8 Tips for More Inclusive Holiday Events
Today’s multi-ethnic, multi-generational workforce requires you to rethink the traditional Christmas party to make sure that everyone feels welcome.
All Topics
Accessibility & Inclusion
6 Ways to Help Attendees With Invisible Disabilities
Meetings can be a stressful setting for people with anxiety, depression, substance abuse issues, and other challenges. Here are ways to help these attendees get the most out of your meeting.
5 Tips for Accommodating Halal and Kosher Diets at Meetings
Planning ahead is the key to meeting attendees’ special dietary requirements, especially for kosher and halal meals.
Announcements
Top 7 AI Prompts to Try Before Attending Skift Meetings [AI] Innovation Lab at IMEX America
Get hands-on with these prompts before IMEX America and step into the Skift Meetings [AI] Innovation Lab, prepared to turn AI-driven insights into bold, high-impact events.
The Full Powerhouse Lineup at Skift Meetings Forum
The stage is set at Skift Meetings Forum, featuring speakers who shape the boldest ideas in the event world. From leadership to technology to creativity, every session delivers insights that matter.
4 AI Use Cases Every Event Planner Should Master
Master four AI use cases for planners that boost efficiency, creativity, and attendee engagement. See how using AI to plan events can future-proof your strategy.
Budgeting & Cost Savings
33 Cost-Cutting Tips from the Pros
Planners are searching for solutions to combat rising costs on F&B, transportation, labor, and other aspects of their events.
15 F&B Hacks Planners Can Use to Cut Costs
We went straight to the source, our meeting planner audience, for ways to shrink your F&B budget.
5 Ways to Cut Incentive Travel Costs Without Winners Knowing
Cost increases as a result of tariffs are hitting event budgets hard at a time when planners have already been navigating rising costs due to inflation. What can incentive planners do?
Careers & Personal Development
Seven Years Job Hunting: One Planner’s Tips for Staying Positive
Kim Thompson knows the value of resilience. It took her seven years to land her “dream job” at Kellogg — and through it all, she never lost hope.
One Association CEO on Elevating the Role of Planners
This association exec says planners are much more than just a final check — and often have the final say where meetings are concerned.
Build Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn: 6 Tips for Planners
Planners who put extra effort into LinkedIn, from carefully crafting their profiles to creatively showcasing their event prowess, will see the biggest return.
Contracts & Duty of Care
Planners’ Favorite Contract Clauses for Avoiding Surprise Costs
Contracts are a planner’s first line of defense against extra costs on everything from rates to F&B — and those annoying hidden fees.
10 Tips for Managing a Mental Health Crisis at Your Meeting
Meetings can be a danger zone for people with mental health challenges. Here are some steps you can take to be prepared — and to intervene if you need to.
Extreme Weather Means More Cancellations and Pricier Insurance. What Can Planners Do?
Planners need to sharpen their awareness of seasonality and avoid risky outdoor locations — that is, if they want to get their events insured.
Coronavirus
Planners Beware, Covid Cases on the Rise
A new Covid variant is sweeping across the United States. One industry professional raises the alarm after contracting the virus at a recent convention.
What E3’s Cancellation Means for the Meetings Industry
65,000 attendees, 4,000 jobs, and $88 million in revenue won't be coming to Los Angeles in June, with leading video-game-industry trade show E3 canceled for 2023. It was meant to be the first in-person show since 2019. However, major exhibitors were unwilling to commit. Will other events follow suit?
China Shutters Major Event 9 Hours Before Opening Due to Covid Outbreak
TCT Asia, a major trade show, was shut down by Shenzhen authorities nine hours before it was set to open due to Covid numbers in the city creeping up to 24. Navigating policies and enforcements like this is a challenge for show and event planners, but it’s a reality that’s here to stay.
Destinations
5 Ways Meeting in Ireland Balances the Best of Both Worlds
All too often, choosing a destination for incentive travel forces meeting planners to prioritize either a busy city or rural country, business or wellness, modern developments or rich cultural experiences. Here’s how planners get to have it all on the island of Ireland.
How Planners Are Maximizing Group Travel With Choice Hotels International
With rising costs and tighter budgets, Choice Hotels International offers smart solutions for planners to maximize their spend and enhance the guest experience. The company’s expansive portfolio includes over 7,500 properties across 22 brands, offering the breadth, flexibility, and support that today’s planners expect, regardless of the event’s budget or size.
