Events, Tourism, Organisations & Operators,

Michael Massari, chief sales officer for Caesars Entertainment, Stephanie Glanzer, chief sales officer and senior vice president of MGM Resorts International, Chandra Allison, senior vice president of sales of The Venetian® Resort Las Vegas, Steve Blanner, executive vice president of hotel sales for Wynn Las Vegas and Encore, and Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA)
Meeting and convention industry leaders in Las Vegas gathered at the iconic “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign, symbolizing the resort community’s united commitment to moving business forward in honor of Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID).
Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) said: “Today we celebrate the many contributions that help Las Vegas maintain its position as the number one Trade Show destination. We have been honored to welcome our trade show organizers, exhibitors and attendees back to Las Vegas for valuable, in-person connections and we are grateful for their business and commitment to our destination.”
Conceived by the U.S. Travel Association, the premiere advocacy association for the travel industry, GMID showcases the impact of the meeting industry to the U.S. economy. According to the U.S. Travel Association, as a result of the pandemic, the U.S. saw a decline of $211 billion in business travel spending, $97 billion of which was due to the decline in meetings, conventions and trade shows. In-person meetings benefit attendees by fostering deeper connections, enhanced education and training opportunities and access to information through informal conversations.
“As co-chair of Meetings Mean Business, I encourage everyone to advocate for the industry,” said Michael Massari. “To bring business back to 2019 levels, we must continue to do what we do best – plan and execute extraordinary meetings and events. Over the last 12 months, Caesars Entertainment has proudly hosted many conferences at CAESARS FORUM, including PCMA Convening Leaders, Meeting Professionals International’s World Education Congress and Cvent Connect. We look forward to welcoming more meetings and conventions back to the destination.”
An estimated 2.2 million convention attendees were hosted in Las Vegas in 2021. In-person meetings and conventions returned to the destination in June 2021, reigniting the industry and showcasing confidence by tradeshow and meeting organizers that meetings can be held safely and efficiently. Sales teams throughout the destination have also been hard at work securing new deals that will bring new business to the destination over the next decade. ADVERTISEMENTTradeshow organizers say Las Vegas is a is preferred destination due to the ease of conducting business and ample entertainment and hotel options – offerings that are critical to the success of a show. The 2021 SEMA Show, an automotive tradeshow, garnered more than 100,000 attendees for its November show at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC). The LVCC is owned and operated by the LVCVA.
“The event marked the first automotive industry-wide gathering since the pandemic hit, and it did not disappoint,” said Tom Gattuso, vice president of events for SEMA. “In addition to the business that takes place every year at the SEMA Show, the 2021 event was a unique celebration for uniting the automotive aftermarket industry. Las Vegas continues to support our industry in a way that no other city could.”
“Our team liaises with clients every day that recognize the importance of face-to-face interaction and delivering a first-class experience that warrants travel,” said Steve Blanner. “Now more than ever, groups place safety and meticulous event programming in the forefront and we are steadfast partners in every step of that process to ensure a successful and memorable event. There is no place in the world that delivers the excitement of Las Vegas.”
Las Vegas is home to 14 million square feet of meeting and exhibit space throughout the destination, combining business with more than 150,000 hotel rooms and direct access to world-class sports and entertainment. For 26 consecutive years, Las Vegas has remained the number one trade show destination in North America, according to the Trade Show News Network (TSNN).
With construction on several key developments continuing throughout the pandemic, Las Vegas was poised to welcome business travelers back with exciting new offerings and Only Vegas experiences when business travel resumed. The destination saw the debut of Resorts World, Caesars Forum and the LVCC’s West Hall. MSG Sphere at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, a venue for the next generation of experiences, is scheduled to open the second half of 2023. More than $4.5 billion in investments are projected over the next two years, adding approximately 7,000 more hotel rooms and 791,000 square feet of convention space, in Southern Nevada by the end of 2024.
“Two years after our worlds were turned upside down, this GMID is a true celebration of our resilience as an industry,” said Stephanie Glanzer, SVP and chief sales officer for MGM Resorts International. “We emerged better and stronger with new creative approaches, enhanced technology and an overwhelming desire to develop events that are not only productive for our attendees, but also meaningful and memorable.” 
“The Venetian Meetings team is passionate about helping our customers return to in-person events safely. And we remain dedicated to creating new and exciting opportunities to meet and do business,” said Chandra Allison. “The team has brought creativity and safety together for some truly innovative events recently. The last couple of years have solidified the need for in-person meetings and events. As an industry, we need to continue to advocate for the positive impact in-person meetings have on communities and how they bring people together.”

