Smart Meetings | Page 55 of 603 | Corporate Event Planning: Business Events, Meetings, Conferences

A conference in California’s vineyard-covered, rolling Napa Valley just feels different than any other place in the world.

After spending quality time at LEED Platinum-certified Bardessono Hotel & Spa (one of only three in California that meet that sustainability standard), we were curious about what elements could be adopted from the organic feel of the historic boutique property. We asked the purveyors of luxury hospitality there for some tips to Napa-ize an event.

Alain Negueloua, Vice President and General Manager

Alain Negueloua wearing blue plaid suit — Alain Negueloua

Being located right in Yountville—the very heart of Napa Valley—“Napa-izing” meetings and events for groups at Bardessono is second nature. Our venue spaces, with indoor and outdoor space, offer the beautiful backdrop of Yountville’s lush vineyards. Catering services come right from Lucy Restaurant and Bar, our signature farm-to-fork dining experience where the culinary team utilizes ingredients from our own garden and our favorite local purveyors.

We also keep sustainability top of mind when it comes to meeting and venue spaces. We are aligned with Napa Valley’s goal as a community to preserve our ecosystem and are proud to exemplify these values with our LEED Platinum certification.

When it comes to group and corporate gatherings, we have some very special offers that help to “Napa-ize” meetings such as our “Wellness After Dark” group offerings through b Spa. After a long day of meetings, groups can wind down under the Napa night sky with stargazing activities and guided meditations—prioritizing rest and relaxation is a part of the Napa experience.

Maritsa Victoria, Area Director of Spa

Maritsa Victorian resting head on closed hand — Maritsa Victorian

While in Napa, our guests want to nourish their bodies with delicious food and wine, but also wind down and detox with luxurious spa treatments. Bardessono is home to Napa’s first “Spa Suite” concept, where the suite itself transforms into a personal spa, allowing guests to enjoy treatments right in their rooms or on their private courtyards—some of which feature soaking tubs for an even more luxurious experience.

B Spa treatments pay homage to our home here in Napa Valley by utilizing natural and organic ingredients, some even from our very own garden. For example, our Garden Harvest Wrap includes a lymphatic drainage massage utilizing a rich body oil, infused with Napa grown herbs from our garden.

With Napa known as a wine capital of the world, b Spa of course incorporates wine into some treatments. The “Vino Polish” treatments uses ingredients like grapeseed oil and crushed grape seeds, while the “Que Syrah Syrah Winter Wrap” finishes with a glass of Syrah.

Adam Kerr, Director of Food & Beverage

At Lucy Restaurant and Bar, Chef Rick Edge serves a seasonally rotating menu, each dish prepared with ingredients from local purveyors throughout Napa and produce from Lucy’s Garden. Our goal is to always show our guests the best of what Napa offers as the seasons change.

As our sommelier and wine director, I am always seeking the best local wines to pair our menus with. We also have special cocktails on the menu at Lucy that add a Napa twist to the classics by incorporating seasonal elements and ingredients from Lucy’s Garden.

For those who come to Napa and do not drink, this year we introduced our first ever N/A-Pa Concierge to help sober guests navigate all that Napa Valley has to offer, without alcohol. At Bardessono we see the beauty of Napa Valley with and without the wine component and want to help all of our guests have the best experience possible.

The effects of Hurricane Helene in the Southeastern US and resources for planners.

Late Thursday night, Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane. It continued to move northward and stalled over the Tennessee Valley through the weekend, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Prior to its landfall in Florida, Hurricane Helene became a tropical storm in the western Caribbean Sea on Tuesday and caused flooding in the Cayman Islands and heavy rainfall over western Cuba and the northeast Yucatán Peninsula.

As of Friday morning, over 4 million homes and businesses were without power in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. Large regions of the southeast, including Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, are still experiencing widespread power outages and flooding.

Friday morning, President Biden approved emergency declaration requests from the governors of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina, who will receive a variety of federal assistance.

Following the weekend, the death toll has reached 107, with dozens of people still missing. Members of the National Guard and relief teams from 19 states are now part of search and rescue missions in North Carolina.

Following the Storm

Here’s what you need to know about the effects of Hurricane Helene in the affected regions.

Florida

Hurricane Helene caused major damage upon its landfall in Florida with maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour, leaving residents in Taylor and Madison counties without power within an hour and a half of its arrival, according to a USA TODAY power outage tracker.

Multiple counties throughout Florida, including Charlotte, Gadsden, Hillsborough, Sarasota and more, reported extensive damage, with downed power lines and severe flooding. According to CNN Weather, it was the strongest hurricane on record that Florida’s Big Bend region has faced.

