Press

Smart Meetings Names 21st Annual Platinum Choice Awards Winners

SAUSALITO, Calif., December 1, 2023—Smart Meetings, the leading meetings industry publisher and voice of inspiration for meeting professionals, proudly announces the winners of its 2023 Platinum Choice Awards. Now in its 21st year, the prestigious Platinum Choice Awards have honored the hospitality industry’s top-ranked hotels, venues and destinations every December to provide sourcing decision-makers with a list of partners that deliver the highest standards of overall excellence.

These outstanding performers were nominated and voted on by meeting professionals and judged to be the best-of-the-best.

“These premier hotels, venues and destinations demonstrate their commitment to excellence and continue to raise the bar to an even higher standard. We commend their dedication to serving their customers and the entire meeting professional community,” said Marin Bright, Smart Meetings founder and CEO. “The Platinum Choice winners represent the crème de la crème in today’s hospitality industry, and we encourage our audience of planning professionals to consider these remarkable supplier partners for meeting destinations in the coming year.”

Platinum Choice winners are featured in the December issue of Smart Meetings and will be showcased on the award-winning SmartMeetings.com web site.­

About Smart Meetings: Smart Meetings is the leading meetings industry publisher and voice of inspiration for meeting professionals. We inspire our audience of meeting and event professionals to dream big—and create brilliant experiences that delight attendees, achieve desired results, and elevate the impact of the meetings industry. Smart Meetings publishes cutting-edge meetings content in print and digital, hosts world-class networking events, produces Smart Chat Live! CEU-accredited webinars, and offers a myriad of digital resources. The publication annually awards the prestigious Smart Stars and Platinum Choice Awards to hospitality companies that meet the publications high standards.

 

Media Contact:
JT Long
Organization Name: Smart Meetings
Phone Number: 415.339.9355
Email: jtlong@smartmeetings.com

Smart Meetings Announces 2022 Catalyst Award Winners

Sausalito, California, Nov. 2, 2023 — Smart Meetings, the essential media resource for the event industry, is proud to announce the winners of the 2023 Catalyst Awards. This prestigious honor is the evolution of what was previously known as Supplier of the Year. It singles out the transformational meeting partners who innovate, inspire and get business done.

These 50 leaders in six categories—Fusion Award, Amplitude Prize, Kinetic Award, Joule Award, Momentum Award and Quantum leap Award—were nominated by their peers and chosen based on their responses to questions about their approach to delivering elevated hospitality and their vision for the future.

“These agents of change are helping to bring back the entire industry better,” said Marin Bright, Smart Meetings founder and CEO. Join us in congratulating them and thanking them for all they do to move the industry forward.

The 2022 Catalyst Award winners are featured in the November Smart Meetings magazine. Read their complete stories, including their motivational secrets and the next goal they are pursuing on www.smartmeetings.com

Smart Meetings Wins 2023 APEX Award

SAUSALITO, Calif., Oct. 25, 2023—Smart Meetings, the leading meetings industry publisher and voice of inspiration for meeting professionals, won a 2023 APEX Award for Publication Excellence in the category of Climate Change/ Eco-friendly for a story Editor at Large Gary Diedrichs wrote entitled, “You Can Go Net Zero.” The resource-rich piece was the cover story in the January 2023 magazine and featured a QR code to take the Net Zero Carbon Events Pledge.

About Smart Meetings: Smart Meetings is the leading meetings industry publisher and voice of inspiration for meeting professionals. We inspire our audience of meeting and event professionals to dream big—and create brilliant experiences that delight attendees, achieve desired results, and elevate the impact of the meetings industry. Smart Meetings publishes cutting-edge meetings content in print and digital, hosts world-class networking events, and produces Smart Chat Live! CEU-accredited webinars, and offers a myriad of digital resources. The publication annually awards the prestigious Smart Stars and Platinum Choice Awards to hospitality companies that meet the publication’s high standards.

