiple leadership positions with Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, including night manager, duty manager, front of house manager, revenue manager and more. He went on to become the vice president of distribution and commercial solutions for Hyatt, which he served as for 13 years. Palli was most recently vice president of revenue management and analytics at Signature Aviation Flight Support.

Sean Casserly

Casserly is now resort manager at Four Seasons Resorts and Residences Jackson Hole in Wyoming. A twenty-year hospitality veteran, Casserly was most recently director of marketing in Baltimore, Maryland for Four Seasons. He has worked in various leadership roles at Four Seasons since 2000, such as assistant food and beverage manager, director of sales in multiple locations and director of marketing, among others. Casserly has also worked in food and beverage and chef roles at The Kildare Hotel and Country Club in Ireland, Taj Campton Place Hotel, San Francisco and Hotel Davoserhof in Switzerland.

Jennifer Walker

VisitDallas has appointed Walker chief marketing officer. Walker has been in the marketing and hospitality industries for over 30 years and has worked for tourism bureaus in Austin, Santa Barbara and at Visit California. She has also spent time in managerial roles at a long list of marketing companies, including Tocquigny Advertising, Kolar Advertising & Marketing and AVB Marketing, where she most recently worked as director of client services and business operations.

Vu Thi Huong Giang and Rowie Villacencio

Giang has been promoted to resort manager and Villacencio promoted to manager and director of administration at Alma Resort in Cam Ranh, Vietnam.

Giang brings 15-years of experience in food and beverage and hotel management to her new role, previously working for Six Senses Ninh Van Bay, Vinpearl Land, Mia Resort and The Anam in Ninh Trang. Most recently, Giang was executive assistant manager of food and beverage at Alma Resort.

Villacencio has spent over 20 years in accountancy and business management, entering the hospitality management scene in 2011 at Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa in the Cebu province of the Philippines. Before joining Alma Resort, Villacencio was academy director at Bluewater Academy in Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe. Her most recent position was director of human resources at Alma Resort, having joined the resort staff in 2019.

Nick Vournakis and Derek Sharp

CWT, the business travel management company, has named Vournakis EVP and chief customer officer and named Sharp EVP and chief traveler experience officer.

Vournakis has spent four years at Ernst & Young Global Consulting Services, starting as a staff consultant and rising through the ranks to manager in 1999. He joined CWT the year after, where he’s held various directorships and managerial positions over the last 22 years, including vice president of the CWT solutions group, senior vice president of global marketing, president of US military and government markets and more. In his most recent position, Vournakis was managing director of global customer management.

Sharp has a long history in marketing and management positions, working in the past as account executive for Emery Worldwide Airlines and UPS and later as senior director of strategy and planning and senior director of worldwide applications at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Sharp held multiple executive positions at Travelport before joining CWT in 2018 as senior vice president and global managing director of meetings and events. Sharp was most recently the chief operating officer for CWT’s RoomIt, managing worldwide hotel bookings and rates for business travelers.

Glaucia Canil

Canil has been promoted to director of sales and marketing at JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa and Marriott Cancun Resort. In 2016, she joined sales at JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa and was quickly promoted to director of sales. Canil also spent time in Brazil, her home country, where she excelled as a sales executive at Renaissance Sao Paulo Hotel, winning both the President’s Circle and Chairman’s Circle awards.

Kellie Ann Cahill, CMP

Conrad New York Midtown of Conrad Hotels & Resorts has appointed Cahill its complex commercial director. Previously, Cahill was commercial director at New York Hilton Midtown and has spent 20 years in the industry, experienced in sales strategy, entertainment and client management. She remains a member of Meeting Professionals International and was president of its New Jersey chapter from 2022 to 2023.

Kelli Donahoe, CMP

With over two decades of industry experience, Donahoe has joined Dayton Convention Center (DCC) as general manager. Most recently, Donahoe was director of sales & marketing at David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh. She began her career at Hilton Hotels, before serving in different sales management positions at Visit Tampa Bay, Tampa Convention Center, Orange County Convention Center in Orlando and more.

—Well, not superhumans exactly. What it does want to do is make your next group better and healthier in body and mind. The 234-room Lake Nona Wave Hotel is right at home in Lake Nona, Florida, a 17-square-mile planned mixed-use planned community that is self-proclaimed “of and for the future.”

In collaboration with NFL’s Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and Deepak Chopra, the new property is aiming to change the team. “The hotel will offer transformative dining, entertainment, and a wealth of never-before-seen team-building opportunities plus close proximity to the airport—a combination of offerings that’s unheard of in the region,” reads a press release.

