DepositPhotos.com

Accommodating people with disabilities is the law, but there are plenty of reasons for companies to go above and beyond to create a welcoming environment for these folks. The number of people with disabilities is far higher than you might expect. It’s estimated that one in five Americans has some type of physical or mental disability. As the population continues to age, even people who don’t identify themselves as disabled may deal with a decrease in their physical ability, hearing or eyesight. In addition, thousands of people deal with a temporary disability every year due to a surgery, injury or accident.

By not meeting the needs of people with disabilities, companies are potentially leaving a lot of money on the table. They may also be giving people a less-than-optimal experience, which can impact both their satisfaction with their employer and their likelihood of attending that event again.

“It’s really frustrating, as a person with disabilities, to want to participate in these things, to want to put time and money into them, and not be able to get everything out of them that everyone else can,” says Christine Selinger, founder and owner of Creative by Christine. She is also a contractor for the Abilities Expo, which hosts events for people with disabilities and their friends, family and healthcare providers in several major cities. “It feels like you’re paying for something you’re not getting.”

“It’s really frustrating, as a person with disabilities, to want to participate in these things, to want to put time and money into them, and not be able to get everything out of them that everyone else can.”  Christine Selinger

If you’re looking to design events that are more accessible, our experts share ideas about how to make the registration process, physical space, off-site events and other features more accessible for everyone.

“NOTHING ABOUT US, WITHOUT US”

“Within the disability community there’s a saying: ‘Nothing about us, without us,’” says Elisa Hays, CSP, of Empathy Fueled Solutions and a speaker, author and consultant who works with event venues all over the country. “One of the things that happens is that a lot of planners without disabilities have great ideas about how they want to create solutions, but they don’t include attendees with disabilities, so their solutions can be misguided.”

Both Hays and Selinger highly recommend asking at least one person with a disability to get involved in the planning process and assist with evaluating all physical spaces. “The people who know this the most are people with disabilities,” Selinger says. “Include them and ask them for feedback. They will give you tons.”

But what if a company doesn’t have a disabled person amongst its staff or volunteers, or the one wheelchair user isn’t comfortable with being singled out? “The easiest and fastest way for a meeting planner to connect to the disability community is to call their national ADA center,” Hays says. Known officially as the ADA National Network, this organization provides information, guidance and training to help companies comply with ADA requirements. Though one of its major roles is to clarify legal aspects of the ADA, staff can connect planners to local disability advocacy groups. These organizations often have people who are willing to consult on making venues and programs comfortable for people with disabilities.

BEFORE THE EVENT

There are several other things planners can do ahead of gatherings to ensure they are ready to serve disabled attendees. “When sending out the announcement, give participants a few different ways to request an accommodation before the event,” says Michelle “Mell” Toy, COMS, CLVT, assistant director of the Northwest ADA Center. “People with disabilities will tell you what they need, and event planners will probably want to know what to prepare ahead of time, including creating large print or braille materials, or scheduling American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters, etc.”

Including a questionnaire with the registration materials is a good idea, but it needs to be carefully considered before and during event preparation. “The questions that you put there need to be structured so they’re not asking people what their disability is, because that’s really none of their business, but that they’re asking about their needs and then following up on it,” Hays says. That second piece, she emphasizes, is just as critical. “Often that information seems to go nowhere.”

According to Tracy Stuckrath, CSEP, CMM, CHC, owner of thrive! meetings & events in North Carolina, any event website needs to be designed so that it is ADA compliant. In addition to online resources, provide a phone number where visually-impaired people can call to register. Anyone should be able to call that number and ask questions about how the company will accommodate people with special needs.

She also notes that companies should share any barriers to full participation with attendees ahead of time. “If you’re going to have loud music, or you’ve going to have strobe lights, or an event is going to be on a beach, you need to communicate that,” she says. “If there are attendees who are epileptic, the strobe light or loud music could cause a seizure. With a beach, attendees in wheelchairs or with canes may not be able to access the beach through the main access points. Letting them know where the access points are, and designing those access points so everyone is using them so some attendees aren’t being singled out, is important.”

