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Visit Baltimore and GuideGeek Launch “Chessie,” an AI Travel Assistant for Charm City

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BALTIMORE, July 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Baltimore visitors have a new navigational tool to chart their course through Charm City. Visit Baltimore has launched “Chessie,” an AI travel assistant powered by Matador Network’s industry-leading GuideGeek AI platform, designed to help travelers easily explore everything the city has to offer.

Chessie is named after a bit of Baltimore folklore, a legendary sea monster said to lurk in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. With an engaging persona that exemplifies the city’s friendliness, the new AI is available via an icon in the bottom-right corner of baltimore.org. Chessie is ready to plan full itineraries or provide information about neighborhoods, culture, dining, events, only-in-Baltimore experiences and more.

Visit Baltimore is meeting the rising expectations of visitors who increasingly rely on AI to shape their vacations. Chessie provides personalized responses and adapts to visitor preferences on desktop or mobile, all without requiring travelers to login or download an app.

“Visitors now expect instant, personalized guidance. Chessie provides that while showcasing the depth and character of everything our city has to offer, optimizing our team’s authentic, firsthand expertise,” said Visit Baltimore President & CEO Kireem Swinton. “We want Baltimore to be a city that’s easy to discover and impossible to forget, and giving visitors a smart, friendly tool to plan their journey is one more way we’re investing in that experience.”

Baltimore joins other destinations that have launched GuideGeek-powered AI assistants, including New Zealand, Greece and New York City. Consumers trust AI for travel planning more than any other task and Chessie brings unique Baltimore flair to that experience, building personalized travel plans and making it easier than ever to discover an exceptional destination.

Travelers can ask Chessie highly specific or vague questions such as, “What are the best attractions in Baltimore?” or “We’re a family of 5 with kids ages 4-9 traveling across the East Coast this summer. Can you please plan us a 4-day itinerary in Baltimore?”

Baltimore highlights travelers may want to discuss with Chessie:

Historic sites, like Fort McHenry, the USS Constellation, and the Washington MonumentWorld-class attractions like the National Aquarium, B&O Railroad Museum, and Baltimore Museum of IndustryMust-see art exhibits at the Baltimore Museum of Art, American Visionary Art Museum, and The Walters Art MuseumCultural centers, like the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, National Great Blacks in Wax Museum, and the Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park MuseumRestaurants that serve up the best local cuisine, including crab cakesA seven-mile waterfront promenade passing through multiple neighborhoodsMore than 250 distinct neighborhoods, such as historic Fell’s Point, eclectic Hampden, and charming Mount VernonEvents happening year round throughout the city

“Travelers are increasingly turning to AI as their first stop when planning a trip, and destinations that embrace this shift are the ones that will win visitors,” says Matador Network CEO Ross Borden. “Chessie gives anyone curious about Baltimore an instant, personalized way to explore everything the city has to offer, from its iconic landmarks to its eclectic neighborhoods.”

About Visit Baltimore

Visit Baltimore is the official sales and marketing arm for the City of Baltimore. The 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization generates economic benefits for Baltimore and its residents through the attraction of convention, group and leisure visitors. In 2025, 28.7 million people visited Baltimore for overnight and day trips, generating $4.3 billion for the city’s economy. For more information, please visit baltimore.org.

About Matador Network

Matador Network is the world’s No. 1 media brand for modern adventurers and the creator of GuideGeek, the award-winning AI travel genius. With more than 15 million followers across social media, Matador became a leading travel brand through its production of feature articles, city guides, creator-first content and original streaming shows. Matador’s videos generate over 140M monthly views and its content distribution deals with major airlines, airports, gas stations and ride sharing companies reach travelers throughout their journey. The GuideGeek AI platform has over 1M consumer users and powers custom conversational AI for dozens of travel brands and destinations. matadornetwork.com | guidegeek.com

Media Contact:
Jason Simms
860.526.1555
418242@email4pr.com

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SOURCE Matador Network

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eTrucks Attains Elite Geotab Partner Status in Transportation & Logistics

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Company joins exclusive top-tier ecosystem alongside industry leaders to deliver premier telematics solutions.

