Venue: Mandalay Bay Convention Centre, Las Vegas – NV, United States

The HD Expo is your resource for new products and services and most importantly your connection with the wider hospitality design community. Come and get inspired! The HD Expo features a show floor with more than 900 exhibitors covering an array of manufacturers and artisans of hospitality products and services. Information-packed, idea-generating conference sessions focusing 100% on hospitality design give attendees the latest and most pertinent issues facing our industry. With more networking events than ever before, the HD Expo is a must-attend event!

The HD Expo is the source for the newest and most inspiring hospitality products and services and most importantly your connection with the wider hospitality design community. With more than 7,000 attendees and 900 exhibitors, the HD Expo is the premier hospitality design-networking event that will help you stay on the forefront of the creative landscape. You’ll experience the best in the industry today, and what’s on the horizon.

The Center of Design and Innovation

Hospitality Design professionals know that their show is HD Expo, the epi-center for the latest and most innovative products and services for their changing needs.

• More than 900 exhibitors: Manufacturers and artisans from around the world gather together under one roof on one level offering their latest and best inventions and ideas.
• LU/CEU accredited, peer-based conference sessions and keynote speakers provide insight into trends and market forces that shape the hospitality industry.
• Invaluable networking events build and solidify relationships with trade leaders and fellow associates.

Don’t miss out on your BEST opportunity to connect and network with the most influential and exclusive group of hospitality owners, operators, and design professionals that dominate the market. Reserve your exhibit space NOW at the 2013 HD Expo!

• 91% of HD Expo attendees indicated that they would purchase from an HD exhibitor in the next 12 months.

• 97% of HD Expo attendees considered HD Expo the leading tradeshow in the Hospitality Design market.

The outstanding and established attendee base include leading hospitality design professionals involved with: Restaurants, Hotels, Spas, Casinos, Condominium-hotels, Senior living facilities, Nightclubs, Golf/Country Clubs, Vacation Ownership Venues, Cruise ships and Timeshares. This along with numerous fully accredited conferences, networking events and year-round marketing efforts, which include all forms of multi-media, make HD Expo an essential part of your business plan.

Source: http://www.hospitalitynet.org/event/global/154000327/3000768.html

Venue: Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre, Dubai, UAE

Future Bank Middle East is where the region’s banks come to create and reshape the future of retail banking operations.

Monumental change in consumer behaviour is spinning retail banking into redesign.  This shift in the way customers access, consume and manage banking services, coupled with technological innovation, is daring retail banks to ditch the traditional and refresh the banking experience.

With the pressure mounting, we’ve put together an event that is so unique in both format and content, it will inspire, innovate and educate banks to go back to the drawing board and re-invent the retail banking experience.

Reasons to attend the Event:

1. Innovate bank operations to design and deliver impactful customer experiences
2. Move millions to mobile banking to meet the rising expectations of GenM
3. Master data mining and make big data a big asset in your business
4. Cash in on disruptive payments to turn transactions into an experience
5. Conquer the 3 Vs of the big data frontier – Volume, Variety, Velocity
6. Re-engineer compliance processes to keep up with an increasingly digital environment
7. Explore creative interface design and usability to propel digital banking uptake
8. Find out whether you can continue to bank on the branch by investing in smart in-store technology

Hear from the innovators that are re-designing the retail banking experience including:

• Citibank Singapore
• MasterCard
• Ubank
• Emirates NBD
• Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank
• Booz & Co.
• Mashreqbank
• Emirates NBD
• Qatar Islamic Bank
• Peppers & Rogers Group
• HSBC
• O2
• Barclays
• PayPal

Source: http://www.terrapinn.com/conference/future-bank-middle-east/?pk_campaign=Terr-Listing&pk_kwd=Telecoms+%26+Media

Venue: IESE Campus, Barcelona Spain

The 3rd IESE International Tourism Summit is again organized with the prestigious Cornell University School of Hotel Administration as its exclusive academic partner. The polarized economic growth between developed and emerging markets has uniquely affected the travel and tourism industry.

