Check out the latest group travel industry updates.


New opportunities await at Heartland Travel Showcase 2022

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Heartland Travel Showcase will take place Feb. 4–6, 2022, in Cleveland, Ohio, and will feature new opportunities for tour operators. At Heartland Travel Showcase, tour operators meet with unique and savvy suppliers showcasing destinations that will attract customers.

New this year:

  • Tour operators will have several opportunities to network and to attend a brand-new educational session designed specifically for their business to help add excitement to tour offerings.
  • Tour operators will learn about suppliers who have been designated Epic Group Experiences, a new educational program developed by Heartland to ensure suppliers understand tour operators’ needs and provide exceptional service for groups.

There’s still time to sign up for Heartland Travel Showcase. Contact Kelly Florian to register or visit heartlandtravelshowcase.com.


Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park completes new welcome center

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, one of the nation’s most significant botanic and sculpture experiences, recently announced the completion of its new 69,000-square-foot welcome center as part of the $115 million Welcoming the World: Honoring a Legacy of Love expansion project.

The Garden Pavilion, a massive new entry and gathering space, features breathtaking horticultural displays and the stunning new sculpture Utopia by Jaume Plensa, the world’s foremost sculptor working in the public realm. Utopia is Plensa’s largest indoor work to date.

Expansion elements that aren’t yet completed include the indoor sculpture galleries, Volunteer Tribute Garden, and the all-new and expanded Tassell-Wisner-Bottrall English Perennial Garden. All elements of the Welcoming the World: Honoring a Legacy of Love project are expected to be fully ready in June 2022.


Bob Dylan Center set to open in May 2022

Bob Dylan Center, Tulsa, Okla. Rendering: Olson Kundig

TULSA, Okla. — Located in Tulsa’s burgeoning arts district just steps from the city’s renowned Woody Guthrie Center, Bob Dylan Center (BDC) will feature cutting-edge and immersive technology in a multimedia environment that is designed to be as impressive and revealing to visitors new to Dylan’s work as it will be to long-time fans and aficionados. The Bob Dylan Center is committed to exploring the myriad forms of creativity that enrich the world around us and will be anchored by a permanent exhibit on Dylan’s life and work.

When it opens in the Tulsa Arts District in May 2022, the center will serve to educate, motivate and inspire visitors to engage their own capacity as creators. Through exhibits, public programs, performances, lectures, and publications, the center aims to foster a conversation about the role of creativity in our lives. Information regarding public admission to the Bob Dylan Center will be released in early 2022.


Orange County Museum of Art anticipates October 2022 opening

COSTA MESA, Calif. — The new Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) building is set to open at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa next October. The state-of-the-art, 53,000-square-foot building is double the size of the museum’s former location in Newport Beach. Moving to the region’s premier cultural campus in Costa Mesa will provide OCMA with a central location, expanded gallery space, and inviting public areas, further enabling the museum to engage the public through art.

With 25,000 square feet dedicated to galleries, OCMA will be able to simultaneously showcase its collection and major traveling exhibitions. Additionally, a sculptural wing hovering over the lobby atrium creates a prominent location for the 10,000-square-foot education center.


Museum of History & Industry extends Da Vinci exhibition

“Da Vinci – Inventions,” Museum of History & Industry, Seattle, Wash. Credit: Museum of History & Industry

SEATTLE, Wash. — Due to popular demand, Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) has extended its “Da Vinci – Inventions” exhibition through March 13, 2022. “Da Vinci – Inventions,” created by Grande Experiences, brings to life the genius of Leonardo as an inventor, scientist, anatomist, engineer, architect and more. An extensive range of unique pieces includes numerous examples of his machine inventions. Visitors can push, pull, crank and interact with many of these machines for a hands-on understanding of the scientific principles behind them.

Visitors to the exhibit are invited to embrace the history, theory and objective behind each of Leonardo da Vinci’s designs through engaging and entertaining technologies. Guests also will enjoy a glimpse into Leonardo’s mysterious alphabet and writing techniques as they browse touch-screen versions of his actual codices.