Everybody has a story. This is the lesson I learned at a recent conference, in which I attended a session with that very statement as its title. The session, led by the Emmy Award-winning and acclaimed CBS photojournalist Les Rose, was fascinating in that it outlined the process that he and his partner Steve Hartman worked through as they developed their stories. To me, it was heartfelt and inspiring.

What keeps you up at night? It is a question that was posed to the Events Industry Council's Council of Delegates, who are the CEOs of more than 30 of the leading-industry associations. Those associations represent more than 103,500 individuals and 19,500 firms and properties involved in the meetings, conventions and exhibitions industry. What resulted was a riveting discussion on the changing nature of the industry, the emergence of new tech trends and even the current state of political affairs.

Events Industry Council Sustainability Webinar Series: Upcoming Dates and Topics

Sharing our Diverse Perspectives | November 13-15, 2017 | MGM National Harbor, Oxon Hill, Maryland

I always enjoy learning something new about our industry and, better yet, about the diverse group of people who represent it. The nature of our work continues to grow and evolve. In that spirit, below are five things you may not have known about meeting professionals. (Brownie points if you did!)

Earlier this month, the PCMA Education Foundation honored some of the meetings industry’s brightest at the Visionary Awards ceremony, held at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C.

The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) has released two reports in its newest series on attendee floor engagement. This research offers exhibitors and organizers insight on attendee engagement tactics used on the exhibition floor and how key trends are put into action.

Leading industry sources took note of the top 5 industry trends from the Events Industry Council. Here is a round-up of the coverage.

Many events have a goal of being carbon neutral. Realistically, all events will have a carbon footprint, so in order to achieve carbon neutrality, events need to look at ways of balancing their emissions through the use of carbon offsets. I’m often asked to weigh in on this issue and if they really are an effective tool for mitigating an event’s carbon footprint. My answer is always "yes, if..." – meaning that they can be useful, provided that a few factors are kept in mind.

Have you been quoted in an article? Do you have some exciting news to share? Contact us at cmptoday@eventscouncil.org and we can share it with the leading individuals and companies involved in the events industry!

Jennifer Erney has been appointed Vice President of Sales at Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI).