The Crowne Plaza Toronto Airport reopened its doors Jan. 11, after completing a $20 million renovation. The transformation marks a new beginning for the hotel, which looks forward to hosting conferences and meetings when the need resumes. “The hotel is one of the largest airport hotels in the market and now the most modern,” says Sukhdev Toor, president of Manga Hotels, which owns and operates the Crowne Plaza. “The renovation and undertaking of this new look and design was extensive…
Hilton has introduced a set of hybrid solutions to address the dramatic shift away from in-person meetings and events during the pandemic. The new offerings, which will continue to evolve alongside customer needs, direct event planners to Hilton’s hybrid-ready hotels while also providing them with additional resources, including an expanded ‘playbook’ with in-depth information on planning and executing small hybrid events and flexible customer offers for a more seamless contract experience. “Hilton has remained a leader in the meetings and…
As part of ongoing steps to help instil confidence for meeting professionals and attendees, Marriott International has introduced optional COVID-19 testing. Tests can be self-administered by guests prior to travel or administered by a third-party provider on-site at the hotel. The initiative builds upon health protocols already in place as part of the recent launch of Connect with Confidence, a program empowering meeting professionals to identify and tailor solutions that best meet the needs of their attendees. “We engaged industry-leading…
In-person business meetings and events will surge in 2021, according to a recent Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) poll of its members — the fourteenth of its kind since the onset of the pandemic. “What we’re seeing in this latest poll is a number of reasons for the business travel industry to be optimistic about 2021, especially toward the middle of the year,” says GBTA’s interim executive director, Dave Hilfman. “As the vaccine rollout gains momentum and if we see…
Nearly three-quarters of meeting planners are moving their face-to-face events to virtual or hybrid next year, according to the most recent Meetings and Events Pulse Survey conducted by Global DMC Partners. This despite the majority of surveyed planners predicting the return of in-person events in the first half of 2021, though 57 per cent believe events will be downsized in the future, with the largest events topping out at 250 attendees. A majority also believe average event attendee numbers will…
Discover Halifax recently launched an initiative to help local and Atlantic bubble businesses and event organizers amid the pandemic. The Meet Again Halifax campaign and associated website includes tips and advice for hosting safe face-to-face events, as well as a list of trusted venues to help. “In a typical year, Halifax welcomes 5.3 million overnight stays who spend $1.3 billion locally. Business travellers attending meetings are an important part of this,” says Ross Jefferson, president and CEO of the city’s destination…
Taking the well-oiled machine that is Cvent CONNECT and transforming it into an entirely new experience wasn’t easy. From the initial pivot to getting buy-in, strategically designing the event to new technology considerations, Cvent’s director of meetings and events, Rachel Andrews, and senior manager of meetings and events, Paulina Curto, share lessons learned from moving the world’s largest event technology and hospitality conference online. The Digital Pivot While pre-event risk conversations occurred back in 2019, the decision to go virtual…
Mediasite Events has announced a complete virtual solution platform to take an event online. “(It’s) everything you need to keep the show going, despite COVID travel restraints,” says Joe Mozden Jr., CEO of Sonic Foundry, the maker behind Mediasite. “Virtual events are the new normal and even as the world starts to re-open, we believe it is forever changed.” The complete virtual platform allows users to expand reach with live or simulated live streaming. A technician works with each speaker…
Informa Markets has combined its North America-headquartered brands under a single leadership team led by Nancy Walsh, who has been promoted to the role of president of the expanded portfolio. “Since joining us, Nancy has immersed herself in understanding what value we can offer to our customers through our brands and developed solutions that keep our communities connected, 365 days a year,” says Informa Markets CEO, Charlie McCurdy. Walsh will oversee key brands, including National Products Expo, World of Concrete,…
The global spread of COVID-19 has transformed daily life and, like most business sectors, the events industry has evolved and adapted to cope with the new normal. In doing so, it has entered a new phase where changes are likely to endure into the post-pandemic period. Here, three industry experts — Carly Silberstein of Redstone Agency, Ruby Sohi of Royal Blue Events Management and Theresa Beenken of the National Speakers Bureau — provide their predictions on how the events industry…
