Agenda
Global Meeting Planning, New York, NY

May 19, 2016

3:00 p.m  Registration

Murray Hill Living Room (third floor)

4:00 p.m  Site visit of the Langham Place Fifth Avenue

Leaves from Murray Hill Living Room (third floor)

5:15 p.m  Transfer to Opening Reception from the Langham

Leaves from hotel lobby

6:00 p.m – 7:30 p.m.  Opening Reception

A Taste of New York at Meet on Chrystie

New York’s culinary scene is known for its diversity. An inspired menu created by Meet on Chrystie will feature F&B options that you can only get in New York City, including specialties from Murray’s Cheese, Momofuku Milk Bar, Meatball Shop and Red Farm. MEET on Chrystie is a ground-breaking new venue on Manhattan’s Lower East Side designed by industry veteran Sara Schiller.

May 20, 2016

8:30 a.m.- 9:00 a.m. Continental breakfast

9:00 a.m. – 9:05 a.m. Welcome

9:05 a.m. – 9:50 a.m. Linda McNairy on Global Meeting Trends

When it comes to planning global events, it’s important to understand the landscape. To do so, we have turned to the experts at American Express to share a snapshot of meeting activity and trends in key regions around the world from their 2016 Global Meetings & Events Forecast. Featuring Linda McNairy, director, North America, Global Business Development & Strategy for American Express Meetings & Events.

9:50 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Agnès Canonica on International Travel Requirements

Let’s take a journey around the globe in 50 minutes and explore the intricate rules behind acquiring visas, whether attendees are traveling outside the U.S. or coming here from around the world. Agnès will relay her experiences country to country, not only sharing lessons learned, best practices & surprises encountered but insights and solutions to make cross-border travel smoother. Agnès is global director, strategic meeting management, for Advanced Health Media.

10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.  Break

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Researching Sites: A roundtable discussion

What sources do you use to research international hotels and destinations? Where do you look online? Do tourist boards help? TMCs and third parties? Industry publications and web sites? Where does TripAdvisor fit in? How do you narrow your list? How do you plan your site inspections? Roundtable participants will speak frankly about breaking through all the online clutter and separating the facts from the promotions to make informed site decisions.

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Harith Wickrema on Authentic Destination Experiences

Chief visionary officer of Eco Serendib Villa and Spa-St. John/Harith Productions, Harith Wickrema has over 60 industry awards and nominations to his name, including Site Crystal Awards, ISES Espirit Awards and Gala Awards from Special Events Magazine. He has mastered the art of creating events that immerse attendees in the destination, its culture and its many flavors, while weaving in ways to give back to the community and its people and reduce the carbon footprint of the event.  Harith will share a sampling with attendees, who will leave the session not only inspired but with best practices to take back to their own events.

12:45 p.m. Lunch

1:45 p.m. -2:30 p.m. Risk Management: A panel discussion

Four highly experienced meeting planners will discuss their policies and procedures for keeping attendees safe when traveling and meeting outside the U.S.

Moderator: Jeremy M. Luski, Founder and CEO, JML Worldwide

Panelists:
Jennifer Dela-Cruz, Associate Director, Meetings & Events, Royal Bank of Canada
Kari McGrath, VP, Customer Experience, Creative Group
Tracey Lane, President, The Lane Group

2:30 p.m. -2:45 p.m. Break

2:45 p.m. -3:45 p.m. Destination Exchange

We will break attendees and sponsors into roundtables based on destinations, hotels and cruises they have used or are considering, for an hour of open and honest information sharing.

3:45 p.m. Wrap-up