Smart Meetings | Page 170 of 602 | Corporate Event Planning: Business Events, Meetings, Conferences

We’re bringing you highlights from day two of IMEX America 2021 at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in beautiful Las Vegas! Scroll to hear the good news from our industry leaders—and check out our day one recap here.

As MPI celebrates its 50th anniversary, it is looking forward to 2027 with a new contract for CEO and president Paul Van Deventer with a focus on advocacy, innovation and education to expand and engage a diverse community.

As part of an ongoing partnership with IMEX Group, MPI produced Smart Monday education content for 900 people, close to the number of people who took advantage of the programming in 2019.

Since April 2020, MPI Foundation has given back more than $1.1 million in scholarship and grant funding, benefiting more than 3,100 members. The huge majority of those beneficiaries were in the form of membership renewal grants issued directly to members in financial distress and new member grants provided for Chapters to allocate towards prospective members also facing financial concerns.

MPI Foundation’s Rendezvous fundraiser sponsored by Caesar’s Entertainment is expected to raise $250,000 this year at IMEX.

The organization’s annual event, World Education Congress, which typically brings more than 2,500 people, will be in San Francisco in 2022 and Riviera Maya, Mexico at the Barcelo Maya Riviera resort in 2023.

The selected demonstrated a commitment to the organization’s intent to truly “think globally,” Van Deventer said.

PCMA announced it is partnering with software company Juno to power a year-round community starting with the January Convening Leaders conference in Las Vegas.

Joint Meetings Industry Council and IMEX Group CEO Carina Bauer announced that the organization will be hosting the net zero carbon pledge—and invited all members of the industry to join in the initiative to host climate-safe meetings by 2050. As of Friday, there are 109 signatories across venues, destinations, suppliers and hotels.

“It’s critical that we beat these measurements and this pledge ahead of the timeline,” Bauer said. “We have a unique opportunity to share our knowledge with the rest of the industry because if a show of this size can reduce carbon emissions by 2050, and hopefully much sooner than that, other companies can, as well.”

Marriott International announced that The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection will be one of the perks of Marriott Bonvoy starting in May of 2022. The cruise experiences will bring the brand’s high-touch approach to hospitality to sea, a group experience that is sure to be popular for incentives. The news means that Bonvoy members can earn and redeem points for voyages and elite members will be treated to VIP upgrades such as a private reception on boarding and bespoke recognition.

Plus, more updates from Smart Meetings TV!

https://www.facebook.com/smartmeetings/videos/223166463253706/

https://www.facebook.com/smartmeetings/videos/3162671994003387/

https://www.facebook.com/smartmeetings/videos/2069021743252282

View them all here!

As the holiday season nears, travel demand is on the rise. While leisure travel was the first to pick up steam and remains the driving force behind a new surge of tourism, business travel has been gaining momentum over the last quarter, too. So where is everyone going?

In a report by Expedia Group, “Travel Recovery Trend Report,” it was found that leisure and business travel demand are beginning to look more or less “normal” in sections of the world. In 2021’s third quarter, the demand for business travel was up 40 percent quarter-over-quarter and more than 110 percent from 2020’s third quarter.

In North America, and globally, New York topped the list as one of the most booked destinations from travelers from Asia Pacific (APAC); Europe, Middle East and Africa(EMEA); and Latin America (LATAM); other destinations international travelers are looking at closely are Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Orlando. For business travel, the most booked destinations are Chicago, Atlanta and New York.

In EMEA, travelers are booking to London, Dubai and Paris, the top three choices. LATAM travelers’ top choices are Mexico City, New York and Cancun. In APAC, travelers are heading in droves to Seoul and Seogwipo, South Korea; and Tokyo.

Worldwide demand for hotels grew 5 percent quarter-over-quarter, as compared to vacation rental properties; in EMEA, hotel demand grew 20 percent from the second quarter. London saw the greatest lodging demand in the third quarter, at more than 90 percent. New York and Anaheim, California, saw increased demand, 10 and 15 percent, respectively, as well.

