Inspiration Hub

Value is at the core of member retention. If a member doesn’t feel like they’re getting value from your organization, they’re likely to let their membership lapse. But on the flip side, if they do feel like they’re getting value from your organization, they’re likely to renew - and engage more with your offerings. 

A report released by ECPAT-USA at the end of September finds that many major travel-related companies and associations promote specific policies against human trafficking and exploitation of children to their employees and members—but far fewer have conducted training in the past 12 months to ensure that employees and members who travel for business can identify potential trafficking situations and report them to initiate a swift response.  

You know how many hotel rooms your attendees need, and which educational sessions they are looking for. But how much time do you spend thinking about what they need to really feel welcome and cared for? For some, finding almond milk at the coffee station is enough; for others, a great deal more planning is needed to make them feel fully welcome and able to participate at your events. 

More and more people are engaging in - and even seeking out - remote work. It’s a trend that doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. 

But even though working from home has its advantages (for both employers and employees), it also comes with its own disadvantages. For example, if you do have one or more offices where a number of employees work, it can be easy for your remote employees to feel left out. 

To mark World Tourism Day, Ending Child Slavery at the Source (ECPAT-USA) released a landmark survey of 70 travel industry companies and found that, while more than 70 percent of companies surveyed have anti-human trafficking policies in place, the overall score of 38 percent leaves room for improvement. The Stamping Out Exploitation in Travel report graded efforts based on policies and practices that prevent and respond to human trafficking in the tourism industry.

More than 3,300 scientific and medical sleep professionals representing more than 75 countries are converging this week in Vancouver, Canada, to present new findings, data and theories on this crucial health topic.

The congress included a 2-day expo hosted by World Sleep Society and was open to the public, during which attendees asked their own questions about all things somnolent. Though you may have missed the expo, you can satisfy your own curiosity with sleep resources provided by their professional members.

As an event organiser, you are always looking for ways to add that extra wow factor to your event. A brand activation might just hold the answer. We share ideas that will boost your attendee’s experience.

Your event description is often the first (and only) chance you get to grab potential attendee’s attention online. And thanks to modern consumer behavior, you have only 5.59 seconds to do it before they abandon your webpage and move on to the next thing.

So how can you make the most of those five seconds you have to spark readers’ attention and turn them into attendees? Here are our top tips for writing ones that drive attendance.

An IMEX 2019 session on aligning the meetings industry with the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals drew an enthusiastic response from audience members eager to share best practices from their own events. Mariela McIlwraith, CMP, director of industry advancement for the Events Industry Council, and Guy Bigwood, managing director of the Global Destinations Sustainability Index and former president of the Green Meeting Industry Council, hosted the session on how meeting planners can support the 17 SDGs.

Benchmark, a global hospitality company, queried their restaurateurs across 80 luxury properties at home and abroad to compile a list of dining trends for 2020. Here’s the forkful on planning fresh offerings for your next event:

In its 2020 Future Trends Report for Meetings & Events released during this week’s IMEX America show in Las Vegas, CWT Meetings & Events revealed the destinations that are landing the most meeting and event bookings for the next two to three years, as well as regions that are seeing fewer bookings due to issues larger than their hospitality and tourism industries. The report also provides insight on technology trends affecting attendees’ meeting experiences.

At a press conference held September 10 at the IMEX America show in Las Vegas, the Events Industry Council announced the creation of a new EIC Centre for Sustainable Events in partnership with, among other entities, IMEX Group, the United Nations, Freeman, and MGM Resorts International.

Call this a good sign: hearing-impaired travellers can now identify Delta Air Lines employees who can communicate in sign language with a quick glance at their nametag.

We are very excited to once again release research that will inspire event professionals for the next year.

Just for you: 50+ actionable tips from a 350-event research report on sustainability, collaboration, transformation, and inclusion.

What if you could change your event forever?

This is the burning question that fuelled this report. We will showcase how some event professionals innovate by thinking differently.

Some 14,000 event professionals walked into Sands Expo this week to talk about advances in hotels, destinations and event services, and then an imaginative career development program broke out.

The theme for the ninth annual IMEX America, which ran Sept. 9–12 in Las Vegas, was the Power of Imagination. IMEX paired the hosted buyer appointments with Smart Monday powered by MPI sessions (900 people strong) and She Means Business content to add value for planners who came from all over the world to share best practices.

Nothing at IMEX America quite matches the excitement and energy of participants when the trade show floor opens at Sands Expo Convention Center on Tuesday morning.

“When the doors open, the crowds rush in—and keep in mind that the booth staff are already inside,” says Carina Bauer, CEO of IMEX Group. “People don’t just stroll in; they want to get inside, to get new ideas, make new contacts and learn about new venues, sources and suppliers. They are keen and ready to do business, and the electric show floor atmosphere reflects the excitement that comes with people doing business and meeting both old and new friends.

IMEX America, the Super Bowl of the meetings industry, always generates excitement as professionals from around the globe gather to do business, learn and socialize. This year’s event delivered on its promise, with a Discovery Zone full of innovative ideas and a record number of participants and booths.

Mobile devices are making us feel lonelier–at least according to one-third (33%) of Americans who reported feeling that way in a recent survey of 2,020 U.S. adults (conducted by the Harris Poll* on behalf of Eventbrite). Even major tech companies are aware of the negative side effects of constant screen time and are building features to help recalibrate user behavior. But beyond yearning for social connection, most of us also count on our phones for productivity, entertainment, or just a surefire way to zone out – and it’s starting to take a toll.

The key to a great marketing strategy is understanding the needs of your target audience. When it comes to B2C vs B2B marketing, businesses are aiming to capture the attention of two very different audiences: consumers vs other businesses, and therefore need to adopt different approaches to succeed. In this post, we’ll discuss the main differences and similarities between B2C and B2B marketing, as well as our top tips for successfully engaging with your customers at events.

Corporate and association meetings often leave a positive impact across a destination that goes beyond simple financial benefit. But while most organizations do understand the impact of their events’ social-responsibility initiatives, there is another legacy component that’s often overlooked: event content.

54% of event planners cited surveys as a tool they use to gauge attendee satisfaction and overall event success, but how do you know what questions to ask and when? Achieving a good response rate and obtaining useful survey data is a matter of asking the right questions at the right times. The first struggle with event survey questions is knowing what to ask to get the most actionable insights. The second is getting attendees to engage with the surveys so you have a good enough response rate to accurately reflect the thoughts and feelings of your audience.

Hope for the best but plan for the worst. We hope that everything goes to plan at all your events but sometimes it doesn’t. A glitchy AV system or a sick keynote speaker may seem like disasters on event day, but are you ready if a real emergency hits? At the end of the day, the safety of attendees (and planners) is of utmost importance at any event, so while you have those emergency chargers for your laptop and emergency power bars for when you can’t find time for lunch, do you have an emergency plan to protect the most important thing—your guests? 

The second annual Incentive Travel Industry Index survey is underway, and the three organizations partnering on this effort to better understand trends in the incentive travel market want your help.

We’re all in the meetings business. We understand how effectively meetings can increase collaboration and communication among teams and help organizations reach their business goals. But, in our efforts to plan a successful meeting, sometimes we lose sight of the “why.” Why are your attendees being asked to gather in the first place? What do they hope to get out of the event? When they return home, will they reflect positively on their time away? Can we get them to put their phones away?