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In some respect, the pandemic allowed the islands of Hawai'i to heal, as mass tourism came to a halt. The break only solidified the realization—long held by many Native Hawai'ians—that it is paramount for the unique culture of the islands to be understood, and respected, by visitors. John G. Reyes, senior vice president and chief MCI sales officer for Meet Hawai‘i, shares how Hawai'i's tourism community has come together to honor the true spirit of aloha, and communicate the responsibility for visitors to give back to a people and culture that has given so much of itself in welcoming them. From incorporating indigenous cultural programming and activities to unique excursions and CSR that honors the native culture, Hawai'i is sharing a deeper understanding of itself with the world.

While millions know Coyote Peterson as the guy who gets stung and bitten by just about every animal under the sun in his YouTube hit Brave Wilderness–where his videos have been viewed more than 4.3 billion times worldwide–he's also a fan of his adopted hometown of Columbus, Ohio, headquarters of his media company. After meeting him during a familiarization trip to Columbus before PCMA Convening Leaders 2023, Meetings Today touched base with Peterson to record a podcast about why Columbus holds such a special place in his heart, as well as more details about his globetrotting derring-do. After traveling the planet for the past decade to get up close and personal with often misunderstood animals in extreme environments, this Emmy Award-winning hunkers down in Columbus, which has become a center of innovation and entrepreneurship stemming from The Ohio State University (where Peterson is an alumni) and many Fortune 500 companies.

Major travel and meetings industry sustainability efforts such as the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative are a top priority in Europe, where the meetings industry is organizing to adopt stricter sustainability standards before governing bodies step in to enforce regulations. The sense of urgency seems to be a great deal less in North America, however. Why is this, and how can travel and meetings industry professionals join the fight against climate change via self-regulation? Meetings Today interviewed James Rees, executive director, conference and events, ExCel London and former president of the International Congress and Convention Association, about the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative and other major sustainability efforts underway in Europe and North America. Having a wealth of experience on the major venue side, as well as leading a major industry association and holding top sales positions for Hilton Hotels, Rees can address the subject of sustainability from a variety of vantage points.

Denise Reid, new president of Event Service Professionals Association (ESPA), shares how event service professionals are often on the front line of ensuring destination DEI for meetings and events, as well as her plans for ramping up the association following the pandemic upheaval, and also favors listeners with an amazing rendition of Ave Maria! Aside from delivering memorable event service at the Hyatt Centric French Quarter in New Orleans, Reid, you see, is a classically trained mezzo-soprano who has performed with the Gulf Coast Opera Théâtre and the Keesler Air Force Base production of Handel's Messiah in Biloxi, Mississippi. She's also a member of Women@Hyatt, Hyatt B.L.A.C.K. Diversity Business and Resource Group and Loyola University New Orleans Alumni Association.

San Antonio, already the seventh-largest city in the U.S., is on a population and development boom that has seen the recent opening of 10 hotels and approximately 70 restaurants in the last two years, along with a $2.5 billion expansion of San Antonio International Airport that will include a new terminal and a resulting spike in air lift. Meetings Today checked in with Tyler Orwig, vice president of association and tradeshow sales for Visit San Antonio, to discover what's new in the meetings and events world and beyond in this always-popular Texas destination. Always a draw because of its epic history, San Antonio will make you remember it for much more than the Alamo.

Taylor Smith has a conversation with Greater Ontario Convention and Visitors Bureau Director of Sales Arlette Garibay about Ontario, California’s newest meetings and events offerings, as well as the benefits of working with the Greater Ontario CVB. This podcast was produced in partnership with the Greater Ontario CVB.

Speaker Andre Norman stirred the crowd at SITE Global Conference 2023 in Manhattan with a gritty story of determination and redemption that will lift anyone, no matter what background they came from. Norman relayed his incredible journey of being raised in poverty by a single mom with five brothers and sisters and serving 14 years in prison before turning his life around to become a Harvard Fellow and travel the world on a mission to help inmates and others suffering dire situations. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Norman to delve into his remarkable journey and discover how his message can move audiences to widen their beliefs on the possibilities of bettering our society by nurturing our young.

Since accepting a full-time position leading the sustainability efforts of one of the most influential meetings, events and incentives travel powerhouses in the world, Maritz Global Events, Rachel Riggs is in a key position to affect change as the hospitality industry comes under intense pressure to reduce its carbon footprint. We caught up with Rachel at SITE Global Conference 2023 in New York City to get her take on what could be considered an existential threat to the travel industry, reducing its carbon footprint voluntarily before governments enforce mandates. Learn what green initiatives Maritz Global Events is embarking on as well as tips planners of all events and incentive travel programs can tap to make their own efforts more sustainable.

Association meetings veteran Willis Turner shares how the new AI technology ChatGPT will revolutionize the meetings and events industry. Is your job safe? Depends on how fast you adapt. Turner recently published The Power of ChatGPT: How to Put ChatGPT to Work for You, available on Amazon and via his website, www.oldclayburn.com, and also is the founder of Virtual Memorial Gatherings, which stepped in to fill the critical need for virtual funerals during the pandemic lockdown.