Airports in Florida, including those in the cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg, Lakeland and Tallahassee, closed, then reopen later on Friday, Sept. 27. Orlando International Airport saw 77 flight cancellations as of Friday morning, according to FlightAware.

A warning of storm surges—the level at which sea water rises above its normal level—up to 10 feet remained in place across Florida’s west coast, from Tampa Bay to Indian Pass, through Saturday.

Georgia and North Carolina

Hurricane Helene next moved into Georgia as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 80 miles per hour as of 3 a.m. ET.

Airports in Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina saw large numbers of flight cancellations and delays. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport saw over 130 cancellations and 180 delays.

Catastrophic flooding in Georgia led to evacuations and rescues by emergency officials. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp reported on Friday that there had been at least 11 deaths throughout the state and issued a state of emergency and authorized 1,000 Georgia Guardsmen to help with recovery efforts and cleaning of debris.

As of 11am ET on Friday morning, the storm was about 30 miles southwest of Bryson City, North Carolina and maximum sustained winds stood at about 45 miles per hour. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper stated that Helene “is one of the worst storms in modern history.”

Asheville faced severe flooding and damage to its water systems. Extreme flooding across North Carolina led to the closure of hundreds of roads and left thousands of people are in shelters and homes and bridges were swept away in the storm.

AP News reported that Hurricane Helene was the deadliest storm to hit North Carolina since Hurricane Hugo in 1989.

Tennessee and Kentucky

Over the weekend, Hurricane Helene turned in the northwest direction and lulled over Tennessee Valley. Eastern Tennessee also saw severe flooding. Bridges and homes washed away, and much of East Tennessee remains without power. In Kentucky, thousands more are left without power. The state faced strong winds and heavy rainfall, but most regions escaped serious floods due to dry weather prior to the storm.

What’s Next?

Across the affected states, residents, local police and fire departments, volunteers and those deployed by the federal government continue to assess the aftermath. As they repair the storm’s damage, search for missing persons, provide shelter, food and water for those in need, more information about the full scale of the damage will continue to surface.

For now, if you’re working with hotels, CVBS or suppliers in any of the affected areas, you can show your support to them by checking in and handling longer response times with patience and grace as they assess the storm’s effects on their businesses.

Smart Meetings offers resources on contingency planning to ensure safe and successful events in the face of unprecedented scenarios such as storms like Hurricane Helene and a range of other barriers that could cause event disruptions

Your Top Resources

FlightAware for flight tracking and updates on cancellations and delays.
National Hurricane Center for live updates on Hurricane Helene’s path and force.
USA TODAY Power Outage Tracker for live updates on power outages across counties.

How to Help

Search Foundation to donate for planners seeking assistance.
Salvation Army,t for emergency aid, food and supplies.
American Red Cross to help with reunification efforts and sending disaster workers.
Americares for emergency medical relief.
GlobalGiving Fund for food, fuel, clean water, hygiene products and shelter.

Read More:

Looking to plan a cream-of-the-crop meeting or event? New top-tier luxury venues in Dubai or Mexico may be just the ticket. And while you’re here, catch up on the latest news in travel advisor tech, the launch of a new Reed & Mackay division and brand-new research on the customized travel market.

Reed & Mackay Launches Events Division in France

UK-based Reed & Mackay, the international travel management company, has debuted its events division in France as a response to a growing interest in the service. The addition will be led by Barbara Labrit, head of meetings and events for France, who is based in Paris. Reed & Mackay has also recently expanded meetings and events operations in Spain, Italy and the Nordics, with its global events team growing from six to over 165 employees since 2019.

“I am delighted to announce the launch of this new offering in France, which is a strategic priority for the company and our group. We are committed to offering our clients event solutions at the same levels of excellence and quality as the business travel services we have been providing for nearly 25 years, relying on our experts and the best technologies,” said Johann Smith, managing director of Reed & Mackay France.

Luxury All-Inclusive Kimpton Tres Rios by Playa Hotels & Resorts Set to Open Next Year

Playa Hotels & Resorts, the largest owner and operator of all-inclusive resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean, has officially opened 2025 reservations for its newest property, Kimpton Tres Rios, located in Riviera Maya. The debut is especially anticipated, as it will be the first all-inclusive resort as part of Kimpton’s esteemed luxury brand. Elevated dining, amenities and programming are intrinsic to Kimpton Tres Rios; Fernando Mulet, executive vice president and chief investment officer of Playa Hotels & Resorts, said, “Kimpton Tres Rios redefines the luxury experience in the Riviera Maya, offering guests an all-inclusive retreat where every detail has been carefully designed to provide tranquility, comfort, and an intimate connection with nature…It has been an honor to partner with IHG Hotels & Resorts to bring this first ever Kimpton all-inclusive property to life. The result is a true benchmark in high-end hospitality.”

