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Mach 3 Flight Simulator IMBT World 2018

Modern technology, such as virtual reality, is changing the meetings and events industry in ways that would have been unimaginable only a few years ago. The team at Reed Travel Exhibitions and IBTM is embracing it wholeheartedly, introducing a new, interactive Exploratory Zone in the center of the IBTM World 2018 conference, set for Nov. 27–29 in Barcelona, Spain.

Combat flight simulators, dancing robots and 3D printed food are just some of what the meetings and conference industry event has in store. Pierre-Henri Chuet, founder of Mach 3 Management, a company specializing in using virtual combat simulations as corporate training, says it was an easy decision to bring his flight simulators to IBTM World. “The activity supports team building, stress and workload management and decision-making, plus it’s a great experience flying a jet at supersonic speed in formation with your team,” he says. “So, it was a no-brainer for us to be part of the 2018 edition.”

Bringing together more than 3,000 global companies and destinations with more than 15,000 meetings industry professionals, IBTM hopes the high-tech exhibits will be a source of inspiration for the attendees. Along with Mach 3 Management, the headliners of the Exploratory Zone include the following.

Robots of London: Designers who hire out their robotic creations as everything from receptionists to car sales staff and facial recognition-enabled “socibots”
Skullmapping: Artists in Belgium working in VR, projection mapping, and holograms
Fielddrive: An events technology company offering facial recognition and tracking for attendee check-in and registration
Surround Vision: A full VR and 360-degree video production studio
3DFoodlab: An Estonian company offering custom and intricate food designs, 3D printed in real time. It will be producing a 3D chocolate model of the IBTM World logo.
Amondo: A platform that curates and assembles all the shared content around any given event

“We believe in the power of new technology in taking people to the heart of the action through fun and innovative experiences, and what better place to experience it than at events,” says Surround Vision Creative Director Richard Nockles.

In addition to the Exploratory Zone, IBTM World 2018 will feature a genius-bar style Tech Bar where attendees can ask experts questions about technology and even get advice for their individual LinkedIn pages.

accessibility rules

Although the Americans with Disabilities Act went into effect in 1990, the spirit of the directive—to accommodate for everyone—is still sometimes lacking at hotels and venues, even if the letter of the law is fulfilled. This sad reality flies in the face of the $17 billion per year Abilities Expo experts say travelers with disabilities spend. It also ignores the needs of a growing, aging community that still wants to participate fully in travel and meetings.

Event professionals’ on-site visits can make a difference in helping those attendees feel welcome by actively looking for properties that take their role as hospitality providers seriously.

Matt Sterling, a former hospitality consultant who has been disabled since birth and uses a wheelchair, reports that often, little details make the difference between a comfortable stay and a painful barrier to fully participating.

“Even in designated accessible rooms, the nuances get missed,” Sterling said. Showerheads are directed to the wall and too high to be adjusted from below, towels are stored on high shelves and height-appropriate counters are not staffed or used as storage for brochures. “Often the big things, such as ramp entrances, have been invested in, but inside, the little details make it less than functional,” he said.

Following is a checklist of factors to consider when scoping out a property for your next event.

Include a check-box during online registration asking if attendees have any special needs. This can include assistive listening devices or sign language assists, captioning, reserved front-row seats, advance copies of slides, wheelchair access, scent-free rooms, space for service dogs, a lactation room and dietary restrictions. Planners at Cornell University suggest including a welcoming message that offers contact information for the person charged with making accommodations.
Talk to hotel management to see if they are thoughtful about accommodating everyone. Get a guarantee for an accessible room rather than simply requesting it and tour the room when you arrive to make sure it is as promised.
Look for a designated, convenient and enforced parking area for those with disabilities.
Ask the hotel if there is one automated entrance for everyone so those who need a ramp don’t have to enter around the back with the deliveries. The entire experience needs to be respectful.
Test to see if guest room doors are easy to prop open to make navigating with luggage and a wheelchair possible.
Measure to see if the bed is low enough to accommodate transferring from a wheelchair. If caregivers are joining the trip, are roll-away beds or second beds available?
Check bathroom vanity and mirrors to determine if they’re at the appropriate height.
If someone in a wheelchair is speaking on stage, request a ramp and a table rather than stairs and a podium.
Ensure all screens and participants can be seen from all seating areas.
Consider the complete accommodation experience from the point of view of the attendee.

