Meetings Today Podcast

The meetings industry is losing a vast reservoir of institutional knowledge with the retirement of Christine "Shimo" Shimasaki, whose most recent position was managing director of 2SYNERGIZE, a Simpleview consulting company specializing on delivering intelligence to DMOs. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson caught up with Shimo shortly after the retirement announcement to discuss her 40 years in the meetings and hospitality industry, advice for those just starting out, as well as her post-career plans.

Feeling boxed in and not recognized for your accomplishments? Lifelong hospitality industry veteran Dr. Lalia Rach has a prescription to help you manage your evolution within your profession, and in particular women executives and those climbing the organizational ladder. The author of Managing the Book on YOU!, who is also executive managing director of Strategic Consulting Service, a division of ALHI, and founding dean of the NYU Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management, shares her experience being “born into” the hospitality industry, how she elevated NYU’s meeting planning certificate program into an undergraduate degree program and her work helping hospitality industry professionals via her consulting work with global luxury hotel sales powerhouse ALHI.

Georgia World Congress Authority (GWCA), which owns and operates Atlanta’s 200-acre Convention Campus, including the Georgia World Congress Center, prides itself on sustainability. From bee hives to its Intentional Gatherings program, launching the Making HERstory Tea for Women's History Month, career-building efforts for local youth and DEI and food rescue efforts, the Georgia World Congress Authority excels at giving back to its community as well as the world. Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson sat down with Shavannia Williams, director of strategic partnerships for Georgia World Congress Authority, to see how the organization’s “People, Planet, Performance” motto can inspire meetings and conventions.

Like many of the leading issues that were top of mind until the pandemic sucked all the oxygen out of the room, in-person event risk management is once again being discussed as the industry ramps up to pre-pandemic levels and attendees are traveling for meetings. But while DEI and sustainability have regained their status as key industry concerns as the pandemic wanes, many believe now is the time to elevate risk management back to its pre-pandemic prominence. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Gary LaBranche, CEO of Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) at ASAE's 2023 Annual Meeting & Exposition, to push the reset button on this critical topic. Included in the conversation are tips on how you can ensure the safety of your attendees, an active-shooter situation that impacted RIMS's RISKWORLD event in Atlanta in May, as well as how RIMS is teaming with ASIS and ASAE to develop a risk management toolkit that will help planners keep their events safe.

KiKi L'Italien, CEO and host of Association Chat, an online community for the association industry, always calls it like she sees it, and her observations from ASAE 2023 are no exception. From association talent pipeline struggles and the impact of AI to what she believes is the curious lack of a hybrid component at "The Super Bowl of Meetings," L'Italien is one of the leading, authentic voices covering the world of associations and meetings technology. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson caught up with L'Italien at ASAE's 2023 Annual Meeting in Atlanta for a frank discussion about the state of the associations segment and what she's hearing from her large audience of association professionals.

Non-profit organization CreatiVets helps veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries by teaming them with songwriters to share what are sometimes their most guarded experiences and emotions. Meetings Today got to experience the concept of this musical magic firsthand when it brought in CreatiVets to facilitate the writing of songs about meeting and event planning at its Meetings Today LIVE! South event in Nashville as part of a CSR program. In this Meetings Today Podcast, Vice President & Chief Content Director Tyler Davidson discusses the mission of CreatiVets with Brett Gillan, its program director. Discover how you can help this amazing organization help our veterans through its unique form of music therapy.

Curious about generative AI and its applications in the meetings industry...but didn't know to ask? Meetings technology expert educator Jim Spellos previews his upcoming webinar, "Everything You Need to Know About AI...But Didn't Know to Ask," on this disruptive technology and the benefits and risks of its use. While the ramifications--and possible regulations--regarding generative AI are yet to truly reveal themselves, Spellos will get you up to date on where were at as the adoption curve seems primed to rapidly ascend.

Fresh from participating in Maritz Global Events' Innovation Lab at IMEX Frankfurt, Amy Kramer, innovation leader for the global events leader, discussed the "new language of events," which includes disruptive technology such as NFTs, the Metaverse and generative AI. How close are meeting and event planners to including these new technologies in their programs, and how are younger meeting and event attendees driving the adoption trend. Discover what's around the corner for your events, and how sustainability is still a major concern as in-person and hybrid meetings come charging back and looking much different than ever before. Stay ahead of the curve!