Global Travel Collection Agencies In the Know Experiences and Nicer Launch New Joint Venture

Internova Travel Group’s luxury division Global Travel Collection has launched a new joint venture between In the Know Experiences and Nicer. The latter has acquired a 50% stake in the former, granting In the Know Experiences agents free access to Nicer’s technology, which creates a more efficient workflow. Nicer will provide recruitment, onboarding and training of new advisors and employ the learning-management systems and training resources of Global Travel Collection. Following a goal of $2 million in sales set for new advisors, the affiliation with In the Know, which will continue to focus on seasoned advisors, will be finalized. Angie Licea, Global Travel Collection’s CEO, said, “If we take these two pieces—the progressive advisor and this technology that’s enabling a different way of selling—and put them together, what could we do?”

Nicer is designed for new advisors or assistants by acting as a lead generator and connecting them with consumers who are new to the industry, while also providing a database within the app for existing clients.

Over 2,700 New Hotel Rooms in Dubai Opened in the First Half of 2024, 75% in Luxury Category

According to new research by real estate advisory group and property consultant Cavendish Maxwell, an additional 10,100 hotel rooms in Dubai are projected to open by the end of 2025, topping off the 2,700 that have opened in the first half of this year alone. As it currently stands, 75% of keys belong to rooms in the luxury category, thanks to a 216% increase from 2023 in growth of 4-star establishments (with 5-star hotels increasing 111% over the same period).

Approximately 67% of all Dubai inventory stands in the luxury, upper upscale or upscale classification as of June 2024, solidifying the city as a top destination for ultra-extravagant group travel. New openings in 2024 include The Lana Dubai Dorchester Collection, SIRO One Za’abeel, One & Only Za’abeel, FIVE Lux JBR and the Address Palace Dubai Creek Harbour, with Ciel Dubai Marina, Viceroy Dubai Business Bay, Port De La Mer hotel and more set to debut before the end of the year.

Travcoa, Black Tomato, Luxury Gold and More Lead New Era of Customized Travel Experiences

The customized travel market is set to grow to $600 billion by 2030, spurred by a rising demand for tailored experiences. Key players dominating the industry include Travcoa, Black Tomato, Luxury Gold, Exodus Travels and Adventures by Disney, who are all vying for the largest slice of this expanding market.

Recent research by HTF Market Intelligence analyzed the approaches of these companies, which included a focus on adventure, culture and luxury. The report also points to a diminishing consumer interest in standard, pre-packaged tours, so competition within the industry is refocusing on new strategies and advanced technology to meet the rising demand for customization.

Key market segments in the study included application (sightseeing, education, business travel and more), type of traveler (luxury-focused, adventure seekers, cultural enthusiasts, family and solo), trip duration (either short breaks under seven days or extended vacations of seven to 15 days), and trip focus (special interest tours, wellness retreats and educational travel). Research results yielded an increased demand for wellness travel, growth in special interest tours, and sustainability and eco-friendly travel, which are all establishing themselves as key trends within the industry.

Discover Greater Ontario California: Your Perfect Meetings Destination

If you’re seeking the ideal destination for your next event, Greater Ontario California (GOCAL) offers a seamless, professional, and unforgettable experience. From its convenient transportation options and a plethora of accommodations to its dedicated event partners, versatile meeting spaces, and convention center expansion, GOCAL provides everything you need to make your event a resounding success.

Soar into Southern California with Ontario International Airport (ONT), your gateway to GOCAL and beyond. With over 25 direct flight locations, reaching your destination is easier than ever. Shuttle services from the airport to nearby convention center hotels make your travel experience hassle-free. GOCAL’s prime location ensures easy access from major freeways, guaranteeing a smooth journey to your destination. Whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure, Ontario International Airport sets the perfect tone for unforgettable experiences in Southern California.

With over 6,500 hotel rooms available, GOCAL offers a variety of accommodations to suit every traveler’s needs. From budget-friendly options to upscale retreats, GOCAL provides the comfort and convenience you desire. Look forward to the highly anticipated opening of the Sanctity Hotel Rancho Cucamonga, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, and other exciting new hotels in the region, joining the already exceptional hotel options available.

Our experienced team at GOCAL is committed to providing exceptional service and personalized attention. With a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the event planning industry, our team is dedicated to making your meeting or event a resounding success. Enjoy the convenience of working with a single dedicated point of contact who will handle all your event planning needs, ensuring every detail is taken care of.