Travelers’ booking windows have shortened, with nearly 70 percent of global searches falling within the 30-day window, a 15 percent increase quarter-over-quarter; searches between the 31- to 90-day window decreased from 25 percent in this year’s second quarter to 20 percent in the third quarter.

After two decades with Wynn Resorts and four years as CEO, Matt Maddox has announced he is retiring from the company at the end of January.

“This has not been an easy decision. I am leaving a company that I love and that’s full of people I admire,” Maddox said in a press release. “But I believe now is the right time for me and for the business.”

The executive took over the helm of the hotel and casino company in the wake of the resignation of its founder and namesake Steve Wynn, following allegations of his sexual misconduct. Wynn has denied the allegations.

The company board picked Craig Billings, currently CEO of Wynn Interactive, as the new CEO.

Billings has served as president and CFO of Wynn Resorts, and previously held executive roles with Goldman Sachs, Aristocrat Leisure, NYX Gaming Group and International Game Technology.

Maddox led the publicly traded company through the fallout from the Wynn scandal and the Covid-19 pandemic, which resulted in a months-long shutdown of gaming in the United States last year.

“Matt has done an incredible job as CEO since his appointment four years ago. He very successfully led the company through what could have been one of the most disruptive business transitions in decades,” Wynn Resorts Board Chairman Philip G. Satre said in a press release.

Maddox guided the company during the licensing in Massachusetts and the opening in June 2019 of the Encore Boston Harbor. He is also credited with the resolution of seven years of what he called distracting litigation and a reorganization that he said focused the company’s 28,000 employees on a Wynn Resorts brand of customer experience.

Maddox will continue serving as a board member for Wynn Macau Ltd. and Wynn Interactive through the end of 2022, the company said.

The opening day of IMEX America 2021 at Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas was humming with people just happy to be back together. Don’t miss out on these important industry highlights from the tradeshow floor!

Destinations International Large Market Roundtable outlined initiatives to establish Destination Booking Agreement Guidelines to create certainty for all parties. “Once a legally binding contract is in place, it sets the stage for easier conversations,” said Dustin Arnhem, senior vice president of sales with Visit Baltimore.

As Darren Kingi, senior vice president of sales at Visit Indy said of the importance of streamlining letters of intent, “We can’t just rely on handshakes any more.”

Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board announced a partnership with Clear Health Pass and Co.Protect branded protective equipment to help meeting professionals create frictionless solutions for establishing and executing protocols.

“We started working early to help people get back to what they enjoy doing,” said Darren Green, senior Vice President of sales with LATCB.

Caesars and Meet AC announced sustainability highlights from its newly released 2021 CSR Report—in a Leed-certified Augustus Tower villa suite—and the news (and views) are great.

On track to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 (or sooner)
Reduced greenhouse emissions by 36.1% and water withdrawal by 33% since 2011
Diverted 45% of all waste from landfill in 2020

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts launched The Meetings Collection, a new network of premium meetings-focused hotels offers meeting planners new incentives in desired markets, and streamlined multi-year bookings.

“It is time as meeting planners are starting to book again,” said Evy Garcia, Director of Sales & Marketing for Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Puerto Rico Golf & Beach Resort.

Carol Lynch, senior vice president of global sales, said planning for the network stared before the pandemic, but will be an important tool to promote flexibility and consistency going forward.

Visit California—and 22 of its encompassing destinations attending IMEX 2021—celebrated the Golden State’s June reopening to group travel with Napa Mumm sparkling wine, and a new online hub for media and meeting professionals (see here!).

After suffering economic loss from strict in-state Covid restrictions, Visit California President and CEO, and 2021 Catalyst Award Winner, Caroline Beteta announced results from a recent study in tourism perception that the state is now caught up with competitors for its desirability for group travel.

We are LIVE from IMEX in EXVO HOME! Check out today's speakers and tune in throughout the day
👉 https://t.co/ZLEFPiPgcj @NickBorelli @ItsWillCurran @IMEX_Group #IMEX21 pic.twitter.com/XFIm504s3i

— Prismm Technologies (@PrismmTech) November 9, 2021

Hybrid event company Allseated announced a partnership with Matterport, a company that brings real life experiences to the virtual world using 3D technology.

