According to independent corporate meeting planner Susanna Swift, attendee preferences are shifting toward fine dining, quality entertainment, outdoor activities and culturally diverse locations like Italy’s Amalfi Coast. Photo courtesy of Susanna Swift

In corporate event management, a destination can be as important as the event itself. The plan can run something like this . . . It starts with a sought-after motivational speaker making an appearance in a much-celebrated locale like Orlando, San Diego or Honolulu. The thing is . . . if you plan it, they will come.

They, of course, are your attendees. You presented the destination, and in their minds, this meeting or event has already turned into a “bleisure” travel experience — pictures of combining “business” and “leisure” have materialized.

Andrea Caldwell is the owner and event planner at Practical Productions, where she manages conferences, trade shows, meetings and events. She has planned corporate events for Lionbridge, Optaros, SnapApp, Ginex and Ferrero Rocher. Caldwell believes that the destination has always been, and always will be, the linchpin when planning an event.

“In recent years, there’s been a noticeable shift in attendee preferences. They are much more selective when choosing events to attend,” said Caldwell, who further explained how the role of the event location has taken center stage in this decision-making process. Moving away from what seemed like the habitual rotation of events in New York, San Francisco and London, Caldwell’s clients are now steering towards a more strategic approach. They’re on the lookout for cities that may not be as familiar to their attendees, yet still relatively easy to get to, bringing a dose of freshness and intrigue to their event.

Melisa Brown, founder and CEO of Lux Lifestyle Events in Miami, FL, has worked on several corporate event and meetings in the financial industry for year-end celebration lunches, quarterly meetings and team-building events. She has also launched corporate events for companies such as Montecristo Cigars, home goods and candle companies, and the recent salons in Walmart for their national grand openings.

According to Brown, it is important for corporate meeting planners to understand the logistical necessities that are required for planning outside of a company’s immediate area. Pooling associates from various locations to one single meeting space can prove to be challenging if a planner is not guided by experience.

“Ideally, a corporate meeting planner will want to view the venue once before booking and again three to four months before the meeting or event to finalize details,” Brown said. “If a second trip isn’t possible, arrive at least five days early to make those decisions and have safety and logistical run throughs for your planned activities.”

Prior to a planner’s first site visit, Brown thinks it is important to set up virtual meetings with the caterer, decor, florist, sound and visual rental companies in the destination location. If you are unfamiliar with the destination, ask your venue of choice for referrals. If you’re hiring vendors from your local area, expect to cover their travel, food and lodging costs.

“Accommodations at the same hotel or a comparable hotel within 15 minutes of your venue is a ‘must’ to ensure that all schedules are met,” Brown said. “Negotiate these expenses up front so the budget does not get out of control.”

And whether a destination corporate event should be located near an airport really hinges on the attendee demographic and their geographic distribution. Caldwell and her team make an effort to organize events ideally requiring just a single flight for attendees. However, the landscape is evolving, especially with the prevalence of remote work, leading to a more scattered population. Ultimately, this means that meeting planners need to take into consideration the distances that some potential attendees may be traveling.

“If you happen to reside in a less conventional location, there’s usually a greater flexibility and tolerance for using various modes of transportation to reach the destination,” said Caldwell.

Indeed, if at least 50% of the attendees will be flying into the nearest airport due to their proximity from the location, then a destination close to an airport is key. “Driving several hours or hundreds of miles roundtrip to access the meeting destination requires more time, more attention, more endurance from the guests, which will ultimately add extra days at the hotel at additional cost,” noted Susanna Swift. As an independent corporate meeting planner, she works with a variety of corporations and has overseen the corporate meeting planning at Lumbermen’s Merchandising Corporation and Frosch.

“A well-selected location should provide adequate service by airlines, closer proximity to major airports, easy transportation options, and a fairly central location, preferably within walking distance of attractions and restaurants,” Swift said. “Lately, the attendees’ preference is shifting toward fine dining, quality entertainment, outdoor activities and culturally diverse locations.”

Cultural Offerings

The destination’s cultural offering is an important factor when choosing where to host a meeting. A planner wants to be mindful of the rules, traditions and adaptations to remain respectful to the people of that destination. There may also be members of your team that, due to their culture, may not be comfortable in certain destinations.

“I suggest doing a survey offering two to three proposed destinations that your team would prefer,” Brown said. “When deciding on a destination, keep in mind that it must be safe and have all of the resources you need.”

Providing a cultural travel guide for the destination is a good idea. This is a great way to offer insight and historical information on the cultural etiquette, traditions, background in food, etc.

“We’re immersing ourselves in the local culture, particularly when it comes to cuisine and lifestyle. For instance, if the city is known for its avid biking community, we might incorporate a bike tour into our schedule,” Caldwell said. Similarly, in areas with a plethora of charming local eateries, she plans for an extended lunch to indulge in a dine-around experience. Additionally, when Caldwell plans gifts for attendees, she prioritizes hyper-local sourcing for a more meaningful and regional touch. “We also look for gifts that help a local cause. For example, we had an event in Denver, CO, and ordered snacks from Women’s Bean Project, a local organization that helps women who are chronically unemployed, find careers,” Caldwell said.

Networking Opportunities

While a destination is a vital piece of the corporate meeting puzzle, planners may also want to provide ample opportunities to provide venue and dining experiences that allow for increased group activities and networking. You want attendees to share all of the destination’s offerings, while also connecting with each other.

That’s why Brown selects the venue based on the theme of the event, which can be either tropical, modern or contemporary. The venue helps her in creating the vision based on the esthetic elements and the flow of the event.

“A destination corporate event provides a retreat type of experience,” said Brown. “Not only is it about networking and meeting company leaders, but it also creates an atmosphere to enjoy the resort after the meeting by engaging in activities that can create a relaxing environment and long-lasting business partnerships and team building,” Brown added.

There’s a growing trend among attendees to bring their partners along on trips and extend their stay to explore the city. This adds to the charm of the event, as they’re drawn to destinations they haven’t visited before, seeking new and novel experiences.

Embracing the “Bleisure” Trend

Today’s trend of combining business meetings and leisure activities means that attendees are invited to enjoy a balanced experience of working some and playing some more. When a destination is an all-season locale with warm weather year-round and ample things to explore, more attendees may enjoy the event.

When focusing on the “bleisure” experience, corporate meeting planners focus on a destination that offers a wealth of business amenities and leisure activities. This, of course, includes activities that can be enjoyed by the whole family, if the attendee is bringing their family along.

When planning business activities, which often include meetings, conference and executive sessions, be sure to schedule them toward the first part of a trip. This ensures that attendees can adequately transition to their leisure time after the business activities have concluded.

To enhance the overall “bleisure” experience, corporate meeting planners should also put together a recommended list of local attractions, cultural events and recreational activities that attendees can enjoy during their free time. Perhaps go as far as to orchestrate group outings and tours so that attendees get the most out of the destination.

Key Destination Requests

There’s been a significant transformation since the COVID-19 lockdown toward destination-focused meetings. Nowadays, Caldwell has found that a common request from her clients revolves around securing destinations and venues that seamlessly blend indoor spaces with outdoor accessibility. The specifications for ballrooms have become more intricate as well.

“Attendees now express a desire for natural light and environments conducive to fostering creative thinking,” Caldwell said. “To add a touch of elevated experience, we also make it a point to reserve hotels with rooftop restaurants. Even if it means using heaters, many times, these spaces become the preferred setting for our meals.”

Lately, the Practical Productions team has adopted a format with a cocktail reception where attendees initially gather, followed by branching out into smaller dinners across various restaurants. This approach not only accommodates diverse dietary restrictions but also makes an unforgettable experience that becomes a talking point. Dining this way fosters a more intimate setting, providing participants with a chance for meaningful conversations.

“This year, we hosted an event in Providence, RI, and I must say, it ranks among my favorites to date,” Caldwell said. “The city’s culinary landscape is exceptional. As an older New England city, Providence exudes a youthful vibe, marked by fantastic food tours, a fiercely competitive culinary scene and world-class street art. Plus, its compact size makes it easy to get to out-of-city adventures swiftly.”

Swift adds that outside venues or entertainment come to play when there is ample time to plan outdoor activities. Nevertheless, if weather, location and restaurant set-up allow, an outdoor cocktail hour or outdoor dining can be a fabulous experience. Attendees highly prefer roof-top terraces, outdoor space overlooking a lake, beach or ocean.

Of course, as Swift notes, budgeting factors can greatly affect venue selection, entertainment, and dining experiences. When increased group activities or additional networking opportunities are required, she looks for suppliers offering something “extra” or a venue not heavily focused on high quality meal service but offering a special tour, sporting activity or games in an unusual setting. All of these options can provide additional opportunities for attendees to communicate and network with each other.

Hosting meetings at unique destinations can be a beneficial to team building and strengthening work relationships. The destination itself can also be a determining factor based on travel time, cultural logistics and the location environment.

“When hosting a destination event, you need to consider things like transportation, accommodation, entertainment and more,” Brown said. These factors are often key to whether a person will attend a destination-focused event or not.”

In the end, when planning that dream destination for your event, planners must stay in touch with the latest trends. Lately, attendees not only want a change of scenery; they want an event that shapes into something memorable and special — surrounded by people and places that give them an experience they won’t forget.  C&IT

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Inspiration leads to transformation. And that’s what a great speaker does for an event. Their stage energy and presence, storytelling, educational background and message have the potential to hit home with attendees.

They’re looking to be inspired, to be informed, and to some extent, to be entertained. A good speaker is a kind of “influencer.” They can create a buzz that lasts hours, days, months and even years after an event.

With so much change across the event planning industry — from audience expectations to demographics — planners rely on their events’ keynote speakers to help them energize what can sometimes be a tough, tired and sleepy crowd.

But the presentation doesn’t start there. The message and hype begin the second the speaker is booked. Before that happens, planners must understand that the speaking industry is a unique ballgame. Knowing how to play by the rules requires skills and research in finding and comparing speakers, from their professional credentials to their personality traits.

A Speaker Agent’s Perspective

Planners hire speakers for their audience, not for themselves. And speakers’ booking agents understand that well, said Rick Stowe, senior managing director at EastCoast Entertainment (ECE).

ECE has offices along the East Coast and agents nationwide, including Asheville, Birmingham, Columbia, Nashville, Philadelphia, D.C., Atlanta, Charleston, Hilton Head, NYC, Raleigh, Augusta, Charlotte, Houston, Palm Beach and Richmond.

“I have been in the booking industry for 35 years, and in recent years, I’ve seen many corporations asking for DEI and tech-related speakers, especially when it comes to Artificial Intelligence (AI),” said Stowe. “We see it every day in the news cycle and more corporate leaders are looking for creative opportunities to incorporate hot-button and sometimes sensitive issues.”

AI has been dominating conversations across all industries in some capacity this year, and most especially on event stages across the country.

Last month, at the FICP conference at JW Marco Island (Marco Island, FL), one of the keynote speakers was Samantha Jordan. Jordan is a futurist and consultant for Future Day Institute, a leading foresight and strategy firm founded by world-renowned futurist, Andy Webb.

She delivered a presentation about the possibilities of emerging and ever-changing technologies that had people talking for days.