Wolfgang Puck transformed the way Americans thought about cuisine and is the O.G. celebrity chef. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson asked Puck about his journey to become a entrepreneurial cuisine legend, the 25th anniversary of Wolfgang Puck Catering and what he believes his legacy will be. Along the way, the Austrian-born chef dishes out stories about some of the entertainment industry celebrities that frequented his legendary Spago restaurant, how he emerged from the back of the kitchen to become an F&B icon, and the continuing evolution of high-profile events catering.

Leading Asian American inclusivity consultant Jolene Jang discusses the many facets of the Asian American and Pacific Islander culture and the challenges faced by this massive demographic in the meetings and events industry. From assimilation and the complexity and wide scope of the myriad AAPI cultures to safety issues and representation, Jang is a staunch advocate for inclusion. and moving the industry forward. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson engaged Jang to get her take during this podcast discussing the state of AAPI people and cultures in the meetings and events industry as Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month comes to a close.

Meetings Today sat down with Eugene Blabey, director of event planning and operations at Renaissance Dallas at Plano Legacy West Hotel, to discuss the unique ways in which the hotel infuses local culture into its offerings, welcomes guests to a "West of Zen" experience and provides top-tier meeting services through the R.E.N. Meetings program, offering planners opportunities to try something different when they gather their groups at Renaissance Dallas at Plano Legacy West Hotel.

For Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) May 18, Meetings Today sat down with Stephen Cutchins, senior product manager-accessibility at Cvent, to discuss his work around driving accessibility in Cvent's meetings and events technology tools and raising awareness about accessibility across the meetings and events industry.

As we move through 2023 with the mindset of making meetings and events industry trends a long-term reality, Alicia Jenelle, a multi-hyphenate professional and international experiential design expert from Toronto, shares how to push the DEIB conversation one step forward.

DEI, or diversity, equity and inclusion, is an unstoppable force in the meetings and tourism industry and beyond. Meetings Today touched base with two leading DEI proponents, Greg DeShields, executive director of Tourism Diversity Matters, and Sheila Alexander-Reid, executive director diversity for PHL Diversity (a division of the Philadelphia CVB) to get their take on successes as well as the challenges ahead. Also, information about Tourism Diversity Matters' The Collective Experience conference in October 23-24 in Philadelphia, and why the City of Brotherly Love has always been at the forefront of societal change.

As the leader of the association representing major conference centers in Europe and North America, IACC CEO Mark Cooper is in a unique position to gauge the recovery of the segment, which was hit especially hard by the pandemic. How is the conference center segment currently faring? How are corporations using these facilities to gather a workforce that in many respects was scattered to the wind, or evaporated, over the last three years? Is the message of sustainability getting through as we face climate change? Meetings Today touched base with Cooper at IACC's Americas Knowledge Exchange, its renamed annual conference that seeks to strengthen both the bonds of knowledge and integrate an influx of new leaders into the world of that thoroughbred meeting facility, conference centers.

In some respect, the pandemic allowed the islands of Hawai'i to heal, as mass tourism came to a halt. The break only solidified the realization—long held by many Native Hawai'ians—that it is paramount for the unique culture of the islands to be understood, and respected, by visitors. John G. Reyes, senior vice president and chief MCI sales officer for Meet Hawai‘i, shares how Hawai'i's tourism community has come together to honor the true spirit of aloha, and communicate the responsibility for visitors to give back to a people and culture that has given so much of itself in welcoming them. From incorporating indigenous cultural programming and activities to unique excursions and CSR that honors the native culture, Hawai'i is sharing a deeper understanding of itself with the world.

