Scott Eames appointed Director Global Sales North America for Pacific World

Scott Eames appointed Director Global Sales North America for Pacific World

Pacific World, (www.pacificworld.com), the leading global DMC and Event Management announces today the addition of Scott Eames to their Global Sales organization. Scott will be based in New York and confirms their increased investment in relationships with clients in the North America market.

“In response to an increase in demand for Pacific World expertise for global outbound events Scott is an important addition to the international sales team in delivering events in over 35 destinations.” Says Selina Chavry.

Scott Eames is a veteran hospitality professional with over 21 years of experience in the meetings and events arena.  Early on in his career, Scott’s focus was in the tradeshow and association event markets, eventually working his way into the Strategic Meetings Management space where he excelled at designing and supporting Fortune 500 client programs in streamlining and consolidating meeting and events operations.

Prior to joining PW, Scott served in a number of senior sales positions, including Global Sales Director in Allied PRA and Director of Business Development – Strategic Sales in Carlson Wagonlit Travel Meetings & Events, focusing on large global and multinational Fortune 200 firms.  In these positions, Scott consulted with numerous leading pharmaceutical, financial and technology organizations, which required an understanding of each client’s culture, needs and goals.

Scott is a member of the FICP, SITE including board membership of the Northeast Chapter of SITE, Meeting Professionals International, the Global Business Travel Association, Professional Convention Management Association, and In addition, Eames earned his NBTA – Accomplished Certification in Strategic Meetings Management (SMMC).

Scott will work alongside Ruby Serra to expand our reach to the important North America market.

Leading Destination Management Company, AlliedPRA, now accepts payment of deposits via Meeting Escrow

Leading Destination Management Company, AlliedPRA, now accepts payment of deposits via Meeting Escrow

Meeting Escrow Inc. is proud to announce that AlliedPRA has officially confirmed acceptance of payment via Meeting Escrow’s industry-leading deposit escrow service, setting a new standard in stewardship and fiduciary responsibility for the Destination Management sector of the Meetings Industry.

Denise Dornfeld, Chairperson of AlliedPRA, Inc. states, “In response to an industry need, Meeting Escrow, an independent, reputable third party has responded with a viable solution.  While AlliedPRA prides itself on its stable financial history, this optional service ensures that all parties involved are financially protected with an agreed upon timeline for disbursement of funds.  This extra layer of insurance is a differentiator for Destination Management Companies and AlliedPRA is pleased to accept payments via Meeting Escrow to respond to clients’ needs”.

Grant Snider, Meeting Escrow President & CEO adds, “This is an exciting development for our company. As more and more clients adopt Meeting Escrow to facilitate their meetings budget cash management and deposit processes and include it in their RFP requirements, it is important that vendors understand how it works and what the benefits are. We are proud to have AlliedPRA on board to accept deposit payment via Meeting Escrow.”

Meeting Escrow was founded by Grant Snider in early 2015 to bridge a gap in the marketplace between buyers and sellers of Meetings Industry services. Both parties sign an escrow contract with Meeting Escrow for the total amount to be protected. Funds are wire transferred by the buyer directly to a distinct, uniquely identified Meeting Escrow bank account to the benefit of the supplier-partner and then the individual deposit payments are wire transferred out per the deposit payment schedule in the contract. Client funds are secure and fully protected and supplier-partners are paid on time.  In addition, escrowed deposits can be held in US dollars, Euros, Canadian dollars and 17 other foreign currencies, thereby shielding clients from exchange rate fluctuations. Meeting Escrow Inc. holds $5 million in liability coverage, underwritten by Lloyds.

Grant Snider brings lifelong Meetings Industry experience and an indisputable reputation as a person of integrity and trust to Meeting Escrow. Following an early career in the hotel industry, Snider moved to the destination services sector eventually becoming co-owner of JPdL, Canada’s largest DMC. He sold his stake in the company in 2014. Over the years he has served in a variety of leadership positions in meetings industry associations such as ADMEI, SITE and FICP.  He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Business Events Industry Coalition of Canada.

