One of the Most Important Events of 2019: Global Meetings Industry Day

Posted on March 31, 2019June 1, 2023 by Editor

No matter what stage you’re at in your meeting or events professional career, Thursday, April 4th, 2019 should be blocked out on your calendar as the day you tune in on one of the most important days in the meetings industry. Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) is a day of celebration – industry leaders from over 40 countries spanning 6 continents come together in one global message that “meetings matter!” Whether your business focuses on meetings, conventions, conferences, exhibitions, trade shows or special events, this is the day to learn how meetings are impacting the world.

For GMID, follow the branded hashtag #GMID19 and #WorthMeetingAbout to follow events and activities hosted around the world – watch, listen and join the conversation to gain insight that can boost your business and network. You may also tune into a live all-day live online broadcast of education focused on GMID that’s being hosted by the Meeting Professionals International (MPI) association – CLICK HERE for more information and to register for this free online stream.

See how professionals are inviting customers, business leaders, political and sector leaders to join the campaign of meeting advocacy
Experience education that promotes industry-wide cohesion, ensuring that the benefits of in-person meetings are known and understood
Gain insight into what Millennials want from meetings and how to keep them engaged on all levels
Learn why conventions are referred to as Urban Innovators and Economic Accelerators
See how you can use meetings to build strong communities, create personal connections, and promote positive business outcomes
And so many more take-aways that you will benefit from!

According to a survey conducted by Meetings Mean Business Coalition on 150 business leaders, 92% of the respondents said they plan on investing as much if not more capital into face-to-face meetings, conferences, and other events as they did the previous year. It also reflects the time-tested sentiment that meetings are considered an utmost priority and an investment that achieves a greater return than even technology or customer research. AMA Executive Conference Centers is proud to be a part of the meetings industry…because when meetings come to town, everybody benefits!

Are you contributing to this $2.65 trillion in global economic impact by planning meetings for your company or client in 2019? Click here to contact us and discover how AMA Executive Conference Centers can help you deliver a masterful and engaging presentation at one of our venues in Atlanta, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington D.C.

The Benefits of Breakfast for Busy Professionals

Posted on March 25, 2019June 1, 2023 by Editor

For many on-the-go professionals eating a healthy breakfast may just not fit into their schedule. Though it’s easier to grab a granola bar on your way out the door, the benefits of eating a balanced breakfast every morning cannot be overstated. Read more to learn about the mental and physical benefits of eating breakfast every day.

Boost Your Memory

Enjoying a healthy breakfast can give you a mental edge that will last throughout the day. Research that studied the effects on both teens and adults found that eating breakfast may enhance memory, attention, reasoning skills, learning, creativity, the speed at which information is processed, and verbal skills. A review of 15 studies on this subject completed by scientists at the University of Milan found some evidence linking these benefits to the steady glucose levels that breakfast offers.

More Energy

Say goodbye to the mid-afternoon slump. A 1999 research study in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition discovered that eating a breakfast that is high in fiber and carbohydrates can help you to feel more energized throughout the day.

Improve your Heart Health

Another essential reason not to skip breakfast is to protect your heart. One recent study tested this hypothesis with a group of almost 27,000 men. Researchers found that those who didn’t eat breakfast were 27 percent more likely to develop heart disease than those who did eat a morning meal. Their findings suggested that those who skip breakfast tend to gain more weight, which can lead to high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes, all of which can increase the chance of heart disease.

Leaner and Healthier Overall

Eating breakfast every day can also improve your health on the whole. A 2003 study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology indicated that those who don’t eat breakfast are 4.5 times more likely to be obese than those who do. Another experiment presented at the 2003 American Heart Association’s annual conference supported these results. Researchers went on to say that breakfast eaters were also more likely to have healthy blood sugar levels, less likely to be hungry throughout the day, and had a lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes.

AMA Executive Conference Centers are here to help you host your best conferences and meetings. Connect with us for ideas on incorporating breakfast options into your next meeting in Atlanta, New York, San Francisco and Washington DC.