While millions know Coyote Peterson as the guy who gets stung and bitten by just about every animal under the sun in his YouTube hit Brave Wilderness–where his videos have been viewed more than 4.3 billion times worldwide–he's also a fan of his adopted hometown of Columbus, Ohio, headquarters of his media company. After meeting him during a familiarization trip to Columbus before PCMA Convening Leaders 2023, Meetings Today touched base with Peterson to record a podcast about why Columbus holds such a special place in his heart, as well as more details about his globetrotting derring-do. After traveling the planet for the past decade to get up close and personal with often misunderstood animals in extreme environments, this Emmy Award-winning hunkers down in Columbus, which has become a center of innovation and entrepreneurship stemming from The Ohio State University (where Peterson is an alumni) and many Fortune 500 companies.

Major travel and meetings industry sustainability efforts such as the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative are a top priority in Europe, where the meetings industry is organizing to adopt stricter sustainability standards before governing bodies step in to enforce regulations. The sense of urgency seems to be a great deal less in North America, however. Why is this, and how can travel and meetings industry professionals join the fight against climate change via self-regulation? Meetings Today interviewed James Rees, executive director, conference and events, ExCel London and former president of the International Congress and Convention Association, about the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative and other major sustainability efforts underway in Europe and North America. Having a wealth of experience on the major venue side, as well as leading a major industry association and holding top sales positions for Hilton Hotels, Rees can address the subject of sustainability from a variety of vantage points.

Denise Reid, new president of Event Service Professionals Association (ESPA), shares how event service professionals are often on the front line of ensuring destination DEI for meetings and events, as well as her plans for ramping up the association following the pandemic upheaval, and also favors listeners with an amazing rendition of Ave Maria! Aside from delivering memorable event service at the Hyatt Centric French Quarter in New Orleans, Reid, you see, is a classically trained mezzo-soprano who has performed with the Gulf Coast Opera Théâtre and the Keesler Air Force Base production of Handel's Messiah in Biloxi, Mississippi. She's also a member of Women@Hyatt, Hyatt B.L.A.C.K. Diversity Business and Resource Group and Loyola University New Orleans Alumni Association.

San Antonio, already the seventh-largest city in the U.S., is on a population and development boom that has seen the recent opening of 10 hotels and approximately 70 restaurants in the last two years, along with a $2.5 billion expansion of San Antonio International Airport that will include a new terminal and a resulting spike in air lift. Meetings Today checked in with Tyler Orwig, vice president of association and tradeshow sales for Visit San Antonio, to discover what's new in the meetings and events world and beyond in this always-popular Texas destination. Always a draw because of its epic history, San Antonio will make you remember it for much more than the Alamo.

Taylor Smith has a conversation with Greater Ontario Convention and Visitors Bureau Director of Sales Arlette Garibay about Ontario, California’s newest meetings and events offerings, as well as the benefits of working with the Greater Ontario CVB. This podcast was produced in partnership with the Greater Ontario CVB.

Speaker Andre Norman stirred the crowd at SITE Global Conference 2023 in Manhattan with a gritty story of determination and redemption that will lift anyone, no matter what background they came from. Norman relayed his incredible journey of being raised in poverty by a single mom with five brothers and sisters and serving 14 years in prison before turning his life around to become a Harvard Fellow and travel the world on a mission to help inmates and others suffering dire situations. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Norman to delve into his remarkable journey and discover how his message can move audiences to widen their beliefs on the possibilities of bettering our society by nurturing our young.

Since accepting a full-time position leading the sustainability efforts of one of the most influential meetings, events and incentives travel powerhouses in the world, Maritz Global Events, Rachel Riggs is in a key position to affect change as the hospitality industry comes under intense pressure to reduce its carbon footprint. We caught up with Rachel at SITE Global Conference 2023 in New York City to get her take on what could be considered an existential threat to the travel industry, reducing its carbon footprint voluntarily before governments enforce mandates. Learn what green initiatives Maritz Global Events is embarking on as well as tips planners of all events and incentive travel programs can tap to make their own efforts more sustainable.

Association meetings veteran Willis Turner shares how the new AI technology ChatGPT will revolutionize the meetings and events industry. Is your job safe? Depends on how fast you adapt. Turner recently published The Power of ChatGPT: How to Put ChatGPT to Work for You, available on Amazon and via his website, www.oldclayburn.com, and also is the founder of Virtual Memorial Gatherings, which stepped in to fill the critical need for virtual funerals during the pandemic lockdown.

