Event planners continue to seek out innovative ways to ensure their meetings are sustainably run. That’s particularly important for a destination like Monterey, Calif. With beloved sites including Big Sur, Carmel by the Sea and Pebble Beach, protecting natural surroundings is a vital part of any gathering held here. To understand these efforts, we …

Like almost every business sector, the events industry has been abuzz about AI for months. And the more widely these tools are adopted, the more rapidly they seem to evolve to better meet the needs of meeting planners. At this exciting but uncertain moment in event tech, we spoke with Huong Nguyen, CEO and president of Shiloh Events who will be mod…

Kyle Jordan, chair of LGBT Meeting Professionals Association, discusses inclusivity goals and best practices for business events Join Northstar's Loren Edelstein in a conversation with Kyle Jordan, chair of the LGBT Meeting Professionals Association, for an update on the nonprofit's efforts and the current state of inclusivity in the business event…

When it comes to developing creative, out-of-the-box meeting experiences, independent hotels provide a number of appealing options for event planners. In this episode of Eventful, created in partnership with the Caribe Royale Orlando, we delve into the advantages of working with independent properties, by looking in depth at Caribe Royale’s approac…

Attorney Joshua Grimes provides a legal perspective on duty of care, cancellation clauses and more when planning events in states with controversial legislation. Many meeting professionals believe controversial issues like abortion rights are political concerns that have no bearing on their jobs. But that isn't true, says industry attorney Joshua G…

What does the future hold for our business and personal lives? Risk-management expert Bruce McIndoe, president of McIndoe Risk Advisory, LLC, tackles that topic in this enlightening discussion with Northstar’s Loren Edelstein. From weather disasters to robotic companions, here’s what to expect in the years ahead. 1:20 Why meeting planners should an…

Creating an emergency response plan is one of the many responsibilities that fall on an event planner's plate. While they hope to never need to execute it, sometimes disaster strikes mid-meeting. On this episode of Eventful: The Podcast for Meeting Professionals, Senior Associate Editor Elise Schoening spoke with LaToya Williams, manager of global …

Salaries have recovered, but the pay gap between women and men has widened. In conjunction with the publications of the 2022 Northstar Meetings Group/Meetingjobs-Cadre Salary Survey, we discuss the findings with Dawn Penfold, president of Meetingjobs.com, in this episode of Eventful, the Podcast for Meeting Professionals. Salaries for planners have…

Bob Mitchell, an integrated marketing and event strategist with a background in the television industry, believes virtual-event tech platforms are scrambling for business now because the entire business model of the past two years was based on false assumptions. Most planners did not want to be digital marketers, he says, which created a bifurcated…

President and CEO Paul Van DeVenter discusses how the events industry organization had to find ways to remain viable during the pandemic — lessons that resulted in a new structure and focus. Staying relevant to members was not a problem for MPI over the past two years, according to president and CEO Paul Van DeVenter. More difficult was finding a w…

Deception is rampant in the business world today, says body-language expert Traci Brown. After suffering significant losses, meeting planners and suppliers are more apt to bend the truth or omit important information to seal a deal. In this discussion with Northstar’s Loren Edelstein, Brown reveals the verbal and physical clues that subconsciously …

Over the past few years, hundreds of meeting and event planners have made commitments to achieve carbon-neutral operations by 2030, 2040 or 2050. To date, however, relatively few have taken significant steps to accomplish those critical initiatives, says Fiona Pelham, CEO of Positive Impact Events. Among those who have acted is Amy Kramer, market a…

In March 2020, David Peckinpaugh was running Maritz Global Meetings, the third-party planning division of Maritz Holdings. By this past January, Peckinpaugh had been promoted to president and CEO of the overall company, but he had to make a lot of tough decisions along the way. In this episode of the Eventful Podcast, Peckinpaugh discusses the hurd…

Now that meeting and event professionals are once again focused on in-person gatherings, it's the perfect time to rethink the design of the program in order to make sure attendees are getting the most out of the event. In this episode of the Eventful Podcast Anthony Vade, event experience strategy director for Encore and director USA for the Event …

Be prepared for high-profile disasters — as well as the many incidents that are more likely to arise. Event-safety training might cover a weather event or active shooter scenario, but will you know what to do if an attendee has a heart attack on-site? While it’s important to prepare for major but less common disasters, we can’t forget the incidents…

How to surprise, delight and engage meeting and event attendees Traditional presentations generally too long, too dull and fail to hold an audience’s attention. It takes a little creativity — and lot less time — to effectively capture and hold people’s attention, according to Scott Steinberg, a global consultant, speaker and futurist. Listen in to …