Take Team Building to a New Level

Wilson’s Limitless Minds is a company focused on bringing out the best in people via coaches and public speakers from different backgrounds, such as clinical psychologist Julia West or Paralympic track and field athlete Lex Gillete. “In addition to the workshops led by some of the world’s most thought provoking speakers like United States Navy SEALs, the interactive seminars will cover topics like creating present-moment awareness, dealing with change, high-performing habits, confidence, nurturing a “YES, AND” mindset, and more,” reads the release.

Limitless Minds offers training through “neutral mindset training,” which is “a high-performance strategy that emphasizes judgment-free thinking, especially in pressure situations. It acknowledges that the past happened,” a recurring topic of “It Takes What It Takes” by the late Trevor Moawad, who was Wilson’s coach and friend, and a co-founder of Limitless Minds.

“Orlando remarkably ranked at No. 1 on Cvent’s list of the top U.S. meeting destinations for five consecutive years—and for good reason,” says James Tattersall, director of sales and marketing at Lake Nona Wave Hotel. “When we were conceptualizing our programming tailored to groups, we knew that creating something that’s never been seen before in this market was imperative. In partnering with some of the most well-respected innovators and specialists, I believe we have successfully introduced a new meetings experience that will elevate what the destination has already created for the industry.”

See more: Michelin-starred Dining in…Orlando?

Ninety-minute Mindset Workshops will be a mixture of class-like discussion meshed with mental and physical activity, such as rock climbing on the region’s 42-foot rock climbing tower or meditating at Chopra’s Mind Body-Zone and Spa, a first-time collaboration for Chopra Global (CG) and the only place one can go for an “on-demand Chopra” treatment, aside from CG retreats.

Lake Nona is also home to United States Tennis Association, the largest tennis facility in the United States, as well as one of the most elaborate water parks ever built, Nona Adventure Park, which, in addition to the aqua park, also has wakeboarding and water skiing, a 60-foot climbing tower and a ropes course.

Get WHIT It

WHIT (wellness, health, innovation and technology) is a 6,000-square-foot smart space. It includes amenities such as a sleep sanctuary, a wellness kitchen and an interactive digital cooktop, smart windows, and a home garden full of fruits, vegetables and spices. Groups can book private tours of the space, as well.

Additionally, Lake Nona is powered by automated shuttle creator Beep. These automated buses operate all throughout the city as the longest autonomous vehicle network in North America. Beep vehicles are used to take groups on a tech tour around the 17-square-mile community.

Plan with Confidence

Virginia Beach may be all about soft sands and ocean waves, but planning your meeting here puts you right on solid ground. You’ll enjoy not only the full support of our team of meeting professionals – devoted to the details that make your event a success – but an entire network of hotels, restaurants, venues, attractions and services ready to pitch in. From big events at the LEED Gold Certified Virginia Beach Convention Center to roundtable sessions with an ocean view, your style of meeting is at the top of our agenda.

Virginia Beach combines the ease of a laid-back coastal destination with unique experiences that make meetings unforgettable.

The new Delta by Marriott Virginia Beach, for example, features meeting rooms with mesmerizing views of the Chesapeake Bay—including an 1,100-square-foot outdoor deck. The 295-unit all-suite property is Virginia Beach’s first meetings hotel with a private beach on the Chesapeake. Groups can get a taste of the bay’s oysters—accompanied by wine pairings—with “A Shucking Good Time!”, led by experts from the hotel’s restaurant, Tin Cup Kitchen + Oyster Bar.

For mesmerizing views of the Atlantic, check out the Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront, which debuted in June 2020 just off the north end of the famous Virginia Beach boardwalk. The hotel boasts 25,000 square feet of meeting space, much of it overlooking the ocean—including the Seaside Ballroom, the largest oceanfront ballroom in Virginia Beach. From the buzzworthy 23rd-floor rooftop Asian-fusion restaurant, Orion’s Roof, guests can drink in panoramic views of the shoreline.

Meeting attendees can feel like kids again at the newly opened APEX Entertainment, adjacent to the Westin Hotel in the Town Center region of the City. Featuring its own state-of-the-art meeting space, APEX offers such team-building and breakout activities as indoor go-karting, bowling, axe-throwing, escape rooms and more.

For larger events, the LEED Gold-certified Virginia Beach Convention Center offers a 150,000-squarefoot column-free exhibit hall, more than 29,000 sq. ft. of meeting space and a 31,000-square-foot column-free ballroom. Innovative designs throughout the building allow for creative meeting experiences and huge cost savings.

Of course, outdoor activities abound year-round in Virginia Beach. Attendees can get close to frolicking dolphins with a guided kayak dolphin tour, or go beyond the boardwalk to explore the hidden gems of Virginia Beach on a guided bike tour.

Learn more about all Virginia Beach has to offer your next meeting or convention at www.visitvirginiabeach.com/meetings.

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