The Ontario Convention Center (OCC) offers over 225,000 square feet of column-free exhibit space, providing flexibility for a wide range of events. With 24 separate breakout/meeting rooms, the OCC ensures ample space for smaller gatherings and workshops. Its contemporary style and spacious layout allow for various configurations, accommodating everything from trade shows and conferences to banquets and galas.

Prepare for a new era in meetings and events as the Ontario Convention Center (OCC) undergoes a major transformation, doubling in size to an impressive 430,000 square feet. This expansion not only provides more space for meetings and events but also anchors a newly defined Convention Center District, featuring a vibrant plaza for dynamic outdoor activities. GOCAL is ready to offer even more comprehensive and convenient meeting and event solutions for businesses and organizations of all sizes.

GOCAL is the perfect destination for meeting planners looking for a seamless, professional, and unforgettable event experience, offering everything you need to make your next event a resounding success. So, when you think meetings, think Greater Ontario California.

Leverage technology, personalization, visuals and more to maximize impact

Capturing the attention of target audiences is harder than ever in today’s attention economy. A term coined by Nobel laureate economist Herbert A. Simon in 1971, attention economy refers to a wealth of information making attention a scarce and valuable resource.

In a digital-first world, the attention economy is only worsening as the sheer volume of information competing for mind share continues to increase. The attention economy creates an imperative for meeting and event planners to elevate their events from effective to unforgettable. Events that leave a lasting impression have the power to increase brand loyalty, build stronger relationships, create brand advocates, and boost momentum for the next event.

Creating unforgettable virtual and hybrid events requires keeping meeting and event attendees engaged from start to finish. To achieve this requires the right technology, a personalized approach, the integration of visual elements, a focus on interactivity, and the use of data.

Here’s a more in-depth look at these actionable tips for creating unforgettable meetings and events to secure the win in the attention economy.

Make It Easy

Organizations can leverage virtual event technology to make meetings, events, and conferences easy for participants from beginning to end. This technology removes the friction from event registration and scheduling, facilitates networking and interaction, and makes it easy to engage with event content. There should never be an app to download or continuously update. Click and go is what attendees appreciate.

Using this technology, companies can seamlessly connect with people across the globe and deliver more engaging, immersive, and memorable experiences than ever before.

Make It Relevant

Unforgettable events create an experience personalized to an audience’s unique needs and preferences. That requires an understanding of target audiences gained through comprehensive research and the development of personas that delve into their demographics, industry sectors, and specific pain points and challenges.

Knowing the target audience inside out allows planners to effectively tailor content and create event experiences that resonate and provide tangible value. Participants get the most out of events that deliver relevant content and actionable insights that create a lasting impact.

Make It Visual

Visuals enrich meetings and events and can be a powerful storytelling tool to capture attention, making content more understandable, relatable, and persuasive.

Advances in digital event technology platforms make it easy to present visually appealing images and infographics, videos, live demos, and interactive presentations, providing highly immersive and engaging experiences that help make meetings and events more unforgettable.

Make It Interactive

A common denominator in unforgettable events is interactivity. Integrating interactive elements into meetings and events captures the audience’s attention and helps them connect with the event in a more meaningful way. When audiences have the opportunity to participate in an event, they feel like part of the production, and that creates a memorable impact.

Interactive elements like polls, quizzes, Q&A sessions, and breakout rooms keep boredom at bay by ensuring audiences are actively participating instead of passively listening and losing focus.

Polls are a great way to gauge audience thoughts and engage them immediately. Interactive quizzes add an element of fun and competition, keeping the audience invested in event content. Q&A sessions allow real-time interactions, making participants feel included and part of the conversation. Breakout rooms can be used to provide networking opportunities, allowing participants to connect with each other and build relationships.

These interactive elements enhance engagement, create unforgettable experiences, and provide valuable audience insights and data.

Make the Next Event Even More Memorable

Capturing event participant data can help organizations make their next meeting or event even more memorable.

Digital event technology platforms with integrated analytical data and reporting features are great tools to help event organizers measure event success and identify areas for improvement. Organizers can use these features to analyze audience preferences, behaviors, and engagement patterns. Data like this provides a snapshot of the entire event lifecycle, revealing what worked well, what should be tweaked, and what should be repeated, allowing event organizers to optimize future events to drive better interest and engagement and, by extension, make them more memorable.

Attention is a scarce commodity in today’s information overload, digital-first environment. Meeting and event organizers who want to capture that hard-to-come-by attention must level up their events, transforming them from effective to unforgettable. That means making meetings and events more relevant, visual, and interactive, while focusing on capturing event data to help make the next event even more unforgettable.

