Blumar at PlannerConnect Midwest 2026: Bringing Brazil to Minneapolis, Chicago, and Indianapolis

Some of the most valuable conversations in the incentive travel business happen not at giant trade shows but in a room of the right people, in the planners' own city. That is the idea behind PlannerConnect, and it is why Blumar's Incentives Manager, Lorene Magnelli, spent three consecutive evenings in the American Midwest this August. From August 18 to 20, 2026, Lorene represented Blumar at PlannerConnect Midwest Summer 2026, hosted by GPS Destinations, in Minneapolis, Chicago, and Indianapolis, presenting Brazil to meeting and incentive planners who are actively looking for their next destination. This is how it went, and why it matters.

Three Cities, Three Evenings

Photo: Lorene Magnelli / Blumar DMC

PlannerConnect is the event series of GPS Destinations, a global network of destination management companies that organizes marketplace events bringing together meeting planners and luxury suppliers. The format is deliberately compact: rather than a sprawling exhibition, each stop is an evening designed for real conversations, where planners with active group business meet the DMCs, hotels, and destinations that can deliver their programs.

The Midwest Summer 2026 edition ran as a three-city roadshow: Minneapolis on August 18, Chicago on August 19, and Indianapolis on August 20. For Blumar, that meant three consecutive evenings of one-to-one conversations with planners from three of the Midwest's most important corporate markets, each with its own base of companies that reward and motivate their teams with incentive travel.

Lorene Magnelli in the Midwest

As Blumar's Incentives Manager, Lorene arrived with a clear brief: show Midwest planners what an incentive program in Brazil looks like when it is designed and operated by a local partner with four decades of experience. Her conversations moved between the aspirational and the practical, from the wow factor of Iguassu Falls or a private villa on the Costa Verde to the questions planners actually decide on: air access, program logistics, safety, and the ability to run multiple activity tracks for a single group.

Photo: Lorene Magnelli / Blumar DMC

The photos tell the story of the week better than any summary: full rooms, engaged planners, and Brazil on the table in three cities. What they cannot show is the follow-up, the conversations that continue after each evening and turn into site inspections and proposals over the months ahead.

What Midwest Planners Are Looking For

The conversations in the Midwest confirmed what the industry's research shows. According to the Incentive Travel Index, more than 70% of incentive buyers are actively seeking destinations they have not used before: planners want to surprise their winners, not repeat last year's trip. The Incentive Research Foundation's 2026 Trends Report adds that North American organizations expect incentive activity to rise 29% in 2026, with average spend per person reaching $5,100, up 4% year over year.

Photo: Lorene Magnelli / Blumar DMC

The same research names the deciding factor: direct air access is the most cited must-have in destination selection, mentioned by 41% of planners. For a destination like Brazil, that makes connectivity and expert logistics as much a part of the pitch as the beaches and the rainforest, which is precisely the ground a local DMC covers, as we explain in our guide to planning incentive travel services.

Why a Road Trip Through the Midwest Matters for Blumar

PlannerConnect was the final stop of a 2026 in which Blumar made a point of being present at the industry's leading stages: ITB China in Shanghai, FIEXPO Latin America in Costa Rica, the 82nd IATA Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, where Blumar Congressos & Eventos served as the official agency, and Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas. Each gathering serves a different market; the purpose behind all of them is the same. Being in the room is how Blumar builds partnerships, hears where demand is heading, and brings that knowledge home to its clients.

Meeting planners in their own cities adds a dimension that the big shows cannot: proximity. A planner in Indianapolis who has never considered Brazil for an incentive is far more likely to start that conversation over an evening in Indianapolis than across a crowded exhibition floor. That is the specific value of PlannerConnect, and the reason Blumar chose to be there.

Brazil for the Midwest Incentive Buyer

Photo: Lorene Magnelli / Blumar DMC

For planners who came away curious, the case for Brazil is straightforward. It offers the fresh, distinctive destination that more than 70% of buyers say they want, with a range few countries can match in a single program: Rio de Janeiro's icons, the natural wonder of Iguassu Falls and the Amazon, the beaches of the Northeast, and exclusive-use properties for buyouts and celebrations. Multiple activity tracks, a leading trend in incentive design, are natural in a country with this much variety.

Delivering it to the standard a top-performer reward demands is where Blumar comes in: supplier relationships, buying power, on-site staffing, and four decades of operating groups across the country, as detailed in our guide to incentive travel in Brazil and on our company profile.

Three Evenings, One Message

Minneapolis, Chicago, and Indianapolis heard the same thing from Blumar: Brazil is ready for your next incentive, and there is a partner on the ground who has been delivering it for forty years. To the planners who joined us, thank you for the conversations. To GPS Destinations, thank you for the platform.

To start planning an incentive program in Brazil, visit the official Blumar DMC website.

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FAQ - Blumar at PlannerConnect Midwest 2026

Photo: Lorene Magnelli / Blumar DMC

What is PlannerConnect?

PlannerConnect is the event series of GPS Destinations, a global network of destination management companies. The events are marketplace evenings held in planners' own cities, connecting meeting and incentive planners with luxury suppliers, DMCs, and destinations. The Midwest Summer 2026 edition visited Minneapolis, Chicago, and Indianapolis from August 18 to 20.

Who represented Blumar at PlannerConnect Midwest 2026?

Blumar was represented by Lorene Magnelli, the company's Incentives Manager, who attended all three evenings in Minneapolis, Chicago, and Indianapolis, presenting Brazil to meeting and incentive planners.

Why is Brazil a good fit for US incentive programs in 2026?

More than 70% of incentive buyers are seeking destinations they have not used before, according to the Incentive Travel Index, and Brazil offers a fresh, distinctive option with exceptional range, from Rio de Janeiro and Iguassu Falls to the Amazon and the Northeast coast. With North American incentive activity expected to rise 29% in 2026, per the Incentive Research Foundation, the timing is favorable.

What do planners consider when choosing an incentive destination?

According to the Incentive Research Foundation, direct air access is the most cited must-have (41%), alongside safety, program logistics, the quality of experiences, and the ability to personalize with multiple activity tracks. A local DMC addresses these factors directly through its supplier relationships and on-the-ground operation.

How can a planner start an incentive program in Brazil with Blumar?

Planners can contact Blumar through its official website or reach out to the Incentives team directly. Blumar designs and operates the full program, from air and ground logistics to accommodation, experiences, and on-site staffing, backed by four decades of experience across Brazil.