From the mammoth stage production facilities at Rock Lititz, where top acts such as Taylor Swift, Billy Joel, Rihanna and Justin Bieber tighten up their stage show before tours, to excellent teambuilding opportunities and the simple pleasures of the Amish way of life, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, offers up surprising lures for meetings groups. Discover Lancaster President & CEO Edward Harris shares some of these "secret" offerings, such as wineries, breweries, ziplining and hot-air ballooning, as well as the destination's GBAC-accredited convention center and his experience joining and then leading the DMO through the pandemic.

The Reno Tahoe area of northern Nevada is easy to get to, easy to navigate once you're on the ground, and is easy to love for meetings and events. Thanks to an economic boom, new and refreshed venues, and a plethora of outdoor activities, Reno Tahoe is catching the attention of people around the country to work, live and play there. Just what can this fast-growing destination do for your next meeting or event? In this episode, Senior Content Director Danielle LeBreck chats with Mike Larragueta, vice president of sales for the Reno-Sparks Convention & Visitors Authority to learn more. This podcast was produced in partnership with Reno Tahoe

In the run-up to his keynote address at Event Service Professionals Association’s 2023 annual conference, meetings industry leader and DEI champion Elliott L. Ferguson II, president and CEO of Destination DC, explains why DMOs and event service professionals are key partners in ensuring meetings and events are living up to their promises of delivering diversity, equity and inclusion at their events, in experiences but also in including minority vendors in the economic benefits. From offering offsite events and experiences that include local culture that may have been previously overlooked to tapping LGBTQ+ and BIPOC vendors to provide key event services, DMOs and event service professionals are the frontline resources that can ensure inclusion in a meaningful, and equitable, way.

PCMA Convening Leaders held its 2023 edition in Columbus, Ohio, a destination that unveiled many surprises to attendees who enjoyed its booming restaurant scene, thriving arts and entertainment districts and the many facets of the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Did you know that Columbus is the largest city in Ohio and the 14th largest in the U.S., and is home to a diverse population that includes one of the largest LGBTQ+ populations per capita in the nation? It's also considered the fourth largest center of design in the U.S. and the headquarters city of a number of major Fortune 500 companies. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Experience Columbus President & CEO Brian Ross to get his impressions on major new developments in the destinations, Experience Columbus initiatives and what the impact of PCMA Convening Leaders will be on Ohio's capital city.

What's new and coming online in the perennial popular Central Florida destination of Orlando? From major new hotel and attractions openings and renovations to group activity options, and the hugely anticipated Brightline high-speed rail line connecting Orlando and Miami, there's a wealth of updates to share. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Casandra Matej, president and CEO of Visit Orlando, to discover what's in store for meetings and conventions groups in 2023. 

Perhaps the biggest news at PCMA Convening Leaders 2023 was the association's acquisition of Event Leadership Institute, a major player in the meetings and conventions education space. ELI founder Howard Givner, now senior vice president of knowledge and innovation for PCMA, sits down with Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson to discuss the details of the acquisition, the mutual benefits PCMA and ELI members will receive, and what he sees as the future of education in the meetings and conventions industry.

How is the meetings and events faring as the worst of the pandemic seems to be in the past, and where are we headed as new headwinds confront the industry? Maritz Holdings and Maritz Group President & CEO David Peckinpaugh shares his insight as the leader of the global MICE powerhouse. Also: What's new inside Maritz, from DEI and sustainability to its leadership role in fighting human trafficking in the hospitality industry. Meetings Today caught up with Peckinpaugh at PCMA Convening Leaders in Columbus, Ohio, to get the skinny from one of the top leaders in the global MICE industry.

Sun, fun and a convention district seemingly made for meetings make San Diego a popular destination for business events, but the San Diego Tourism Authority (SDTA) believes brainpower—such as its emerging biotech industry—needs to be added to that list. We sat down with the SDTA’s Kavin Schieferdecker to explore this SoCal standout’s new promotional message for the meetings and events industry.