Smart Meetings Announces 2023 Meeting Professionals of the Year

Sausalito, California (September 1, 2023)–Smart Meetings, the premier media brand and leading choice for news about hospitality trends and meeting design, is delighted to reveal the winners of the 2023 Meeting Professionals of the Year Awards. The annual list singles out the transformational meeting professionals who stepped up to innovate, inspire and get business done.

These 28 pros were nominated by their peers and chosen based on their responses to questions about the types of events they plan and how they have excelled. They even shared their motivational secrets with the Smart Meetings community.

“These models of event innovation and excellence inspire me and I would like to congratulate and thank them for all they do for the industry,” said Marin Bright, Smart Meetings founder and CEO.

Smart Meetings is the leading media company and the most trusted resource for meeting professionals. Offering best-in-class service, Smart Meetings publishes cutting-edge meetings content in print and digital magazines, hosts world-class hosted-buyer networking events, provides CEU-accredited webinars, and offers myriad digital resources.

The 2023 Meeting Professionals of the Year winners are featured in the September, 2023Smart Meetings magazine.

For more information, contact jtlong@smartmeetings.com or 415-339-9355.

Smart Meetings Announces 2023 Smart Stars Awards Winners

Sausalito, California (June 1, 2023)–Smart Meetings, the premier media brand and leading choice for meeting professionals, is delighted to reveal the winners of the 2023 Smart Stars Awards. The prestigious awards platform, now in its eleventh year, recognizes meeting planners’ preferences for hotels, resorts, properties, cruise lines, and conference and convention centers worldwide.

Smart Meetings’ audience of meeting professionals hand-selected these properties and destinations in 31 distinguished categories, all critical to the success of their meetings and events. The Smart Stars Awards have gained notoriety as an essential tool for today’s meeting planner community and a valuable resource for venue and destination recommendations.

The winners, outstanding hospitality brands, reflect the highest standards of excellence in service, amenities, and customer satisfaction. Smart Meetings’ Founder and CEO, Marin Bright, expressed, “I’m truly honored to acknowledge and celebrate these spectacular brands that continue to serve our community with unwavering excellence and dedication to their services.”

The 2023 Smart Stars winners will be featured in the June issue of Smart Meetings’ print and digital magazines and showcased on the Smart Meetings website for one year.

Smart Meetings is the leading media company and the most trusted resource for meeting professionals. Offering best-in-class service, Smart Meetings publishes cutting-edge meetings content in print and digital magazines, hosts world-class hosted-buyer networking events, provides CEU-accredited webinars, and offers myriad digital resources.

See the winners here.

For more information, contact jtlong@smartmeetings.com or 415-339-9355.

Note to editors: For additional information, please visit Smart Meetings’ website at www.smartmeetings.com.

Smart Meetings Honors the 2023 Smart Women in Meetings Award Winners

Sausalito, California (March 1, 2023)–Smart Meetings, the leading meetings industry publisher and essential resource for event professionals, is proud to announce the winners of the eighth annual Smart Women in Meetings Awards. The Smart Women in Meetings Awards has become an important industry landmark and a cherished achievement for women who are making a significant impact and elevating the meetings industry.

The global meetings business is largely made up of women, but even so, women’s representation in industry leadership roles lags. Smart Meetings, a woman-owned company, aims to empower women and support their professional advancement. This past year, the women honored helped the global meetings industry regain its health and vitality after a long recovery post-Covid. Through this awards program, Smart Meetings recognizes these women at all levels of their careers who inspire us with their aptitude, leadership skills, and dedication to their work in the meetings industry.

The awards highlight the industry’s top female meeting professionals in seven prestigious categories: Hall of Fame, Visionaries, Industry Leaders, Innovators, Entrepreneurs, Stellar Performers and Rising Stars. These accomplished meetings muses were distinguished by nominations from their industry peers and colleagues and evaluated against hundreds of remarkable, qualified meeting candidates. They earned top honors for their commitment and significant contributions to the meetings industry.

“As the leader of a Woman Owned business under the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the Smart Women in Meetings Awards are at the core of my mission and a driving passion,” said Smart Meetings founder and CEO, Marin Bright. “I am honored to shine a light on the accomplishments of my fellow women in meetings and to celebrate our progress together as one united community, particularly this year as we moved beyond a mutual recovery period to regaining our ability to thrive.”