Jordan is known for taking a very complex topic and making it easy for all to understand. She started her presentation on this note: “The term futurist can be a bit confusing because, unfortunately, I don’t actually predict the future. If I did, I guarantee I’d be about 100 miles south of here, definitely still in the Gulf of Mexico, but I’d be on a yacht, not on a stage.”

She continued with this: “As a futurist, my job is not to predict the precise future, but rather, to model multiple plausible versions of the future. And the reason that I do that is to help organizations look at those multiple plausible futures, so that way they can take a step back and ask themselves: What decisions do I need to make today to be prepared for any one of those scenarios?

“So really, what I do is more about preparation, not so much about prediction. And that’s what today’s discussion is all about. We are going to prepare for the future, especially in the era of generative AI. Here’s our game plan for the day. We are going to do a quick AI primer.”

By the end of her presentation, Jordan had the crowd not only on their feet, but digging for their smart phones and tablets searching for similar topics surrounding “AI.”

The next day on the same stage, keynote speaker Michelle Poler’s energetic, humorous, inspiring and entertaining presentation helped the attendees identify themselves with the topic at hand: Fear.

Poler’s storytelling moved the audience from tears to laughter. She danced, poked fun at herself and shared her books, “Hello Fears: Crush Your Comfort Zone and Become Who You’re Meant to Be” and “The Hello, Fears Challenge: A 100-Day Journal for Self-Discovery.” (These have been translated into seven languages and distributed in four continents.)

But Poler did more than just energize her audience. She used herself — her brand — as the driving force to move others. She talked about how she used her fear of public speaking to break barriers and to get herself be invited to speak at The Global Leadership Summit, Google, P&G, ESPN, TEDx, Netflix, Microsoft and Meta, among many other stages and platforms.

Wherever she has been featured, whether on the Today Show, Forbes, CBS or on the cover of Insurance & Financial Meetings Management, Corporation & Incentive Travel’s sister publication,  Poler has impacted an audience.

Not surprisingly, the 2023 FICP annual conference — the meeting industry’s marquee event that brings together hundreds of meeting professionals, from rising stars to strategic leaders — hired her to be one of their keynote speakers.

“Where do you like to be 10 years from today?” she posed.

“Have you thought about that? That’s the question that my professor asked us on the first day of class,” Poler said, getting closer to her audience. “She challenged me and the rest of the students to think about our perfect life 10 years from that day. And at that moment, I knew that I was about to have a panic attack. I mean, who here has done something like this?

“When you try to plan your life ahead, it’s pretty scary because you want to dream big, but not too much. You want to sound ambitious but humble. You start dreaming of a 150-foot yacht, and somewhere down the line, you settle for a freaking kayak.”

The audience laughed, relating to her story.

While not all meetings or events require a motivational or inspirational speaker, it’s easy to see why having one helps engage attendees. This, of course, depends on the event. Often before a keynote speaker presents, event planners add a little adrenalin with fun entertainment to get the audience’s attention. In this role, the speaker is the first person to help cement the theme of the event.

“Many of the top America’s Got Talent performers are fun, and add relevant transitions between speakers. It can lighten the atmosphere if the keynote is on a serious topic. If you are advertising the speaker, someone with a recognizable name such as a celebrity or compelling background story often will help engage the audience,” said Stowe.

Negotiating the Contract

As an agent, Stowe finds the negotiations between the speaker and the event planner one of a kind. After all, one size does not fit all. During the selection process, Stowe advises planners to take the time to provide as much detail as possible on their goals.

“Make sure any ‘asks’ are upfront before the contract is signed,” he said. “This could be anything from meet and greets, social media posts, autographed memorabilia, etc. It’s never a good idea to go back after the deal is confirmed and ask for more.”

Speakers have the power to captivate, motivate, educate and even inspire an audience. They can even change an event. In the long run, event planners should look for the best speaker within their budget who can provide the most value before, during and after their event.

For example, Stowe recalls working with a major corporation that was looking for a recognizable speaker to present on the topic of “investing in your community.”

At the time, American, singer, songwriter John Legend was specifically looking for opportunities to share his message on giving back to the community. Legend would also perform three or four of his top hit songs at the end of the keynote segment.

Legend is an artist who rarely performs concerts for under an exact set fee, but since the topic was on something he is very passionate about, he ended up doing the event for a fraction of his normal performance fee.

“To say the least, the audience was truly inspired by his message and the short performance at the end was a true bonus prize,” said Stowe.

A Planner’s Perspective

Before planners set out to find the best speaker for their next meeting or event, they should dive into the goals for their event: Are they looking for greater employee engagement or retention? Increased revenue or profits in the following year? Whatever they want to accomplish by hosting an event, they must figure out what they’re hoping to accomplish through their speaker.

This will come in handy during their initial conversation, when the planner asks how their skills, style of storytelling and approach will help them meet their event goals. But reaching them — now, that’s a new search in itself. With today’s technology and social media platforms, that task has become a lot simpler.

“Reaching speakers has become democratized. We know more about a speaker from their social media or news,” said Rose Lanham, former event planner and president of Players for Good, a boutique speakers bureau for professional athletes in Atlanta, GA. “It’s so much easier to research and find your perfect speaker.”

Lanham started working in the events industry in 1996 with the Olympics, which led to producing celebrity golf events, corporate conferences and special hospitality events for Yahoo! Currently, she connects meeting planners with professional athletes for keynotes and celebrity appearances. So, she’s served on both sides of the net.

As a planner, she learned early on to negotiate the contracts between the speakers and the companies she worked for.

“When negotiating the contract, knowing your company’s objectives is the most important thing. Sometimes it’s price. But often, it might be that an executive wants to meet this person, or it’s important the speaker stays for the awards ceremony and hands out a trophy. Consider what is really important to your audience and decision-makers, and go ahead and ask,” she said.

Robin Raskin, CMP, founder of The Virtual Events Group (VEG) in New York, NY, agrees that when negotiating a contract, it’s good to list the responsibilities upfront. “These might include a rehearsal call, instructions to arrive in the green room, instructions for how to submit AV materials, instructions about bringing guests, getting badges and privileges granted to speakers,” explained Raskin.

Like Lanham, Raskin also finds social media platforms a great way to check out speakers before any plans are made or contracts are signed.

“I really rely on LinkedIn, but I always check out the speaker I’ve discovered on LinkedIn in a video like YouTube or Vimeo. If they haven’t spoken anywhere before, I get nervous,” she said. “I do intro calls before committing to them — I need to get to know them and hear their point of view before inviting them to speak. I try to mix established large companies with exciting speakers from new companies. New companies are less ‘secretive,’ and haven’t been over-coached by PR people so they tend to be fresher.”

What a Planner Wants

As Lanham said, choosing the right speaker begins with a clear understanding of your event. This includes identifying the type of speaker your event needs:

Motivational speakers: Skilled in storytelling, they often share personal experiences and lessons to motivate and move the audience to action.

Industry experts: They can provide in-depth insights, discuss the latest trends and foster intellectual stimulation.

Celebrity speakers: They can draw a large crowd and create buzz around your event or brand.

Educational speakers: A speaker who has teaching experience in your industry.

Choosing the right type of speaker involves a clear definition of your event’s purpose, understanding your audience and determining the type of speaker that best complements your event’s theme and goals. But above all, a planner wants a speaker who can be:

• Accessible and available
• Friendly and easy to work with
• Interested in your event and eager to be briefed by the event planner on the audience and purpose of the event
• Energetic and enthusiastic
• Generous with their time
• Reliable 100%
• Understands the audience
• Consistent from their website to their show reels and overall presentation

Day of Event:

• Turns up early, leaves late
• Works well with A/V team
• No overt selling or product promotion
• Delivers on stage

After the Event:

• Checks in with the event planner for feedback on the presentation and how it helped their attendees

Hiring Process

Once a planner identifies the type of speaker and selects the one they want, of course, it’s time to hire them.

“When hiring a speaker, consider how they can interact with your larger goals and entertain your guests,” explained Lanham. “When you hire a celebrity chef, perhaps they come out between courses to explain the dish, but can also share anecdotes from their experiences. Perhaps it’s a humorous story of the most ridiculous bridezilla requests or a recipe his grandmother taught the chef at age eight.

“When you hire a sports star, like NBA legend Rick Barry, he loves to shoot hoops in a ballroom with corporate attendees or join your trade show booth to interact with the audience in shooting contests. We have NFL players who join a pickleball court with attendees after their motivational speech.

“Other sports celebrities might be perfect for handing out the Top Sales Performer awards on the stage or you can have an ESPN talent be the emcee for the night. People love to feel they’re getting a behind-the-curtain experience with a sports star,” Lanham said. The list of speakers is endless and so are the topics they cover. C&IT

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It was only a few years ago when corporate spending gave meeting and event professionals the proverbial blank check when it came to orchestrating a corporate meeting and event. No longer. Nowadays, businesses and their hired hands within the meetings segment of their companies are abiding by a more restrictive code of conduct and recognizing the need to get the most “bang for their event buck.”

As large corporations and small businesses within a variety of industries continue to strive for success in today’s sputtering economy, the focus on the bottom line is at the forefront as the struggling economy continues to take hold. Within the meetings and events space, airfare has increased, food and beverage costs have skyrocketed, and venue costs continue to be on the rise, yet corporate meeting and events budgets stay the same or have been reduced.

Despite the spike in dollar amounts for all elements of the food and beverage industry, many meeting planners are not willing to sacrifice on quality, even for internal events. Instead, they are doing more with less staff. And, forming important partnerships that’s keeping them on an upward climb.

From an economic perspective, all industries are impacted by the current economy and the corporate meetings and events industry is no exception. In their attempt to save money, companies are spending less money on corporate gatherings during recessionary times, which in turn can have a negative impact on the overall experience of today’s events. Companies’ tendency to spend less on meetings and events activities during a recession is also affecting the corporate travel industry, and subsequently, the meetings and events industry as a whole.

As such, today’s corporate meeting planners recognize that budgeting constraints require a level of creativity that will allow for a similar experience that attendees that have become accustomed to, while also recognizing the limitations or restrictions imposed upon meeting budgets.

In her experience, Cindy Villa, CMM, director of meetings and events at Transamerica, said budgets for events have recently remained flat year over year. Like most corporate planners, she is experiencing rising costs in air, transportation, hotel and food and beverage (F&B).

“Planners must now work smarter in how their budgets will be spent and look for ways to reduce costs that will not overly impact the way an event looks and feels,” Villa said. She points to several ways in which she and other planners are reducing costs. These may include reducing attendee lists and keeping these lists very focused and targeted.

“We are also seeing multi-year agreements with hotels so a strong concession value can be attained. And also reengineering the F&B experience at many events can save tons of money,” Villa said. “We are also looking to do more on flow of F&B events with small bites and not such large meals. Lastly, giving attendees more time on their own during evenings can again reduce costs significantly.”

Longer coffee breaks give people time to check email so they can use conference dinners better for networking. Villa suggests skipping the 72” round table and loud band where people can only talk to the one person on either side of them, and opt for smaller rectangular tables and music that is loud enough to enjoy, but quiet enough that people can have engaging conversations with multiple people at their table.

