Meetings Today

Planners: Get the Respect You Deserve!

In discussions among meeting and event planners on social media and face-to-face, there are things being said that have been repeated for as long as I’ve been in the meetings and hospitality industry, which is a very long time! We still believe that we do not receive the respect for the work we do. Is it up to us to do more to show our worth? Read on!

You’re Charging How Much?!: The Case for Smarter F&B Budgeting

Food and beverage (F&B) can make or break a meeting or event. And certainly, the complete absence of F&B can set in motion kvetching like you haven’t heard since the last time you managed a meeting without it. Just try to have a meeting break with no coffee! It's the cost and perception and reality of what goes into pricing that is driving a wedge in our industry. Let's attempt to understand more.

The Power of Reading Books: Life, Spirit and Knowledge Enhancement

In the Grant Snider illustration, “the beloved book,” we are shown the life cycle of a treasured book, perhaps like one of your own—from its yellowed dust jacket, to the inscription by a loved aunt; scribbles in the margins, frayed pages and cracked spine; the old book smell and perhaps a missing page but you still know it by heart and pass it along to another generation. I prefer print books—the touch and feel, the sense of holding words in my hands. The ability to pass along a beloved book to someone else to love and share then with others. It continues the cycle of learning and reading.

Hospitality Education Must Change to Include All Life Events

When planning life-cycle events, including end-of-life events, we need to learn to ask better, deeper questions that are not able to be answered with “yes” or “no.” We need to broaden what hospitality and meetings courses and programs teach to broaden the opportunities to support others in life events and to provide new opportunities for employment.

Why Reading Is Fundamental to Professional Success

I’m always finding new and interesting things to read and I truly believe it is an easy way to benefit your career and sharpen your mind—and maybe even unwind, depending on what you choose to read. Staying current on the news can certainly help you in your event planning. Though my preferred method of reading is in print, on paper, I do also read digitally. I know regardless of what and how you read, it will be of benefit.

Where Life, Death, Grief and Hospitality Connect

Now or next week, at a meeting or event where we are to network and enjoy ourselves—or perhaps in your office—someone, maybe you, are or will be grieving. Perhaps you have been asked, as I was, to help plan a life celebration for a co-worker or a friend or a family member. Because sometimes, just as we are asked to help plan joyous events, we are asked to help with end-of-life events.

Coastal CVBs Brace for Hurricane Dorian: What Planners Need to Know

What Hurricane-Impacted Planners Need to Do NOW

From Boardroom to Surfboard: Groups Get a Coastal Experience at the L’Auberge Del Mar

Rosen Hotels Offers Discounted Rates Ahead of Hurricane Dorian

Orlando’s Hot Dining Scene Is Helping Children in Need

Live! by Loews Hotel Opens in Arlington, Texas, Near Cowboys and Rangers Stadiums

Hilton Columbus Downtown Undergoes Expansion

JW Marriott Edmonton Launches in the City's ICE District

Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia Opens at Comcast Center

Convene Debuts in Washington, D.C.