Meeting Escrow uses ICCA

“Meeting Escrow uses ICCA to highlight vital importance of client deposit protection for International Association Meetings”

Canada-based Meeting Escrow has joined ICCA, the globally-recognised leading organisation in the International Association Meetings sector, to ensure that its unique meetings deposit protection product is not restricted to the corporate meetings market, but becomes widely adopted throughout the association world. ICCA membership and access to its database and communication channels will enable Meeting Escrow to reach venues, PCOs, destination marketing organisations (often the first-approached knowledge source for international clients), and the international associations themselves, in all regions of the world.

Martin Sirk, ICCA CEO said: “We’re delighted to welcome Meeting Escrow into the ICCA community, and I believe their innovative financial service will be enthusiastically welcomed by suppliers, intermediaries such as PCOs, and associations alike, and will help to manage financial risk, differentiate quality companies, and encourage transparency throughout the association meetings sector. We want ICCA to become the must-use platform for any business interaction or knowledge exchange relating to international association meetings, so a service promising guaranteed financial protection, especially during these times of economic uncertainty, is a valuable addition to the many other offerings that we make available to ICCA members and international associations.”

Meeting Escrow (www.meetingescrow.com) was founded by Grant Snider in early 2015 to bridge the “trust gap” in an unregulated marketplace between buyers and sellers of Meetings Industry services. Both parties sign an escrow contract with Meeting Escrow for the total amount to be protected. Funds are wire transferred by the buyer directly to a distinct, uniquely identified Meeting Escrow bank account to the benefit of the supplier-partner and then the individual deposit payments are wire transferred out per the deposit payment schedule in the contract. Client funds are secure and fully protected and supplier-partners are paid on time. In addition, deposits can be held in US dollars, Euros, Canadian dollars and 17 other foreign currencies, thereby shielding associations from currency fluctuations.

Grant Snider, Founder and President of Meeting Escrow said: “I’m proud to be part of the ICCA community and look forward to helping international Associations, PCOs and DMOs do business with each other in a way that protects everyone’s interests. Meeting Escrow is the missing piece in the complex jigsaw representing how Associations do business with a vast array of supplier-partners. With Meeting Escrow, clients can rest assured that their deposits are safe and secure. Supplier partners, likewise, can see that funds have been collected on their behalf. It’s a true win | win”.

Grant Snider brings lifelong Meetings Industry experience and an indisputable reputation as a person of integrity and trust to Meeting Escrow. Following an early career in the hotel industry, Snider moved to the destination services sector eventually becoming co-owner of JPdL, Canada’s largest DMC. He sold his stake in the company in 2014. Over the years he has served in a variety of leadership positions in meetings industry associations such as ADMEI, SITE and FICP. He currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Business Events Industry Coalition of Canada.

Meetings Industry Veteran Grant Snider Launches New Company

“Meetings Industry Veteran Grant Snider Launches New Company”

Meetings Industry veteran Grant Snider has launched a new company, Meeting Escrow Inc., to protect client deposits and ensure timely payment to supplier-partners. Using the company’s segregated account system, planners and their clients are guaranteed their advance deposit payments are 100% secure prior to program operation while supplier-partners are relieved of the burden of constantly chasing payments.

“Unfortunately, our industry is not regulated so there is no global standard for the protection of deposits. Standard practice is to mix client deposits with general operating accounts which means these monies are potentially at risk. Recent high profile failures have highlighted these risks and left planners reluctant to part with their money causing huge challenges for the entire supply chain,” said President and CEO, Grant Snider.

Snider continued: “Meeting Escrow was founded to bridge this ‘trust gap’ in the market. Planners and supplier-partners sign an escrow contract with Meeting Escrow for the total amount to be protected. Funds are wire transferred by the client directly to Meeting Escrow and safeguarded in a segregated bank account to the benefit of the supplier-partner. There is no commingling of Meeting Escrow’s own operational funds with client funds; nor is there any commingling of any client’s funds with any other client’s. The individual deposit payments are then wire transferred to the supplier-partner per the deposit payment schedule in the escrow contract. Client funds are secure and fully protected and supplier-partners are paid on time. Meeting Escrow offers security and efficiency, a win-win for everyone”.

Sandy Monkemeyer, Senior Vice President & Corporate Travel Director for Captive Resources, LLC, welcomed Snider’s new initiative. “Meeting Escrow is an important addition to our industry as it provides Meeting Planners with the guarantee that any funds paid by way of advance deposits are 100% secure and only released to supplier-partners when they fall due. This provides great comfort for companies where internal regulations and due diligence are increasingly important.”

