Gallery: On the Scene at Cvent Connect 2015

Opening Keynote: Time for Less Stress

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Keynote speaker Arianna Huffington, chair, president, and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group, a nationally syndicated columnist, and author of 14 books, kicked off the meeting planner event. She issued a challenge to planners, whose job often makes the top of the most stressful lists, to take small, actionable steps to get more balance—and more sleep—into their lives.

The Exchange

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New for 2015 was “The Exchange,” Cvent's first mini trade show, which showcased more than 80 destinations and hotels on the opening day of the meeting planner portion of the event. (The first two days were dedicated to supplier education and networking.)

Mingling at the Tuesday Reception

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Cvent staffer Jared Okabayashi and Jennifer Steeb, Trinity Health, enjoying the Tuesday evening reception

Enjoying the Scene

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From left: Cvent staffers Denise Farrell, Emily Shapiro, Leslie Alpert, and Chris Rost with the National Wild Turkey Federation's Vicki Johnson (second from right)

Inspired Entertainment

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Among the surprises in store at the Tuesday night reception were acrobats contorting themselves in big plastic bubbles in the pool and a flash mob.

Chilling at the Tuesday Reception

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Shannah Milstead, FRHI Hotels and Resorts, getting into the spirit of the opening reception pool party.

Say Cheese

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The networking was hot at the Tuesday evening reception, as was the temperature on that June evening in Las Vegas, though the hotel ran huge fans to keep everyone comfortable.

Networking at the Tuesday Reception

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From left: Jennifer Barron and Ashley Butera, NuVasive, with Eric Myers, Wyndham Orlando Resort

End with a Bang

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The Tuesday evening pool party reception was capped off with an impressive fireworks display.

That's One Big Screen

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A view of the general session ballroom, including the 270-foot screen provided by AV Concepts

Welcome to Cvent Connect

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Cvent Founder, Chairman, and CEO Reggie Aggarwal took to the stage to explain his company's commitment to helping meeting professionals succeed.

That's a Rap

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In 2014, attendees heard a lovely Cvent staff–written poem. This year, two Cvent employees rocked the house with a hilarious rap number.

Plannie Winners

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Representatives from the American Academy of Addiction Psychology were thrilled to receive a Plannie Award from Cvent CEO Reggie Aggarwal for best event feedback strategy.

Plannie Winners

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Among the winners of the third annual Plannie Awards, Cvent's customer recognition program, was the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which won an award for best use of a mobile app.

Plannie Winners

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Staffers from Cisco Systems, which won the Power of the Platform Plannie for leveraging Cvent’s cloud-based event management platform to manage their entire event lifecycle, demonstrate the power of teamwork in a very literal way.

Plannie Winners

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Joe Meehan with The Milken Institute (left) accepting a Plannie Award from Cvent's Aggarwal for using Cvent's products to deliver an outstanding on-site experience.

Plannie Winners

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Medtronics staffers beam after winning the Plannie Award for strategic meetings management excellence.

Educational Tracks

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Sherri Freeman, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, gets scanned into a breakout session.

It's All About the Experience

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Richard Steinau, executive vice president of AV Concepts, gave an exhilarating presentation on the rise of the attendee experience, complete with video examples of how AV can help make meetings more immersive, no matter what their budget.

Create Some White Space

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Juliet Funt, CEO of Whitespace at Work, who was a meeting planner in a former life, brought a lot of energy to the stage during her presentation on why meeting professionals, more than most, need to find ways to replace busyness with thoughtfulness. "White space is the pause between activities," she said. "But it's not empty. CT scans [of people in this state] show there is complex activity linked to creativity and insight."

Ivanka's Sucess Tips

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Cvent Senior Vice President of Marketing Eric Eden interviewed The Trump Organization's Executive Vice President of Development & Acquisitions, Ivanka Trump, to get her perspective on achieving both personal and professional success.

Flying High at the Wednesday Reception

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The final evening event at the MGM Grand's Hakkasan nightclub featured music, dancing, lots of food, and some serious acrobatic feats—don't try this at home!

Now That's a Party

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Getting down at the final evening reception

Defining a Successful Meeting

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On the final morning, CEO of marketing agency Renegade Drew Neisser explained some early results of a client survey they recently partnered with Cvent to produce. (For an infographic of some of those results, click here.)