After a slight dip at the end of last year, the exhibition industry grew modestly, posting a year-over-year gain of 1.6 percent, in the first quarter of 2017, according to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR).

CEIR had previously reported that after 25 consecutive quarters of growth, exhibitions declined by 0.4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2016. These new numbers give meeting planners reason to be optimistic about the continued growth of trade shows and exhibitions.

“The increase in the first quarter validates our prediction that economic fundamentals still point to moderate growth for the exhibition industry,” said CEIR economist Allen Shaw regarding the CEIR Index Report.

Gains were led by these sectors: food; building, construction, home and repair; communications and information technology; and government. Declines were seen in the sectors of education and nonprofit; consumer goods and retail trade; and business. Raw materials and science, the weakest sector in 2016, has “started to stabilize as attendance rebounded sharply,” The CRIP report said.

The CEIR Index Report measures year-over-year changes in four key metrics:

  • Net square feet of exhibit space sold
  • Professional attendance
  • Number of exhibiting companies
  • Total event gross revenue

Of these four factors, revenues grew the most. CEIR reported that real revenues increased 2.3 percent year over year. Square footage and number of attendees also made gains, which points to a growing trend of larger events with more attendees.

“I am pleased to see attendance rebound in the first quarter and am optimistic both attendance and the CEIR Total Index will continue to grow, despite uncertainty in the marketplace,” said CEIR CEO Cathy Breden, CMP, CAE.

global running day

Safety first! Westin Hotels & Resorts is catering to an emerging niche group of early risers who pound the pavement before the crack of dawn. For the entire month of June—which includes Global Running Day on June 7—the hotel brand is including reflective wristbands and light-up sneaker clips in its Gear Lending program, which loans New Balance sneakers and athletic clothing to guests for $5.

Exercising first thing in the morning gets your endorphins going and blood pumping so you can be alert at meetings all day long.

“I have never met a guest who wakes up early to run and regrets it,” said Chris Heuisler, national RunWestin concierge. “There is magic in the early morning hours that fosters a sense of comradery, broadens your perspective and reframes your day. With a strong commitment to the running community, we are delighted to shine a new light on running for travelers and support an event that has quickly become a global phenomenon…”

Westin employs almost 200 run concierges at locations across the brand. They are tasked with organizing group runs for patrons of all levels and hit the streets with a RunWestin map. This gives guests the opportunity to not only get in their daily dose of exercise, but also explore the town.

Participating Westin properties include locations in New York City, Boston, Hamburg, Cairo, Beijing and Costa Rica, as well as Austin, Texas; Cozumel, Mexico; Cape Town, South Africa; Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; and Jakarta, Indonesia. The initiative is aimed toward the hotel guest interested in “sweating before sunrise” and goes hand-in-hand with the brand’s Let’s Rise campaign.

A global study conducted in October 2016 of 7,968 respondents between the ages of 25 and 64 with incomes of $75,000 or more revealed the following:

  • Seventy-five percent of travelers struggle to maintain their fitness routine.
  • Almost 40 percent of people are in optimal control of their exercise routine from 4 to 10 a.m.
  • Almost 25 percent of people are in most control or their workout regimen from 4 to 6 a.m.
  • Forty-five percent of travelers plan to run while on a trip.

Sandals Resorts International (SRI) management is not resting on its sandy shores. The all-inclusive resort company announced June 1 that it is acquiring the Saint Lucia Golf Club, an 18-hole course in the northern part of the island.  The revamped complex will be renamed the Sandals St. Lucia Golf & Country Club at Cap Estate and will feature a family entertainment complex, swimming pool, squash and tennis courts, new restaurants and renovated meetings and conference amenities.

This is part of a regional growth strategy that blurs the lines between business and leisure travel. The focus on the Caribbean island started in 1993 when SRI opened its first hotel there. Also in the works is a fourth resort, Sandals LaSource St. Lucia, planned to break ground later this year. It will join the island’s first over-the-water bungalows and serenity chapel at Sandals Grande St. Lucian, one of three existing Sandals Resorts in the destination.