Marking a major boost to professional women in the meetings industry, two event-technology entrepreneurs have launched a new movement to support women as they trail-blaze new products and services in event tech.

Leonora Valvo and Marie-Claire Andrews have collaborated to create womenineventtech.org, which aims to provide more opportunities for women to serve as leaders in event technology in a variety of capacities, including starting companies, programming innovations and designing installations.

The new movement follows the success of the two women’s booth at Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas during IMEX America in October. More than 100 women—along with supportive men—gathered at the Event Tech Tribe booth to celebrate women in events and inspire a better future together.

Valvo is the founder and CEO of Swoogo, pioneer of the Event Tech Tribe, founding CEO of Etouches and investor in several event-tech organizations worldwide. “I truly believe every woman in our industry, as they climb higher in the ranks, should be looking about her to reach down and pull up the next wave of female leaders. My passion, of course, is technology. I’ve been inspired by some fantastic females around the world on my journey, and want to pass on that privilege.”

Andrews is director of operations for Event Tech Tribe, and formerly CEO of New Zealand-based event app company ShowGizmo and founder of Virtual Events NZ. “I scan the event-tech landscape continuously as part of my role with the Event Tech Tribe—and it’s worrying to see how few women there are leading or developing either within established companies of the new innovations.”

The website womeineventtech.org urges participation and support to that Valvo and Andrews can assess when to engineer a conference and gauge interest in other products and services. They plan to offer meet-ups, peer-to-peer coaching and investor introductions for women in all facets of event technology. The two women are working closely with Association for Women in Events, which Andrews serves as a board member, and which will serve as the membership organization that women in event tech can join.

It’s that time again: You’ve put an event together and it’s ready to be promoted. You know the event is sure to be a hit—you’ve chosen great keynote speakers, organized networking opportunities and created a sensational agenda for the day. It’s easy to throw together a Facebook event, upload a poster and call it a day. However, event descriptions have become key to drawing in attendees. How can yours reach its full potential? We’ve created a list of pointers to help you create your best event description yet.

Choose a Fun Event Title

If you give your event a generic title, it can get lost among other events with similar names. Allow the title to get your creative juices flowing and think of a fun yet informational name. For example, rather than “[Company] Earth Week Event,” consider including terms such as “going green,” or “sustainability seminar” (if it’s a workshop). This will also help when people search your event on other sites.

State What Makes You Stand Out

With the number of meetings and events these days, it’s important to highlight what makes yours noteworthy. Instead of mentioning that you have special keynote speakers, name who they are and what they do. If you’re hosting workshops, be clear about what they will focus on. You want potential attendees to recognize what makes your event stand out, so don’t hesitate to add details. Just make sure they’re geared toward the audience you want to attract.

Break Up Your Text

Admit it: looking at a wall of text can push you away from reading the entire thing—even if it’s for an event you want to learn more about. When creating an event description, limit paragraphs to 3-6 sentences. Add headers to separate paragraphs that don’t flow together naturally, and to draw attention to important information. The visual break will stop readers from feeling overwhelmed by details.

Include Visual Media

More and more, we’re drawn to visual media. If you’ve hosted this event before, include photos from the previous event. Or put together a short highlight video from the event. Don’t just use professional photos—include photos from past attendees that have a personal feel. People use social media these days to find events, follow other’s experiences and avoid FOMO (fear of missing out). If you show potential attendees positive experiences from peers, they’ll be more likely to attend.

Have a FAQ Section

No matter how detailed your event description is, people will inevitably have questions. Add an FAQ section at the end of your event description. Cover information from parking to catering to refund policies. While you can’t answer every question, you can address those that are most important. To make sure people see the FAQs, mention it at the top of your website or through an email blast.

Choose Your Top 3 Highlights

Some websites have a word or character count. When faced with limited space, consider what your top three attributes are. Is it your keynote speaker? What’s the main attraction past attendees flocked to and raved about? Use these tidbits to sell your event.

