While Milan is gearing up for the 2026 Winter Olympics, the three proceeding games are sure to be events you won’t want to miss. The next four games are being held in cities that are business and economic hubs—historically great for meetings—so why not plan your next international meeting around the world’s biggest international sporting event? Here is a list of the upcoming Olympic Games from 2020 to 2026, and what their host cities have to offer attendees and planners.

Tokyo, Japan

The upcoming Summer Olympics will be held from July 24 to Aug. 9, 2020 in Japan. One priority for Japan and The Olympic Games is “allowing as many people as possible to attend Olympic events.” Although the first round of ticket sales was released last month and the window to apply for them has since closed, live ticket sales will open again in the United States on July 2. With millions of tickets available at affordable prices (half of all tickets will cost less than $75), why not plan your next meeting in Tokyo and catch an event or two while you’re there?

Tokyo is a cultural and economic hub and there is no shortage of hotels, event space or tourist attractions. From the Ritz Carlton, Tokyo, to Hilton Tokyo Odaiba and Grand Hyatt Tokyo, your event will be in good hands—leaving you time to watch gymnastics, synchronized swimming, judo and surfing.

Beijing, China

Beijing will become the first city in the world to host both the Summer and Winter Games after the upcoming Winter Olympics set to take place on Feb. 4 – 20, 2022. Not only will guests at the next winter games be in a vibrant city for the Olympics, they will also experience Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) as it coincides with the games.

Stay in the middle of it all at the China National Convention Center Grand Hotel or hold your meetings in the 27,404 sq. ft. of space at Sheraton Grand Beijing Dongsheng Hotel. These traditional convention center hotels are just minutes from the China National Convention Center and the China International Exhibition Center. Although schedules will surely be full between meetings, the Olympics and Chinese New Year, trips to the famed Forbidden City or the Great Wall of China can also be arranged.

China is hoping to boost its skiing tourism through the Games while also using them as a “catalyst for the take-off of winter sport in China.” So if you can’t make it to China for the Olympics in 2022, a skiing event in the Far East might be just the ticket.

Paris, France

The Paris Summer Olympics are scheduled to take place from July 26 to Aug. 11, 2024. Stadiums in the heart of the city are sure to create an amazing atmosphere as the legacy of the Games is celebrated in such historic places. Paris is a must-visit city in and of itself, so throw something as exciting as the Olympics into the mix and who could resist?

Stay just a 10 minute walk from the Champs-Élysées at The Hotel Du Collectionneur Arc De Triomphe Paris or across the road from the Louvre in one of The Westin Paris – Vendome’s 428 rooms. If you need more space than that, the Paris Marriott Rive Gauche Hotel & Conference Center offers 757 rooms and more than 50,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. Go from meetings to watching your favorite summer sports live and give attendees the opportunity of a lifetime, all while soaking up the buzzing atmosphere in the City of Light.

Milan, Italy

Italy won the bid for 2026 Winter Olympics on Monday. The bid was one of only two that were being seriously considered as enthusiasm over hosting is declining. The events are to be split between Milan and the ski resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo in northern Italy. Interest in the Winter Olympics has been second to that of the Summer Games since they were separated in 1994, and that limited interest has declined even further in recent years. The International Olympics Committee is counting on Italy to increase interest again in the Winter Games.

Being the fashion and economic capital of Italy, Milan already has so much to offer tourists, businesses and meeting planners alike, and their chances of drawing a crowd in 2026 are pretty good. If you do find yourself planning a meeting in Milan or Verona in six years (plenty of time to convince clients and bosses), stay at Excelsior Hotel Gallia, Milan, with its 18,635 sq. ft. of meeting space or Hotel da Vinci Milano events with its 307 rooms and almost 4,000 sq. ft. ballroom. They are the perfect places to host your meetings and stream the events you can’t attend while also being close enough to the events you want to attend (opening ceremony anyone?).

Smart Update: Breakdancing is on its way to becoming an Olympic sport—just in time for the 2024 Paris Olympic games! It all rests on a final vote to be held in Dec. 2020.

