Meetings Today Podcast

To celebrate our 2024 Meetings Trendsetters, Meetings Today is introducing "Trendsetter Tuesday," a podcast series of interviews with the 20 Trendsetters recognized in our July/August issue. For our first episode, Meetings Today's Taylor Smith sat down for a conversation with Alicia Jenelle, director of experience design at The Jenelle Group, to learn more about her story in meetings and events as well as what it means to her to be a 2024 Meetings Trendsetter.

Omni Hotels & Resorts Chief Sales Officer Dan Surette talks about how the Dallas-based brand offers a change of pace from other major hotel companies, from its unique ownership model and meetings and events offerings to the new Select Guest Program and dedication to employee growth and retention. Surette also delves into recent and upcoming openings as well as what the hotel sales veteran sees as macro trends impacting an industry getting its stride following the dark days of the pandemic.

A year after taking the reins of Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp (NCVC), 27-year NCVC vet Deana Ivey shares her in-depth Music City expertise and what’s new in the destination. With a new NFL stadium and dreams of hosting a Super Bowl, in addition to phenomenal hotel and event venue growth in the last few years, Music City is hotter than a plate of Nashville Hot Chicken. Discover what the NCVC has been up to since the retirement of former bureau chief and industry icon Butch Spyridon retired, as well as what it's like to live in the "Capital of Country Music," where you just may bump shopping carts with a low-key celebrity when out on a grocery run.

And now for something completely different... Association meetings thought-leader KiKi L'Italien, editor-in-chief of Association Chat and VP of marketing and community engagement at Big Red M, has put together what promises to be quite the party bus experience to shuttle ASAE Annual Meeting & Expo attendees from suburban D.C. to the convention in Cleveland, with conviviality and general merriment sure to ensue. Discover how this outside-of-the-box networking road trip came together, and whether any DMOs or association-business craving properties along the way are marketing-savvy enough to provide the 2024 Association Chat Road Trip a reason for a pit stop. L'Talien is joined by association consultancy vet Michael Butera, president and CEO of Association ActiVision, to discuss the current state of the segment, including a significant change to this year's ASAE Annual and some of the major challenges and opportunities ahead. Are you on the bus?

On this episode of Fast Forward, host Logan Pratt interviews Stephen Cutchins, one of the foremost experts on accessibility in the meetings and events industry on what the future of accessibility looks like in the industry and how planners can better incorporate accessibility in their events. Stephen Cutchins joined Cvent in 2022 as senior manager of accessibility and has spent over 15 years helping clients achieve accessibility-related goals. In prior work leading accessibility programs, he worked closely with People with Disabilities, including those who were Blind, Deaf, or had physical disabilities. Stephen has a passion as well as firsthand experience understanding how People with Disabilities use the web. As Cvent’s Senior Manager of Accessibility, Stephen works to ensure that our products are both usable and enjoyable by attendees who have disabilities.

Meetings industry veteran Gary Hernbroth, chief motivating officer for Training for Winners and popular business events industry speaker, has co-authored Twist the Familiar, a book detailing the stories of high-achievers and how their journey can create authentic pathways to success. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson engaged Hernbroth about his new book as well as macro trends that are shaping both the business word and meetings industry as we adjust to work and meetings life after the pandemic.

In this episode of the Meetings Today Podcast, Senior Content Director Danielle LeBreck speaks with Arlette Garibay, director of sales for Greater Ontario, California (GOCAL) about the destination's rapidly growing amenities for meetings and events. Sponsored by Greater Ontario, California (GOCAL)

On this episode of Fast Forward, host Logan Pratt interviews Dahlia El Gazzar, one of the leading voices in event and marketing technology to find out how planners can and should be utilizing new technologies to better market their events.

As MPI's 2024 World Education Congress continues in Louisville, Kentucky, Meetings Today's Taylor Smith sat down with Jessie States, vice president of MPI Academy, to discuss all things education, from planning sessions for this year's conference to what's on the horizon for MPI Academy. Curious about what your skill set should include in the future? Tune in now to learn more.

This year's MPI World Education Congress (WEC) is taking place May 20-22 in Louisville, Kentucky. On day two of the event, Meetings Today's Taylor Smith sat down with MPI President and CEO Paul Van Deventer to talk WEC numbers, industry trends, the rise of AI and what's next for MPI.