Partners in Progress

Meeting and event costs, a line item that can make a CEO cringe and raise eyebrows in board meetings, is under greater scrutiny today. As large corporations and small businesses alike continue to fight for success in a sputtering economy, the focus on the bottom line has forced companies to radically re-evaluate the way money is spent.

To further offset increasing costs, planners are now looking more than ever to work with industry partners when it comes to processes such as RFPs. As Villa explained, this can be a time-intensive process to sift through and build out a cost comparison analysis.

“Working with a partner, such as Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI), for example, can save a planner numerous hours, as this partner can provide much of this information for then by becoming that link and collecting all the RFPs,” Villa said. “These types of partners have done the due diligence on properties in their portfolio so you know the source is trusted. They also have strong relationships with hotels and DMOs so negotiations can be much easier. This can free up valuable hours for the planner to focus on event strategy and other logistics.”

As part of the partnering process, Villa and her team recognize the importance of attending industry events that are focused on bringing peer-to-peer planners together. The Transamerica meetings and events planning team which speaks and shares in an open forum to discuss best practices and brainstorm is one of the best ways to streamline processes, identify what’s working and what is not.

“This allows you to come together with like minds and develop solutions for issues and barriers that all planners are likely experiencing,” Villa said.

Other Steps To Take

In addition to partnering with other constituents who can streamline meeting planning activities and provide cost-reducing options, corporate planners are also embracing additional cost-saving initiatives, such as choosing lower tier cities that may offer more charm and cool activities than international or large U.S. destinations such as Las Vegas, Dallas, Orlando, Atlantic City or Atlanta.

A company can also do more less expensive regional events. Evaluate the pipeline goals and consider not hosting large-scale, company-wide meetings for large sums of money, and instead running smaller local events to connect on a more personal level with employees, customers and prospects.

“I think a lot of that depends on the type of meeting or event you are holding. Location is, of course, one of the most important aspects of a meeting so determining air lift patterns, direct flight access, average ticket prices and room rates will most often direct budget,” Villa said. However, based upon the time of year, weather patterns will play a large role in where a meeting may be placed.”

Ideas for cost reductions that Transamerica uses regularly include:

• Negotiating resort fees, discontinuing room drops and providing handouts at registration.
• Using water stations to reduce the cost of water bottles while meeting sustainability goals.
• Negotiating WiFi fees out of contract since most hotels are now offering free WiFi to guests and in meeting spaces.
• Looking for properties that offer it all — great outdoor and indoor space, creative venues so there is no need to leave and incur transportation costs or buy outs.
• Planning logistically smarter by doing one meeting rather than several regional or roadshows.

Considering food and beverage costs are often the largest line item for any corporate meeting or event, corporate planners are recognizing the importance of working with vendors to lower costs and produce creative solutions.

“I recommend planners team and partner with hotels and the local CVB and DMO for rebates and funding toward meeting expenses based on promotional programs available such as transportation, master rebates and staffing,” Villa said. “Also work with your hotel partners to customize menus — be intentional. Bring the chef into conversation early on to discuss banquet guarantees to reduce overages.”

Transamerica also uses menu sharing with other groups in-house. Villa recommends asking the hotel to set up a collaboration session so some meals can be designed and shared for cost savings. There are many additional ways to offset the increasing costs of today’s meetings and events. Some of these include encouraging video conferencing or hybrid approaches for additional meeting attendees to participate. Video-conferencing is a cost-effective alternative to in-person attendance. Companies may also set per diem allowance for food and beverages, and they may initiate using digital materials and event apps rather than producing and distributing printed materials for meetings, events and conferences.

“Understand the overall goals of your organization and how you can implement drivers into your events that can then be reported up,” Villa said. For example, understand your company’s sustainability goals. Ninety percent of all events have been a water bottle free event. It provides both sustainability and cost-savings.”

Also ensure any money spent on giveaways or promotional items is going toward impactful items. Don’t plan for cheap, random tradeshow giveaways.

The Role of Technology

Streamlined efficiencies. Innovative strategies. State-of-the-art engagement. Technology is a vital component of any corporate meeting or event and can offer significant cost savings to cash-strapped corporations.

As such, meeting planners are turning to technology in droves to enhance the attendee experiences while offsetting costs of meetings and events of all sizes.

“Planners should be providing an event app to be used on smartphones for their events,” Villa suggested. “Attendees will find this much easier than carrying around a printed paper agenda.  There will be an overall savings on printing costs of agendas and secondly you are working to meet clean environmental goals by going green.”

Villa points to several other technologies available to planners to make communications easier and the ones Transamerica uses are as follows:

• Spark AI/ChatGPT (Sparkit) – for session descriptions, writing assistance, and to summarize evaluations.
• EZ Text – allows you to communicate with attendees directly via text while onsite.
• Surveying – Pre- and post-event surveys to collect valuable data to measure ROI and ROO. Facets of these surveys include:
  • Survey Monkey
  • C-Vent (survey and cost avoidance module to measure savings)
  • Stova (survey and cost avoidance module to measure savings)
  • Ask only questions in surveys that you will address and use data
  • Surveys should go out within 24 hours of event conclusion
  • Reminder two to four days later, and close within seven to 10 days of the event’s conclusion

Continuous Evaluation

As a result of current economy, many companies will play defense in 2024, as they keep a tight hold on expenditures in an attempt to maintain their margins and profitability. Simply put, companies will focus on efficiencies, as well as embrace innovative strategies and techniques that will engage meetings and events attendees on a cost-conscious, yet impactful level.

From a financial perspective, demonstrating a meeting’s return on investment can be a way planners can illustrate how an event has improved the company’s standing among attendees — whether they are customers, prospects and/or employees — or how it may even improve sales figures. In fact, today’s reality is that if an event doesn’t positively affect a company’s bottom line — either in profits or productivity — future events and the money to fund them may not be a company priority.

Meeting professionals cite that many companies need to establish the potential for return on a meeting or event investment long before putting their stamp of approval on the expenditure. They need to weigh the value and make the decision based on what they consider to be a well-thought-out evaluation by the corporate event planner.

Of course, the return on any investment depends on its quality. Choreographing an effective meeting takes time and effort, not only on the part of the planner, but those participating in the event as well.

Today’s planner recognizes that effectively managing meetings and events budgeting constraints requires cost-conscious decisions, out-of-the-box thinking, careful planning, and a focus on realizing a corporate gathering’s objectives within the allocated budget.

“The key piece of advice is if you don’t ask you won’t know in terms of negotiating contract terms, so create relationships with your hotel partners,” concluded Villa. “Coordinate a master calendar of events and meetings to strategically manage resources and understand the strategic intent of the meeting.” C&IT

Fort Lauderdale’s broad appeal is highlighted from pristine beaches to cultural events, offering unique experiences. Courtesy of Visit Lauderdale.

In today’s meeting and events landscape, the cost of renting venues is at an all-time premium. It’s reason enough to send meeting and event planners into deep conversation … about how to economically accommodate their large events.

With rising costs across the board (and across the globe), professional planners are seriously considering stepping out of their first-tier city comfort zone and exploring the vast potential of second- and third-tier destinations. Cities such as Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Ketchikan, Alaska; Cheyenne, Wyoming and Pray, Montana (which is 35 miles north of Yellowstone National Park), as well as other cities like them, are charming their way into planner’s agendas.

Now, to clarify the tiers that destination cities fall into — First, Second, and Third tiers are not to be confused with first, second and third place. This isn’t good, better, best. Tiers are based on city size. Generally, first-tier cities have a population of over one million; second-tier cities have a population between 300,000 and one million and third-tier cities, which are the smallest, fall under 300,000.

In their search for something that fits their budgets, and offers their attendees a greater sense of place, planners have found these smaller cities to be hidden gems. Often neglected in the past because of preconceived notions, these cities offer planners unique, local experiences, charm and attentiveness, and an opportunity to switch things up, and bring excitement to their meetings.

In the South

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Genuine Hospitality and Walkable Experiences

This movement began post-pandemic, when planners began to recognize that attendees were drawn to genuine hospitality and walkable experiences. Cities like Fort Lauderdale, FL, present an appealing package of economic value and cultural perks — one that’s made a long-lasting positive impression both on planners and their attendees.

“The Visit Lauderdale team hosted a ‘Summer Splash Destination,’ which is a two-and-a-half-day event that allowed multiple event planners (planning meetings of all sizes), to visit Fort Lauderdale well ahead of the events we were planning,” said Deb Densel, corporate operations manager for DOXA Insurance in Fort Wayne, IN. “During the event, we got to experience many things Fort Lauderdale has to offer, including in-person visits to the Convention Center, which was under construction at the time, plus 11 hotels in two days. Gifts unique to their city were given to each attendee as well.”

According to Densel, Visit Lauderdale took care of every detail from ground travel to meals, to sightseeing and unique experiences like the Water Taxi Tour, which concluded with a private, interactive dinner at TRP Taste. This event also provided an opportunity for in-person meetings with the hotel and restaurant staff they visited.

“The most unique event specific to Fort Lauderdale was the intercoastal Water Taxi tour, which was our group’s team-building event,” said Densel. “We had a boat captain and first mate who made our scavenger hunt competitive, interesting and fun! ”

Greater Fort Lauderdale is solidifying its status as a world-class meeting destination through strategic investments, like the $1.3 billion Broward County Convention Center expansion, ensuring enhanced capacity for events of all sizes.

“Our destination boasts exceptional accessibility with 20-minute proximity to most venues from the airport, diverse hotel offerings and scenic waterfront venues,” said Stacy Ritter, president and CEO of Visit Fort Lauderdale. “Not only do we offer meeting spaces but also, compelling reasons to extend an event stay post-meeting, with consistently warm weather, water activities and culinary excellence. These factors collectively elevate Greater Fort Lauderdale’s status in the meetings industry as a top-tier choice.”

Meeting planners can create a memorable experience for attendees by booking tours or private events at a variety of historical landmarks, which adds a charming and distinctive tropical touch to meetings. One of the most iconic landmarks is Las Olas Boulevard. It’s lined with stores and restaurants of all kinds, serving all tastes on the famous “wave wall” of Fort Lauderdale Beach.

Attendees can even take a tour of Fort Lauderdale’s oldest and most historically significant surviving structure, the Historic Stranahan House Museum or walk in the magical estate, the Bonnet House Museum and Gardens.

Greater Fort Lauderdale also has an eclectic food scene, acclaimed restaurants dotting restaurant row on Las Olas Boulevard include YOLO (because “you only live once”), Louie Bossi’s and Lobster Bar Sea Grille. Lively lounges and cafés with sidewalk seating provide the perfect places for people-watching and colorful nightlife.

There’s no better way to experience the “Venice of America” than from the water. And there’s no easier way to do that than on a double-decker Water Taxi or a private boat charter.

“Leveraging the charm and history of these landmarks adds a distinctive touch to meetings creating a memorable experience for attendees,” explained Ritter. “From fine dining restaurants to the golden sandy beaches, meeting planners will always find excitement in Greater Fort Lauderdale.”

The Millennial Touch & The Biggest Challenge

It’s no secret that second-tier cities have become increasingly more attractive to millennials, who prefer to travel to urban places that offer a vibrant culture, a thriving and diverse nightlife and unique outdoor environments. And so, cities like Fort Lauderdale present the perfect scenario for both the savvy millennial planner and their attendees.