VisitScotland Business Events launched an ambitious Journey to Change initiative in 2021 that aims to showcase how business events in the country can drive social and economic transformation. Most of Western Europe seems to be following the same path, especially in terms of sustainability. Meanwhile, while the U.S. meetings and events industry actively sings the praises of issues such as sustainability and the impact business events have on the environment, the message doesn't seem to be translating into actual practices and government regulations like it does across the Atlantic. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with VisitScotland's Neil Brownlee at IMEX America to explore the country's ambitious initiative, as well as meetings and events trends, facility information and the benefits of bringing meetings to Scotland. 

Have a need for a turnkey conference solution in the Big Apple, with a little touch of English elegance? Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson sat down with Fiona Macpherson, vice president of business development and sales for etc.venues, a 30-year-old, U.K.-based non-residential conference center operator that just opened a third location in Manhattan. Discover what this London-based urban conference center option—which in 2019 hosted nearly 1 million delegates—brings to the U.S. market, being known for its interior design, F&B, technology and, being from England—a stellar tea selection, of course!

Lauren Grady, director of global event center of excellence at Bizzabo, discusses the state of in-person events in relation to data collected by Bizzabo this year, including how, looking ahead to 2023, 85% of event organizers plan to host at least three in-person events next year.

Where are meetings and events at in the great post-shutdown recovery? Who is winning the force majeure battle? Are room rates and other meeting component prices going to ease up anytime soon? And what does it mean when someone says that attendees should design meetings? Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson caught up with Maritz Global Events Enterprise Vice President and COO Steve O’Malley at IMEX America 2022 to see what the global meetings and events juggernaut is noticing take shape regarding key industry issues. O’Malley and his team are seeing organizational values such as sustainability and DEI stressed in RFPs, and data privacy is once again rising to the fore. And what about attendance levels? Will we ever get back to “normal?” You’ll have to hear what O’Malley reveals to get the answers.

One of the hottest topics in the meetings industry is talent acquisition and retention. Michael Massari, chief sales officer of Caesars Entertainment, started out his career in the hospitality industry as a busboy. But is the next generation of workers willing to start at the bottom? An industry vet chimes in during this Meetings Today podcast taped at IMEX America 2022.

Marriott's Head of Global Sales Tammy Routh discusses up-and-coming Marriott projects and properties, industry trends and what to look forward to from the brand in 2023 at IMEX America 2022. 

Everyone's after attendee engagement at events, and Encore Global may have just cracked the code with its "Break Free" immersive environment debuted at IMEX America 2022. Ben Erwin, president and CEO of the global event planning, creative, production and technology juggernaut, talked with Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson about its mysterious and magnificent "multi-room" environment shrouded by towering black draping in the back of the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. But it was much more than the proverbial big show reveal at IMEX America, as Erwin said the concept can be customized for any industry or event, and that meeting planners may see their clout greatly increased as they work to create connections within organizations in a dynamic new workplace environment that has been rocked by remote work and retention and staffing challenges.

Visit Orlando has teamed with the Orlando Economic Partnership to launch the "Unbelievably Real" marketing campaign, which seeks to communicate the message of the top meetings and events destination's authenticity and unique nature, which often gets lost due to its profile as the world's preeminent theme park destination and leisure travel magnet. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Matej at IMEX America 2022 to discuss the new initiative as well as how the destination fared during Hurricane Ian and the phenomenal response of its hotel community to help residents of Florida's hard-hit communities weather the storm.

The world is very, very sick, as its climate is increasingly spiraling to doom. The meetings and events industry is particularly vulnerable to what we call "climate change." But the very term climate change doesn't convey the need for urgency because of the potentially catastrophic diagnosis for the planet, according to PCMA President & CEO Sherrif Karamat, who uses the provocative term "climate cancer." Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson caught up with Karamat at IMEX America to expand on his dire diagnosis for the meetings and events industry and the planet itself, as well as his thoughts as the incoming chair of the Events Industry Council and happenings at PCMA, including the January 2023 Convening Leaders conference in Columbus, Ohio.

