Meetings Today Podcast

Late meeting and event registration keeping you up at night with heartburn and night sweats? Don't fret, planner! The later the registration the more ancillary spend an attendee drops at an event. Maritz has released a groundbreaking Registration Insights Report that collected data over three years from 360,000 registrations at 30 tradeshows. Emily Laufgraben, market insight manager for the global meetings and events giant, reveals the sweet spot between fretting over late arrivals and taking their event spend to the bank. According to a robust new survey from Maritz, late event registration translates into more ancillary meetings spend by attendees. Discover where this sweet spot between heartburn and revenue generation lies.

In the first ever episode of the Fast Forward podcast, host Logan Pratt sits down with hybrid meetings expert Bill Reed, who shares why meeting planners should still consider planning a hybrid event, and discusses the benefit of incorporating hybrid elements to events even four years after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jason Dunn, CEO of the National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals (NCBMP), has been a leader in hospitality and DMO diversity and inclusion efforts for decades, from his time at Visit Cincy—where he rose to be the DMO's first Black vice president after initially participating in a travel boycott of the destination—to lead NCBMP in November 2022. Now, after a little more than a year at the helm of NCBMP, Dunn reflects on his work there as well as where the meetings and events industry is in terms of diversity and inclusion, the nuanced issue of travel boycotts and advisories, and the generational challenge of persuading young people to consider a career in the meetings and hospitality industries.

Dominique Bonds, director of engagement for the Pennsylvania Convention Center, shares her vision as new president of Event Service Professionals Association, including DEIAB, generational shifts in the world of event service profs, sustainability and the evolution of the role of being the No. 1 on-the-ground point of contact for meeting and event planners. Bonds also fills us in on some of the big annual shows coming to Philly and the destination's big plans for 2026.

When most people think of standup comedy, they typically think of crude Netflix specials or dank nightclubs with comedians swearing like sailors. But when Greg Schwem takes the stage, you can hear the audience laughing about topics such as sales meetings, corporate websites or business advertising campaigns. 

Visit Indy’s president and CEO made his debut as the new Chair of PCMA’s 2024 Board of Directors and Trustees known by vanquishing the association’s president and CEO, Sherrif Karamat, on the pickleball court at Convening Leaders (CL). Thus sanctified, Hoops later sat down with Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson to discuss the record-setting attendance and other happenings at CL—including the epic pickleball showdown—as well as the many exciting new developments happening in Indy.

In this Meetings Today Podcast for Taylor Smith's "The Z: Planning for the Industry's Next Generation," Smith sits down with Luke Goetting, an award-winning communications expert, founder of Puffingston Presentations and a Gen Z speaker who specializes in crafting engaging, interactive experiences for audiences around the world. As a Millennial company leader, Goetting coaches Gen Z employees on how to maximize their effectiveness at work and consults with clients aiming to inspire Gen Z. His expertise has helped him learn and develop invaluable tactics for navigating the challenges and opportunities of working with Gen Z, fostering a collaborative and productive environment that aligns with the expectations of this tech-savvy and socially conscious generation. From virtual meeting etiquette to leveraging innovative technologies, tune in now for some tips from Goetting on fostering collaborative and productive environments for incoming professionals.

As the leader of perhaps the most unique meetings and events draw in the U.S. if not the world, Destination DC President & CEO Elliott Ferguson oversees an operation that represents everything from world-class museums and global government event venues to iconic hotels and a cuisine scene that has taken a seat at the table of top dining destinations. Meetings Today caught up with Ferguson on the bustling floor of The District exhibitor area at PCMA Convening Leaders 2024 to discuss Destination DC's Only One D.C. marketing campaign, new hotels and meetings venues on the scene, its status as the first city in the world to achieve Platinum level LEED for Cities and Sustainability District, and his and the bureau's ongoing efforts leading DEI and supplier diversity initiatives.

From AI and generational shifts to rethinking event design, supplier diversity, prices and the latest and greatest innovation impacting the meetings and events industry, Maritz President & CEO David Peckinpaugh is an authority on what's coming down the pike in the business events world. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Peckinpaugh at PCMA Convening Leaders 2024 to discover what the leader of one of the biggest MICE companies in the world is seeing, including whether hybrid and virtual meetings are fading post-pandemic. What lays in store for you in 2024?

From major new ultra-luxe properties such as Evermore Orlando Resort and the Conrad Orlando, the high-speed Brightline train linking Orlando to Miami and a cuisine scene that is raking in recognition from Michelin, Central Florida's meetings and events magnet is an attractive force. We sat down with Visit Orlando Chief Sales Officer Mike Waterman at PCMA Convening Leaders 2024 to discover what's new in a destination Cvent designates as the top meetings draw in the U.S., along with the most recent meetings numbers.