As downtowns across the U.S. have gone through a striking revitalization, including their convention center districts, meeting planners and attendees are on the lookout for an all-encompassing in-venue solution to simplify the planning process.

Historically, the biggest challenge faced by event planners has been navigating the complexities of coordinating with numerous departments without a central point of contact for reference. It is largely understood that effective communication with various departments is integral to the planning process, providing the foundation for the successful execution of meetings and events. Still, this challenge resonates with planners and attendees alike. It’s also sparked a collective demand for innovative solutions to enhance the planning experience.

This exceptional district is also a hub of vibrant arts and culture, all within minutes of the convention center. “Attendees can immerse themselves in a rich tapestry of experiences enhancing the overall appeal of choosing Greater Fort Lauderdale as the destination for their meetings,” said Ritter. She recommends that planners elevate their meetings with breathtaking views, culinary excellence and cultural richness — which are all seamlessly woven together at the Broward County Convention Center.

In the North

Alaska, Wyoming, Montana

Close on Individualized Trips

Without having to travel outside of the U.S., incentive event planners are going north. They’re broadening their search to unique places, like Alaska, Wyoming and Montana.

“Now we’re seeing companies, including our own, that are extending those top-performer trips into the operations. So that’s a whole new audience,” said Mark Alt, vice president of Maritz headquartered in St. Louis, MO. Maritz is a leader in the meetings and events industry. It has been designing and delivering exceptional experiences all across the globe for decades.

“We’re in a unique time where the demographics of the participant on the incentive travel trips is very broad,” said Alt. “You’ve got five different generations sometimes on a trip. So, you have to do something more individualized. For instance, we’ve got a client here in St. Louis that actually allows their winners to earn points, and then they, in turn, can pick where they want to go.”

Alaska 

While this movement is influenced by millennials, Alt is certainly seeing it happen across the industry, with many smaller trips choosing to go north.

“Alaska is becoming more and more popular,” he said. “The popular ones are not necessarily always major cities — but more outdoors — places like Ketchikan, Alaska. We’re seeing a lot of things where it’s an experience that they may not be able to do on their own. The Waterfall Resort in Ketchikan, Alaska is a unique property.

“We got to experience that a couple of years ago. At first, I had a little apprehension about it. I was like, okay, am I going to get up there and not like this? But even if you weren’t an avid fisherman, it was an absolute adventure once in.”

Ketchikan is the gateway to incredible adventure throughout a large section of southeast Alaska. Located at the southern entrance to Alaska’s “Inside Passage” — a network of waterways providing visitors access to some of the most pristine and stunning wilderness in the world. Ketchikan is best known for three things: world class salmon fishing, idyllic scenery and a rich Alaskan Native culture. From Seattle, attendees can fly just over a couple hours nonstop and be in Ketchikan.

“Attendees step out of the airport and realize they have arrived in a whole new world,” said Char McClelland, president of Alaska Destination Specialists in Anchorage, Alaska. “Alaska is truly a bucket list destination; it’s a place that people want to experience or that have been to and want to return. Spending a couple nights in Ketchikan will give attendees time to explore the area, hike, explore or immerse themselves in the local culture.”

McClelland’s goal is for every planner and every attendee to leave with a piece of Alaska that will remain in their heart forever. “We have lodges and epic experiences throughout the state but one of our favorites is Waterfall Resort where fishing (catching), great food, incredible scenery and an all-around unforgettable experience are always found. We believe that anyone can build a beautiful lodge but what makes the experience special is the people,” she said.

To travel to the Waterfall Resort, first, you fly into Ketchikan, and then from there you take a seaplane into the resort. Once you’re there, you have a wonderful three to four-day adventure heavy on sports fishing. According to Alt, you don’t have to be a sports fisherman to get into it. You can just enjoy the nature and the scenery. You’re surrounded by all sorts of wildlife, and you’ll see things there, in that remote place, that you won’t see anywhere else in the world.

The pandemic also changed the dynamics of the destinations being considered by North American meeting planners. They became more interested in national destinations — meaning anything within the U.S., Alaska felt like the most exotic of the U.S. destinations to most planners. And anything related to nature also had a big boom.

“Montana has been very popular in interest,” said Norma Alberico, president of International Group Sales in Arbol, TX.

But there is an issue of supply and demand. According to Alberico, those states are not quite as ready for the level of incentive travel that is interested in them. They’re more geared for smaller groups.

“The U.S. meeting planner is very interested in all the mountain destinations — from Wyoming to Alaska and the Pacific Northwest,” she added. “Alaska is just such a beautiful destination, and it is attainable and reachable. You don’t need a passport, which is a big draw for meeting planners and companies just wanting to stay within the U.S.”

The radical shift from first-, to second- and third-tier cities has made planners rethink their budgets and event designs. In turn, smaller cities outside of New York, Orlando, Las Vegas, Chicago, Boston, Miami, Dallas and Denver (with new hotels and convention centers) are all profiting from a huge travel boom. Always in search of new experiences, planners are drawn to off-the-beaten-path types of cities, wanting a more experiential trip. In their minds, if attendees have a memorable experience, it’s likely to last much longer than something they’ve done more than once in a big city. The location will give the attendees a more holistic experience, involving both the event and the interaction with the new environment.

Montana & Wyoming 

Montana’s big sky attracts attendees looking for a western adventure, close to Yellowstone National Park. However, the national park has a limited summer season from May through August. Then the rest of the year is considered almost winter season, and you have limited park access. So, during those peak months, Montana is very hot.

On the border of Colorado, planners are finding Cheyenne, Wyoming — U.S.’s rodeo capital and a quintessential Old West locale — to be simply charming. “This is a big ranch-type destination that has gotten a lot of interest from groups,” said Alberico. “The beverage industry, in particular, is very interested in using that location for their meetings and events.” The state’s largest city is easily accessible from Denver International Airport, 90 miles south.  Cheyenne’s museums and galleries make excellent Wyoming meeting and event planning choices, while hotels such as Little America Hotel Cheyenne and The Plains Hotel offer meeting rooms and banqueting halls.

There’s definitely a peak interest in second- and third-tier destinations around the country. They all have charming qualities, but the one thing they have in common is that most of these properties are smaller and have limited capabilities. But, if the groups are interested in it, they look to individualize the experience. Where before they needed 100 rooms, perhaps they may be okay with 29.

It can also create a more intimate setting. The feeling of “exclusivity” can be a powerful draw, and an added bonus in producing a successful event. C&IT

CEO of JDC Events and author Jennifer Collins leads a Fireside Chat during the Equipped Leadership Summit for first responders. Courtesy of Jennifer Collins / JDC Events

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of meeting, convention and event planners is projected to grow 8% from 2023 to 2032. That is faster than the average for all occupations. It is, without doubt, a growing industry. Education is critical to help planners recognize the changing environment and develop strategies to move forward.

Corporate meeting planners across the country know this well. Regardless of where they are in their career, they know their time as a student isn’t over yet. On the contrary; they are embracing new and innovative ways for educational opportunities to enhance their careers and to continually learn how to bring the events and meetings they plan to the next level.

From meeting planning seminars to online leadership sessions to team-building classes, today’s educational programs are far more learner centered, innovative and relevant than ever before. And they are providing corporate planners to embrace the “never stop learning” adage that will only deeper their career opportunities.

As Jennifer Collins, author of “Events Spark Change: A Guide to Designing Powerful and Engaging Events” and CEO of JDC Events, explained, over the span of her career, she’s worked with corporate clients from all over the world to build stronger brands and design impactful events no matter the obstacles.

In her role as author, Collins has the opportunity to educate other meeting planners at seminars, conferences and other gatherings of professional corporate meetings. Recently, Collins spoke of the power of nurturing strong networks and she attended the National Minority Supplier Development Council annual conference, which is an organization that accelerates minority business growth and advances economic equity.

“I believe it is a ‘must’ to keep learning,” said Collins. “As we’ve seen over the past few years, the world is changing fast, new technologies such as AI are emerging, generational differences are in play and ways of ‘doing’ are not the same. So, we have no choice but to keep learning to remain relevant and effective.”

Collins sees that educational options for corporate meeting planners have evolved to include a wide range of formats, delivery methods and content areas. Whether in-person conferences and events, educational webinars, online courses, industry organization programs, and networking online or in-person, she pointed out that there are a myriad of ways to keep learning with varying price points that make it more accessible for planners.

“The opportunities are quite expansive from a conference featuring topical sessions, site visits, hands-on demonstrations, topical activations, virtual webinars, seminars, in-person tradeshows among so much more,” said Collins, who mostly attends industry events and conferences — locally and around the country. It’s at these events that she meets new connections and reconnects with those that she has met at other events. This has positioned Collins to gain new business, connect with new vendors and learn creative insights and perspectives that enhance her business operations.

For planners who may think they don’t have the time to participate in educational opportunities, Collins said she is of the mindset that she cannot afford not to participate in education.

“However, I do understand that can be quite expensive and difficult to get away. But I would start with the local chapters of the industry organizations and get involved,” Collins said. “This would be less costly and could expedite the opportunity to meet new people, and for them to get to know you. I live by the ethic that the receiving is in the giving. The more you extend yourself to helping others, the more it will return to you.”

Tom Pasha, president of Contact Planning, often presents his well-received Meeting Planning MasterMind Training, a highly interactive, thorough and extensive look into the inner workings of hotels and convention centers. Pasha trains meeting planners “from the inside,” on operations, finances, negotiating and contracts, with fun and challenging strategy sessions to help planners become more effective.

From Pasha’s perspective, there are many reasons why meeting planners should embrace a lifelong learning approach to their careers. For example, keeping up with technology, which includes understanding trends in communications, registration, contracts, electronic BEOs and hundreds of other meeting applications.

“Many junior event managers were raised in a high-tech environment and many senior planners need to become as tech-savvy as their junior staffers,” Pasha said. “Also, as we saw as COVID started to dissipate, many hotels and venues have tightened up their contracts and booking parameters, and added new fees and other expenses to attempt to offset the losses experienced during COVID. Education is critical to help planners develop strategies to deal with it.”

Pasha explained that professional societies like ASAE, MPI, PCMA and others have always been valuable sources of training to the planning industry. There are more specialized groups that also offer training, including the National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals, Insurance Conference Planners, Medical Meeting Planners, Incentive Planners and other groups have developed their own specialized training, and some even offer certification programs.

“Live training is returning to the live tradeshows, such as CONNECT Meetings and others. Even the local chapters of MPI and PCMA have added training sessions in many events, to help attendees develop their skills and impart value to attending events,” Pasha said. Virtual programs are returning to live events, since many planners may have suffered a Teams/Zoom event overload during COVID.

Some groups have added break-out sessions addressing specific parts of the meeting planner’s job including site selection, negotiating, contracts and others. A number of associations have added programs for their tradeshow sponsors, who are typically corporate attendees. As Pasha pointed out, these might include techniques on working a tradeshow booth, developing relationships with clients and other topics that impart value.

“Corporate planners need to take advantage of these programs, especially if they are approved for Continuing Education credit towards a CMP or other designation,” said Pasha, who began his career in hotels, specifically Hyatt Hotels, which is known for some of the best in-house training in the hotel business.

