Conferences and events are finding themselves digging deeper to excite and engage younger attendees. A scarcity of the new generation of participants leads to diverse attempts at attracting this demographic. -Andrea Doyle | Continue reading
In this episode of the Event Manager Podcast we’re joined by Eric Holmen, CEO of Splash. We discuss the true value of smaller events, in particular event marketing and the importance of small scale meetings for business. -Skift Meetings Studio Team | Continue reading
When union labor is a necessary part of your event, there is added complexity and cost. But there are basic ways to manage. In some cases, union labor can actually enhance the attendee experience. -Julie Moline | Continue reading
The rate of recovery for meetings and events has sped up fueled by smaller meetings and events of 200 attendees or less. -Andrea Doyle | Continue reading
Event planning has always been stressful, but add the challenges of a pandemic, and a mental health crisis has erupted. Where can you turn for help? -Andrea Doyle | Continue reading
Pirates can be lurking around the edges of your events poaching time and, in the worst-case scenario, business, from your attendees. There are ways to prevent these dubious characters from stealing your business. -Andrea Doyle | Continue reading
BA.5. is spreading rapidly and it is important to have your mitigation tactics at the ready to keep your attendees safe. | Continue reading
The virtual event tech bubble has burst. A perfect storm is hitting event tech, and virtual event platforms are taking the brunt of it. Not all event tech companies are struggling, but the virtual event-driven highs experienced during the peak of the Covid pandemic are now a dis … | Continue reading
Thorben Grosser, Vice President of Product Marketing at EventMobi, joins this episode to discuss event tech, event design and how to run a successful event tech business in Europe. -Skift Meetings Studio Team | Continue reading
Delays and canceled flights are wreaking havoc on travel this summer. What should event planners do to ensure keynote speakers, VIPs, and others make it to their events on time. -Paul Cook | Continue reading
Online groups and chat rooms for event planners are proliferating, resulting in much curiosity. Planners wonder if it’s better to post or chat? Are they worth paying to join, and if so, which ones? -Vincent Alonzo | Continue reading
The economic downturn is decimating the event tech sector hard, particularly virtual event tech platforms. This won't be the last round of layoffs as investors lose confidence in the sector. -Miguel Neves | Continue reading
Mergers and acquisitions are changing the landscape of the events industry. What does that mean to you? -Andrea Doyle | Continue reading
In this episode of The Event Manager Podcast we are joined by Rachael Riggs, Wellbeing Leader at Maritz Global Events, to discuss the evolution of wellbeing in events, in particular the unique sustainability role at Maritz Global Events. As with many of our guests, the events ind … | Continue reading
There are more certificates for event planners than ever before. The question is, are they a real measure of competence? And is the more rigorous certification process worth the time, effort, and money? -Julie Moline | Continue reading
The floodgates have opened, and travel is back, but where have all the event attendees gone? A number of factors have grounded them and kept attendance well below pre-pandemic levels. -Andrea Doyle | Continue reading
As employees return to the workplace after almost two years of the Covid lockdown, many are coming back with a desire to make a difference, not just where they work but in the world around them. Corporate Social Responsibility programs (CSR) are one way to meet that need. With tu … | Continue reading
Event tech platform Bizzabo announced on Tuesday it will be cutting almost 30 percent of staff in what it calls an organizational shift in order to improve its profitability. “Many companies, like Bizzabo, are adjusting their strategies to prioritize financial efficiency as we f … | Continue reading
Hurricanes, tornados, wildfires, floods, and other weather events are realities event professionals must plan for. A detailed disaster preparedness plan is key. -Vincent Alonzo | Continue reading
In this episode of the Event Manager Podcast by Skift Meetings, we are joined by Amy Calvert, CEO of the Events Industry Council (EIC) to discuss advocating for the event industry in the wider business community. Like many event professionals, Calvert didn’t set out to join this … | Continue reading
More than 35,000 attendees from 130 countries involved in the global tech ecosystem gathered in Toronto at the Enercare Centre for Collision, a Web Summit event. This year’s ticket count is a significant jump from the 25,711 who attended the last in-person Collision, also in Toro … | Continue reading
It’s tough to work in event tech right now, especially compared to the all-time highs of 2020 and 2021. At the peak of virtual events some experts predicted a shift towards and permanently overtaking in-person events. At the same time, venues, destinations and in-person event ser … | Continue reading
With many parts of the world experiencing the worst inflation we’ve seen in decades, events are getting more expensive to host. This makes it all that much more crucial to get the most ROI possible out of each event, and there is one key factor that can help planners hit the mark … | Continue reading
The recent Supreme Court decision that eliminates the constitutional right to abortion has deep and widespread implications that has only started to shake the U.S., including the events industry. Many planners are vowing not to have events in states with anti-abortion policies. T … | Continue reading
If you thought event contracts were tricky before the pandemic, buckle up for even more complications. Force majeure Flexibility In 2020, executing the force majeure clause in a contract was fairly straightforward. The government had declared a lockdown due to the Covid pandemic, … | Continue reading
This episode of The Event Manager Podcast by Skift Meetings sees us joined by Panashe Mahakwa, a student at Vistula University in Warsaw and recipient of the 2022 MPI Foundation Student Scholarship Award. We’ll be looking at the event industry through the eyes of a student during … | Continue reading