Panama Bets on Free Convention Center Access and U.S. Tax Perks to Attract More Events
Despite significant infrastructure investment, Panama remains under the radar for meetings and conventions. A new incentive program combined with a U.S. tax advantage may give the country the competitive edge it has been seeking.
Diversity and Inclusion
Accessible Travel Conference Showcases True Inclusion
Accessibility is often treated as a compliance task. A recent conference demonstrates what it looks like when inclusion becomes the operating system, not an afterthought.
It’s Up to Women Leaders to Change the Story
Hannah DeMaio, vice president of Skift’s Women Leading Travel, says that women in our industry have made incredible strides — but some critical challenges still exist.
HR Conference Sparks Dialogue Across Divides
At a time when DEI is increasingly politicized, HR association SHRM’s live debate between ideological opposites demonstrates how conferences are the ideal platform for essential, and sometimes uncomfortable, dialogue that digital platforms cannot replicate.
Event Design
Dopamine-driven Event Design: When Is It Too Much?
The dopamine culture, built on short-burst stimulation and positive reinforcement, has infiltrated B2B events, especially trade shows. But has it gone too far?
These Planners Brought Unreasonable Hospitality to Life
Treating every interaction as an opportunity to make people feel seen and valued, a tenet of the bestselling book by Will Guidara, applies as much to meetings and incentives as it does to restaurants and hotels.
MCI Partner Event Puts Relationships Before Deals
One of the world's largest event businesses invited preferred hotel partners to meet with its top buyers. But rather than make the experience transactional, it banned sales pitches altogether.
Event Logistics & Operations
10 Ways to Prevent Event No-Shows
Building attendees’ commitment to your event and educating them on the implications of canceling feeds their “meeting-decline guilt” and can stop them from changing their plans.
What Planners Need to Know About Celiac Disease
Celiac disease is one of the most misunderstood “dietary restrictions.” It’s essential to advocate for your attendees with the condition the same way you would for those with other extreme allergies, such as peanuts or shellfish.
5 Reasons Off-Site Meetings Fail
According to organizational psychology expert Dr. Joe Allen, most off-sites regularly miss the mark. Here’s his advice on how to change that.
Event Management
No-Shows Create Stress, Wreak Havoc on Events
Planners grapple with the reasons why many attendees don’t honor their RSVPs — and try to keep it from happening again.
Why Investors Are Suddenly Bullish on Event Companies
Private equity firms and strategic buyers are eyeing the events industry, seeing growth, resilience, and human connection as strong investment drivers.
Building Bold Events from the Ground Up
Two female founders shared how outsider perspectives, community building, and entrepreneurial grit are key to building successful events.
Event Marketing & Promotion
6 Ways Planners Can Get Started on TikTok
TikTok is the social media platform of choice for showcasing events using video. But plan to spend some time familiarizing yourself with the site before jumping in, or users might pass right by.
5 Strategies for Marketing Events to a Younger Audience
Planners spend a lot of time and effort tailoring meeting content and delivery to younger attendees. Make sure your marketing efforts get the same level of attention.
Pop-Up Events: Do’s and Don’ts
Pop-up events might have started out as a trend but they’ve become an integral part of the marketing mix.
Event Technology
10 Instagram Strategies to Build Buzz Around Your Event
With some planning and creativity, planners can turn Instagram into a powerful marketing tool for events of all kinds.
5 Tech Tools Making Planners’ Lives Easier
There might be an initial learning curve, but planners say once they are up to speed, these technologies are not only improving their meetings but lightening their load.
7 Ways Next-Gen Attendees are Reshaping Event Tech
Planners need to rethink how they use technology in every aspect of their meetings, or they risk losing the attention of the biggest percentage of their attendees — Millennials and Gen Zers.
Ideas & Inspiration
6 Creative Ways to Thank Your Event Attendees
Attendees may travel thousands of miles and spend hundreds of dollars just to show up at your event. Finding a way to show appreciation for their attendance is not only required, it is expected. Yet, often we forget this very crucial element of planning successful events.
10 Strategies to Delight Attendees' Senses at Your Event
Adding thoughtful touches that stimulate the senses can transform an event experience.
Experiential Event Marketing on a Budget: Creative Wins that Work
Experiential marketing is often associated with jaw-dropping installations, celebrity appearances, and multimillion-dollar budgets. But what if you’re a mid-sized brand, a destination marketing team, or an independent event producer with a fraction of that funding?
Incentive Travel
The Great Rebalancing: Safe and Easy Incentive Destinations Prevail
There’s been a redrawing of the incentive travel map as companies wrestle with higher costs and shifting sentiments about international travel.