Everything Is Important – How to Prioritize Your Workload

Posted on March 14, 2019June 1, 2023 by Editor

As a meetings professional, you undoubtedly have a to-do list a mile long intertwined with meetings – and every client or project is THE MOST important. So how do you manage your workload when seemingly everything is important? Setting up a balanced and consistent routine are keys to managing your workload well. Here are a few tips to help you start managing your workload more effectively.

Write It All Down

Whether it’s handwritten in a notebook on your desk or a running list on your computer, write down every commitment you make, when you make it. Write down deadlines, write down meetings, and make sure you also write down any personal obligations as well so you can make an effort to plan around them. Being able to see everything in one place is helpful in picking out what you need to prioritize.

Plan Your To-Do Lists

Connected to the tip above, take the time to plan out your to-do lists. At the beginning of each week take 20-30 minutes to review your commitments and deadlines for the week and prioritize your weekly to-do list. Then at the beginning of each day take no more than 10 minutes to look through and prioritize your tasks for the day.

Do One Thing at a Time

We all want to believe we multitask well, but the truth is that we can never complete anything to the fullest of our abilities by working on multiple tasks at once. It takes a lot of mental effort to start and stop a task. Plan to work on one item until it is completed or until you reach a reasonable stopping place to move on to something else. Devoting your entire attention to the task at hand will ensure that you are doing your best work and help you complete the task faster.

Don’t Try to Do it All

Sometimes you just have to say no. You can’t be everything to everyone or take on every task someone asks you to. You have to figure out the best ways to scale your time. Focus on the things that you are truly good at and enjoy, delegate other tasks. Doing this allows you to focus on and do your best work while also giving others the chance to step up.

Take a Minute

Give yourself some downtime. Whether it’s a couple of minutes to take a walk outside every day during lunch or two days home with your family, make time for yourself. The workload you have will expand and contract over time. Make sure you take advantage of your downtime to really recharge.

If your workload is overwhelming you, try implementing just a few of these tips to prioritize and balance your workload. Create or adapt your routine to follow some of these guidelines and you will find yourself breathing a little easier each day. If you are in need of help planning a work meeting or conference, contact AMA Executive Conference Centers and we can help mark that to-do off your list too!

5 Easy Tips for Gathering Post-Meeting Feedback From Attendees

Posted on March 4, 2019June 1, 2023 by Editor

Post-meeting feedback is the foundation for building future events that meet, and possibly exceed, client expectations. Attendees are your largest source for gathering insight into what worked and what didn’t—valuable information for securing returning and new business. Here are 5 easy tips for how to gather post-meeting feedback from attendees:

1. Make Providing Feedback Easy

Surveys are a helpful way to gather feedback and are most engaging when they are short and not time consuming. Develop questions that go beyond the standard yes or no answers. Explore using apps like EventMobi, which provides for instant feedback.

2. Monitor Social Media

When attendees have a positive experience—or a negative one—they are quick to share the details on social media. The ability to post comments quickly—along with a hashtag identifying the event or location—makes monitoring social media a must in gathering attendee feedback.

3. Provide Incentives

Most attendees must catch-up on work and family obligations once the meeting is over. Taking the time to provide feedback about the event from which they just returned is yet another task. By providing incentives, such as reduced registration for the next event, is sometimes helpful in drawing their focus and for receiving their feedback.

4. Engage During the Event

Interacting with attendees while they are on site is a great way to capture feedback as attendees are “in the moment.” Their feedback is fresh and can lead to making immediate changes when possible. Additionally, always remember to say thank you. Let attendees know you appreciate their presence at the meeting and welcome their feedback afterward.

5. Don’t Forget Vendors

Your vendors play an important role in the overall success of your meetings and events. It is important to include them when seeking post-meeting feedback. Their input can go a long way to improving the next meeting experience for everyone.

Contact us today to learn more about hosting your meetings at AMA Executive Conference Centers in Atlanta, New York City, San Francisco and Washington DC.

Special Spring Offers at AMA Executive Conference Centers

Posted on February 26, 2019June 1, 2023 by Editor

ATLANTA

Book Now: $500 per day for meeting space for any Atlanta Center conference or meeting being held in March and/or May 2019. Includes: basic meeting package for up to 16 people.*

Click here to learn more about our AMA Atlanta Conference Center.