–

Catie Henderson is the Director of Product Management at GlobalMeet, a leading virtual event technology company with a scalable, flexible, and secure hybrid event streaming platform built and supported by experienced event experts. Catie has a decade of experience building, innovating, and establishing product development life cycles and solutions for organizations across industries including, education technology, finance, health, SaaS, and event technology. Driven by her passion for creating products people love in an environment where people succeed, Catie is determined to elevate GlobalMeet’s contemporary product development processes through a customer-centric approach.

AI threatens to disrupt the traditional model of the event industry—but it’s also making face-to-face interactions more valuable than ever

These days, it’s hard to go five minutes or five feet without hearing someone marveling about the newfound possibilities of AI and technology. Whether it’s Open AI’s latest mind-blowing rollout of Sora, the boundless opportunities around Apple’s Vision Pro, Nvidia leading the stock market rally, or the race in robotics, keeping up with notable advancements in tech feels like a full-time job.

The truth is, just about every industry is going to be transformed by new technologies and AI—and the events industry is certainly no exception. But as the CEO of an event and experiential marketing agency, I’m also observing something unexpected: The technology is actually magnifying exactly why face-to-face events are ever-more critical.

The Event Industry is Primed for a Major Disruption

Given how labor-intensive the events industry is, you can make a strong case that AI is going to revolutionize how many of us do our jobs. Through a business lens, AI is bringing about enormous progress in terms of growth, productivity and efficiency—but on the flip side, job redundancies and layoffs are a reality. According to a Bloomberg report last month, in fact, “U.S. firms have announced 4,600 job cuts since May related to artificial intelligence.”

In the events world, think about how we imagine and perceive experiences, how we communicate with attendees and stakeholders, how we create and manage workflows, and so on. It’s all going to change—and as such, so will the process for how events are designed and managed.

Face-to-face Connections are More Important Than Ever

But while AI and tech are certainly infusing volatility and uncertainty into how events are produced, these advancements are actually having the opposite effect on why we need live events more than ever.

According to the American Time Use Survey, American adults are spending 30% less time doing face-to-face socializing than we did just 20 years ago. This is a trend that may have originated two decades ago, but it was exacerbated by Covid and will only be compounded by artificial intelligence, automation and technology.

For a population that’s trending more and more towards isolation and loneliness, the importance of face-to-face connection becomes even more paramount. Sure, there will always be those lobbying to “meet people where they’re at” (i.e., on their screens), and that’s important too. But digital experience marketing has already begun to transition from the exception to the norm.

From engaging employees, to marketing products or services, to fundraising, to simply convening stakeholders, the power and significance of physical connection will only be amplified as it becomes less and less commonplace.

It’s Our Job to Embrace Technology While Valuing Humanity

Because of all of this, the bar may be raised to create experiences that are compelling enough to motivate people to leave their individual metaverses, but the rewards—for brands, employers and organizations—will be equally as lucrative.

And therein lies the unique intersection of events and AI: An industry that is on the verge of being massively disrupted due to technological progress is also going to have its importance in the world magnified due to those same advancements.

The landscape of creating and planning events will undoubtedly look vastly different in the not-too-distant future—but that will simply make the motivation behind bringing people together even more essential. So bring on the technology and the disruption, and remember that nothing will ever replace the true value of face-to-face experiences.

—

As CEO and founder of Sequence, Adam leads Team SEQ to deliver big agency results with boutique-style customer service. Since its launch in 2011, Sequence has quickly risen to the forefront of its field, collaborating with global brands to communicate their messages through the power of live events.

The company has been recognized with a multitude of awards, and has produced events in over 50 cities, across ten countries, on four continents. A leader among his peers, Adam has been recognized as a ‘2022 Industry Innovator’ by BizBash, and has guest lectured on events for Cornell University and the Event Leadership Institute.

It’s always something, as Gilda Radner playing Roseanne Roseannadanna used to moan on “Saturday Night Live.” Meeting professionals can relate. In recent weeks, that “something” is labor strikes in two industries heavily relied on for successful events—hotels and aircraft.

The Situation, in Brief

This week, thousands more hotel workers in the U.S. have gone on strike as talks between the Unite Here labor union and major hotel companies over pandemic-era cuts and pay remain stalled. As many as 40,000 hotel workers could walk off the job by year’s end, affecting up to 22 North American cities.

The strike by some 33,000 Boeing machinists that began in mid-September continues after an initial offer by the company was resoundingly rejected by union members. The strike halted production near Seattle of the 737 Max, Boeing’s best seller, along with the 777 jetliner and a cargo jet.

