The pandemic has been devastating for many people and industries but none more devastated than the hospitality and events industry. The mission of the events industry is to create, manage, stage, and facilitate events all over the world. These events encompass hundreds to thousands of attendees at a meeting, special event or conference. How has event planning changed? It has changed in numerous ways and impacted the meetings and events industry globally. Let us look at some of the…
Q&A with Jean-François Tourigny, Le Centre Sheraton Montreal Bit by bit, Canada’s meetings and events community is getting back to business. And while no one can say for sure what will come of pandemic restrictions, venues like the Le Centre Sheraton Montreal Hotel are cautiously optimistic that the days of robust, in-person events are getting closer. For a glimpse of what the future of meetings holds, we spoke with Jean-François Tourigny, Director of Event Planning at Le Centre Sheraton…
Hybrid events – where in-person audiences are mixed with audiences attending virtually – are the next step in the world getting back to business, including the events and meetings sector. Though, to be honest, that definition is a bit too simplistic perhaps. The Events Industry Council provides this definition: “A meeting that combines face-to-face and virtual aspects.” But what that combination means exactly is up to event planners, it seems. Many events will go this route to ease into getting back into…
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) recently published findings from a study into organizations’ corporate meetings and events strategy as a result of the pandemic, and found that the number of hybrid meetings is set to double by the end of 2021. The year 2020 will likely be remembered for virtual meetings among other things (masks, hand sanitizer, social distancing etc.), but into 2021 the trend moves toward hybrid meetings. Before the pandemic, approximately seven in 10 respondents (71 per…
When one does a Google search of the text “doing more with less” it comes up with 55,400,000 results, and when one further refines it to “doing more with less in events” it shows 28,200,000 results! Staggering! With my Google findings in mind, combined with my own experiences with limited event budgets, I’m writing today to offer some creative and logical ways to keep your event’s expenses down, thereby “doing more with less.” It is my opinion – well-seasoned after…
By Alejandro Contreras The evolution of the internet and connectivity, along with the popularity of mobile and tablet devices, has altered the way individuals communicate, transact, and manage their lives. Digital-savvy individuals have come to expect the same level of connectivity in their professional lives as they enjoy during their personal time. As technology continues to change the way we work, it is increasingly important for meeting planners to implement new solutions as part of their meetings program. Digital meeting…
In recent years the event industry has made great strides in support of sustainability. We have much to cheer about! More professionals than ever are engaging in sustainable events. Publishers like Corporate Meetings Network continue to share tips about the topic. Industry suppliers, including hotels, venues and general services contractors, have embedded environmental management systems that are achieving real waste and carbon reductions. Worldwide, event volunteer projects are having great social benefit. While important, this cheerleading can lull us into…
By Bob Parker The human element of meetings has not changed since early homo sapiens first mind-mapped his ideas on cave walls for the lack of a flip chart or Powerpoint: to connect people and share ideas. That first ever talk on the cave-circuit was likely titled: Hunt This – The Key to Effective Survival. The cave meeting planner ensured that the lighting and venue were adequate to communicate the message. For all we know, fire was invented by a…
The meeting planners and event producers I know, particularly those with longevity have: raised millions of dollars for charities, fed, entertained and educated tens or hundreds of thousands, continued to respond to the massive changes in technology, travel and expectations that force us to evolve. This (r)evolution includes the way we plan and deliver both education and connection opportunities for our participants, how we market our events and associations, and how we can collect and use the data from each…
Over 3,700 buyers and exhibitors recently attended AIBTM 2013 in Chicago, where over 30 hours of content programming were devoted to the theme of “Defining the Future of Meetings… Together.” Having had the pleasure of serving as a keynote speaker on the topic of innovation and change in the meetings, incentives and business travel industries at the tradeshow’s CEO Summit, one thing quickly became clear. After speaking with several top industry leaders, it’s obvious that even if we had 300…
Event Branding & Marketing, Event Operations, Meeting Community, Social Media & Technology, Top 5 Lists
