Leisure and hospitality industry struggles with 1.6 million unfilled job positions just as in-person events begin returning, creating another hurdle for business events recovery.

PCMA, Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau, Singapore Tourism Board, and UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, have jointly launched a white paper that provides a roadmap for the industry’s recovery.

‘Life’s Rewards,’ an eight-episode comedy program co-produced by the St. Petersburg/Clearwater DMO, gives the destination major screen time — and provides a case-study example of a new CVB business model spurred by the pandemic.

Perhaps we once took for granted the larger role that face-to-face events play in our society, but the past year has shown us that they are far more than economic engines. These case studies show how physical events have given fledgling industries a foot-hold and path to success.

Once considered a counter-culture movement, veganism is now embraced by a worldwide community and has become a multi-billion dollar industry — partly thanks to strategic business event planning.

Recognizing that in-person conversations would be important to the development of the digital financial system, Keynote CEO Moe Levin launched a 2013 event for 300 attendees, some who now are considered pioneers in cryptocurrency. In 2018, 6,000 attended The North American Bitcoin Conference.

The pivot to digital events has constricted many associations’ revenue streams. But the American Society of Hematology bucked that trend by developing a successful new model for sponsors for its virtual 2020 event and a pricing structure for all participants based on a metric that makes sense in an online environment: time.

An article in The New Yorker earlier this year clearly spelled out how conferences serve as the de-facto lens for ethical considerations of artificial intelligence (AI) applications.

How the Airbnb Open event, conceived as a ‘World’s Fair for Airbnb hosts,’ demonstrably accelerated the company’s growth.

Join Haute Dokimazo’s Liz Lathan and Nicole Osibodu as we break the virtual barrier and collaborate on a story crafting workshop using the Innovator’s Compass! Liz and Nicole are the lead contributors to The 7 Change Actions Module 5, Authenticity.

Signature Production Group, previously specializing in live events, leaned into the pandemic shutdown, investing in and expanding its business to include virtual and hybrid production.

Unemployment among meeting professionals ticked upward this spring, according to a survey conducted by Global DMC Partners, as the challenges around meeting during a pandemic continue to evolve.