In July, Skift Meetings reported that post-pandemic event attendance stalled at 65 percent, a stat that made waves in the industry. According to just-released data, we were correct and Freeman points out much else about attendees has changed. -Andrea Doyle | Continue reading
Joe’s first foray in the events industry was via a role within Marriott, specifically its e-commerce department, over 20 years ago. During his time with the company, he joined a task force called “The Future of Meetings,” as the business was beginning to increase its focus and at … | Continue reading
A comprehensive menu of sustainable initiatives at event venues continues to grow and although they are mostly positive, many are also confusing. The nuanced differences must be kept in mind. -Allan Lynch | Continue reading
When Salman Rushdie was stabbed on stage in full view of the audience at a speaking engagement at the Chautauqua Institution, it was the latest in a series of high-profile attacks during public events. What can event planners do to ensure this doesn't happen at their gatherings? … | Continue reading
It’s a hot market right now for job seekers in the event industry, with most of the opportunities coming from third parties. Companies that laid off people during the pandemic are wary of staffing up too quickly and are turning to agencies instead. Facing a scarce candidate pool, … | Continue reading
Rehiring and reskilling conference center staff is a priority of the industry and must be complete before group business returns to where it was pre-pandemic. -Vincent Alonzo | Continue reading
We start at the very beginning, back when Jennifer was a pre-med student at George Washington University. She ran an organization that helped orient students on their pre-med journey with events, including panel sessions, meetings, and even scrubbing in for surgeries. Someone was … | Continue reading
Event planners have been struggling with rising costs, and there is no sign of this improving until 2024, according to the latest Global Business Travel Forecast. -Andrea Doyle | Continue reading
The monkeypox virus is far less transmissible than Covid but is still something that should be on the radar of meeting and event planners. | Continue reading
Speakers are tired of being treated like babies and they do not want to have to promote their own sessions as that is the event planner’s job. They want respectful, timely communication and have only a few expectations that many planners seem to ignore. -Paul Cook | Continue reading
With a surge of pent-up demand and the need for hotels and other venues to bring in revenue, hidden fees are finding their way onto many meeting ledgers and planners are furious. -Lisa Skriloff | Continue reading
We start at the very beginning, back when Rob was 16 and starting his first job as doing silver service for weddings at his local hotel, which is the moment his love of events began. He enjoyed helping others enjoy their experiences, which led him to remain in the hotel industry … | Continue reading
How will President Joe Biden's executive order to ensure access to abortion impact groups that have vowed not to meet in states where it is illegal? -Andrea Doyle | Continue reading
New research shows that meeting planning is impacted by inflation and rising costs in ways few anticipated. As a result, obstacles abound, from unfilled job openings to supply chain issues yet to be resolved. -Andrea Doyle | Continue reading
How are planners and other meeting professionals preparing for a potential recession? They are tightening contracts, establishing advance payments, exploring new skills, and keeping up with their networks. -Paul Cook | Continue reading
Two newly released research reports from UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, and RX (Reed Exhibitions) predict a steady recovery of the trade show sector. The results highlight the quickening pace of the industry’s recovery this year after the continuing impac … | Continue reading
As trade shows begin to return to pre-Covid schedules, a trend that was already emerging is coming in strong: business-to-business (B2B) shows being combined with business-to-consumer (B2C) shows. What’s behind this trend? Saving money. Generating more revenue. And the blending o … | Continue reading
Lawrence Coburn, CEO and co-founder of twine joins the podcast to discuss how technology can help us connect and the next evolution of virtual events. -Skift Meetings Studio Team | Continue reading
During the lockdown, necessity became the mother of invention. Virtual replaced in-person events and in some cases, it is here to stay. -Allan Lynch | Continue reading
Pricing transparency is an issue of contention in the events industry, and a New York ticket fee law will require that all additional charges be disclosed upfront. -Allan Lynch | Continue reading
The rise in gun violence in the U.S. and its impact on public safety was recently addressed by destination organization leaders during a global conference. -Andrea Doyle | Continue reading
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