Meetings Quest, a long-running series of educational and networking events for association and corporate meeting planners, re-launched in Mesa, Ariz.
Los Angeles-based Schneider Publishing, known for SportsTravel and Association News magazines and organizing TEAMS Conference & Expo, acquired Meetings Quest in 2013.
“We are starting off strong and re-launching Meetings Quest in a dynamic way,” said Timothy Schneider, president and CEO, Schneider Publishing. “Meetings Quest is a brand with a long and proud history, and we’re confident the enhancements we’ve made to this unique educational and networking opportunity will provide the greatest value to both attendees and exhibitors in the meetings industry.”
Hosted by Visit Mesa, Meetings Quest has been scheduled to coincide with the U.S. Travel Association’s National Travel and Tourism Week to highlight the importance of meetings and events as generators of travel and economic impact.
Meetings Quest will kick off this evening with an opening celebration at the Mesa Arts Center, which includes a “Taste of Mesa” culinary and cultural experience, tours of the arts center and a welcome from Mesa Mayor Alex Finter. Following Mayor Finter’s welcome, Timothy Schneider will moderate a panel discussion on the state of the travel industry with Marc Garcia, president and CEO of Visit Mesa; Sherry Henry, director of the Arizona Office of Tourism; Debbie Johnson, president and CEO of the Arizona Lodging & Tourism Association; and Martha Sheridan, chairperson of Destination Marketing Association International. The opening celebration will also serve as Arizona’s Travel Rally Day.
On May 7, Meetings Quest will offer two Learning Lab sessions centered on meeting-planning technology and social media strategies for event organizers. The innovative meetings-industry training will be facilitated by Steven Hacker, former president of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events, who now serves as “The Association Doctor” columnist for Association News. Expert presenters include LinkedIn co-founder Eric Ly, founder and CEO of Presdo.com; Michelle Wyatt, partner at Cadmium CD; Michael Barnett, CEO of InGO; and Jake Zatzkin, marketing manager in charge of digital strategies for the National Association of Broadcasters.
Following the Learning Lab sessions, Chris Waddell, the most decorated male skier in Paralympic history and host of NBC’s coverage of the 2014 Paralympic Games, will provide a keynote address. An afternoon tradeshow at the Mesa Convention Center featuring exhibitors interested in working with corporate and association meeting planners will round out the Meetings Quest agenda.
Organizations that are exhibiting at Meetings Quest include the Aspen Chamber Resort Association, Bentonville CVB, Bloomington, MN, CVB, Cabarrus County CVB, Chicago Southland CVB, Destination Missoula, Greater St. Charles CVB, Las Vegas CVA, Long Island CVB, Providence Warwick CVB, San Mateo County/Silicon Valley CVB, Valley Forge CVB, Vermont Convention Bureau, Visit Anchorage, Visit Oakland, Visit Phoenix and many more.
For further information, visit MeetingsQuest.com or call toll-free (877) 577-3700.