SAN FRANCISCO

Limited Time Offer: Take 20% off package rates for meetings held in March 2019. Plus, if you hold a March meeting, receive 10% off package rates for meetings held April through December 2019.*

Click here to learn more about our AMA San Francisco Conference Center.

WASHINGTON, DC

March Renovation Special: Check out our newly renovated space and get 40% off meeting package rates for your March 2019 meetings. Promotion applicable to meeting package rates only and apply only to meetings held at the AMA DC area Conference Center.*

Click here to learn more about AMA Washington D.C. Conference Center.

*Offers are subject to space availability and certain restrictions apply:

Offer applicable to AMA Center in Atlanta: $500 per day for meeting space for any meetings being held in February, March and/or May 2019. Includes: Basic meeting package for up to 16 people. Restrictions: Meeting room size up to 812 square feet.

Offer applicable to AMA Center San Francisco only: 20% off valid for meeting packages only for meetings held in February 2019 or March 2019. Additional meetings booked receive 10% off package rates for meetings held April 2019 through December 27, 2019.

For AMA DC Area Center: 40% off applicable to meeting package rates only and only applicable to meetings held at AMA National Landing (DC area) only.

For Atlanta, Washington DC, and San Francisco: discounts not valid on previously booked business and not applicable to catering or additional A/V services or equipment. Not to be combined with any other offers or discounts.

Which Social Media Channels are Used Most By Meeting Planners?

Posted on June 27, 2018June 1, 2023 by Editor

Amazon Headquarters Will Be Coming to Crystal City

Posted on June 27, 2018June 1, 2023 by Editor

Amazon Headquarters Will Be Coming to Crystal City

In the end, it turns out that TWO cities have won the “prize” of Amazon building their new headquarters in their city. One city where a secondary headquarters will be built in New York City and the other will be the National Landing area in Crystal City, Virginia which is just outside of Washington DC. This means that the much sought-after 50,000 job headquarters will be split between two cities, providing a major boost to the economy of each destination. With an AMA Executive Conference Center located in Crystal City, we couldn’t be more excited about this announcement!

Amazon’s founder and CEO Jeffrey P. Bezos states that they chose these cities because they believe that both locations have the potential to attract world-class talents to fill their job vacancies. This will allow Amazon to invest in their customers for years to come. It also allows Amazon to become a more vital part of these communities where they build their headquarters and provide good, quality jobs to residents in that area.

Northern Virginia Is Prestigious For Business

Northern Virginia has always been a prestigious place for building business and all signs point to that continuing in the future. Many suggest that this area could essentially become a Silicon Valley of sorts that is located on the east coast if trends continue throughout the next decade. Amazon coming to the area means that even the biggest businesses in the world are interested in investing in the Northern Virginia area, which gives it the potential to continue to grow rapidly in the near future.

Moreover, Amazon coming to the Northern Virginia area means that the price of deals being done with businesses is continuing to grow as well. Amazon was offered an $819 million package deal by Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and other county leaders. In return, Amazon estimates 25,000 jobs will be created with a median salary of $150,000 per year in wages for each position they fill.

The Amazon Deal is a Once-In-A-Generation Deal

The Amazon deal that was signed in Crystal City is a once-in-a-generation sized deal. Amazon is expected to invest over $2.5 billion in the commonwealth and this project is on track to generate over $3.2 billion in tax revenue. These 25,000 jobs are all expected to be in place by the year 2030. Hiring is set to begin in 2019 when about 400 people will be hired and by 2020 that number will balloon to 1,180 more people being hired. It will continue to increase throughout the next decade until all 25,000 jobs are in place at their new headquarters in Crystal City.

Conclusions

The new Amazon headquarters coming to the Crystal City area continues to prove that Northern Virginia is a mainstay on the national market for attracting businesses to build and develop facilities in that area. This, in turn, raises the value of the homes in the area and the standard of living in this part of the state. While Amazon is one of the biggest announcements that Northern Virginia has made as far as businesses coming to invest in the area, many others are also interested in investing in Northern Virginia’s local market and are looking to take part in this booming part of the US economy.

AMA Executive Conference Centers will be on hand to greet Amazon as they move their headquarters into Crystal City. For more information on our Washington DC area Center located in Crystal City please feel free to contact us.

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