Smart Meetings | Page 432 of 603 | Corporate Event Planning: Business Events, Meetings, Conferences

Wondering where to take your event this summer? Travel Pulse has released their Top Summer Vacation Destinations, with prime locations ranging from Orlando to Cancun. No matter where you are in the world, there’s bound to be a summer destination near you that’s perfect for attendees. Read on for our top nine choices to consider from around the globe.

Las Vegas

Flashing lights, neon signs, and all the glitz and glamour—oh my! There’s always something to do in Las Vegas, but summer is an ideal time to visit. Hop on and off the Big Bus Las Vegas Tour, which travels around the city visiting famous and cultural landmarks. The Hoover Dam is also a popular spot during the summer due to its iconic architecture.

Consider: Treasure Island Las Vegas, which recently went through renovations and features 30,500 sq. ft. of customizable meeting space.

Dublin, Ireland

Join a pub crawl to explore Dublin’s night life, or put your dancing shoes on for a house party featuring Irish music. If you’re wanting to experience Dublin’s culture, sample Irish whiskey on a tour of Jameson Distillery or join the Connoisseur Experience at Dublin’s Guinness Storehouse. If you’re hoping to overlook its west coast, spend time on the Cliffs of Moher.

Consider: The Merrion Hotel offers pristine pools, art collections, incredible food and spa treatments that will instantly relax. The Wellesley Room can host 50 banquet-style, while the Fitzgerald Room can hold 30 banquet-style—perfect for your smaller meetings.

Boston

Boston hosts Harborfest every year during Fourth of July weekend. Landmarks around the city participate with a variety of events happening throughout the city, including historical reenactments, an opening ceremony at Faneuil Hall and boat tours.

Consider: AC Hotel Boston Downtown is right in the middle of all the action, with six event rooms and a total event space of 3,611 sq. ft.

Cancun, Mexico

Ideal to visit whenever, summer is especially fun in Cancun. Head over to Xcaret Park, an eco-friendly zone which features of option to swim with dolphins or simply snorkel near the surface. If you’re looking for an adventure, explore the Tulum Ruins in Riviera Maya, Mayan temple ruins rich with history overlooking a drop from the cliffs.

Consider: The Westin Resort & Spa, Cancun lines the beach, with white sand and glimmering waters mere steps from its entrance. Meeting space totals more than 17,000 sq. ft.

Maui

If you’re visiting Maui, don’t miss the Wa’a Kiakahi Canoe Festival on Kaanapali Beach, to view canoe races, demonstrations and rides. Kamehameha Day Celebration is a state holiday commemorating Kamehameha, who was Hawaii’s first king. You’ll watch a colorful parade, visit food and craft booths and hula your heart out.

Consider: Located right on the beach is Fairmont Kea Lani Maui, offering plenty of options for meeting space with a view. Host your attendees within more than 42,000 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor space.

Montego Bay, Jamaica

Whether you take a plane or a cruise ship, Jamaica’s breezy beaches and soft sand will be sure to woo you. Take a zipline tour through the tree tops of the tropical rain forest, giving you breathtaking aerial views, or join a Jeep Safari Adventure to see the hidden places tourists tend to miss.

Consider: Holiday Inn Resort Montego Bay offers meeting rooms that can host up to 1,000 guests with a total of 4,650 sq. ft. You’ll be close to everything, from the ocean to Dunn’s River Falls.

Orlando

The party never stops in Orlando, but it ramps up when summer comes along. If you’re there for the Fourth of July, join in on the fiesta during Red Hot & Boom, featuring live music, vendor booths and a fireworks show. If you’re looking to get active, the Watermelon 5K may be perfect for you.

Consider: Rosen Centre is the perfect mixture of elegance and tropical. With more than 150,000 sq. ft. of flexible space, including a 35,000-square-foot ballroom, you’ll have no trouble hosting your event here.

