The birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement, the riverfront capital of Montgomery is a city long known for its history, southern hospitality, culture and above all- its faith. Home to the bus stop where Rosa Parks boarded her famous ride in 1955, the building where the Confederacy sent the telegram to attack Fort Sumter, starting the Civil War, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, there’s much for visitors to learn about human rights, bravery, courage and faith in Montgomery. In addition to seeing the faces of brave men and women who fought peacefully for freedom at the R ..read more

Attendees of exceptional conferences leave with their heads spinning with thought-provoking questions. “That’s it?” is not one of them. There’s nothing worse than an anticlimactic ending to an otherwise incredible event. Keep attendees ruminating on their experiences long after the event ends by using one of these five creative ways to conclude an event. 1. Time of Reflection The human brain needs time to reflect on large amounts of newly acquired information. Dim the lights; cue the mellow music; and project reflective questions on the screen. Beautiful leather journals embossed with the conf ..read more

Public speaking is a necessary evil for many professionals. But, does it have to be evil? Author and motivational speaker Ken Davis thinks not, and wants to help others grow their confidence and communication skills. Davis developed SCORRE, a system for organizing speeches, and has been sharing his method with others for 30 years. Lauren Brady, director of experiences for SCORRE speaker training, shares about the concept and speaker training events. What is SCORRE? Basically, SCORRE is a preparation method—it’s not focused on content, but on how to prepare. It stands for: subject, central them ..read more

Grand Rapids, Michigan, is one of America’s most surprising destinations. It’s a small city with big-city attractions including art institutions, a scrumptious food scene, wholesome “playcation” fun and friendly locals eager to share their hometown highlights with Connect Faith 2019 attendees. Located along the Grand River—midway between Chicago and Cleveland—Grand Rapids has an array of outdoor recreation, culture and family fun. And this year, the city is celebrating its golden anniversary with eccentric art installations and Calder Plaza’s new pavilion stage and cafe. The free, bright pink ..read more

They say teamwork makes the dream work. Destinations and hotels alike dedicate effort to creating that dream. These experiences at places like Barnsley Resort in North Georgia and Florida’s Historic Coast—St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra and The Beaches will inspire group camaraderie. Make Waves Get up close and personal with the wildlife at Marineland Dolphin Adventure in St. Augustine, where groups can get a behind-the-scenes look at one of the first underwater filming studios. This is where “The Creature from the Black Lagoon” was filmed. Groups can become part of the show while meeting dolphins ..read more

South Dakota’s largest city offers everything you would expect from a metropolitan host city, but with hidden surprises and added conveniences. 1. The Falls When many people think of the Midwest, they think of nothing but flat land as far as the eye can see. While that may be true in some areas, the Midwest also offers a great amount of unexpected natural beauty. For instance, many people are surprised to find Falls Park, which features a triple-cascading waterfall, located in Downtown Sioux Falls. This wonder of a park was carved out by the rushing water of the Big Sioux River, and has since ..read more

Debra Owens knows a thing or two about event production. Most of it she learned on the fly. Owens, who the St. Louis American Foundation named one of the 2018 Entrepreneurs of the Year, began her career in events in 1995 as an assistant at America’s Center Convention Complex. Fast-forward 24 years and she now runs her own company, Premiere Production Choice, which produces weeklong events for more than 30,000 people. Her journey in the industry included several different roles at America’s Center, then more than a decade working at a couple of large audiovisual services companies and at St. Ch ..read more

With dozens of beautiful ships mirroring the best hotels in the world, readily accessing bucket list destinations in favorable cost structures and enhancing opportunities for strong relationship-building, more groups are turning to cruises to create memorable events. A Ship for Everybody “We’ve come a long way in the cruise industry from small vessels with tiny portholes,” says Joyce Landry, co-founder and CEO of Landry & Kling Inc., a travel company specializing in incentive cruises and corporate events at sea. “Today’s ships are every bit as stunning as some of the best hotels out there ..read more

Register for Webinar Research has shown that traditional marketing tactics aren’t working, so people aren’t listening to you. What they ARE listening to is what the leaders of their tribe, the Influencers, have to say. Event Influencer Marketing is the best-kept secret weapon, a low hanging fruit that fits neatly in your existing event marketing campaign. Learn the difference between macro and nano influencers and how to identify if they are the right fit for your event. Gain knowledge from the insights of several case studies and see how your event can take advantage of low-risk, high-reward ..read more

Register for Webinar As an #EventProf your mind is running in a million directions when planning events. You need to think about the visual design, create engaging content, and of course, the overall experience of your event. But have you thought about connectivity design for events? On average attendees have at least two devices on them at events. If they can’t connect or have a bad connection, it could automatically ruin their experience, therefore tanking your event. But you don’t have to let this happen to you! In this session, we will teach you how to make sure you have the best connectiv ..read more