The Tuesday after Thanksgiving (aka Giving Tuesday) is the perfect time to think about charitable giving in this holiday season. While opportunities to give on that special day are endless, why not consider joining with ECPAT-USA, the leading anti-trafficking policy organization in the United States, on Dec. 3?

How Is This Relevant to my Industry?

Human trafficking can happen anywhere, but hotels are frequently part of the tragic scenario. The nature of human trafficking also means that bodies are being moved around a lot, and movement happens through airports and other sites where people in the MICE industry work and travel. In short, while human trafficking often goes undetected, it is happening under our noses. That has to stop—and ECPAT-USA has tips on how you can help combat human trafficking in America this Giving Tuesday.

More: Majority of Hospitality Companies Addressing Trafficking, Work to be Done

How You Can Get Involved

ECPAT-USA suggests that you encourage your employees (or co-workers) to get involved by creating a Giving Tuesday Facebook fundraiser for ECPAT-USA. This is done in a few simple steps (to begin, just click here). To really ramp up the giving, why not make your fundraiser a friendly competition? ECPAT-USA will be giving thank-you gifts to the first 10 individuals who raise $500 through their personal Facebook fundraisers. However, company-specific incentives can also help motivate employees to participate. If you are really inspired to help, pledge your own thank-you gift or match donations to ECPAT-USA to inspire your team to do more. ECPAT-USA notes that giving back, doing good and helping others can spike morale and team spirit.

More: You Can Help Stop Human Trafficking

How Your Company Can Get Involved

All those hard-won followers in the company (and your personal) social media accounts can feel extra good about themselves this holiday season. ECPAT-USA has created this social media toolkit to help you and your company spread ECPAT’s message on Giving Tuesday. It contains suggested posts and images to easily spread the word about ending human trafficking.

ECPAT-USA believes in the collective power of individuals, through communities and businesses, to motivate philanthropy and celebrate generosity. Let’s not let them down this Giving Tuesday.

Have you ever dared to produce an event only to find out that no one cared? Pity, all the effort you put into planning wasn’t appreciated, or worse, noticed. The problem may be a lack of data.

More: Event Data is Driving Increased Revenue

Of course, there are times when just winging it works, but making decisions based on instinct alone is a risky and cavalier approach. Meeting professionals who have succeeded in the event businesses know they have to be both visionary and realistic. Any event can benefit from a powerful tool known as SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis.

Define SWOT?

A SWOT analysis assesses the chances of success or failure for your event. It will tell you:

  • How well your event is positioned to succeed
  • What inherent weaknesses you have to contend with
  • The opportunities you’re poised to act on
  • All potential threats to look out for

Before you start with your own SWOT analysis, you need to remember that events don’t exist in a vacuum. They are influenced by the market, timing, trends, weather and plenty of other factors. A SWOT analysis puts your event in context and assesses its chances of success. Let’s take it letter by letter.

S for Strength: List features of the conference, breakouts and sessions that can contribute to the project’s goals. This is the time to focus on the strongest aspects of your event. For example, if you are organizing a gathering of exceptional lecturers where you offer attendees contact with someone who is an authority in a given industry, networking activities will be your strongest asset. Creating an experienced and motivated team—regardless of whether they are volunteers or professional event coordinators—increases the chances of success of the event. Also, itemize effective tools for the promotion of events on social media.

W for Weakness: Every project incorporates some elements that can prevent you from achieving your end-goals. This is the time to think about your weaknesses.

Is it a lack of finances? Insufficient budgets are one of the prime weaknesses of many events and can lead to a major failure. Pencil in an appropriate buffer in case of unforeseen expenses. Another major concern is dealing with an inexperienced team. In such cases, start planning as early in the cycle as possible.

O for Opportunity: Earn some brownie points prior to the actual meeting to make it easier achieve project goals. For example, if you are operating in a niche market, where can you strengthen your position by communicating or promoting your event in advance? By doing this, you are preparing yourself so that even if your competitors grow strong, nothing can harm you. Keep in mind that your market situation is your ally; use it to prepare for potential “bad times.” That is how you create opportunities!