Katherine Wright, CMP, CMM, President of Toronto-based meeting planning company The Wright Solution, added that “Meeting Escrow finally provides the solution planners have been looking for: how to give our suppliers commitment without jeopardizing the often large deposits we pay months in advance to book future programs. I can’t think of a better person in this industry to be spearheading such a venture – Grant Snider embodies trust, confidence and fairness in all of his business dealings and will help streamline the whole process so we can focus on what we do best: planning and executing meetings and events.”

Grant Snider brings lifelong Meetings Industry experience and an indisputable reputation as a person of integrity and trust to Meeting Escrow. Following an early career in the hotel industry, Snider moved to the destination services sector eventually becoming co-owner of JPdL, Canada’s largest DMC. He sold his stake in the company in 2014. Over the years he has served in a variety of leadership positions in meetings industry associations such as ADMEI, SITE and FICP.

IMEX America | Protection, promotion or policy-making?

Protection, promotion or policy-making?
U.S. Travel Association’s Roger Dow, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman, and Rossi Ralenkotter of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to Speak at First Ever IMEX America Political Advocacy Forum

Continuing its efforts to raise the political bar of the meetings industry and build broader awareness of its strong role in creating jobs and economic growth, the U.S. Travel Association will host a session at IMEX America 2012 October 9th, from 4:00 – 5:30 pm at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas.

Lead speakers will feature Roger Dow, CEO of U.S. Travel, Rossi Ralenkotter President and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) and Chair of U.S. Travel, together with Las Vegas Mayor, Carolyn Goodman.

Heading the panel discussion, Geoff Freeman of U.S. Travel will speak about the meetings and business travel industry as a critical asset to the nation and provide an update on the success of recent political advocacy efforts. He comes to this issue as a well-versed member of the Washington DC community having been a key driver behind the “U.S. Travel Meetings Mean Business” campaign and the Travel Promotion Act. He was also recently made a member of the Passenger Advocacy subcommittee of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee (ASAC) of the Department of Homeland Security.

Ralenkotter, as both Chair of U.S. Travel and President of the LVCVA, will provide an inside look into how Las Vegas excels at hosting more than 19,000 meetings annually – an industry that makes a $6.3 billion impact on the local economy and supports 58,000 jobs.

Adding even more leadership power to the session, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman – a champion for tourism as the “lifeblood” of the Southern Nevada economy – will also address attendees. Her remarks will focus on efforts to keep Las Vegas on the cutting edge of the travel and tourism industry, and the evolution of Las Vegas as a destination already offering 150,000 hotel rooms and 10.6 million square feet of meeting space.

“IMEX’s recent “Power of 10” global study showed that one of the most pressing challenges for our industry in the next decade is to measure and effectively communicate the strategic and economic value of events and meetings to local, national and global economies,” said Ray Bloom Chairman of the IMEX Group.

He continued: “This new political advocacy session will provide an update on how far the industry has come in making sure that this true value is fully understood, especially in the US. It builds on the efforts we have made over the past 10 years with the Politicians Forum in Frankfurt, but will also offer a distinctly North American perspective. Everyone involved understands that we must keep acting, keep talking, and keep working in unison to achieve meaningful and positive change by policy-makers. IMEX America is proud to play its part in helping to drive this effort and in providing a global platform for the continuing debate.”

“Building a Stronger Meetings Industry – in Washington and your Community” will take place from
4pm – 5.30pm on Tuesday Oct. 09 at IMEX America. It will be open to all IMEX America attendees and exhibitors and will include several US destination CEOs who will also contribute their views and experience.

About IMEX America
IMEX America is America’s worldwide exhibition for incentive travel, meetings and events and is already the largest trade show for the industry in the USA. The second edition will take place at the Sands Expo, Las Vegas, (which is connected to the show’s Headquarters Hotel, The Venetian®|The Palazzo®), Oct 9 – 11, 2012.

The show’s strategic partner and premier educational provider is MPI, who power “Smart Monday” – Oct. 08 – a full day of education on the day prior to the tradeshow. Smart Monday also includes a range of high level education delivered by other partners and associations; including Association Focus – a conference within a conference for association meeting planners – delivered by ASAE, ICCA and PCMA.