SASKATOON, SK, July 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ – eTrucks today announced it has been recognized as an Elite and Specialized Certified Geotab Partner in the Transportation & Logistics market segment. This exclusive ranking is reserved for partners that deliver best-in-class results and demonstrate profound technical depth in telematics and fleet management solutions for the markets they serve.

With this certification, eTrucks is proud to join a respected group of industry heavyweights, standing alongside brands such as Enterprise Fleet Management and T-Mobile for Business. The designation validates eTrucks’ specialized expertise in addressing the unique compliance, routing, safety, and efficiency challenges facing modern commercial fleets.

“Achieving Elite status solidifies our commitment to improving fleet operations for our clients,” said Fred Amaya, VP of eTrucks. “This recognition reflects our team’s dedication to technical excellence and our unwavering commitment to helping our customers’ fleets operate smarter, safer, and more efficiently through industry-leading ELD and telematics technology.”

The strengthened partnership positions eTrucks to deliver clients even more cutting-edge data insights and high-touch technical support to optimize modern fleet operations in 2026 and beyond. To find out more about what the company offers, visit etrucks.com

About eTrucks: eTrucks is a premier provider of fleet management and compliance solutions for the US and Canada. Specializing in advanced Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) and vehicle tracking, eTrucks empowers commercial fleets with data-driven insights to maximize efficiency and ensure regulatory compliance.

About Geotab: Geotab is a global leader in connected transportation solutions, providing telematics and asset tracking to more than 50,000 customers across 150 countries. For over 20 years, Geotab has advanced data innovation to help fleets and public-sector organizations transform their operations.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/etrucks-attains-elite-geotab-partner-status-in-transportation–logistics-302815175.html

SOURCE eTrucks

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Toppan Merrill expands Quinn platform to simplify shareholder communications drafting, filing and distribution

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NEW YORK and ST. PAUL, Minn., July 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Toppan Merrill, a global leader in simplifying the complexity of regulatory disclosure and compliant communications, today announced the addition of Proxy Statements and Management Information Circulars (MIC) to the Quinn by Toppan Merrill™ platform. Quinn is a next-generation SaaS platform that simplifies the creation, collaboration, publishing and filing of complex regulatory disclosure documents.

“Proxy statements are critical to corporate governance, investor trust and brand integrity, yet creating them has remained unnecessarily complex,” said Bob Bergstrom, Chief Revenue Officer, Toppan Merrill. “Customers tell us they need technology that reduces friction, improves collaboration and lets their teams focus on the disclosure itself—not the mechanics of producing it. By adding specific proxy statement and management information circular functionality to Quinn, we are delivering a purpose-built platform for one of the most important communications companies provide to regulators and shareholders. This release advances our broader vision to simplify regulated communications, help organizations work confidently under demanding deadlines and raise the standard for creating critical disclosure documents.”

Quinn solves these challenges when drafting complex shareholder communications:

Generates perfectly formatted documents in the approved corporate style with the click of a single buttonEnables real-time collaboration across key stakeholdersProvides a centralized common content library that reduces risk and improves consistencySynchronizes Excel® financial data dynamically and in real timeLeverages AI capabilities to accelerate and improve document draftingPublishes filing-ready documents for SEC submission and shareholder distribution

Quinn by Toppan Merrill is a SaaS platform. Delivered securely in the cloud, it requires no installs or maintenance and is backed by Toppan Merrill experts available 24/7 for service support. Quinn is easy to onboard with security embedded at every level, Single Sign-On (SSO) authentication, SOC 2 Type 1 attestation and ISO 27001 certification.

For additional information, Bob Bergstrom’s blog post provides deeper insight and go to ToppanMerrill.com/Quinn/Proxy-Statements and ToppanMerrill.com/Management-Information-Circulars.