T for Threats: Certain external factors may prove detrimental to the achievement of the project’s goals. The presence of strong competition doesn’t mean you have to give up organizing events in the industry. However, it can be a significant factor affecting the achievement of your goal. Another major threat is bad weather, especially if you are organizing an outdoor event. Note the possibility so you can come up with work-arounds.

Charles Richard is a business analyst at Tatvasoft.co.uk, a software development company in London.

The Reach Key West, Florida

Recently rebranded under Hilton Curio Collection, the 150-room resort is a tropical oasis for events with flair, featuring 4,000 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor space, including a gazebo propped over the ocean. For team-building opportunities, book the two on-site escape rooms, then review your strategic brilliance over rum cocktails at Four Marlins.

Hotel Distil, Louisville, Kentucky

Located on historic Whiskey Row, this Marriott Autograph Collection property has 205 guest rooms and 11,000 sq. ft. of event space, ranging from a 2,000-square-foot heated terrace to a 5,000-square-foot divisional ballroom. Celebrating the locale’s spirit-infused history and the building’s birth as a barrel house, the design is halogen-toned, with dark woods and cask-inspired metals. The style extends to Repeal, an oak-fired steakhouse specializing in local cuts of Wagyu beef and—of course—an extensive menu of bourbons.

Moxy East Village, NYC

Moxy Hotels’ new addition is a 286-room extravaganza, presenting the brand’s usual modular, tech-savvy hospitality approach—with added verve. The 13,000 sq. ft of transformative space caters to celebrations and events through four distinct, atmospheric dining experiences and a special entertainment-centric suite. A sequestered or lounge-style boardroom hosts official sit-downs, while cavernous Cathedrale restaurant and historically inspired Little Sister underground lounge can fuel gatherings of any inspiration.

Vespera on Ocean, Pismo Beach, California

Groups can experience ocean dunes and sleep steps from Pismo Beach Boardwalk in this elegantly appointed, 124-room beachfront abode from Marriott Autograph Collection Hotels. A 2,000-square-foot lawn overlooks the blue Pacific, and indoor meetings converge in 1,750 sq. ft. of ballroom space. The hotel is situated steps from hiking and biking trails, and 10 minutes from Edna Valley wine country.

Wanna avoid FOMO for your groups? Then pay heed to the just-released Global DMC Partners’ 2019 Global Destination Index. It names Paris as the world’s top destination for meetings and conferences. Costa Rica is top-ranked for incentives.

More: 5 European Cities Top Sustainability Rankings

The index also includes a 2020 Hot List. It puts San Diego tops for 2020 meeting and conferences. Greece is forecast as the No. 1 destination for incentives.

Nearly 7,000 meetings and incentive programs in over 500 destinations provided the data for the index.

“Because our client database is global, we are able to see some surprising destinations that show up on either list or on both and provide valuable insights,” says Catherine Chaulet, Global DMC Partners president and CEO. “For example, Budapest is a popular location for European meetings but also a top pick for incentive trips from the Americas.”

As the largest global network of independently owned destination management companies and creative event experts, the global network strives to make tourism manageable for destinations. “During a time when travel is more accessible to the masses than ever before, we have a responsibility to inform and educate in order to alleviate overtourism and undertourism,” Chaulet says.