Travelling with a nut allergy? If so, you are now legally eligible for preboarding according to a recent ruling made by the United States Department of Transportation (DOT).

The ruling, which was made on May 16, stipulates that “passengers with severe nut allergies are passengers with disabilities” and are therefore covered under Air Carrier Access Act 382.5, which defines physical disabilities. So, air carriers are required to offer preboarding to passengers with severe nut allergies who say they need additional time or assistance to board, stow accessibility equipment or be seated.

The Cases

This ruling came in response to cases filed in 2017 by Alicia White and Food Allergy Research and Education, Inc. (FARE). White filed her case after American Airlines refused to let her family preboard in order to wipe down their seats to reduce the chances of her son, who has a life-threatening peanut allergy, coming into contact with allergens.

This sentiment of wiping down surfaces is supported by FARE in their complaint, which states that “individuals with severe allergies can experience an allergic reaction not only by ingesting food, but also through skin contact.”

FARE’s statement goes on to say that “preboarding would allow individuals with allergies and their families to wipe down seating areas, tray tables, armrests and seat covers to prevent skin contact with allergens,” thereby risking contact with allergens and alleviating anxiety, particularly in children with severe allergies.

Related: From the Flight Deck: Airline Peanut Policies Ranked

The Impact

While some airlines have historically allowed preboarding and made other provisions for passengers with food allergies, policy differed from airline to airline and was often not thoroughly enforced on the ground (or in the air). This DOT ruling will require that all airlines treat passengers with nut allergies as passengers with disabilities and give them the attention and services they require to safely travel with their allergy.

In their answers to cases filed against them, American Airlines made sure to recount a previous statue that prohibits DOT from banning peanuts or requiring airlines to create a peanut-free buffer zone as a part of their defense—so don’t expect those little packs of peanuts to disappear just yet.

Although the May 16 ruling created legal precedent that allows preboarding, Alicia White and FARE’s specific cases were dismissed in light of American Airline’s new policy (which became effective in December 2018) that allows preboarding for customers with food allergies.

Keep Attendees Healthy After the Flight

Attendees are now can be confident that they can travel hassle-free with their allergies. Planners might now consider extending that peace of mind to their events. Replacing allergens (peanuts and tree nuts, for example) with alternatives is an easy option to ensure a safe environment. If your attendees can’t live without a Thai peanut curry or almond tart, however, planners can at least make sure everything is properly labelled and maintain a clean serving station to reduce contamination.

Related: Helpful Tips for Dealing with Allergies on Flights

IMEX America 2018

Artist and Ted Talk speaker Phil Hansen will discuss ways to embrace challenges in his keynote address at Smart Monday, IMEX America 2019’s full day of free education sessions, starting on Sept. 9 in Las Vegas.

In “Embrace the Shake: Transforming Limitations into Opportunities,” Hansen will describe his challenges after developing a career-ending tremor in his drawing hand and how he decided to “seize the limitation” by making it an impetus for creativity and imagination.

Hansen’s talk will focus on how planners’ own limitations—including reduced budgets, limited resources and rushed timelines—can be embraced to create positive outcomes. This will be a pervasive theme of Smart Monday and IMEX America 2019, which will bring together some 3,500 suppliers and 4,000 buyers Sept. 10–12 at Sands Expo.

The talk also will be one of more than 180 education offerings for meeting and event professionals during Smart Monday—powered by MPI—and IMEX America 2019. The offerings will consist of deep dives, one-on-one sessions and hot-topic tables intended to stimulate fresh thinking on how to make meetings more engaging, embrace new ways of thinking, consider the big issues, and explore innovation and creativity.

More: Agenda Highlights from IMEX Frankfurt

In one highlighted session, Jessica Pettit—who wrote the book Good Enough Now and blends stand-up comedy with diversity training—will lead a discussion on “Inclusion: Beyond the Law for Meeting Professionals” that will illuminate how to keep attendees feeling safe and welcome at events as well as provide ways of implementing features to foster inclusive environments.

