Job interviews consistently make the list of top stress-inducing activities. As a potential employee, you have to prepare for any possible questions, choose an outfit that expresses professionalism and personality, then have a conversation with somebody—or multiple somebodies—you do not know well. All this, while also being acutely aware that every word you say is being analyzed for later dissection. No wonder the result is often an acute sense of dread.

But, what if we didn’t need job interviews after all? What if they aren’t indicative of someone’s potential? Organizational psychologist Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic argues that this practice is outdated and unnecessary. In a recent article published in Fast Company, he asked, “What If We Killed the Job Interview?” Chamorro-Premuzic lists three points that demonstrate why job interviews should become a practice of the past.

The Gut’s Not Always Trustworthy

When interviewers come into a room with a potential employee, they’re gauging whether they feel this person will be a good fit in the position they’ve applied for and the company itself. But in doing so, it’s easy for interviewers to tap into their own biases. Age, race and gender can play into an interviewer’s view of an interviewee, and, no matter how subconscious it may be, that can have an effect on the outcome of the interview. Says Chamorro-Premuzic, “the more we try to ignore these qualities, the more present they’ll be in our minds.”

On top of this, interviewers who are aware of their biases may actively bring them to the interview and apply them to whomever they are interviewing. These interviewers are better able to hide their true feelings and dismiss the candidate for a different, more “legitimate” reason.

Artificial Intelligence Can Remove Bias

Emerging artificial intelligence technology could help eliminate the problem of bias. AI is capable of judging interviews based on what interviewees say and do and can create performance scores for each interview. This can, in turn, allow employers to compare interviews by looking at data rather than subjectively judging on their own. AI can be programmed to avoid biases surrounding race, age and gender, thus computing a result that has nothing to do with pre-existing notions.

Add to this score the results of skill tests and surveys and the outcome is much less likely to be swayed by more subjective criteria.

Interviews Differ from Performance

The final point Chamorro-Premuzic drives home is that performance in interviews does not correlate to performance in a position. While certain interviews may feel more positive due to the confidence of the interviewee—especially in customer service and sales positions—not all uncomfortable interviews indicate that a potential employee will be unfit for a role. Factoring in nerves and introversion can go a long way to leveling the playing field. And not all roles require advanced personal communication skills.

Another important reminder is that certain personality traits can be hidden by confidence. “So-called ‘dark side’ personality traits, such as narcissism and psychopathy, are found among people with otherwise strong social skills, at least in short-term interactions, which makes them perform rather well on interviews,” explains Chamorro-Premuzic. This can result in charming employees who are parasitic, taking credit for others’ work and hoarding resources to climb a ladder that stronger employees have been working toward for a much longer time.

The Future of Job Interviews

Chamorro-Premuzic concedes that job interviews will not be disappearing anytime soon. In fact, some interviewees like the chance to learn more about a company face-to-face, and studies show most people generally find interviews to be fair. But he emphasizes that it’s possible to have a conversation, rather than a formal sit-down grilling.

The other reason you may continue to face your potential employer across the table? “It’s hard for recruiters to accept that their natural talents for identifying potential aren’t as strong as they may think,” Chamorro-Premuzic says.

Korea Summit

The historic summit bringing together President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore on Tuesday could be a catalyst to eventually provide a major boost for the meetings industry.

The summit has the potential to strengthen relations between the two countries that could result in the easing of travel restrictions for the U.S. and its allies, including North Korea.

An informal survey of those in the meetings industry in South Korean found that most people are hopeful that the summit—and increasingly friendly relations between the two Koreas—could lead to other positive developments. South Koreans are cautious, however, due to the well-documented erratic behavior of North Korea.

“But it does feel different at this time,” Kim Baeho, director of the MICE planning team for the Korea Tourism Organization, told Smart Meetings in Seoul on Monday.

