Successful Meetings

Create a Memorable Experience With a Wine or Port Tasting
October 2014
Today’s attendees are looking more and more for a special experience at meetings and events – one that inspires and educates them, as well as offer bragging rights. Here’s how a wine or port tasting can pack that “wow” factor.

Destination Napa: Aboard the Napa Valley Wine Train
June 2012
SM Editor Agatha Gilmore takes a trip on the historic Napa Valley Wine Train.

Meetings & Conventions

The Calgary Stampede
July 2012
M&C Editor Agatha Gilmore gets down and dirty at the 100th annual Calgary Stampede.

MeetingNews Minute

I was brought on to help transition what used to be a monthly, print-only magazine, MeetingNews, into a daily e-newsletter of the same name. I innovated and co-created a new multimedia product for the digital newsletter: a weekly video series titled MeetingNews Minute. Each week I choose the subjects, conduct the interviews, write the scripts and record the voiceovers. Our multimedia editor does the rest. MeetingNews Minute videos consistently achieve some of the best click-through numbers within the company’s entire multimedia portfolio. Here are a few samples:

MeetingNews Minute: ‘Healthy Is the New Sexy’ on the Road
Visit Estes Park’s Brooke Burnham discusses a recent Westin Hotels & Resorts study that found that maintaining wellness on the road is a new status symbol among business travelers.

MeetingNews Minute: Donald Trump Affirms the Importance of Meetings
Donald Trump speaks exclusively to MeetingNews Minute about how the recent $250 million renovations to the Trump National Doral Miami are designed specifically to attract — and wow — meetings.

MeetingNews Minute: Personal Service is the New Meaning of Luxury
Hotel management experts Greg Kooser and Suzanne Goldberg say luxury today doesn’t necessarily entail fancy food and lush decor — it’s defined by personalized service, unique experiences and an acute attention to detail.

MeetingNews Minute: Teambuilding on the Water
When you’re in a sailboat, if you want to get anywhere, everyone on board needs to work together. It’s a great lesson for business, too, says Tamara Pigott, executive director of the Lee County VCB in southern Florida. Here, she talks about the unique team-building benefits of teaching groups how to sail.