Hays also strongly encourages planners to find a qualified person to conduct pre-event communication training for staff and volunteers or do it themselves after conducting research ahead of time. “They should talk about some good, inclusive etiquette,” she says. “There are the basics, like don’t ever grab somebody’s wheelchair without asking permission. Then there’s the more elevated training, where they may talk about things like the difference between saying, ‘Here, let me help you’ and saying, ‘How can I assist you?’”

CREATING A WELCOMING PHYSICAL SPACE

Planners are often quick to confirm that venues have accessible features such as wheelchair ramps and elevators. One thing they may not realize is that flooring can pose a real challenge for attendees in wheelchairs. Selinger uses a manual wheelchair, and propelling herself across large stretches of carpet is exhausting. Check the flooring of any potential venue and communicate that information ahead of time if needed.

Regardless of the flooring, “try to avoid long distances between rooms if at all possible,” Selinger says. “If you’re having an event at a convention center and there’s one thing at one end and something else at the complete other end, it makes it hard for those of us with disabilities to access everything.”

Make sure doorways and hallways are at least 36 inches wide so wheelchair users can travel comfortably. Check to see how doors open. “If doors are too heavy, attendees with disabilities have trouble opening them, so make sure there’s push-button access or there’s someone there to open doors,” Selinger says. That person should stay in place during a whole session to ensure a wheelchair user isn’t trapped if they need to leave early. Doors can also be propped open, but if you do that, make sure the doorstop won’t become an impediment to a wheelchair user.

Another thing that’s often overlooked is truly accessible washrooms. “They need to have level access, a large stall and all the things outlined in the ADA. But beyond that, make sure the washrooms are accessible in every way,” Selinger says. “If there are paper towel dispensers but they’re up too high, make sure there are paper towels sitting on the countertops so attendees can reach them.”

If an attendee needs to bring a service dog, make sure there’s a spot for the dog to relieve itself. If a participant needs to bring another person to the event to help them, offer their helper a free registration. Another detail that’s easy to miss is the availability of refrigerators for people who need to store medication. “Most hotels will give them to you if they’re medically necessary, but make sure the hotel has plenty of them,” Stuckrath says.

Off-site venues also need to be completely accessible for guests. “Off-site venues have two major problems,” Hays says. “One is how you get there, so making sure you have wheelchair-accessible transport is a big thing. It needs to be integrated so a wheelchair user doesn’t feel weirdly set apart. Two, if you’re going to a park or a beach or anywhere that has surfacing that would be awkward for a wheelchair, you need to look at setting up an area of networking or activity in an accessible area. Everyone needs to be able to get to food and drinks and other attendees. Or you can look at renting temporary surfaces to lay down and create a path of travel.”

Toy says, “I would advise planners to include accessibility into their contract agreements with the venues to clarify who is responsible for details such as ensuring physical access.” That will help cut down on mix-ups, and may even cut down on the expenses for which the company is responsible.

Transportation issues should also be considered as part of space requirements. Eva De Leon, director of Accessible Design and Innovative Inclusion, encourages planners to think ‘outside-in.’ “Oftentimes, when we first think about physical access, we think about restrooms,” she says. “But accessible restrooms are not going to be helpful if you can’t get into the building in the first place. Think first about transportation to and from the venue. What is the route like from the bus stop to the entrance? What about routes from the parking lot to the entrance? What’s the entrance like? When you look up the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, remember that minimums are just that — minimums. If you can exceed the standards to make moving within the path of travel easier for a person who uses a mobility device, all the better.”

Make sure the venue has enough handicap-accessible parking, and make sure those restrictions are strictly enforced. “If you’re providing transportation via bus, is your bus handicap accessible, or are you providing some other form of accessible transportation?” Stuckrath asks. “Where is the entryway if it’s not through the front door?” and ‘How will people determine where that entrance is?’ See if the transportation provider can drop them at that entrance so they don’t need to travel far to enter the building.”