Read the stories of the Smart Women in Meetings Award winners in the March Smart Meetings magazine.

Smart Women in Meetings Award winners will be featured in the magazine and online and will receive on-stage honors at the Smart Women in Meetings Awards gala at the Smart Woman Summit at the New York Marriott Marquis, in Times Square, NYC on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023.

Everyone in the meetings industry is welcome to attend this educational and professional development conference. The Smart Woman Summit will feature workshops, thought-leading keynote speakers, and dynamic networking opportunities and will culminate with the Smart Women in Meetings Awards gala.

About Smart Meetings:
Smart Meetings is the leading meetings industry publisher and voice of inspiration for meeting professionals. We inspire our audience of meeting and event professionals to dream big—and create brilliant experiences that delight attendees, achieve desired results and elevate the impact of the meetings industry. We are essential reading for the evolution currently happening all over the globe. Smart Meetings publishes cutting-edge meetings content in print and digital magazines 12 times per year, hosts world-class networking events, produces CEU-accredited Smart Chat Live! webinars and offers a myriad of digital resources.

Media Contact:
JT Long
Organization Name: Smart Meetings
Phone Number: 415.339.9355
Email: jtlong@smartmeetings.com

Smart Meetings’ “What One Thing?” Podcast Debuts

Sausalito, California (February 23, 2023) – Smart Meetings Magazine founder Marin Bright has announced the debut of “What One Thing?” a monthly podcast hosted by Bright which is custom-designed to bring meeting planners and suppliers together over the transformational question: “What one thing was a game-changer for you and for your business? What one thing made all the difference?”

“For me, it was creating my business and powering through some major life issues at the same time,” says Bright. In the first episode of the podcast, Bright describes the birth of Smart Meetings events in the same year that she was diagnosed with breast cancer and was becoming an adoptive mother: two issues that would challenge anyone on their own, notwithstanding the founding of a business travel venture for a magazine that was already an industry leader.

“For me, the answer was just putting my head down and powering through it all,” says Bright in the podcast’s first episode. “Even during chemo, I just put on my wig and got down to business.”

Every month, What One Thing? will bring the answer to vibrant life through the voices of meeting planners, hoteliers, business leaders, motivational speakers and other people at the heart and soul of the meetings industry who will offer actionable, “aha” moments and fresh ways to approach today’s problems as well as time-tested tactics for reaching your dreams.

Bright has worked in the hospitality industry for more than 30 years—first serving hotels and establishing herself as the top salesperson, then launching nine magazines. In 2002, she started Smart Meetings with the goal of improving the quality of the print and online meeting experience, and becoming meeting planners’ No. 1 resource for industry news and information.

Over the past 21 years, woman-owned Smart Meetings has led the way as an innovator and trailblazer in the MICE industry. Bright pioneered the first one-on-one appointment-based events for hotels and planners, launched one of the first websites in meetings media, and created the first ‘consumeresque’ B-to-B trade publication for meetings. Bright continues to lead the company to expand its offerings and set industry trends.

She has received numerous accolades, including the prestigious WPA Distinction in Leadership Award and two consecutive Folio Top Women in Media Awards as a corporate visionary. Bright has been honored as a Legend in the Northern California chapter of PCMA’s Bay Area Meetings Industry Excellence Awards and named to Eventex’s list of 100 Most Influential People in the Event Industry.

About Smart Meetings

Smart Meetings and SmartMeetings.com set the standard for the meetings industry. Articles feature the latest in industry trends, corporate event planning and emerging virtual and hybrid technology, as well as personality profiles on industry leaders and updates on the best venues and destinations throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and many other major international destinations. Smart Meetings is committed to providing the meeting planner community with useful information in an accessible, attractive and engaging format.

