Blog

Meeting Planning Tool: Air Departure Notice for your attendees at your next meeting or event.

February 04, 2011

Meeting Planners often become travel agents for their attendee’s onsite. Here is a simple but very effective tool to keep your attendees on time and coordinated to ensure they don’t miss their plane from your next conference, meeting or tradeshow.  This departure notice is a word document that the planner fills out and passes out the day the attendees arrive. First, it confirms the information with your attendees to make sure there are no changes, and second, it gives the attendee all of their departure information in on a form they can keep. [Read more...]

Building Brand Loyalty through Meetings and Events

February 07, 2011

Each day AMI meets with clients and we hear over and over again. We need to be in front of our customers. Whether those customers are a high level advisory board, or internal clients, such as sales force, there is really no better way to communicate your message to that universe than through meetings and events. Example, we recently had a client whose product went through a major regulation change. [Read more...]

Meetings: A Significant Part of the American Economy

February 14, 2011

For those of you who spend money on meetings each year, here is a great opportunity for you to learn more about the meeting industry and its impact on the American Economy. AMI staff will be on the call to learn more and blog about right after the call: [Read more...]

The Physician Payments Sunshine Act - How will it effect your future Pharma meetings?

March 29, 2011

Transparency is here for meetings and events.  The Physician Payments Sunshine Act, though collection starts in 2012, and reporting is not required until 2013. is quickly becoming top of mind at pharmaceutical and biotech firms everywhere. While no one argues that transparency in an industry is "bad", many in the industry are challenged by the implementation of such far reaching legislation. Couple that with the learning curve and technology requirements of reporting and many companies are, quite frankly, scrambling. [Read more...]

Themed Events for the Ultimate Attendee Experience

April 14, 2011

Traditional Alpine Horns greet attendees upon arrival

In the meetings industry, we are always looking for ways to enhance the attendee experience. Themed events are a wonderful way to go. Here is a great idea for an activity at your next conference, employee meeting, tradeshow or even a national sales launch. [Read more...]

AMI Expands Corporate Offices To 4,000+ sq/ft Facility.

May 17, 2011

AMI Global Meetings' new corporate offices will house the three complementary brands of American Meetings, Inc., Meetingsoft.com and BrandIT Amenities and Promotions. The new 4,000+ sq. ft facility will provide our team an excellent corporate environment to service our customers. In addition to expanded work space, our new corporate site allows AMI to integrate our training, product storage and audio video components at one central location, which will improve our service to our clients. [Read more...]

Go Green & Reduce Your Corporate Carbon Footprint at Your Next Meeting.

May 26, 2011

 Green truly is on the forefront of every one’s minds these days and we all would like to be more ecofriendly in both in our personal and corporate life.

This has inspired the executives and corporate event planners at American Meetings, Inc.  to create and offer eco-friendly solutions for corporate meetings and events allowing us to add environmental consciousness to our industry. [Read more...]

Meeting Planning Solutions to Rising Gas Prices

June 02, 2011

With gas prices continuing to rise, and these gas prices affecting travel, the pressure is on for meeting planners to do more with less and to consolidate where we can. This means smarter meeting management and more thoughtful and strategic solutions to continue to provide value.

At AMI, we acted on an opportunity to offer a sustainability theme at a recent conference by working strategically to secure venues that were within walking distance of each other. [Read more...]

Are You Drawing Optimal Online Attention to Your Meetings and Events? Follow These 3 Steps.

June 10, 2011

If your event, meeting or conference has an online presence, you want to attract all interested parties possible. Are you doing enough to get your event higher SEO?

At American Meetings, we know SEO is still an essential component to getting online attention, and it’s not just keywords anymore. Now there is Social Media and placing current and useful content on your website and blog. Daily, we work and train our clients to make this part of front-end meeting planning and promotion. [Read more...]

The Benefits of Outsourcing to Professional Meeting Planning Organizations

June 17, 2011

In the meeting planning industry we are noticing the trend of more and more companies outsourcing their meetings and events to professional meeting planning companies.

This makes sense for a number of reasons as we are also seeing a pattern of companies downsizing their work-force and increasing internal work-load. [Read more...]

BrandIt - Meeting Planning Amenities & Promotions

June 29, 2011

"If you can think of it, we can brand it"

The professional meeting planners at American Meetings, Inc., use BrandIt for all their corporate meeting planning and event marketing. Click here for more on BrandIt Amenities & Promotions

Don’t forget these In-flight budget items when planning your next event

July 09, 2011

Several weeks back American Meetings, Inc. addressed some of the ways rising gas prices are affecting the meeting planning industry. Recent findings have brought to our attention additional items that once may have had little impact, but are now adding significantly to the end cost. We wanted to share the information as they could be potentially overlooked in pre-planning and budgeting. [Read more...]

American Meetings, Inc. visits South Florida venue: The Villa at Barton G

July 25, 2011


Todd Bludworth, COO at American Meetings, Inc. takes us on a brief tour of The Villa at Barton G - one of the many great South Florida venues. The Villa by Barton G., is a boutique luxury hotel, restaurant and event space in the former Versace Mansion on South Beach. [Read more...]