He is hopeful that the doors will again open to facilitate South Koreans traveling to their northern neighbor. North Korea is filled with hills and mountains, separated by deep, narrow valleys. South Koreans were able to travel to North Korea up until about 10 years ago, when relations between the countries worsened.

Kim said that such places as Mount Kumgong (Diamond Mountain) are very attractive destinations in North Korea.

Kim also noted that the tense situation between the two Koreas that existed before the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea—which North Korea participated in—wasn’t as alarming to South Koreans as was portrayed by media around the world. “South Koreans are calm and peaceful—and we have experienced these things before,” he said.

Technology has taken center stage at many meetings. Smart badges, augmented and virtual reality and facial recognition are popping up at events regularly. Think about it—if you carry a smartphone in your pocket, you’re already a part of the tech world. But more innovations are on the way. In a recent Smart Meetings webinar titled The Internet of Things and Its Impact on Exhibitions and Events, Corbin Ball, CSP, CMP, DES and MS, spoke about IoT—”everyday objects featuring network connectivity that allow users to send and receive data.” Here are some of the takeaways.

Smart Objects

Smart objects are no longer a thing of the future. We have smartphones, smart watches and even smart toothbrushes. We also have Alexa and Siri, tech that can interact with us and provide us with endless options, from delivering pizza to playing our favorite song.

It’s no surprise, then, that hotels are getting in on smart objects. Hotel renovations occur roughly every 10 years, whereas other office buildings tend to be renovated approximately every 25 years. Because of this, technology is constantly being updated. We now have the ability to unlock our hotel rooms with our phone, text virtual concierges for assistance and interact with smart items in our room, such as televisions. Look for more of this to come.

Facial Recognition

Registration will be even easier once facial recognition technologies already being tested become the norm. It’s simple, really. Attendees upload a picture previous to registration. A camera imager in the walkway at the event recognizes the face from the photo and prints the badge by the time the attendee approaches the kiosk.

This same technology can be used to collect information regarding gender, age and mood, which communicates instant feedback to planners. Since some people may see this technology as an invasion of privacy at least initially, it is unlikely traditional check-ins will disappear altogether.

Virtual and Augmented Reality

One of the top discussions in the tech world is the use of virtual and augmented reality. Virtual reality (VR) places you in a different location, while augmented reality (AR) allows you to interact with the real world while simultaneously experiencing sensory images and sounds.

VR is predicted to grow by more than 50 percent over the next four years. It’s most often used with video games, but it also is popping up in demos and booths—it can even allow you to view a room you’ve designed for an event, showing seating, exhibit set-up and more. While there are some limitations, it is still an extremely immersive experience.

AR, on the other hand, is more collaborative. It allows you to find registration when you enter a building, presents you with information and can help you find attendees to network with, enriching the social aspects of meetings. It can also provide entertainment—at one event, visiting all pavilions in the area led to receiving a prize.

Anthony Bourdain, who died on Friday, was a disruptive figure in the hospitality industry when it badly needed disruption. As one of the world’s celebrated chefs, he was a seminal figure in bringing exciting new culinary approaches to a larger audience, and as a constant traveler he made planners and attendees aware of many fascinating, group-friendly places around the globe.

His bold, daring nature was readily apparent in the New York City kitchens he ran, including Supper Club, One Fifth Avenue and Sullivan’s. It also was on full display in his own willingness to try even the most unusual foods, including ant eggs in Mexico, sheep testicles in Morocco and an entire cobra—including its beating heart—in Vietnam.

Bourdain became increasingly fond of the street food sold by hawkers and vendors on streets and in other public places throughout the world, and particularly liked the imaginative creations available in poor countries, with meager resources.

“They’re endearingly prepared by cooks, with passion,” he told me in our profile about him in the February 2017 issue of Smart Meetings magazine. “You can taste it in the food, which is excellent.”