The presentations by Hansen and Pettit will both focus on using imagination to generate new ideas, which is key to IMEX America’s success, says Carina Bauer, CEO of IMEX Group.

More: How the Meetings Industry Can Be More Accessible and Inclusive to People of Color

“We’re working to bring the power of imagination to everything we’re doing at IMEX America,” she says. “Absolutely everything—and everyone—is connected or capable of being connected, and the driving force behind all the positive changes we’re witnessing is the power of the human imagination—a uniquely human quality.

“So, we’re exploring and celebrating this aspect of being human—one that we frequently take for granted. Think of it as a human superpower—our instinct to ask, without judgment or limitation, ‘What if…’”

Eldorado Resorts announced Monday it will buy Caesars in a deal valued at $17.3 billion, increasing its portfolio to 79 casinos, thereby making it one of the largest gambling and entertainment ventures in the United States.

The cash-and-stock deal, which includes assumption of debt, will enable Eldorado to significantly strengthen its presence in Las Vegas, where Caesars is based. In fact, the enlarged company will be called Caesars, but be based in Reno, Nevada, where Eldorado is currently located. It will be led by Caesars CEO Tom Reeg and Eldorado Chairman Gary Carano.

“Together, we will have an extremely powerful suite of iconic gaming and entertainment brands, as well as valuable strategic alliances with industry leaders in sports betting and online games,” Reeg said in a prepared statement.

“This announcement is the culmination of a thorough evaluation by the Caesars board of directors,” said Jim Hunt, chairman of Caesars. “The board unanimously concluded that the combination of these two companies creating an even stronger entity is a decision for our shareholders’ consideration and vote for immediate and ongoing value.”

Liberalized regulations in the U.S. sports betting market were key to the deal. Together, Eldorado and Caesars properties create a land-based casino powerhouse with ambitions to expand its presence across several jurisdictions and to elevate its status in the sports betting market.

Reeg said that the deal will also facilitate strengthening of the Caesars Rewards program.

“Relative to our prior acquisitions, the combination with Caesars presents attractive incremental revenue synergy opportunities as we plan to strengthen Caesars Rewards, the industry’s leading player loyalty and CMS database, and combine it with Eldorado’s to market to over 65 million rewards customers nationally,” he said.

Eldorado will pay $12.75 for each Caesars share—$8.40 per share in cash and 0.0899 share of Eldorado stock. Caesars is blued at about $8.6 billion in the transaction, and El Dorado will assume some $8.8 billion of its debt. If approved by gaming regulators and shareholders, the deal is scheduled to close in the first half of next year.

The transaction stipulates that shareholders of Eldorado Resorts Inc. will hold about 51 percent of the company’s outstanding stock, with Caesars Entertainment Corp. shareholders holding the remaining and 49 percent.

Eldorado has a market value of around $4 billion. The company operates 26 properties in 12 states. Caesars has properties in 14 U.S. states—including the Harrah’s and Horseshoe casino brands—and five other countries.

Caesars emerged from bankruptcy protection in late 2017, but still faced significant long-term debt and cost pressures that it attempted to address by cutting bulky corporate overhead. Along with other casinos, however, Caesars has financially benefitted from the broader legalization of sports betting. Billionaire Carl Icahn has the largest stake in Caesars and pushed for fundamental changes at the company earlier this year. News about the merger arrived a few months after it first emerged that the two companies had engaged in consolidation discussions.

Eldorado also announced Monday that VICI Properties Inc. will acquire the real estate associated with Harrah’s Laughlin Hotel & Casino in Nevada, Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City in New Jersey and Harrah’s New Orleans Hotel & Casino for approximately $1.8 billion.

Why not plan your next meeting in Europe’s upcoming hot spot? Travel Daily News has stated that, according to a study done by ForwardKeys for European Cities Marketing (ECM), Istanbul (not Constantinople) is set to be Europe’s tourism hot spot in the third quarter of 2019 (July – Sept.) The claim is based on growth in airline seat capacity and growth in long-haul flight bookings to certain destinations.