International Travel Meeting Tips for Event Planners

August 02, 2011

Todd Bludworth, COO at American Meetings, Inc. (AMI) provides an overview for those travelling abroad for international meetings.

Helpful tips for International Meeting Planners: [Read more...]

American Meetings, Inc. (AMI) - Your Source for Meeting Planning

August 10, 2011

Andy McNeill, president and CEO of American Meetings, Inc (AMI) encourages you to reference our videos and written blogs for tools, ideas and venue recommendations for your domestic and international meeting planning needs.

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 At AMI, we want you to become a better meeting planner, and more importantly plan a better meeting.

Menu Revolution: Improve Your Menu - Improve Your Meeting

August 10, 2011

I recently read an article in the June edition of Meetings & Conventions Magazine that brought Jamie Oliver and his Food Revolution concept into, well, meetings and conventions.

My initial thought was that this was an ingenious reminder that menus are a significant part of the attendee experience. This article reinforces that what you eat directly affects how you feel. [Read more...]

AMI - In The News – What you need to know about Americans With Disabilities Act Compliance when Planning Your Next Meeting.

August 15, 2011

New revisions to the Americans With Disabilities Act went into effect in March of 2011. Andy McNeill, Principle and CEO at American Meetings, Inc (AMI) reminds corporations and the meeting planning community that it is up to the planner to be aware of these changes in  ADA regulation as well as confirm that your hotel or venue is in compliance.

“… it’s up to the planner, prior to the program, to be aware of the changes in regulation as well. It’s not just compliance, it’s customer service.” [Read more...]

How to Determine the Right Meeting Space for Your Next Meeting, Event or Conference.

August 23, 2011

Can meeting and event planners improve the experience of a meeting or conference by the way the meeting space is arranged?

The answer is, of course, yes.  The meeting itself will help dictate the appropriate meeting space and setup style, and successful meeting planners and event managers know the room setup should be designed to support the purpose of the meeting in order to create successful results. [Read more...]

Event Meeting Planners, Team Building & Philanthropy

August 23, 2011

When meeting planning meets team building, one of the best ways to create engagement and positive energy is by incorporating philanthropy as the beneficiary.

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 Team building, in general, is a wonderful opportunity for individuals to really get to know each other and bond in an entirely different and creative way outside of the office. [Read more...]

What Are the Defining Elements of Great Event Management

August 30, 2011

Event management is a precious resource when it comes to saving you time, energy and money in crafting your corporate event or sales meeting. Whether you are outsourcing to an event management company or have your own internal resources, there are basic requirements that should be met. Do you know what to expect? Here are a few defining elements of successful event management. [Read more...]

Tips on Preplanning & Strategy for a Successful Tradeshow

September 01, 2011

 Todd Bludworth, COO and Andy McNeill, CEO at American Meetings provide insight on why preplanning and strategy are critical to a successful tradeshow, emphasizing that the initial steps of tradeshow planning can begin as early as 18 months out. “It’s all about connecting with potential clients”, said McNeill. 

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Does Your Meeting Planner Know About Florida’s #1 Destination? Orlando, Florida - 50 Million Visitors in a Year!

September 06, 2011

Corporate Incentives & Travel Magazine recently did a story on Orlando that shared some pretty amazing statistics. Orlando, Florida is “the first destination in the United States to draw more than 50 million visitors in a year”. [Read more...]

10 “Musts-Haves” When Outsourcing to a Meeting Planning Company

September 09, 2011

With downsizing work forces and increasing workloads on internal employees, often times outsourcing those annual meetings and conferences is the right move for your company.  Once you have determined that outsourcing is a viable option for you, how do you make sure you select the right meeting planning partner? [Read more...]

Read About How to Guarantee Meeting Success: No Matter What Mother Nature Has in Mind.

September 13, 2011

Mother Nature has a way of reminding us that she is in charge. Chances are if you have worked in the meeting and events industry for a number of years that you have encountered some kind of extreme act of nature that rocked the pre-planning boat. [Read more...]

10 Reasons to Hold International Meetings in Miami

September 20, 2011

Miami has been singled out as one of the most popular places to hold an international meeting, especially if you are catering to South American countries.

Todd Bludworth, COO at American Meetings, Inc., agrees and was recently quoted in Corporate & Incentive Travel Magazine about the diversity of Miami and the strong foothold it has with Latin American companies and annual conferences.  (Click here to read full article) [Read more...]

Five Essential Skills To Look For in a Meeting Planner

September 26, 2011

The overall success of every meeting starts with the skill set and experience of the meeting planner. There's the pre-planning, the budget, the venue selection and the onsite execution, just to name just a few of the tasks involved.  You are entrusting the outcome of your event to this individual and should set the bar high.

So, what is the definition of a meeting planner...

meet·ing   plann-er   [mee-ting]  [plan-er] [Read more...]