While the growing middle classes of the BRIC countries stimulate tourism and spending, traditional markets such as Europe and the US still remain affected by severe austerity measures, which serve to limit tourism growth.

The summit will analyze the driving forces and emerging trends in the travel, tourism and hospitality sectors, addressing key topics currently affecting the travel and tourism sector, such as:

• Competition in a crowded market
• The impact of new technologies and social media
• Sustainability challenges
• Finance and real estate

The summit will feature industry business leaders, academics, thought leaders and financiers. Given the industry’s importance as an engine for economic growth and employment, the gathering will also welcome industry regulators and policy makers

Source: http://www.hospitalitynet.org/event/global/154000327/3002946.html

But in the next 60 to 90 days, he plans to be doing a lot of traveling. And a lot of listening.

After setting up a residence near MPI headquarters in Texas, he plans to spend a few weeks listening to his employee base, hoping to understand what they’re working on and where they think MPI can be more effective.

Next on his agenda is listening to MPI’s membership and Board, getting to know and understand their concerns and where they see opportunities for the organization to grow.

“We have 20,000 members, and that’s a lot of people to listen to,” Van Deventer said in an exclusive interview with TravelMole.

“The core for me in the beginning is understanding what is top of mind for our members, spending time in the industry to get up to speed about what’s been happening and reengaging with the industry.”

That’s not to say that he doesn’t have a vision of his own, though.

Van Deventer said the meeting space is healthy in the US, more so throughout Asia and South America, and strong in Europe, and he sees a lot of opportunity to expand the industry’s presence and importance.

MPI is well positioned to be the voice and advocate for the meetings industry, as well as a great professional development and networking organization for the individuals who work in and support meetings.

“MPI’s vision today is to build a rich global industry community, and I think there’s a big role around advocacy and professional development,” he said.

What attracted him to the job from the very first discussions was the combination of the excitement of being back in the travel world, and working with MPI’s “passionate and engaged organization and community.”

The search committee, the employees, and a lot of former colleagues from travel all were consistently passionate and engaged, he said, and he came to share their belief in the industry and MPI’s vision for it.

There were two great levers in his decision: A great industry, and an organization that has an incredible brand, following, and community.

If he could ask anything of his new colleagues, Van Deventer said, “I want them to be comfortable, to provide me with open feedback.

“If you could, please reach out to me.”

Source: http://www.travelmole.com/news_feature.php?m_id=_r~As~Y!s~Y!&news_id=2006199

What Do You Want to Achieve?

Essential Guide to Organising an Event

Firstly set goals for your event and decide what you want to accomplish. Put yourself in the position of someone attending and visualise what you would like them to learn or feel from your event. From this you can then establish the theme and tone of the event.

If you’re getting married you may want your guests to feel at ease, so a more formal setting may be key. Or if you’re planning a festival you may want attendees to feel involved and excited. Consider these factors and this will help to underpin your event.

Budget

Establish a budget and stick to it. Consider the costs for venue hire, transportation costs, food, promotional materials etc. If you’re a charity how will the event be funded? Look to see if you can get sponsorship or donations to help fund the event.

Pick a Time and Place

Location and timing is key, as this can make or break your event. Choose a centralised location which is easily accessible. Make sure your site has enough parking for your attendants and good street access.

When choosing a location have a contingency plan – if you’re event is outdoors, what will happen if it rains? When choosing a date ensure it doesn’t coincide with a major sporting event, holiday or even a popular TV show so that your event has the best chance of getting maximum attendance.

Public Safety

Managing a public event requires you to ensure the safety of event organisers, volunteers, event staff and the public. In doing so public liability insurance is mandatory, as well as seeking legal advice as part of their risk management strategy. Public safety is a priority and it’s important to establish a place of assembly if there was a fire or emergency.

Exits need to be clearly marked and provided on a site plan for the day. Depending on the event, different types of security will be required. Festivals, concerts, corporate or V.I.P events will require different ranges of security whether this is police, private uniformed security or peer security.

