Taylor Smith serves as content manager, destinations for Meetings Today, where she leads coverage of global meetings destinations as well as the production of the biannual online magazine Incentives Today. She is also author of “The Z: Planning for the Industry’s Next Generation,” an award-winning column examining how Gen Z is influencing the future of meetings, events and workplace culture.
Recognized as one of Eventex’s 100 Most Influential People in the Events Industry (2024) and 50 Most Influential People in the U.S. & Canada (2025), Smith has quickly established herself as a leading voice on emerging generational shifts. In 2026, The Z earned a regional Azbee Award from the American Society of Business Publication Editors, with national honors pending.
In addition to her editorial work for the FOLIO: Eddies Award-winning magazine, Smith is co-host of Meetings Today’s Eventualists podcast, shedding light on the unspoken realities of a career in the events industry through authentic, raw conversations. She is also a frequent speaker, taking the stage at shows including IMEX America, MPI’s World Education Congress and SITE Global, and often appears on prominent industry podcasts and webinars.
Based just outside Chicago, Smith brings both professional insight and personal curiosity to her reporting, driven by a passion for the “people-people” nature of the meetings industry.
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. 