The two companies will work together to turn spatial data into an accurate and immersive digital twin, which can be used to design events effectively.

The new reality for venues is that they must find a way to sell and plan events remotely. Even as in-person meetings make a return, clients have come to expect virtual venue tours. Allseated’s VISION product offers dynamic layout and floor planning inside a Matterport model, explained Sandy Hammer, CMO of Allseated.

Discover Puerto Rico celebrated its great recovery, announcing an all-time record year for lodging revenue and the island’s status as first in the nation for vaccinations.

“We are winning the war against Covid,” said Discover Puerto Rico CEO Brad Dean. “There are more visitors, more flights, more hotels and more investments.”

The proof is in the pudding:

Passenger arrivals surpassed 2019, with record arrivals May-Sept 2020
Orlando-San Juan was the busiest route in the world in early 2021
Pipeline of future events is the highest in the last five years
Five new and reopened hotels in 2020, including El Conquistador Resort, InterContinental Hotel and Palmas del Mar Resort
Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve is celebrating NYE 2022 outside of Puerto Rico Convention Center for the first ever Spanish-language countdown

Plus, more updates from Smart Meetings TV!

https://www.facebook.com/smartmeetings/videos/363668322202390/

https://www.facebook.com/smartmeetings/videos/162044436144275/

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https://www.facebook.com/smartmeetings/videos/486816532454202/

How do you keep attendees engaged when the needle is always shifting? Tactics to encourage attendee engagement are wide-ranging, dependent on attendance numbers and often differ case-by-case.

In the latest Smart Meeting webinar, “Give the People the Hybrid They Want,” Robin Farmanfarmaian, speaker, author and “early-stage” entrepreneur; Gianna Gaudini, global head of events, training and certification for Amazon Web Services, and author of The Art of Event Planning; and Ryan Burn, CEO of BuzzCast, shared ways to not only drive attendance but how to keep attendees engaged.

Prime your Chat Box

“One of the things I’m seeing is that the most successful [virtual events] are making sure you have a team in place to start the online conversation,” Farmanfarmaian said. “If you want people to be engaged in talking to each other during the actual presentations and asking questions in the chat, you have to prime it.”

This means recruiting people who can be active in the chat box to get the conversational ball rolling. “Nobody is going to be those first 10 people that [raise] their hands, start a question, or start chatting,” Farmanfarmaian said. “You need people that work for the conference, right? But then you should also have five or 10 (depending how big your conferences is) people, who have no relationship whatsoever to your conference, and [you can] honor them with a title; give them a little bit of power and make [starting conversations] their job.”

This encourages everyone who wanted to participate but felt hesitant in the beginning to jump in, Farmanfarmaian said. “If you don’t have that team in place, your chat is going to pretty much be empty,” she added.

You Want them to Attend? Give a Reason

Watching an event live is typically much more engaging than watching on demand, because when everyone is watching simultaneously, there is potential for attendees to begin to chat. “If you want to drive a synchronous experience, give attendees a reason why they should tune in live rather than watch on demand,” Gaudini said. “One thing I’ve used is a no-book-in-advance, 15-minute session to meet with a subject matter expert at the event.”

Gaudini is a fan of giving attendees a sense of incentive. “If you actually tell people these sessions are booking up quickly, and [they] won’t be able to rebook it, it drives demand and a reason to tune in live at a specific time, and also offers value to the attendee and a deeper, more meaningful engagement during the event.”

Gaudini is also an advocate for shorter sessions and longer audience engagement periods. Despite having gotten pushback from people, she said. “I have a 20/80 recommendation; I recommend speakers prepare 20 percent of the content, and leave the other 80 percent for peer-audience engagement— chat, Q&A, [etc.]—because that’s a reason to tune in live.”

Ultimately, Gaudini believes what most people want is to be heard, and that’s something a speaker, talking for X minutes or hours, can’t fulfill. “The speaker doesn’t know what the audience wants necessarily,” she said.

“Unless…” she continued. “You’re [using] an app, like Slido, to encourage questions in advance and a voting question so that you actually know [what audiences want], or send out a survey in advance, so you’re informed about what your attendees want to learn.