Hotel Strikes: What to Know

hotel strikes 9/26/2024 feature image — Credit: Unite Here

The latest strikers, including servers, bellhops, housekeepers and cooks, left their jobs last weekend in San Francisco at properties branded by Hilton, Marriott and Hyatt. (Strategically, the union waited until the conclusion of Dreamforce, which brought some 45,000 Salesforce customers and others to the city.) Other hotel workers are currently on strike in Honolulu—2,000 at Hilton Hawaiian Village alone, the biggest hotel in the Aloha State—and San Diego. Over Labor Day weekend, about 10,000 hotel workers picketed for three days in a total of 8 U.S. cities.

More strikes could begin with little advance notice across the nation if negotiations remain deadlocked.

“We’re on strike because the hotel industry has gotten off track,” Gwen Mills, international president of Unite Here, said in a statement. “During Covid, everyone suffered, but now the hotel industry is making record profits while workers and guests are left behind. Too many hotels still haven’t restored standard services that guests deserve. Workers aren’t making enough to support their families. Many can no longer afford to live in the cities that they welcome guests to.”

So far, no hotel has ceased operations because of being struck, and a statement from The Westin St. Francis in San Francisco, a Marriott property, is typical: “We have well-established protocols in place to operate our properties and take care of guests in the event of any impact to staffing.” Nonetheless, if previous strikes serve as examples, full services are likely not available, and planners would be well advised to check with their intended hotel beforehand.

Many associations and other organizations have established protocols against crossing union picket lines at meetings and conventions, and Unite Here has asked that tourists and groups support its cause by not staying at hotels on strike. The union also created a website, FairHotel.org, where planners can search for individual properties and check their labor status. For future events, the site also offers “model protective language [to] stay in control of your options by including these key clauses in your event contract.”

The labor action underscores the importance for planners of doing due diligence on issues such as potential labor actions when negotiating contracts with suppliers, Jonathan T. Howe, president and senior founding partner of Howe & Hutton, a Chicago law firm that specializes in the event industry, has noted during past hotel strikes.

“It’s difficult to have a plan B without knowing what will happen to plan A,” Howe said, “but good planners keep themselves up to speed.”

Boeing Strike: What to Know

The strike by machinists won’t impact air travel unless it lasts a very long time, according to airline industry experts. Deliveries for new planes are typically spaced out over several years, so the strike won’t cause a plane shortage. In the worst case, carriers might keep flying older planes longer rather than switching to new models.

Experts say the biggest impact will be on Boeing itself, which has a tarnished reputation of late and is already struggling financially. Boeing’s cashflow can be significantly affected because most of the sales price of a new jet is paid after delivery. An eight-week strike in 2008 cost the company about $100 million daily in deferred revenue.

“Boeing needs to keep making these [planes] because Boeing has been hemorrhaging money because of their safety problems,” Art Wheaton, director of labor studies at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, told the Associated Press. “And safety problems are quite often caused by understaffing.”

Earlier this year, a panel blew out of a Boeing-made jet during an Alaska Airlines flight, and NASA decided not to send two astronauts home from a space station on a problem-plagued Boeing spacecraft.

Observers say the strike could also cause the company, which has lost more than $25 billion in the last six years, to fall farther behind Europe’s Airbus in orders and deliveries of new jetliners.

Meet Boricua brought culture and heart into El Conquistador Resort ballroom

Smart Meetings Leadership Experience at El Conquistador Resort in Puerto Rico set the stage for top meeting professionals to make new connections to improve their effectiveness—and add some spice to their programs.

Over three days, attendees danced, tasted and laughed their way through one of the top resorts in the world.

Live Boricua Spelled out in drones

The Sound of Winning

The festivities kicked off with an empathetic primer from Keynote Rich Bracken. He resurfaced his DJ skills to tap into the audience’s emotional intelligence to help them build skills to relieve the stress of Meeting Prof life. “Emotional intelligence is the most important skill today. More than half of your job performance is influenced by your ability to create a positive company culture,” said Bracken. “Events require creativity and engagement. Emotional intelligence is the fuel that makes that possible.”

His tip for managing your mood so you can manage tough situations? Start with self-awareness. Once you understand how you are feeling, you can move to self-management. Once naming your initial trigger reaction, you can rationally decide if it is a good idea to fire off that email or march over to someone’s office. “Take a deep breath and take control of your reactions,” Bracken advised.

When at an event, he stressed the importance of practicing social awareness: giving people the respect of your full attention. That often requires getting away from our devices. “Just holding our phones makes us feel disengaged and limits our ability to practice active listening,” he observed.

Another way emotional intelligence helps meeting professionals be more effective is in amping up the skill of setting boundaries. Once you have checked in with yourself about your true priorities, then you can practice real time management. “If you say yes to everything, you will drop some things. ‘No’ is a complete sentence,” he reminded the group.

