Vince Alonzo
Turning the Tables on Food Waste
Food waste isn’t just about leftovers. It’s about sustainability, economics, and the guest experience. The good news is that new tools and technologies are emerging to help the industry make measurable progress.
How a Storm-Disrupted Incentive Trip Won a SITE Crystal Award
This is the true story of an incentive travel program that faced a sudden travel disruption crisis – and how the planning team’s preparation and quick thinking turned potential disaster into a success and earned them a SITE Crystal Award.
Facial Recognition Opt-Out Could Snarl TSA Lines
A new law under consideration in Congress would give air travelers the right to opt out of using facial recognition technology at TSA checkpoints. Privacy advocates applaud the move. But the nation’s largest carriers warn that it could snarl airport operations and make TSA wait times significantly longer.
Shell Shocked
When we put cultural experiences, local delicacies, or off-site adventures on the agenda, we’re not just scheduling a meal or a tour. We’re inviting attendees to step outside their comfort zones. Sometimes, the difference between a success story and a horror story isn’t the experience itself. It’s how ready your attendees were to embrace it.
Apple’s AirTag Helps Airlines Track Bags in Real Time
f you’ve ever had a keynote speaker’s gear vanish in transit or a VIP show up with nothing but their carry-on, you know lost luggage isn’t just a minor hiccup—it’s a serious liability. For meeting and event professionals, it can derail schedules, shatter brand perception, and eat up valuable hours in damage control. But Apple’s latest innovation might be turning that narrative around.
Certainty Is Overrated (and Occasionally Dangerous)
Planners are constantly asked to make decisions—about site selection, security measures, networking formats, content strategy, and a hundred other variables. In the rush to keep projects moving, we often mistake certainty for clarity.
On Track: Could a Coast-to-Coast Rail Revival Become a Reality?
If the stars align—and freight railroads, Amtrak, and private investors all play ball—AmeriStarRail may soon offer meeting and incentive planners something the U.S. hasn’t seen in generations: a private, coast-to-coast rail service designed not just for travelers, but for trucks, autos, and group business.
Inside the 2025 IRF Study on Incentive Travel and Performance
In a business landscape dominated by AI disruption, shifting employee expectations, and growing economic and geopolitical uncertainty, top-performing companies are turning to a surprisingly human motivator: experiential rewards.
The Ultimate Event Swag Checklist
With insight from the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), industry trend spotters, and boots-on-the-ground event pros, we’ve compiled your ultimate guide to swag that works—and the stuff you can finally stop ordering.
History Resurfaces at Ground Zero—And It’s Event Planner Gold
There are museum exhibits—and then there’s this. Since May, visitors to the New York State Museum in Albany won’t just browse artifacts behind glass. They’ll watch, in real time, as conservators reconstruct a 50-foot-long Revolutionary War-era gunboat that once lay buried beneath the World Trade Center.
