All posts by David Swanson

An enviable blend of desert and mountain settings, Mexican and Native American cultures, and iconic sights ranging from the Grand Canyon to Monument Valley, Arizona offers a surprisingly exotic backdrop for memorable meetings.

With 950 flights arriving daily at McCarren International Airport, and more than 150,000 hotel rooms on offer — most of them dedicated to the meetings and conventions market — it’s not hard to understand the appeal of Las Vegas as one of the world’s top conference and incentive destinations.

Rapid growth with new convention hotels and authentic experiences win over planners and attendees.

Meeting planners who’ve handled the logistics for a meeting or incentive program know how challenging it can be.

Few destinations can equal Las Vegas as a known quantity. The city caters to almost 22,000 meetings annually.

With an average of 320 days of sunshine a year, more than 950 flights arriving daily and more than 150,000 hotel rooms on offer it’s not hard to understand the appeal of Las Vegas as one of the world’s top meeting destinations.

Nevada delivers a dichotomy of backdrops for meetings, from the glitz and excitement of Las Vegas to the spectacular natural surroundings of Lake Tahoe.

From a matchless musical and cultural heritage to the robust cuisine scene, this great Southern city’s many unique attributes can be woven into a successful meeting or incentive program.

When a hurricane that is forecast to be the most potentially catastrophic on record is headed for the city you’ve chosen as your annual meeting location, it’s not hard to imagine the apprehension a planner might feel in the hours before, during and after the storm.

A growing number of companies are finding that corporate events at sea sometimes offer an edge over traditional land-based programs. A 4.5 percent increase is projected for 2017, fueled by a growing supply of new and bigger ships.