BCD M&I Latest News

International Sensations - The incentive market is poised for a global growth spurt - April 2012

International incentives are back. That’s the word from incentive planners, destinations, hotels and the destination management companies that tie them all together. In New Jersey, independent meeting planner Gloria Hobbins saw her incentive business wither during the recession. Today, she is riding a new wave of intere...

The European Plan: The State of Meetings in Europe

In case you hadn't heard, the sky is falling in Europe. Or at least it seems that way: Greece teeters on the brink of bankruptcy; Spain, Portugal, and Italy are not far behind; and it's questionable whether a bailout from the other European Union countries can avert widespread economic disaster. Given such uncertainty an...

A New Generation of Suppliers

What youth brings to the partnership... Just as the under-30 crowd is influencing meeting planning, they represent a substantial and growing proportion of supplier and third-party ranks. Like their corporate and association peers, these newcomers infuse the workplace with enthusiasm, fresh ideas, social ...

Meetings in a Minute from AIBTM in Baltimore.

Baltimore was one of the latest stops for our Meetings in a Minute camera, where we captured some meetings tips from attendees at AIBTM. Both clips feature BCD M&I, with Mary MacGregor of the firm's Minneapolis office advising her colleagues to bring up any of your negotiation "deal-breakers" with suppliers before ta...

2011's Domestic Incentive Hotspots

Incentive travel has returned strongly after hitting bottom two years ago. When groups are looking at the top U.S. incentive destinations, their focus now is on value, says Terrence J. Epton, president of Hosts Global Alliance, a global destination management company. Domestically, airlift has been hit hard, ...

San Francisco cooks up something special with celeb chef Michael Chiarello.

On September 8th, BCD M&I, LLC® (BCD M&I™) hosted a cooking competition to announce their presence on the west coast and promote their new San Francisco office. Prospective and current clients were hosted by BCD M&I’s San Francisco office staff, as well as members of their executi...

The “AIG effect” a stigma lifts for luxury hotels

Two years ago, corporations clamped down on employee travel and cancelled meetings in droves. The chilling effect was most pronounced at luxury hotels, which were eschewed entirely by many companies in the wake of the disclosures about a lavish retreat held by AIG right after it accepted a government bailout. This so-called &...

Cvent and BCD M&I Introduce ProStart To Help Clients Launch Strategic Meetings Management Programs

MCLEAN, Va.- (BUSINESS WIRE) - Cvent, the world’s largest provider of cloud-based event management, venue selection and web survey software solutions, and BCD M&I, LLC® (BCD M&I™), an independent operating unit of BCD Holdings N.V. and a sister organization of BCD Travel, the world’s third-large...

Being Proactive in Changing Times

How to prepare for and respond to key industry trends, by Mary MacGregor and Matthew Wall - August 1, 2011. The following checklist was compiled by Mary MacGregor, vice president of account development and Matthew Wall, vice president of marketing and communications. It is has been adapted from a presentation...

Site Marks the Fifth Anniversary of the Young Leaders Program

Mary MacGregor from BCD M&I commented, "The Young Leaders Program remains a valuable part of Site's mission to invest and cultivate leaders for our industry's future. We are grateful to our 2011 Co-Chairs Kevin Edmunds and Brian Fehling because this academy was filled with passion, respect and drive. The connectivity this...

BCD M&I feature in Corporate & Incentive Travel magazine

Cover Story Site President and BCD M&I VP Account Development Mary MacGregor features on the cover of this month’s Corporate & Incentive Travel magazine. For a PDF of the issue – featuring Mary’s perspective on the value that high-profile events like the UK’s Royal Wedding can bring to a desti...

Resort Revival - As resort demand rebounds, planners find that flexibility pays!

Mary MacGregor, vice president of account development for BCD M&I in Minneapolis, is also seeing an uptake in resort demand, particularly for the programs she is planning for 2012. She is also seeing rates creeping back up at many resort properties. “For our clients who are looking at high-end resort destinations du...

Graf a finalist in Entrepreneur Of The Year

Ernst & Young LLP has announced the 2011 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Midwest finalists, and BCD M&I's global president, Scott Graf, has been selected as one of only 26 business leaders to join this dist...

The Great Comeback: Incentives Rebound

Incentive travel is back, with incentive companies and industry groups noting a marked increase in business. But the industry that is rebounding is different from the one that saw wholesale cancellations a few years ago. There's greater focus on making the business case for incentive travel and an intense ...

BCD M&I opens new Clayton Office in the St. Louis area of Missouri

Scott Graf, global president of BCD M&I, talks about the connections many of the company's employees have to the St. Louis area. He spoke during a ribbon-cutting held Wednesday by the Clayton Chamber of Commerce. In the video, he references Alex Berger, a Ward 3 representative on the Clayton Board of Aldermen who welcomed...

Bad press be damned, nothing stops sales channel incentives!

Almost three years after a very public witch hunt derailed the incentive industry, a rebound if finally occurring. But surprisingly sales channel incentives largely withstood the firestorm that ironically started with a sales channel incentive… Read full article