Meeting Planners Unite, the group that started in May as a reaction to Marriott International and other hotel properties cutting commissions for third-party planners, announced today that its membership has grown to the point that members collectively manage $350 million in revenue. “If everyone on the LinkedIn group signs up, that number could approach $1 billion,” said MPU Executive Director David Bruce. “We often refer to the big four planner groups—HelmsBriscoe, HPN Global, Experient and HelmsBriscoe—but that may have to change to the big five when you include the size of our membership,” he said.

A number of hotel properties, including Hilton Worldwide and Intercontinental Group (which also operates Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts), followed Marriott in the shift to cut commissions from 10 percent to 7 percent. Others have pledged to increase at least temporarily or keep commissions stable, including Dream Hotel Group (Dream Hotels, Time Hotels, The Chatwal and Unscripted Hotels), MGM Resorts International and Irvine Company (The Resort at Pelican Hill, Fashion Island Hotel and Hotel Irvine).

One company, OMNI Hotels, has paid to be named as a Premier Supplier with 25 hotels and national sales offices represented as supplier members. “We are in talks with other chains who support independent planners and the value they bring,” Bruce said.

He has also worked with destinations to compensate independent planners for bringing groups to town. He named Visit Tampa Bay, Arlington, Texas, Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, Visit Newport Beach and Visit Montreal as CVBs that have “stepped up to mitigate damage from commission cuts.”

At the group’s first conference in December at Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., appointments will be accompanied by presentations on legal and efficiency tips for self-employed business owners. “2019 will be a wake-up call for the industry as it pertains to independent planners,” he said.

A new hotel catering to groups will be built at Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, beginning this fall.

The hotel, which will be the third at the resort, will provide more than 22,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, including two ballrooms 12 meeting rooms, a rooftop reception space with views of the nightly fireworks and a landscaped, 16,800-square-foot elevated deck with a fire pit and pool. It will have 349 guest rooms, including 151 suites featuring a large conference table, separate working and private spaces, a built-in audiovisual system and other features designed to enhance collaboration.

“This new resort is designed to allow us to better meet the needs of meetings and groups,” said Gino Marasco, director of sales and marketing. “Its unique features will complement our location, recent renovation and service to give planners even more options to enjoy.”

A business center, 90-seat restaurant, 50-seat lounge, upscale craft-cocktail lobby bar, grab-and-go market and health club will also be included at the 14-story hotel tower, which is scheduled to open in the fall of 2020, with group bookings slated to begin on March 1, 2021.

“This is another significant phase for the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort,” said Fred Sawyers, the resort’s general manager. “We’re excited about the resort’s continued evolution and the new experience it will provide for our guests.”

Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort, situated in the heart of Walt Disney World Resort, currently has 2,270 guest rooms and more than 331,000 sq. ft. of meeting space—all recently renovated during a $150 million transformation, the largest in the resort’s history. The resort has 86 meeting rooms—including two executive boardrooms—four ballrooms, 110,500 sq. ft. of contiguous convention and exhibit space, outdoor function areas and two business centers.

“We look forward to expanding the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort and to marking the next chapter in our decades-long relationship with Disney,” said Daniel R. Tishman, principal and vice chairman of Tishman real estate firm, co-owner of the resort, along with MetLife Investment Management. “This expansion is an exciting continuation of our commitment to delivering a best-in-class experience for all resort guests and is consistent with our recent enhancement of the Dolphin lobbies and resort guest rooms.”

The jack-o-lanterns are coming out, rubber masks are stocking store shelves, and even the most timid among us are looking for a bit of that frightful Halloween spirit. When it comes to giving attendees an experience they won’t forget, what could be better than embracing the season? Halloween Productions President Larry Kirchner, a renowned haunted house designer and founder of Haunt World, has released his list for this year’s scariest haunted houses. From New York to Utah, each is only a short trip from some of the country’s best meeting venues.

Omni Hotels & Resorts has launched a loyalty program for planners that offers immediately redeemable awards as well as free nights, elevated tier status and unique, local experiences with every booking.

“We looked at our existing loyalty program, and industry programs overall, and found we had a real opportunity to recognize and thank our clients in a different way,” said Dan Surette, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Omni Hotels & Resorts, regarding the new Omni Select Planner program. “Beyond a strong loyalty program that gives back to our valued planners, we know that genuine hospitality and service matters. Across the brand, we see ourselves as gracious hosts, and because of our unique ownership structure, our teams are flexible, empowered and creative. Our planners can truly book with confidence, as we are in it together.”