During the past few years, he devoted much of his energy to creating Bourdain’s Market, which was to contain as many as 100 different stalls featuring street food from around the world, at Pier 57 in New York City. It was also to include a sit-down restaurant and food counters, but Bourdain was unable to obtain a lease, struggled to obtain visas for vendors and CEO Stephen Werther left to pursue a new business. It became uncertain if Bourdain’s Market would ever become a reality.

He remained busy with other pursuits, including his award-winning CNN series, Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, which he had been filming in France when close friend and celebrated French chef Eric Ripert found him dead, apparently from suicide, in his hotel room in Kayersberg, a village in eastern France. Bourdain also hosted two other successful shows, No Reservations and The Layover, both for the Travel Channel.

Initially, his shows focused on culinary offerings in places ranging from the world’s most famous cities to remote villages, but later episodes became much broader in their focus, providing a lens into each area and its culture. Food was still central—episodes typically showed him discussing the politics, history and customs of the location over local food and drinks.

“Very long ago, my shows stopped being just about the food,” he told me. “Food is the vehicle for me to tell stories and make little movies.”

He also wrote several books, including crime novels as well as nonfiction works detailing the underbelly of the New York City culinary scene, his own global adventures and his favorite recipes.

He also became one of the most visible male supporters of the #MeToo movement. In 2017, he began dating actress Asia Argento, who alleges that film producer Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted her in a hotel room in the 1990s. And when several women recently said that chef and longtime friend Mario Batali sexually assaulted them, Bourdain boldly and openly criticized him.

Bourdain’s blossoming relationship with Argento and his deep love for his daughter, Ariane, 11, seemed to have provided another step on Bourdain’s quest for stability. Though he still had an edge, he was not the culinary bad boy of his youth. He overcame addictions to heroin and cocaine in the 1980s, and gave up cigarette smoking for the sake of his daughter in 2007.

“She’s the joy of my life,” he told me, referring to his daughter. “It’s incredible that she has turned out the way she has. I’ve managed to raise a healthy, smart, self-assured little girl. That gives me peace and satisfaction.”

Bourdain seemed to me to be very much at peace, and noted chef Andrew Zimmern, his close friend, thought so as recently as a month ago, telling The New York Times, “He told me he’d never been happier. He felt that he finally found his true soul mate in Asia.”

Even in his death, Bourdain’s expansive contributions will continue to touch the lives of meeting professionals and others around the globe.

For help please visit: suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

Ready, set, PRIDE! June 1 officially kicked off LGBTQ Pride Month, with many joyous festivals and parades celebrating inclusion across the country. As an event planner, you may find yourself in one or more of these cities at the same time as the party. Here’s what you can do to join in on the fun in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, the Twin Cities and more.

New York

The seeds of NYC Pride were sown in 1969 during the Stonewall Riots, considered the spark that ignited the modern gay rights movement. This year, NYC Pride will feature 18 events, June 14–24. These include a Human Rights Conference, a brunch with LGBTQ-friendly business leaders, dance concerts and movie nights.

San Francisco

The City by the Bay expects more than 2 million people for its ever-growing bash. Events will take place June 23–24. The festival will host a main stage and “community stages” around the city (a deaf and hard-of-hearing gathering space, for example). More than 100,000 spectators are expected to watch the historic march on Market Street on June 24. Musical performances and a drag cabaret will also be part of the fun at the Civic Center Plaza, with catering by Whole Foods and a hosted bar.

Twin Cities

The nation’s third-largest free pride festival, the 2018 Twin Cities Pride Festival brings an estimated 400,000 attendees to Minneapolis-St. Paul to celebrate the LGBTQ community in Loring Park June 23–24. The celebrations have been ongoing since June 1, with the annual Pride Yacht Party boasting a selfie-encouraging sky deck, two fully stocked bars and all-star DJs on the largest yacht in the Upper Midwest, the Majestic Star, and later that week, on June 5, a town hall-like discussion with celebrity comedian Chelsea Handler.

