The good news is that 2022 has been a productive year for the meeting and event planning industry. We have seen a resurgence of activity for meetings, events and incentives. We need this resurrection so that planners can start to feel productive and confident again. We need it because it means that corporate businesses are starting to consider live meeting opportunities. We need it because suppliers are becoming very active again with RFPs for 2022 and beyond. Overall, we…
The past two years have brought immense change to the world. All industries and people have had to adapt to the changing economic, political, and social climate as a result of COVID-19. Many of these changes have drawn attention to the value of technology and the opportunities that it presents for people to connect going forward. It may seem like we’re on the other side of the pandemic, but we’re not yet in the clear. At the same time,…
What the COVID-19 pandemic has taught event industry professionals, is that time may no longer be our number one resource. Prior to the pandemic, most would argue that without enough time a successful event could not be researched, planned, executed and its success and return on investment adequately evaluated. However, the current labour shortage that was left in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, has given us a rude awakening that recovery for many hospitality and tourism businesses is…
The federal government has announced more than $18 million in funding to help the Kelowna International Airport recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to support continued air services and important transportation infrastructure projects at the airport. To help ensure safe airport operations for aircraft, passengers and crew, the airport will receive more than $15.2 million from Transport Canada’s Airport Critical Infrastructure Program to support: the expansion of the airport’s combined operations building; the replacement of sections of the terminal building roof; upgrades…
It’s now been 20 months that the meetings and events industry has struggled to survive through the COVID-19 pandemic. We have become experts in force majeure clauses, postponements, and contract cancellations. Businesses at all levels within the sector’s supply chain have navigated a new world of lobbying for support, applying for government subsidies, scaling back to skeleton teams, furloughing staff, terminating leases, selling off assets and closing offices. Some have found new ways of doing business by shifting to…
Many were hopeful that 2021 would be the year for getting back to travel and back to business. But the road to recovery for business travel wasn’t exactly a straight line this year. There were a lot of hurdles to clear – pandemic surges, the emergence of variants, vaccine uptake, government restrictions and border closings were just a few of the obstacles. But as we look toward 2022, there is optimism for more accelerated recovery ahead. While more of…
The Meetings Mean Business Coalition (MMBC) and the U.S. Travel Association have announced the full integration of the coalition under the U.S. Travel umbrella. By integrating with U.S. Travel, MMBC will benefit more directly from U.S. Travel’s robust public affairs resources and advocacy network while providing greater value to coalition members as the business travel and professional meetings and events industries rebuild from steep pandemic-related losses. “Since its founding, the Meetings Mean Business Coalition and the U.S. Travel Association have been…
According to the Harvard Business Review, and the post-COVID CMO survey, social media marketing spending saw a 74 per cent lift in 2020. In addition, traditional marketing activity was projected to decline during the same time period. Digital marketing is becoming more of the budget focus for companies, and rightly so. With the pandemic, the importance of having a digital focus has come sharply into view for many organizations. These same companies are looking to expand their digital growth.…
The Vancouver Convention Centre has been selected as a 2022 Center of Excellence by EXHIBITOR Magazine, recognizing North America’s best convention centres for trade shows and events. This is the third consecutive year that the facility, owned and operated by B.C. Pavilion Corporation, has made the Centers of Excellence list. The Convention Centre was awarded based on evaluation in five categories of criteria: Facility & Functionality, Location & Accommodations, Service & Execution, Expansions & Upgrades, and Honors & Awards. The evaluation process also…
The pandemic has been devastating for many people and industries but none more devastated than the hospitality and events industry. The mission of the events industry is to create, manage, stage, and facilitate events all over the world. These events encompass hundreds to thousands of attendees at a meeting, special event or conference. How has event planning changed? It has changed in numerous ways and impacted the meetings and events industry globally. Let us look at some of the…