Gerardo Tejado, general manager for American Express Meetings & Events, discusses highlights of the 2023 annual Global Meetings & Events Forecast with Meetings Today's Danielle LeBreck at IMEX America 2022.

Many organizations, and especially associations, are challenged by legislation and policies that are counter to the values of their members, such as "bathroom bills" and statewide measures outlawing abortion. The firm opposition to these laws leads some to consider cancelling their meetings in the destinations in which the laws were passed.  But cancelling or moving meetings can lead to legal and financial exposure and also impact those in the destination that rely on meetings and conventions to make a living, such as hotel, restaurant and transportation workers, among many others. To provide an alternative to cancellation, or attendees deciding to not participate in a meeting or convention, meetings industry veterans Beth Surmont and Elena Gerstmann created SocialOffset, which allows attendees and organizations to donate to charities that counter the legislation and policies in question. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson recently talked with Surmont and Gerstmann to discover what SocialOffset, now in its pilot phase, brings to the conversation about destination boycotts, especially in the association segment.

From a new hockey arena to expanded airlift and its ever-present roster of top spas and golf resorts, Greater Palm Springs has emerged from the pandemic reinvigorated to win meetings and conventions business. Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson talked with Carolina Viazcan, vice president of sales for Visit Greater Palm Springs, to discover what’s new up and down the Coachella Valley, and how groups themselves can turn a meeting there into an opportunity to reconnect and reenergize.

Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson touches base with Lori Cassidy and Pam Kressley, 30-year hospitality industry veterans who  just launched an incentive travel option that greatly simplifies the reward process while multiplying travel options for both awarders and awardees. And if exclusive resorts and luxe cruises don't do the trick, companies can even launch their high-performing incentive winners into space! Check out all the deets of this turnkey incentive travel reward option that promises to disrupt the segment by giving award-winners more say in what travel experiences they want. It's an idea whose time has come, and one that also helps organizational recruitment and retention efforts in a time when workforces have been stretched thin and employees have more bargaining power and desire more flexibility.

Meetings industry veteran Kevin Iwamoto, chief customer officer and head of enterprise for meetings technology company Bizly, has occupied top positions in meetings industry organizations, from president of NBTA (now GBTA) in the wake of 9/11 to senior-level positions on Hewlett-Packard’s global travel and meetings team and Disney. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson spoke with him about stereotypes and other challenges faced by Asian American and Pacific Islanders in meetings and events, as well as his veteran perspective on where the industry is at as we emerge from the pandemic to face economic and global political headwinds.

Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson chats with KiKi L'Italien, host of Association Chat podcast and senior consultant with Tecker International, about ASAE's Annual Meeting & Exposition, including the successes and challenges of its stringent COVID-19 testing policy (COVID spoiler alert!), as well as a unique new CSR option that encourages association attendees to contribute to organizations that counter potential boycott issues rather than having organizations cancel events or attendees decline to participate.

IMEX America has always had a robust educational program, but is now embarking on a three-year strategy to consolidate and redesign the offering. Helping shepherd the process is Tahira Endean, an industry veteran and former head of events for SITE who was recently hired as IMEX Group's Head of Programme. Carrying the theme "Pathways to Clarity," IMEX America will kick off October 10 in Las Vegas with its Smart Monday educational day. Learn more about the new educational strategy as well as what else new to expect during IMEX America 2022, the 11th edition of the show, with this Meetings Today podcast with Endean.

Many planners think a hybrid event is simply a program that ties together a single in-person event with a simultaneous digital component. Think again! Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson talks with Cvent's Rachel Andrews, senior director, Global Meetings & Events, and Patrick Smith, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, about their experience producing the hospitality tech giant's Cvent Travel Summit, which featured specialized content for different subsets of audience and multiple event formats, as well as in-person elements in two different countries before and after the main production. Sound complicated? Let Rachel and Patrick share how they pulled it off, because hybrid meetings are here to stay and the race is on to deliver the most engaging and relevant experience for all attendees.

Dallas is embarking on a $2 billion convention center expansion that will also result in a new downtown entertainment district and neighborhood. Visit Dallas President & CEO Craig Davis goes over the details of this massive project that will reposition the city as a top meetings and conventions draw.