Inspiration Hub

Cvent CEO, Reggie Aggarwal opened the company’s two-day hybrid European customer conference, Cvent CONNECT yesterday by offering his insights on pandemic-driven innovation and evolution that have transformed the MICE and hospitality industries.

In his keynote address, Aggarwal reflected on the past 18 months and offered an insightful look at the accelerated transformation of the meetings and events landscape.

For many event planners, hybrid events are still a relatively new endeavor, one that brings the unfamiliar challenge of engaging two very different audiences at the same time. Here are 15 tips for avoiding the pitfalls that can easily occur. 

The AEO (Association of Event Organisers) is delighted to launch its AEO Centenary Party (& Awards) hosted by the NEC Group at the Vox on the 10th December, to celebrate turning 100 this year.

While the pandemic may have sidelined events at convention centers and other venues for a while, several made great use of the downtime to continue constructing new venues or expanding existing facilities. Check out five of the most notable new developments in 2021.

Hotels, casinos, restaurants and bars are set to welcome an influx of business travelers this fall.

The city has emerged as the most popular destination in the U.S. for forward flight bookings, according to one corporate travel agency, amid a steady rise in hotel occupancy.

As those in the meetings and exhibitions industries know all too well, changes in the COVID-19 pandemic are continuing to cause major challenges for event organizers, with any organization looking to host a trade show or conference tasked with taking changing information from public health officials into account. In such a complex environment, it can be understandably difficult for organizers to demonstrate their ability to run events in a safe and sustainable way.

Business travelers waiting around in airport lounges are proving to be healthier compared to before the pandemic, and airlines are reacting. Even those people who bought Pelotons during lockdown now get to keep on pedaling.

The Events Industry Council (EIC), the global voice of the business events industry on advocacy, research, professional recognition and standards, has joined The Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct (The Code), a multi-stakeholder initiative to prevent the sexual exploitation and trafficking of children in travel and tourism throughout the world.

This week, MGM Resorts International launched its 100-megawatt solar array, the hospitality industry's largest directly sourced renewable electricity project worldwide. The array's clean energy now produces up to 90 percent of MGM Resorts' Las Vegas daytime power needs, spanning 65 million square feet of buildings across 13 properties and more than 36,000 rooms on the Las Vegas Strip — including ARIA, Bellagio, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, The Mirage, New York New York and Park MGM.

A snapshot online survey, carried out by the charity Attitude is Everything between 19th July and 1st August this year, has revealed the diverse positions Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people now find themselves in since the lifting of COVID-safety regulations one month ago on 19th July.

As the meetings, conventions and exhibitions industry dusts itself off and emerges from the pandemic, the need to continue envisioning innovative ways of doing business has never been greater. To help event organizers rethink their offerings and operations, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) and UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, teamed up to launch a white paper titled “Reimagining Business Events—Through COVID-19 and Beyond.

Destinations International, the world’s largest and only association dedicated to destination organizations, CVBs and tourism boards, has released its 2021 DestinationNEXT Futures Study, an updated study of key trends and strategies that will help thousands of destination organizations around the world stay thriving and relevant.

The UK Government has announced, 5 August, that it will provide an insurance cancellation scheme to cover events against the impact of having to shut down due to a Covid-19 lockdown. 

The Events Industry Council (EIC) recently launched an interactive, self-paced online version of its in-person Sustainable Event Professional Certificate Program (SEPC), putting educational opportunities within easier reach for event planners, suppliers and sustainability professionals seeking to improve the environmental performance of their events and services.

As many parts of the world continue to battle coronavirus outbreaks, some leaders have paused the reopening process and announced new constraints on travel and gatherings. At the same time, other countries are easing their restrictions. Here's a roundup of what's happening around the globe.

Global association of the exhibition industry, UFI has released a new report on the status of sustainability in the exhibition industry, including results from surveys conducted by UFI research partner Explori.

Disrupt the V Awards is a competition launched by micebook during a time of uncertainty amongst many graduates and event industry new hires. The aim was to create an exciting opportunity for event graduates and newcomers to showcase their creative skills and get recognition in a room full of big agency brands and companies.

As organizations work to improve their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, there is a fourth goal that is less talked about but just as important to the workplace: justice. Tanya Gibson, who spoke at PCMA's EduCon 2021 on July 8, incorporates the goal of justice into her title as vice president of JEDI — justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion — and human resources at Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

The Sands Expo & Convention Center, the 2.25 million-square-foot convention center adjacent to The Venetian, is getting a name change.

Like most events held in 2020, Pride celebrations globally were cancelled last year or moved online. But the challenges of Covid-19 also brought new opportunities. During the LGBT Meeting Professionals Association's "Day of Diversity" on June 30, industry leaders shared their experiences planning Pride celebrations during the pandemic, discussed new ways for connecting year-round and emphasized the need for enhancing diversity and inclusion efforts at every event.

The 323,000-panel array located in the desert north of Las Vegas will supply electricity for 36,000 rooms in 13 Strip resorts when it’s activated.

The power-up plan will provide a long stride toward the company’s energy sustainability goals.

When the pandemic struck and in-person events were suspended in early 2020, a number of BPA-audited trade shows pivoted to become virtual events. However, organizers soon found they needed guidance on reporting metrics for digital events since there did not seem to be any “industry standard.” To address this need, BPA began working with UFI to develop reporting standards for a digital or “hybrid” trade show that would also allow it to earn “UFI Approved Event” status.

A coalition of 24 trade organizations representing a large and diverse swath of the U.S. economy is renewing urgent calls to lift restrictions on international visitation to the United States, and on Wednesday released a policy blueprint for reopening borders safely.