Select Planner is part of the company’s Select Guest loyalty program, which consists of three levels—Black Level (more than 30 credits), Platinum Level (10–29 credits) and Gold Level (0–9 credits). Planners earn one award credit per $1,000 and one tier credit for each $10,000 booked. Twenty award credits can be redeemed for a free night at any of Omni’s luxury resorts and hotels across North America.

Loyalty program members can earn award and tier credits immediately upon signing a group or catering booking, allowing the planner to earn free nights faster and offering an accelerated path to elite-level status. Besides free room nights, other benefits include locally inspired welcome amenities and experiences, flexible check-in and check-outs, and shoe shines and pressings. Members can track their rewards and manage their preferences using one Select Guest account.

Omni Hotels & Resorts has 60 luxury hotels and resorts in leading business and leisure destinations throughout North America, including new hotels with state-of-the-art conference centers in Atlanta, Louisville and Frisco, Texas. The company will be expanding its Convention Center Collection by adding flagship hotels connected to convention centers in Boston and Oklahoma City in 2021.

MGM’s Mike Dominguez presents deep dive into industry trends at Smart Meeting Southwest

MGM Resorts Senior Vice President and Chief Sales Officer Mike Dominguez was candid with attendees at Smart Meeting Southwest this week. “You need to be able to remove your emotion from the equation,” said the self-professed data geek. “And you may have to give up some control.”

Dominguez, speaking in the ballroom at The Line in Austin, Texas, said that planners often moved to the top of the industry by controlling every detail, but he said the world is changing and to adapt, planners may have to leave some things up to chance. That means letting attendees drive the conversation with transparent, real-time changes in agendas and formats.

“Today, you have to think like a startup. It’s not about being perfect or right, but about being real,” he said. “The most important thing is building trust.”

Exploring Options

Dominguez was the first speaker at a coming together of planners and suppliers in the Live Music Capital of the World on Sept. 20. He delivered the news that after record-breaking growth in room occupancy and prices due to relentless demand from transients—particularly international tourists—there is no relief in the pipeline.

Then, planners set out to uncover new destinations and venues during one-on-one appointments with the understanding that they may have to plan further in advance and make partnering even more of a priority.

“We need to stop playing poker,” Dominguez said. “Hiding cards is not how real partners behave. Only open dialogue will lead to flexibility in pricing and scheduling.”

Communicating in a New World

Executive development coach Fred Reggie ended the day with some tips for making future interactions more effective. “Communication is not engagement,” he said. Reggie explained that somewhere on the journey from congregating on porches to cocooning ourselves inside cars and putting instruments (read: monitors and phones) between us, we lost the ability to really understand ourselves and others.

To get back to that meaningful flow of information, Reggie suggested starting with a clear definition of our unique knowledge and passion, and the value we bring to our encounters with others. “What is your DNA, your distinctive natural ability?” he asked.

To help participants truly interact as unselfish conversationalists, Reggie offered tips for showing real interest. He called his approach S.O.F.T.E.N.

Smile
Open you posture
Forward lean
Touch by shaking hands
Eye contact (not the creepy kind)
Nod when the other person talks

Sounds simple, right? But Reggie says it is difficult to achieve when you are waiting impatiently for the other person to finish so that you can have your turn to talk rather than really try to understand. Only when you have established a real connection can you employ passion, presence and persuasion to affect behavior.

hurricane season

Today marks the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria making landfall in Puerto Rico, one of the worst of many destructive turns of nature during the past year, many directly affecting hubs of the meetings and hospitality industries.

From tourism bureaus to the owners and everyday workers at hotels, natural disasters have become a real presence. Whether it’s planning for the worst or recovering from it, storms, fires and even volcanos are shaping the way we think about travel and the role of communities in dealing with the unexpected.

Puerto Rico and Maria

“The resiliency of the people of Puerto Rico is nothing short of extraordinary,” Brad Dean, CEO of a new Destination Marketing Organization out of Puerto Rico, told Smart Meetings earlier this year. “They are committed to coming back bigger, better and stronger.” Since then, the DMO has officially launched and taken on the new name Discover Puerto Rico.