All the major chains now have in-house training programs that cross-train managers in multiple specialties and reward completion with accelerated raises and promotions. As a director of sales, one of Pasha’s job was to recruit and develop talent from both in-house departments and from competitive hotels.

Now, in addition to working as a planner and site-selection partner for corporations, Pasha presents a training session called the Meeting Planning Mastermind, where planners learn “Meeting Planning, from the Hotel Side.”

“Once planners learn how hotels and venues operate, they learn negotiating and contracting techniques to maximize their ROI. We have a segment where we have the meeting planners set a banquet room from the furniture to the water glasses so they can see what’s involved in turning a meeting room,” Pasha said. “We have other programs when we have the planners work with the culinary team to make dessert or appetizers for the group, as many planners have never worked in a commercial kitchen.”

To help corporate planners focus on their educational goals, Pasha recommends they start by writing down a one-, three- and five-year plan. In all those plans, there will most likely be a list of promotions, raises, increased responsibility and other goals. To achieve any of these goals, it’s critical for planners to improve their resume in a competitive market.

“That should be enough motivation to have planners seek out training opportunities,” Pasha said. “For every corporate meeting planner in the business, there are hundreds of aspiring planners who want to move into their spots.”

That said, it’s important for planners not to overthink the issue, just make a commitment to get some training as a regular part of their job. As Pasha explained, training doesn’t have to be time consuming. Local MPI and PCMA chapters offer training at their regular luncheons and meetings, so a planner has to make the time to attend.

“An easy training example is a meeting planner I know looked up ‘Event Planning’ on YouTube and found literally dozens of videos on all aspects of the business,” Pasha said.

Other Avenues of Learning

Outside of more formal education and training opportunities, corporate meeting planners should also recognize that they can learn from each other in informal gatherings or through online meeting planning groups found on sites such as LinkedIn.

Typical e-learning approaches — live Webcasts, online self-paced tutorials and instructor-led learning, as well as podcasts and blogs — are changing the way meeting planning industry experts transfer knowledge and information to others.

E-learning offers planners the opportunity to schedule their training and learning approaches as it is convenient for them. Online educational programs also allow planners to be proactive and determine the courseware or programs that are relevant and meaningful to their particular job functions or skill set — at the moment they need it, not at a time when the knowledge can’t be applied.

Many indicators point to the popularity of e-learning approaches among corporate meeting planners including rapid obsolescence of knowledge, the need for just-in-time delivery, the need for cost-effective ways of reaching a global audience, as well as the need for more flexible training tools.

Personally, Collins meets other connections for tea, lunch, dinner or even virtually. She believes it is important to nurture relationships for mutual sharing of information, serving as a sounding board, and developing meaningful friendships.

Indeed, most planners receive dozens of invitations to attend lunches, webinars, fam trips, ribbon cuttings, ground breakings and other industry events. As such, Pasha suggests that planners should take advantage of these networking opportunities to meet new suppliers, buyers and industry professionals.

“I encourage my managers to attend at least two events per month with the goal of meeting new industry contacts,” Pasha said.

Also, there are many social media pages that service the meetings industry, so corporate planners should be sure to contribute to those. If a planner has an issue or question, putting your name out in the market adds credibility to you as a professional.

“One of the best training programs I’d completed was a golf class; there were some great contacts that I made there, and in the years that followed, I paid for my staffers to also attend golf classes,” Pasha said. “If golf is not your preferred sport, try a culinary class, a wine tasting or other groups. The idea is to meet and network in a market and learn what you can in a dynamic environment.”

Lifelong Learning

Corporate meeting planners have embraced the notion of “knowledge” as an asset to be worked with and to be enlarged. The bottom line is that increasing their knowledge and performance within the meetings and events industry is a competitive weapon. This, if anything, defines the knowledge economy and accounts for expressions like “lifelong learning.”

Looking ahead, Collins said that, as professionals, meeting planners will need to acquire new skills and knowledge throughout their careers to stay competitive and relevant. This means that corporate meetings and training sessions will continue to play a crucial role in facilitating ongoing education.

“Those companies that are adaptable to the changing needs of business and understand the power of developing more sustainable communities through your events will be better positioned to attract and retain top talent, drive innovation, and remain competitive,” Collins said.

As the corporate meetings and events industry continues to evolve, it goes without saying that planners will add more technological skills to their toolbox. And as everything in the meeting business is picking up the pace again, hotels and venues are using the new pace to introduce new systems and technologies — from registration and check-in, to food and AV packaging.

“Many planners need to embrace the changes and learn how to maximize their results. In addition to industry group meetings, planners should consider taking some on-line courses in Excel, Word and other software,” concluded Pasha.

“There are continuing education classes at colleges and even universities that would be valuable to planners. Finally, the networking aspect of meeting planning will take the place of formal training, so planners should join and participate in industry events. I can see training becoming less structured but more results driven, so planners should focus on adding new skills from a variety of sources.” C&IT

Robert L. Dilenschneider, author of The Ultimate Guide to Power & Influence: Everything You Need to Know, formed The Dilenschneider Group in Oct. 1991. Headquartered in New York, Miami and Chicago, the firm provides strategic advice and counsel to Fortune 500 companies and leading families and individuals around the world, with experience in fields ranging from mergers, acquisitions and crisis communications to marketing, government affairs and international media.

Dealing with the aftermath of a blunder can be painful. Mistakes are messy, embarrassing, costly — and above all — they prove that we are not perfect. But perfection should not be what we are striving for in our careers anyway. In fact, that’s a fallacy. If we’re taking risks, as we should, we will make mistakes … the key is to make them the right way.

First, forget the idea that mistakes are “bad.” Actually, they are crucial. If there are no mistakes in a company, then no one is taking a risk, and innovation will atrophy.

Many of the most successful companies can all be traced back to a career-risk failure. However, if that failure hadn’t been handled the right way, the outcome would have been very different. It’s what we do after making a mistake — how we deal with the consequences — that ultimately leads us to the victory.

When managing the fallout of our own failure, it can feel like we’re picking through the rubble to see what’s salvageable. It would be all too easy to seal yourself away in your office and ignore the ensuing problems. However, what happens after a mistake is made can provide a valuable, unique opportunity if it’s handled properly. Below are six insights on making mistakes the right way:

First, know the risk of NOT taking risks. Dr. Robert Cade, armed with his new creation — a sports drink called Gatorade — went with me to the project managers of Stokely-Van Camp, a canned soup company, to pitch the product. They said no. So, we went to Executive Vice President Hank Warren’s office instead. He loved the idea, and the rest is history — Gatorade put sports drinks on the map.

The only ones who made a mistake in this instance were the project managers who weren’t willing to take the risk. No one actually likes to make a mistake. But mistakes will happen if you take risks. Or, in the case of the Stokely-Van Camp product managers, if you don’t.

When you make a mistake, accept the responsibility. In the wake of a career mistake, it does no good to point fingers. Not only does it look childish and desperate, but it does not pay off to pin the blame on someone else. Sometimes, we have to bow our heads and accept the responsibility. Renowned architect I.M. Pei is a good example.

While he was striving for originality and innovation in designing Boston’s John Hancock Tower, it took only some heavy winds to reveal the flaw in his firm’s design. Several 500 lb. windows crashed to the streets below. The result was a $75-million project that ballooned to $175 million and took an extra five years to complete. While Pei had not designed the tower himself, his firm’s name was on the plans — so he took responsibility for everything.

With humility and perseverance, we move forward and improve. Pei had integrity, the kind that engenders respect. People make mistakes, but the biggest mistake is failing to learn from them.

Check your attitude … and look for the lessons. To extract the most learning from your mistakes, first consider how you talk to yourself about them. Do you wallow in self-recrimination? Do you amplify the negativity? That can be self-defeating and make you too cautious to stretch again. When it comes to your mistakes, look realistically at what went wrong. Could it have been anticipated? Could it have been prevented? What could you or your team or your company have done differently?

Oprah is a good example of what can be gained from a healthy approach to mistakes. My book, “The Ultimate Guide to Power & Influence,” quotes her on what happened when the Oprah Winfrey Network was losing money back in 2011:

“Now, when you’re down there in the hole, it looks like failure,” she said in her commencement speech at Harvard University in 2013. “When that moment comes, it’s really okay to feel bad for a little while. Give yourself time to mourn what you think you may have lost — but then, here’s the key: learn from every mistake, because every experience, encounter, and particularly your mistakes, are there to teach you and force you into being more who you are.”

Others are watching, so set the right example. It’s common for your career risks to affect more people than just you, especially when it comes to your team. Always remember that your behavior in the wake of a mistake will affect how others view or perceive you.

Staff will watch how you handle a mistake. If you ignore it, your staff won’t say anything but will harbor the view that you won’t come to grips with it. I’ve had many top executives tell me they’re not going to talk about a mistake, and I always tell them it will hurt them, and their company, to not speak out. By owning up and handling a situation with humility, energy, and positivity, you are setting the best example for your company or organization.

Don’t stop at prototype 5,126 (i.e., persevere!). These days, Dyson is a household name, making vacuum cleaners, commercial hand dryers, bladeless fans and air purifiers, but it all started with James Dyson, 5,127 prototypes and 15 years of mistakes. Finally, when he pitched a suitable product to English retailers, none took the bite.  So, he launched it in Japanese catalogues, where it became a quick success.

With calculated risk-taking, you also need perseverance. Good thing James Dyson believed in what he was attempting, persevered and didn’t stop at prototype number 5,126.

Keep on striving  for imperfection. A company that believes they’re perfect will die out. If you already think you’re always right — well, you’re wrong. And you close yourself off from good ideas and discourage employees from suggesting them.

For Jeff Bezos, perfection has never outweighed the importance of innovation. His online auction site, zShops, fizzled out, as did Amazon’s Fire smartphone, which ended in a quarterly loss of $170 million.

“If you think that’s a big failure, we’re working on much bigger failures right now. And I am not kidding,” Bezos told the Washington Post. “Some of them are going to make the Fire Phone look like a tiny little blip.” On another occasion, he told shareholders, “Failure and invention are inseparable twins.”

Of course, there is no guarantee that your mistakes will lead to huge successes like a household-name sports drink, a great vacuum cleaner or a successful TV network. The art of mistake-making is a tricky business. When you calculate a risk, you must decide when to take a leap of faith and when to step back from one. That is not easy — but it is worth doing.

From the clear-eyed examination of a mistake can come the kernel of another idea. The original idea may have failed, but from it can spring something even better. If not, the lessons learned can pay off in other ways in your life. Sometimes, the lesson from getting something wrong is stronger than having the right answer in the first place. C&IT

Australia’s Sydney Harbour Bridge. Courtesy of Tourism Australia

While the rebound in business travel continues to lag behind the recovery of leisure travel, the outlook for the MICE sector for next year and beyond is upbeat. The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) released its predictions earlier this year with a projection for 2024 of surpassing the global pre-pandemic business level spend to $1.4 trillion. This forecast further extends growth to $1.8 trillion by 2027.

Singapore

According to the GBTA report, demand for corporate travel is still high, with destinations like Singapore leading the way.  Singapore is expecting a full MICE recovery between 2024 and 2025, according to Rachel Loh, senior vice president of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).