Istanbul: Made for Meetings

With three expansive conference ‘clusters’ located in Istanbul, all your convention and hotel needs can be met. Congress Valley in the Business and Finance District is home to Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus which boasts a 22,327 sq. ft. meeting space and 500 rooms. Alternatively, the Airport and Exhibition District is home to several hotels including World Trade Center Istanbul, which includes two luxury hotels, a convention center with a 4,000-person capacity and various other event spaces, making it the perfect all-in-one meeting space. While these amenities are impressive and necessary for the planner, the real draw of Istanbul is the things attendees will be doing and seeing after their meetings. Below are some suggestions.

Top 3 Tourist Attractions for Attendees and Groups

Witness whirling dervishes perform a traditional Turkish dance in various historical sites across the city, such as an ancient Ottoman bath, Hodja pasha Hamam. Whether you attend a show or arrange dancers to entertain larger groups in a hotel, the experience is said to be a spiritual one as on-lookers witness the depiction of man’s journey to perfection through spiritual ascension.

Bridge the gap between two continents and embark on a sunset cruise along the Bosphorus strait. The strait is historically and culturally significant, as it divides Europe and Asia, and it also offers beautiful views of Istanbul’s skyline. The perfectly picturesque end to a hard day working or sightseeing.

Take the stress out of being a tourist and offer your attendees guided tours of some of Turkey’s most magnificent monuments. Built in the early 1600’s by Sultan Ahmet I, the ‘Blue Mosque,’ is a marvel of a building steeped in culture and religion. It neighbors the Aya Sofya, a church built in 536 by byzantine Emperor Justinian. The Aya Sofya was later turned into a mosque when Constantinople was captured by the Ottomans and finally became a museum in the 20th century–representing the long and diverse history of Turkey.

With news of measles outbreaks in the United States and worldwide proliferating recently, health organizations are warning travelers to think about infectious diseases before travelling—and that means event professionals need to think about them too.

The Measles Outbreak

Northern Virginia health officials warned those who were at Dulles International Airport’s (IAD) baggage claim and Terminal A on June 2 of possible measles exposure. The announcement came after a child in the region contracted measles days after passing through the airport. This exposure warning is just one in a series of outbreaks that have swept the country this year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have been at least 1,022 cases across 28 states since January 1, the most since measles was declared eliminated in 2000.

Measles cases in the United States overwhelmingly begin abroad and are brought stateside by unsuspecting travelers. The U.S. outbreaks in recent years followed an outbreak in Europe, specifically Ukraine, for which The European Vaccine Action Plan 2015-2020 (EVAP) was developed. This plan states that at least 95 percent of individuals must be vaccinated to ensure community protection for everyone. According to the CDC, 11 U.S. states had vaccine coverage levels of less than 90 percent in 2017.

Related: Essential Guide to Feverishly Planning a Flu Vaccine Clinic at Events

What to Know About Infectious Diseases

Infectious diseases are diseases caused by organisms—such as bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites. They are transmitted from person-to-person, through insect bites or animals, or through contaminated food or water. One of the main issues with them—specifically measles—is that contraction of the disease can happen weeks before symptoms begin to show.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that every child receive life-time measles vaccinations and adults who are not vaccinated should consider vaccination before traveling. According to WHO, “countries with measles outbreaks have experienced a range of challenges in recent years including a decline or stagnation in overall routine immunization coverage in some cases, low coverage at subnational level or among some marginalized groups and immunity gaps in older populations.”

Related: Become the Healthy Planner with These Strategies

Check Yourself: Steps to Take When Travelling

  • Check the WHO and CDC websites to see if you need specific vaccines for your destination
  • Make sure you eat and drink hygienically when abroad
  • Consider getting the measles vaccination if you have not already
  • Make attendees aware of any potential breakouts (currently, measles) and encourage vaccination when possible

 

The Meetings Means Business (MMB) blueprint for bringing the hospitality sector together to show the power of events resonates in any language. Four years ago, Canada joined the MMB family. At MPI World Education Conference in Toronto, Canada, this week, MMB co-chair Julie Coker Graham announced that Meetings Mean Business India had launched.

