Skift Take

China's event sector is poised to grow explosively over the next five years. Expect some interesting innovations from a country that isn't beholden to the way things are done traditionally.

China is the world’s most rapidly growing market for business travel, and the country’s infrastructure for event professionals is in the middle of a major period of development.

This week we take a look at a new report detailing China’s growth as an events market and the ways new technologies will help push the sector forward.

We also have the rundown from last week’s PCMA conference in San Francisco, with EventMB Editor Julius Solaris breaking down all the trends you need to know. If you don’t read it, well, what are you even doing here? Julius is the best. Quit reading this and enjoy his amazing analysis.

If you have any feedback about the newsletter or news tips, feel free to reach out via email at [email protected] or tweet @sheivach.

Andrew Sheivachman, Senior Enterprise Editor

The Future of Events and Meetings

How Global Event Planners Need to Think About China’s Secondary Cities: China has become a hot spot for global business travel, and its secondary cities are evolving to accommodate larger conferences and conventions. What should event planners know?

Subscription Travel Is the Next Frontier of Loyalty: Earning consumer loyalty means more than giving them rewards. Subscriptions and memberships represent a compelling way for travel companies to create lasting relationships with consumers.

Rivalries Between Boutique Hotels Heat Up in College Towns: Graduate Hotels has grown to 22 hotels in college towns in six years. Now it intends to face down new competition by branching out to larger urban markets where it can continue to appeal to people involved in universities but also attract other clientele.

MGM Resorts Enters Deal With Private Equity Giant Blackstone Over Las Vegas Properties: MGM Resorts has agreed to sell two of its most notable Las Vegas properties, MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay, to a joint venture including real estate giant Blackstone. The company is going asset-light following its sale of the Bellagio last year.

Carbon Footprint Impact Extends Way Beyond Flights: It’s a very small sample size at a very small travel company, but this study points to a possible way forward for the travel industry. If consumers can get a better idea of the environmental impact of their vacations, they can then make more informed decisions.

Around the Industry

Australia’s Tourism Needs a Crisis Communications Plan: With vivid images and videos of a burning Australia, and words such as “apocalyptic” and “atomic” being flung about, the tourism industry needs to quickly deploy a plan that is sensitive and achievable.

French Institutions Capitalize on China’s Demand for More Western Culture: While French cultural institutions have faced backlash in the past for creating international branches, it seems in the case of China, the desire for capital trumps those concerns. As more Chinese travel abroad seeking new experiences, their desire for cultural tourism is growing at home as well.

An Expanded Trump Travel Ban May Be Coming Soon: The original Trump travel ban wasn’t an especially effective or well-received piece of political theater. One hopes the travel industry will find a stronger voice to oppose any expanded ban than it had the first time around.

The Best Of EventMB

The Best of EventMB is our newest section, giving you a look into key content from EventMB, whether it be reports, articles, or resources for planners. EventMB joined the Skift family in September and is the largest online media resource for trends, technology, innovation, and education in the events industry.

The Future of Events Banks on Commitment: A review of PCMA Convening leaders. Where is the event industry headed?

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Senior Enterprise Editor Andrew Sheivachman [[email protected]] curates the Skift Meetings Innovation Report. Skift emails the newsletter every Wednesday.

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Tags: asia, china, meetings, meetingsiq, PCMA

Photo credit: Grand Hyatt Shanghai. The global chain is launching a new China hotel brand. Shanghai hosts the largest convention center in China. Hyatt Hotels

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