Imagine the synchronized tasks of selecting a destination for a meeting or incentive that not only meets the criteria of the executive board, but an assortment of groups ranging in age, interests and rules of engagement?

There was a time when those in the insurance and financial industries faced some sad goodbyes when they needed to leave their children or spouses for a big company meeting. Not only did it mean being away from their loved ones, but it often brought on resentment from the family stuck at home while one spouse got to visit a fun destination.

Today, meetings and events are the second-largest area of spend for most marketing budgets and having the ability to track the progress of interest in products, services and satisfaction with those events all hinges on having technology in place to easily capture the data points one is using to evaluate.

While keto diets, golden milk lattes and gluten-free may have made inroads in the meetings industry last year, 2019 will see the rise of many additional healthy food and beverage trends that planners can get excited about.

For Amanda Houston, director of corporate events at INNOVATX Events, when her clients consider utilizing conference centers today, she knows what they are looking for — namely flexibility and leading-edge amenities and upgrades in both accommodations and meeting spaces.

Every organization has to figure out how to make meetings productive. It’s a complex challenge.

FICP Executive Director Steve Bova, CAE, offers some insight into the challenges and trends facing this industry in the coming year.

Every town has something about it that visitors can’t find anywhere else. Here are 10 destinations that understand how to capitalize on what they have.

All-inclusive resorts offer a full range of restaurants, activities, gyms, spas, shopping and, in many cases, excellent food. Meeting rooms are adjacent to the resort, there is no need to leave the property, making it easy on the event planner to keep all of the activities contained in one space.

Many meeting and event planners within the financial and insurance arena understand the issue of stage fright. That’s because in this industry, where presentations are extremely common, planners often need to work with speakers on delivering a solid presentation that keeps the audience coming back for more.