Smart Meetings Names 20th Annual Platinum Choice Awards Winners

SAUSALITO, Calif., Feb. 22, 2023—Smart Meetings, the leading meetings industry publisher and voice of inspiration for meeting professionals, proudly announces the winners of its 2022 Platinum Choice Awards. Now in its 20^th year, the prestigious Platinum Choice Awards honor the hospitality industry’s top-ranked hotels, venues and destinations that deliver the highest standards of overall excellence.

These outstanding performers were nominated and voted on by meeting professionals and judged to be the best-of-the-best.

“These premier hotels, venues and destinations demonstrate their commitment to excellence and continue to raise the bar to an even higher standard. We commend their dedication to serving their customers and the entire meeting professional community,” said Marin Bright, Smart Meetings founder and CEO. “The Platinum Choice winners represent the crème de la crème in today’s hospitality industry, and we encourage our audience of planning professionals to consider these remarkable supplier partners for meeting destinations in the coming year.”

Platinum Choice winners are featured in the December issue of Smart Meetings and will be showcased on the award-winning SmartMeetings.com web site.­

About Smart Meetings: Smart Meetings is the leading meetings industry publisher and voice of inspiration for meeting professionals. We inspire our audience of meeting and event professionals to dream big—and create brilliant experiences that delight attendees, achieve desired results, and elevate the impact of the meetings industry. Smart Meetings publishes cutting-edge meetings content in print and digital, hosts world-class networking events, produces Smart Chat Live! CEU-accredited webinars, and offers a myriad of digital resources. The publication annually awards the prestigious Smart Stars and Platinum Choice Awards to hospitality companies that meet the publications high standards.

 

Media Contact:
JT Long
Organization Name: Smart Meetings
Phone Number: 415.339.9355
Email: jtlong@smartmeetings.com

Marin Bright Named One of Most Influential People in Event Industry by Eventex

Sausalito, California, Dec. 7, 2022 — Smart Meetings founder and CEO Marin Bright was named one of The 100 Most Influential People in the Event Industry for 2022 by Eventex, the second time she has received the honor.

Bright is the entrepreneur behind Bright Business media which publishes the award-winning Smart Meetings magazine and the companion news and lifestyle website smartmeetings.com. Combined with social media, the online community totals 145,000 event professionals. Thirteen years ago, she launched Smart Meetings events, which produces regional and national networking forums and Smart Woman Summit, a celebration of the women elevating the entire industry that is now entering its eighth year. As a thought leader in the space, she speaks on best practices and trends in the industry and has contributed articles for LinkedIn.

Bright was previously honored with the San Francisco Bay Area Meetings Industry Excellence Award in the Legend category from the Northern California Chapter of PCMA. She also received back-to-back honors as one of Folio’s Top Women in Media in 2014 and 2105 and was the 2015 recipient of WPA’s Leadership Award.

“This industry is near and ear to my heart and we are all working to move it forward during this pivotal time,” said Bright. “It is an honor to be included on this list with my fellow meeting professionals.”

About Smart Meetings:
Smart Meetings is the leading media company and the most trusted resource for meeting professionals. As the inspiration for meeting professionals everywhere, Smart Meetings publishes cutting-edge meetings content in print and digital magazines, hosts elite hosted-buyer networking events, provides CEU-accredited Smart Chat Live! webinars and offers myriad digital resources.

Smart Meetings Announces 2022 Catalyst Award Winners

Sausalito, California, Nov. 3, 2022 — Smart Meetings, the essential media resource for the event industry, is proud to announce the winners of the2022 Catalyst Awards. This prestigious honor is the evolution of what was previously known as Supplier of the Year. It singles out the transformational meeting partners who stepped up during a challenging year to innovate, inspire and get business done.

These 42 leaders in 7 categories—Fusion Award, Amplitude Prize, Kinetic Award, Joule Award, Momentum Award, Quantum leap Award and Rising Stars—were nominated by their peers and chosen based on their responses to questions about their approach to delivering elevated hospitality and their vision for the future.

“These agents of change are helping to bring back the entire industry better,” said Marin Bright, Smart Meetings founder and CEO.

