Essential Business Events Roundup of the Week

The titans of the Vegas hotel industry — MGM, Caesars, and Wynn — have sealed tentative deals with unions. Just in the nick of time too, as they get ready to roll out the red carpet for an incoming horde of Formula One enthusiasts.

Meanwhile, visa processing delays are playing party pooper, keeping some international attendees from attending U.S. trade shows and conferences. Now an effort is brewing to counter this. Keep those fingers crossed lest a looming government shutdown throws a wrench in the works!

New this week is our Skift Meetings guide to the future of leadership and careers in events. You can download it now for free, just like all our guides, on our website.

According to Cvent 's leader, Reggie Aggarwal , meeting planners are much like mini-CEOs. In the gleanings from Cvent Connect Europe 2023's inaugural session, Reggie shared golden nuggets on leadership and the pivotal role of customer feedback.

Some good news is coming from Acapulco , which is recovering from the devastation left behind by Hurricane Otis. The resilient Mexican resort town is all set for a major comeback. And what better way than through the meetings industry's helping hands?

A new tech product also made the news. Three innovative minds from Florida are betting their chips on a room block marketplace to tackle attrition. Is this the hack we've been waiting for? Watch this space!

A recent Cvent report paints a promising picture: despite the mounting costs, a whopping two-thirds of European planners are upping their event budgets. How’s that for some optimism?

There was big news in the venue management space. Legends, the stadium whizz, is acquiring ASM Global , the maestro of venue management. Oak View Group, brace yourselves for some competition!

Elsewhere, the Incredible Impacts Program, a partnership between BestCities Global Alliance and ICCA , highlights four international associations for creating social ripple effects and legacies .

Steering the ship of event marketing is crucial, and data coupled with insights are emerging as the star navigators! It's becoming indispensable for professionals to design events that speak to the heart of their audience.

Numbers don't lie. Exhibitions contributed a sturdy ￡11.7B to the UK Economy last year . New study findings confirm an upbeat 2022, hinting that a post-Covid recovery might be around the corner!

When a shooting happened near the Risk and Insurance Management Society’s conference, CEO Gary LaBranche made the call to cancel the final sessions of an event with nearly 10,000 attendees. You can listen to the inside scoop on what it was like and what valuable lessons it served in this episode of the Skift Meetings podcast.

This wraps up our news roundup for this week. Tune in next time for more insights, predictions, and the inside scoop on the exciting world of business events!