It’s the best week of the year: a chance to see all the work that goes into planning a meeting come to life. I’m writing this approximately 24 hours in advance of my inaugural Skift Meetings Forum in New York. The rest of the Skift team is in the midst of preparing for a week of action with four (!) other programs. They’re doing the stay-up-too-late and wake-up-too-early routine that you know all too well. It’s a reminder that meeting professionals routinely make what seems impossible a reality.
While the week of a meeting makes me focus solely on what our team needs to do, the rest of the world isn’t slowing down. Andrea Doyle caught up with Don Welsh at Destinations International after he assembled a who’s who cast of U.S. association leaders for an open letter to their audience members who live north of the border. Head below to learn more, along with a look at a new not-quite-finished event measurement certification and a roundup of tools that can help you find a more creative venue. — David McMillin
PS. If you aren’t joining us in New York this week, be part of the next best thing. We’ll be hosting a webinar on Wednesday, September 30 to unpack all the insights from Skift Meetings Forum. Register today to join our editorial team for the conversation.
WEBINAR
Join the Skift Meetings editorial team for a full debrief of all the action at Skift Meetings Forum. We’ll unpack what we learned on stage and what we heard in the conversations throughout the day.
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FEATURED STORIES
A New, Partially-Finished Certification Aims to Help Prove Events Work
by Andrea Doyle
U.S. Meetings Leaders Break Silence on Canadian Tensions
by Andrea Doyle
6 Tools for Finding a More Creative Event Venue
by Barbara Scofidio
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The Brand USA Blues
The potential dip in Canadian visitors to the U.S. is dominating the conversation now, but the stream of visitors from the rest of the world may also slow down in the near future, too. Skift’s Bailey Schulz reports that Brand USA is looking ahead to 2028 with the potential for “limited resources,” according to spokesman Chris Heywood.
The organization is focused on the leisure side of international travel. However, the work it does — creating and investing in media that promotes America as a place to put on the must-visit list — certainly can’t hurt in getting prospective attendees to decide to make the long haul here for a program. If you’re hosting a program in the U.S., it’s worth having a conversation with your marketing team to figure out which parts of the world you want to focus on with your next program and how you can sell them on making the journey.
Great events are built on strategy, innovation, and the right resources. The Skift Meetings Toolkit is your go-to hub for best practices in managing meetings and events.
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