Advertise on podcast: Meetings Today Podcast

Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson caught up with Visit Orlando President & CEO Casandra Matej at IMEX America 2026 to learn about what’s new in the biggest meetings destination in North America. From a half-billion-dollar expansion of Orange County Convention Center to a major meeting space addition at Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin—and major news on the group dining front—this Central Florida standout is always shining.

Cvent’s Mike Dietrich details major new AI research from Forrester Consulting that is the first offering of the new Cvent Center for Event Insights, which is focused on tackling some of the biggest issues in the industry. How will AI impact your job as an event planner and how can you rise to the challenge of harnessing this powerful new technology? Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson sat down with Mike Dietrich, VP of The Cvent Center for Event Insights, launched during Smart Monday at IMEX America 2026, to parse a major new events industry AI study the event tech giant partnered with Forrester Consulting to release. While AI is making the case for live experiences, event marketing departments are still struggling prove ROI. Here’s how AI may impact your role as a meeting planner and the industry as a whole.

Michigan State University’s School of Hospitality Business is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2027, having spent a century preparing students for careers in meetings and events as well as in other segments of the hospitality industry. Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson interviewed MSU alumni and meetings industry veteran Gary Hernbroth, chief motivating officer for Training for Winners, along with recent graduates Sydney Morrison and Madison Cloran, about what the college offers for the future leaders of the meetings industry as well as valuable tips for young people just breaking in.

Philadelphia CVB’s Brea Webster Stanko shares planning lessons for event professionals on branding, attendee journeys, security and venue logistics culled from the city’s epic run of marquee sporting events, FIFA World Cup and the MLB All-Star Game, this summer.

The Broadmoor’s Cloud Camp offers meeting and event planners a secluded Colorado Rocky Mountains setting for executive retreats, board meetings, incentive groups and small-team gatherings. In this Meetings Today podcast, Tyler Davidson speaks with Duane Zobrist, CEO of Resort Outfitters, which designs and operates outdoor resort experiences at the property, including falconry, kayaking, mountain biking and custom group activations. Zobrist shares why Cloud Camp stands out for small groups.

As attendees become more intentional about where and how they spend their time, event organizers face a critical question: Does their event offer something people can't get from a screen? In this Meetings Today Podcast, reporter Taylor Smith speaks with Emily Laufgraben, senior marketing insights manager at Maritz and author of the company's "NextGen Proofing Your Events" report, about how planners can design more relevant, credible and connection-driven experiences. Laufgraben explores how today's attendees are looking for meaningful conversations, genuine belonging, hands-on experiences and opportunities to explore a destination in an authentic way. She explains why traditional networking receptions can fall short and how organizers can provide the structure, reassurance and smaller-group settings that help people make valuable connections. And she examines the growing importance of authenticity throughout it all. Her central advice is simple: Stay curious, ask meaningful questions and avoid assumptions. By focusing on purpose, trust and human connection, planners can create events that attendees choose to attend, and remember.

Despite the recent trade tension between the American and Canadian governments, Canada is seeing strong demand from U.S.-based meeting and incentive groups for 2027 and 2028. In this brief Meetings Today podcast, Destination Canada’s Virginie De Visscher details which industry sectors are meeting regularly in Canada, how Canada’s event-legacy strategy supports corporate CSR objectives and why authentic Indigenous and local experiences are so popular for U.S.-based incentive groups.

Leonard Hoops, the longtime president and CEO of Visit Indy, speaks to Meetings Today about the huge wave of new hospitality development in Indianapolis that is making the city a “Tier 1A” destination. With one of the most connected, walkable downtowns in the country and a new 803-room HQ hotel, Indianapolis now competes for huge citywide events in addition to mid-sized and smaller meetings. In this 10-minute podcast, Hoops summarizes the city’s appeal for corporate and association meeting groups plus the various hotel, restaurant and entertainment offerings that are coming soon.

Visit Anaheim Chief Marketing Officer Scott Oklin and VP of Intermediary Strategy Virna Navia discuss the DMO's new rebrand as it embarks on a "Golden Decade," which will see massive new developments such as OCVIBE and DisneyForward as well as a new drive to attract visitors to "tentpole" events. With the largest convention center on the West Coast, this SoCal city is upping the ante while still savoring its standing as the center of Disney's iconic theme parks.

From pricing and cost increases to declining attendance, nuanced security concerns and the ever-shrinking definition of what exactly constitutes force majeure, meetings industry attorney extraordinaire Joshua Grimes discusses the latest business meetings and events contract issues and strategies for planners to deal with them. Discover how you can protect your organizations, and career, via these strategies to push back via contract clauses and anticipating problems before its too late to deal with them appropriately.

Courtney Stanley, host of Meetings Today's Dare to Interrupt podcast, has championed women's empowerment in the meetings and events industry for more than a decade, including co-founding the #MeetingsToo movement. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson spoke with Courtney about how she got into the meetings industry, the inspiring women she's interviewed, and how women (and men) can further female advancement and influence in an industry that is roughly 80% female but underrepresented in C-level positions.

In this Meetings Today podcast, destinations content manager Taylor Smith sits down with Carolina Viazcan, vice president of sales at Visit Greater Palm Springs, and Colleen Pace, chief sales and marketing officer at Visit Greater Palm Springs, to talk about what's new in Greater Palm Springs, from air service updates, new and renovated properties and more, and to learn little bit about the benefits of booking during Greater Palm Springs' off-calendar season.

From the recent re-opening of a particularly scenic stretch of Highway 1 to new hotel developments, major sporting events, news from Pebble Beach and two marketing initiatives from his DMO, Meetings Today checks in with See Monterey President & CEO Rob O’Keefe to get the skinny on the latest meetings, attractions and hotel haps in California's Monterey County.

Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Elliott L. Ferguson, president and CEO of Destination DC, at PCMA Convening Leaders 2026 to discover what's new in the nation's capital in regard to meetings and conventions.

Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Lisa Messina, chief sales officer for Visit Orlando, and Mike Tester, executive director for the Orange County Convention Center, at PCMA Convening Leaders 2026 to discuss goings-ons in the nation's most popular meetings and leisure destination.