About Toppan Merrill
Toppan Merrill is a global technology leader committed to simplifying the complexity of regulatory disclosure and regulated communications. We are an innovative and trusted partner for the legal, corporate, financial services and health plan markets. Toppan Merrill is part of Toppan Holdings, a leading and diversified global provider of sustainable, integrated solutions.

Contacts:

Gretchen DeSutter
Sr. Manager, Corporate Communications
GretchenDesutter@ToppanMerrill.com
612.226.5087
ToppanMerrill.com

Scott Snyder
Vice President, Marketing
ScottSnyder@ToppanMerrill.com
651.492.1012
ToppanMerrill.com

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SOURCE Toppan Merrill

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OMNIA Partners Adds 10 New Suppliers to its E-Commerce Platform and Surpasses 8 Million Products Available for Online Purchase

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Nearly 40,000 public sector employees are now using OPUS, the OMNIA Partners member portal, to find and buy goods and services instantly using industry leading cooperative contracts.

FRANKLIN, Tenn., July 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — OMNIA Partners, the nation’s largest and most experienced cooperative purchasing organization for the public and private sectors, today announced the latest expansion of OPUS, its free member portal, which includes the first ever e-commerce platform that allows public sector agencies and nonprofits to buy from multiple suppliers with one online shopping cart using publicly solicited and competitively bid cooperative contracts.

Ten new, nationally recognized suppliers have made their products available for purchase in OPUS, bringing total available SKUs to more than 8 million. OMNIA Partners members can now instantly purchase products across nearly 200 categories with their free member account.

New suppliers who have made online purchasing available to OMNIA Partners members include: SHI, Graybar, BradyPLUS, Fisher Scientific, Insight Public Sector, School Specialty, Johnson-Lancaster & Associates, Vari, Mediatechnologies and E-Z-GO/Cushman.

This new class of OPUS suppliers spans IT solutions, scientific and laboratory products, foodservice, facility maintenance, education, workplace furnishings, electrical infrastructure, and fleet management.

“Our continued investment in technology is centered on one goal: making it easier for public agencies and nonprofits to access the contracts, suppliers, and resources they need to serve their communities,” said Todd Abner, President and CEO of OMNIA Partners. “People expect purchasing to be fast, intuitive, and seamless in every part of their lives. We’re bringing that same level of simplicity to public procurement by combining an expanding portfolio of trusted agreements with technology that helps our members buy what they need more efficiently, stay compliant, and focus on serving their communities.”

Since launching in April 2024, OMNIA Partners’ member portal has fundamentally changed how government agencies, school systems and nonprofits take advantage of the benefits of cooperative purchasing. What once required days of manual research, supplier outreach, pricing comparison, and compliance verification now takes minutes. Every transaction on OPUS is completed using the same publicly solicited, competitively bid contracts used by every OMNIA Partners member – meeting the compliance requirements of most public sector organizations, dramatically reducing administrative burden. Today, nearly 40,000 public sector procurement professionals are using the platform to make purchases from more than 650 different suppliers in the OMNIA Partners network.

“OPUS has had a huge impact on making sure that we know we’re in compliance. It’s been one of the best decisions that we decided to take as a college in procurement,” said Mandy Hall, Procurement Accountant at Northwest Shoals Community College, highlighting the platform’s impact on day-to-day procurement operations.

The new suppliers that Hall and nearly 40,000 other OPUS users can purchase from directly include:

