Meetings Today Podcast

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.

National keynote speaker, MC and author Joel Zeff joins Logan Pratt on this episode of the Meetings Today podcast to talk about the necessity of a good MC at events, the power of "ta-da," celebrating life's small wins and how the power improv can change people's lives for the better.Joel Zeff is the author of Make the Right Choice: Lead with Passion, Elevate Your Team, and Unleash the Fun at Work. And for nearly 30 years has been using the tools of improv and comedy to increase collaboration, productivity, passion and innovation by celebrating life's small wins, or "ta-da" moments.

Tyler Davidson sat down with Doane Liu, chief tourism officer for the City of Los Angeles, to discuss some of the global marquee events headed to the City of Angels in the next few years, along with general happenings impacting its meetings and conventions scene, including the much-anticipated improvements at LAX.

Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson caught up with new San Diego Tourism Authority President & CEO Daniel Kuperschmid at ASAE's Annual Meeting to find out what the new DMO leader's objectives are, how his 30-year career in hotels informs his new position, major meetings-related developments in what may be the hottest destination in the U.S., and some of the undiscovered gems of this SoCal standout.

Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson caught up with Al Hutchinson, former president and CEO of Visit Baltimore, to explore his new venture, AVH Enterprise, and its mission to provide comprehensive leadership development, strategic planning and social impact solutions tailored specifically to DMOs.

Visit Irving Executive Director Maura Gast explains how this Dallas Metroplex meetings destination is making strides in wellness and its skill at hyper-personalizing its meetings offering for planners and attendees.

On this episode of the Meetings Today podcast, digital content coordinator Logan Pratt sits down with Carolina Viazcan, vice president of sales for Visit Greater Palm Springs, and Laruen Bruggemans, director of sustainability and community engagement, to learn how the destination is both creating new developments while balancing its commitment to environmental and social sustainability.This podcast was produced in partnership with Visit Greater Palm Springs.