While recovery from Hurricane Maria is far from complete, Puerto Rico wasted no time during the past year by not only reopening its doors for tourism and meetings, but forging forward. With 10 percent of the island’s GDP contingent on the visitors industry, it’s no surprise.

As early as last March, the island saw Serafina Beach Hotel, its first new property since Maria, open its doors in San Juan with 96 guest rooms and a 2,295-square-foot oceanfront ballroom. Meanwhile, more than 130 hotels are back open, with 11 more planned to reopen in the coming months. Most notably, Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, is set to welcome back guests Oct. 1 with its 4,558-square-foot Surf Room ballroom space.

How to help: Dean and Discover Puerto Rico aren’t shy when it comes to pointing out the good all visitors do simply by bringing their business to Puerto Rico. But for those looking to give more to the families still dealing with the aftermath of Maria, Unidos Disaster Relief and Recovery Program is continuing to support efforts throughout Puerto Rico.

California Wildfires

Not long after Maria, California faced its own trails. October alone saw more than 200 individual fires across the state, with three in particular—the Atlas, Nuns and Tubbs fires – affecting Sonoma and Napa wine country. But this summer has also seen a new rash of fires, including the Ferguson fire, leading to the closure of Yosemite at the height of the season.

Despite the lack of structural damage, “the financial impact of weeks of lost tourism revenue in the area has been devastating,” says Kala Linck, marketing manager at Tenaya Lodge. Just outside the south gate of Yosemite Park, Tenaya Lodge features 15,000 sq. ft. of event space, and services many of the parks guests.

The team at Tenaya Lodge wasn’t deterred by the difficulties the wildfire presented. “Tenaya Lodge was open throughout the park closure,” Linck says. “We were happy to have hosted several weddings during this time, a couple of them relocated from Yosemite Valley. While there is always the possibility of fire in the summer, the flexibility of our events team and in-house reservations makes it easy to change plans in case of an emergency.”

How to help: As wildfires continue throughout California, you can donate to California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Relief Fund.

Hawaii’s Tumultuous Summer

Thankfully avoiding large-scale damage, Hawaii’s recent run-ins with Mother Nature still certainly rank among the peculiar. On May 3, Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano began erupting. And on Aug. 22, Tropical Storm Lane narrowly missed the island chain, but managed to dump more than 50 inches of rain before it passed.

Even before the storm, Hawaii News Now cites shop owners 100 miles from the eruption having felt the downturn in tourism, revenue potentially dipping as much as 30 percent for the month of May. Jason Cohn, vice president of Hawaii Forest and Trail, says, “An event like this can affect an entire community. Whether you’re in the tourism industry or not, it will have a downstream effect everywhere.”

Less than a week after Lane, George D. Szigeti, president and CEO of Hawaii Tourism Authority, released a statement assuring that life goes on: “To be clear, the state of Hawaii is fully open for business and travelers should not be dissuaded at all from making or planning trips to our beautiful island home.”

How to help: The Hawaii Community Foundation’s Hawaii Island Volcano Recovery Fund is still accepting donations for those displaced by the Kilauea eruption.

The Carolinas and Florence

And of course, any discussion of natural disasters requires acknowledging the ongoing struggles following Hurricane Florence in the Carolinas. Though we still don’t know the long-term effects of the storm, The Washington Post estimates that roughly 9 trillion gallons of water has poured in North Carolina alone.

But that hasn’t stopped hotels and members of the community from stepping up. Built in 1910, South Carolina’s Inn at USC is one such hotel, featuring 117-rooms and 3,000 sq. ft. of event space. “With the evacuees, we try to be a little extra accommodating and make sure they have everything they need— bottles of water, extra little things like toothpaste and that kind of stuff,” General Manager Andrew Lucas says.

Many local efforts outside the hospitality industry have been made. North Carolina company Be Able is supporting three separate funding campaigns. The first is for the American Red Cross, the second is The North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund and the third is for American Humane, rescuing abandoned animals in the flooded regions. “Like you, we just want to be able to help those in need,” the company said in a statement.

Hospitality Cares

These tragedies have deeply affected each of these regions. But there are also many more, including those still recovering from Hurricane Harvey in Houston and the recent typhoon Mangkhut in the Philippines. To support relief efforts worldwide, you can donate to Care International.