Los Angeles

History refuses to be forgotten in this sprawling city. The “One City, One Pride” LGBTQ arts festival will take place every day throughout the month of June. This year’s theme is “I Remember.” The series will present musicals, documentaries and literary readings. But the main event is the music festival, June 9–10, where artists such as Kehlani and Tove Lo will headline. There will also be stages for specific music genres, such as Latin and Hip Hop.

Chicago

Prepare to be blown away with the Windy City’s pride celebration, as it partners with Milwaukee to produce a variety of events throughout June. PrideFest takes place June 16–17 with a fashion show, musical festival and odd events happening throughout the city. The parade will roll on June 24, with an anticipated 400,000 onlookers.

Washington, D.C.

Earth, Wind, Glitter and Fire: the festival starts with this flashy celebration at sunset on June 8. Entertainment includes bars, photo booths and a glitter beard station. The parade will dominate Saturday, June 9, showcasing marchers, floats and vehicles. The main festival and concert on Sunday is free and open to the public, with award-winning performing artists such as Troye Sivan, Alessia Cara and Keri Hilson. Donations are welcome, and the proceeds will go to LGBTQ partner organizations.

Columbus, Ohio

Get actively involved in this Midwest town’s pride celebration June 15–17. Stonewall Columbus Pride will organize a Run for Pride 5K trek, a scenic bicycle ride through German Village and a poker tournament offering cash prizes. Tickets to either of the three come with complementary food, treats and entrance into the festival. DJs, drag shows and a parade will continue in the city.

Orlando, Florida

This celebration will occur a little later in the year, but just in time for National Coming Out Day. On Friday, October 13, Hamburger Mary’s will host, for free, an array of performances for one of the biggest block parties in the city. Gear up for the big event with Big Gay Brunch, complete with food, bottomless mimosas and Bloody Marys. Sunday’s free, all-day Come Out with Pride festival will welcome more than 100 vendors and offer a parade and live performances. If you’re still in town, Come Out with Pride’s sister organization, MBA Orlando, will commend central Florida business leaders that have made notable contributions to the LGBTQ community. Tickets are available for the November 4 gala.

This story was updated on Monday June 11, 2018.

summer

Ice cream is the ultimate summer staple. It’s so popular, there’s a museum dedicated to it. Whether you prefer chocolate or vanilla, single or triple scoops, sorbet or gelato, it’s hard to deny that ice cream is a cool dessert for when the sun won’t stop. Luckily, there are delicious and unique ice cream shops all over the country, so you won’t have to deny yourself the classic treat when traveling anywhere from the East to West coasts.

Scream’n Nuts, Alpharetta, Georgia

Looking for something different? Scream’n Nuts uses activated charcoal in their dessert, which tastes like sweet cream and toasted coconut. Don’t worry about it causing a stomach ache later—despite its jet-black color, it’s completely safe to devour. Consider it the goth cousin of pure, old-fashioned coconut.

Melt Ice Creams, Fort Worth, Texas

When Kari Crowe-Seher realized that Fort Worth was missing ice cream, she recruited her husband and together, they opened Melt Ice Creams. The best part? They offer catering for parties of all sizes, so you can host an ice cream social the next time you put on a summer event. Your attendees will be in heaven.

Penny’s Ice Creamery, Santa Cruz, California

For those craving weird, funky flavors, Penny’s Ice Creamery has you covered. On top of vanilla flavors (pun intended), you’ll find ice cream you wouldn’t have thought up—think burnt cinnamon, Meyer lemon poppy seed and African nectar. It always carries vegan flavors.

-321, New York

If you’re looking for something pretty, -321 makes the sweetest treat… out of liquid nitrogen ice cream. Stored at minus-321 degrees (hence the name), it’s a treat you probably shouldn’t make at home—its temperature and physical state drastically change at room temperature—but it looks and tastes delicious. Do it for the ’Gram.