BradyPLUS – A leading specialized distributor of janitorial, sanitation, foodservice, industrial packaging, and facility maintenance products; BradyPLUS sells supplies OMNIA Partners members need to maintain cleaner, safer, and more efficient facilities. E-Z-GO/Cushman – Delivers globally recognized commercial and utility vehicles built for durability and versatility, offering material handling, personnel transport, and food and beverage solutions with flexible gas and lithium electric power options. E‑Z‑GO/Cushman provides reliable mobility and fleet solutions for campuses, municipalities, parks, and other public sector environments.Fisher Scientific – A premier supplier of laboratory equipment, scientific instruments, chemicals, diagnostics, and research consumables, Fisher Scientific expands online purchasing offerings for public sector laboratory, research, and educational institutions seeking trusted scientific products and solutions.Graybar – A leading distributor of electrical, industrial, automation and connectivity products, Graybar delivers critical infrastructure solutions that help organizations build, maintain, and modernize their facilities and technology networks.Insight Public Sector – A division of Insight Enterprises, a Fortune 500 Solutions Integrator, that helps federal, state, and local government agencies and educational institutions solve complex technology challenges. By combining the right hardware, software, and services, Insight delivers secure, end-to-end IT solutions at scale through its global network of over 6,000 technology partners.Johnson-Lancaster & Associates – A nationwide provider of foodservice equipment, supplies, and commercial kitchen project solutions, Johnson-Lancaster & Associates brings its product portfolio to the portal along with specialized expertise in commercial kitchen design, procurement, and operational support for schools and government organizations.Mediatechnologies – A manufacturer of educational and workplace furniture solutions, including casework, library furnishings, and collaborative learning environments, Mediatechnologies helps public sector buyers create functional, durable spaces tailored to their users’ needs.School Specialty – A trusted provider of educational supplies, classroom resources, learning environments, physical education, sensory and adapted learning materials, School Specialty broadens OMNIA Partners’ e-commerce catalog to give buyers access to comprehensive solutions designed to support student success and enhance educational environments.SHI – A leading IT solutions provider specializing in hardware, software, cloud, cybersecurity, AI, and technology lifecycle management, SHI brings OMNIA Partners members access to comprehensive technology solutions, including software licensing expertise and public sector-focused IT procurement support.Vari – A leading workplace furnishings and office solutions provider known for the original VariDesk®, height-adjustable standing desks, premium office seating, and other flexible workspace solutions. Buyers can quickly create productive, modern work environments with thoughtfully designed products that support employee well-being and collaboration.

In addition to adding new suppliers and products, the company has released a comprehensive suite of new platform capabilities to make purchasing goods and services faster, more intuitive, and easier to manage at scale. 

The latest OPUS release brings a redesigned user experience, and a powerful set of new capabilities built around how public sector buyers actually work. Feature enhancements include an improved search experience, seamless contract access, a centralized supplier W9 library, integrated chat support, shareable product lists among co-workers, and robust admin and approval tools.

“Our members, the people buying goods and services to keep government agencies, schools, universities and nonprofits running efficiently, are being asked to do more with less every single day,” said Josh Raymond, EVP of Marketing at OMNIA Partners. “We built our OPUS member portal to meet that challenge head-on. Adding 10 best-in-class suppliers and delivering new features and functionality requested by our members means the organizations that serve our communities can find what they need and move forward faster while meeting their regulatory requirements.”

About OPUS 

OPUS is OMNIA Partners’ free member portal, a first-of-its-kind e-commerce procurement platform available to all government agencies, school systems, higher education institutions, and nonprofits in the United States. The platform allows members to manage their OMNIA Partners account, search the company’s network of 1,200+ nationally trusted suppliers, and instantly purchase more than 8 million products — all backed by OMNIA Partners’ publicly solicited, competitively bid cooperative contracts that deliver preferred pricing, payment terms, and service levels while meeting the compliance requirements of most public sector organizations. There is no implementation or subscription cost. Learn more at omniapartners.com/solutions/opus.

About OMNIA Partners

OMNIA Partners is the nation’s largest and most experienced cooperative purchasing organization, serving public sector organizations and commercial businesses across the country. With more than $35 billion in purchasing managed each year, 600,000+ member buyers, and 1,200+ competitively awarded contracts, OMNIA Partners delivers unmatched purchasing power and strategic guidance to help organizations efficiently buy what they need. Learn more at omniapartners.com.

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SOURCE OMNIA Partners

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