The UN-backed Race to Zero is a campaign focused on supporting member organizations to reduce carbon emissions in line with the Paris Agreement. Members commit to meeting criteria that make their carbon reduction efforts credible and aligned with the global goal of halving emissi … | Continue reading
With many meeting planners and event organizers doubling up their bookings to compensate for postponed events from 2021 (and even 2020), it’s getting harder and harder to find hotel rooms and meeting spaces for groups both large and small. Never has there been greater need for an … | Continue reading
Once popular for meetings, company retreats, and incentives; the pandemic brought the river cruise industry to a screeching halt. Now that most Covid testing requirements for international travel have been lifted, cruise experts predict the floodgates will soon open. Transcend Cr … | Continue reading
For many meeting planners, staff shortages and supply chain issues are testing their ingenuity to the max these days. While destinations and venues are open, a lack of trained and experienced staff is adding unwanted challenges in hosting all types of events. For Courtney McGee, … | Continue reading
The world sputtered shut during the pandemic, but for those with the ability to work remote – it was all systems go. That was the case for Skift. As a matter of fact, the team was so productive that it closed its midtown Manhattan office. There have been occasional gatherings i … | Continue reading
This episode of the Event Manager Podcast, by Skift Meetings, features Rick Taylor, CEO of the Business Tourism Company. Titled Africa Rising, we delve into the rise of the destinations within the continent for business events. Rick began his career within advertising, a career w … | Continue reading
No event planner would dream of running their event directly inside a war zone, but the question becomes more real the closer your destination is to areas of conflict. Neighbouring countries such as Poland have no say in the matter. They are already caught up in this challenging … | Continue reading
When bourbon maker Old Forester started offering alcohol-free mint juleps at the Kentucky Derby, it became clear that non-alcoholic beverages had become a thing. And to many event planners, the companies they work for, as well as attendees, that is a good thing. There are plenty … | Continue reading
AI-powered interpretation platform Wordly released a new report on corporate usage of multilingual interpretation for events. Over 200 U.S and UK-based corporate planners responded to the survey, all working for companies with over 500 staff in either marketing or sales roles. Ac … | Continue reading
The circular economy has been called the new paradigm in sustainability. According to Alexandre Lemille, managing director of Anthesis Group, a sustainability services company, the term circular refers to products that do not produce future waste or pollution either directly or i … | Continue reading
This episode of the Event Manager Podcast, by Skift Meetings, titled Winning on Support, features Jon Kazarian and focuses on the topic of taking the stress out of working with event technology. Kazarian is the Founder and CEO of Accelevents, a leading virtual & hybrid events pla … | Continue reading
All one has to do is stroll the aisles of MJBizCon, a top U.S. cannabis trade show, to understand the depth of the business opportunity the cannabis industry provides. More than 1,200 exhibiting companies and 27,000 attendees gathered at the Las Vegas Convention Center in October … | Continue reading
Event technology company Meeting Play + Aventri announced today the acquisition of event registration company Eventcore. The announcement follows the $75 million private equity investment from Sunstone Partners in MeetingPlay in June 2021, and the merger of MeetingPlay and Aventr … | Continue reading
Photo credit: China National Convention Center, Phase 2 (CNCC-II) Lunch Hall Event industry trade shows such as IMEX in Frankfurt present a unique opportunity to showcase new venue openings. Politicians and policymakers are keen to discuss their visions for attracting delegates t … | Continue reading
Affordable event destinations like Baltimore are investing in redevelopment so planners can deliver unforgettable experiences with low costs. | Continue reading
Some Las Vegas wedding chapels have received cease-and-desist letters instructing them to make sure Elvis has left the building. Authentic Brands Group (ABG), the company that controls the rights to Elvis Presley’s name and image, is demanding that chapels stop using Presley’s na … | Continue reading
What do you do if your speaker goes off the rails? Let’s say the speaker goes off script and says things that don’t align with your company? What questions do you ask of the speaker to prevent this from happening? The speaker was very famous. Not Hollywood famous, but well-known … | Continue reading
This special podcast episode was recorded on site at IMEX in Frankfurt 2022. It features testimonials from a diverse group of 21 event industry professionals who share their core reasons for being at the 18th edition of the trade show, the first since the start of the Covid pande … | Continue reading
IMEX in Frankfurt is back after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid pandemic. Organizers reported 9,000 attendees, including close to 3,000 buyers, and 2,300 exhibiting companies taking part, making it the largest event industry trade show to take place since the start of the Covi … | Continue reading
While the pandemic wreaked havoc on the event industry, companies that provide childcare at meetings are among those who suffered the most from the lack of live events. Those still in business say that demand is booming again, but staffing shortages and soaring costs on everythin … | Continue reading
Event planners who are feeling overwhelmed with their current workloads might look at event tech as an added challenge they simply don’t have time for right now. It’s an understandable outlook given all the emphasis lately on live streaming tools — and even futuristic visions of … | Continue reading
As the business events community gathers in Germany for the 20th anniversary of IMEX Frankfurt, not only is there a focus on reconnecting after being away for two years but on sustainability as well. IMEX asked all in attendance to take its People and Planet Pledge, consisting of … | Continue reading