The company already owns 15 Sandals Resorts and three Beaches Resorts in Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Antigua, Turks & Caicos, Grenada, Barbados and The Bahamas. All Sandals and Beaches resorts offer dedicated meeting space, but Sandals Royal Barbados, which will debut by end of year as a second property in Barbados, will feature an expansive 10,500-square-foot conference facility capable of seating 550 people. Plans for new properties are in in motion for Barbados and Jamaica, as well, says Tammy Gonzalez, CEO of Unique Vacations, the representative of Sandals Resorts International. “We are focused on driving innovation in the industry and throughout the region,” she says.

Gonzalez sees the lines between business and leisure travel blurring so that “merging the two in one location is no longer an option–it’s an expectation.”

European airports currently under consideration for an expanded ban on bringing laptops onto jetliner cabins can avoid this sanction, says U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly.

Kelly told a House of Representatives panel that his deputy will travel to a conference in Malta next week “to present what we think are the minimum increased security standards … and to say if you meet these standards, we will not ban large electronics.”

“We are looking right now at an additional 71 airports,” Kelly told the Congressional panel, adding that  many countries are already working to not be added to the ban list by improving screening to detect this device.

Reuters recently reported that the U.S. government might soon ban laptops in the passenger cabin on flights from dozens of airports in Europe—a move that would affect nearly 400 flights a day and cover 30 million travelers

Restrictions on laptops began in March, on flights from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.

Homeland Security authorities justified the ban by saying it had reason to fear “a very sophisticated” bomb could be concealed in larger electronic devices. “This is a very serious, constant threat to knock down an airplane,” Kelly said.

Stowing electronic devices in the cargo hold of airplanes, however, has its own risk. At a Senate hearing yesterday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao acknowledged that lithium ion batteries are a fire hazard.

“This is a difficult issue that the administration is grappling with, especially from a security point of view,” Chao said.

On May 30, a JetBlue Airways flight bound for San Francisco was safely diverted to Michigan because of a lithium battery fire from a passenger laptop in the airplane cabin. No one was injured because the fire was detected quickly. If the laptop had been hidden away in the belly of plane, the outcome could have been very different.

Get your passport ready! Conde Nast Traveler has released a list of the 50 Most Beautiful Cities in the World, many of which would make great meeting destinations. The list highlights cities rich in history, architecture and natural beauty. See if your favorites made the cut and discover new cities you’ve never explored before.

1. Venice, Italy

Venice offers a unique experience to meeting-goers because you get from place to place via foot or the canal system by way of water taxis and gondolas. The city boasts a wide assortment of hotels and a convention center.

2. Hong Kong, China

Business is conducted in English in Hong Kong, making it a popular place for Americans to go without encountering a language barrier. The city takes pride in its location as the “gateway to China.” The local airport offers flights from all over the world and a visa is not required from many nations, making travel as seamless at possible.

3. Istanbul, Turkey

Watch out Texas, everything is bigger in Turkey! Istanbul has the capacity to host events for anywhere from 100 to 30,000 attendees in its seven convention centers and three exhibition halls.

4. New York, New York

There is something in New York City for everyone from sightseeing to museums to theaters to hotels to restaurants to meeting venues galore. It is the melting pot of the world and the NY metropolitan area’s airports and transportation system make it a great location to bring people together from across the country and across the pond.

5. London, U.K.

Add some royal flair to your next meeting by hosting it in London. There is strength in numbers in London. The city’s convention bureau says there are nearly 400 direct flights from international airports, more than 1,000 meeting venues, 150,000 hotel rooms and promises a 20% rise in attendance in comparison to other cities. It is also the hub for 40% of the European headquarters of top companies. If you host an event in London, it’ll be crowned a success.

6. Chefchaouen, Morocco

Feeling blue? Chefchaouen, Morocco will cheer you up! Known as “The Blue Pearl,” Chefchaouen will calm and sooth you on a busy day of business. Attendees will enjoy dining on fresh bread and aromatic spiced Moroccan cuisine.