SEATING FOR SESSIONS AND MEALS

There are a few things to keep in mind when setting up session rooms. For spaces with classroom seating, make sure every third row has enough chairs missing that a person in a wheelchair can comfortably pull up to the table. They will need at least 60 inches to make their approach and turn their chair. If only one seat is missing, the person will not have enough space to maneuver, Hays says, and may be forced to sit in the aisle. Rather than feeling like they’re in the way, many attendees default to sitting in the back of the room.

“The No. 1 thing I encounter with events is they set up 10 top rounds, and they set them so close that for an attendee who is a wheelchair user, their only choice is to sit in the back on the fringe,” she adds. “The No. 1 thing planners can do is create more space in the room. If they’re using rounds, have more circulation space or have a designated path of travel to get to the middle of the room or the front of the room.” Don’t set up one wheelchair-accessible table in the back of the room with no seating for ambulatory attendees. Doing that leaves disabled attendees feeling isolated and left out.

“Planners do need to ask about food sensitivities,” Selinger says. “A lot of people with disabilities have different food sensitivities.” Stuckrath recommends labeling food with at least the top eight allergens, and providing a complete list of ingredients. Signs should have 16-point font so attendees with vision impairments can easily read them.

“It’s often easier for attendees to eat things that are more compact and don’t involve holding utensils,” Selinger says. “Things like sandwiches are easy to eat. Avoid things with lots of packaging.”

Tammi Olson, conference coordinator of the University of Washington’s Center for Continuing Education in Rehabilitation adds, “If you have quite a few attendees with physical disabilities, it is easier to serve a plated meal. If you are serving a buffet meal, ask the venue for additional staff to assist attendees with food items and plates when needed.”

For buffets, consult an expert to make sure the tables are the appropriate height and food it set at the right depth. “When the food isn’t accessible, an attendee in a wheelchair needs a tremendous amount of help,” Hays says. “The goal is that an attendee in a wheelchair can not only access it, but have as much independence as possible. Because independence is dignity.”

Make sure tablecloths on buffets and tables don’t overflow onto the floor. “If it gets caught up in our wheels, it’s only a matter of time before we pull it off the table,” Selinger says. For receptions and mixers, make sure to include a few tables with traditional heights. “I’ve been to receptions where they only have bar-height tables, and for those of us who sit, it means we’re looking up at everyone else and trying to lift our drinks overhead.”

VISION, HEARING, MENTAL HEALTH

All events need to be inclusive of attendees with vision problems, hearing loss and mental health barriers. “When my office puts on an event, we set up a microphone for the presenters, and we use additional microphones if there will be comment from the audience,” Toy says. That helps ensure everyone can hear. “We also give the option to attend the event via telephone or video conferencing. It is common for us to schedule ASL interpreters, and Computer Assisted Real-Time (CART) captioning, so that people with hearing disabilities can follow speeches made at the event. I would also encourage businesses to ask everyone to make their events fragrance-free.”

Selinger adds, “For attendees with anxiety or who are on the autism spectrum, it helps to have a space to get away. Make sure everybody knows there’s a quiet space to go to and what it’s used for.”

Says Hays, “For attendees with intellectual disabilities, the biggest issue is communication barriers.” They typically need more time to process what people are saying, which means it’s critical that speakers talk slowly. “Meeting planners can give a reminder to presenters, and everybody who gets up in front of an audience, to slow down.”

Finally, says Selinger, “Make sure there are handouts or copies of the presentation so attendees follow along or take something with them in case they can’t absorb everything right away. Basically, just give attendees as many ways as possible to interact with the presentation. Regardless of disability or diagnosis, it allows everybody to retain as much as possible and get as much as possible from the experience.” C&IT

Planners say Train is great for events because the group has a reputation
for getting the attendees involved in the show.