Promote Your Event

Your event will only have attendees if it’s publicised. Invite people to your event at least 2 weeks before it’s due to commence and send out reminders. Use word of mouth, emails, and social media platforms such as Meetup.

Contact local radio stations, create leaflets or try and get a local celebrity involved to help raise awareness. Send out a press release about your event detailing – what the event is, what it’s for, when and where it’s happening and contact details.

If you’re organising a local event – community noticeboards and a community launch would be ideal.

Source: http://www.eventchecklist.net/essential-guide-to-organising-event/?goback=.gde_2222641_member_235976201

If you’re hyper-focused on filling trade show aisles with warm bodies, you’re in serious trouble, and brace yourself, things will only get more difficult. Technology is punching lots of holes in your questionable value proposition. Warm bodies at $33 per net square foot won’t fly for too much longer.

Thanks to Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Near Field Communication (NFC) and the fact that nearly every warm body is toting a smartphone or tablet, exhibitors and sponsors are getting smarter. They’re gathering (and sometimes even requesting) data intelligence about exactly who’s walking your trade show floor.

If the data they collect doesn’t sync up with those fancy pie charts in your exhibitor prospectus, you can expect to hear from a few and you’re going to need a stronger comeback line than traffic density. Many more disenchanted exhibitors will go silent. Some will head elsewhere.

There are still a few fishbowl/business-card collecting veterans snatching up 10x10s, but don’t bet your 401K on that revenue stream. That breed’s thinning out and in danger of extinction within a decade – maybe sooner.

But wait – there’s one more reality you need to hear. You might want to sit down for this one. Your trade show was once the only game in town. It was the premier event where buyers and sellers would meet, greet, cavort and do business. Now, with the web at full roar, these buyers and sellers are finding each other a little more easily. Introductions by you aren’t so necessary. And yes, as millennials move up in the ranks, this picture will grow dimmer.

Whew – okay, now that we have all the nightmarish stuff out on the table, it’s time to look at the flipside.

Silver Linings and New Roads To Conference & Trade Show Prosperity

Yes, you heard that right. There are plenty of silver linings and new roads to prosperity emerging all around us:

All this digital connecting is actually driving a resurgence in face-to-face meetings, but they need to be designed for high-speed interaction, connectivity and innovation.

C-Suite executives crave more innovation and breakthrough ideas. A well-designed conference and expo is poised to deliver on that critical need. [Operative words being well designed. No more one-way presentations and controlled flocks moving from one room or expo hall to the next.]

Technology is actually providing planners with incredible tools to design richer and more engaging events — and more efficiently, too. It’s also helping planners to connect the discoveries at the meeting with the business results that follow.

Mobile apps are connection accelerators, helping attendees, exhibitors and sponsors to meet the RIGHT people at your event. [Please tell me you have a mobile app or you're working on it. Download Mobile App Playbook guide to increase mobile event app adoption that will help you deliver high yield experiences.]

More planners are creating learning lounges, labs and theaters right on the expo floor and, when designed well, attendees, exhibitors and sponsors are loving them.  Exhibitors are jumping into the education game and finally realizing that helping buyers get smarter (rather than peddling products) fills the sales pipeline faster.

Technology has also helped us improve how we market these conferences and expos. We can zero in more precisely on specific segments, titles and individuals our exhibitors most want to meet. Even better, we can extend the experience well beyond the final day of the trade show.

Now that hybrid events have advanced to the next stage, planners are finally realizing that opening up sessions to remote audiences won’t cannibalize their core audience. If anything, it makes the folks dialing in wish they were there.

The future is NOW and your best road to expo prosperity is just waiting to be explored. Go make it happen!