“The Mission is the same: to make it easier for advocates to share the importance of the industry outside our hospitality circle,” Coker Graham said. She pointed to the participation of 53 countries in April’s Global Meetings Industry Day this year as proof that the message crosses borders. “Our outreach had a reach of 88.2 million people,” she reported.

Related: San Francisco Celebrates GMID

Nitin Sachdeva, executive director of Venture Marketing and the organizing force behind the Indian coalition, described the industry there as still in its infancy when it comes to working together and asking for government support. “We need to help the government understand the importance of the industry,” he said. Sachdeva described the country as one of the largest potential markets in the world and predicted that tourism in the country could grow by 16 percent.

Related: WEC Celebrated #MeetingProfs Stories

MMB India will function as an advisory council with 20 active leaders from the MICE sector. Sachdeva’s plan is to first coordinate messaging from everyone involved and then move on to advocacy.

Although each chapter will modify the design of the group to fit its individual needs, all can share research and content on everything from human trafficking to homelessness.

Each MMB coalition can also help the others facilitate movement between the countries. “We can educate each other on how to be U.S.-ready, Canada-ready and India-ready,” Sachdeva said.

“It is a funny thing,” he quipped. “The idea for MMB India started with a connection in Montreal and launched in Toronto.”

Conference-goers are a discerning lot. Sure, they’re looking for great content to further their career development—but at a good price. And like 88 percent of savvy consumers today, the first place they’re going to look for more information about your event is online: your event website.

But just because a potential attendee finds your conference website doesn’t mean you’re in the clear. You’ve only got 10 seconds to capture their interest, so your site needs to present the right information to capitalize on that window, especially by providing a seamless checkout.

Following is a breakdown of the elements your conference website needs to be successful.

The Necessities of an Attention-grabbing Conference Website

When someone lands on your conference website, the images and words they see first are the most important. Use the wrong ones and visitors will quickly hit the back button on their browsers and never be seen again. Here’s how to make a lasting first impression on web visitors:

Use images that convey the attendee experience. The human eye processes images in 13 milliseconds, much faster than it can read words. That’s why it’s critical to use engaging visuals of attendees enjoying your conference high up on your event website.

4 Ways to Improve Your Photography Game

  1. Use images of satisfied attendees in prominent places on your website
  2. Highlight images of venue and speakers further down or in your site
  3. Invest in a professional event photographer to get high quality images
  4. Smart tip: If hiring a professional photographer is too costly, you can use stock photography when appropriate to save money

Craft headlines and descriptions to pique interest. After sussing out your visuals, the next place people look is at your headline copy and descriptions. The secret to crafting headlines and sentences that pique visitors’ interest is by first, understanding your event’s value proposition, and second, being concise with your copy.

5 Ways to Uplevel Your Conference Website Copy

  1. Use bullet points when possible to make it easier for people to scan
  2. Limit paragraphs to three or four sentences
  3. Consider using helpful and relevant links in your copy, like FAQs
  4. Use benefits, not features, in your headlines and descriptions
  5. Always use the active voice (never passive voice)

Consider what potential conference-goers will skim for on the page. Once your conference site has convinced visitors to hang around, it needs to answer a few important questions—like the date and location. This may sound obvious, but these critical details can often be buried or forgotten entirely.

To ensure your site doesn’t miss the mark, make the date, time and location easily identifiable. Once your website has piqued someone’s interest, make sure they can scan the page and find out when and where your conference will be.

Tips for Prioritizing the Date and Location on Your Site

  1. The date and time should be included in your headline
  2. Repeat these important details again in the footer
  3. Embed a Google map into your “About” page, which also improves SEO

Be sure your call to action (CTA) is always visible. It’s highly frustrating for people when they have to comb through your website to register. Your conference website is a treasure map, and your call to action (CTA) is the giant red ‘X’ that says, “Over here!”

