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Industry News

MAC Meetings & Events Wins ISES Award

MAC Meetings & Events received a prestigious award from the International Special Event Society (ISES) at the annual ISES St. Louis Louie Award Banquet for table décor.

The dining table centerpieces were elegant and simple, to convey the richness of the season. Created using a variety of fresh season greens, fresh mini holly bushes, sparkling packages and ornaments. A donation element was incorporated so educational books were selected based on "the classics". After the event, the first annual Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation St. Louis Gala dinner, the books were donated to Loyola Academy.

Social Madness Spotlight: MAC Meetings & Events

July 3, 2012 By Ben Baker, Account Manager, MAC Meetings & Events

We started with social media by creating a Facebook fan page in 2008. In 2010, we added a Twitter account and most recently in 2011, we setup a company page on LinkedIn.

To read more, Click Here.

DMCs See Programs, Budgets Growing in 2012

May 23, 2012 2:50 PM, By Lisa Hurley

While no one claims to enjoy booming business, many DMCs say both bookings and budgets are showing a rebound over the past year.

To read more, Click Here.

Administration Officials Announce National Strategy to Increase Travel and Tourism in the United States to 100 Million Visitors Annually by 2021

WASHINGTON, DC - Commerce Secretary John Bryson and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar today announced the Administration's National Tourism and Travel Strategy - delivering on President Obama's call in January for a national strategy to promote domestic and international travel opportunities throughout the United States.

To read more about this, Click Here.

Exclusive Survey: Social Media Usage by Meeting Planners

Mar 29, 2012 3:12 PM, by Barbara Scofidio

Are you the only one who feels crazed every minute of the day as you try to fit social media into your life? Is it helping your career, or your event promotion, or to keep you up-to-date on the industry? We decided to explore these and other questions and trends in our first-ever survey on social media use in the meetings industry.

To read more, Click Here.

U.S. Travel Association Calls for National Agenda to Strengthen Meetings Industry

Washington, DC - Rossi Ralenkotter, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, today called for a new national agenda to strengthen the future of the $460 billion meetings and events industry. Ralenkotter issued the call to action as he began his term as chairman of the U.S. Travel Association.

“Meetings and conventions are a major driver of the economy in every community across America, supporting more than six million jobs for American workers,” said Ralenkotter. “We need to support and strengthen this industry, by establishing a new agenda for change that promotes the value of business travel to the economy and to corporate bottom lines.”

To read more, Click Here.

More with Less: Make your Team Meetings Meaningful

It appears "doing more with less" continues to be the mantra as we move through 2012. In this case it means being more efficient because you don't have time to do everything you need to cross off your list.

To read more, Click Here.

ADME Goes International

The membership of the Association of Destination Management Executives International have just approved a change in their bylaws that changes the name and focus of the organization. ADME International is the result of many months of discussion by the ADME Board of Directors and International Task Force.

"As our membership has grown to represent destination management companies in Europe, UK, Russia, South Africa, China, and beyond, changing our name to ADME International more accurately reflects our expanded focus." notes Susan Gray, DMCP, ADME International president. "We have seen a surge of interest from throughout the world in the work that ADME International has done in developing DMC standards and best practices. We are pleased that we have Destination Management Certified Professionals in Canada, Mexico and Russia - and great interest from the UK, Europe and Asia in our program. We know of several international DMCs that are committed to take the next step - to earn the Accredited Destination Management Company designation."

Grant Snider, DMCP, President-Elect and Chair of the International Task Force, adds, "We recognize that the standard documents ADME has developed, including client agreement, vendor agreement, and other documents for each part of the client-DMC relationship, will need to be customized for each geopolitical entity. We look forward to working with our members to ensure that our documents uphold similar standards worldwide while reflecting local legal adjustments."

ADME International's website feature, Find a DMC, already reflects the broader geographical membership representation. It is organized by continents, then countries, and then states or provinces as appropriate. "The International Task Force wanted to be sure that our Find a DMC tool accurately reflected the membership diversity," Grant Snider, DMCP, explains.

Earlier this year, ADME International changed from an individual membership society to a trade association, with DMC companies as the members, rather than individuals. "ADME had actually been functioning as a trade association over the past few years," commented Susan Gray, DMCP. "The change to corporate membership from individuals helped to lay the groundwork for ADME International."

For more information about ADME International and how to join, visit our website
www.ADMEInternational.org.

Unique Meeting and Event Venues at St. Louis Hotels

M&C (Meetings & Conventions) magazine recently sat down with Susan Gray, President of MAC Meetings & Events, to highlight three local hotels with unique meeting and event venues. To watch the full video, click here.

For more information about these downtown St. Louis hotels, please refer to their website:

- Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark
www.hiltonstlouis.com

- Hyatt Regency St. Louis at The Arch
www.stlouisarch.hyatt.com/

- St. Louis Union Station Marriott
www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/stlus-st-louis-union-station-marriott/

St. Louis welcomes ASAE with food, music and fun under the Arch!

MAC Meetings & Events tours were part of the experience. To read more, Click Here.

DMCs Change With the Times

Reacting to new challenges and economies, DMC services and deliveries have morphed to meet the changing needs of clients worldwide. "When a client asks you to do something you are capable of providing, you should do it," says Susan Gray, DMCP, president of St. Louis-based MAC Meetings & Events and president of the Association of Destination Management Executives. "Clients used to tell us, 'If I need a bus and tour guide, I'll come to you,' but we are way beyond that now."

To read more about it, Click Here.

Why use a Destination Management Company?

In a March 8, 2011 posting by Mitchelle Pascuals, myenjoytravel provides 10 succinct reasons to use the services of Destination Management Companies. Here's what the article says:

1. They find the perfect venue and suppliers to meet your goals and travel needs from convention centers to hotels to transportation.
2. They are experienced in organizing events for your company.
3. They arrange venues for your events.
4. They have special services which include: catering dinner and entertainment.
5. They make hotel selections or reservations.
6. They arrange transportation for your party to and from the airport.
7. They provide travel coordination management guides and hostesses.
8. They coordinate VIP transfers.
9. They arrange transportation such as limousine services or car rentals for your party wherever you need to go.
10. And of course they can aways customize any event or occasion to fit your company's needs.

To read more, Click Here

For further information visit www.adme.org and click on "Why Select an ADMC?".

Industry's Impact Reported

At the recent ADME Annual Convention Karen Kotowski, Executive Director of the Convention Industry Council, presented the Council's latest study: The Economic Significance of Meetings to the U.S. Economy. Fourteen leading membership organizations formed the research alliance.

The Report's findings are astounding and support what our industry has been trying to convey for the past couple of years. Meetings and conventions are important to the economy of the United States. It was revealed that the U.S. meetings industry:
- directly supports 1.7 million jobs, a larger number than many U.S. industries
- contributes $106 billion to the GDP
- reflects $263 billion in spending
- accounts for $60 billion in labor revenue
- provides $14.3 billion in federal tax revenue
- contributes $11.3 billion in state and local tax revenue

Read the Council's study at: Economic Study Release