Emerging from the dark days of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2022 will be known as the Great Recovery in the meetings and events industry, and our most-read stories for the year reflect the notion that planners are eager to get back to the business of in-person meetings.
This year’s top 10 includes three stories about new and renovated meeting venues, and another three pertain to pandemic rebounds and easing back into in-person events. And it seems the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is definitely on the radar of readers!
Following are our top 10 stories for 2022. Let’s hope the momentum gets even more mighty in 2023!
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Top 10 Meetings Today Articles for 2022
1. Meet the Chef Who’s Turning the Fort Worth Convention Center Into a Dining Destination
F&B is always top-of-mind for any meeting, so readers consistently order up a serving of our Top Chefs coverage. Brent Hines was cooking with gas this year, as the Fort Worth Convention Center executive chef rose to the top of the 2022 list.
2. 2022 Meetings Trendsetters
A perennial favorite, our Meetings Trendsetters again rose to near the top of the list. In case you missed it, click on the link above to see what trailblazing meeting profs were making waves in 2022.
3. Fontainebleau Las Vegas Circles Back With More Hospitality
Slated to open in the third quarter of 2023, the iconic Fontainebleau Las Vegas is gearing up to impress attendees in the most popular meetings and events destination in the U.S. with 550,000 square feet of space, including one of the largest pillarless ballrooms on the Strip at 105,000 square feet.
4. New Developments Abound in Fast-Growing Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex
The second Dallas Metroplex story in the top four, this roundup of new meetings- and events-related projects is anchored by the massive new convention center development in Dallas, but Fort Worth, Arlington, Plano and Irving are also in the mix.
5. Anaheim Hosts Largest Convention in Two Years
Everyone loves a success story, and one holding court in the largest convention center on the West Coast is surely a barometer for the return of large in-person events post-pandemic. With 60,000 attendees, March 8-12 Informa Markets’ Natural Products Expo West at the Anaheim Convention Center boasted the largest number of attendees since the January 2020 NAMM show.
6. Massive New Convention Center Project Set to Transform Downtown Dallas
Another Big D Doing, the huge convention center project is set to transform the iconic Texas destination and also usher in a massive convention center district full of entertainment and dining options for attendees.
7. Mocktails Are Gaining Popularity. Will Meetings and Events Catch the Trend?
One off the hottest new trends in the meetings and events industry is including non-alcoholic options for attendees, which was demonstrated by this colorful story registering the seventh position in our list. It’s all about inclusion and making everyone feel like they belong. Cheers!
8. 2022 Meetings Today Trends Survey
Our annual check-in with our audience of meeting planners always reveals interesting snapshots of the state of the industry, and this edition, launched during the height of the pandemic, was no exception.
9. Are Conference Centers on a Pandemic Rebound?
The posit? Conference centers, due to their purpose-built facilities and ability to gather groups in relative seclusion, could be one of the first venue segments to recover as the pandemic era wanes. See what some of the top players in the conference center world think about the argument.
10. 10 Tips to Make In-Person Meetings Comfortable Again
We’ve really tried to expand our audience and sources to include the unsung heroes of the meetings and events industry: event service professionals, aka convention service profs. This column, penned by event service professional and then-president of the Events Service Professionals Association Paola Bowman, provides its own top 10 list for planners who want to ease attendees back into in-person.
Read Next: Most-Read Stories of 2021 on Meetings Today