Vancouver, Canada

It isn’t always cold in Canada, and summer demonstrates that, with lush greenery rivaling tropical getaways. Canada Day offers plenty of free events throughout the city with true patriotism flocking to celebrations at Granville Island. There are also Asian-style summer night markets in the Lower Mainland, featuring plenty of vendors and amazing food.

Consider: Given a Forbes 2016 Travel Guide Four Star Award, Pan Pacific Vancouver has beautiful views of the ocean, while offering 40,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, including its 6,932-square-foot Crystal Pavilion.

Anaheim

The obvious attraction is Disneyland, and it’s also the perfect location for those looking for day trips to Los Angeles and nights away from the city. But Anaheim has a lot to offer throughout the summer. Spend your time go-kart racing at K1 speed, catch an Angels Baseball Game and visit the Farmer’s Park Market on Sunday while you’re in town.

Consider: Sheraton Park Hotel at The Anaheim Resort is close to everything you want and need, and it offers more than 28,000 sq. ft. of flexible indoor and outdoor meeting space—perfect for corporate events and receptions of all sizes.

Editor’s Note: This article was updated August 9, 2018.

summer camp

Ever long for the days of childlike bliss? Wouldn’t just one more afternoon punctuated by strawberry ice cream melting under the sweltering sun or evening spent roasting sticky smores over a crackling fire be welcome about now? An epidemic of summer nostalgia is spurring “adult summer camps” around the country. For business groups, a sunny retreat takes team building to a laid back and cooperative level—bringing out the creativity and energy of childhoods gone by.

When planning a breakout session, consider taking it old school at summer camps like these.

Camp No Counselors

This popular getaway brand has 11 locations around the United States and Canada, placing it within a few hours drive to major cities, such as San Francisco, Chicago and Toronto. As the name suggests, the resort has all the classic tropes of childhood camp dusted with an adult spin. The largest site in Pennsylvania accommodates up to 475 campers and offers additional meeting space for when business presentations requiring four walls are on the agenda.

Corporate retreats can be customized. To build a base for camaraderie, consider T-shirts with your company’s name and logo. A charter bus is an optional add-on to transport your team to the campsite. Projection movies, karaoke, board game nights and talent shows are just some of the activities your team can engage in. Relax hard and party harder with a themed event. An open bar, late night snacks and smores are all included in your package. Live music performances are optional.

Rooms are mostly bunkbed style across the majority of the properties, with bathrooms attached for convenience. Limited single-occupancy rooms are available. All meals are included.

Soul Camp

This camp draws inspiration from childhood summer camps and weaves a healing, wellness and social justice motif. Serving no alcohol and promoting minimal distractions, the retreat has locations in Warrensburg, New York and Sanger, California.

The suggested time for corporate retreats is during the off-camp season for individual customers, which would be September through May. Recommended duration of stay is one to three days. The camps can accommodate 75 to 800 attendees and can be used to reward a group or ignite creativity, or both.

Wellness features include a Tibetan singing bowls class, yoga, a fear-burning ceremony, tarot readings, life coaching and health coaching. Hiking, horseback riding, archery and kayaking excursions take place among the mountains in national parks.

A deliciously healthy selection of meals accommodates vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and meat-lovers’ diets. With the help of sponsorships, Soul Camp offers a 24/7 canteen of unlimited snacks for those cravings in between meals. Chia bars and dark chocolate, here we come.

Camp Wandawega

This Midwest retreat in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, takes the art of gathering back to the very basics with a large emphasis on “rustic and vintage.” You’ll have to work for the summer magic—but it’s that detail that makes the camp so fun and memorable.

The vibe is laissez-faire, allowing campers to embark on a long list of team-building activities in the great outdoors. Some common pursuits include archery, hiking and fishing. If you brave a winter retreat, put sledding, cross-country skiing and hockey on your bucket list.

Food is not provided, but your team is welcome to cook up an appetite on the grills and smokers on-site. The local grocery store and ma’ and pa’ restaurants are recommended eats.