The 2022 Catalyst Award winners are featured in theNovember Smart Meetings magazine.

About Smart Meetings:
Smart Meetings is the leading media company and the most trusted resource for meeting professionals. As the inspiration for meeting professionals everywhere, Smart Meetings publishes cutting-edge meetings content in print and digital magazines, hosts elite hosted-buyer networking events, provides CEU-accredited webinars and offers myriad digital resources.

Smart Meetings Announces 2022 Smart Stars Winners

SAUSALITO, Calif., June 30, 2022—Smart Meetings, the essential resource for the event evolution, is proud to announce the winners of the 2022 Smart Stars Awards. The prestigious awards platform, now in its eleventh year, celebrates meeting planners’ choices for hotels, resorts, properties, cruise lines, and conference and convention centers worldwide.

Ranked against hundreds of their exceptional peers, these properties and destinations were hand-selected by Smart Meetings’ audience of meeting professionals, in 30 distinguished categories, including Best Hybrid-Ready Venue and Best Protocol Partner. Since its inception, the Smart Stars Awards have gained notoriety as an essential tool for today’s meeting planner community and a valuable resource for those who need recommendations of leading venues and destinations. These remarkable hospitality brands continue to reflect the highest standards of excellence in service, amenities and customer satisfaction.

You can see the full list of winners and descriptions here.

“I’m truly honored to acknowledge and celebrate these spectacular brands that continue to serve our community with unwavering excellence and dedication to their services,” said Marin Bright, Smart Meetings founder and CEO.

The 2022 Smart Stars winners are featured in the July issue of Smart Meetings print and digital magazines and showcased on the Smart Meetings website.

About Smart Meetings:
Smart Meetings is the leading media company and the most trusted resource for meeting professionals. As the inspiration for meeting professionals everywhere,Smart Meetingspublishes cutting-edge meetings content in print and digital magazines, hosts elite hosted-buyer networking events, provides CEU-accredited webinars and offers myriad digital resources.

Media Contact:
JT Long
Editorial Director
jtlong@smartmeetings.com
415-339-9355

Smart Meetings Celebrates 20^th Anniversary with Virtual Event

SAUSALITO, Calif., June 6, 2022—Smart Meetings, the leading meetings industry publisher and essential resource for event professionals, marked 20 years of supporting meeting professionals by publishing educational, empowering and inspiring content now available in print, online at www.smartmeetings.com, in Smart Chat Live! Webinar format and for the last 12 years at exclusive in-person Smart Meetings Experiences.

Founder and CEO Marin Bright marked the occasion by planning a gathering of the dynamic Smart Meetings Community on Allseated’s ExVo platform. The event highlighted creative talents of partners Mixology Mixer, Entire Productions and DJ Logic. And the presents went to the attendees as sponsors donated thousands of dollars in hospitality stays.

The milestone was also an opportunity for Bright to reflect on the state of the industry in a commemorate cover story titled, “A Passion for Innovation” and video interview about lessons learned over two decades. “This is a team effort and the more each one of us knows, the better we all will be at delivering value,” she said.

About Smart Meetings:
Smart Meetings is the leading meetings industry publisher and voice of inspiration for meeting professionals. We inspire our audience of meeting and event professionals to dream big—and create brilliant experiences that delight attendees, achieve desired results and elevate the impact of the meetings industry. We are essential reading for the evolution currently happening all over the globe. Smart Meetings publishes cutting-edge meetings content in print and digital magazines 12 times per year, hosts world-class networking events, produces CEU-accredited Smart Chat Live! webinars and offers a myriad of digital resources, including Smart Sourcing and Smart U.

CONTACT:
JT Long

Editorial Director

editor@smartmeetings.com

Smart Meetings Honors 2022 Smart Women in Meetings Award Winners

SAUSALITO, Calif., February 24, 2022—Smart Meetings, the leading meetings industry publisher and essential resource for event professionals, is proud to announce the winners of the seventh annual Smart Women in Meetings Awards. This prestigious awards program has come to serve as a cherished achievement for women who are making a significant impact and elevating the meetings industry.

