Sarah Soliman Daudin explains how meeting and event planners can build off the FOMO factor year-round.

How did America’s resurgent coastal playground perform in 2018? Kevin Ortzman, president of the Casino Association of New Jersey and regional president for Caesars Entertainment, deemed the summer season in particular “the best in recent years" for Atlantic City.

On Wednesday, December 12, 2018, one week after 7,500 hospitality workers at 24 hotels in Los Angeles and Orange County voted overwhelmingly to authorize strikes, 800 workers were set to celebrate the Catholic holiday, Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe with public actions in front of Southern California hotels: The Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, Los Angeles, Beverly Wilshire, Beverly Hills, Hilton Anaheim and Sheraton Park Hotel.

Two industry changemakers, Sarah Soliman Daudin and Courtney Stanley, have been appointed to co-chair Meeting Professionals International's (MPI's) 2019 Women’s Advisory Board, the first of its kind for the organization.

The latest craze is esports, with younger audiences especially turning out at purpose-built facilities to watch cyber warriors engage in electronic warfare. Esports Arena Las Vegas and Esports Stadium Arlington are two of the largest esports facilities in the U.S. that also look to draw meetings and events.

The American pastime is proving to be a fertile field for baseball stadiums—also known as baseball parks—that are courting meetings and events. In fact, many new ballparks that have been built in the last decade or so count on non-game revenue as a healthy portion of their revenue.

The death of an attendee at NeoCon 2018, held in Chicago’s theMART in June, recently sparked a wrongful death lawsuit against Merchandise Mart Properties, Hollander Design Group—the designer of an exhibit floor showroom swing—and The David Edward Company that operated the showroom.

What is it that you want your clients and prospects to remember about you? Which category, product, service or niche do you want them to associate you with? What is the positioning you want to have? How will your prospects and clients remember you? Clearly define your market position!

Meetings are big investments. At my company, Meeting Sites Resource, just one of the ways our budget and cost savings strategies add value to meetings and the bottom line is achieved by developing a negotiation plan for each event, an important part of Strategic Meetings Management (SMM).

Do you remember the moment when you were introduced to the meetings industry? How did you feel? I have been an entrepreneur and an independent planner for more than 20 years, and yes, to me every independent planner IS an entrepreneur. And we're facing similar challenges too!