Campers are encouraged to review the camp’s Manifesto of Low Expectations and sign a liability to ensure an understanding of this “no hand-holding” experience. Major firms such as Facebook/Instagram Creative Shop and Anthropologie have staged corporate retreats here. This Airbnb-optimized adventure is best suited for smaller groups, with the biggest bunkhouse hosting up to 24 people. Larger groups can opt for cabins.

blockchain

Canada’s largest blockchain event, Blockchain Futurist Conference, will be featured Aug. 15–16 during the country’s first-ever celebratory Blockchain Week in Toronto that Monday through Friday.

The futurist conference will primarily focus on how blockchain is changing, and ways people can adapt with it. It is backed by Untraceable, an event and marketing company for the blockchain and crypto community. The week will also include Global Cloud and Blockchain Summit on Aug. 13–14, in which professionals from a diversity of industries will discuss about how blockchain technologies can be implemented in the workplace and management systems (hospitality professionals, take heed). Some topics to be covered at the summit include cost savings using blockchain, the current market of the technology and how to get started in the field. More than 12 knowledgeable speakers have been confirmed for the event.

“With the conference, our goal is to break down the silos within the blockchain industry and foster conversations that will further progress for all players involved,” said Tracy Leparulo, CEO of Untraceable. Controversial topics and new research will be debated among industry professionals.

Discussion is only the first stage of the conference. The second will be a hands-on approach to delving into the world of cryptocurrencies. A crypto boot camp will be offered where attendees can learn about setting up wallets, market trades and different types of cryptocurrencies, and the best security measures for keeping information stored in blockchain systems safe. There will be an expert on site to answer any questions attendees have, whether they be beginners or pros.

Cryptocurrency won’t just be a topic—it will also be an integral part of the meeting. A crypto marketplace will feature more than 20 Toronto vendors. Bunz, a cryptocurrency provider, is hosting the marketplace and will airdrop Bunz tokens. Participants will be able to use the tokens to purchase drinks, artwork, merchandise and other locally sourced products on site. A crypto-ATM will also be available. For a little added inspiration to use crypto-systems, all attendees will receive $20 work in bitcoin.

Learners will be able to let loose after the full days of activity with a networking cocktail night and a Cabana party, hosted by DigitalBits.

“As blockchain technology develops more real-world applications, it is our duty as first movers to ensure that these progressions bring about positive change,” DigitalBits CEO Al Burgio said. “The Blockchain Futurist Conference is an amazing setting to educate others about the enormous potential of this technology.”

The week will include Global Cloud and Blockchain Summit on Aug. 13–14, in which professionals from a diversity of industries will discuss about how blockchain technologies can be implemented in the workplace and management systems (hospitality professionals, take head). Some topics to be covered at the summit include cost savings using blockchain, the current market of the technology and how to get started in the field. More than 12 knowledgeable speakers have been confirmed for the event.

A tandem paragliding experience and a Vietnamese cooking class are among the more than 100 experiences offered in a new worldwide program launched by Hyatt Hotels Corporation for eligible World of Hyatt members.

The program, Find, goes beyond guidebooks and delves into more unusual experiences focusing on food, drink, fitness, relaxation and exploration at its hotels. Members can enjoy the experiences during and outside of hotel stays. They can purchase the activities offered in the United States with cash and can earn 10 World of Hyatt base points per $1 spent, or redeem points for experiences worldwide.

“Through continuing to listen and understand what is important to our members, we know they want to feel their best while exploring new and deeper parts of the world beyond their hotel stay,” said Amy Weinberg, senior vice president of World of Hyatt. “With Find, we are able to provide more value and care to our members by offering authentic local experiences that speak to different facets of well-being, allowing member to be rewarded with more World of Hyatt points while they try new things and practice self-care.

Worldwide Offerings

Experiences at participating U.S. Hyatt hotels include “Create Your Own Herbal and Organic Beauty Products” in San Francisco, “Paragliding Tandem Flight Experience” in Los Angeles, “Private Bonsai Class with New York City’s Premier Professional Bonsai Artist” in New York City, “Insider’s Tour of the Chicago Farmers Market Classic Experience with Aram Reed” in Chicago and “A Guided Hike through Forever Wild Growth Forest Untouched by Man” in Miami.

