Few words captivate the corporate meeting and event environment more than the word “change.” At one level, all of us would like to avoid change. But we — and the businesses we inhabit — simply can’t.

Simple partnerships can have a big impact on events.

While inclusivity may mean different things to various groups and planners, it is clearly an essential element of a truly successful event.

Meeting planners today must navigate an increasingly complex landscape characterized by rising costs, evolving attendee expectations, technological disruption and persistent economic uncertainty.

When planning corporate events, partnering with Convention and Visitors Bureaus (CVBs) and Destination Management Companies (DMCs) can often save corporate meeting planners time and money, while streamlining the entire planning process by leveraging these organizations’ vendor networks, negotiating prowess and local expertise.

“What did he just say?” Your speaker has gone off-topic, sprung a surprise theme, sworn or uttered some otherwise offensive term or viewpoint. You can see the shock ripple across the room as attendees exchange glances…

Today’s meetings and events are a mere shadow of their former selves, as most companies no longer host all-inclusive, large-scale soirees as they did in the past. Now, such gatherings are generally more budget-conscious, streamlined affairs, designed to deliver succinct information to a smaller crowd.

Are hybrid meetings still a thing? According to planners interviewed for this story, the answer is absolutely yes … and definitely no. There are probably multiple factors that can explain such differing perspectives.

Those little extra touches have real power to transform events into something special.

Becoming an independent corporate event planner can be both daunting and exhilarating. The role requires you to juggle a host of tasks to produce a seamless event.