Here are all the top-ranked destinations:

Meetings and Conferences

  1. Paris
  2. Copenhagen
  3. Chicago
  4. San Francisco
  5. Budapest
  6. Orlando
  7. Barcelona
  8. Washington, D.C.
  9. Prague
  10. Las Vegas

Incentives

  1. Costa Rica
  2. France
  3. Bahamas
  4. Italy
  5. Miami
  6. Budapest
  7. Lisbon
  8. Prague
  9. Cancun
  10. Aruba

2020 Meeting & Conference Hot List

  1. San Diego
  2. Nashville
  3. Singapore
  4. Las Vegas
  5. New Orleans
  6. Tokyo
  7. Washington, D.C.
  8. Austin
  9. Bahamas
  10. Phoenix

2020 Incentive Hot List

  1. Greece
  2. Bahamas
  3. Costa Rica
  4. Budapest
  5. Aruba
  6. Iceland
  7. New York
  8. Italy
  9. Switzerland
  10. Puerto Rico

In places such as Florida, not all meetings are restricted to hotel and convention center rooms. Planners are finding that there are plenty of intriguing off-sites available in the Sunshine State, including the following.

Jackie Robinson Ballpark (Daytona Beach): You can meet in the very spot where American professional baseball was integrated when Jackie Robinson walked onto this field during a spring training game in 1946. This historic, 4,000-seat ballpark was built in 1914, so it’s seen a lot of history. It has several meeting spaces, and can hold 200 attendees.

The Ritz Theatre and Museum (Jacksonville): The Ritz Theatre and Museum features an intimate 400-seat theater with a state-of-the-art sound system, lighting and a performance stage that are ideal for speakers. Companies often use the beautiful lobby for events or meetings, and it can comfortably host up to 150 people for a banquet-style event or up to 500 for a cocktail hour. The Ritz was constructed in 1999 on the site of the original theater of the same name, in the same Art Deco style and with a big marquee out front.

The Naples Princess (Naples): In Naples, the water beckons pretty much everywhere you look. This 105-foot yacht just completed a major renovation last year. Once aboard, you’ll pass spectacular homes and natural beauty in Naples Harbor and Port Royal. Your attendees can feast on lunch, dinner or hors d’oeuvres, and if you go on a sunset cruise, they’ll be awed by the sight of the tropical sun slowly dipping into the Gulf of Mexico.

Sarasota Opera House (Sarasota): Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the opera house has recently completed a $20 million upgrade to restore it to its original 1920s beauty. The elegant theater seats over 1,000, and there are several other meeting spaces, along with four large banquet rooms, two lounges, a private dining room and a beautiful courtyard. There’s also an on-site kitchen.

The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art (St. Petersburg): This museum opened just last year in Downtown St. Pete. It houses 400 to 500 premier works of art from the personal collection of area residents Tom and Mary James. It cost $50 million to put together this 80,000-square-foot facility, which features a two-story indoor sculpture court with a waterfall and eye-catching art. A variety of spaces can be rented by planners.

Read more about Florida’s meetings offerings in Steve Winston’s story, “The Sunshine State Casts a Shiny New Light of Meetings,” in the November issue of Smart Meetings.

Turkey Day is just weeks away, but perhaps even more auspicious is the extended weekend of deals and savings—including for travel—that will be served after our cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes. Luckily, Black Friday and Cyber Monday travel deals can be gobbled up in the comfort of your flannel pajamas, with leftover-turkey sandwich in hand.

From Nov. 29–Dec. 2, The Peninsula Hotels are offering packages of 20 to 30 percent savings on rooms and suites in their Beverly Hills, California; Chicago; and New York City locations, available for stays through April 2020. Additionally, savings of 15–20 percent are available on holiday spa packages, as well as on gift cards for spa purchases and dining experiences. Go here on that darkest of Fridays to snatch up them up like that last tempting slice of pumpkin pie.

There are perks to be had in Texas, Florida, Louisiana and Boston, too.

Plan something post holiday to look forward to in idyllic Southwest style at Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa, which will drop rates as low as $99 during its special. Guests who book 2 or more nights between Black Friday and Cyber Monday will be treated to 20 percent off stays through March 31, 2020. (Make sure to check out their social media channels the weekend of for the special code).

In Florida, The Confidante Miami Beach is offering 25 percent off two-night stays, new hotel The Dalmar in Fort Lauderdale is trimming 25 percent off its best available room rate, and Naples Grand Beach Resort will slice off 40 percent for stays of three nights or more.