Source: http://blog.cvent.com/blog/meeting-planning-innovation/traffic-density-is-the-wrong-road-to-trade-show-prosperity?r_cid=70100000000NEJOAA4

Overall, combined key opportunities relative to the meeting planners who recently hosted events within the luxury hotel segment include the following areas, which if performance growth could be obtained could result in an increase in meeting planner satisfaction and loyalty:

1. Knowledgeable and helpful staff

2. Overall friendliness of staff members, before and during the meetings

3. The management and planning of the event

The key opportunities for association event planners, and the attributes that hotels wishing to target the association market segment for growth include:

1. A flexible approach to event management and planning

2. A friendly, knowledgeable and helpful staff, before and during the meetings

3. Contact in plenty of time to plan the meeting successfully

To improve satisfaction and loyalty ratings amongst the planners hosting corporate meetings and events, luxury hotel operators should be aware of the following key opportunities:

1. Staff overall knowledge and ability to help, before and during the meetings

2. Food and beverage service during the event

3. Quality of the food and beverage

Hoteliers in the Luxury market wishing to better understand and improve performance within the SMERF segment should be aware of the following key opportunities:

1. Excellent follow through with requests during planning of the event

2. Overall knowledge, ability to help before and during the event

3. A flexible approach to event management and planning

By focusing on what is most critical to meeting planners’ satisfaction and intent to return, by market segment, hotels can better target markets where they excel, while increasing return business and referrals.

Source: http://www.hotelsmag.com/Industry/News/Details/41489

Conducted in partnership with the Exhibit & Event Marketers Association (E2MA), the survey of more than 260 brand marketers found that events were still the No. 1 marketing channel, but search, direct/email, and Web-based marketing were each nipping at the heels of the events channel. The study, “Customer Attainment From Event Engagement,” released today, warns that events have been lagging and will soon fall behind unless they are more rigorously conducted. There is a particular need for enhanced metrics.

“We asked CMOs what they would like to see,” said Liz Miller, vice president of marketing programs and thought leadership for the CMO Council, in an interview with CMO.com. “Marketers are looking for new, improved measurement and how to extract value from it.”

Not surprisingly, the survey’s respondents said they want better metrics to help them develop new referrals and introductions. That category scored 71 percent among the marketers taking the survey. Other metrics most desired by the CMOs were quality and quantity of leads, 66 percent; deal closure, 52 percent; value of sales, 51 percent; and upsell or cross-sell transactions, 38 percent.

While noting that events continue to offer “tremendous value,” Miller said forward-thinking CMOs should be asking for more details. “CMOs want to know more about an individual’s engagement,” she said.

For trade shows, for instance, data should be developed on how much time a potential customer spends at an exhibiter’s booth and not just that the customer visited the booth. Did the customer follow up later by logging onto the exhibitor’s social network? CMOs indicated they want improved, trackable self-check-in technologies as well as RFID-tagged badges and QR codes for conference content. Also high on their list of desires are personal technologies tailored exclusively for attendees’ devices, such as iPads and tablets.

But, the CMO Council asked rhetorically, “While events are still number one for marketers, the real question is: for how long?”

Not for long, Miller said, unless marketers adopt more advanced measurement technologies and then act on them.

The CMOs surveyed were nearly unanimous in their opinion that trade shows offered the most effective way to brand and generate demand. Miller cited research from Exhibit Surveys that has found 81 percent of show attendees are enabled to make purchase decisions, and nearly half made a purchase within 12 months of the event.

However, if marketers look over their shoulders, CMOs will see other marketing channels gaining on their events channel as the most effective way to brand and generate demand. Search, direct/email marketing, and Web-based marketing are in a statistical tie–at 44 percent each–with events’ 45 percent figure for the lead in branding, according to the study.

In another finding, the survey discovered that marketers believe that their events channel delivers the best return for local campaign marketing; they found that local events are effective for connecting customers at local levels with national brands.

One obvious solution would be to beef up analytics tools to go hand-in-hand with improved metrics tools; the goal is to extract more useful analytics from each event engagement. The measures suggested by survey respondents call for improved strategy, planning, and outcomes, suggested by 35 percent of the respondents; data collection, 32 percent; taking advantage of speaking opportunities, 31 percent; and post-event reporting and analytics, 30 percent.

“There are a lot of great [technology] tools that can provide a single view,” said Miller, who observed that many new business intelligence tools and platforms have been recently unveiled. “It’s important for marketers and [event] organizers to come to the table with clear-cut strategies at the start before the event begins.”