“Our international visitor arrivals crossed 10 million in the first nine months of this year, giving us a strong foundation to build on as we work towards a 12 to 14 million forecast for 2023,” she said. “The strong demand for in-person events, coupled with the dedication by our MICE partners to deliver high quality experiences, will put us in good stead to recover well. There is also growing business confidence from organizers and delegates; and a robust events pipeline secured beyond this year.”

As a gateway to the fast-growing Asia-Pacific and home to a vibrant and dynamic international business community, Singapore offers unrivalled access to new markets and partnerships, according to Loh.

Singapore is also expanding its luxury product with new properties, such as Raffles Sentosa Resort & Spa, which will feature 62 villas, each with its own private pool and terrace. Also slated for 2024, The Standard, Singapore will feature 143 rooms with a prime location on Orange Grove Road across from Shangri-La Singapore.

Silver Leaf is an iconic event venue overlooking Dragonfly Lake in Singapore. Courtesy Photo

Other new luxury options to entice incentives include the 326-room Pullman Singapore Orchard and 302-room Mondrian Singapore Duxton, both of which opened this year. The 347- room Pan Pacific Orchard also debuted earlier this year.

Singapore is also leading in its sustainability efforts.

“As one of the greenest cities in the world, our vision is to be the leading sustainable MICE destination in Asia-Pacific,” Loh said. Singapore’s MICE Sustainability Roadmap encompasses targets to develop sustainability policies and guidelines, to obtain sustainability certification for all purpose-built MICE venues, to track waste and carbon emission and to achieve net zero emission by 2050.

At the beginning of the year, Singapore was certified as a Sustainable Destination based on the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Destination Criteria after being the first to apply the certification process on a country level.

The STB has a suite of programs that help planners with the cost of holding an event in Singapore, such as its In Singapore Incentives & Rewards (INSPIRE) Global 2.0 program that encourages the MICE industry to continue developing innovative experiences for attendees, such as luxury experiences aboard the Royal Albatross, a four-masted superyacht.

For corporate groups, Gunther Homerlein, Xperience Maker at Xperience DMC Events & Travel in Singapore, said the challenge is having to utilize Singapore’s plethora of smaller offsite venues. “With Singapore, larger groups are more challenging from a perspective of hosting dinners in unique locations. We don’t have a lot of huge spaces,” he said.

Homerlein has used spaces such as The Alkaff Mansion. “It’s a fantastically beautiful house. It’s gives you a sense of Singapore.” Other venues he has used include the ArtScience Museum and the former Supreme Court, which is now the National Gallery Singapore. “You can have your pre cocktail on the balcony and then you can go into this great venue. That’s good for about 200 people.”

Korea

Korea is also seeing growth in the MICE sector. The Seoul Tourism Organization (STO) expects that its support for corporate meetings and incentive groups will surpass the pre-pandemic levels by the end of this year, with a notable increase in demand from new countries such as Vietnam, India, and the Philippines, in addition to demand from the Greater China region.

Ki-yon Kil, CEO and president of the STO, said in a statement, “Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 25% of corporate meetings and incentive events held in Seoul were from the Greater China region. This year, however, there has been a diversification in Seoul’s corporate meetings and incentive tourism demand, with countries such as Vietnam (20%), India (14%), and the Philippines (6%) showing increased interest in hosting their events in Seoul.”

An STO analysis shows trends have shifted due to various factors, such as large groups arriving in smaller segments, preference for longer stays with simultaneous visits to other areas besides Seoul, and increased visits from industries including the beauty sector, insurance and finance, and pharmaceutical wholesale.

Corporate groups planning meetings will find new hotel products, such as the DoubleTree by Hilton Seoul Pangyo — a four-star hotel situated in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, near Seoul, which opened in 2023. Le Méridien Seoul, Myeongdong is a recent addition. On the horizon, located in Yangyang near Songjeon Beach, Capella Yangyang aims to become the largest wellness resort here with a total of 261 rooms, restaurants featuring wellness-inspired cuisines, and five indoor and outdoor swimming pools, with direct beach access.

The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), which promotes Korea as a premier business events destination with its Korea MICE Bureau (KMB), said accessibility is a key factor in the country drawing MICE groups. Korea offers direct flights from more than 85 airlines for more than 50 countries and more than 150 cities.

KTO is currently focused on promoting Korea’s culture and has selected 52 unique venues across the country as prime outlets for MICE offsites and experiential offerings. Those include the Korean Folk Village theme park in Gyeonggi-do Province; National Museum of Korea in Seoul; and Korea’s oldest temple, the Jeongdeungsa Temple on the slopes of a mountain in Ganghwado.

Korea is also focused on sustainability for MICE, with a history of green venues. In 2010, Songdo ConvensiA was the first in Asia to receive an LEED NC 2.2 “certified” rating from the US Green Building Council (USGBC), and the sustainability objectives remain strong today.

Sustainability is also a focus at Coex, Korea’s top convention and exhibition venue. Located in the heart of Gangnam, Seoul’s business district, Coex’s meetings facilities consist of four main exhibition halls and 55 dividable meeting rooms. On-site facilities include three 5-star hotels, Asia’s largest underground shopping mall, four international office towers, an aquarium and the Korea City Air Terminal.

Thailand

Korea and Thailand are teaming up to help drive business to Coex and Bangkok’s Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) — the first national convention center in Thailand. The two recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding to officially partner, with a focus sharing knowledge in basic services and technology and conducting joint business development and marketing activities.

Thailand is ramping up its MICE efforts, as the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) is partnering with Thailand Incentive and Convention Association (TICA) and Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), aiming to gain more market insights to attract more meetings and incentive groups from key source markets from all corners of the world.

It is targeted that, by the end of the fiscal year 2024, Thailand will draw 23.2 million MICE travelers, generating 140 billion baht (nearly $4 million) in revenue. The figure includes some 960,000 overseas travelers.

TCEB is also focused on promoting local experiences for convention groups. It has developed a series of seven “Magnificent MICE Routes” and identified local products and services that can be used as souvenirs or gifts for delegates.

There will be more luxury options next year for incentive groups with the slated opening of the Fairmont Bangkok Sukhumvit and the new YONA Beach Club in Phuket, the world’s first floating beach club dubbed “an oasis in the middle of the sea.”

Australia

Another Asia-Pacific MICE hotspot showing strong signs of growth is Australia, which as of the month of August was at about 76% of where it was in 2019 for MICE business, according to Robin Mack, Tourism Australia executive general manager of Commercial and Business Events Australia. “Some markets are back more than others. If I look at the U.S. market specifically for that month, it’s 90% of where it was 2019, so we’re coming back.”

Mack noted Australia’s focus on infrastructure development throughout the pandemic as a boost to its corporate and incentive allure. “We had 200 new hotels open in about two and a half years, and some really major brands coming into some of our cities, and that was across the whole of the country,” she said.

Recent hotel openings include the W Sydney, the largest W hotel in the world, which opened this fall in Sydney’s Darling Harbour. Other openings this year include Dorsett Melbourne, The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne, Capella Sydney, and the Le Meridien Melbourne.

Upcoming hotel openings that will target MICE groups include the Queen’s Wharf development in Brisbane, which is due to open in stages beginning next spring and will feature three hotels — The Star Grand, The Dorsett and the six-star Rosewood. Meanwhile, South Australia’s first Marriott hotel will open in Adelaide/Tarntanya in 2024 with 285 guest rooms. Seppeltsfield winery, in the historic Barossa Valley wine region of Adelaide/Tarntanya, has announced that a new six-star luxury hotel, The Oscar, will be opening in 2025.

The Cairns Convention Center in Queensland also underwent a recent refurbishment and more than 113,000 sf expansion. In Melbourne, sustainability companies helped transform a rooftop car park overlooking the Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre into the Melbourne Skyfarm, which can accommodate MICE groups for events and education sessions.

Aside from hotels, Australia is focusing on standout incentive experiences, such as the Heart Reef experience on the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, which includes a helicopter tour and landing on the new Heart Reef Pontoon for a snorkel at a lagoon and canapes by the water. The Jackson is a new luxury superyacht on Sydney Harbour for corporate group outings.

“The other areas that we’re focused on as a destination marketing organization, are around the indigenous side of Australia,” Mack said. “We know from our research that it’s something that the customers want. They want to understand the First Nations people of the country they’re visiting.”

Options include hiring an indigenous elder to welcome delegates or speak at an event, as well as workshops in traditional painting or dance. The Burrawa Aboriginal Climb is a program combining a climb of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and indigenous storytelling. The climb is led by an Indigenous guide, and caters to groups of up to 14.

Scotland

VisitScotland Business Events (VSBE) is also focusing on creative ways to integrate MICE groups with local communities and further the interests in having a social responsibility objective as part of an incentive or meetings group experience. Invisible Cities is one of the city tours that VSBE partners with for group programs with the aim of offering attendees a transformational experience.

Invisible Cities trains people who have experienced homelessness to become walking tour guides of their own city. Since launching in Edinburgh in 2016, they are now in six cities across the UK with plans on expanding its reach. Local DMCs can arrange bespoke group experiences.

Brooke Davis, COO of Global Access Meetings, based in Denver, CO, has planned unique corporate meetings in Edinburgh. “When it comes to the culture, accessibility, history, food, architecture and just its beauty are a draw. Many people in the UK think it’s expensive, but Scotland is much more cost competitive than going somewhere like London. Also, you have the best of both worlds — the  city and the countryside.”

Davis recalls a memorable MICE outing at the Surgeons Hall Museums in Edinburgh. “We did a really cool murder mystery event and a murder mystery dinner, which was super fun.”

Aside from unique experiences, Scotland is adding a slew of new hotels, including the W Edinburgh, in the historical St James Quarter district, with 199 rooms and 45 suites, as well as meeting and event spaces. Soon after Scotland debuted its first Virgin Hotel opening in Edinburgh, the second Virgin property opened in Glasgow with 240 guest rooms.

“Scotland continues to add new and exciting venues and hotels to its ever-increasing portfolio of options for those seeking incentive experiences in Scotland,” said Richard Knight, VisitScotland senior corporate & incentive manager to the Americas. “Looking ahead, we are delighted to welcome such a strong variety of new developments that add to our rich cultural and innovative incentive offerings from unique immersive experiences to vibrant five-star city center hotels.”

Ireland

Meet in Ireland, a brand owned and managed by Fáilte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority, is also reporting a strong return to corporate meetings and incentives. “Corporate travel is coming back, and spending is higher as more attendees stay longer on the incentive side,” said Alison Metcalfe, executive vice president for Meet in Ireland at Fáilte Ireland. “The RFP pipeline in business continues to strengthen, and so by 2025, we’re looking very good.”

The attraction of Ireland for meetings and incentives is multifold. “People find it a very welcoming destination,” Metcalfe said. “It’s the people, it’s the history, the heritage, the scenery. It also has a great infrastructure for meeting planners. We’ve got wonderful, unique venues to start for global events.” Metcalfe noted the multitude of options of spaces like Titanic Belfast, which can offer a whole new customer experience, and EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin. Farm visits where attendees can meet a family that has been on a farm for five generations and have a hands-on teambuilding experience are possible, as well as visits to any of Irelands many distilleries such as Old Bushmills Distillery — the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery — on the North Coast of Ireland, which offers educational workshops and other curated experiences for MICE groups.

