In Case You Missed It
This past month on our Meetings & Trade Shows vertical, BizBash took a deep dive into the Create & Cultivate Festival in Los Angeles; the beloved brand’s sold-out new festival balanced more than 150 stylish brand activations with intentional networking opportunities and industry-leading speakers. We also explored how the Shopify Summit continues to shake up the traditional conference playbook.
Here are five more things you should know about this month…
1. Connect Marketplace kicks off next week in Miami.
Some 3,000 event professionals are expected to descend on the Miami Beach Convention Center beginning Aug. 25 for Connect Meetings’ largest annual event, Connect Marketplace. The expo floor will span 500,000 square feet—a sizable increase from last year’s 300,000-square-foot exhibitor space in Milwaukee—and attendees can expect more than 200 exhibitors and one-on-one meetings across seven tracks: association, business travel, corporate, Informa, international, specialty, and sports.
Must-attend education sessions this year include “You Can’t Fake Events,” with Boldpush founder Julius Solaris, and “The Road to 2026,” featuring insights from key players involved in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The fun will continue after hours with a Miami-themed opening reception on Aug. 25 and a concert by Flo Rida on the closing night, Aug. 27.
BizBash will also be on site at the event (Connect Meetings is BizBash’s parent company). For the first time, the BizBash Innovation Forum will take place in conjunction with the larger Connect Marketplace event. The forum is set to bring together some of the brightest minds in the events world for an ultra-curated agenda that will transform BizBash’s editorial insights into immersive educational content and real-world experiences.
For more details, read a full preview of Connect Marketplace on our sister site, Trade Show News Network.
2. A travel-focused nonprofit launches a “Meaningful Events Guide.”
Tourism Cares, a nonprofit that aims to advance positive impact in travel, recently released its free “Meaningful Events Guide,” which it is billing as a first-of-its-kind resource for the MICE sector. The guide aims to “move beyond traditional sustainability checklists” and instead offer a practical, flexible roadmap for planners to design events that foster authentic community connection, inclusion, and legacy. This new resource features strategies that build purpose into every step of the planning process and ensure that events create a positive impact for attendees and the communities that host them.
Key pillars in the guide include:
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Carbon & Climate: Reducing emissions from travel, energy, and food
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Accessibility & Inclusion: Ensuring everyone—regardless of ability, identity, or background—can access and feel welcome at events
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Community Engagement: Sourcing and designing experiences that integrate the host community using tools like the Tourism Cares Meaningful Travel Map
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Waste Reduction: Eliminating single-use materials and food waste while planning with reuse in mind
Access the full guide here, and stay tuned on BizBash this week for our deep dive into this new resource.
3. Discover Puerto Rico names its new CEO.
Last week, the destination marketing organization for the island of Puerto Rico unveiled its new leader. Jorge L. Pérez has been named the new CEO, bringing his extensive experience in economic development and destination and event management. He will lead the promotion of Puerto Rico as a world-class destination for leisure travel, business, and conventions. Pérez most recently served as a regional manager for Legends/ASM Global, where he was responsible for managing the Puerto Rico Convention Center, the Coliseo de Puerto Rico, the Coca-Cola Music Hall, and the Antiguo Casino.
“I welcome this challenge with great enthusiasm, recognizing the vital role of the DMO in developing the visitor economy and addressing the current challenges facing the industry,” Pérez said in a press release. “Over the past four years, I’ve witnessed a tourism renaissance, and Puerto Rico is uniquely positioned to solidify itself as a global-caliber destination. I am confident that, through collaboration with the DMO team, the government, and the private sector, we will achieve every goal we set.”
Pérez takes over the role from Brad Dean, who left Discover Puerto Rico earlier this year to join Explore St. Louis as its new president and CEO in March.
4. Canada’s tourism sector grew twice as fast as the broader economy last year.
Statistics Canada has confirmed that tourism delivers high growth and fast returns, becoming one of Canada’s highest-growth export opportunities. In 2024, tourism was among the fastest-growing sectors, contributing $50.8 billion to Canada’s GDP, accounting for 1.8% of the overall GDP. That’s a 3.6% growth rate (inflation-adjusted) from the previous year and outpaces the national GDP growth rate of 1.7%.
Recent data from Statistics Canada also found that tourism sustains more than 265,000 businesses in 5,000 communities from coast to coast to coast, and that one in 10 workers across the economy are supported by tourism industries.
See the full infographic on recent tourism findings—developed by Statistics Canada and Destination Canada—here.
5. Destinations International releases an updated accessibility guide for DMOs and planners.
Last month, Destinations International and TravelAbility (a conference and media company dedicated to accessible travel) announced the release of an updated and expanded edition of the “Accessibility Playbook.” First introduced in 2023, the guide has been updated for 2025 and aims to be a robust resource for destination organizations and their industry partners. The playbook now includes curated resources, technology and service provider recommendations, actionable strategies, and an accompanying AI companion to “help destinations move from awareness to implementation” when it comes to serving travelers with disabilities and the aging population.
“Accessibility is a critical and growing focus for our members,” said Destinations International president and CEO Don Welsh in a statement. “The expanded playbook reflects our continued commitment to supporting our members and partners in building welcoming communities for all. We’re delighted to have TravelAbility as our trusted partner in developing this invaluable resource to help destination organizations and travel businesses worldwide advance accessibility in their local communities.”
Planners can purchase the playbook by contacting Sophia Hyder Hock at Destinations International ([email protected]) or Jake Steinman at TravelAbility ([email protected]).
