Industry News for November 8, 2024

Hot off the Press

SevenRooms, the leading CRM, marketing, and operations platform for the hospitality industry, announced its strategic partnership with Curator Hotel & Resort Collection, a distinct collection of more than 100 independent hotels and resorts across the United States. This collaboration expands the opportunities for Curator’s member hotels, enabling them to enhance guest experiences while driving revenue growth and cost savings. Through this partnership, SevenRooms becomes a preferred vendor within Curator’s comprehensive technology stack of hospitality solutions.  

Impact XM, a leading global event and experiential marketing agency, has acquired Matrex Exhibits, an award-winning exhibit, event, and environmental design firm with fabrication capabilities based in the greater Chicago area. The acquisition enhances Impact XM’s position as a premier provider of innovative experiential solutions and furthers the company’s global reach and growth trajectory. 

PRA, a leader in the Business Events Industry, announced that they once again served as the official DMC of IMEX America, the industry’s largest tradeshow. The show which took place this month at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, welcomed over 15,500 participants including more than 5,500 buyers, of which 4,300 were hosted buyers. Since 2012, PRA has partnered with IMEX to provide outstanding destination management services for participants, including transportation shuttles and show floor activations.  

Thirty years after its doors opened for the first time, PRA Nashville officially honored the occasion of its milestone emerald anniversary with a grand celebration in Music City, where it all started. Regional Vice President, Jackie Marko, CMP, DMCP, along with the PRA Nashville staff, toasted the company’s success in grand style, along with over 200 high-profile Nashville civic and business representatives and valued supplier and business partners, many who have been there from the inception. The event, “There’s No Place Like Home” was a nod to the magic the team brings every day when planning events that showcase what makes people fall in love with Nashville with every visit. Guests were treated to a walk down the yellow brick road towards local Nashville cuisine, libations and sweets, engaging activations, and entertainment by some of the area’s best artists. 

People on the Move

Dream Golf announced that it is expanding its team of leading industry marketing and operations professionals, naming brand maven Olivia Herrick as Creative Director and Bandon Dunes merchandising mastermind Chad Turner Director of Retail. Dream Golf is a growing collection of golf destinations owned and operated by the Keiser family, including Bandon Dunes in Oregon and Sand Valley in Wisconsin, with emerging properties Rodeo Dunes in Colorado and Wild Spring Dunes in Texas. 

GoGather, a corporate event management agency, has expanded its team with the hire of Jared Elish as the Director of Sales. Elish has over 20 years of experience in event operations, business development and client management across both the event organizer and agency sides of the industry. Prior to GoGather, Elish spent 16 years at FIRST, a global brand experience agency, where he served as Vice President of Business Development. The company saw notable growth while under his leadership, which he plans to carry over into his new role at GoGather. Elish also held key roles at VNU Expositions Film Group, where he oversaw operations for four of the largest conventions in the Motion Picture Industry. 

Products on the Market

Icebow is announcing that it has finalized the development of the Joice Machine—the world's first automated industrial ice machine that produces premium logo ice cubes called “Joice Cubes.” Icebow's Joice Machines are planned to be installed at the production facilities of specialty ice suppliers and enable them to produce and deliver thousands of personalized, custom designed logo ice cubes a day. Up until now, producing logo ice cubes has been a slow and labor-intensive process with crude looking logos stamped or carved on the top surface of the ice. Icebow's new Joice Cube format allows for more detailed, higher resolution, and shinier logos that are imprinted at the center of the ice cube, effectively isolating them from the drinks and ensuring a longer lasting experience. 

In Memoriam

It is with deep sadness we announce that Tommy DeLorenzo, who launched Balloons by Tommy at age 14, passed away Oct. 24 after a battle with Stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma. “He was always the life of the party,” his niece said. His husband, Scott, will carry on the business. Read more from the Chicago Sun-Times.