There are also new spaces like the Dublin Royal Convention Centre, part of the renowned Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Dublin and Velvære Spa, which is surrounded by historic buildings such as Dublin Castle, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Christ Church Cathedral.

Cork Convention Bureau has created three new sample itineraries for MICE experiences that include the chance the ring the bells in one of the oldest churches in the city, followed by a cup of tea and freshly baked scones, cooking demos, wildflower floral arranging, surfing or pub crawling.

Italy

The MICE industry in Italy is growing at a healthy pace. According to ENIT, the Italian National Tourist Board, spending by foreign visitors on business travel in Italy totaled over more than $4.5 billion in 2021, rising to more than $6.8 billion in 2022, an increase of 47.4%. Revenue was up 10.4% on pre-pandemic levels. In 2022, spending on business travel in Italy accounted for 14.5% of the total revenue from international tourists, slightly higher than the 2019 figure of 13.1%.

Italy benefits from its leisure appeal. Future travel patterns increasingly combine business with leisure, according to an ENIT survey conducted on data from ForwardKeys, the World Travel & Tourism Council, Banca d’Italia, Deloitte and Trip.com Group.

The survey results are backed by Euromonitor forecasts, which show spending worldwide by travelers combining business and leisure, estimated at $200 billion in 2022, is set to double from 2021 to 2027, rising from $150 billion to around $360 billion.

“These excellent figures regarding the recovery of business travel are exceptionally good news, because in addition to being good for the economy, they also have a positive impact on the environment, and help the sector with strategies aimed at spreading tourist flows more evenly throughout the year, bringing benefits also to local economies, because spending more time and money in a place offers visitors a better opportunity to get to know the area and its typical products and traditions, which are the strengths of Italy,” the Minister for Tourism Daniela Santanchè said in a statement.

“The adoption of sustainable policies on the part of companies also has an impact on the management of business travel, and would appear to be encouraging greener choices, including the payment of higher rates for accommodation, living and transport options that are kinder to the environment and/or minimize CO emissions,” explained ENIT marketing manager Maria Elena Rossi in a statement.

Italy is preparing new upscale offerings that can cater to groups and incentives. Slated for 2025, Rosewood Rome will offer 157 rooms, including 44 suites in the former headquarters of Italy’s Banca Nazionale del Lavoro (BNL) overlooking the iconic Via Veneto. The property will encompass three historic buildings, each of which were originally built in the early 1900s. Additional amenities include a subterrain experience within the bank’s original vault featuring a modern Roman Bathhouse and Sense, A Rosewood Spa, located on the rooftop. Dedicated event spaces will encompass three meeting rooms and a grand ballroom.

Anantara Palazzo Naiadi is opening in a former government building and hotel in the heart of Italy’s capital. Portrait Milano lies in the heart of Milan’s luxury fashion district and the five-star hotel offers a wellness area beneath an ancient vaulted ceiling.

Spain

Spain is also seeing an uptick in luxury offerings for corporate groups and incentives. Madrid will have more than 2,700 luxury hotel rooms by the end of 2023, up 50% from a decade ago, according to a report by commercial real estate services company JLL.

Spain’s capital of Madrid has 33 new hotels in the pipeline, half of them in the upscale segment, while Barcelona has about a dozen projects in the works. Planners will be able to take advantage of the Madrid hotel boom, as room rates in Madrid are expected to rise at half the pace of those in Barcelona in 2024, thanks to the hotel openings, according to a forecast by American Express Global Business Travel. The annual survey expects room rates in Madrid to rise by 4.5%, while prices in Barcelona will increase by 9% next year.

“Barcelona, Madrid and Malaga are very successful because they are upscaling their offer here,” said Magi Castelltort, consul for tourism affairs at the Consulate General of Spain in New York. Post-pandemic there has been an emphasis on planners preferring known, reliable partners which has benefitted some of the long-time well known established brands in Spain’s major MICE cities.

More Growth

Business travel in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) is strong. MEA business travel achieved 86% of its 2019 levels during 2022. Dubai Business Events (DBE), the city’s official convention bureau and part of the Department of Economy and Tourism, worked with partners and stakeholders to win 143 conferences, congresses, meetings and incentives in the first six months of 2023 for events that will take place over the coming years. The events are expected to bring over 94,000 additional visitors to the city.

In the Americas, Panamá is promoting its MICE development with the recent inauguration of the Panama Convention Center in Panama City, with space for up to 23,000 guests. Panamá City offers approximately 20,000 hotel rooms, with another 10,000 more throughout the rest of the country. There are more than 11 hotels that have a convention center with a capacity of more than 1,000 people and Panamá can provide convention services for large corporate groups with around 800,000 sf in meeting spaces.

According to Colombia’s Office of Immigration, more than 48,600 international travelers visited the country in the first quarter of 2023 for business and events — 32% more than in the same period in 2022. In terms of connectivity, 14 new international air routes were introduced in 2023, increasing Colombia’s connectivity with seven countries throughout the Americas and Europe.

All this growth paints a rosy picture for hotels, restaurants, vendors, travel, transportation, managements services, event technology, event marketing and promotion, and the rest of the events industry market, which serves as an incredible platform for people and businesses to host events that bring people together. C&IT

Forbes Business Council, Newsweek Expert Forum and Rolling Stone Culture Council member Merilee Kern, MBA, is founder, executive editor and producer of “The Luxe List,” as well as host of both the “Savvy Living” lifestyle and travel and “Savvy Ventures” business TV shows. Connect with her at TheLuxeList.com, SavvyLiving.tv, at LuxeListReports on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and on LinkedIn at MerileeKern. 

Stress is undermining workplace well-being. This unequivocal and stark finding was just reported by the World Economic Forum amid Gallup’s annual State of the Global Workplace report. Given the apparent stress-compromised mental health of the collective substantiating “workers around the world are feeling stressed and disengaged” and “stress and worry are on the rise, and the work-life balance is becoming blurred,” the findings further reinforce calls for employers to “rethink their approach to workers’ well-being.

On the heels of its artificial intelligence (AI), Metaverse and interactive 3D virtual employee training and simulation deployments, global leadership development and training company Fierce, Inc. is again changing the way people communicate with each other and address workplace stress. This time, it’s via the visionary company’s new “Pulse” app poised to refine — and redefine — workplace culture, while also notably boosting bottom lines. With the ability to demonstrate double-digit reductions in stress and anxiety, as well as improved resilience levels, Pulse is designed to address the stressors today’s pressure-laden business climate is causing on industry’s collective staff psyche.

The Problem

“Beyond the increasingly tumultuous economic, political supply chain, and other macro, issues companies and its employees are grappling with, handheld technologies and better equipped home, remote and on-site offices have made people more readily accessible — all resulting in greater demands for work participation and productivity,” noted Dr. Gabe De La Rosa, chief behavioral science officer for Fierce Inc.

“Uptime or ‘on time’ expectations are contributing to higher stress levels as downtime — that is the time to relax, enjoy family and friends and explore hobbies that might help to moderate those stress levels — continues to shrink. The toll for that is being paid on multiple fronts — emotional, psychological, physical, operational and fiscal.”

It has been well-proven that workplace stress severely undermines productivity, efficiency and morale. Now, in the post-pandemic era, employees are struggling that much more as are companies striving to adapt to, and aptly address, employees’ changing needs.

In this vicious cycle, hundreds of billions of dollars of revenue is being lost — a situation that’s avoidable if duly addressed. One notable cost-of-illness study estimated that “the cost of work-related stress ranged from U.S. $221 million to upward of U.S. $187 billion…” A more inclusive analysis conducted by the American Institute of Stress found that, after including factors such as absenteeism, turnover, diminished productivity, increased medical costs and increased legal costs, the total economic impact of stress to U.S. employers was estimated at $300 billion.

The Solution

For 20 years, Fierce has been challenging companies and those who lead them to have the kind of dialogue that drives cultures of transparency — a philosophy that prompted Fierce founder Susan Scott’s first book, “Fierce Conversations,” to sell more than 800,000 copies while propelling her second book, “Fierce Leadership,” to become a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal best seller.

Today, Fierce, Inc. CEO Ed Beltran and Dr. De La Rosa have parlayed the idea that “the conversation is the culture” to develop the ground-breaking Pulse app — a technological solution affectionately coined “The Fitbit of Corporate America.” It’s in that spirit that Pulse strives to build a mentally fit workforce and shore up financial fitness in kind.

Early data from the Pulse app, which is now available for early registration ahead of its official September launch, has demonstrated multiple staggering results, including:

• 14% decrease in anxiety
• 10% decrease in stress
• 8% decrease in burnout
• 11% increase in resilience

Pulse uses Stress and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) to objectively measure stress. It categorizes stress and ties it to specific times and events, which allows the user to decipher and identify their true causes. Beltran underscores the value of this approach.

“The app pinpoints stressors and can help both the individual and the company identify if it was triggered due to something in the employee’s personal life, a temporary intense workplace assignment or more macro company issues like identifying signs of a toxic workplace culture.

“The critical piece is going beyond just managing stress through meditation, exercise, diet and being aware of the root cause of your stress and tackling it head-on,” Beltran continued. “This is what Fierce has been teaching for over 20 years — how to engage your environment through conversations with the goal of enriching relationships and driving to your desired results. This is what Pulse does at your fingertips.”

The Features

• Specific Meditation to your stressors
• Biometric analysis to increase self-awareness
• Interactive AI Bot to guide you through your stressor
• Optional coach support
• Integration with today’s top wearable devices
• Integration with calendar and GPS to pinpoint stress origin

The Benefits

• Enables users to pinpoint and eliminate stress through patented technology, breakthrough research and interactive content and coaching
• Links self-awareness, identifying people’s toughest challenge and moving to action
• Quicker determination of issues and moves toward resolution
• Eliminates open-ended coaching that is hard to tie to results
• Determines organizational issues/themes for broader virtual or live L&D/wellness engagements
• Connects users directly to wellness and employee assistance programs
• Connects users to relevant and applicable OnDemand L&D content
• Develops and increases resilience that drives economic impacts on the organization, supporting a thriving culture
• Supports EAS Compliance
• Delivers results in as little as two weeks and one coaching session

“A leader’s best friend is visibility, and Pulse is perhaps the biggest innovation in employee engagement in many years, one that helps leaders see and address what otherwise would be difficult to detect,” Beltran said.

One of Fierce’s more compelling findings from its own research is that a lack of self-awareness decreases effectiveness of traditional coaching, leading to longer engagements with lower impact. Studies have shown that, while 95% of people think they are self-aware, only 10-15% truly are. No matter how difficult the situation, demonstrating resilience is possible. The Pulse app fosters an increase in self-awareness and gives leaders valuable insights that help build a more positive culture, one that can make staff resiliency commonplace.

Overall, this first-of-its-kind workplace wellness app designed by Dr. De La Rosa and his Fierce cohorts is a welcome tool to help stem staff stress, combat toxic workplace culture and improve employee wellbeing, all while helping companies thwart revenue erosion, a staggering $300 Billion lost annually, avoidably caused by workplace angst. C&IT

From left: Steve O’Malley COO, Maritz; Dan Surette, Chief Sales Officer, Omni Hotels & Resorts; Michelle Mason, ASAE President and CEO, FASAE, CAE; Frank Passanante, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Sales, Hilton.