“If you don’t do that in advance, the keynote speaker might not know, the panelists might not know, what the audience really wants to hear about,” Gaudini added.

Gaudini has one last trick. “If I have a really great A-list keynote speaker, or someone that I know will drive attendance, and people will not want to miss, I say they’re not going to be recorded, even if I am recording for a later time.”

Nor does she announce when the speaker is going to show. “That drives [attendance], too, and this works really great for live events, as well,” Gaudini said. “Announce that there is a keynote speaker within a timeframe, but don’t announce exactly when [they’ll] be speaking within that timeframe; people don’t want to miss them.”

Change It Up and Make It Intimate

Given the number of distractions that present themselves to the virtual attendee, Burn believes meeting professionals have to change the format. He presented as an example a 10-minute on/10-minute off scenario, where the speaker talks for 10 minutes, poses questions to the audience and then speaks for another 10. “Something that keeps it active and [grabs] your attention,” he said.

“We’re so used to putting somebody [on] the podium, [having] them talk to the audience, while everyone listens to their fabulous speech they’ve prepared down to the T,” Burn said. “That format ends up feeling like just a talking head. I don’t think that that works as well when we’re online.”

Burn hosts a lot of larger events, an environment which can be tough to create a sense of intimacy within. To combat this, Burns’ technique is as follows: Creating as many breakout sessions as possible to get people into intimate-enough groups where they can actually interact.

His company has held events with as many as 140 breakout sessions. “[In intimate breakouts like this] it’s very hard to not be able to answer questions or just sort of hide away over here and say, ‘I’m not going to participate,’” he said.

“If we can get people into groups that feel like they’re matched and like there’s a chance for them to talk or participate, that’s another way I think we can get people involved and then feeling connected with the events,” he continued.

All three went on to give insightful (and maybe a little sneaky) responses to concerns such as encouraging higher attendance versus registration rates and making sure attendees remain engaged and retain the information they’ve been given. Watch the entire webinar here.

“Travel feels normal again, we just have to wear a mask,” reported Michael Dominguez, CEO and president of Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI), host of the podcast “Beyond the Meeting Room,” and uber-frequent flier. In fact, he sees the future as a much healthier place. A new partnership ALHI is announcing today with Delos to train meeting professionals on wellness beyond protocols could jump start a more holistic approach to taking care of attendees.

Educational Opportunity

Delos Wellness Accreditation for Meetings and Events will launch as a five-hour course that brings awareness to the effects of air, water, light, nourishment, movement, comfort and mindfulness as it relates to the agenda and meeting space. Self-reflection questions will challenge participants to equip their groups for optimal meetings success. There will be quizzes at the end.

Attendees may find that since airports, hotels and convention centers plan to continue the increased electrostatic cleaning, and enhanced sanitation, they are getting common illnesses much less often. But that could be only the beginning of an enhanced focus on overall wellness—mental and physical.

“There is so much opportunity for education around the things we can do to elevate the well-being of our attendees and create environments where we can thrive,” Dominguez said. He pointed out that large conferences represent enormous amounts of payroll being spent so keeping people healthy, alert and receptive to ideas should be the fiduciary responsibility of all meeting professionals.

“A healthy meeting is a happy meeting and when people feel safe in their meeting spaces—that is when the most meaningful meetings can occur.”

An Evolving Focus

The program has its roots pre-pandemic. MGM Resorts already works with Delos, Cleveland Clinic and Dr. Deepak Chopra for its Stay Well Meetings and guest rooms at MGM Grand. The new training series builds on the research and science and arms planners with the tools they need to be more effective. Dominguez ventured that planners could even attract more clients with the enhanced skill set.

“We know from market research and feedback from partners that business travelers are seeking healthier travel and meeting experiences that prioritize their well-being while away from home, said Peter Scialla, president and COO of Delos, in a statement.

Now that Covid transmission rates are under 1 in many places, indicating that the surge of the epidemic is over, Dominguez is optimistic that even where there are pockets of spread, we have the tools to ensure they don’t result in increased hospitalization and death.

