Small & Boutique Meetings — Fall

The premier hosted-buyer event designed to connect top suppliers and destinations with planners looking for creative solutions to elevate their small and boutique-sized meetings in the U.S. and beyond. 

Please click here for Northstar’s Enhanced Safety Protocols for Live Events.

 


ABOUT SMALL & BOUTIQUE MEETINGS

Small & Boutique Meetings — Northstar's premiere hosted-buyer event designed specifically for small and boutique-sized meetings — bringing together highly-qualified meeting buyers with destinations, hotels, DMCs and other suppliers ready to welcome smaller events. Attendees participate in one-on-one pre-scheduled appointments, gain industry insights from our guest speakers and network with this exclusive group.

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Learn

Learn

Learn from, and be inspired by, our guest speakers who will provide targeted education specific to your needs as a meeting and incentive planner.

Connect

Connect

Connect with premier suppliers from helping you with your successful during pre-scheduled one-on-one business appointments and unique experiential activities.

Enjoy

Enjoy

All qualified buyers will be fully hosted by Northstar Meetings Group, including airfare allowance, accommodation, meals and planned activities.

SPEAKERS

Tahira Endean

Tahira Endean

Head of Program, IMEX

Tahira Endean approaches her tasks as an event designer and curator of education for the MICE industry with curiosity. She is passionate about global travel, intentional event design, and the integration of technology into our lives and events to enhance the human experience. A believer in life-long learning, Endean currently is completing her master's degree in creativity and changes leadership to build upon her industry certifications, instructors diploma, event management diploma and bachelor's of hospitality management. Author of "Intentional Event Design," she also contributed to the ninth edition of the CIC manual, which provides the framework for CMP studies, and she has had the opportunity to speak around the globe at a variety of event industry conferences.

Jill Joerling Blood

Jill Joerling Blood

Lead Legal Counsel, Maritz Global Events

Jill Joerling Blood joined Maritz Global Events and also serves as the privacy and compliance officer for Maritz Holdings. Blood earned her B.A. in English Literature and Religious Studies from the University of Virginia and then attended law school at Washington University. Jill started her career at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, where she focused on mergers and acquisitions for public and private companies. She has been described by clients as "surprisingly reasonable... for a lawyer” and "not as intimidating as her last name would indicate." Blood serves on the boards of the St. Louis Contemporary Art Museum and the National Conference for Community Justice’s St. Louis branch. She lives in St. Louis with her husband and dog. 

HOSTED BUYERS

ALL QUALIFIED BUYERS WILL BE FULLY HOSTED BY NORTHSTAR MEETINGS GROUP, INCLUDING AIRFARE ALLOWANCE, ACCOMMODATION, MEALS, AND PLANNED ACTIVITIES. QUESTIONS ABOUT HOSTED-BUYER EVENTS? CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

INFORMATION

Those who are selected to attend will participate in:

  • Two productive days of pre-scheduled one-to-one meetings with suppliers ready to welcome your smaller event
  • Insightful educational presentations from inspiring speakers
  • Networking opportunities with other elite buyers and suppliers


To learn more why past buyers say Northstar events are the most productive, please contact Dana Kallman.

SUPPLIER INFO

Showcase your destination, CVB, DMC, hotel, resort, venue or related service or activity for successful small and boutique-sized meetings and incentive programs. Meet with elite planners and buyers who are currently sourcing suppliers for their upcoming small meetings (100 room nights on peak and below) in 2023 and beyond.

Supplier registration includes 1:1 pre-scheduled appointments, all event networking activities and education.

Please contact your business development director or Shalise DeMott for pricing and sponsorship opportunities.

Request Info Destination West

 