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Meeting Professionals International (MPI), the global association for meeting and event professionals, has announced destinations for the next four editions of the World Education Congress (WEC), with events in Rivera Maya, Mexico (2023); St. Louis, Missouri (2024); Louisville, Kentucky (2025); and San Antonio, Texas (2026).
WEC is MPI’s signature event, drawing approximately 2,500 event professionals annually. The event aims to provide leading edge education, share the latest industry innovations and ultimately take risks in its design and implementation, so that attendees can glean from its learnings.
WEC heads to Riviera Maya, Mexico in June 2023 at the Barcelo Maya Riviera resort. This will mark the second time since 2019 that WEC has taken place outside the U.S. and is aligned with MPI’s dedication to think global. “In the Mexican Caribbean, we are very excited to be hosting the World Education Conference 2023, where we will have the opportunity to showcase not only all the beautiful sceneries that our destination has, but also the facilities, meetings infrastructure and the high-quality service that the meeting professionals of the Mexican Caribbean offer,” states Dario Flota, CEO for Quintana Roo Tourism, “We are confident that WEC 2023 will be a great experience, and with that joy we are preparing everything to welcome you and make this event one of the best yet.”
Previously announced, WEC returns in 2024 to St. Louis, Missouri, where it was last held in 2012.
In 2025, WEC will be held in Louisville, Kentucky, where for the first time in more than a decade, WEC will return to the southeastern U.S. “It is an honor to host MPI WEC and welcome the industry to Louisville in 2025,” says Cleo Battle, President and CEO at Louisville Tourism, “By hosting one of the industry’s major think tanks, we are moving our business forward together and creating growth opportunities for both Louisville as a destination and our peers.”ADVERTISEMENTAlso announced recently, the association’s largest annual event will make its way to San Antonio, Texas in 2026. “San Antonio is very excited to host the World Education Congress (WEC) for the first time in 2026,” said Marc Anderson, President & CEO, Visit San Antonio, “San Antonio offers an experience unlike any other, where a cutting edge, modern meeting scene has evolved amid a city full of rich culture and history.”
“We are thrilled about our future WEC destinations.” said Annette Gregg, CMM MBA, Senior Vice President of Experience for MPI, “Each of these areas is unique, with authentic and diverse cultures. Their destination assets will help us craft incredible experiences for our WEC participants.”
This year’s WEC will take place in San Francisco, CA from June 21-23, where MPI will celebrate the return of meetings and events together as a global community. Registration for WEC San Francisco is now open.

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With the easing of travel restrictions and reopening of the Malaysian leisure and tourism industry, local residents have sought out to satiate their appetite for adventure and discovery by exploring the many wonderful holiday destinations this beautiful country has to offer. From exciting urban quests, to exotic beach escapades, to lofty mountaintop retreats – and everything in between – Malaysia certainly has it all, with so much just waiting to be seen and discovered.
For 21 GoPro content creators, it was certainly an opportunity for adventure and discovery when they were recently whisked away on a 3-Day-2-Night lush tropical getaway to Sabah’s Bungaraya Island Resort. The retreat is a continuation of the Dream Malaysia campaign by GoPro and Tourism Malaysia to amplify the success of the campaign held last year which sought to celebrate the beauty of local lifestyle and travel through the production of videos.
“With the reopening of travel and tourism, it will definitely be bigger and more exciting this time around. Beginning with this excursion with our creators to Gaya Island and other parts in Sabah, we will explore the length and breadth of East and West Malaysia from the most vantage and immersive angles that can only be shot using a GoPro,” said Rick Loughery, Vice President of Global Marketing and Communications at GoPro.
“Dream Malaysia seeks to inspire and amaze through the production of videos of Malaysia’s awesome and incredibly diverse destinations, which simply has to be seen and experienced to be appreciated – and what better way to achieve this than using the immense capability of a GoPro? Naturally, we are thrilled to work with Tourism Malaysia and ECHO Resorts to strategically reinvigorate travel and tourism by placing Malaysia as one of the most must-visit destinations in the world,” he added.
The content creators certainly received an unforgettable experience when ECHO Resorts closed out the entire tropical paradise of Bungaraya Island Resort, perched on the hillsides of Polish Bay on Gaya Island. They were feted to full board throughout the duration of the retreat, including accommodation, meals and a plethora of activities, which included diving, snorkeling, sailing, paddle boarding, and mangrove kayaking, among others.ADVERTISEMENTMeanwhile, the excursion also saw the GoPro team exploring other hidden wonders in Sabah, while engaging in activities which include river tubing at Tambatuon Eco-Village and visiting Tamu Kundasang, MOGGILAND Waterfall and Lasau Podi.
“With the reopening of Malaysia’s borders, the continuation of Dream Malaysia campaign kicks off at a truly opportune time. We are confident that the amazing video content created using GoPro’s industry-leading technology will play an incredibly instrumental role in showcasing Sabah and other local destinations to the world, especially those with an insatiable appetite for adventure travel,” said Dato’ Hj. Zainuddin Abdul Wahab, Director-General of Tourism Malaysia.
“This collaboration between Tourism Malaysia and GoPro also bears testament to the tremendous potential for economic development that can be realized through Public-Private Partnerships, which can be strategic and instrumental tools to accomplish what neither can do alone. But together, the sum can truly be greater than its parts. We certainly look forward to working with GoPro to realizing the dream of what we hope to be a truly successful campaign in every right. As Malaysia welcomes international visitors, let the adventure begin!” he added.

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