“Vaccinations can help, but the important thing for meeting professionals is testing,” he said. “Vaccines don’t keep people from getting entirely or from spreading, but they can keep people from dying.” He suggested following the lead of the United Kingdom, NBA and NFL and test before an event and quarantine if someone shows up positive during the event. “That will slow the spread.”

The Right Direction

Referring to his opening remarks about mask-wearing as the only difference at airports, Dominguez explained that while airports are now busy again, travelers just need to take the time to research requirements wherever they are going—vaccination, testing or both—and they won’t have any trouble getting back on the road—or in the air.

When asked about some of the logistical problems of flights being cancelled and hotel staffing issues, he said we are going the right direction on that as well. A lot of labor issues will loosen up—already are loosening up as time goes on, vaccine mandates are softened and unemployment benefits end. “People not wanting to return to work was a complicated and unintended consequence of a well-meaning bill that didn’t anticipate tourism coming back ask quickly as it did,” he said.

Even the challenge with finding childcare that is holding some back at home is getting resolved, he said. He pointed to programs in some cities that would create co-op daycare centers for hotel workers. “That could be a cool benefit,” he said. Combined with colleges going back to in-person lessons and bringing hotel workers back with them and salaries increasing, he sees staffing as a transitional issue.

A U.S. Labor Department Jobs Report released on Friday confirmed that more than 530,000 jobs were filled in October, higher than estimates with leisure and hospitality jobs representing the biggest new employers.

Even the challenge of finding open dates in his schedule and in hotel ballrooms due to compression is “a good problem to have,” he joked. “Remember when we said we would never complain about travel because we missed it so much,” he recalled with a laugh.

The Pennsylvania Convention Center sits in the heart of downtown Philadelphia. Photo courtesy of the PHLCVB.

Plan with Confidence

Whether you’re planning an intimate meeting or hosting a large conference, these are the top reasons to bring your next meeting to Philadelphia.

A One-Million-Square-Foot Venue in the Middle of Downtown

The Pennsylvania Convention Center spans more than six blocks in Philadelphia’s downtown, positioning your event and its guests in the center of the action with endless experiences within walking distance. The Pennsylvania Convention Center’s historic Grand Hall – the former train shed for the Reading Railroad – welcomes your attendees in a stunning fashion and the Center’s progressive work rules and streamlined services provide planners and exhibitors with flexibility and independence.

Location

Philadelphia is perfectly situated on the East Coast, just a two-hour drive from both New York City and Baltimore, and a three-hour drive from Washington, D.C. The Philadelphia International Airport is a short drive, cab ride, or train ride from Philadelphia’s downtown and the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Visitors traveling by train will arrive at Amtrak’s 30th Street, located in the heart of Philadelphia’s downtown and a short walk from hotels and meeting venues. Situated along Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, Philadelphia is only a 1.5-hour train ride from New York City, and just 2 hours from Washington, D.C.

Philadelphia is one of the most walkable cities in the U.S. Photo by S. Spitzer for PHLCVB.

Walking Is the Best Way to Explore

As the 4th most walkable large city in the nation according to Redfin, navigating Philadelphia by foot is a breeze. The Pennsylvania Convention Center is located in the heart of downtown, just steps away from neighborhoods such as Philadelphia’s Chinatown, Old City, Rittenhouse, and Washington Square West. Meeting attendees will find it easy to access and explore the city’s top attractions and restaurants during their downtime, with popular sites such as LOVE Park, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

A Wide Range of Hotels & Venues

Philadelphia is home to leading hotel brands and properties, ranging from luxurious to economical and offering more than 14,000 rooms located within walking distance from the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Whether your meeting is large or small, the PHLCVB’s Services team can walk you through an array of unique indoor and outdoor venues in historic settings, with Instagram-worthy views, and only-in-Philadelphia spaces.

History Awaits Around Every Corner

With many of the top historic sites and attractions located just a short walk from the Pennsylvania Convention Center and downtown hotels, it’s easy to find time to explore America’s Most Historic Square Mile. In Philadelphia’s historic district, you can learn about the founding of the United States at sites like Independence Hall, The Betsy Ross House, the National Constitution Center, and more.

