May 14, 2025
In celebration of its 25th anniversary on May 17, Dollywood’s Splash Country has announced special entertainment and dining offerings for guests to enjoy throughout the entire season. The waterpark features 40 rides and attractions across 35 acres, set against Tennessee’s beautiful Smoky Mountains.
May 10, 2025
Today’s meeting attendees crave experiences beyond the boardroom, and the South offers a wealth of island retreats for meeting escapes. With breathtaking views, fresh ocean air, and built-in relaxation, the region offers the perfect blend of productivity and paradise.
May 9, 2025
According to “The State of the Meetings & Conventions Industry 2024” survey, conducted by Future Partners, Miles Partnership, and Digital Edge, 49 percent of planners reconsidered a destination in 2024 due to “controversial issues,” while 56 percent anticipate political influence on destination selection to grow in 2025. Those issues include race and gender equity, general political reputation, and social unrest. More commonly, such issues are referred to as DEI—diversity, equality, and inclusion—and are a driving factor in meetings and events programming and site selection.
May 7, 2025
Throughout his career, Gary Murakami has helped to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within the industry, serving on the Events Industry Council Equity Task Force, Meeting Professionals Association DE&I Advisory Committee, and chair of the DEI Committee for CalSAE and the Board of Directors for the LGBT Meeting Professionals Association. Here, Murakami shares how DEI awareness and initiatives are shaping meetings and events.
May 6, 2025
The Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau (GBCVB) appointed Dan Williams as president and CEO after a three-month national search. Williams will officially start in his role in June.
May 5, 2025
Unclaimed Baggage, the only retailer of lost luggage in the United States, offers a peek into the most curious, costly, and common items in America’s unclaimed luggage in the past year with its annual “Found Report.” The report’s Top 40 most fascinating finds of 2024 includes a suit of armor, a freeze-dried chicken foot, and a movie script from The Goonies.
May 2, 2025
SkyBeach Resort, a historic beachfront property on the southern-most tip of St.Petersburg, Fla., has finished a series of new enhancements, including a renovated lobby, the new SkyBeach Event Center, and the addition of Paradeco Coffee Roasters.
April 30, 2025
Charles Harris is taking over as chief operating officer of Visit Orlando. Harris is an award-winning global operations management executive with extensive experience in fostering business growth in sales and marketing within the tourism and hospitality, technology and sports management industries.
April 28, 2025
The Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau (LRCVB) has appointed Stasha King Irby as its new vice president of sales and services. Irby returns to LRCVB after previously serving as a sales manager, working with national associations.
April 24, 2025
The Raleigh Convention Center, as part of Raleigh’s Complex of venues, has promoted Ashley Auman, CEM-AP, to director of sales, effective May 3.
