Meetings Quest, the nation’s longest-running series of educational and networking events for association and corporate meeting planners, will be relaunched in Mesa, Arizona, May 6– 7. Meetings Quest, which is hosted by Visit Mesa, was scheduled to coincide with the U.S. Travel Association’s National Travel and Tourism Week as a way of highlighting the importance of meetings and events as generators of travel and economic impact.
“We are pleased to be marking National Travel and Tourism Week during the opening celebration for Meetings Quest,” said Timothy Schneider, president and CEO of Schneider Publishing, which publishes Association News magazine and organizes Meetings Quest. “We believe that a strong travel industry benefits all sectors of the economy and we’re delighted to be working with Visit Mesa to provide a Travel Rally Day event for the
entire state of Arizona.”
entire state of Arizona.”
The Travel Rally Day event will be held the evening of May 6 at the Mesa Arts Center. Following a “Taste of Mesa” culinary and cultural experience, tours of the arts center and a welcome from Mesa Mayor Alex Finter, Schneider will moderate a panel discussion on the state of the travel industry with Marc Garcia, president & 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 session will be held on the main stage of the Mesa Arts Center, the 1,571-seat Ikeda Theater.
The Mesa Arts Center is the largest facility of its type in the state of Arizona. Owned and operated by the city of Mesa, the Mesa Arts Center features four theaters, five art galleries and 14 art studios. The Mesa Arts Center’s mission is to inspire people through engaging arts experiences that are diverse, accessible, and relevant.
“The Arizona Travel Rally Day event will reflect Mesa’s emerging leadership position in the Arizona travel industry,” said Schneider. “For meeting and event planners who are not familiar with all that Mesa offers, this event at the Mesa Arts Center on May 6 and Meetings Quest at the Mesa Convention Center on May 7 will provide those who can bring
groups to Mesa a first-hand experience of the terrific venues and facilities this unique destination offers.”
groups to Mesa a first-hand experience of the terrific venues and facilities this unique destination offers.”