Vince Alonzo
Cincinnati’s $800 Million Convention District Is Redefining the Midwest Meetings Market
In just three months, Visit Cincy will cut the ribbon on the newly reimagined Duke Energy Convention Center—the $264 million anchor of an ambitious Convention District redevelopment that’s turning the Queen City into a contender for the country’s most planner-friendly urban destination.
Convene Hospitality Group Reimagines a New York Landmark for the Experience Economy
In a city that never stops reinventing its event scene, CHG—the company behind Convene and etc.venues—is writing the next chapter of New York hospitality with The Mallory, an independently branded venue inside the storied Terminal Warehouse. Set to open in Q2 2026, it’s less a venue and more a living intersection of architecture, culture, and commerce.
AI Just Got Fluent: How Wordly’s Global Expansion Is Making Events Speak Every Language
n the business of meetings, the new lingua franca is… every language. That’s the message behind Wordly’s latest move—a major global expansion that signals how fast AI translation is transforming the way audiences connect. The Los Altos–based company, which made this year’s Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies, has doubled its team to meet skyrocketing demand from the events and trade show industry.
Incentive Fatigue Is Real—Here’s How to Keep Your Rewards From Flatlining
If your incentive program starts strong but fizzles halfway through the year, you’re not imagining it—your participants are simply bored. When every sales contest feels the same, motivation fades fast. According to the Incentive Research Foundation’s (IRF) October 2025 “Academic Research in Action” report, the fade that follows even well-designed programs isn’t bad luck; it’s science.
Gen Z Incentive Qualifiers Would Rather See Taylor Swift Than Hawaii
The 2025 Incentive Travel Index reveals that many of today’s qualifiers want experiences that hit the right note, not just the right resort When 39 percent of incentive-travel professionals say younger qualifiers would rather see Taylor Swift than Hawaii, it’s tempting to laugh it off as a punchline. But buried in that stat is the […]
Forget Scale—Small Is Winning the Marketing Wars
In a business world still addicted to “scale,” Shawna Suckow’s Small Is Your Superpower shows up like the scrappy underdog who crashes the corporate cocktail party—and steals the room. Her thesis? Being small isn’t a disadvantage anymore. It’s the cheat code for winning hearts, customers, and attention in a world allergic to hype.
Shutdown Turbulence: FAA Flight Cuts Leave the Meetings Industry in a Holding Pattern
When the Federal Aviation Administration announced it would reduce U.S. air traffic by 10% across 40 “high-volume” markets starting Friday, it wasn’t just another bureaucratic headline—it was a body blow to an industry that runs on mobility.
When Washington Grounds America, It Grounds Business Too
The U.S. air system moves more than 44,000 flights a day, powering a meetings and events economy that contributes $234 billion to GDP and supports 5.6 million jobs, according to the Events Industry Council. Those flights aren’t just moving tourists — they’re moving entrepreneurs, dealmakers, innovators, and entire industries that rely on physical connection to thrive.
The End of “Vibes Only”: Freeman’s New Data Shows What Attendees Actually Want
In Freeman’s 2025 eXperience Trends Report, the company surveyed more than 2,600 attendees and organizers and found something most planners already suspect: the industry’s obsession with spectacle has officially outpaced what audiences value. Freeman’s new data shows what attendees actually want.
Convene Levels Up: Inside the Launch of Convene Hospitality Group
There’s a new player in the hospitality ecosystem—but it’s made up of names planners already know. This week, Convene announced the formation of Convene Hospitality Group (CHG), a parent company that unites Convene and etc.venues under one umbrella, creating what CEO Ryan Simonetti calls “a house of hospitality-driven brands built for the full spectrum of modern meetings.”
