To the meetings and events industry, world-class resorts and spas are kind of a paradox. In fact, mention the words “resort and spa” to anyone and, automatically, their minds will conjure up sunny afternoons by a sparkling pool or golden beach, morning pedis and manis while sipping freshly squeezed juice from some exotic fruit not known to mere mortals, a delightful rub-down with nutrient-rich clays from exotic lands to freshen the skin and return it to its once youthful appearance, some downward-dog yoga stretches followed by some rather lofty Zen meditations of course, and anything else tha ..read more

ASM Global has gone Golden. That is, the hottest deal to come out of the desert in recent times (in this case, Laughlin, Nevada) is the recent announcement of ASM Global’s new partnership with Golden Entertainment.  To backstep a bit, ASM Global is said to be the world’s greatest producer of entertainment experiences, and an absolute global leader in venue and event strategy and management — delivering locally tailored solutions and cutting-edge technologies to achieve maximum results for venue owners. It has an elite venue network that stretches across five continents, with a por ..read more

When scanning incoming business emails last Saturday morning, I stumbled upon the 2024 State of the Meetings Industry Report, now in its fourth year. Published by Knowland, an events industry sales intelligence provider, and in partnership with Conference Direct, a global meetings solution company, the purpose of the survey is to “provide hotel and venue operators insight into the challenges, expectations, and preferences of meeting planners as they work to grow their group business in 2024.” The gathered data was based on the collected responses of 326 meeting and event planners, 63 percent ..read more

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3 Things You Should Never Lie About on Your Résumé Says Recruiter Decades ago, there was a very well-known and well-respected meteorologist who fibbed on his resume by placing “Dr.” before his name, falsely indicating that he had the much-coveted Ph.D. in the science of gathering storms. I’ll call him Dr. Joseph Smith. Apparently, no one in Human Resources ever confirmed the authenticity of the degree. He got away with it – for a while – until he was found out, probably by someone who was overlooked as a job applicant because he/she didn’t have that Ph. D. perhaps. Once discovered, th ..read more

Meeting and event planners often ask me “What’s the next best place to meet?” While I often respond with the names of several unfamiliar but upcoming destinations, lately I also add: “Yes, but don’t forget the tried-and-true!” Often that is a major U.S. metropolis – like Miami Beach for example. That’s because this man-made island has been transformed into a rarified coastal city that is superlative in every way. And, with a 1.4-million-square-foot convention center that was renovated several years ago, wow, is it ever ready to take on the post-pandemic world. In fact, at this writing, ASPEN ..read more

One of the perks of corporate or association meetings to some interesting destination is that attendees “get to get away” from it all, both home and office. Such events are uplifting and rewarding, and attendees look forward to expanding their horizons, as well as attending a variety of scheduled events from an opening reception to the final night event, often a fancy affair with plenty of food, entertainment, and a wrap-up of the week’s highlights. Each scheduled event within the meeting often suggests a certain attire from business wear to shorts and polo shirts, and maybe formal or semi-fo ..read more

Diversity, Equality & Inclusivity. Artificial Intelligence. Farm-To-Table Practices. Safety & Security. Health & Wellness, Environmental Sustainability, and so much more. Argh!  The world is on the cusp of so many changes that it’s impossible to keep up. Like last year’s Academy Award-winning movie, “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” societal shifts seem to be coming from all angles simultaneously. As is always the case, and what has always been interesting to me, is that the meetings and hospitality industry, perhaps more than any other, is quick to reflect and incorporate ..read more

This morning, while browsing around MPI’s website, I came upon Blair Potter’s article asking, “What is the best tool on earth for connecting event attendees.” He asked it of Sam McNeill, general manager of SongDivision and McNeill responded by answering “music.” That quickly caught my eye because connecting the crowd through one common denominator like music is one of the most important objectives of any rally, profit or non-profit. And, using music to do it is something my generation, which I won’t identify here, surely knows a lot about. We used it to try and stop a war and promote civil ri ..read more

A new poll shows “a trending generational divide over what’s acceptable behavior in virtual business meetings.” This might sound like a baby-boomer attitude, but I must ask, “What is the world coming to when any one of us in the meetings and hospitality industry considers it A-OK to show up for virtual meetings (VMs) in pajamas (PJs) – and our TVs blasting in the background. Although I am stretching a point here (or am I?), according to Oanu Dimitru of Morning Brew online news service (morningbrew.com), I’m not too far off course. It seems that with each passing generation – business beh ..read more