The Liberty View ballroom and terrace offers incredible views of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall and President’s House. Photo by Siousca Photography.

Parks & Outdoor Spaces

Philadelphia is home to one of the world’s largest city-owned urban park systems with more than 10,000 acres of open space. Hiking and biking trails abound in Fairmount Park, along with plenty of public art, historical structures, and gardens to discover. Picnic or relax in one of Philadelphia’s original squares or visit one of the city’s newest greenspaces, The Rail Park, a community park built on a repurposed elevated railway and just a ten-minute walk from the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

Arts & Inspiration

In addition to the city’s renowned museums and galleries, you will find visual inspiration and public art in every direction. Head to South Street to tour Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, a shimmering outdoor mosaic installation built by local artist Isaiah Zagar. Mural Arts Philadelphia offers both guided and self-guided tours of the thousands of inspiring public artworks on display in neighborhoods throughout the city that make it the Mural Capital of the World.

When you’re ready to start planning your meeting or event, the PHLCVB is here to help.

Two properties in Humboldt, California, just did something innovative but—given its location—not that surprising after all. A collaboration between a local cannabis dispensary and Humboldt Social, a hospitality and cannabis group, just made it easy for guests to indulge more conveniently and safely in the county’s most prized product.

Guests at Scotia Lodge and Humboldt Bay Social Club can now order cannabis and have it delivered.

“Cannabis is such an innate and authentic part of Humboldt County,” Amy O’Connor, cofounder of Humboldt Social, which owns the two properties, says. “As the world learns more about its benefits, we’re thrilled to help lead the way in offering this type of delivery concept.”

Humboldt Bay Social Club Cofounder Jon O’Connor and Proper Wellness Cofounder Tara Gurley

Cannabis products are provided by Social Nature, Humboldt Social’s in-house cannabis brand, with products grown by three women-led farms, Sunrise Mountain Farms, Dewpoint and Emerald Queen Farms, all in Humboldt County. Delivery is handled by local dispensary Proper Wellness, not far from Scotia Lodge.

Guest orders of Social Nature’s products, including tinctures, edibles, gummies and chocolate, can be delivered to the front desk or right to the guest room.

Scotia Lodge has 22 guest rooms. Humboldt Bay Social Club features four suites, as well as four extended-stay cabins. Humboldt also has event space spanning across four venues, such as the 2,500-square-foot Hangar and the outdoor Oyster Beach. Scotia Lodge also offers outdoor and indoor meeting spaces.

“Extending this offering to guests furthers our mission of embracing Humboldt County’s roots and local cannabis culture, all while normalizing the connection between hospitality and cannabis,” O’Connor says. “We want our guests to get a real taste of Humboldt when they stay with us, from our favorite redwood hikes to our favorite cannabis strain.”

Although this project has just taken off, O’Conner says there are already discussions of expansion into one or two properties in Southern California. “We are committed to proving this concept, and we’d love to see cannabis delivery be as common as minibars in hotels throughout the country,” she adds. “Humboldt is the original cannabis country, so it’s only natural that we develop this model here, close to the roots, perfect it, and then branch out.”

In 2016, the recreational use of cannabis was legalized in California. Seventeen other U.S. states, plus Washington, D.C., and Guam, have also legalized recreational cannabis.

Financial & Insurance Conference Professionals (FICP) could have gone hybrid—bosses with a tight budget may even say should have—but the organization opted for intimate, up close and personal. Several chairs with FICP shared what it took in recent Smart Meetings webinar, “Adapt and Execute: A behind the Scenes Look at Planning a Major Industry Event.”

In this webinar, Jennifer Squeglia, incoming chair for FICP and independent contractor; Steve Bove, executive director with FICP; and Michael Burke, director of conference and travel services for The Hanover Insurance Group and chair member of 2021 FICP Annual Conference, talked about the organization’s upcoming annual conference, their decision process and how it was impacted by Covid-19.

Hybrid: A No Go

Bove hopes FICP’s upcoming event will serve as an example of what can be done in person. “Our hope is that once [attendees] attend this event, they’ll be able to go back to their leadership and incorporate many of the things we’ll be doing at our event this year, and [see] that safe, face-to-face meetings can resume,” he said.

