Blogs

Sep 21, 2022
It’s hard to know what to feel when you hear “rebrand” during a company meeting. As marketers, we may feel excited about the opportunity to make changes to reach new audiences, explore new and interesting design concepts and develop a lasting communication system. In any rebrand, there are challenges to maintaining the essential parts of your company and not to stray from who you are. How much do you draw from history? Will your rebrand alienate your current client base? What happens to your internal shared identity?  It is more essential than ever for a brand to remain flexible to reach… more
Sep 14, 2022
This year, marketers continue to find themselves in a tough spot as COVID-19 and other viruses such as monkeypox impact the event industry. Cancel an in-person event? Postpone it? Move it to a virtual platform? Even with limited viable options, major events scrambled and struggled to change course in an efficient and gratifying manner. In the same vein as the initial COVID outbreak in 2020, experiential marketers, brand managers, digital marketers and every practitioner in between found themselves in another round of unexpected adversity. Today, COVID is still a consideration, as attendees… more
Sep 07, 2022
Through two years of the pandemic, when virtual events were the norm, decision makers and sponsors started receiving more metrics going through attendee participation. Now, with in-person events returning, buyers are expecting more and more data and metrics to help better calculate in-person ROI. I believe if you are not adding more ways to provide ROI, you are going to be left out of the in-person events equation in 2023 and beyond. Whether or not you already have an app and registration solution, you may want to look at adding attendee tracking using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacon… more
Sep 02, 2022
Our 9-year-old just started her 4th grade year, and in the welcome folder from her teacher there were a few sheets of paper that encouraged parents to help their children develop a ‘Growth Mindset’ verus a ‘Fixed Mindset’. I know these terms have been around for a while, but reading through everything again, it struck me that the two mindsets are exactly what we should be considering when leading teams in the events industry. We all know the past few years have been beyond challenging. We didn’t even know for a while if we would have a business to come back to with events completely shut… more
Aug 31, 2022
Believe it or not, a successful event organizer recently said to me, “Now that face-to-face events are back, I can forget about event tech.” He had been in the business a while, but this comment made me realize that he is probably a dinosaur living on a different planet. Or not? This organizer is my friend, and we had a fascinating debate on this subject. He said that my reaction was a bit extremist.  Sound extremist? Let me elaborate on why I don't think so. I started my events career almost 30 years ago during my Apple days. Back then, way before virtual events and event tech, I realized… more
Aug 23, 2022
The geek in me absolutely loves cloud services. I find the capabilities offered by cloud providers to almost be one of the wonders of our world today. So, I’m very fortunate that one of the things I get to do is help organizations move infrastructure or compute to the cloud. It’s because of this experience, as well as my interest, that I realize “the cloud” is a vast universe of services and can truly be quite overwhelming to many associations and nonprofit organizations that may lack the IT team skills and knowledge to lead the way.  I get it! It’s not like Amazon Web Services (AWS) alone… more
Aug 17, 2022
The meeting and events industry has seen a boom in requests to create memorable moments to celebrate being together again. As in-person events come back in a major way, we’ve found there are groups that have been saving up and now have large budgets to spend on over-the-top celebrations, and there are still many that have conservative budgets. Yet, they all have the same goal: to create something that is unique and feels luxurious. How do you do that? Focus on the power of all five senses. Tapping into the senses means going beyond thinking about the food and beverage choices you offer.… more
Aug 09, 2022
In July, UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, released the latest edition of its flagship Global Exhibition Barometer research, which takes the pulse of the industry. The results highlight the quickening pace of the industry’s recovery in 2022, after the continuing impact of COVID-19 throughout 2021. The sector is bouncing back quickly, and revenues for H1 2023 are expected to reach 87% of comparable 2019 levels (noting that 2019 has been the industry’s record year to date). What does the data mean, and how should exhibition organizers and companies use the research?  “It… more
Aug 03, 2022
In the past two years, there’s been a significant shift in the way consumers approach life. They’re more invested in physical and mental health, more focused on the planet’s future and more aware of how they manage their time due to working from home, among other things. As a result, consumers are reprioritizing what they buy, where they go and what they do. This reprioritization has affected how consumers view brands. Why? At the core of it all is community. Enforced separation and digital isolation made people realize how important it is to stay connected to each other and their… more
Jul 27, 2022
The following adage holds true: Everything old becomes new again—now including silent films. According to Hootsuite, about 85% of all Facebook videos are seen and not heard. It’s not hard to imagine why. Many times, it’s not doable (or socially acceptable) to turn up the volume on a phone or laptop to listen to the audio on video content. Viewers often settle for watching video content on mute and relying on silent cues ranging from context to captions. For marketers who create video content that only makes sense with the sound on, this presents a problem and a need for change. One way to… more
Partner Voices
Here at Mandalay Bay, venues are inviting and innovative. As one of the most iconic names on the Las Vegas Strip, the Mandalay Bay Convention Center has recently undergone an exciting upgrade. This renowned venue now offers everything your business needs, with a refreshed convention space designed to inspire productivity and creativity, as well as an impressive selection of world-class restaurants and amenities. If you're searching for a venue that is both inviting and innovative, Mandalay Bay is the place to be. Mandalay Bay is committed to investing in a new wave of enhancements, not only in the convention space but also throughout the entire resort. With new restaurant openings and remodels, spectacular entertainment, and updated rooms, Mandalay Bay promises to deliver new and exciting experiences to its guests until 2024. To create a truly effective conference venue, Mandalay Bay has carefully considered what businesses require. The right technology, capacity, and inspiration are essential to take ideas to the next level. The refreshed Mandalay Bay Convention Center has been designed with your business in mind. Every room is equipped with newly-upgraded technology, enhancing our ability to support bandwidth demand and overall data capabilities. Additionally, the addition of 10 new digital walls provides bigger and more dynamic ways to display customized content messages. Mandalay Bay offers world-class conference space and service. The venue options range from ballrooms to ample pre-function spaces, catering to teams of any size while accommodating multiple large groups simultaneously. Our certified planners work collaboratively with you to understand your specific event requirements, anticipating your business needs and offering the best-fit solutions. In addition to providing exceptional conference facilities, Mandalay Bay is also dedicated to sustainability. We strive to give our guests an unforgettable experience while minimizing our impact on the environment. As part of our sustainable energy efforts, you'll find refillable water stations throughout the property, eliminating the need for single-use plastic bottles and reducing unnecessary plastic usage. Mandalay Bay is proud to offer an upgraded and enhanced experience for businesses seeking a venue that combines innovation, convenience, and sustainability. Whether you're hosting a conference, meeting, or other business event, Mandalay Bay's refreshed convention space, world-class service, and commitment to sustainability make it the ideal choice. Come and discover the new wave of experiences awaiting you at Mandalay Bay on the Las Vegas Strip. Wherever your organization is going, getting there starts with being here.