Cvent CONNECT US, to be the largest event in history for the meetings and events industry, offers an all-star lineup of speakers including industry-leading CEOs of Marriott, Hilton, American Airlines, and Southwest Airlines, among others

TYSONS, Va. – Aug. 12, 2020 – Cvent, a market-leading meetings, events, and hospitality technology provider, announced its all-star lineup of speakers for its two-day virtual Cvent CONNECT US conference on August 25-26, which is set to be the largest gathering of meeting, event, and hospitality professionals in history. The agenda features 28 live breakout sessions, multiple product roadmap livestream presentations, a keynote session from the company’s CEO and Founder Reggie Aggarwal, one-on-one interviews with Arne Sorenson, President & CEO of Marriott, and Christopher Nassetta, President & CEO of Hilton, and a distinguished panel of travel industry leaders featuring the CEOs of American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport. VisitDallas, a long-time Cvent partner, is sponsoring the airline CEO panel. 

“For years, we’ve been proud partners and sponsors of Cvent CONNECT. Given the event’s caliber and size, we always pull out all the stops to not just give attendees a taste of our great city of Dallas, but also to make a lasting and memorable impact,” said Craig Davis, President and CEO at VisitDallas. “This year, with the conference moving to a virtual environment, we had a unique opportunity to bring together three aviation industry titans who collectively have more than 100 years of experience in the travel industry. The global pandemic has led to one of the greatest crises the airline industry has ever seen, and Cvent CONNECT attendees will hear directly from these incredible industry leaders as they discuss the path forward and uncover what the future holds for leisure and business travel.”

More about the featured Cvent CONNECT speakers:

• Arne M. Sorenson, President & CEO Marriott International: Arne Sorenson is president and chief executive officer of Marriott International, Inc. Mr. Sorenson presides over one of the world’s largest hospitality companies and some of the most iconic brands in travel. The company now has more than 7,400 properties across 134 countries and territories and 30 brands. Mr. Sorenson has built his tenure on the bedrock of Marriott International’s core values: putting people first, pursuing excellence, acting with integrity, embracing change and serving our world.
• Christopher J. Nassetta, President & CEO Hilton: Christopher Nassetta is President and Chief Executive Officer for Hilton. He joined the company in 2007. Previously, Mr. Nassetta was President and Chief Executive Officer of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc., a position he held since 2000. He joined Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. in 1995 as Executive Vice President and was elected Chief Operating Officer in 1997.
• Doug Parker, CEO American Airlines: Doug Parker was named chairman and chief executive officer of American Airlines in 2013. He oversees American Airlines Group and American Airlines, its principal subsidiary company.
• Gary Kelly, Chairman and CEO Southwest Airlines: Gary Kelly serves as the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer at Southwest Airlines. Under Mr. Kelly’s leadership, Southwest has grown to become the nation’s largest airline in terms of originating domestic passengers carried and is a mainstay on Fortune magazine’s list of the most admired companies in the world, ranking 11th in 2020. 
• Sean Donohue, CEO DFW International Airport: Sean Donohue serves as Chief Executive Officer of Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport, the fourth-busiest airport in the world. In his role as CEO, Mr. Donohue is responsible for the management, operation and future strategy and development of the Airport.

Cvent CONNECT is free and open to anyone. The agenda will cover key themes that define the current and future outlook for the events industry including Virtual & Hybrid Events; Safety, Security & Privacy; Event Marketing & Strategy; and Hospitality & Travel Trends. Attendees will also get an exclusive look at solutions from Cvent and its partners including the company’s all-new virtual event experience that maximizes attendance, audience engagement, and event ROI.

“The global pandemic has defined 2020, and it has had a profound effect on the meetings, events, and travel industries. Since the health crisis hit, we have been hard at work helping our customers adapt to the new normal and plan for better days ahead. Our upcoming Cvent CONNECT conference is a great opportunity to bring the industry together and hear from the leaders – including Arne, Chris, and those participating in the panel sponsored by VisitDallas – who will guide the industry back to prosperity,” said Cvent CMO, Patrick Smith. “Since March, more than 60,000 virtual events have been managed on the Cvent platform, and we are excited to deliver another incredible Cvent CONNECT conference in a virtual environment powered by our own technology. Attendees will not only have access to incredible content on the solutions and insights they need to find success, but also gain a greater understanding of what it takes to plan, market, and manage a world-class virtual experience.”

Last year, Cvent hosted its in-person Cvent CONNECT event for more than 4,500 attendees in Las Vegas, making it the largest event technology user conference in the world. Earlier this year, the company decided to take the event online in response to COVID-19. This is the first time it will be hosted in a completely virtual setting and it is set to be the largest collective gathering of meeting, event and hospitality professionals ever.

For more information and to register for Cvent CONNECT, visit the conference website at www.cventconnect.com/us.