The intent to exclude hybrid was motivated by the desire to provide all association members with an equal experience, something Burke and his colleagues believed a hybrid event could not achieve. “When we looked at hybrid, we didn’t feel that people looking in in real-time at our event would have the same experience,” Bova said. “What we’re going to do instead is record our general sessions and other features of our event. People can plug in at their leisure; it doesn’t have to be in real time.”

Bova said many felt that offering a virtual meeting option would restrict in-person attendance. “Those whose budgets have been slashed or who can’t attend are going to their bosses, and [their bosses] are going to ask, ‘Well, isn’t there a virtual component?’”

Attendance is strong, Bova said, but not anything like it would be in a normal year. They’ve estimated roughly 150 attendees, compared to its normal 250-275.

Requiring the Vax

Two months ago the organization announced it would require all attendees to be vaccinated, Burke said. “That’s a political hot potato—the opinions on vaccination—but we felt it was our responsibility to keep our attendees safe and also not to put undue stress on the local resources in the event,” he said.

The event’s apt-for-the-time location is something Burke feels proud about. “The nice thing about being in Phoenix this year is that we have so much opportunity to do things outside,” Burke said. “All of our meals, breakfast, lunch and evening events will all be outdoors; our networking breaks will all be outdoors.” All three nights of the event will be outdoors.

To be sure all attendees are vaccinated, FICP will be using the Clear app, where attendees can show digital proof of vaccination. “We’re not housing any of that sensitive information. That’s all being done through Clear,” Burke said. “There will be exceptions for those who may have a religious or health reason [for not being vaccinated], and they need to provide that proof to us within a certain amount of time.”

To prevent confusion on the day of the event, the organization has been thorough in its communication to attendees that vaccination disclosure will be required. “We don’t want somebody to show up and say they didn’t know there was a vaccination requirement. We’ve been very diligent about communicating and communicating frequently,” Burke said. While Arizona doesn’t require masks to be worn, FICP’s event will require them, per CDC guidelines.

“We’re not over-promising the health and safety,” Burke said. “We want it to be a comfortable event that people want to attend but aren’t going to walk away from saying that was awful, that there were too many restrictions.”

Going Mobile

“We’ve got a multipage plan on what will be done in the event that [someone catches Covid]” Burke said. “A large group of our attendees will be coming from Vegas from IMEX, so we know that the chances are—I hate to say good—but greater than they would be if they weren’t attending that event before.”

“We’ll have health and safety protocols on our mobile event app,” Burke said. “We’ll still have some printed materials, but for the most part everything is on a mobile event app or promoting mobile check-in at the hotel, mobile key, those type of things. Some may say that it’s probably overkill, but we think those things will help to make some people more comfortable.”

Bova picked up after Burke, discussing the financial planning behind the upcoming event. Bove and Burke also answered questions from viewers regarding topics such as event security and the biggest hurdles association members had to overcome to attend in person. Listen to the rest here.

FICP’s annual conference registration is still open and will be held Nov. 14-17 at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa.

Editor’s Note: This is part of a monthly series on the planning process for producing IMEX America, the 10th anniversary of the landmark industry gathering scheduled for Nov. 9-11 at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

After news that the United States would open to vaccinated international travelers starting Nov. 8, a fresh round of registrations poured in, bringing the total number registered for the now mask-optional IMEX America at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino to 10,000.

Carina Bauer, CEO of IMEX Group, reported that with less than two weeks to opening doors, nearly 3,000 hosted buyers are now confirmed from across North America and the rest of the world, plus many hundreds of attendee buyers, largely from the USA. Suppliers represent countries as far and wide as the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore and Rwanda. A robust Latin American contingent includes Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica and Mexico. Chantal Sturk-Nadeau, executive director for Business Events at Destination Canada, reported that the country will be hosting the largest contingent ever this year. Representatives will be sharing updates from all over the country (beyond the usual cities) that can leverage experts in business verticals as diverse as nanotechnology and medicine.

