Meeting planning is consistently on the list of most stressful jobs. Our world is overwhelmed. Never in human history has so much information been coming our way. We experience less recovery time between events and less rejuvenating sleep. It’s unsustainable and taking a toll in our personal and professional lives.

• Resorts driving diverse menus
​• Sustainable focus

​One of the most memorable parts of an event is the culinary experience. Participants are looking for their taste buds to be delighted and meeting professionals are working with chefs to create unique and diverse menus to deliver on this expectation.

With so much interest in culinary arts and the latest trends that are constantly evolving, how can chefs and planners continue to serve the next best thing, as well as act sustainably and reduce waste?

by Emily Giunta, CLE, Inc.

• The power of polling
• Interactive engagement

You’re already using (or at least exploring) an app for your events. It’s a great communication tool for your attendees and offers the convenience of having conference agendas, breakout schedules, speaker info, and many other details at their fingertips. But taking that a step further, are your meetings interactive and engaging?

by Jeanette Hurt

• Easy, engaging entertainment
• Make the most of area activities

When planning your next meeting or event, think strategically about your entertainment while making decisions about your facility. Consider resorts and lodges, as many are created around and near the entertainment you already love.
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When you think of Wisconsin, what comes to mind? Beer? Cheese? Football? The new LODGE KOHLER in Green Bay opened this past July with a AAA Four-Diamond rating. As the first luxury boutique hotel to open in this Northeast Wisconsin city, it is also the only one with a front row seat to Lambeau Field. It’s also an anchor of the city’s new Titletown District, which boasts heated sidewalks (no slippage here), a modern ice rink, a kiddie football field and playground, along with the local Hinterland Brewery and Pub and another restaurant, 46 Below.

​• Classy communal dining

Planners and their groups are finding the revitalization of the communal, or family-style, dining trend a delight. Networking becomes easier when dishes are being passed around the table and communication begins to flow naturally about the process and foods at hand. Larger presentation doesn’t necessarily mean loss of flavor or artistic flare and the team at The Chase Park Plaza Royal Sonesta St. Louis are proving that again and again.

Executive Chef Gunter Weber has honed his passion for culinary art from across the globe. With his classically trained French cooking techniques and access to locally sourced ingredients, he and his team have brought communal dining entrées up a level at The Preston, within The Chase Park Plaza.

The Bone-In Pork Roast and vegetables are all locally sourced. Heritage Berkshire, in Sioux City, IA, offers some of the best natural pork in the world, holding to high standards of production from 100% Berkshire bred hogs. These pork roasts combined with local red skin potatoes, fennel, baby carrots, cauliflower, garlic, onion, and fresh herbs provide diners a home-cooked, soul-food experience full of exceptional flavor.

by Christy Lamagna, CMP, CMM, CTSM

• Concessions and clauses
• Emotionally intelligent negotiating

A quick re-cap of 2017 strategies:
The first thing an event strategist does when planning an event is to hold a discovery session. Knowing an event’s goal and getting key stakeholder’s buy-in, along with target audience input, is a critical element of an event’s foundation.

Being an integral part of, what I call, the ‘Holy Trio’ of an organization is also essential. Marketing, sales, and event strategy are three legs of a tripod. Without one, the other two cannot operate optimally. With that established and your discovery session held, it’s time to do a venue search, site inspection, and decide which venue will best allow you to achieve your established event goal.

by Amy Hempe

• Doggy dos and don'ts
• Pet preparations

In the past year, the pet business has swelled to a $70-billion-a-year industry. Whether it is trendy new dog food or an exciting new grooming gadget, entrepreneurs want to get the word out about their product. This means marketing at conferences and conventions.


And there will be dogs.

• Creating a successful event
• Step-by-step how-to

So, you want to host a golf outing at your next event and don’t know where to start. You don’t have to be an experienced golfer to create an amazing group golf outing, so let’s look at the details which are required for a successful event.

To Start: Like any meeting or event, you need to first identify and define your goals. Is this a fundraiser, teambuilder, VIP retreat?  Also take into consideration the skill-level of your participants, as you will want to plan from the beginning to create a fun, yet challenging event for all.

• Resort spas are offering more

​​Midwest resorts offer some of the best spa experiences. While not everyone will utilize the service, many, like myself, look forward to those quiet spa moments after long flights and sometimes longer meetings. It is a chance to unwind, relax, and recharge and is often where I do my best thinking on a topic I’ve recently heard or discussed.

• Renovations for new generations
• Tips for meeting during renovations

Resorts have remained staples of American culture and today many Midwest resorts are renovating and revitalizing their efforts to remain icons for new generations of business and family travel.

One such resort is Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center, in Oak Brook, IL. The Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center is completing a full-property renovation which “goes above and beyond Hilton standards,” expressed Steven Ellingsen, General Manager. Located 30 minutes from downtown Chicago, Ellingsen and his team are focused on renewing the traditional history of the Oak Brook Hills Resort. The resort offers many activities for guests, including the 18-hole Willow Crest Golf Club, fitness center, spa, pools, tennis courts, bicycle rentals, and more.

• From graphics to gatherings
• Company longevity and lifelong learning

Maureen T. Fitzgerald is a born and raised, Midwest woman with a heart for family. The youngest of three girls born within three years, Maureen grew up knowing the importance of family for companionship and to help with the farm work. Her youth was filled with family, 4-H, reading, and more. Upon high school graduation, she attended Iowa State University and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design and Journalism. She later attended the University of Nebraska at Omaha to receive her Master’s Degree in Public Administration.

True to her roots, for 25 years, Maureen has been a county and state 4-H judge. She is also an annual judge of the Nebraska State entries of the National “Make it With Wool” competition, sponsored by the American Wool Council, The American Sheep Industry, and American Sheep Industry Women. Yet, if you ask, she will still tell you her favorite hobby is reading. Maureen also sits on the Board of Restoration Exchange Omaha (REO), which seeks historic preservation and adaptive reuse of building sites, instead of demolition. In part to this groups’ efforts, Omaha has seen several buildings restored into historic hotels.
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by Shawna Suckow, CMP

• Break through the clutter
• Tips to get noticed

Are you frustrated with attendees, suppliers, or planners who don’t read your communications? Welcome to the era of the “Busy-ness Bubble.” We each have one to protect us from all the media and communications noise out there. Our email inboxes are overflowing, our voicemail boxes are full, and we can’t add more time into the day. We’ve therefore trained ourselves to ignore most communications that we deem unimportant, mundane, or “salesy.”

If you’re struggling to get your communications to stand out, you can’t fall into the same mold that everyone else is in. You have to stand out, be unique, be worthy of your reader’s attention, or you’ll never break into their Busy-ness Bubble. How do you do that?

by Sharon Fisher

• Energize engagement
• Introvert insights

​Are Only HALF Your Attendees Getting the Max Out of Your Meetings?
The answer is a resounding YES! Studies show that 40-50% of meeting attendees are introverts. Yet the majority of our meetings are designed most definitely for extroverts. To glean some ideas on how to structure better meetings, let’s look at some of the differences – because they aren’t what you think!