What’s an experiential tour you can plan in the U.S.? We have many.

Some of the international experiences are “Masters of Food and Wine: Tastemakers Masterclass and Dinner” in Sydney, “Where Culture Meets Cuisine, a Vietnamese cooking Class” in Saigon, “Calligraphy with Delhi Hero Qamar Dagar” in Delhi and “A Taste of Buddhism” at Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Starwood, Marriott, Hilton, InterContinental Hotel Group and others also have launched experiential programs, including wellness activities, that allow loyalty group members to redeem points for unique experiences they might not otherwise be able to enjoy.

Hyatt’s Other New Programs

Hyatt has boosted its well-being offerings in other ways, as well. Last year, Hyatt acquired the Miraval brand, which caters to self-improvement and health. World of Hyatt members can use their loyalty benefits to enjoy the World of Hyatt program at Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa in Tucson. Also, Hyatt’s acquisition of Exhale—which offers boutique fitness classes and spa therapies—enables guests and World of Hyatt members to have a total mind and body experience.

KICC Kentucky International Convention Center

After shuttering its doors two years ago for a top to bottom $207 million transformation and expansion, Kentucky International Convention Center (KICC) in Downtown Louisville re-opened for business Monday morning on time and on budget. “Mission accomplished,” said William M. Landrum III, secretary of Kentucky’s Finance and Administration Cabinet. “There was no magic button to success. You overcame obstacles,” he announced as David S. Beck, president and CEO of Kentucky Venues; Don Parkinson, secretary of Kentucky’s Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet; Greg Fisher, mayor of Louisville; Karen Williams, president and CEO of Louisville Tourism; and Stacey Church, general manager of KICC held the ribbon to the sound of one of the most recognizable combinations of notes in all of music—The Kentucky Derby call. Church had the honor of snipping the scissors.

Focus Wins

In an exclusive interview with Smart Meetings, Williams explained that the team evaluated two variables when weighing their options about staying open, at least partially, during construction. Ultimately, executives determined it was in their best interest to close because the conventions they had booked during that two-year period required use of the entire building. Secondly, she feels that “focusing” on the project was a key component to meeting the deadline and avoiding cost overruns.

Kentucky Venues didn’t leave anyone stranded. They accommodated all those affected at one of their other facilities. KFC Yum! Center downtown holds more than 20,000 stadium-style and Kentucky Center for the Arts offered a mix of rentable spaces before a fire closed it temporarily in June. During the KICC closure, about 15 groups had to move. “I’m very happy to say that we did not lose one piece of business, that we were able to move them to another convention center during the time,” Williams reported.

To hold on to these valued customers, Williams says she and other Visit Louisville staff flew to meet with clients to personally deliver news of the planned expansion. The news was not released to the press until the clients knew, and she believes that strengthened pre-existing relationships and built trust and confidence. A time-lapse video streamed updates for meeting professionals to track the progress.

Build It and They Will Come

Bourbon

Tourism is the third biggest industry in Kentucky, according to Parkinson. “[It’s] a whole new era for Downtown Louisville,” he said. Just a few short years ago, the area had only about 3,500 guest rooms. Now, more than 6,000 rooms are within walking distance of KICC.

“Because of the hotel product, we’ve been able to…up our game in looking at the top medical association business because they want the four-star, five-star hotel product; we have delivered that. We checked those boxes,” said Williams. These groups also want a state-of-the-art convention center. She reported that the renovated venue has already booked medical business that might not have considered the destination before.

Mayor Fischer reported that more than 20 new hotels have been announced or are under construction, partially crediting “bourbanism,” his term for bourbon tourism, for the demand. Whiskey Row and the Bourbon Trail contribute to making Louisville a sought-after destination.

“If it’s true, it ain’t bragging,” the mayor adds, citing Louisville native Muhammad Ali.

