Elise Schoening

1 week ago | northstarmeetingsgroup.com | Elise Schoening

New York City Tourism + Conventions adjusted its 2025 forecast to reflect the drop in tourism that many U.S. destinations are currently experiencing. Based on new data from its partner Tourism Economics, the CVB had dropped its total estimated visitors from 67.2 million to 64.1 million — a decline of 3.1 million travelers. Domestic visitors are expected to comprise the bulk of travelers but even those numbers have been downgraded, from 53.1 million to 52 million in 2025.

1 month ago | northstarmeetingsgroup.com | Elise Schoening

Get tips for turning passive attendees into active participants without breaking the bank. This webinar takes place on May 21, 2025, at 2:00 PM ETHitting attendee registration goals is only half the battle. Planners must also ensure attendees are actively engaged on-site so they get the most out of the event experience and keep coming back year after year. In this live webinar, industry experts will share winning strategies for boosting attendee engagement before, during and after events.

1 month ago | northstarmeetingsgroup.com | Elise Schoening

This summer will mark the 35th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act, which was signed into law July 26, 1990. Still, three decades later, many event professionals struggle to create gatherings that are fully accessible. In fact, only 15 percent of planners said their events were fully accessible during a recent Northstar Meetings Group webinar.

1 month ago | northstarmeetingsgroup.com | Elise Schoening

Choose Chicago, the city's convention and visitor's bureau, announced that Kristen Reynolds, CDME, will serve as its next president and CEO, effective May 5. Reynolds will replace Rich Gamble, a member of the board of directors and chair of the nominating committee who stepped in as interim president and CEO in February 2024 after Choose Chicago's former leader Lynn Osmond resigned to focus on a family health matter.

1 month ago | northstarmeetingsgroup.com | Elise Schoening

Sonesta International Hotels has announced a partnership with Meeting Professionals International and its Healthcare Meeting Compliance Certificate program. The move strengthens Sonesta's ability to serve medical meetings, which have stringent compliance guidelines set by pharmaceutical, medical-device and biotech companies. Sonesta claims to be the first major hotel company to offer HMCC Verified Venues. The hotelier's portfolio includes 1,100 properties across nine countries.