Links to Know When Planning an International Meeting

October 06, 2011

As a conference and event planner, I was recently researching and coordinating for upcoming international meeting efforts and discovered I was utilizing several informational websites quite frequently. I wanted to share these with the many other event marketing and meeting planners that I know are out there dealing with numerous cities around the world, trying to align multiple schedules with different time zones, with countless currency conversions and a variety of postage calculations. Sometimes it helps to have an informative source. I found these three very useful. [Read more...]

Need to reach attendees at your meeting? There’s an app for that!

October 06, 2011

Have you ever have to distribute last minute schedule changes to a meeting already in session? What if the schedule changes occurred while your attendees were off site or en route to your meeting? How about sharing the exciting announcement of an anticipated guest speaker? [Read more...]

An Industry Must: IMEX America Conference in Las Vegas, Oct 9-11 2011

October 16, 2011

The IMEX Conference has come to America and took place at the Sands Expo Convention Center at the Venetian/Palazzo in Las Vegas from October 11 – 13 2011.

This conference caters to the many levels of worldwide incentive travel, meetings and events.

American Meetings, Inc (AMI) attended and met with over 10 national hotel chains, 6 cruise lines and multiple European Destination management companies to gather the latest and greatest in travel destinations and locations ideas for clients. [Read more...]

What You Need to Know Before the Conference Starts

October 19, 2011

People who organize meetings & events must wear many hats and while some activities may become almost instinctual, it’s always smart to have a checklist and share this list with team members. Your meeting is only as successful as the preparation of your onsite team and the hotel staff.

Assurances such as suppressing room rates, procedure for hotel staff when gratuity is offered, accommodations for early arrivals and late check out,  who are the VIPs …these are just a few things should be covered methodically . [Read more...]

Use This Helpful Tool for Site Inspections

November 08, 2011

People who plan meetings, such as the VP of Marketing or the VP of Sales, have to do a lot of research prior to securing a venue or adding a venue to their preferred vendor list. Probably one of the first steps in this decision is the site inspection. [Read more...]

Are you Giving the Right Corporate Gifts this Holiday Season?

November 29, 2011

It’s that time of year to think about holiday gifting. The holidays are just around the corner and the tradition of sending gifts is about to kick into full gear. Are you ready?

Now is the time to think about how you want to reach out to clients and acknowledge relationships that have been forged both recently and throughout the years. [Read more...]

Make a Dazzling Difference at Your Next Big Event

December 06, 2011

 For those of you in the midst of planning upcoming corporate events, sales meetings, maybe even the company Christmas party and are looking for ways to add that special touch that makes a statement … here is something completely different. Aerial Bartenders. [Read more...]

What to do Before You Plan the Big Corporate Meeting: A Site Inspection Checklist

December 20, 2011

Last week we blogged about the critical steps one needs to take when conducting a site search, or venue inspection, for upcoming corporate meetings and events. This week we are providing you with a checklist to help carry you flawlessly through these steps and make your venue decision efficiently and smoothly. [Read more...]

Need a Great Teambuilding Idea for Your Corporate Event?

December 20, 2011

 

While doing some research recently on teambuilding activities for an upcoming corporate event, we made this discovery. Scavenger Hunts for Corporate Groups. What a great way to think outside of the box and get outside during your corporate event for some quality team building with your co-workers and a chance to explore your host city. [Read more...]

Hot Tips When Considering an International Meeting

January 03, 2012

 Rome, Paris, Rio! Ever think about going global and hitting an international destination for your meeting?  Yes, it sounds fun and exotic, but the first question to ask yourself should be “Is an international destination best for your organization?”  

[Read more...]

5 best Hi-Tech Promotional Items for your Next Meeting

January 11, 2012

Do you find it a little stressful when trying to decide on the perfect promotional item to give your attendees at your annual meetings or corporate events?

 You want your attendee to feel that there is value attached to the item, while at the same time you want them to feel that it is appropriate, and not just something they might toss in the trash at the end of the event.  [Read more...]

10 Quick Meeting Planning Tips For Your Next Program

January 18, 2012

 

Meetings matter.  Whether you are booking your next advisory board with your top physicians or an internal meeting for your co-workers, remember these 10 quick tips to have a successful program: [Read more...]

Buenos Aires Conference...Tango

January 31, 2012

 

COO, Todd Bludworth was walking the streets of Buenos Aires after a successful conference, and he ran into this!  Home of the tango. Tango performers make a great enhancement to themed events and dinners. [Read more...]

In The News: AMI Vice President of Meeting Operations John Cotter gives top three tips for working with translation companies

February 09, 2012

See what top three tips for working with translation companies at meetings and conferences AMI Vice President of Meeting Operations, John Cotter, mentions in his article on the Corporate Meetings Network website (click her for full article).

The Top 3 Tips for Working With Translation Companies at Meetings and Conferences

February 13, 2012

 

When meeting and convention planners put together events outside of their own country, they’re most likely always in need of a translation company.  There are specific tips that can be used when working with a translation company.  These tips are reviewed below and also within the attached video. John Cotter, Vice President of Meeting Operations, put the list and video together. [Read more...]