Tonya Hempstead of American Express GBT discusses how the organization is building a more mature diversity and inclusion strategy, and how others can do the same. Diversity within the meetings and travel industries has long been lacking. Although a wave of industry organizations have made public pledges to do better, turning these promises into pro…

The events industry must take action to shape the sustainability policies that will govern our business. In Scotland this past November at COP26, the United Nation’s climate-change conference, governments and industries made a pledge to reduce carbon emissions. At that time, Northstar’s Loren Edelstein spoke with Fiona Pelham, CEO of Positive Impac…

Kevin Iwamoto of Bizly talks about what event planners should be doing differently right now. As pandemic concerns ease and gathering restrictions are lifted, how has the business of in-person meetings and events changed? What should we be doing differently now? What’s the outlook for the near future? In this episode of Eventful: The Podcast for Me…

In 2022, incentive planners and program owners continue to grapple with the pandemic and other challenges. Following the Incentive Research Foundation’s first board meeting of the year, president Stephanie Harris shared these concerns with Lisa Grimaldi, NMG’s editor of incentives and destinations, and discussed the findings from the 2022 Trends Re…

In this episode of Eventful, The Podcast for Meeting Professionals, we're talking with Brett Sterenson, president of Hotel Lobbyists, a 15-year-old site-selection firm that mostly focuses on government events. In the past couple of weeks, Sterenson has heard from clients far and wide — including many he hadn't spoken with during the pandemic — and …

Marriott International's Dana Pellicano discusses how the brand adjusted for the pandemic, how event food and beverage has changed for good. In the early days of the pandemic, Marriott International put in place a comprehensive set of protocols that balanced safety with a positive guest experience. The company has adjusted the policies continually …

Omicron will subside soon, believes Gregg Talley, but organizations should prepare for longer-term effects of the pandemic For associations worldwide, the new year started with an unexpected wave of cancellations and postponements, but Gregg Talley, president and CEO of Talley Management Group, believes membership organizations are facing greater c…

As 2022 approaches, meeting planners still are grappling with the changes the pandemic has wrought on the events industry. For this podcast, Jonathan T. Howe Esq., president and founding partner of Chicago’s Howe & Hutton law firm (and NMG’s longtime legal expert), spoke with Northstar Meetings Group managing editor Sarah Braley about three main co…

The job market has swung wildly over the past two years, but as in-person meetings have returned, so have planners’ opportunities for career advancement. As demand for skilled candidates has grown, meeting professionals are likely sensing that now might be a good time to make that career move they’ve been considering. Dawn Penfold, president and fo…

At the United Nations climate-change conference, COP26, now underway in Glasgow, Scotland, governments and industries from around the globe are presenting the strides they've made toward reducing the carbon footprint of their respective operations. Where does the events industry stand? We asked Fiona Pelham, CEO of Positive Impact Events, to discus…

Managing Covid tests and mask mandates can get complicated even for a small gathering—but what about a high-profile series of events across multiple venues, in which you're testing everyone from frontline workers to Lady Gaga herself? That's the situation event planners found themselves in as they prepared for the grand opening of Los Angeles' Acad…

Their turnkey solution helps event professionals ensure their L.A. events and attendees are in compliance with the latest health protocols. Working on in-person meetings these days, event professionals have had to spend considerable time ensuring the safety and health of their attendees. To help share these additional responsibilities, the Los Ange…

We are in a particularly crucial moment in the evolution of events and event technology. The pandemic accelerated many trends towards digitization that were embraced by the industry, because really we had no choice. But now, industry members are taking a hard look at what we've learned so far and what our strategies should be moving. In this episod…

IMEX America, the meetings industry trade show that will take place Nov. 9-11 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, announced last week that all attendees and exhibitors will be required to be fully vaccinated with a vaccine approved by the World Health Organization. Carina Bauer, CEO of the Imex Group, spoke with Lisa Grimaldi, Northst…

Attorney Jonathan Howe offers advice on the latest legal questions facing the meetings and events industry. As the Covid-19 Delta variant has shaken up plans for many upcoming in-person events, meeting planners are increasingly finding themselves forced to make decisions with only the slightest idea of what the future might hold. It’s more importan…

Meeting planners are getting nervous again — with good reason, according to risk-management expert Bruce McIndoe. If we don’t act collectively to reduce the spread of Covid-19, we’ll be grappling with the virus for years, he posits. Listen to his discussion with Northstar’s Loren Edelstein in this episode of Eventful. Among best practices for meeti…

Destinations International’s Jack Johnson discusses why destination marketers should focus first on making their cities better places to live. We generally think of destination marketing organizations as focused on bringing visitors to their destination — attracting outside business to help support the local economy. But Jack Johnson, chief advocac…

