The key to success in our current industry seems to hinge on one word: flexibility. We see the U.S. financial market sitting on a seesaw with the global economy, creating ups and downs that require balance and tenacity. With one tip, the meeting professional can teeter, but a strong hold on creative solutions will level [...]
One of the biggest advantages to meeting at a university-managed facility is the cost factor.
"We're a non-profit organization managed by Georgia Tech," says Kirk Englehardt, director of communications at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) Conference Center in Atlanta. "Our goal is not to make a profit on the facility. At the end of the [...]
The hotel industry has rebounded and business travel is back. Across the country, hotels are experiencing occupancy and revenue levels not seen since 2000. Coupled with a limited supply of hotel rooms due to hurricane evacuees seeking shelter in hotels across the country and properties being converted to condos in some major cities, the turnaround [...]
You have an important event. You know you’ve planned everything well, down to the printed program, which looks great. You’re ready. But when it comes time for the video presentations, there’s no sound. And you note that the screen is too big for the room (and for the people sitting at the front tables to [...]
Trends come and go, but one thing that never goes out of style is a spectacular event.
Atlanta Arrangements Inc. (AAI), a destination management company (DMC), won its 12th Allie Award for “Best Corporate Event” last year. The annual Allie Awards honor special events companies that are members of the Greater Atlanta Chapter of the National [...]
Airline industry woes have dominated news headlines lately, but planners disagree about how this is changing the way they book group tickets. Raul Santa, who works for the non-profit organization Jobs for Progress National, Inc., based in Irving, Texas, says the organization no longer attempts to handle everyone’s flight arrangements for its annual conference.
Most hotels and facilities in Florida escaped unscathed from Hurricane Wilma. Lack of electricity was the biggest concern, but that didn't stop groups from meeting in South Florida. Wilma arrived in Florida after ricocheting off the Yucatan Peninsula, where recovery efforts are getting hotels and facilities back online as soon as possible.
Cancun was hit hardest, [...]
In the wake of repeated natural disasters, meetings planners are being forced to think and act quickly and creatively to adapt to the industry’s changing circumstances.