The Eliza Jane in New Orleans will prolong its sale from Black Friday to Dec. 31; it offers 25 percent off best available rates for stays from Nov. 29 until Dec. 31, 2020.

Perhaps the sweetest deal of all is at The Whitney Hotel Boston, with up to 40 percent off stays through September 2020. Its sale begins Nov. 22 and ends at midnight, Dec. 5.

Finally—just in time for Cabernet season—Napa, California, wine country is tempting sybarites and oenophiles with a bevy of savings. Calistoga Ranch and Solage, both Auberge Resorts, have rates at 25–50 percent off on select dates, as does Carneros Resort & Spa. Deals tempt at several other Napa properties, too. Details can be found here, with some specials offered as early as Nov. 10.

More than one-quarter of business travelers from the Americas believe their business travel commitments erode their home and personal relationships, according to a recent survey. This was one of several findings in the survey, which suggest that companies related to the meetings industry and others need to help address the needs of traveling staff members.

Results of the survey—which was created this year to discover the pain points of business travel by the B2B4E travel management platform CWT and conducted by Artemis Strategy Group—showed that 26 percent of business travelers from the Americas feel that their relationships suffer due to travel, compared with 23 percent of their counterparts from Europe and 18 percent from Asia-Pacific.

Study: Young Professionals Want to Explore the City, Alone

Respondents were divided into baby boomers, Gen X and millennials in the three regions. In the Americas, the Gen X travelers were the most likely to say that their relationships suffer, while in Europe and Asia Pacific, baby boomers were most likely to do so.

Concern About Their Family’s Perception

The survey also asked if the business travelers worry about their families thinking they would rather travel for work than handle their day-to-day homelife responsibilities. More than one-fifth (21 percent) said that they are worried about it, broken down to 22 percent in the Americas, 17 percent of Europeans and 23 percent of Asia Pacific respondents. Millennials were the most concerned demographic group in the three regions, although in the Asia Pacific, Gen X respondents showed equal concern.

“Even though the same research reveals that business travelers feel that positives outweigh negatives at work [92 percent] and at home [82 percent], when traveling for business, companies need to be aware of the concerns that business travelers face, and help to address them head-on,” said Catherine Maguire-Vielle, CWT’s executive vice president and chief human resources officer. “Relationships are a fundamental part of a person’s well-being, and companies have the obligation to ensure their employees’ travels are not jeopardizing them at home or in the office.”

Effect on Co-Workers

The survey also showed that nearly one-quarter of business travelers feel guilty that their colleagues must pick up the slack in their absence. Twenty-five percent of the Asia-Pacific travelers said they feel guilty about it, compared with 24 percent of Europeans and 16 percent of those in the Americas. Overall, Gen X travelers were most concerned, followed by baby boomers and millennials.

Slightly fewer business travelers (13 percent) in the Americas than their European and Asia Pacific  counterparts (both 14 percent) said they are concerned about staying in touch with people in their main office. In each geographical group, millennials ranked as the most concerned.

More than one-fifth (21 percent) of respondents reported that they stress over spending too much time with co-workers or clients on the road. Generational differences were seen in the three regions, with the most stressed groups being baby boomers in the Americas, Gen X and baby boomers in Europe, and millennials in Asia Pacific.

Survey responses were collected from more than 2,700 business travelers in the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific who traveled four or more times in the previous 12 months. Respondents in the Americas hailed from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and the United States; those in Europe were from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom; and those in Asia Pacific were from Australia, China, India, Japan and Singapore.

Chef Christian Apetz

The most important trend I’ve seen in food and beverage in 2019 is customization. By curating the perfect menu tailored to guest preferences, event professionals can ensure a higher quality experience for everyone involved. Delivering personalized meals allows planners to stand out—and it can be fun. Here are some my top recommendations on how to utilize current food trends to create a memorable and lasting event.