After the two sides have agreed on a strategy, marketers can be more confident in asking organizers what they can provide. As an example, she said marketers and CMOs can develop a dashboard with a single point of easy reference.

“What this study demonstrates is that marketers’ attention is shifting,” Miller said. “Now is the time to begin moving down this road of defining and tracking the value of event and experiential marketing.”

The CMO Council and E2MA sought to balance interviews with brand managers by also interviewing senior brand marketers and experts in the event and trade show industry.

Jim Wurm, executive director of E2MA, endorsed the findings in the study and noted that the whole idea of helping marketers work better with event organizers will be the subject of a joint CMO Council-E2MA symposium in Chicago in July.

Source: http://www.cmo.com/content/cmo-com/home/articles/2013/4/23/trade_shows_days_cou.html?goback=.gde_2222641_member_235935275

You may recall that these were the volunteers who were always available to assist, welcome and represent the Games in any way that was needed. They wore uniforms, were easily recognized, sang, made records, danced and, in short, did everything to make the customer’s day and satisfy every need.

They were also recruited, trained well and managed effectively. So successful was the concept that the name was protected by patent. Emerging Olympic Games are reviewing the same strategy but are not, as a matter of course, allowed the usage of the name. Quite a testimony in itself to the concept.

The more interesting aspect to their role is that they were entirely focused on the customer and customer service. They were not a control function, security, administrators or technicians.

They were, however, marketing folk, as the U.K. Olympics will remain in global memory as “The Greatest Show on Earth” for many years to come. That is even more of an achievement since many doubted such success before the event.

The point in writing about this is to consider if we should have such dedicated roles and focus in the hospitality business. Some of us may think it is the task of all front-line staff.

There is a strong argument that in a service business that is becoming more and more competitive, highly priced and needing to add value — rather than discount — delivering the appropriate level of service is worthy of an Olympic focus.

We think there is a strong case for creating the role of “Stay Makers” in hotels and ensuring they are empowered and trained to think like a customer and make sure every need is satisfied. Clearly for anyone who identifies with the concept there is room for much discussion as to the what and the how.

Source: http://www.hotelsmag.com/Industry/Blogs/Details/41053

Venue: Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Dubai

This year we have put together an event that will inspire, motivate and educate the innovators in the mobile industry. The Mobile Show Middle East will give you the biggest ideas in mobile to reshape and transform your business in 2013.

The Keynotes

Get inspired at this year’s keynotes conference where you will be fascinated by the masterminds of mobile creation. Keynote speakers will expose what’s new, what’s hot and what’s next in the mobile life.

The Conferences

With practicality in mind, these conferences are designed to ensure you leave with the knowhow and understanding to implement and improve your business through mobile.

The Exhibition

This is where the enabling technologies behind mobile innovation is showcased for you to evaluate, buy and ultimately improve your business. Don’t miss out on the abundance of opportunities, step away with new deals and enable business advantage by visiting the exhibition. It’s not just an exhibition, it’s an experience!

• Telecom Operators
• Advertising Agencies
• IT & CIO
• Healthcare Operator
• App Developer
• Consumer Brands
• Media Owners and Publishers

10 reasons to attend the event:

1. Discover how to put mobile at the epi-centre of an enterprise service portfolio
2. Smart devices – smarter advertising; thinking mobile first
3. Drive business productivity and employee engagement through enterprise mobility strategies
4. Meet your future project partners that will bring innovation to market
5. Redefine healthcare through mobile apps; put healthcare into people’s pockets
6. Discover the secrets of creating chart topping apps
7. Capitalise on the app explosion; engaging your customers the mobile way
8. Enable profitability through the power of mobile advertising and app monetisation
9. Redefine content distribution; making money on the mobile screen

10. Understand the secrets into the mobile banking revolution; apps to deliver mobile banking services to Gen-M

The event is your one-stop-shop, giving you everything you need to capitalize on the explosion of new mobile services.

Source http://www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/the-mobile-show/?pk_campaign=Terr-Listing&pk_kwd=Enterprise+Technology