Pinolo Gelato, Portland, Oregon

If you’re looking for authentic gelato, find Sandro Paolini and invite him to ride his bike into your event. Yes, you read that right: it’s a portable gelato cart. With Italian flavors such as Fior di Latte and Cioccolato, this gelato is made using traditional Italian-gelato methods. He also offers seasonable flavors and sorbets.

The Chief, Goshen, Indiana

For those staying in Indiana for an extended period, you’ll have plenty of different options—The Chief offers two new flavors every week. With reviews praising its velvety texture, you won’t want to miss out on this smooth dessert. The shop also offers sugar-free options in case you’re reducing your sugar intake.

Snowopolis, Anaheim, California

Decadence is of the highest priority in Anaheim—that’s why Snowopolis is now serving 24-carat-gold ice cream. How does it work? First, the cone is dusted with gold. After filling the cone with vanilla ice cream, it’s decorated with gold that adheres to the ice cream. Talk about luxury!

How many times have you opened your suitcase to discover your shampoo decided your fresh clothing needed to be washed? Not how you intended to start your trip. Here are some clever packing hacks for those pesky toiletries, cosmetics and electronics that’ll help keep your bags and belongings organized and dry.

Prevent Leaks

Liquids, lotions and gels are escape artists. They love to find a way to ooze out, creating a gooey mess in your suitcase. To keep your belongings dry, wrap containers, bottles and tubes tightly in aluminum foil. That way, even if it does pop open, the wetness stays contained inside your packaging.

Many bags are designed for toiletries and cosmetics, but one of the best is actually meant for wet bikinis. The outer shell is made of terry cloth for maximum absorption of leaks, and the interior is lined with plastic, so you can easily wipe up messes. Henri Bendel has several cute options in their collection of travel accessories. This would make a great swag bag gift item.

Protect Brushes

You don’t want the bristles of your makeup brushes to get bent out of shape. Here’s a smart tip: Toothbrush holders are the perfect length to keep them protected.

Remove Stains

Dryer sheets are light as a feather and take up no space in luggage. They are great little hack to remove deodorant and other stains on clothing. Apply force as you rub the mark, and it’ll gradually erase before your very eyes without having to do a load of laundry.

Wrap Cords

Power cords can easily become a tangled mess. Twist ties are great, but get worn out after continual use and break. For thick wires, such as blow dryers and flat irons, fold the cords up and put them in the cardboard core of a toilet paper roll. The chargers for smaller items, such as phones, iPods and tablets fit nicely inside eyeglass cases.

Turn off your phone. Make a smoothie. Visit a family member—or a luxury hotel group. Saturday, June 9 marks the 4th annual international celebration of Global Wellness Day, and the hospitality world is joining in, with several major brands offering free health and wellness activities to guests as well as the general public. As 4,000 locations in more than 100 countries around the world pause to recognize the importance of living well—which includes everything from exercise to mental health to spirituality, digital detox and beauty treatments—here are some suggestions for joining the social movement.

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

Yoga classes and sound and crystal therapy are big draws all year at Four Seasons properties around the world. At Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, marine naturalist Lauren Sauer will be leading guests in a salt harvesting experience on the Island of Hawaii’s ancient salt pens. Harvest pure ocean salt and learn how it is used for medicine and natural health products. Then experience the Salt of the Ocean Body treatment offered at the spa. Add complimentary rock climbing, poolside yoga or stand-up paddle boarding to make it a weekend.

Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills will offer guests a yoga session on the hotel’s helicopter landing pad, with sweeping views of the city, as well as a plant-based lunch by Chef Matthew Kenney by the pool. Free guided meditation is available to the public for the first 10 sign-ups.

Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia at Comcast Center is opening its wellness agenda to the public with a 90-minute workshop including active body weight training, restorative stretching and a healing sound bath using singing bowls, as well as a photo booth, scented towels and healthy snacks and beverages for all.