7. Paris, France

paris

Bonjour! If Paris feels it is up to the task of hosting the Olympics as a 2024 bid city, it can certainly accommodate a meeting of any magnitude. Hold your next meeting with a view of the twinkling Eiffel Tower and it’ll surely leave a lasting impression.

8. Cape Town, South Africa

cape town

Meeting planners should take into consideration that Cape Town, South Africa is a very long flight and attendees would need to recover from jet lag and adjust to a very different time zone. That being said, it has not stopped the world from making the trek for major events. Fans flocked to South Africa in 2010 for the FIFA World Cup. Cape Town has a wide variety of unique meeting venues, some with no booking fees at all! Companies such as Google, eBay and Deloitte have hosted corporate functions there. Make sure to give your attendees enough spare time to go on a safari to give them a story they will never forget.

9. Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Amsterdam is not only a Top 10 most beautiful city, but the Union of International Associations named it one of the 10 best cities to host an international conference. It is on the cutting edge of the technology and start-up scenes. Highlights include the Van Gogh Museum, the Beurs van Berlage and the Royal Concertgebouw.

10. St. Petersburg, Russia

For art aficionados, St. Petersburg might be the perfect. It’s been tapped as the #10 most beautiful city in the entire world. There are plenty of hotels with meeting space to choose from and best of all, the overnight rates are very low and affordable.

Here is the rest of the list:

  1. Beirut, Lebanon
  2. Kyoto, Japan
  3. Queenstown, New Zealand
  4. Barcelona, Spain
  5. Singapore
  6. Havana, Cuba
  7. Florence, Italy
  8. Sydney, Australia
  9. Lisbon, Portugal
  10. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  11. Jaipur, India
  12. Lucerne, Switzerland
  13. Shanghai, China
  14. San Francisco, California
  15. Rome, Italy
  16. Bruges, Belgium
  17. Stockholm, Sweden
  18. Cartagena, Colombia
  19. Budapest, Hungary
  20. Valparaiso, Chile
  21. Prague, Czech Republic
  22. Edinburgh, Scotland
  23. Busan, South Korea
  24. Mexico City, Mexico
  25. Charleston, South Carolina
  26. Dubrovnik, Croatia
  27. Riga, Latvia
  28. Quito, Ecuador
  29. Vienna, Austria
  30. Quebec City, Canada
  31. Jerusalem, Israel
  32. Buenos Aires, Argentina
  33. Isfahan, Iran
  34. Seville, Spain
  35. Muscat, Oman
  36. Chicago, Illinois
  37. Kiev, Ukraine
  38. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
  39. Hamburg, Germany
  40. Krakow, Poland

This year’s Global Wellness Day is June 10, and its organizers suggest we should all ask—even if for only one day—how we can live a healthier and better life.

With an official slogan of “One day can change your whole life,” other aims are:

  • To recognize the value of our lives
  • To be free from the stress of everyday city life and bad habits
  • To make peace with ourselves
  • To raise awareness about living well

First celebrated in 2012, in Turkey, Global Wellness Day will be honored this year in 100 countries at thousands of events.

Hotels around the world are among venues offering special wellness activities to mark the day. The ultra-luxury hotel group Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, for instance, will curate wellness experiences at 12 of its properties, including the following.

Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco (Montalcino, Italy) will offer younger guests the uplifting power of puppies with a dog-cuddling session.

Rosewood Tucker’s Point (Bermuda) will host yoga sessions, fun runs to the beach and a fitness tug-of-war followed by healthy juices and bites at the property’s beach club.

Rosewood Mayakoba (Riviera Maya, Mexico) will provide aqua floating lessons “to both enliven and relax the body,” as well as an al fresco tutorial on natural elixirs from the region.

Las Ventanas al Paraiso, A Rosewood Resort (San Jose del Cabo, Mexico) will offer an extensive program of healthy living activities, including yoga, tabata, boot camp and cross-fit classes, as well as sunrise desert jogging.

Travelers are often a bit antsy to reach their destination. Some airlines and airports have come up with clever ways to win your loyalty by introducing perks so you won’t mind waiting around or flying a bit longer. Whether you’re up in the air or your feet are firmly planted on the ground, traveling is getting a bit more pleasant.