More: 4 Ways to Make Sure the Food at Your Event Will Draw a Crowd

Over the Top Event Setups

One major trend I’ve noticed this year is over-the-top event setups that tie in both food and beverages seamlessly. For example, I’ve seen everything from outdoor bars that seem to blend into the environment to food displays that utilize the natural topography.

Guests are yearning for more out-of-the-box experiences and are not satisfied anymore with typical banquet rooms. My suggestion for meeting planners is to think creatively to provide something unexpected for guests, whether that means creating a themed menu or using a distinctive venue—or both. For example, I’ve curated menus for meetings and events held in theaters, under oak trees and on gondola landings of ski lifts. Those unexpected event spaces helped to mix things up for the dining experience.

Customization Can Make a Major Impact

I believe that events in our industry are heading toward customization on demand. We now have the ability to rapidly prepare meals for a very large number of attendees in a very short amount of time. Customizing the menus also allows the planner to avoid food and beverage offerings that may not have worked in the past and forces chefs to serve what’s seasonally available as well as what’s new and on-trend. I recommend staying away from “build-your-own” buffets, which tend to be a hot button for the planning team and can create a nightmare of long lines for attendees. Instead, offer curated enhancements that are simple and easy to apply that will help to create shorter lines and a more enjoyable experience for the planner and attendees. As a planner, don’t be afraid to push your chefs to customize the event that you are envisioning.

Creating a Memorable Impact

My biggest piece of advice for building build in the culinary team is to meet one-on-one with the chef and some of the key players who will be involved in the planning process. For example, one of the first steps of the meeting and event planning process is getting together my team so I can obtain a sense of the group’s needs and vision for their menus. A good culinary team can dream up new ideas without repeating the same old fare, giving the planner the opportunity for lasting impact.

Incorporating Eco-Friendly Practices

With green and eco-friendly practices getting quite a bit of attention lately, it is important to think about ways to help reduce the group’s waste, which can be done easily in a food and beverage setting. Working in Texas, it can always be a challenge straying away from the “Bigger in Texas” attitude. However, creating smaller portions and focusing on controlling consumption can really make a difference. Live action stations where chefs are preparing food on demand is a great way to minimize over-usage and control waste, as well as ultimately help reduce the group’s entire carbon footprint.

Chef Christian Apetz is the executive chef at Hyatt Regency San Antonio. He has more than 20 years of experience in the industry and has led culinary teams at properties throughout the country including Hyatt Regency Boston Harbor, Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort and Spa and The Driskill Hotel in Austin.

The western Michigan city of Grand Rapids is becoming a prime meetings destination, thanks largely to the rapid growth of the downtown area. And smack-dab at the center of it all is AHC Hospitality, the hotel subsidiary of Alitcor.

AHC was already managing three hotels in Grand Rapids—Amway Grand Plaza Grand Rapids, JW Marriott Grand Rapids and Courtyard Grand Rapids Downtown—when it added AC Hotel by Marriott Grand Rapids Downtown and Hyatt Place Grand Rapids Downtown to the mix within the past six months. All the hotels are located downtown.

The new properties don’t significantly add to the available meeting space, but provide much-needed guest rooms during the city’s growth spurt. The minimalist AC Hotel, which opened in June in a renovated 127-year-old building, offers 130 guest rooms and 292 sq. ft. of meeting space. Hyatt Place, which was unveiled in October, features colorful, simple design, and has 160 guest rooms and 1,500 sq. ft.

Related: 8 Instagrammable Meeting Backdrops

They complement Amway Grand Plaza (682 guest rooms, 47,120 sq. ft.), JW Marriott (337 guest rooms, 15,000 sq. ft.) and Courtyard (214 guest rooms, 9,949 sq. ft.). The two new properties also increase the brand options and provide easy access to downtown attractions, such as Grand Rapids Art Museum and craft breweries.

“What’s great about our properties here in the hotel district is we’re at the epicenter of activity, entertainment and launching,” says George Aquino, vice president and managing director of AHC Hospitality.

