Meetings Today Podcast

Orlando is a destination that is no stranger to superlatives. From being named the top meetings destination in North America for the 10th time to logging record visitor numbers both in the leisure and meetings segments, this Florida phenomenon is always ahead of the competition.Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson met up with Lisa Messina, chief sales officer for Visit Orlando, at IMEX America 2025 to discover what’s new and improved in a destination that is always top of mind with meeting and event planners.From the first new theme park in 25 years to property announcements and its hot dining scene, Messina shares why this Central Florida standout is always earning the attention and accolades it receives.

Following the release of the 2025 Incentive Travel Index (ITI) on Smart Monday and an insightful panel discussion in which industry leaders broke down this year's survey results, Meetings Today's Taylor Smith tapped Padraic Gilligan, SITE's head of research and consultancy, to get his quick, 15-minute snapshot of the 2025 ITI and the key takeaways today's incentive travel professionals need to know.

Human trafficking is one of those issues that is difficult to talk about yet so critical to address. Three meetings and hospitality industry giants, Maritz, Marriott and Hilton, have stepped up to the plate to form the Fight Against Human Trafficking Coalition, which will provide a wealth of resources and training to combat this travel industry scourge.

Meetings Today's Taylor Smith sat down with Hyatt's Trina Camacho-London, vice president of group sales, and Christina Gambini, vice president of global sales, to talk business travel trends and how they've shifted since the first half of the year.

What are the top four legal concerns impacting the meetings and events industry?Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Maritz Deputy General Counsel Jill Blood at IMEX America 2025 to find out what's keeping both planners and suppliers up at night, and strategies to overcome these vexatious legal dilemmas.Discover how you can protect your organization.

On this episode of the Meetings Today podcast, learn all about the meeting planner's guide to Indianapolis' new developments with Leonard Hoops, CEO and president of Visit Indy.

In this Meetings Today podcast, destinations content manager Taylor Smith sits down with Richard Bliss, CEO of BlissPoint Consulting, a LinkedIn Top Voices Influencer and a 2025 Meetings Trendsetter, to understand he helps executives master modern communication tools for strategic business advantage, specifically through LinkedIn.

In this Meetings Today Podcast, recorded on the IMEX America tradeshow floor, Taylor Smith sits down with Amanda Armstrong, senior vice president of communications and industry relations at Encore, to talk about how Encore made an impact at IMEX, the importance of awakening all of your attendees' senses and the future of event technology.Note: This episode was originally published October 18, 2024

In this Meetings Today podcast episode, Content Developer Taylor Smith speaks with Kim Mueller, Director of Sales for Ocean City, Maryland’s Department of Tourism about everything that makes this East Coast destination the total package for meetings and events of all kinds.Note: This episode was originally published April 9, 2025

Tahira Endean, head of program at IMEX and author of 'Our KPI is Joy', brings her expertise in event design to the forefront. She discusses her innovative approach to measuring joy as a key performance indicator in planning events. The conversation highlights the transformative power of personal storytelling and genuine connections, shaping impactful experiences. Endean emphasizes creating safe spaces for belonging and the delicate balance of joy and sorrow in event planning, all while inspiring the next generation of industry professionals.