Party Time!

The KICC-off celebration did not end at the ribbon cutting. Former America’s Got Talent contestants Linkin’ Bridge gave a memorable live acapella performance of My Old Kentucky Home and 7 Years by Lukas Graham, followed by local band Bourbon Straights, Oldham County High School marching band and circus and acrobatic acts from Cirque Louis. Female chorus Sweet Adelines charmed the audience with their beautiful voices in the lobby prior to the ceremony. All of these acts are available for meeting professionals to book for their own Louisville event.

Guests wandered around the ballrooms and lobby, where they nibbled on treats, tasted bourbon and stayed hydrated with tap, yes tap water, stations. Louisville has some of the most drinkable tap water in the nation. Hydration stations are located throughout KICC for guests to fill reusable water bottles.

“Louisville’s water has received accolades for being a high-quality, affordable, abundant product for many years,” said Kelley Dearing Smith, vice president of communications and marketing for Louisville Water. “In fact, it’s so high-quality that Louisville Water trademarked its tap water as Louisville pure tap, something no other water utility has done.”

KICC has a total of 200,125 sq. ft. of event space. Natural light floods into the foyer as guests enter on ground level and can proceed directly into the 40,000 square-foot pillarless ballroom. Upstairs, Exhibit Hall C is large enough to fit a band, coach bus, a horse and of course trade show booths, with plenty of space to spare. The bottom level of this three-story facility houses 52 meeting rooms and a 175-seat tiered theater.

KICC

net neutrality appeal

You’ve probably seen a lot of headlines today about the repeal of Net Neutrality. So, what’s all the controversy? What comes next? And, the big question is what does this mean for meeting and event planners?

A Little Background

After weeks of controversial buzz and protests, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to overturn internet provider regulations established in 2015. Net Neutrality is the term for such regulations. Basically, these rules ensure that the internet is an equal-opportunity platform for all web users.

For instance, a cable provider may choose which channels it offers but an internet provider can’t pick and choose which websites are accessible. Well, that’s for now. Eliminating Net Neutrality would hand over such power to the biggest telecommunication giants in the United States—Comcast, Verizon and AT&T.

The United States is divided on a lot of issues. Yet, according to a poll from the University of Maryland’s Program for Public Consultation, more than 80 percent of voters oppose the FCC’s plan to repeal its Net Neutrality rules.

Fast Lane, Slow Lane

Our in-house tech guru, aka digital producer, Alexandra Pusateri, offered some insight on the topic.

“Net neutrality is a huge, multifaceted issue, but I’ll focus on one part of it: the ‘fast lanes,’” she says. “I think that’s most applicable to the meetings industry. By creating ‘fast lanes,’ smaller-traffic sites—such as a site dedicated to an event or personal portfolios—would be most affected.

“When customers are prioritized on their bandwidth based on how much money they are paying for internet, that means more affluent users would have hindrance-free access to your site, while those who pay less or perhaps have the bare minimum would have a slow, frustrating experience trying to load your site.”

The analogy basically indicates that the internet is like a highway. At this point, under Net Neutrality, everyone is driving along. Inevitably there’s traffic, but it’s not discriminating.

Without Net Neutrality, websites are on off-ramps all the way to the right, for a $10 fee. They’re always slow, because exits are typically on the right side. You have no access to the left-side off-ramps, as these cost extra tolls. These left-side ramps are organizations such as CNN and Fox News.

The $50 lane is in-between these two. Likewise, it has moderate traffic. It’s nice that you can go right or left, yet you still can’t pay enough tolls to make it to the $200 off-ramp. The $200 off-ramp is pretty much the HOV lane, and because of its price, it’s reserved for the elite, such as Netflix. Few vehicles are in this lane. So, they get to zip along the highway and switch lanes across all lanes as they please.

Is such a situation only theoretical? Pusateri explains that it’s more complicated than that.