From the mammoth stage production facilities at Rock Lititz, where top acts such as Taylor Swift, Billy Joel, Rihanna and Justin Bieber tighten up their stage show before tours, to excellent teambuilding opportunities and the simple pleasures of the Amish way of life, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, offers up surprising lures for meetings groups. Discover Lancaster President & CEO Edward Harris shares some of these "secret" offerings, such as wineries, breweries, ziplining and hot-air ballooning, as well as the destination's GBAC-accredited convention center and his experience joining and then leading the DMO through the pandemic.

The Reno Tahoe area of northern Nevada is easy to get to, easy to navigate once you're on the ground, and is easy to love for meetings and events. Thanks to an economic boom, new and refreshed venues, and a plethora of outdoor activities, Reno Tahoe is catching the attention of people around the country to work, live and play there. Just what can this fast-growing destination do for your next meeting or event? In this episode, Senior Content Director Danielle LeBreck chats with Mike Larragueta, vice president of sales for the Reno-Sparks Convention & Visitors Authority to learn more. This podcast was produced in partnership with Reno Tahoe

In the run-up to his keynote address at Event Service Professionals Association’s 2023 annual conference, meetings industry leader and DEI champion Elliott L. Ferguson II, president and CEO of Destination DC, explains why DMOs and event service professionals are key partners in ensuring meetings and events are living up to their promises of delivering diversity, equity and inclusion at their events, in experiences but also in including minority vendors in the economic benefits. From offering offsite events and experiences that include local culture that may have been previously overlooked to tapping LGBTQ+ and BIPOC vendors to provide key event services, DMOs and event service professionals are the frontline resources that can ensure inclusion in a meaningful, and equitable, way.

PCMA Convening Leaders held its 2023 edition in Columbus, Ohio, a destination that unveiled many surprises to attendees who enjoyed its booming restaurant scene, thriving arts and entertainment districts and the many facets of the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Did you know that Columbus is the largest city in Ohio and the 14th largest in the U.S., and is home to a diverse population that includes one of the largest LGBTQ+ populations per capita in the nation? It's also considered the fourth largest center of design in the U.S. and the headquarters city of a number of major Fortune 500 companies. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Experience Columbus President & CEO Brian Ross to get his impressions on major new developments in the destinations, Experience Columbus initiatives and what the impact of PCMA Convening Leaders will be on Ohio's capital city.

What's new and coming online in the perennial popular Central Florida destination of Orlando? From major new hotel and attractions openings and renovations to group activity options, and the hugely anticipated Brightline high-speed rail line connecting Orlando and Miami, there's a wealth of updates to share. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Casandra Matej, president and CEO of Visit Orlando, to discover what's in store for meetings and conventions groups in 2023. 

Perhaps the biggest news at PCMA Convening Leaders 2023 was the association's acquisition of Event Leadership Institute, a major player in the meetings and conventions education space. ELI founder Howard Givner, now senior vice president of knowledge and innovation for PCMA, sits down with Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson to discuss the details of the acquisition, the mutual benefits PCMA and ELI members will receive, and what he sees as the future of education in the meetings and conventions industry.

How is the meetings and events faring as the worst of the pandemic seems to be in the past, and where are we headed as new headwinds confront the industry? Maritz Holdings and Maritz Group President & CEO David Peckinpaugh shares his insight as the leader of the global MICE powerhouse. Also: What's new inside Maritz, from DEI and sustainability to its leadership role in fighting human trafficking in the hospitality industry. Meetings Today caught up with Peckinpaugh at PCMA Convening Leaders in Columbus, Ohio, to get the skinny from one of the top leaders in the global MICE industry.

Sun, fun and a convention district seemingly made for meetings make San Diego a popular destination for business events, but the San Diego Tourism Authority (SDTA) believes brainpower—such as its emerging biotech industry—needs to be added to that list. We sat down with the SDTA’s Kavin Schieferdecker to explore this SoCal standout’s new promotional message for the meetings and events industry.

VisitScotland Business Events launched an ambitious Journey to Change initiative in 2021 that aims to showcase how business events in the country can drive social and economic transformation. Most of Western Europe seems to be following the same path, especially in terms of sustainability. Meanwhile, while the U.S. meetings and events industry actively sings the praises of issues such as sustainability and the impact business events have on the environment, the message doesn't seem to be translating into actual practices and government regulations like it does across the Atlantic. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with VisitScotland's Neil Brownlee at IMEX America to explore the country's ambitious initiative, as well as meetings and events trends, facility information and the benefits of bringing meetings to Scotland. 

Have a need for a turnkey conference solution in the Big Apple, with a little touch of English elegance? Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson sat down with Fiona Macpherson, vice president of business development and sales for etc.venues, a 30-year-old, U.K.-based non-residential conference center operator that just opened a third location in Manhattan. Discover what this London-based urban conference center option—which in 2019 hosted nearly 1 million delegates—brings to the U.S. market, being known for its interior design, F&B, technology and, being from England—a stellar tea selection, of course!

Lauren Grady, director of global event center of excellence at Bizzabo, discusses the state of in-person events in relation to data collected by Bizzabo this year, including how, looking ahead to 2023, 85% of event organizers plan to host at least three in-person events next year.