In This Issue
December 2016
In our biggest issue ever, you'll find our Platinum Choice Award winners, which represent the industry's very best venues and convention and visitors bureaus. These winners go above and beyond to facilitate planners in putting on fantastic meetings and events.
You won't want to miss our 2017 Meetings Outlook, which reveals industry leaders' insights on the upcoming year. Caution is the name of the game this year, with some urging a "wait-and-see" attitude.
Smart Meetings is an event planning publication covering meetings, industry news, including expert opinions and interviews, topical articles, coverage of destinations and venues in the U.S and worldwide, and features stories on incentive, corporate, government and association meetings.
Features
December 13, 2016
Hotels & DestinationsFlorida in Great Demand
For the fifth consecutive year, the state of Florida welcomed a record number of visitors in 2015 when 105 million flocked to the Sunshine State. With a 6.6 percent increase…
December 1, 2016
Events2016 Platinum Choice Award Winners Announced
Distinguished hotels and CVBs earn coveted recognition from Smart MeetingsAfter much voting and decision-making, the 13th annual Platinum Choice Award winners have been selected by Smart Meetings magazine, the meeting…
December 8, 2016
TrendsMeetings Outlook: Treading Lightly in 2017
JB Duke Hotel rendering, Durham, North Carolina Uncertainty suggests a conservative year for meetingsPredictions are a matter of cause and effect. Sure, there’s some guessing, some hunches. But most of…
December 16, 2016
Hotels & DestinationsBigger and Better: Associations and Citywides
As trends evolve for associations and citywides, convention venues are keeping paceAs certain elements of large conventions, trade shows and meetings evolve year over year, many destinations and venues have…
In Every Issue
December 1, 2016
EventsDestinations Come Alive at IMEX America
IMEX America exhibitors found creative ways to bring their properties to lifeHow often can you say you’ve sipped coffee in Columbia, sampled chocolate from Hershey, Pennsylvania, tasted vodka in Singapore,…
December 1, 2016
Hotels & ResortsMelia Hotels is Building a Truly Global Portfolio
Melia Cartagena de Indias, Colombia Melia boasts more than 370 hotels in 43 countriesMelia Hotels International is wrapping up a year of major expansion that saw it open a new…
December 1, 2016
Hotels & ResortsNew and Renovated: Where New Meets Old
Boutique properties are accented by times gone byUnion Station Hotel NashvilleOnce a bustling train station, historic Union Station Hotel wrapped up a property-wide, $15.5 million transformation in October. The new…
December 28, 2016
Food and Beverage’Tis the Season to Be Clinking
The annual holiday gathering is a chance to get to know colleagues better and celebrate the end of a successful year. Instead of serving humdrum wine and beer, ring in…
December 1, 2016
TrendsPower Players: Meeting Professionals Making Strides
The lure of British Columbia is hard to resist. Vancouver, Canada’s West Coast hub, draws visitors from around the world for its pristine beauty, surrounded by coastal mountains overlooking a…
December 28, 2016
Smart Style7 Holiday Gifts to Dazzle Attendees
Your resource for trendy treasures and gift ideasTreat attendees and VIPs to unique, thoughtful gifts they will definitely want to take home. Smart Meetings has selected an assortment of items…
December 1, 2016
TechnologyClear Solutions to Spotty Wi-Fi
Attendees expect to post, tweet, snap and share, indoors and outWeather is no longer the biggest challenge when it comes to outdoor events: reliable Wi-Fi is. Many event planners learn…
December 1, 2016
Food and BeverageColumbus is Convention Friendly
Greater Columbus Convention Center rendering Columbus, Ohio, goes deep with major expansion and artistic flairThere is no question that meetings business is important to Columbus, Ohio. Once in the shadow…
December 1, 2016
CareerWinning Strategies from an NFL Star
Darren Woodson embraces hard change on and off the fieldWe had the good fortune last month to have Darren Woodson as our luncheon keynote speaker for the Smart Meeting Southwest…
December 28, 2016
How ToPreventing a Show-Stopper: Backup Plans for Event Speakers
Contractual backup plans for speakers and presentersHere’s a nightmare that many meeting and event planners have surely awakened from with a shudder: One of your top executives is ready to…
Notes from the Road
Past Issues
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