Rosewood Hotels & Resorts

Ultra-luxury hotel group Rosewood Hotels & Resorts has 18 properties around the world offering guests curated self-care experiences in honor of Global Wellness Day. A guided walk through the Tuscan woods awaits those at Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco, in Montalcin, Italy. Rosewood Luang Prabang in Laos is providing lessons in massage technique and insight into the sacred Buddhist tradition of alms offerings, and Rosewood London will lead guests on a refreshing morning run through the city.

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts is encouraging culture and wellness in its guests and communities, with guest experiences ranging from yoga in a Mongolian yurt at Shangri-La, Baotou, in China, and Thai boxing classes in Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok to healthy cooking classes with local ingredients at Shangri-La Hotel Dubai and an essential oil demonstration at Shangri La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.

Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort & Spa, in the Maldives, is offering community yoga classes at a local school in Feydhoo, and Futian Shangri-La, in Shenzhen, China, will host a tennis class for local students. Shangri-La Hotel, Jakarta, Indonesia, will offer healthy cooking classes to the public.

packing

In a way, business trips and vacations start the night before you leave home, when you are tasked with the dreaded chore of…dun dun dun…packing. It is the bane of many travelers’ existence. Packing is very time consuming, and can cause some travelers to feel stressed or anxious.

What do I choose? Am I taking too much? Did I forget something? How am I going to make it fit? This dizzying internal conversation likely sounds all too familiar. Even if you travel often for meetings and conferences, you may still not have perfected the art of packing.

Imagine how improved life would be if the need to pack magically evaporated into thin air. No more rushing to get laundry done and no more folding or rolling. No more squeezing everything in or fighting with zippers to close. Even better, no more lugging luggage through an airport, lifting suitcases into the overhead compartment or waiting at baggage claim.

Newsflash! All of the above are now possible thanks to these below services.

Designer Clothing Rental

Never worry about getting photographed in the same outfit twice. Want a sleek suit for a meeting or gown for a reception, but experiencing sticker shock? Rent the Runway enables fashionistas to wear designer labels at an affordable rate by renting them from a “closet in a cloud” rather than purchasing them. Orders can be shipped to hotels. Simply enter the hotel’s name in the company field and your name in the attention field of the order form. Make sure to notify your concierge that you’re expecting a package.

Rent the Runway also has retail stores in Chicago, New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., so you can shop for rentals in-person if your meeting brings you to any of these major cities.

Trendsetters interested in relying on this service as their new norm, can subscribe to Rent the Runway’s monthly unlimited package. There are also options with less of a commitment. Shipping and dry cleaning are free, so it really is hassle-free. Plus, you can elect to have 10 percent of your order go toward a charity that the company supports—Dress for Success, Girls in Tech, Global Fund For Women and She Should Run. They also take sustainability into account by reducing the amount of clothing women dispose of annually, donating last season’s styles to organizations like Operation Prom, designing reusable garment bags for shipping and eco-friendly dry cleaning.

Fitness Clothing Rental

Westin Hotels & Resorts encourages guests to stop making excuses to avoid exercising while traveling. In December 2010, the hotel chain partnered with New Balance to offer workout clothing in a Gear Lending program. They’ll provide sneakers and fitness attire for rental for only $5. You get to keep the socks. Within 15 minutes of calling Service Express, a freshly laundered outfit will be delivered to your hotel room.

“Keeping guests’ fitness goals in mind, we’ve partnered with New Balance to provide yet another option to help travelers stay well on-the-road,” says Nancy London, vice president of Westin Hotels & Resorts. “Guests simply need to show up ready for a great workout. We provide the rest.”

The initiative provides disposable insoles in the sneakers they loan out, so hygiene is definitely taken into account. Shorts, shirts, capris, shirts and sports bras are amongst the items available.

Wardrobe Storage

The DUFL app has made packing possible by the tap of your finger. Your business clothes are stored in a personal DUFL closet. Ahead of each trip, virtually check out your wardrobe and select which items you’d like to wear. Arrange for your suitcase to be shipped directly to your hotel and picked up when you depart. DUFL will do your laundry and hang everything back up in your closet. The company says this concierge service saves travelers an estimated three to five hours per round-trip. The closet has a monthly fee of $9.95 and standard shipping for domestic trips is $99 per round-trip. International shipping is also available.