Thoughtful, Personalized, Strategic: Incentives With Impact
The IRF’s annual survey of top-performing companies was full of surprises, like the discovery that the perceived value of an incentive reward is more important than the cost.
Incentive Industry Research Points to Significant Impact from Trump Policies
The annual Incentive Travel Index, released this week at IMEX, reflects mounting concerns around rising costs and global instability, along with “shrinking optimism.”
Industry News
TED Conference Heads to San Diego in 2027, Ending 12-Year Vancouver Run
Vancouver’s loss is undeniably San Diego’s gain. After 12 years hosting TED, Vancouver will hand the baton to a city with a growing life sciences community and cross-border innovation that gives it room to grow.
Human Trafficking Awareness: There’s Still More Work to Be Done
As human trafficking advocacy leader Sandy Biback steps away from her role at MPAHT, the number of victims internationally is more than the entire population of her home country of Canada.
5 Deals in 24 Hours: What’s Behind the Surge in Events M&A?
A flurry of late-year dealmaking shows growing confidence in the events sector, even as geopolitical and economic uncertainty lingers. Investors see a fragmented industry ripe for consolidation.
Inspiration
Introducing the Skift Meetings Power Rankings
True power in events isn’t just about scale, it’s about who sets the agenda and dares to innovate. These 15 leaders are shaping the future of global events.
Skift Meetings’ Guide to Getting Around IMEX
Our unofficial guide to surviving — and thriving — at IMEX America.
Skift Meetings Forum 2025 Video: How Unexpected Moments and Places Elevate Attendee Experience
In this video from Skift Meetings Forum 2025, Alice Harrington-Caravello, managing vice president, sales and distribution at Marriott International, discusses how weaving in hidden gems and local culture can elevate attendee experiences and deepen event impact.
Meetings Innovators
Meetings Innovators: Elyse Dawson
This power user of AI feels that the next wave of innovation will come from making meetings more human.
Ruud Janssen Turns Complexity Into Clarity Through Collaborative Event Design
Ruud Janssen wants the tool he co-created to be so impactful it becomes anonymous, and synonyms with encoding great event design. He believes true innovation is about simplifying complexity and getting people to work together and urges all event designers to leave their ego at the door.
Meetings Innovators: Robyn Duda
Robyn Duda shows that innovation isn’t about flash. It’s about solving real needs. With RacquetX and her fresh approach to events, she demonstrates that true innovation comes from listening, iterating, and creating connections people didn’t know they needed.
On The Road
17 Must-Have Gadgets for Planners on the Go
These gadgets will make your travel to your meeting easier, and ensure that once you are on site, you’re ready for whatever comes up.
Expert Advice for Surviving Long-Haul Travel
The goal for meeting planners flying long-haul is to arrive fresh and ready to work. Who better to ask for advice on how to do that than fellow travelers and flight attendants?
Where Can On-the-Go Planners Find Healthy Airport Food?
Believe it or not, healthy food does exist when you’re traveling — you just need to know where to look.
People
Meetings Innovator: Anh Nguyen
When Anh Nguyen realized the events industry's "do-it-all-yourself" culture wasn't compatible with motherhood, she built a solution: a collaborative network of senior planners. But that's just one of her many innovative approaches to working in the meetings industry.
Mary Jo Blythe: Meetings Innovator
Forever changing the lives of front-line hospitality workers – one person at a time – is Mary Jo Blythe’s mission as founder of The Above and Beyond Foundation.
Megan Henshall: Meetings Innovator
Rehumanizing corporate life is the new mission of Google Xi. Its founder, Megan Henshall, is Skift Meeting's first-ever Meetings Innovator.
Skift Meetings Podcast
AI and the Human Touch
On this episode of the Skift Meetings Podcast, we delve into the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on the events industry while emphasizing the enduring importance of human connection.
Has Wellness Reached a Tipping Point?
With all the talk in the industry about integrating wellness into events, have meetings really become healthier?
IMEX America 2024 in Review: From Baseball to Pickleball, the Industry Is All-In on Personalized Experiences
In this episode of the Skift Meetings Podcast, we recap the record-breaking IMEX America 2024, diving into industry trends and the innovations shaping the future of events.
Sustainability
Inside Caesars Entertainment’s Push for Smarter, Greener Events
Many meeting professionals struggle to plan more sustainable events. Caesars Entertainment’s company-wide waste reduction initiatives, along with its comprehensive event tracking tools, help planners address these challenges and build effective sustainability strategies for greener meetings.
