President Joe Biden signed a bill Thursday designating Juneteenth, a day commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, a federal holiday. It marks the day when — as relayed in a story which author Clint Smith calls a “long-held myth” — a Union general stood on a balcony in Galveston, Texas, to publicly

Fifteen months into the pandemic, some event marketers are still struggling to achieve similar results from their digital events as their previous in-person versions, according to a study from videoconferencing company BlueJeans.

Convene checked in with two associations that produced digital events in 2020 to learn what they are doing differently this year. One leaned into interactive online opportunities for participants while the other went from complimentary registration to an “attainable” pricing model.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Exhibition & Convention Executives Forum (ECEF), but in many respects, ECEF 2021 — making its debut as a hybrid event — will feel entirely new. Produced by Lippman Connects, the in-person ECEF 21 will take place Nov. 3 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Arlington, Virginia, with

PCMA’s Rocky Mountain Chapter held a hybrid/hackathon event on Global Meetings Industry Day designed for participants to arrive at a way to engage chapter members dispersed over several states throughout the year, online and in person.

When the American Cheese Society Annual Conference meets digitally in July, the organization plans to reimagine its popular in-person sessions, such as ‘Meet the Cheesemaker,’ in a virtual format.

How PCMA’s Northern California Chapter brought its own creative playbook to a hybrid conference.

Digital events have their place and will remain an important part of our industry going forward. But it’s our face-to-face events that change the world.

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.

Charitable institutions have long benefited from the community-service efforts of organizations convening in their cities. What happens to those charities when face-to-face events don’t take place for more than a year?

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.