3 Best Practices to Help Site Visitors Register

  1. Put a CTA button up top on the homepage of your website
  2. Use active language, like “Register Now”
  3. Make it pop by using a contrasting color for the button

Ensure details that confirm your conference can’t be missed. Before someone can commit to attending your conference, they’ll want to know the particulars—who will be speaking and if they’ll learn something new. Sounds simple, but it’s where some conference websites fall short. Here’s how to show potential attendees your conference is worth the investment:

Highlight the benefits of your conference agenda. People want to know who’s speaking, about what and when. That information can’t be presented as a boring list, though. Your site visitors will expect an interactive and easy-to-read lineup, with links to speaker bios and session descriptions.

3 Ways to Take Your Agenda from Boring to Exciting

  1. Do research to see how your competitors present that information and what you like (pop ups that overlay on the webpage are a popular approach right now)
  2. Gather speaker bios and photos as soon as you confirm them
  3. Make your session abstracts punchy and engaging (see copy tips above)

Showcase the value your sponsors will bring. From big-name conferences to smaller, corporate events, sponsors can add credibility to your event. Plus, giving sponsors space on your site is another activation you can offer them. That’s a win-win situation for both your conference and your sponsors.

How to Incorporate Sponsors in Your Website

  1. Don’t just feature sponsor logos on your website’s home page. Instead, tell visitors why they’re important partners and how they’ll enhance the experience.
  2. If you have a blog on your conference website, have sponsors write a guest post that encourages attendees to stop by and meet them in person.

Put these tips into action with real examples. Your conference website should be the ultimate salesperson for your event. Find out how to shape it in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Event Websites.

Ronnie Higgins works at Eventbrite, helping event planners level-up their registration game. Born and raised in New Orleans, there’s nothing he enjoys more than helping people get together for a conference, class or city-wide party like Mardi Gras. Eventbrite is a global ticketing and event technology platform that provides creators of events of all shapes and sizes with tools and resources to seamlessly plan, promote and produce live experiences around the world.

Every year on July Fourth, many businesses, public and government offices, and financial markets across the country close in favor of barbecues, parades, family events, parties and—of course—fireworks to celebrate the founding of the United States.

Not so for hotels and resorts, which stay open to welcome revelers. Many celebrate the occasion with on-property events, as well as July Fourth packages and summer promotions that extend later into the year—so it’s a perfect time for planners to book venues ahead of their next event. Here are a handful of venues with July Fourth packages worth celebrating.

Charleston, South Carolina: HarbourView Inn

HarbourView Inn
Meeting space entrance, HarbourView Inn

HarbourView Inn is hosting a pre-fireworks party with live music and libations July Fourth on the city’s only private waterfront rooftop. Those who book select dates get 15 percent off accommodations and two complimentary drinks at the rooftop bar. The waterfront property offers six meeting rooms of varying sizes and the option to buy out all 52 guest rooms.

A host of complimentary treats and amenities are available for groups, such as breakfast anywhere in the hotel, including the rooftop; bicycles and fitness facility use; and a wine and cheese reception.

Miami: Sole Miami


Sole Miami invites planners and attendees to meet in its oceanfront and city-view rooms, with a total of 6,500 sq. ft. of space. The resort also offers a private beachfront and an oceanside swimming pool for those who prefer to meet outdoors. Located on the “Florida Riviera”—renowned for sunsets, dance clubs and shopping—Sole Miami is ideal for offsites, “bizcations” and “bleisure” trips, as well as meetings and conferences.

The resort is hosting a beach barbecue with hamburgers, hot dogs, buckets of beer, happy hour cocktails and entertainment on July 4. Meeting packages include options such as complimentary room upgrades, VIP amenities, food and beverage or audiovisual credits, and complimentary drinks. Planners can perk up with gift card incentives.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico: Hilton Playa del Carmen

 

View this post on Instagram

 

It’s a beautiful day to spend all day by the pool #HiltonPDC // ?: @yanafishchuk

A post shared by Hilton Playa Del Carmen (@hiltonplayadelcarmen) on

Hilton Playa del Carmen in the Riviera Maya is offering exclusive meetings and events packages, including one complimentary room, one complimentary staff room, one room upgrade and one VIP amenity for every 35 rooms booked through Dec. 31. With more than 6,800 sq. ft. of event space, groups of up to 700 can enjoy complimentary amenities, along with the benefits of an all-inclusive resort.

