Vince Alonzo

Destinations

Las Vegas-to-California Bullet Train Breaks Ground

Brightline West officially broke ground on the nation's first true high-speed rail system which will connect Las Vegas to Southern California making it easier for meetings and events groups to travel between the two destinations.

Incentives

IRF Study Explores AI Opportunities For Incentives

The Incentive Research Foundation (IRF) has released a study to help incentive professionals understand the capabilities, explore the possibilities, and find out how the industry is currently using artificial intelligence. Providing an overview of how industry professionals are using AI, the study suggests first steps with the technology and provides use cases that can enable current users to further harness the power of AI.

Incentives

How to Build Budgets for Incentive and Recognition Programs

Incentive awards and recognition programs are separate strategies with different goals. They require separate budgets. Here is a primer for both.

Industry Association News

IAAC Creates Platform for Experiential Venues

International Association of Conference Centers (IACC) redefines the future of events with innovative new membership category for venues that specialize in experiential offerings, IACC aims to connect meeting planners with the most innovative and cutting-edge event spaces.

Experts

The Clock is Ticking

Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on April 22nd that focuses on environmental protection. It started in 1970 as a way to raise awareness about the environment and has grown into a large global movement. Earth Day is now celebrated in over 193 countries by an estimated 1 billion people. According to the UN Climate Chief, we need an effort of that magnitude.

Incentives

SITE Crystal Award Case Study: Most Socially Responsible Incentive

The annual awards program run by SITE (Society for Incentive Travel Excellence) recognizes outstanding incentive programs in a variety of geographic and solution-driven categories. In the category of "Most Impactful Effort Toward Corporate Social Responsibility as Part of an Incentive Travel Program," Next Level Performance was tasked by their client, a financial services technology provider, with creating an employee volunteer activity during a March 2023 President’s Club trip to the Bahamas.

Industry Association News

MPI’s Q1 2024 Meetings Outlook Report Looks Promising

Meeting Professionals International, quarterly Meetings Outlook Report finds positive sentiment for the overall business of live events in Q1 of 2024. Grow is trending upwards across the most significant metrics — business conditions, attendance, budgets— while hiring difficulties have improved for each of the past three quarters.

Event Design

Dos and Don’ts Of White Water Rafting

While exhilarating, white water rafting does come with inherent risks. Rivers are unpredictable, strong currents and rapids can overturn a raft, underwater obstacles like rocks and logs can cause injuries, and there's always just good old fashioned human error. So if you do offer this as an incentive or as a pre- or post- add on to a meeting, make sure you give your attendees this essential list of dos and don'ts.

Destinations

Golden Nugget Enhances Its Shine

Golden Nugget Atlantic City has begun the first phase of a multi-million-dollar hotel and room renovation project. The first phase is slated to be complete by May of this year. Aimed at enhancing the overall guest experience, transformative hotel upgrades will be carried throughout the hotel including rooms and suites.

Best Practices

Speaker Trends: Content is King

According to the Freeman 2024 Trends Report on attendee intent and behavior, When it comes to keynotes, content comes first. Attendees want substance, not celebrity. A thought- provoking, relevant topic will outweigh even the most prominent speaker.