TED Unveils Data-Driven Approach to Event Sustainability as Accountability Rises
Growing scrutiny and increased expectations are forcing event organizers to go beyond token gestures and embed sustainability in every aspect of event design. TED has responded with a measurable, verifiable, and deeply integrated climate action plan.
Getting Better at Giving Back: How to Design a More Meaningful CSR Experience
Attendees want to do more than see an organization write a check. From repairing books for school children to harvesting pears in someone’s backyard, Portland sets the gold standard for what it means to incorporate a more meaningful CSR component into a meeting.
Technology
Encore Buys Eclipse to Boost UK Presence
Encore is using its new line of credit to expand internationally. With the acquisition of production company Eclipse, it expands its London footprint and gains a home advantage at some of the city’s top venues.
Event Tech & AI News Roundup: November 2025
AI continues to reshape event technology, with innovation now focused less on novelty and more on meaningful automation. The latest wave of launches points to a maturing ecosystem where smarter tools are becoming standard, not optional.
Blending AI With Human Insight for Strategic Gains
AI is everywhere in events, but the smart move is human-led. Use AI to automate the admin, not the judgment — and stay well clear of the creepy line.
Toolkit
7 Wellness-Themed Gifting Ideas
If you’re including wellness activities or activations in your event, why not extend that theme into your gifting experiences and room amenities?
Sustainable and Diversity Sourcing Take Meeting Impact to the Next Level
Sourcing decisions have the power to influence social change and lessen meetings’ impact on the environment. For an increasing number of planners, that’s a top priority.
4 Holistic Strategies to Make Events More Sustainable
The next phase of event sustainability looks beyond eco-friendly practices to consider impacts on the environment, local economies, and community well-being.
Trends & Insights
New Research Reveals Shifts in Trade Show Revenue Mix
Trade shows have long relied on floor space as their financial backbone, but that foundation is changing faster than most executives admit. A new framework provides a consistent way to quantify that change.
Attendees Want “Why,” Not “Wow,” Says New Report
Forget spectacle, today’s attendees are looking for connection, outcomes, and purpose. Freeman’s latest research exposes a widening gap between what event planners think audiences want, and what they actually desire.
Event Leaders Are Too Overwhelmed by Logistics to Innovate
A new report by ELX finds that a majority of leaders lack the time and budget to take their skills — and those of their teams — to the next level.
Venues
Inside Convene Hospitality Group’s New Multi-Brand Venue Strategy
Meeting planners are under pressure to deliver more impact with fewer resources. Convene Hospitality Group’s multi-brand model offers them a rare advantage: consistent service and design across distinct tiers, giving planners flexibility without the headache of juggling multiple partners.
How Meeting and Event Spaces Foster Employee Connection in Today’s Hybrid World
Planners can maximize interaction among office staff members by meeting in person and creating experiences outside of the office in unique venues. Learn how Convene has designed its venues to meet the demands of companies bringing together teams of remote workers.
How Historic Destinations Can Spur Innovation Among Meeting Planners
Budapest’s rich history and modern amenities make it an ideal location for planners, particularly for large conferences. Learn how to utilize the Hungarian capital’s culture to spark innovation at your next meeting.
Wellness
There’s a Need For Mental Health Training for Planners. Some Companies are Stepping Up.
Employers are getting proactive about the stress that event planners face in their daily jobs, and providing mental health training. Will industry associations be next?
Keeping Cool and Connected: Attendee Wellbeing Strategies for Summer Outdoor Events
Ensure attendee wellbeing at summer outdoor events with tips on heat, hydration, accessibility, and real-time engagement.
Inside a Wellness-First Approach to Meetings, Caesars-Style
Caesars Entertainment prioritizes wellness by making it part and parcel of successful modern event strategies. They even took the show on the road to demonstrate the difference their approach makes for wellness-minded (and wellness-challenged) event and meeting planners.
Women Leaders in Meetings
Allegra Roccato: How Surviving Cancer Taught Her to Lead with Clarity and Perspective
Allegra Roccato's leadership journey has been shaped by personal resilience and a deep commitment to inclusion. She is living proof of the value of empathy, trust, and creative problem-solving.
Women Leaders in Meetings: Morgan Crain
As head of global rewards & recognition at Rubrik and a long-time leader at the Incentive Research Foundation, Morgan Crain has learned that one of her strongest assets is her authenticity.
Women Leaders in Meetings: Marybeth Roberts
Marybeth Roberts was on the forefront of the strategic meetings management movement decades ago. Today she is as passionate as ever about innovating and driving cost efficiencies.