That includes setting aside time for yourself. Create a routine to make tackling tasks easier. And—this is a big one—introduce adult “passing periods.” Schedule five minutes after every 25-minute call to collect your thoughts. Add in 15 minutes after every 45-minute meeting. Doing so will help you to overcome the frazzled state of mind that you might experience after a day of back-to-back Zoom calls, trying to remember your action items from each one.

Finally, leverage the power of music to tap into glimmers of happy memories or empowering vibes. Think about what your walk-on music would be to add some confidence to your day. “You are the DJ of your life,” Bracken concluded.

Planners and suppliers making a match

Live Like a Local

Discover Puerto Rico has a saying to encapsulate the warm, resilient, joyful spirit of those who live on the island. It is called “live Boricua,” and it refers to experiencing the place like a local. Crystal Diaz, the pioneering owner of El Pretexto, a culinary farm lodge in scenic Cayey, Puerto Rico, embodied this spirit in her presentation encouraging everyone to embrace the beauty of where they live. As co-founder of PRoduce (a local marketplace grocery delivery app connecting food producers and consumers), she advocates for sourcing locally and lifting up small farmers and artisans while putting her ideals to work, employing 400 on her biodiverse farming operation.

After overcoming numerous obstacles, Diaz has become a spokesperson the world over for living a natural, balanced life. She believes that food is a natural way to connect people, but only one of many. When leaders embrace their passion, they can perform at the highest levels, but it takes smarts, caring and determination. “You have to use what is in your head, your heart and your pants—or skirt,” she said with a grin.

Meeting and event planners have a unique opportunity to create immersive experiences that go beyond just logistics and schedules. By infusing the local culture of a destination into their events, planners can elevate gatherings, leaving attendees with a deeper appreciation and understanding for the place they’re visiting.

In San Antonio, we host the annual Fiesta celebration each year as a testament to the city’s heritage. While Fiesta takes place in April, the city encourages visitors to embrace the spirit of “Fiesta” and its vibrant history and culture year-round.

I’ve included below several tips that planners can consider to help fully showcase and celebrate the local culture of their meeting destination.

Learn from Locals

The most important thing to consider when incorporating the local culture of a destination into a meeting or event, is to learn from locals. Each destination has its own personality and nuances, therefore seeking guidance from local experts ensures authenticity and respect. I recommend that planners start by talking to their venue and other vendors about what they feel is the best way to highlight the destination. Their experience and expert knowledge of the location will be vital in planning a seamless, mindful, and unforgettable cultural immersion experience for attendees.

Culture-Infused Cuisine

From décor to entertainment and cuisine, cultural elements of a destinations can be seamlessly integrated into various functions, providing attendees with an authentic taste of the location’s unique charm and energy. For example, at my home base of Hyatt Regency Hill Country in San Antonio, we offer several themed menus that showcase the city’s heritage including everything from authentic Mexican delicacies such as chilaquiles verdes and esquites to a traditional biergarten set-up that showcases the strong influence of mid-1800s German settlers in the region.

In fact, the McGriff Young Performers Conference hosted an event that took place across various venues throughout the resort, each spot hosting different receptions all of which celebrated different elements of San Antonio culture. Attendees rotated through Texas barbecue, Fiesta-themed entertainment, and German-inspired festivities to showcase what makes the destination so unique.

Find Ways to Support the Destination

When hosting an event where many attendees are from out of town, I highly recommend finding ways to incorporate locally-grown businesses and vendors. Planners can consider hiring local artisans to a sell their unique products at the function, or integrate their goods into a welcome gift.

For example, here in San Antonio, Fiesta medals are a big part of our culture. Local businesses specialize in creating these unique medals that local organizations and residents can then purchase and share among one another. At my home base of Hyatt Regency Hill Country, we have worked with many meeting planners to help them create their very own Fiesta-themed medals that attendees can take home as a fun memento to remember their time in the Alamo City.

Understand the History

It is also important to consider the history of a location and what makes it so unique. For example, San Antonio is steeped centuries of unique history, from the city’s vibrant Mexican influence to the Native American history and Texas Revolution.

Finding a way to weave the historical details into a meeting can provide a fun, interactive, and educational activity for attendees. I’ve seen groups host everything from a keynote welcome with a representative from a local historical society to actual reenactments by local actors.

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With a true passion for hospitality, Tony Moraga oversees events at Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa where there’s over 100,000 square feet of space and an array of unique indoor and outdoor venues to choose from.

City center hotels reveal exciting updates and new openings

Who doesn’t want a meeting in the heart of the city? Whether you’re meeting in Nashville, Long Beach or Salt Lake City, these three new and renovated hotels stand in each city’s bustling epicenter. Alongside refreshing updates and brand new features, visitors enjoy easy access to sought-after exploration and meetings with each city’s unique flavor.