Sip Rosé On Your Way

Alaska Airlines is tickled pink. In honor of National Rosé Day on June 10, the airline is offering a sneak preview of their seasonal beverage service. Passengers over the age of 21 on select flights to Portland will receive a complimentary class of the blush colored wine on Saturday. House Wine Rosé from the Columbia Valley in Washington will be sold at 30,000 feet on most of their flights between July 1 until August 31. Cheers!

Got Milk?

Peanuts and pretzels? How basic. JetBlue keeps expanding their palette for Mint customers with the introduction of sweet treats aboard their flights. In April 2017, the airline launched a partnership with New York City’s Milk Bar bakery. Pastry chef Christina Tosi’s scrumptious cookies get passed out to passengers prior to landing. Flavors include confetti, cornflake chocolate chip marshmallow and compost (pretzels, potato chips, coffee, oats, graham cracker, butterscotch and chocolate chips).

JetBlue is offering even more dairy in the air! In May 2017, artisanal ice cream service took off. The airline partnered with local ice creameries from coast-to-coast to scoop up unique flavors from each region. Passengers can sample Brooklyn’s Blue Marble, Los Angeles’ Coolhaus, San Francisco’s Double Rainbow, Miami’s The Frieze and Boston’s Toscanini’s.

Dine & Dash

Bring your appetite with you if you’re a Delta One passenger flying from LAX to JFK or DC. On June 7, 2017, the airline announced a new partnership with Los Angeles chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo to enjoy their fine cuisine from the sky. The restauranteurs behind Animal, Son of a Gun and Jon & Vinny’s will prepare the in-flight meals fresh daily at a kitchen in Los Angeles and transport to the airport via their catering company, Caramelized Productions. While the menu has yet to be unpacked, Shook teased “there is a strong likelihood of meatballs” in a quote to The Hollywood Reporter.

sup? wrud for dinner? #jonandvinnys #theseballs #youup? #mondazeeeee #resisttheitch ?: @croizzantflakez

A post shared by JON & VINNY (@jonandvinnydelivery) on

Shower in the Sky

If you sing in the shower, hopefully you’re pitch perfect because you might be serving as entertainment to your fellow passengers. Emirates has Shower Spas aboard it’s A380 fleet so passengers can rub-a-dub-dub. The airline will debut upgrades to its A380 Onboard Lounge in July 2017, which will include a redesign of the common area modeled after private yachts.

Jet & Vet

If your furry friend is a frequent flyer, JFK has them covered. The New York City airport became the first airport to offer a full service veterinary hospital on June 8, 2017. AirHeart Pet Hospital, an ode to Amelia Earhart, is located inside The ARK, a pet-friendly terminal. It’s operated by Compassion-First Pet Hospitals and offers routine and emergency procedures.

Delay & Play

Test your luck during flight delays in Las Vegas. Slot machines are sprinkled throughout McCarran International Airport’s terminals and baggage claim to keep you winning…and losing.

Quiet Time

A stark difference from the bells, whistles and flashing neon lights of Las Vegas is the Southern hospitality Myrtle Beach’s airport exudes. Taking into consideration those families traveling with autistic children, the South Carolina city made a progressive move in April 2016 by cutting the ribbon on a quiet room. It gives families a designated space to decompress after the over-stimulation of flying and hustling through a bustling airport.

Mexico City and Madrid firms have been awarded a contract as a private joint venture to manage the convention centers of Los Cabos and La Paz in Baja California Sur, the lower half of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula. Trade Fair Institution of Madrid (IFEMA) and Actidea, S.A. de C.V. were declared winners of an international bidding contest.

“I’m sure they will be able to optimize this incredible infrastructure to stimulate the meetings and events industry in the state,” said Luis Genaro Ruiz Hernandez, state minister of tourism. “The meetings and events industry is a fundamental complement to diversify the tourism product of both destinations.

