Meeting Spotlight recently spoke with Mike Ferreira, owner and founder of Meetings Made Easy, a global site selection and meeting/virtual event services company. We discussed what business has been like during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic and how it will change going forward for the company that celebrates its fourth anniversary in January 2021.

How has your segment of the industry changed since March?  ​

The events industry of New York City came together virtually and live for the first time for many months when the event "The Future is Now" took place at etc.venues’ 360 Madison Avenue as a result of a partnership between etc.venues and event agency NECTR.

The next edition of the International Tourism Fair, FITUR 2021, will be held from the May 19 to 23 next year, as agreed by IFEMA and the FITUR Organizing Committee. This comes after a meditated decision that, exceptionally, makes this event essential to the recovery of the tourism industry, at a time that will still preserve its high international impact and thus, promote the professional reunion of companies, countries and destinations and provide a much-needed boost to the worldwide tourism activity.

Loews Hotels has announced the launch of “StreamLine by Loews,” a brand-wide approach to virtual gatherings. Whether meetings are virtual, in-person, or a hybrid of both, “StreamLine by Loews” offers innovative solutions for groups to connect. From large-scale conferences to intimate board meetings, “StreamLine by Loews” provides tools for meeting organizers to move events online, while maintaining the quality of service Loews is known for.

Streamline features two options.

Meeting Spotlight sat down with John Paladino, owner and founder of Milestone Meetings, to discuss what business has been like during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic and how it will change going forward. Based in Scottsdale, AZ, Milestone Meetings is a full-service meeting planning agency that provides a full service solution for meeting planners throughout the world.

How has your segment of the industry changed since March? 

Caribbean Travel Marketplace, a regional showcase for global leadership, diversity and resilience in tourism, is being planned for spring 2021, and organizers are seeking innovative ideas and expressions of interest from tourism stakeholders.

The majority of Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) companies expect their employees to return to in-person events in 2021. Almost half (45 percent) expect attendance to resume in the first half of the year, according to the latest poll conducted between September 15-19, 2020, by GBTA, with an additional 25 percent expecting a return to in-person events in the second half of 2021.

Effective from October 1, Nashville, TN, entered Phase 3 of its reopening plan, implementing several key changes affecting meetings and conventions.

Highlights of Phase 3:

On Wednesday, Brand USA, the destination marketing organization for the United States, announced the launch of Brand USA Global Marketplace—a one-stop shop for U.S. travel partners and international audiences to interact. Brand USA Global Marketplace is a custom-built, always-on, virtual platform that provides access to a diverse range of U.S. destinations, attractions and points of interest for the international travel industry. Brand USA calls the platform a “reimagined version of traditional trade shows and industry events.”