There’s no question that the meetings industry is constantly changing. In recent years, business travel has been impacted by everything from the sharing economy and lifestyle hotels to rising security concerns and the evolving needs of attendees in the digital age. Smart Meetings has identified some of the most important tips, tricks and trends from this year, in order to help meeting planners become better prepared for 2017.
1. 15 Items Hotels Could Eliminate
Today’s hotel room has cut back on some of the traditionally offered amenities. To remain competitive in the hospitality industry, a growing number of hotels have eliminated items such as bibles and bed scarves. Read on to find out what else hotels are removing.
2. 20 Event Industry Trends Shaping the Meetings Landscape
During MPI’s 2016 World Education Congress, industry experts discussed the future of meetings and events, offering up several trends for the near and far future. Dan Berger, CEO of Social Tables, shared 20 predictions based on technology, the economy and the evolution of live events.
3. The Evolving Role of Speakers
Keynote speakers often deal with unexpected challenges during their presentations, but also before and after. Social media, content creation and event marketing are weaving their way into the speaker role. Meeting planners also face challenges trying to arrange top speakers for their events.
4. Survey Pinpoints Trends Among Modern Meeting Planners
Social Tables surveyed 350 event professionals to find out what it takes to be a meeting planner. Of course, Social Tables was also interested in what technology modern meeting planners use to stay on top of dozens of events at the same time.
5. 4 Lessons Event Planners Can Take from 2016 Rio Olympics
The 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, regularly made headlines for the many problems that plagued the games. People watching around the world wondered if Rio was up to the task of hosting the international sporting event. However, it also presented a number of takeaways for meeting planners who organize international events and citywide conferences.
6. What Meeting Groups Can Learn From Pokemon Go
One of the biggest phenomena of the year was the insane popularity of Pokemon Go. The Japanese franchise’s revival came in the form of a mobile augmented reality game. The app took gamification outside four walls and into the real world, providing inspiration for technology-enabled networking and destination exploration via augmented reality.