IMEX also has an exclusive partnership with the US Travel Association and is endorsed by DMAI and Site, has an Industry Partnership with PCMA and is an ICCA Business Partner. Other supporting associations include: ACTE Global, ADME, AIPC, AMCI, ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership, Association Forum of Chicagoland, CIC, CSAE, ECM, FICP, GMIC, IACC, IAEE, IAPCO, ISES, JMIC, PATA, SKAL, Spin. A list of industry and media partners can be found here.

Follow us on Twitter Facebook LinkedIn and (German) XING Use #imex12 to follow both shows. http://www.imexamerica.com/social.html

Final program announced for IMEX America’s 2012 Association Focus

Final program announced for IMEX America’s 2012 Association Focus

Conference within a conference’ promises to put association planners ahead of the rest with new market-leading professional development education.
With a full day of professional development lined-up plus business leadership expert and author, Mark Sanborn, confirmed as keynote speaker, IMEX America’s Association Focus event will make a high-powered start to the award-winning Las Vegas trade show this October.

The ‘conference within a conference’, sponsored by host venue The Venetian®|The Palazzo® and Sands Meetings, will take place as part of IMEX America’s ‘Smart Monday – Powered by MPI’ – on Monday Oct. O8 – the day before the three-day trade show gets underway. This event is unique in being exclusive to association planners only. Keynote speaker, Mark Sanborn, is a member of the prestigious Speakers Roundtable, a society comprising 20 of the top speakers in the world today. Aside from the quality of the free Association Focus event, Sanborn’s presence is already proving a strong attraction.

This year organizers, the IMEX Group, have worked with ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership, ICCA and PCMA to provide an extensive learning program for association executives keen to improve their professional skills and knowledge. The new education program is provided free of charge and has been designed with tracks tailored to suit different levels of seniority and career development including a choice of ‘executive’, ‘global’ and ‘meetings’ track sessions throughout the day, each with content devised and delivered by one of the three partner associations.

Senior panels
For meeting planners looking to place association business internationally, the global track will offer ICCA-led sessions on “Entering new markets” and “Planning Global Meetings with a Focus on Asia.” At the executive-level, ASAE will run a three-hour deep-dive on “Managing Through Change”. The senior panel will comprise Robin Lokerman, CEO-Institutional Division, MCI Group; Peter O’Neil, CAE, Executive Director, American Industrial Hygiene Association; Patrizia Semprebene Buongiorno, Vice President, AIM Group International and Robert Waller, CAE, President, Association Headquarters, Inc and will be moderated by Brian Riggs, Vice President, Association Headquarters Inc.

Within the meetings track, PCMA have devised two 1.5 hour afternoon sessions – “The science and fun of creating effective learning”, which will be led by Kathleen Edwards, CAE and President of The Learning Evangelist and “Meetings Go Mobile” with Bob Vaez of EventMobi. ASAE’s afternoon sessions include a “Sustainability Safari” with a detailed, behind-the-scenes look at how the Venetian® manages its sustainability program to support green meetings and events. There will also be a session by Tammy Blosil, Vice President, Online Learning for ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership on “The Strategic Impact of Digital Events on Meetings.”

Expert-led round tables
Later in the afternoon Association Focus will offer delegates a choice of over 20 different round-table discussions across all three tracks.

Come 7pm all Association Focus buyers have the chance to attend the Association Evening reception sponsored by Sands Meetings to meet and network with exhibitors and association partners.

As Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group explains: “Following our debut event we took on board a lot of feedback from the US market – Association Focus is just one of the building blocks of IMEX America that has been redeveloped since last year to improve and enhance the show. We are really excited to be welcoming around 200 association executives to Las Vegas for this event come October 08 and are especially grateful to our sponsors – The Venetian®| The Palazzo® and Sands Meetings for making this possible.”

Registration for the IMEX America Association Focus on Smart Monday Oct.08 is now open. Participants are invited to attend either as part of the show’s hosted buyer program (subject to qualifying criteria) or as a buyer attendee.
http://www.imexamerica.com/associationfocus.html#HowToAttend

About IMEX America
IMEX America is America’s worldwide exhibition for incentive travel, meetings and events and is already the largest trade show for the industry in the USA. The second edition will take place at the Sands Expo, Las Vegas, (which is connected to the show’s Headquarters Hotel, The Venetian®|The Palazzo®), Oct 9 – 11, 2012.

