The Events Industry Council (EIC), the umbrella group representing more than 30 meetings and events industry organizations, appointed a new CEO. Amy Calvert, who currently works as senior vice president of convention sales and services for Visit Baltimore, was announced as the EIC’s new leader. Calvert replaces Karen Kotowski, who resigned from the EIC in January 2019 after 10 years leading the organization.

Meetings Today Senior Contributor Jeff Heilman does a deep dive on the Vegas food scene for groups with insider Donald Contursi, founder of award-winning Lip Smacking Foodie Tours. 

With a career firmly rooted in the food scene of Southern California, chef Octavio Sabado has an acute sense of culinary trends and which of them are here to stay. He gets to put this knowledge to good use as executive chef of the Westdrift Manhattan Beach. Sabado’s menu at the hotel’s signature eatery Jute Coastal Kitchen + Bar and the group banquets it serves, is filled with dishes that could be considered special dietary menus elsewhere.

Corporate Executive Chef Octavio Sabado, who is behind the menu at Westdrift Manhattan Beach’s Jute Coastal Kitchen + Bar, shared this recipe for a refreshing Spring Vegetable Salad with Lemon Chive Dressing.

Meet Jess Tyler, vice president of events for Marijuana Business Daily (MJBizDaily). She was hired to lead the company’s live-event effort, which includes three anchor programs: MJBizConNEXT, MJBizConINTL and MJBizCon. Meetings Today spoke with Tyler for more details on what goes into planning a large-scale marijuana industry event, including any special considerations.

Loews Chicago O’Hare Hotel completed its multimillion-dollar renovation. Included in the project is a newly revamped 53,000 square feet of meeting and event space as well as newly designed guest rooms. The property is located minutes from Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

Rosewood Hong Kong opened in the Victoria Dockside arts and design district on the shores of Victoria Harbour. The site is the former Holt’s Wharf, dating back to 1910, which was subsequently acquired and developed into New World Centre, a lifestyle magnet for the city in the 1980s. New World was the creation of Dr. Cheng Yu-tung and Dr. Henry Cheng, the grandfather and father (respectively) of Rosewood Hotel Group CEO, Sonia Cheng.

Joan Eisenstodt reached out to meeting planners and suppliers to find out what odd excuses, and other strangeness, they've heard from each other.

Utah’s beautiful landscapes will inspire groups during year-round, but the spring and summer months, which bring particularly gorgeous weather and lower room rates, are especially appealing to groups who’d like to include outdoor pursuits and travel to off-site events as part of the meeting itinerary.