AHC Hospitality, originally known as Amway Hotel Corporation, purchased the iconic Pantlind Hotel, which debuted in 1913 with Beaux-Arts architecture, including one of the largest gold-leaf ceilings in the world, classical columns and terra cotta designs. After extensive renovations, AHC reopened the hotel in 1981 as Amway Grand Plaza. The company was careful to retain many of the distinguishing features of Pantlind, while adding a 29-story glass tower.

“Amway Grand Plaza really spearheaded the growth of Grand Rapids,” Aquino says.

The hotel now features rooms ranging from historic to contemporary, from modest to magnificent. Despite its great size and scope, it feels like a cozy, intimate property, and is very welcoming to groups. Amway Grand Plaza continues to evolve to meet the ever-changing tastes of residents and visitors: Last month, for instance, it added IDC (I Don’t Care), an all-season balcony bar featuring funky, retro-inspired cocktails and local craft beers, along with a soundtrack of favorite songs from the ‘70s.

Many other bars, restaurants and entertainment venues have been opening in the downtown area, giving the state’s second-largest city a big boost as a meetings destination. Aquino emphasizes that Grand Rapids—long known mainly as Furniture City due to its abundance of quality furniture-makers—is expanding the variety of its offerings. This is paying dividends for AHC Hospitality, he says.

“Our goal is, ‘If it’s good for Grand Rapids, then it’s going to be good for us.’ So, we enjoy that we are growing so much, with all these new restaurants, all these entertainment districts around and [the city becoming known as] Beer City USA—and now we’re becoming a cocktail culture right here in downtown Grand Rapids.”

“What’s great about it is we have our own identity: While Detroit is the [economic and cultural] capital of Michigan, Grand Rapids is the western capital,” he says. “We’re very proud of our culture here, and it’s really a great place to visit—it’s friendly, it’s clean and it’s walkable. We really would like to have everyone come to visit us at some point.”

Breweries and wineries are bubbling up throughout the New York state, making it easy and convenient for drink enthusiasts to find places to settle in and sip. We rounded up some beer and wine tours that groups can enjoy.

More: NYC Beer and Wine Scene: Where and How to Tap in with Group

Great for off-site meetings and team-building activities, Crush Beer & Wine Tours offers public and private tours for groups. Its wine tours take patrons through the lush, rolling hills of the Finger Lake Wine region, led by sommelier and wine author Andrew Brooks. For those who prefer the beer scene, its custom beer tours take guests on a tantalizing trip to breweries in Rochester, New York and the Finger Lakes region. Accommodating groups of eight to more than 50, Crush Beer & Wine Tours offers tours via van or coach bus.

Rochester Pedal Tours provide a perfect way to show your group all that the Rochester craft beer scene has to offer. The pedal-powered trolley stops at three breweries of your choosing, beginning and ending at Marshall Street Bar and Grill, which is centrally located in downtown Rochester. There are 13- and 15-seat bikes, which can be rented simultaneously by large groups. For private tours, your group needs a minimum of six peddlers. For attendees that prefer something on the water, Rochester Pedal Tours offers pedal boat tours that include a 100-minute cruise down the Genesse River.

Established in 1983, The Cayuga Lake Wine Trail (in the northern part of the state) is the first organized and longest-running wine trail in the country. A five-hour winery tour features breathtaking views of Cayuga Lake and Taughannock Falls. The Cayuga Lake Wine Trail, America’s first wine trail, showcases wines that have earned more than 6,000 national and international medals. Groups of 15 can charter private tours.

With an ever-growing stream of brewery tours and wine trails, New York state is an ideal place for meeting planners to bring their attendees.

Read more about the way groups can enjoy New York state’s beverage offerings in Megan McDermott’s story, “Beer and Wine Scene Flows in the Empire State: How and Where to Tap in with Your Group,” in the November issue of Smart Meetings.