For Musical Team-Building

Sheraton Grand Nashville Downtown for New and Renovated — Sheraton Grand Nashville Downtown

In the heart of Music City, Sheraton Grand Nashville Downtown wraps up a comprehensive property renovation. Standing in one of the cities tallest buildings, the property offers 28 floors that drive home Sheraton Hotels’ global mission to serve as a community hub and collaborative gathering space.

Within those 28 floors are 494 guest rooms and suites, redesigned to optimize comfort and work/life balance, with ample natural light, destination-centric artwork and spacious stone-top desks with built-in power and upgraded lighting.

The 29,000 sq. ft. of meeting space features new wall coverings, lighting and carpet. All 13 spaces offer customizable configurations and high-quality AV capabilities. The property has also expanded its meeting space with The Studios, three flexible spaces on the hotel’s second level which can be booked on-demand, and soundproof booths situated throughout the lobby.

With a location in the city center, the hotel lobby aims to serve as a “public square” for visitors, with an inviting space and a stately wooden staircase as its centerpiece. Behind the staircase, visitors will find the Community Table, a signature Sheraton element, which features outlets and built-in lighting, inviting guests to work, collaborate or visit with one another. The lobby’s &More by Sheraton is a fusion of a bar, coffee bar and marketplace. One of the most delightful additions is the two new state-of-the-art karaoke studios named for Nashville icons Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton. Groups can gather for this exciting team-building experience among retro-inspired color palettes, textured fabrics and plush seating and tables.

Read More: Notes from the Road: Nashville

For Oceanside Activations

Marriott Long Beach Downtown Pike Ballroom — Pike Ballroom, Marriott Long Beach Downtown

Marriott Long Beach Downtown opens its doors in the heart of Long Beach’s vibrant convention and entertainment hub. With a location on the city’s iconic promenade, guests have easy access to walkable dining and shopping outlets and the beach, plus tourist attractions such as the Aquarium of the Pacific and the Queen Mary.

The 12-story hotel contains 376 contemporary guest rooms and suites, a rooftop pool and deck, a central Greatroom lobby with a lobby market, an all-day restaurant, a state-of-the-art fitness center and ample meeting space.

The hotel design captures the beach-oriented culture with soothing nautical and natural influences and fuses it with an upscale temporary aesthetic with Art Deco elements. Guest rooms feature platform beds, rich fabrics and metallic accents in a spacious, bright and airy color palette.

Onsite restaurant Local Current features breakfast, lunch and dinner menus using fresh, natural, locally sourced ingredients and is committed to sustainability and community partnership in its sourcing.

The over 21,000 sq. ft. of meeting space is made up of 14 flexible event rooms and 18 breakout rooms. Attendees at events on the property gather among a color palette of muted whites, grays and bright blues featuring bold geometric patterns, bright white wood millwork, oversized crystal light fixtures and plush, abstract-patterned carpeting. All spaces also feature high-tech amenities with wireless connectivity, video conferencing, docking stations and smart whiteboards. The property makes it easy to run meetings with an onsite audiovisual technician and a variety of custom catering menus.

For Mountain Sunset Celebrations

Guest room at Radisson Salt Lake City Downtown — Guest room, Radisson Salt Lake City Downtown

Radisson Salt Lake City Downtown celebrates the completion of the first phase of a multi-million dollar renovation. Visitors will see extensive upgrades to the lobby, guest rooms, dining outlets and meeting space, as well as a new executive club lounge and a ski closet, and later in the year, the opening of coffee outlet 215 West.

The hotel stands less than a block from the Delta Center and only moments from the Salt Palace Convention Center. Its walkable location in Salt Lake City’s growing downtown gives guests easy access to the nearby mountains, entertainment venues and local attractions.

The renovation design blends a clean Scandinavian look with Salt Lake City’s natural landscapes, with organic shapes, copper accents and warm wood tones. All 381 guest rooms mirror the hues of a mountain sunset and include in-room refreshment centers with a mini fridge, coffee maker and microwave, plus executive-sized desks. Onsite restaurant Copper Canyon Grill House & Tavern has expanded its space with a seasonal patio and can serve as a pre- and post-event venue.

All 15,000 sq. ft. of meeting and even spaces are enhanced with modernized AV technology, including new controls, ceiling mounted projectors and six 70-inch monitors available for flexible use. In addition, the ballroom features dropdown screens.

The property looks forward to the second phase of its renovation, which will update the pool and hot tub areas and see the grand opening of 215 West in early 2025.