News
Jun 22, 2021
Peter Eelman, vice president and CXO at AMT — The Association For Manufacturing Technology, strode up to the stage at Arie Crown Theater at McCormick Place. “We are coming back,” he said. “Let that soak in for a moment.”
While he was specifically referring to the International Manufacturing Technology Show powered by AMT, occurring Sept. 12-17, Eelman may as well have been speaking for Chicago’s trade show industry.
Shut for 14 months due to COVID, McCormick Place officials and several returning organizers gathered in May to celebrate the return of business. The event was also a showcase of… more
Jun 21, 2021
Throughout the trade show and related industries, new mergers and acquisitions are being established as organizations position themselves for future growth and success. Take a look at two major deals that happened earlier this month:
National Restaurant Association and Winsight
On June 1, the National Restaurant Association announced that it has taken a majority stake in Chicago-based Winsight Holdings, LLC, a media, events and information company that connects the restaurant, foodservice, convenience retailing and grocery industries through an extensive portfolio of research, events and… more
Jun 21, 2021
More than 1,200 event professionals gathered at MPI’s World Education Congress at CAESARS FORUM last week, the largest in-person industry event so far this year. While attendance was about half of pre-pandemic levels, the large showing is another shot in the arm for an industry recovering from essentially a lost year of business.
A hybrid event, WEC placed an emphasis on safety in bringing together 1,229 people in Las Vegas and attracted another 568 remote attendees. Content reflected the state of the industry, pointing toward ways to hold events responsibly while confronting social issues… more
Jun 18, 2021
If you are looking for a pioneer in event technology, it’s hard to beat Anil Punyapu. The senior vice president of sales at Cvent has been with the event registration and software giant since 2003 – or more than three-quarters of its impressive lifespan. Virtual events are nothing new to Punyapu and Cvent, though no one could quite predict what 2020 would bring to the world and events industry.
With more than a year under our belts, and the worst of the pandemic seemingly over in this country, Punyapu is looking ahead to a future in which technology and meetings are more integrated. “We… more
Jun 17, 2021
Business travel appears to be still stuck in quarantine as Americans begin returning to pre-pandemic levels for vacations and road trips. If this trend continues, meetings and events may not see a full recovery from COVID-19 until 2023 or 2024.
Trying to jumpstart a sluggish re-awakening, the U.S. Travel Association issued bleak warnings about the impact that weakened business travel could have on the whole country. As part of the “Let’s Meet There” campaign, USTA has partnered with Ohio State University to develop what they hope to be universal standards for meeting safely.
The lack of… more
Jun 16, 2021
The city of Detroit is about to become the launchpad for a host of new B2B and B2C events. The June 7 announcement follows the formation of a new partnership between New York-based MAD Event Management and Messe Düsseldorf North America, which plans to launch and incubate new conferences and shows in the Motor City with the support and under the guidance of the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau leadership.
The partnership plans to start with several yet-to-be-announced conferences and a large-scale consumer show, with MAD handling all the sales and marketing and MDNA in charge… more
Jun 16, 2021
Mohawk Flooring made the daring decision during the height of the pandemic that the show must go on. Half a year later, the aptly named Momentum Road Show wraps up at The International Surface Event (aka SURFACES) at Mandalay Bay Convention Center, June 16-18, in a fully opened Las Vegas.
The traveling showrooms, each about 20,000 square feet, made four stops – Dallas (Jan. 25-27), Atlanta (Feb. 1-3), Indianapolis (Feb. 9-11) and Huntington Beach, Calif. (March 2-4) – in what was essentially one giant product launch.
With the ongoing housing renovation boom, there simply was not time to… more
Jun 15, 2021
World of Concrete, which took place June 8-10 in Las Vegas, signaled the return of major trade shows in the United States. With banners flying over telescope cranes, power tools roaring through cement and attendees shaking hands and sometimes hugging, the event not only felt like a reunion but also a solid foundation for the return to business.
The show kicked off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Las Vegas Convention Center’s $1 billion West Hall and the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop, the underground tunnel developed by Elon Musks’ The Boring Company that shuttles attendees across… more
Jun 15, 2021
Ask event teams about their high-priority KPIs and good audience engagement is sure to feature in the list. But keeping the audiences engaged in a virtual setup can be hard. Great event teams do a few common things to up their audience engagement game. Here are five of those tips for your next virtual event.
Create an engagement-first agenda: You get the audience engagement you plan for. So, start with creating an agenda that is conducive to driving audience participation. Plan for activities that need audiences to get involved during the event, and not just sit back and listen. Schedule… more
Jun 14, 2021
Michael Duck, executive vice president for commercial development at Informa Markets and Informa Group, is the president-elect for UFI, the global association for the exhibitions industry. The role, spanning 2022-2023, will become official at the conclusion of the 88th UFI Global Congress, set for Nov. 3-6, 2021 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
As incoming president, Michael Duck will work closely with the president and outgoing president as part of the trio managing UFI at the highest level. The group’s primary mission is to help UFI to continue to connect, support and promote the exhibition… more
Partner Voices
MGM Resorts is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse culture, not just among employees and guests but also within its supply chain. The company prioritizes procuring goods and services from businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans, people with disabilities, LGBTQ individuals and those facing economic disadvantages. This commitment is integral to MGM Resorts' global procurement strategy.
Through its voluntary supplier diversity program, MGM Resorts actively identifies and connects certified diverse-owned suppliers to opportunities within its supply chain. The company is on track to spend at least 15% of its biddable procurement with diverse-owned businesses by 2025, demonstrating that supplier diversity is not only a social responsibility but also a strategic business imperative.
Supplier diversity isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s good for business. A diverse supply chain allows access to a broader range of perspectives and experience, helping to drive innovation, entrepreneurship and resilience, while strengthening communities. At MGM Resorts, engaging diverse suppliers ensures best-in-class experiences for guests and clients. Supplier diversity ensures a more resilient supply chain while supporting economic development in the communities in which it operates.
The impact of MGM Resorts' supplier diversity initiatives is significant. In 2023, these efforts supported over 3,500 jobs across more than 30 states, contributed over $214 million in income for diverse-owned businesses and generated more than $62 million in tax revenue. The story extends beyond the numbers – it reflects the tangible benefits brought to small and diverse-owned businesses, fostering economic empowerment in their communities.
MGM Resorts also supports the development and business skills of diverse-owned businesses through investment, mentorship and education. Through the MGM Resorts Supplier Diversity Mentorship Program, the company identifies, mentors and develops diverse-owned businesses to fill its future pipeline, while providing businesses with tools and resources to empower and uplift. Since 2017, the program has successfully graduated 105 diverse-owned businesses and is on track to achieve its goal of 150 graduates by 2025.
MGM Resorts’ commitment to supplier diversity not only enhances its business operations but also plays a crucial role in uplifting communities and fostering economic development. This approach reinforces the idea that diversity is a powerful driver of innovation and resilience, benefiting both the company and the wider community.