In the second half of 2020, many virtual conferences grew attendance, attracting global and non-member participants. Part of this growth — which improves reach and brand for organizers — can be attributed to significantly reduced registration pricing. 

Mental health and workplace experts say that while the lack of commute may feel like the silver lining to enforced working from home during the pandemic, our trips to and from the office have served an important role in our workday that we should try to replicate.

Your colleagues are on the move, find out who is going where.

Join Kitty Ratcliffe, President of Explore St. Louis for a virtual tour of the burgeoning and dynamic St. Louis convention package including a preview of the $175 million expansion and enhancement of the America’s Center Convention Complex. Attendees will learn about many of the new additions to St. Louis’ tourism line-up including the transformation beneath the iconic Gateway Arch, Ballpark Village at Busch Stadium, St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station as week as several new branded and boutique hotels. In addition, Kitty will highlight the health safety protocols in place to ensure a safe and enjoyable attendee experience.

With a vision and passion to embrace digital experience, Melissa Patruno became certified as a Digital Event Strategist in August. Upon completing the certification course, Patruno immediately implemented what she learned and produced a successful digital event. Hear Melissa on what she loved about the program.

To create a successful, engaging digital event, it helps to understand that they have as much in common with television broadcasts as in-person events.

Eager to be equipped with knowledge and skills to produce virtual events for her organization, Shira Gordon became certified as a Digital Event Strategist (DES) with full support from her employer, the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC). We recently checked in with Shira to hear how she’s been crafting engaging digital experiences with key learnings from the DES course, and her tips on getting employer buy-in on professional development.

One of the main challenges with planning virtual and hybrid events is good communication. On this webinar, we’ll explore how to identify patterns of misunderstanding, follow the path of least resistance, and give speakers and attendees enough information to keep them satisfied while still in the planning stages.

Destination marketing organizations are reinventing themselves in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, becoming disseminators of information, hybrid meeting experts, and stewards of the destination.

The American Society of Anesthesiologists decided to deemphasize the exhibit hall portion of its online annual meeting and create “engagement packages” for sponsors instead.