What’s happening around the meetings industry? Lots! Here are five things you might have missed from the past couple of weeks:
• Event-management and marketing technology company RainFocus, which was recently named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America for the fourth time, announced the acquisition of WebEvents Global. The deal adds to RainFocus’s technology solutions for in-person and virtual events, including registration, content, and sponsor management. Karis Takiya, president and principal architect at WebEvents Global, will head up the companies’ integration.
• Think you’d make a great mentor or that you need a great mentor? Meeting Professionals International completed its first six-week coaching program at the end of August, pairing up 20 emerging and seasoned business-event professionals. The fall “coaching cohort” is now taking applications and kicks off with a meeting at the IMEX America show in October. Interested professionals should be able to commit to connecting 90 minutes a week for six weeks from October 21 to November 25.
• Toyota North America’s 2023 SupplierCon event was one of the first to use the Maritz Carbon Measurement Footprint Tool to understand and lessen its environmental impact. The car company was so satisfied with the results that it awarded Maritz the first Environmental Sustainability Award from Toyota North America Indirect Procurement Shared Services. The award recognizes “suppliers who have demonstrated an overall commitment to environmental sustainability in alignment with Toyota’s Challenge 2050 goals, and have demonstrated excellence in carbon reduction, water conservation, and/or promotion of biodiversity."
• Explori, an event-measurement company, has launched an A.I.-powered tool that automates the labor-intensive process of analyzing responses to open-ended comments in event surveys. The tool also allows organizers to benchmark responses against industry standards.
• MGM Resorts International, which is working toward powering its North American properties with 100-percent renewable energy by 2030, announced an agreement with Escape Solar LLC that will more than double its access to solar-powered electricity. MGM Resorts currently uses solar power for 90 percent of the daytime needs at 11 of its Las Vegas Strip properties.