“Now, this is speculation, because this hasn’t happened in the United States yet,” she says. “However, ISPs such as Comcast have gotten in trouble for coming close to things before. For example, throttling, which is a more basic form of the ‘fast lane’ idea. People are upset because Comcast only cares about its bottom line; it cannot be trusted to ‘do the right thing,’ yet that is what the FCC believes it will do. But court cases over the last decade say otherwise.”

**Back to You…**

So how exactly will this affect meeting and event planners?

There is some question about when the change might occur. Lawsuits from tech companies, states and others are in the works to counter and delay the decision. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced a multi-state appeal of the ruling just hours following the vote. Other states have signed on as well. We’ll keep an eye on how that goes.

The bottom line is that it may be more difficult for small and independent companies to find success on the web.

“Big content distributors like Netflix can afford to pay for their content to be in the fast lane,” Cheryl Leanza, president of media policy consulting agency A Learned Hand, told Refinery29. “But young creators, just starting out, will have another huge barrier between them and their audience. Unless they can pay to be in the Internet’s fast lanes, their content will be harder to see.”

One thing’s for sure: There’s definitely more to come on this one.

You can find more information regarding this decision, on this FreePress site and in this statement by the FCC.

Jamie Cornell

The Coeur d’Alene Resort named Cornell director of sales and marketing. She brings 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry to the role in Idaho. She will lead the sales and catering teams.

Andrew Ladd

Noble House Hotels & Resorts named Ladd director of sales for Kona Kai Resort & Spa in San Diego. He most recently served as director of sales and marketing for The Lafayette Hotel, Club and Bungalows in San Diego. He has worked in the hospitality sales industry for more than 15 years.

Nestor Nunez

Visit San Antonio promoted Nestor Nunez to senior sales manager at the Texas destination. He will oversee San Antonio’s sales efforts in the domestic northeast and southeast markets. He began his career at Visit San Antonio in 2009 as a national sales manager.

Karen Hudson

Woodside Hotel Group recently appointed Karen Hudson national account director. Most recently, she served as national sales manager with Alisal Guest Ranch & Resort in California. She also was sales director with hotel brand Relais & Chateaux, where she represented 12 North American properties.

Ari Hughes

Park Hyatt New York named Ari Hughes director of entertainment sales. In this leadership position, he will oversee the entertainment, fashion and sports markets. He rejoins a five-year career with Hyatt following a stint at Andaz Wall Street in New York.

Photo credit: PHNY

While we’re often encouraged to fully embrace our natural beauty, many women (and some men) are never fully dressed without their “lipstick” smiles, lush lashes and contoured cheekbones. Most of us mere mortals don’t wake up as flawless as Beyonce or have a professional glam squad as part of our entourage, so it’s up to our own inner artist to apply war paint to the canvas of our faces.

When meeting with or hosting important clients and colleagues, we want to look our best with hair, makeup and outfit on fleek. In the time crunch of busy travel, and meeting and site tour itineraries, planners and attendees are often left with little to no time to get all gussied up. Here are three ways to get glamorous on the go.

Look Fly on the Fly

The Pocket Palette contains one-time use disposable packets of black mascara, soft pink lip and cheek crème, and BB Cream, available in light, medium and dark shades. The cream is multipurpose, acting as a serum, moisturizer, primer and foundation, and is easy to blend. The company plans to add more skin tones in the future.

The entire all-in-one cosmetic kit fits in the palm of your hand, measuring slightly larger than a post-it note. Sold in a multipack, its slender, compact size allows for you to slip it into your pocket, purse and desk drawer, so you can have makeup wherever you are for those “just in case” moments that pop up. The Pocket Palette eliminates the need to schlep cumbersome cosmetic bags on the go and enables you to avoid placing your bag on a germy countertop.

The Washington, D.C.-based startup was founded by Lynda T.C. Peralta in August 2016. She raised more than $56,000 in a Kickstarter campaign in October 2017, exceeding her $55,000 goal. The cruelty-free cosmetic kits are made and packaged in Florida and Texas.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

mirror mirror on the wall

Getting out the hotel door in time for your first meeting of the day and freshening up quickly before dinner is always a race against the clock, and many times the clock wins. There’s no time to waste trying on multiple wardrobes to see what works best, or re-doing hair and makeup until you’re satisfied.