The convention center in Los Cabos has yet to be fully refurbished after damage by Hurricane Odile in 2014. The La Paz venue needs upgrading to be competitive in today’s economic climate, especially in the areas of catering and audiovisual equipment.

“Now the next step is to establish contractual conditions in order to start with repairs, maintenance and equipment of both convention centers,” Genaro Ruiz said.

IFEMA has more than 30 years’ experience as an event organizer of trade shows, conventions, large congresses and sporting events, making it one of Spain’s biggest players in that arena. Actidea boasts two decades of coordinating and producing high-level events in Mexico and internationally

The Los Cabos Convention Center, which opened in 2012, features more than 58,000 sq. ft. of event space and can host groups of up to 6,000. The La Paz Convention Center, smaller but only two years old, offers 32,000 sq. ft. of event space and a capacity of 3,200 attendees.

Attendees flying in from far and wide to participate in the experiences your events provide may have a hidden—or not so hidden—agenda. According to a new report from Global Business Travel Association, 37 percent of business travelers extended their work trips for pleasure last year, putting them squarely in the hybrid bleisure class. What is more, millennial (48 percent) and Gen X (33 percent) travelers were even more likely than baby boomers (23 percent) to tack on a few extra days of fun after the exhibit hall closes.

What can you do to make their entire journey more enjoyable?

1. Be a local resource provider: Many of these extended-stay visitors (38 percent) say they are doing so because they want to visit a new destination. Providing information about local attractions, restaurants and city guides can be a great way to continue the thoughtful touches included in the rest of the program. A branded street map included in the goodie bag or embedded in the event app allows you to stay by their sides as they discover the wonders of a new place.

2. Offer them a deal: When negotiating with the property for room rates, consider asking the hotel to include a larger window for applying conference pricing. It is good for the attendees because they don’t have to search for alternatives, pack up and move in the middle of their stay. And the hotel retains a guest. The report showed that 82 percent of business travelers stayed at the same place for both the business and leisure portion of their trip. Win-win.

3. Exude family-friendly vibes: Solo exploration has its benefits, but lots of people see meetings as an excuse to bundle a family trip and will bring the whole gang along for all or part of the adventure. This is particularly true for summer meetings and popular vacation destinations such as Florida and Mexico. Including options for children in the resource guide can show that you care.

cuba policy

In a decision that will have a significant impact on the tourism industry, President Donald Trump spoke in front of a room full of supporters in the Little Havana community of Miami, Florida, on Friday to officially announce and sign his new policy on the United States’ relationship with Cuba.

In his speech, Trump vowed to “enforce the ban on tourism.”

“The previous administration’s easing of travel and trade does not help the Cuban people,” Trump said. “They only enrich the [Castro] regime. The profits from investment and tourism flow directly to the military. Therefore, effective immediately, I am cancelling the last administration’s completely one-sided deal with Cuba.”

One of the biggest changes Americans will see enforced is the revoking of former President Barack Obama’s allowance of individual people-to-people travel. While approved people-to-people travel will remain legal as one of 12 categories, only group travel will be permitted. Itineraries will be strictly monitored and enforced.

Meeting professionals are already accustomed to coordinating and implementing minute-by-minute schedules, so by incorporating approved cultural activities into the daily plan, Cuban travel might still be a viable possibility for them. (The Miami Herald reports that individual travel will still be allowed for Americans who qualify for the support for the Cuban people category.)

A senior White House official spoke on Thursday about Trump’s decision to end individual people-to-people trips. “That is a category of travel that is particularly ripe for abuse,” the official said. “So, directing the Treasury to change its regulations to ensure that anyone who goes to people-to-people travel does so as part of a group is one way to ensure that the individuals who travel to Cuba to engage in a schedule of activities do so and aren’t sitting on the beach.”

New hotel restrictions for Americans

Americans will also be prohibited from staying in hotels with ties to the Cuban government and military. The Trump administration is seeking to promote the Cuban citizens’ freedom to be entrepreneurs and encourages Americans traveling there to stay in privately owned hotels and Airbnbs. Meeting professionals who often coordinate travel for large groups of people will face difficulty when booking accommodations.