2023 Exhibitors

  • ATL Airport District CVB
  • Awesome Alpharetta
  • British Virgin Islands Tourist Board
  • Cartersville Bartow CVB
  • Cedar Rapids Tourism
  • Charter Beaver Creek
  • Destination El Paso
  • Discover Durham
  • Discover Flagstaff
  • Edgewood Tahoe Resort
  • Embassy Suites at the Woodlands Hughes Landing
  • Essential Bodywear
  • Experience Scottsdale
  • Explore Fairbanks
  • Fredericksburg CVB
  • Greater Ontario CVB
  • Groups360
  • Hermosa Inn
  • Hilton Sedona at Bell Rock
  • Hotel Corque
  • IHG Crowne Plaza
  • Little America Flagstaff
  • MacArthur Place Hotel and Spa
  • Marival Hotels
  • Meliá Hotels International
  • Rancho De Los Caballeros
  • Renaissance Reno Downtown
  • Reno Sparks CVA
  • Salem Convention Center
  • Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism
  • Seiko Watches of America
  • Shashi Hotel
  • Sheraton Sand Key Resort
  • Snowmass Tourism
  • Sonoma County Tourism
  • Soul Community Planet
  • Tempe Tourism
  • The Florida Keys and Key West
  • The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills
  • The San Francisco Peninsula
  • Travel Juneau
  • Virgin Hotels Las Vegas
  • Visit Anchorage
  • Visit Chandler
  • Visit Charlotte
  • Visit Galveston
  • Visit Gettysburg
  • Visit Greenville SC
  • Visit Lubbock
  • Visit Mesa
  • Visit Napa Valley
  • Visit Oxnard
  • Visit Park City
  • Visit Pasadena
  • Visit Phoenix
  • Visit Richmond
  • Visit Riverside
  • Visit Santa Cruz
  • Visit St. Pete/Clearwater
  • Visit Tucson
  • Visit Ventura CA
  • Visit Walnut Creek
  • Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal
  • Western Montana's Glacier Country
  • Westin Lake Las Vegas
  • Westward Look Wyndham Grand Resort and Spa

AGENDA

Nov. 7

All Day
Planner & Supplier Hotel Check-In
2:00pm– 5:30pm
Registration
2:00pm – 5:45pm
Exhibitor Set-Up (optional)
5:30pm — 6:00pm
Planners: Site Inspection of Host Hotel
6:00pm — 8:30pm
Welcome Reception

Sponsored by Westward Look Wyndham Grand Resort and Spa

Nov. 8

7:30am – 8:00am
Breakfast

Sponsored by Westward Look Wyndham Grand Resort and Spa

8:00am – 9:00am
Opening Remarks & General Session: The Superpower of Small Events

Presented by Tahira Endean
Sponsored by Travel Juneau

More Detail

Effective organizations understand the power of events to educate, enrich and inspire. A small group setting provides a unique opportunity to create environments that act as an incubator where dialogue, creativity and innovation can percolate. Event design expert Tahira Endean, head of programming for IMEX, will share insights for maximizing the value of small gatherings. Among topics to be discussed:

  • The optimal seating for meaningful networking
  • Easy strategies for building quick connections
  • How to create an environment of trust
  • Ways to inspire innovation and creativity
9:15am – 12:00pm
One-on-One Meetings
12:15pm – 1:30pm
Lunch

Sponsored by Greater Ontario CVB

1:30pm— 3:30pm
Activities
3:30pm – 6:00pm
Free Time
7:00pm – 9:00pm
Dinner

Sponsored by Visit Tucson

Nov. 9

7:30am – 8:00am
Breakfast
8:00am – 9:00am
Educational Session: Getting to Yes in Planner-Supplier Negotiations

Presented by Jill Joerling Blood

More Detail

A multitude of factors are complicating the negotiating process for meeting and event planners, and it's becoming harder to find a win-win with our supplier partners. Recent history is no longer a reliable indicator of future needs, staff turnover has left parties on both sides of the table that are new to the industry, and lead times are so short that decisions need to be rushed. In this session Jill Joerling Blood, lead legal counsel for Maritz Global Events, will discuss legal issues facing meeting professionals today and answer participants’ questions on how best to manage these important negotiations.

Participants will learn:

  • The legal issues that are most challenging today
  • Contract language that protects both parties
  • How to keep communications open to avoid conflicts if conditions change
9:15am—12:00pm
One-on One Meetings
12:15pm—2:00pm
Lunch
After 2pm
Departures

HOTEL

Wyndham Grand Westward Look
245 E Ina Rd
Tucson, Ariz. 85704

Buyers: We will make your reservations for you.
Suppliers: Preferred rates for supplier accommodations are available.


Advisory Notice Regarding Outside Solicitations

Please be advised that numerous companies have been emailing and calling our attendees attempting to book them into hotels for Northstar events. Here are the companies and their representatives that we have been made aware of:

• ExpoSite
• CBS International
• Corporate Booking Services
• EHRS
• Exhibition Housing Services
• Global Housing Corporation
• World Wide Travel

Be advised that these companies and individuals have no relationship with our events. Our attendees are encouraged to disregard any communication received from these companies or any others that are not affiliated with Northstar Meetings Group.

CONTACT

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT YOUR SALES REPRESENTATIVE OR:

Suppliers Contact:

Shalise DeMott

Vice President, Sales

sdemott@ntmllc.com

Buyers Contact:

Dana Kallman

Director of Buyer Development

dkallman@ntmllc.com

Event Logistics Contact:

Andrea Hennings

Event Director (Live & Digital) - Consultant

ahennings@ntmllc.com

REGISTRATION