Vince Alonzo

Event Design

Small Nooks, Big Deals

For the Gadsden-Etowah County Industrial Development Authority (IDA), success didn’t start with site selectors or tax incentives—it started with creating the right kind of space for ideas to flourish.

Best Practices

Digital Tipping 101

Once upon a time, tipping while attending an offsite meeting or event was easy: slip a few bills to the bellman, leave something on the pillow for housekeeping, and hand off a discreet envelope at checkout. But as hotel and event services increasingly shift to digital and cashless systems, the simple act of saying “thank you” has gotten more complex.

Technology

4 Steps to Avoiding a Digital Dumpster Fire

As AI tools like ChatGPT become part of everyday workflows, a federal court ordering OpenAI to indefinitely retain all ChatGPT conversation logs means event professionals must now take a closer look at how they use AI.

Technology

Chat GPT? Try SnitchGPT

Planners beware: a court order says your AI brain dump may now live forever A recent U.S. court ruling has major implications for anyone who uses ChatGPT—including meeting and event professionals who rely on it for planning support, idea generation, content creation, and even contract advice. On May 13, 2025, a court ordered OpenAI to […]

Technology

Hold That Plane!

American Airlines is rolling out new technology that could actually hold your connecting flight—yes, on purpose—if you’re at risk of missing it.

Industry Stats

Tourism Trends Reshape Events

The global tourism industry is experiencing significant shifts in 2025, presenting both challenges and opportunities for meeting and event planners. Understanding these trends is crucial for crafting successful events that resonate with today's travelers.

Event Design

Supersize Your Event Strategy

You’re in Orlando on a site inspection tour looking at venues, stuck between another beige ballroom and a rooftop with questionable shade coverage. Then suddenly, like a golden beacon of over-the-top kitsch, you see it—a 30-foot-tall Ronald McDonald, hand raised in eternal welcome.

Best Practices

Greener Gatherings Start Here

Ottawa Tourism has officially launched its Responsible Events Guide, a comprehensive tool created to support professionals in designing greener, more community-connected gatherings in Canada’s capital. The guide was unveiled during IMEX Frankfurt (May 20–22), where Ottawa Tourism highlighted its leadership in responsible destination management.

Destinations

Cvent Unveils 2025 Rankings of Meeting Destinations

Cvent unveiled its 2025 rankings of Top Meeting Destinations and Top Meeting Hotels. The annual lists are issued regionally for North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East & Africa, and for the first time this year, Latin America & Caribbean.

Destinations

Is Your Event Hurricane-Proof?

For meeting and event planners—especially those organizing events in hurricane-prone regions like the Southeast U.S., Gulf Coast, and Caribbean—the forecast for an unusually active 2025 hurricane season means it’s time to tighten up contingency plans.