The property is celebrating the Fourth with themed cocktails, an all-American style barbecue, festive costumes (such as the Statue of Liberty) and a nightly banquet with live entertainment and fireworks.

San Diego: Hotel del Coronado

 

View this post on Instagram

 

An iconic red, a legendary orange. ?: @evgenyyorobephotography

A post shared by Hotel del Coronado (@delcoronado) on


For its 130th anniversary, Hotel del Coronado is offering special rates, along with its Fourth of July package and other offers. Planners can expect room discounts, a $130 resort credit for a two-night stay (or $260 for a four-night stay) and complimentary tickets to the resort’s beach party, featuring live music, fire pits and fireworks on July 1.

On July 4, guests can catch Coronado Island’s fireworks display from the bay side of the property. The resort provides a range of meeting options for groups, with 65,000 sq. ft. of indoor, outdoor and oceanfront meeting space—including a private beach.

Washington, D.C.: The Jefferson Hotel, Washington, D.C.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

You can sit with us. #greenhouse #hoteldesign #hotels #luxurytravel #decor #delightinthedetails ? @mcirone

A post shared by The Jefferson Hotel (@thejeffersondc) on


 If you’re planning a meeting in Washington, D.C., between now and Dec. 31, The Jefferson, Hotel, Washington D.C. is rolling out the red carpet to groups with offers such as 20 percent off bookings and $100 credit for booking an executive or deluxe suite; a 50 percent discount on meeting rooms; $100 food and beverage credit for planners; and complimentary meeting amenities.

The Jefferson provides a number of distinctive meeting rooms: The Parlor, which accommodates up to 60 people; The Book Room, a 500 sq. ft. space (with a lounge) that can seat 30 without furniture and 15 seated with furniture; The Gallatin Room, which can accommodate 46 seated and 80 standing, and the Private Cellar, an intimate space for up to 22 with walls lined with bottles of wine.

Michael Dominguez wants you to know that he is not leaving MGM Resorts International, where he has served as senior vice president and chief sales officer for seven years. When he adopts the CEO title at Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI) on July 8, he will continue to sell MGM, Loews Hotels—a brand where he served as vice president of global sales for exactly seven years before his role at MGM—and 248 other luxury meetings- and incentive-focused properties around the world that are ALHI members.

“It is all part of an extended family,” he told Smart Meetings. The way he explained it to his staff during a conference call from MPI’s World Education Conference in Toronto, where he was speaking about leadership, was that his “daily responsibility for corporate hotel sales is changing.”

Dominguez said the move was not connected to a recent MGM 2020 reorganization. It came up only because former ALHI CEO Josh Lesnick announced his resignation three months earlier. “If the ALHI portfolio did not include MGM, I don’t know if it would have been as easy of a decision,” he said.

One project he plans to continue to work on in his new role is consulting with MGM on its bid to win a gaming license in Japan.

The position also affords Dominguez the possibility to move closer to his parents. “We don’t have to be located in Boston; we can be strategic about where [ALHI] is located, based on where customers and industry organizations are located—as long it has good airlift,” he said.

Bill Dyer, chair of Associated Luxury Hotels, the parent company of ALHI, said, “Michael is highly respected and actively involved in leadership roles in our meetings and events industry. He is the ideal person for this position, with the right experience and industry network to lead our organization to new heights as we continue to focus on serving our distinguished members and valued customers.”

ALHI serves as the global sales extension of 250-member luxury hotels and resorts, cruise ships and DMCs.

Dominguez pledged to look at how to deliver value to members and customers with fresh eyes while working with the entire industry to address global issues, such as diversity and inclusion, human trafficking and the environment. “ALHI needs to have a seat at the table with U.S. Travel,” he said. “That brings 240 hotels closer to these issues so they can make a difference.”