From November 1-8, 2017, Santa Monica welcomed more than 7,500 global film leaders at the 27th annual American Film Market (AFM), the world’s largest motion picture business event. During the eight-day conference, producers, distributors, sales agents, directors and key members of the worldwide motion picture and television industry from 80 countries convened for screenings, deal-making, panels, networking and parties. More than 90 percent of the world’s films are financed, produced and/or distributed by AFM participants.

Local DMC Camelback Adventures had the pleasure of working with Robyn Abbey, owner of Chriselle Management Inc., planning and executing a program at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona, for her client’s Top Performers Club meeting.

Omni Hotels & Resorts launched a new meeting planner loyalty program modeled after its Omni Select Guest program, which awards amenities and tier levels for free stays for planner activity. The program was announced August 20, 2018 at ASAE’s Annual Meeting & Exposition in Chicago.

799 killed and 1,418 wounded in 250 incidents. These are the sobering statistics for multiple casualty events in the U.S. between 2000 and 2017, occurring at schools, workplaces, medical institutions, houses of worship and most certainly events, among other locations, according to data presented during the “A First Responders Guide to Handling Active Shooter and Terrorism Threats” educational session at ASAE’s Annual Meeting & Exposition.

Association management and services company SmithBucklin launched SmithBucklin AXP, a methodology and range of tools that aids its association clients’ conversations about priorities, progress and opportunities for improvement, according to the Chicago-based firm.

On Jan. 21, 2018, 1,500 college theater students from across the region descended on Greater Des Moines for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region 5. Celebrating its 50th year, participating students came from Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota for a wide range of professional development opportunities in all areas of theater.

Travelers at Washington, D.C.’s Reagan National Airport were plunged into darkness Wednesday, August 15, 2018, around 10 p.m., a situation that provides an opportunity for meeting planners to think about and assess their own risk management strategies for power outages. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said a Dominion Energy issue caused the outage, according to a report from Washington, D.C.’s NBC4.

Anchoring the theme on IMEX America’s Smart Monday will be Julius Solaris, speaker, author and editor of Event Manager Blog, delivering a keynote on “Legacy: The Power of Events.” “The theme is the impact of legacy,” Solaris said. “It’s elevating the whole event to a bigger purpose, a bigger impact. It’s about the greater good and making an impact—making change.”

Universal’s Aventura Hotel is now open. Universal Orlando Resort’s newest hotel adds an additional 600 rooms to the portfolio, bringing the total number of guest rooms at Universal Orlando Resort to 6,200.

Entering into its eighth year, IMEX America’s Smart Monday Powered by MPI delivers a full day of free education Oct. 15 available for registered IMEX America meeting planner attendees. The day focuses on the professional development that is critical for many planners to justify even getting out of the office to travel to Las Vegas to attend the Oct. 16-18 main event that focuses on buyer-supplier appointments. The two key MPI staffers who take a leading role conceptualizing Smart Monday are Lori Pugh, manager of global education and event production, and Jessie States, head of meeting innovation.