About John George

As an experienced meeting professional, John employs his 32 years of industry experience to pour individual care into creating customized meetings and travel programs. Prior to his time at Gavel, John worked tirelessly to create a diverse knowledge of all aspects of destination travel and the hotel industry. Additionally, he worked for a major pharmaceutical company as their corporate meeting manager, and spent several years in hotel sales management at both Hyatt and Westin Hotels. He uses his specialized destination and product knowledge to guide clients toward the perfect location to achieve their goals. Employing his expert negotiation skills, he ensures optimal value while helping clients stay on or under budget. From start to finish, clients can enjoy stress-free meeting planning, knowing both big-picture and small details will run smoothly under John’s watchful eye. For the past 23 years he has been lending his expert knowledge to Gavel as an Account Manager.

August 2017

7 Ways to Liven Up Your Business Meeting

2022-11-28T12:15:53-06:00August 3rd, 2017|

It is an unfortunate fact that boring meetings are all too common. It does not have to be this way, however. If you want your meeting to be a time of productivity, consider the following to help liven it up. More Input Many meeting attendees will zone out during an extended monologue. Sure, sometimes meetings need to be dominated [...]

July 2017

When to Reinvent Your Annual Meeting or Event

2022-11-28T12:03:56-06:00July 6th, 2017|

Annual meetings and/or events can be both a blessing and a curse. If done well, they can be something that people spend the year anticipating the next one. However, a poorly-executed annual event will have attendees dreading the next such occasion. This is the power of an annual event: it leaves a lasting impression, for better or for worse. [...]

June 2017

How to Avoid Death by PowerPoint in Meetings

2022-11-28T12:29:18-06:00June 29th, 2017|

It’s significant that the phrase ‘death by PowerPoint’ has entered general terminology among corporate meeting participants. Too many people have experienced meetings dominated by the mind-numbing misapplication of PowerPoint. The technology isn’t necessarily to blame, however—people need to know how to make the best use of it. PowerPoint can be an invaluable asset to your meeting, after all. That [...]

Marks of a Polished Meeting Planner

2022-11-28T12:04:09-06:00June 15th, 2017|

There are a lot of meeting planners out in the industry. It isn’t surprising, given the number of meetings occurring around the world every day. However, as is the case with every career, some planners are better than others. They have honed their skills and put in the time and effort necessary to refine their craft. While the road [...]

April 2017

5 Developments in Meetings Technology

2022-11-28T12:04:23-06:00April 27th, 2017|

Technological advancement affects every industry. Nothing is stagnant; there’s always a push for progress, for new developments. Meetings technology is a prime example: there’s a constant influx of new products and improvements to old ones. This is a fast-changing field, where planners often struggle to keep up. So, to make things easier, we’ve identified some of the latest advancements in [...]

13 Mobile Apps Event Planners Will Love

2022-09-22T12:27:42-05:00April 13th, 2017|

Updated: 9/21/2022 There’s an app for almost everything these days. The rise of the smartphone created a huge market for mobile apps, and the possibilities are practically endless. Meeting planning is a multifaceted industry, but thankfully there are apps that even the most proficient planner will be grateful for. We’ve compiled a list of applications that can meet your planning [...]

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