As year’s end approaches, the meeting industry celebrates a year of incredible growth, while it casts its gaze on 2024, and its optimistic take on the future. With that in mind, we have asked a few meeting professionals to share insights on the evolving landscape of meetings and events, with a focus on the latest trends, technology and evolutions.

Some industry trends include cultural curiosity and event technology. Top concerns range from shifting demographics, travel bans, political influences, labor shortages, rising costs, to the evolution of AI and its disruptive or powerful potential, brands’ business models and the growing movement around inclusivity, safety and sustainability.

As meetings and events professionals created a picture of what the industry will look like in 2024, we gathered some of their questions:

What one event technology trend will have a big impact on business events?

Corporations like Maritz Holdings, one of the largest event companies, consolidated all of its brands into a singular entity for the first time in nearly 130 years — all while forging ahead with new technology and an expanded workforce. So, will brand simplicity be the new business model?

AI adoption is inevitable as the topic of AI continues to sweep over the events industry.  This emerging technology is top-of-mind for company directors and owners, but will companies move forward by embracing it fully — and if yes, will it ultimately have a positive impact?

Event designers are recognizing that audiences are getting younger and reimagining their approach to creating engaging and immersive experiences. Generational Shift Drives Innovation in Event Design Data from the U.S. Department of Labor suggests that the average age of attendees has dropped to 45 from the pre-pandemic average of 51. Why the shift? Also, over half of white-collar workers in North America over age 55 are now claiming retirement. How can event designers cater to the sensibilities and values of the younger generation and help boost engagement?

Sustainability progress requires big-picture thinking. As the event industry is responsible for roughly 10% of all C02 emissions produced annually, what should leaders from all sectors of the industry do to build a strategy for a more sustainable future?

Here’s what these industry experts had to say on some of the subjects outlined above.

Steve O’Malley

COO, Maritz 

We are seeing a great deal of positivity in the events industry as we move into 2024, with a few key trends:

Accelerated Movement in Innovation and Technology

AI has exploded and will continue to be a huge game-changer in 2024. It provides so many opportunities for the industry, from both efficiency and creative standpoints. We believe the uses of AI reach far past our industry and will impact clients, guests, suppliers and exhibitors in numerous ways, and how quickly we adapt to this technology will be crucial.

Rethinking Event Design

We’ve entered an era of customized experiences and purpose, with attendees wanting to be more immersed in individualized content and learning. Pre-pandemic, we spent so much time designing meetings as we always had. Event design was only about content, agendas and execution, but once we went through the pandemic, it was about getting people back face-to-face. The next phase is about personalization and providing customized experiences for attendees to take back and apply to their individual growth and careers.

Climate Change

This is only going to get more important. Sustainability practices used to be “nice to have,” but now we are seeing more regulations coming in, and if we don’t change the way in which we supply and support the planning of meetings in a more sustainable manner, we could see some real challenges facing our industry in the future.

Using Data Efficiently

The challenge is how to best use data to make better decisions around all aspects of events.  Measuring the impact is important, because we’re seeing attendees and exhibitors wanting to see return on their investment AND return on experience.

Generational Shifts

One of the biggest considerations moving forward is inclusivity — the understanding of multiple generations attending and how they each have a different way of engaging and consuming content. We know Gen Z does not want to consume content in the same way as other generations, so we must consider this shift and meet expectations.

In summary, I believe it will be a constant influx of innovation and technology, but we can’t forget the most important common element — human beings. Helping people unleash their potential and being open to taking a few risks with technology and event design is of the utmost importance.

Dan Surette

Chief Sales Officer, Omni Hotels & Resorts

The year 2023 was a “normalizing” period for travel in a lot of ways. In the two previous years, as companies were coming out of COVID, the industry saw a significant rebound in group and leisure as there was a pent-up need for meetings and events for revenge travel. This year, we saw leisure demand stabilize and shift from domestic to more international destinations and cruises.

At Omni Hotels & Resorts, the corporate meetings segment remained strong, and new association meetings are now being booked further out. The association planner has a better handle on attendance after a year or two of “new” history. Business travel is not yet back to 2019 levels but continues to gain momentum. The economic uncertainty and more international unrest are playing into sourcing, buying and travel decisions through the second half of this year.

As we look ahead to 2024, our outlook is that group will continue to be a bright spot in the year and beyond. We are finding that planners are looking for less traditional meeting layouts and want to gather in more uniquely designed spaces that can be better customized for the groups’ needs. This really aligns with what Omni has to offer across our portfolio and it is our goal when designing new meeting and event spaces.

Our feeling on business travel is that the small and medium-sized accounts will continue to trend up, while the larger accounts will gain strength through the year as the economic factors improve. The leisure travel space will be very competitive with travelers looking for unique and personalized experiences. Omni is very well positioned to grow here as we have been making sizeable investments in service and programming throughout this year.

Leveraging new and existing digital and technology platforms is a must with B2C and B2B strategies, which Omni takes into consideration when investing in AV, booking tools, etc. Social media continues to evolve, and AI is the new hot topic which will no doubt have an impact on our industry, from new content that will be created to how people search and are influenced when considering meetings and events travel.

While it may have a slower start, we believe 2024 will pick up steam throughout the year with strong group performance, improving leisure and steady business travel.

Michelle Mason

ASAE President and CEO, FASAE, CAE 

ASAE is very optimistic about the health of association meetings in 2024. While virtual and hybrid meetings have become a permanent channel for content delivery, there continues to be high demand for in-person meetings that are experience-based and deliver on attendees’ expectations for connection and collaboration.

Rapidly advancing meeting technology is helping associations personalize the experience for meeting attendees and boost engagement. AI, in particular, has limitless potential for associations seeking to enhance their meeting attendees’ experience.

Ethical and responsible use of AI will continue to be a focal point for association meeting planners moving forward. Associations are also increasingly turning to data and analytics to measure the success of their meetings and identify trends in attendee behavior that can help them plan their next successful meeting.

One highly positive trend we expect to continue in 2024 is the prioritization of diversity, equity and inclusion in association event planning. More organizations are actively striving to ensure that all attendees at their meetings feel like there’s been thought given to their experience and they can make the connections they need and engage with the content that is most relevant to them.

Frank Passanante

Senior Vice President and Global Head of Sales, Hilton

Hilton’s recent trends report spotlighted that, in 2024, travelers will be looking for innovative and seamless digital solutions to simplify their overall travel experience and personalize their stays — regardless of their travel purpose. This expectation begins with the booking process and continues through the guest’s entire hotel stay.

To create a more seamless travel experience for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), which is roughly 85% of Hilton’s business transient guests, in January, we’ll be launching Hilton for Business, a new multi-faceted program, currently in test with select customers. The program will feature a new booking website, along with targeted benefits.

At Hilton, we are embracing the fact that we have entered a new golden age of travel where innovations are accelerating rapidly alongside customer demand. The digitization of travel is propelling industry innovations forward, impacting the inspiration and booking experience for travelers and further removing the tension points of travel. Companies, like us, will continue to explore ways that big data and AI can enable team members to meet the specific needs of customers. This includes how to improve the customer experience through increased booking options, messaging platforms to provide guests with what they need quickly and more. C&IT

Kelly Gleeson Smith, vice president of sales, Caesars Entertainment, leads an amazing team of talented sales people that cultivate face-to-face meetings and events for major corporations and associations held throughout the Caesars Entertainment empire. She is the recipient of the 2019 Caesars Corporate Excellence in Leadership award and 2019 & 2021 Director of Sales of the Year — Caesars Entertainment.

What new ideas or initiatives does Caesars Entertainment have to offer to professional planners and attendees to elevate their event experience at your properties? This includes new venues from several properties/destinations to create a one-of-a-kind event.

Kelly Gleeson Smith: Caesars Entertainment is continuously evolving and providing new experiential opportunities with attendees and planners in mind. Just in Las Vegas, we have nine properties including the iconic Caesars Palace and our latest conference center, the 550,000 sf CAESARS FORUM.

We’re constantly investing in our properties with newly designed guest rooms and exciting new restaurants, such as Brasserie B by celebrity chef Bobby Flay, as well as Peter Luger Steakhouse at Caesars Palace.

Recently, Harrah’s Las Vegas received an influx of capital that was put toward major enhancements across the property from new beautifully appointed guest rooms to Ramsay’s Kitchen, the latest restaurant from Michelin Star award-winning chef Gordon Ramsay, and a new main entrance. Harrah’s is directly connected to CAESARS FORUM. The changes the property has undergone have been made with the CAESARS FORUM attendee in mind.

In Atlantic City, we recently opened THE Hook by Spiegelworld which is the very first residency to be held in the city. The theater built for the show, “Wonder Theatre,” is actually right where the historic Warner Theatre used to be. Total investment into our three Atlantic City properties comes out to $230+ Million. With that investment, we’ve updated guest rooms, suites and celebrity chef restaurants to complement the 100,000+ sf Harrah’s Waterfront Conference Center. At Caesars Atlantic City, Nobu Hotel tower is scheduled to open early next year. Accessibility and inclusion go beyond ramps and accessible washrooms.

How are you attracting wider and more diverse audiences? 

Here are some thoughts on that . . . “At Caesars, we are committed to embracing disability inclusion as a key facet of our overall Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategy,” said Tom Reeg, CEO at Caesars Entertainment. “We consistently review current practices concerning disability inclusion, and we’re honored to be recognized with a top score on this year’s Disability Equality Index. We know how important inclusion is, and we will continue to work toward progress for our team members, guests and the communities in which we operate.”

“In 2022, Caesars Entertainment received a top score of 100 on DEI,” said Heather Rapp, SVP of corporate social responsibility for Caesars Entertainment. “Caesars Entertainment’s commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is an integral piece of the company’s CSR framework, PEOPLE. PLANET. PLAY.”

How is Caesars collaborating with meeting planners in their efforts to focus on collaborative event designs that engage attendees, most especially millennials who are all in for the experience, rather the meeting itself?

When it comes to design, our meeting spaces offer incredible flexibility and a blank canvas for a planner’s vision. At CAESARS FORUM alone, we have more than two miles of air wall providing lots of options. We continue to invest in new furniture and other decor to enhance the attendees experience and partner with local DMCs who can provide anything needed to create that one-of-a-kind experience.

As meeting planners anticipate culinary expectations for their attendees, especially with more awareness of vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and religious-based dietary restrictions or preferences, what are some of Caesars Entertainment’s food and beverage new food options? 

F&B is integral to the success of a conference. At Caesars Entertainment, we pride ourselves on delivering high end restaurant quality catering. Our team is comprised of award-winning chefs who can create customized menus to suit any need. We also recently launched a “Wellness Menu” in Las Vegas. The menu offers healthy dietary options in addition to activities such as yoga, tai-chi, chakra cleansing and wellness speakers. We hope that by offering a wide array of menu options we can anticipate planner needs and provide them with as many enticing options.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Caesars Entertainment is unique as our 120+ sales people are located around the country in the cities where planners live. We believe in the importance of building long term relationships and partnering with planners to ensure continual success. Our sales people can check availability and negotiate rates directly in addition to signing agreements with planners. We believe in the one stop shop approach. We do whatever it takes to guarantee that the planning process is as simple as possible.  C&IT