Smart mirrors, available in some hotel rooms, offer an augmented reality feature to virtually apply makeup and hairstyles to test on your face prior to applying it for real. Mirrors that offer video capability even allow you to watch YouTube tutorials to follow along with instructions on how to properly apply makeup and style hair. The mirrors also virtually try clothes on your body from your wardrobe selection.

Other features of smart mirrors include checking the weather forecast, stock market and traffic report. This is not only available for hotel rooms and home. These mirrors make a great trade show or conference floor installation, especially if your event or booth is sponsored by a cosmetic brand. Additionally, cosmetic counters at select retail stores utilize these mirrors for customers who would like to sample multiple looks. It’s time-efficient and sanitary.

At Your Service

If you’re making a presentation, serving on a panel or attending a formal gala, perhaps you want to get pampered by a true professional, but spending hours in a salon just seems impossible to budget time for. Created by celebrity stylist and beauty industry expert Joey Maalouf, The Glam App brings salon services to your home or hotel room on-demand. It’s like the Uber of beauty care. Freelance stylists who register with the app, which is available in select major cities worldwide, specialize in hairstyling, makeup and nails.

In May, Hotel Zoe Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco announced a partnership with The Glam App to offer these services to people staying at the hotel. Guests receive a 10 percent discount on services booked using the app. “It’s the affordable luxuries in life that allow moments to be so special, and it is for this very reason that we pride ourselves in what we do and how we can make our clients and stylists feel,” says The Glam App’s Katrina Barton. “The Glam App and Hotel Zoe share uncompromising high standards and we are pleased to be able to provide their guests with the luxury of an in-room beauty service, whenever they may need it. Life can be stressful enough, so let us handle that for you.”

Photo credit: JW Marriott Los Cabos Beach Resort & Spa

In less than two weeks, Marriott International’s three major loyalty rewards programs will become one. As we reported in April, when Marriott first announced the change, members will soon be able to book stays and earn or redeem points among 29 global brands, comprising 6,500 hotels in 127 countries and territories. The change goes into effect August 18, 2018.

This move brings members of The Ritz-Carlton Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) under the Marriott Rewards umbrella. Benefits will be enhanced under the new program, the company says, giving members 20 percent more points for every dollar spent, on average.

Specifically, Marriott says loyalty members can expect these changes:

1. Combined accounts:

Members with Marriott Rewards and SPG accounts will be able to combine their accounts into one, creating a unified profile with one points balance (Starpoints will be multiplied by three), and Elite-Nights earned.
Members can earn and redeem all in one place, on any of Marriott’s digital, mobile and voice reservation channels including marriott.com and spg.com.
A new SPG app will launch, mirroring the functionality of the Marriott Rewards app, including Mobile Requests.

2. Earn more points:

10 points per dollar spent for stays (except 5 points per dollar spent at Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, Element and 2.5 points per dollar spent at Marriott Executive Apartments and ExecuStay properties).
Full-folio earn on room rates, restaurant and bars and qualifying incidentals charged to the room.
SPG members will see their points balance triple.

3. Achieve Elite status faster with new qualifying tiers:

Members can enjoy new benefits and elite status levels.
More properties to choose from to achieve status.
New for SPG members – Silver Elite status at 10 nights; new for Marriott Rewards members – Gold Elite status at 25 nights and Platinum Elite status at 50 nights.
Combining accounts means some members will have enough nights to qualify for higher elite status.

4. Easier to redeem everywhere and for less:

Nearly 70 percent of properties are getting less expensive or staying the same when redeeming points for free stays with the new award chart announced last month (52 percent of hotels will move to a lower redemption rate and only 31 percent will go higher).
Members can redeem for stays using the new Free Night Award Chart.
Category eight hotels can be booked at category seven rates throughout 2018.
Introduction of off-peak and peak rates on top of standard in 2019 will make sought-after properties more affordable.
No blackout dates.