The show’s strategic partner and premier educational provider is MPI, who power “Smart Monday” – Oct. 08 – a full day of education on the day prior to the tradeshow. Smart Monday also includes a range of high level education delivered by other partners and associations; including Association Focus – a conference within a conference for association meeting planners – delivered by ASAE, ICCA and PCMA.

IMEX also has an exclusive partnership with the US Travel Association and is endorsed by DMAI and Site, has an Industry Partnership with PCMA and is an ICCA Business Partner. Other supporting associations include: ACTE Global, ADME, AIPC, AMCI, ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership, Association Forum of Chicagoland, CIC, CSAE, ECM, FICP, GMIC, IACC, IAEE, IAPCO, ISES, JMIC, PATA, SKAL, Spin. A list of industry and media partners can be found here.

Follow us on Twitter Facebook LinkedIn and (German) XING Use #imex12 to follow both shows. http://www.imexamerica.com/social.html

IMEX America

IMEX America | IMEX America wins Best International Launch Award
Organizers of worldwide meetings, incentive travel and events trade show, IMEX America, came away from the Exhibition News Awards in London last Thursday proud winners of the Best International Launch Award.

Explaining why IMEX America triumphed over some stiff competition, the judging panel summarized their decision as: “IMEX America ‘nailed it’ as a show concept. It was a clear winner in terms of development of the brand and its success with its chosen industry – as well as against its competitors.”

Judges declared this year’s competition “incredibly tough” and said “competition across our 20 categories this year, including 10 company and 10 people awards, reflected the diversity and significant achievements made in the past year.”  The judging panel comprised organizers, venue and supplier representatives.

The Awards, which are run annually by Mash Media, publishers of magazines and directories for the event, exhibition, meetings and conference sectors, saw 850 guests gathered for dinner and presentations in the newly renovated West Hall at London’s Olympia.

The Best International Launch category was new for 2012 and intended to recognize the achievement of one UK-based organizer who successfully launched an existing brand or new product in a market outside of the UK.

IMEX America debuted on October 11, 2011, at the Venetian Palazzo/Sands Expo in Las Vegas. It combined a three day trade show with one day dedicated to professional education – Smart Monday – immediately prior to opening. An exit survey of IMEX America hosted buyers revealed that total orders placed onsite amounted to $281 million with an expected $1.9 billion worth of orders to be placed with exhibitors in the nine months that followed.

Ray Bloom, Chairman of the IMEX Group said, “We are honored to have been voted as the Best International Launch Exhibition at the Exhibition News Awards. We would like to thank our industry colleagues from across the world for helping to ensure that our inaugural show was so successful. We are looking forward to building on this success for 2012 and beyond.”

The other finalists in the Best International Launch Award category were: Aidex – Centaur Exhibitions; Grand Designs Live Australia – Media 10 and Diversified Exhibitions Australia; IFSEC Arabia and OSH Expo Arabia – UBM; IFSEC West Africa – UBM Montgomery and Occupational Safety and Health Expo Africa – UBM Montgomery.

Editor’s notes:
http://www.imexamerica.com/editorsnotes.html

Links for this story:
http://www.mashmedia.net/events.html

Photos:
http://www.exhibitionnews.co.uk/gallery.php?id=179&url=the-exhibition-news-awards-2012The

About IMEX America
IMEX America is the new trade show for the worldwide meetings, events and incentive travel industry. The second edition will take place at the Sands Expo, Las Vegas, (which is connected to the show’s Headquarters Hotel, The Venetian®|The Palazzo®), Oct 9 – 11, 2012.

The show’s strategic partner and premier educational provider is MPI, whose Meet Different Day of Education and Innovation takes place on “Smart Monday”, the day before the trade show opens.

IMEX also has an exclusive partnership with the US Travel Association, the national, non-profit organization representing all components of the $704 billion US travel industry; is endorsed by DMAI and Site and has an Industry Partnership with PCMA. Other supporting associations include: ACTE Global, ADME, AIPC, AMCI, ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership, Association Forum of Chicagoland, CIC, CSAE, ECM, FICP, GMIC, IAEE, IAPCO, ICCA, ISES, JMIC, PATA, SKAL, Spin. A list of industry and media partners can be found here.

www.imexamerica.com