DUFL Sports is another segment of their business that allows you to store and ship clunky sporting equipment that takes up a lot of space in your home and can be challenging to fly with. This is available for items such as surfboards, skis, snowboards, scuba gear, bicycles and more.

The service is not just for personal items. Their business sector enables meeting professionals to ship trade show supplies directly to the convention center. The DUFL Locker will store banners, monitors, swag, cables and more. The company will photograph and inventory all of your contents so they are available in the palm of your hand at any time. Shipping is just a few clicks away, and return labels are included.

Luggage Shipping

DUFL’s Door to Door service gives customers the option of keeping their belongings at home, but schedule round-trip pick-up and drop-off so you don’t have to schlep luggage and sports gear. Bags can be picked up at your home, office or hotel, or you can drop them off at FedEx.

Another company, LugLess, provides a similar service. You might recognize these guys from ABC’s Shark Tank. Shipping rate is dependent on distance, weight, size and quantity. Additional add-ons, such as value protection, enhanced tracking and ability to change or refund your reservation cost extra. Users print labels at home and drop luggage off at UPS or FedEx. Home, office and hotel pick-up/drop-off is also an option for an additional fee.

Miami

The Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau announced a new “Found in Miami” campaign on Thursday. The social media, celebrity and media partnership outreach focuses on life beyond the beach.  It is designed to provide a more in-depth look at the rich culture in the neighborhoods surrounding Miami.

Found in Miami will run throughout the summer, with the goal of producing longer stays, often as an addition to conferences and conventions.

More to Discover

“The Miami brand is recognized globally, and because of that most consumers think they know the destination,” William D. Talbert III, GMCVB president and CEO, said in a press release. “Found in Miami invites the visitor to look closer, beyond what they already know, and discover something entirely new—a destination brimming with culture and opportunities for guests to seek out and explore.”

GMCVB surveyed more than 1,200 travelers on their perception of Miami and found that guests wanted to be more closely connected with the city—a revelation that ultimately spurred the campaign’s creation.

Greater Miami saw a 4.3 percent increase in hotel room rate and 11.8 percent increase in revenue in the first quarter of 2018. The region now claims the number one spot across all hotel metrics among the top 25 U.S. markets, and this gives event planners more reasons to bring the meeting to what is being billed as a destination reborn.

The campaign is engaging. Neighborhoods begging to be explored include the Caribbean-inspired Little Haiti; family-owned businesses proliferating the area offer authentic Haitian-American cuisine, marketplaces and drum and dancing sessions.

‘Hood Culture

miami florida

“Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood is a wonderful way for meeting and event attendees to experience a taste of Haitian culture and cuisine in a low-key, non-touristy area,” says the GMCVB website, describing the neighborhood as the “next big art and cultural center.”

Greater Miami’s 426 hotels and resorts boast 1.2 million sq. ft. of meeting space across many similar neighborhoods. The modern Coconut Grove, historically African-American Historic Overtown and Latin-flavored Little Havana are just a few.

Little Havana, located west of downtown Miami, is home to the world-class Cuban restaurant Versailles, as well as many art attractions. In fact, the Cubaocho Museum and Performing Arts Center provides meeting spaces and introduces new art exhibitions, music and dance events. The Ball & Chain bar and lounge, available for private events, entices attendees with salsa dancers and live cigar rollers.

Native Knowledge

In addition to GMCVB’s native content, the website also invites locals to upload video and photography of Miami’s hidden gems. Attendees can find unique and unanticipated experiences shared by residents through #FoundInMiami.

“Who better than Miami’s local community to convey the energy of Miami’s multicultural neighborhoods and unique, hidden experiences through photography and video—Miami locals are our natural ambassadors and storytellers,” Talbert said.