Jason Gewirtz, editor and publisher of SportsTravel, has been covering the Olympics for several years, but this year's Games have been an experience like no other. Even with no spectators permitted, an estimated 50,000 people will visit Tokyo for this year's competitions. All were issued extensive Covid-safety protocols to follow before and during …

Event Specialists’ Mahoganey Jones shares tips for leveraging audience data, monetization opportunities and more. The restrictions on in-person gatherings over the past 16 months gave meeting planners the opportunity to embrace digital events. But for Mahoganey Jones, founder and CEO of Toronto-based Event Specialists, her company had already been …

The events sector must transform itself in order to address the issue of global climate change, stresses Fiona Pelham, CEO of Positive Impact Events. With COP26 — the United Nation’s 26th Climate Change Conference — just months away, the industry must take action now. COP26, set for Oct. 31 - Nov. 12, 2021, in Glasgow, will bring parties together t…

John Nawn explains how creating impactful hybrid and digital events requires thorough analysis well in advance of the gatherings. Event planners must think strategically, whether their meetings are virtual, in-person or a hybrid version of the two. John Nawn, cofounder of Event Strategy Network, maintains that planners too often get caught up in th…

Pride Month is here. A time to celebrate, support and uplift members of the LGBTQ+ community. While diversity issues have taken on greater prominence over the past year, there is still much work to be done, and the meetings industry is well-positioned to lead that charge. On this episode of Eventful: The Podcast for Meeting Professionals, Derrick J…

A new white paper from ADMEI lays out ways planners can strengthen their relationships with destination management partners. One of the key resources for many meeting planners is the destination management company that helps them select a location for their event, scout venues and assist in almost every aspect of a gathering. When a planner needs l…

Mary-Ann Urbanovich discusses how the Pandemic Compliance Advisor designation makes health an enduring priority. As more face-to-face events resume, health protocols should be considered in every stage of planning. Efforts to establish best practices are ensure that they are being followed bring a new set of responsibilities to the process, from th…

MeetingPlay's Joe Schwinger discusses how to get the most value from events with both in-person and virtual audiences. After a year in which most found themselves only attending events remotely, the value of in-person has never been clearer. But the meetings industry has also seen the many advantages that virtual events can provide, including great…

The conference for online creators transformed its annual gathering into a year-long online offering. Pulling off a successful virtual event is no easy task, especially when there are thousands of attendees to cater to, but it can also present opportunities to rethink your entire event strategy. Such was the case for VidCon, an annual conference fo…

Global Wellness Institute’s Nancy Davis discusses how the pandemic has transformed the way we think about attendee wellness. As meeting planners navigated the Covid-19 pandemic this past year, concerns about attendee wellness transformed how events were held — or, in most cases, not held. Now, as vaccinations become more widespread and in-person ga…

More than a year into a global pandemic, if there’s one thing meeting planners have learned, it’s that connecting with at-home attendees presents distinct challenges. In the virtual environment, every detail needs to be reconsidered, from the flow of the agenda to education formats, marketing and more. Even as in-person events return, it’s importan…

Jonathan Howe discusses the latest legal issues facing meeting planners. Can meeting planners require attendees to be vaccinated? And what privacy issues does this raise? These are among the thorny questions that meeting professionals have to consider as they plan safe in-person events. Jonathan Howe, president and founding partner of Howe & Hutton…

Bizly's Kevin Iwamoto discusses why now is the time for meeting professionals to speak out. Last week, a gunman killed eight people in Atlanta, six of whom were Asian-Americans, but this was not an isolated incident; according to the nonprofit organization Stop AAPI Hate, nearly 3,800 incidents of violence and discrimination against Asian Americans…

Brightcove’s David Bornstein discusses how they’re helping to transform the cultural event into must-watch TV. In normal years, the month of March means people are about to flock in droves to Austin, Texas — home to South by Southwest. The gathering has become an increasingly high-profile cultural event, a conglomeration of an interactive media and…

Meetings consultant Liz Warwick discusses the EIC’s Code of Conduct and how attendees play a part in creating a safe event. A safe gathering during the pandemic and beyond now requires everyone to take some responsibility in reducing health risks – attendees included. More than ever, actions taken by individual attendees — to follow social-distanci…

Travelocity founder Terrell Jones says digital health apps can restore confidence in flying and meeting. How can we restore confidence in traveling and attending in-person events? Proof of a negative Covid test is required of international travelers entering the U.S., but that’s not the rule for domestic travel…yet. As vaccine distribution continue…

IAVM’s Mark Herrera discusses how risk assessment is evolving. When it comes to identifying and reducing event security risks, planners must navigate a constantly shifting landscape. Health concerns around Covid-19 continue to dominate most event professionals’ concerns, but over the last month worries about disruptions from civil unrest have taken…