All the major international hotel brands are attending, plus many smaller, boutique hotels, and the number of technology suppliers grows by the day. Expect to see Cvent, EventsAIR, Hopin, Swapcard, RainFocus and MeetingPlay among others. “The tech area has significantly increased with companies we hadn’t even heard of two years ago,” said Bauer.

Bauer called the reunion for the business events industry particularly special since IMEX America is celebrating its 10th staging and a new home at Mandalay Bay. Two weeks out, her team was still adjusting the show floor map to make room for all the new visitors, the latest the map has ever been changed. “We are delighted to be at this point. It feels like things are back to normal,” she said. “It will truly be a global show.”

Another late-breaking development: The show will be mask-optional. Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak granted an exception because attendees must all be fully vaccinated.

Read More: Road to IMEX: Details Released

IMEX Ready Checklist

After a year off, many may need to dig out their comfortable business shoes and practice smiling, greeting and walking, again—so much walking. To make the transition back to convention-ing easier, we came up with a checklist of what to do to make the most of your time in Las Vegas. Plus, we add a bonus tip for those not attending this year.

Come Prepared

The biggest change is that everyone has to show their vaccine verification so you will want to do the following:

Upload Covid-19 vaccine verification to Health Pass by CLEAR (U.S.) or Safe Expo (international).
To streamline registration, print your name badge and agenda.

Plan Now

Schedules fill up fast, so if traveling with a team, start planning as early as possible and fill a master calendar with the booth numbers of everyone’s appointments and reception commitments for most efficient coverage.

Hosted buyers should have already scheduled their appointments through the app. Come prepared to learn.
Go through the agenda and mark educational presentations you don’t want to miss on your calendar starting with Smart Monday, powered by MPI, where tracks are broken out with a focus on updating skills in association, corporate and agency sectors. During the show, new tracks including Creativity in communication; Diversity and accessibility; Innovation and tech; Business recovery, Contract negotiations, Personal branding and Sustainability. 
Reach out to partners and potential partners to ask for 15- to 20-minute catch-up times
Get reservations if scheduling lunches or dinners. (Ernest Stovall, vice president of sales with Mandalay Bay suggests Salt & Ivy at ARIA or, for a quick bite, Border Grill just above the North Convention space.)

Make Time for Right Things

EIC People & Planet Village will bring together sustainability, social and diversity efforts in one central place on the show floor. Look for the following:

Build a clubhouse: the result will be delivered to the kindergarten class of Luna, a child with pediatric cancer.
Donate a book: More than 400 have already been donated, bring one to keep the momentum going.
Build hygiene kits for Clean the World: completed gifts go to vulnerable local communities.
Make a sustainability pledge: Case studies will share tips for producing inclusive and planet-friendly events.

Get Out

Not everything happens on the show floor. IMEX is the perfect opportunity to bump elbows with fellow meeting professionals after hours, out and about. Las Vegas has developed enormously over the last two years and IMEX is making it easy for people to check out all the new venues for themselves. “There is a lot of newness to explore,” Bauer said.

The IMEXrun tradition continues on Wednesday morning at 6:30 a.m. With a 5K on The Strip at dawn.

Take a tour of MGM’s solar advances in the desert. Scout future meeting space at Mandalay Bay and the new CAESARS FORUM. Take a Lip Smacking Foodie Tour of top restaurants on The Strip. And, new this year, a mystery trip promises to surprise and delight. Again, you are going to want to register in advance to save your spot.
Site Nite, a fundraiser for research and scholarships to advance the incentive industry will be Monday from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the new Resorts World Las Vegas Zouk nightclub.
MPI Foundation’s signature Rendezvous event poolside at Caesars Entertainment’s Drais nightclub/beachclub goes down Wednesday from 10 p.m. Until 1 .a.m. the next morning.
Events Industry Council will honor its 2021 Hall of Leaders winners at MGM Grand Las Vegas Nov. 7.

Stream In

Not attending this year? IMEX Buzz Hub Live will broadcast education, panel discussions, wellness activities and show floor highlights for the first time ever. The content stream sponsored by Notified starts Tuesday at 9 a.m. With an interview with Bauer and IMEX Chairman Ray Bloom. Moderator Suzanne Mulligan will guide viewers on the journey.