by Meetings Mean Business, via MPIweb.org

Leaders from across the meeting and event industry are coming together to support the first annual North American Meetings Industry Day (NAMID) on Thursday, April 16, 2015. NAMID is intended to shine a light on the real impact meetings and events have on businesses, economies and communities. Meeting and event industry association chapters, corporations, destinations, partners and more are being encouraged to hold events in destinations all across the United States, Canada and Mexico to support this day of advocacy.

 READ MORE

By Hospitalitynet

In its third annual "State of the Meetings Industry" survey of more than 185 meeting planners nationwide, Destination Hotels sheds light on the recent trends affecting the planning and execution of meetings and events.

 READ MORE

A new study by the Incentive Research Foundation, Rebounding the Recession: The Future of Incentive Travel 2015, finds that incentive travel rewards are perfectly matched to the emerging needs of today's multi-generational workforce and corporate America's simultaneous move toward enterprise engagement. Following are the top 10 highlights from the study that discuss various drivers behind this conclusion:

As the meetings industry looks ahead to the rest of 2015, planners and suppliers alike are searching for answers to many big questions. Will budgets be bigger or smaller? How much lead time will an organization need to secure the right space for an event? What kind of challenges are impeding attendance growth?

With nearly 200 countries in the world, choosing your next destination is no small task. Luckily, some cities and countries are setting themselves apart in 2015 with brand-new service and developments, big birthdays, yearlong festivities and global events. Here's where it's at in the coming year. This coming year is going to be a fun one in Atlanta. With new transportation options, new attractions and new shopping destinations, the city is making itself irresistible to travelers looking for a free and novel getaway.

Everything is looking up for the meetings industry in 2015, which is a mixed blessing for planners: Group demand is up, but so too are room rates and travel costs. That reliable old supply and demand thing. "The meeting industry overall appears to be very much 'back in business,'" said Issa Jouaneh, vice president and general manager, American Express Meetings & Events in the 2015 Global Meetings Forecast, which predicted that group hotel prices would rise by 4.6 percent, thanks in part to increasing group demand.