All SPG members, says Marriott, will receive a new 9-digit account number. The new number will appear on a pop-up when they log into their accounts. Passwords will stay the same (unless the member elects to change it).

Some members of Marriott Rewards will also receive a new account number. These members will receive an email with new account information or a call from a Marriott.

Marriott cautions that, on August 18, its sites and apps will periodically be unavailable as it migrates to the new platform. This means there will be times when no one can make a booking, and times when it will only accept credit card bookings. In those instances, members will not be able to book a redemption stay or have their member number attached to their reservation.

Marriott advises that, between now and August 18, members should maximize their redemption power by checking out the previously published Free Night Award Chart and deciding if they want to redeem before or after the new rates take effect. Members should also anticipate the outage on August 18 and book their stays in advance or wait until later in the day.

In the face of constant change, the meetings industry is rolling with the punches and bouncing back. MPI gathered industry insights and compiled them into its quarterly Meetings Outlook report that went live Wednesday.

Here’s what you need to know.

Business Negotiations

Wipe that sweat off your brow; business is good right now for the meetings industry, and it’s expected to stay that way. A cool 66 percent of respondents predict favorable business conditions in the next year. In fact, respondents foresee a 2.8 percent growth over the next year. The statistic gleams with optimism compared to last year’s predicted growth of 1.6 percent.

More than half of respondents see a satisfying budget within reach. However, that doesn’t come without a few bumps.

Suppliers currently hold most of the cards. Sixty-seven percent of respondents say so. Contract negotiations are becoming increasingly difficult to navigate as the industry experiences interruptions from homesharing services, such as Airbnb, and sites like Trivago.

Homesharing services allow attendees to search for alternatives to room blocks agreed upon by the planner and the hotel. Therefore, planners can’t commit to hotels and, in consequence, are being charged higher rates that drain the budget. MPI reports that planners also see more stringent clauses for food and beverage service and attrition. Highly desired venues and destinations have been those most likely to keep a tight hold.

Both those with steady careers in the industry and those just starting out can beam with hope. The growth in full-time and part-time employment is at an all-time high since 2015. Full-time work has increased 42 percent, part-time, 36 percent and contract, 43 percent. No more than 12 percent of respondents see a decrease in work in all three categories.

A Virtual Embrace

Years ago, many planners thought the adoption of technology posed a threat to the industry. Some thought virtual meetings were going to swallow up face-to-face meetings completely. Now, as technology becomes more readily available, affordable and reliable, virtual meetings are more widely accepted.

However, 60 percent of professionals agree that virtual events have a positive effect on face-to-face meetings. For one, it taps into a fresh pot of revenue. Those who can’t attend in-person, can attend virtually. Or, they can sample what the event offers and then be more willing to go the next year. Twenty percent say they expect an increase of virtual events.

The obstacle planners must overcome is how to keep attendees engaged during these events. Planners in the report recommend giving attendees something to share—something that’s Instagrammable. An interesting backdrop or a decadent food wall are some examples.

Video quality expectations are also lower than years before. Live streaming services such as Facebook Live present a relaxed tone, allowing planners to share their story quickly on the move. You can keep recordings for future sharing to incentivize more traffic.

An interesting point in the report to note is that for the first time in three years, live attendance is expected to increase more than virtual. Although, the difference is a modest 0.1 percent (live attendance at 1.8 and virtual at 1.7 percent.)

Everything Experiential

The bulk of meeting and event professionals emphasize the need to incorporate experiential elements into an event. You no longer need to leave the building to be experiential, but the activities need to be interactive and prompt personal engagement. This trend can range from interactive keynotes to dining with food bars. If you harness the sensory memory, attendees will be more attentive.

“We’re not in the event planning business. We’re in the storytelling and memory making business,” Jason Allan Scott, a London-based keynote speaker and author, said in the report. “You need to attack every sense, understanding its memory-making potential.”