The global meetings business is predominantly female, but women’s representation in industry leadership roles lags. Smart Meetings, a woman-owned company, aims to empower women and support their professional advancement. After a particularly stressful year when many women suddenly found the juggling of roles even more difficult these women supported their teams, customers and families. Through this awards program, Smart Meetings recognizes women in all levels of their careers who inspire us with their aptitude, leadership skills and dedication to their work in the meetings industry.

The awards highlight the industry’s top female meeting professionals in seven prestigious categories: Hall of Fame, Visionaries, Industry Leaders, Innovators, Entrepreneurs, Stellar Performers and Rising Stars. These living muses were distinguished by nominations from their industry peers and colleagues, and evaluated against hundreds of remarkable, qualified meeting candidates. They earned top honors for their commitment and significant contributions to the meetings industry.

“As the leader of a Woman Owned business under the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the Smart Women in Meetings Awards are near and dear to my heart,” said Smart Meetings founder and CEO, Marin Bright. “It’s my honor to shine a light on the accomplishments of my fellow women in meetings and celebrate our progress together as one united community, particularly in this year where we all learned some challenging pandemic lessons.”

Read the stories of the Smart Women in Meetings Award winners in the Feb-March March Smart Meetings Magazine.

Smart Women in Meetings Award winners will be featured in the magazine and online and will receive on-stage honors at the Smart Women in Meetings Awards gala on August 26 at the Smart Woman Summit at Grand Hyatt Nashville.

Everyone in the meetings industry is welcome to attend this educational and professional development conference. The Smart Woman Summit will feature workshops, thought-leading keynote speakers, dynamic networking opportunities and will culminate with the Smart Women in Meetings Awards gala.

About Smart Meetings:
Smart Meetings is the leading meetings industry publisher and voice of inspiration for meeting professionals. We inspire our audience of meeting and event professionals to dream big—and create brilliant experiences that delight attendees, achieve desired results and elevate the impact of the meetings industry. We are essential reading for the evolution currently happening all over the globe. Smart Meetings publishes cutting-edge meetings content in print and digital magazines 12 times per year, hosts world-class networking events, produces CEU-accredited Smart Chat Live! webinars and offers a myriad of digital resources, including Smart Sourcing and Smart U.

CONTACT:
JT Long

Editorial Director

editor@smartmeetings.com

Smart Meetings Honors the 2021 Platinum Choice Awards Winners

SAUSALITO, Calif., December 7, 2021—Smart Meetings, the leading meetings industry publisher and voice of inspiration for meeting professionals, proudly announces the winners of its 2021 Platinum Choice Awards. The Platinum Choice Awards honor the hospitality industry’s top-ranked hotels, venues and destinations that deliver the highest standards of overall excellence.

These outstanding performers were nominated by dedicated industry professionals and received a thoughtful review by the Smart Meetings judges.

“These premier hotels, venues and destinations stepped up during a challenging time and helped to deliver safe, engaging experiences despite uncertainties. We commend their dedication to serving their customers and the entire meeting professional community,” said Marin Bright, Smart Meetings founder and CEO. “We encourage our audience of planning professionals to consider these remarkable supplier partners for meeting destinations as we return to meeting in person in the coming year.”

Platinum Choice winners will be featured in the December issue of Smart Meetings and will be showcased on the award-winning SmartMeetings.com web site.­

About Smart Meetings: Smart Meetings is the leading meetings industry publisher and voice of inspiration for meeting professionals. We inspire our audience of meeting and event professionals to dream big—and create brilliant experiences that delight attendees, achieve desired results, and elevate the impact of the meetings industry. Smart Meetings publishes cutting-edge meetings content in print and digital, hosts world-class networking events, produces CEU-accredited webinars, and offers a myriad of digital resources. The publication annually awards the prestigious Smart Stars and Platinum Choice Awards to hospitality companies that meet the publications high standards.

 

Media Contact:
JT Long
Organization Name: Smart Meetings
Phone Number: 415.339.9355
Email: jtlong@smartmeetings.com