While group travel will still be permitted under this new directive, the restraints on which hotels Americans can stay in will pose challenges because the privately run hotels and Airbnbs cannot support a large number of guests. The senior White House official said that the State Department would release a list of hotels owned by Cuban military organizations, Grupo de Administracion Empresarial, S.A. (GAESA), so that Americans could avoid booking rooms at those properties.

“Over the past few years, hundreds of thousands of Americans have traveled to Cuba, stayed in private homes, eaten at privately owned restaurants, taken private taxi cabs and engaged with the Cuban people,” said Engage Cuba in a statement. “Americans are significantly contributing to the growth of Cuba’s private sector

“This policy will undoubtedly stifle U.S. demands to travel to the island. Additionally, by requiring Americans to travel in tour groups, the administration is not only making it more expensive for everyday Americans to travel to the island, but pushing them away from staying in private homes—which are unable to accommodate large tour groups—and into state-run hotels.”

Cruises remain unaffected

Trump’s new policy does not restrict the cruise ship industry from moving forward with their trips to Cuba. This might be a great alternative for meeting professionals to consider. Cruises are all-inclusive and can accommodate groups of any size, and guests can stay on the boat overnight, thus eliminating the need to book hotel rooms on the island nation.

“We will review the extent of the tightening of the travel rules, but our guests have already been traveling under the 12 approved forms of travel to Cuba since we first undertook our historic first cruise to Cuba more than a year ago,” Carnival Cruise Line said in a statement to NBC News.

Royal Caribbean also reacted to the news by Tweeting, “We’re pleased to share there is no impact to any of our cruises to Cuba as announced in the new U.S. policy toward Cuba today.”

Demand expected to drop

Commercial airlines will also be allowed to continue to offer flights to Cuba from the United States, but the tougher rules will likely cause demand to drop significantly. Airlines will review the new policies and adjust their business model to comply.

According to the website consumerist.com, American, United, Delta, Southwest, JetBlue and Alaska currently fly to Cuba from the United States. Meanwhile Sun Country postponed the launch of its service until the winter. Already noticing a demand decrease in Cuban travel, Spirit, Silver and Frontier left the market and JetBlue and American shifted to smaller planes.

ABC News reports that, according to the Cuban Ministry, “74 percent more American citizens visited the island in 2016 than in 2015.” U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford from Arkansas tweeted a GIF on Friday that says, “Over the next four years, reversing Cuba policies would cost the U.S. $3.4 billion from the travel industry.”

President Trump’s personal agenda?

Some skeptics have raised concern about Trump’s motives. In 2016, he told CNN he wanted to open Trump hotels in Cuba “when we’re allowed to do it.” But he agreed not to open new overseas properties while he is in office. This move is seen by some as an effort to stifle his competitors in the hotel industry from expanding to Cuban shores during his presidency.

“Trump’s prohibition, in effect, puts other hotel companies on equal footing with his personal company—not allowed to pursue future business in Cuba,” CNN said.

Hotels with current plans will be allowed to move forward with construction, though. The senior White House official said that “the administration’s intent has been to not disrupt the existing business that has occurred.”

Marriott International, which oversees Four Points by Sheraton Havana, was less celebratory than the cruise lines because there is a lot of uncertainty in the future of the hotel business in Cuba.

“We have invested significant resources establishing a presence in Cuba, and with one hotel open and another in the pipeline we have just begun our work creating opportunity and a more vibrant tourism sector on the island,” the hotel chain said in a statement to NBC News. “We are still analyzing the policy directive issues by the president today, and its full effect on our current and planned operations in Cuba may depend on related forthcoming regulations.”

Changes won’t be implemented until the secretaries of Treasury and Commerce change their regulations, which could take some time. They are required to begin the process within 30 days, but there is no telling how long the process will take until it’s completed. The senior White House official said it will be up to the Treasury Department to determine how the policy will impact people who have booked trips to Cuba, but have not yet traveled there.

Trump says he intends to continue working with Cuba. “Our embassy remains open in the hope that our countries can forge a much stronger and better path,” he said Friday.