Closing the annual meeting or incentive program with the big-name musical artist may be a cliché form of corporate entertainment, but it’s also undeniably effective. Not only do such artists have mass appeal, but they also indirectly increase company engagement. An attendee will think, “Thanks to my company, I’m able to experience this dream concert.” The company thus appears both attuned to an attendee’s entertainment wish list and powerful enough to fulfill it. As Brad E. Bronenkamp, CMM, senior director, global events with Teradata Corporation, puts it, “Your big-name artists are going to get you the most credibility with your attendees and your employees.”

Big names come with big price tags, of course, and Bronenkamp has seen artist fees rising. “They are realizing what the corporations are willing to pay,” he says, observing that acts that used to command $150,000-$200,000 are now costing $350,000-$400,000. And it’s not just contemporary groups making more money on the corporate circuit. Many classic rock bands, such as Foreigner and Styx, “are more popular today than they were back then,” he notes. “They have a full calendar, and are getting a lot more money with fewer of the original artists.”

“They are realizing what the corporations are willing to pay.” Brad E. Bronenkamp, CMM

CONSIDER THE COST FACTOR

Fortunately, there are several strategies that can help soften the financial blow for companies that want to source a top-tier act for their meeting. One approach is to look for groups whose tour schedule includes stops that coincide with the meeting date and site. Such a group may be willing to play a private event at a lower fee since logistical expenses are greatly reduced. For example, when Teradata Corporation held its incentive program in Singapore last year, Bronenkamp was able to book Nickelback, who happened to be on tour in Australia. “If you’re going to pull a band from the U.S., you’re almost paying them for four days so you’re looking at probably a lift of 30 to 40 percent on top of an artist’s fee for them to come over to Singapore and play,” he explains, estimating that Teradata Corporation saved about $200,000 in booking Nickelback due to their proximity.

Another cost-saving strategy is to leverage the buying power of a major entertainment company, such as MGM, AEG or Live Nation. This approach can be pursued when partnering with the entertainment company’s venues. “A year ago, we were at the MGM Mandalay Bay and Delano, and we utilized the entertainment marketing staff of MGM to book REO Speedwagon, which came in at a lower price point just because of how much business MGM does,” Bronenkamp recalls. Similarly, Teradata Corporation is utilizing AEG’s new Mission Ballroom in Denver, Colorado this year and is leveraging AEG’s artist connections for the entertainment.

A third route to booking a big-name artist at a lower cost is to book them when they’re on the brink of becoming a big name. “You want to pick a racehorse before they win the Kentucky Derby,” Bronenkamp says. “In entertainment, it’s the same thing: If you can get somebody before they win the Grammy you’re in great shape. We had The Band Perry at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, and the following week they got a Grammy so their price went up threefold probably.” He advises using agents and other entertainment industry insiders to learn of the up-and-coming acts.

Even with some cost savings, the price tag for the level of artist that Bronenkamp sources is significant, but the ROI in terms of the attendee experience and reward value justifies the expense. The ROI may not work out for other types of meetings, so it’s vital not to just assume that a big-name act will drive engagement.

Colleen Bisconti, IBM vice president, Global Conferences and Events, has found that the big-name band was actually not delivering enough ROI at the company’s annual business and technology conference, Think. Networking among peers is one of the conference’s main value propositions for attendees, and “you don’t network at a concert,” Bisconti says. Neither did a major concert cohere with the educational objective of the event. “Our conferences are really about enabling our clients or prospective clients to understand the technology, to do more with technology, to be better at their jobs. So going to a big concert didn’t really facilitate that.” Indeed, “the percentage of attendees that were attending the concerts was going down year over year,” she relates. “So we made a really bold move when we moved our flagship conference from Las Vegas to San Francisco this year: We didn’t bring a big-name band in, and I was shocked that we didn’t get backlash on attendee post-event surveys. And then I was also shocked that I’m not seeing other IT companies go in that same direction. So as we’re planning our 2020 events, we’re thinking about entertainment in a very different way: entertainment everywhere, in unexpected places, not one big-name band that we thought in the past would have been a draw.”

BOOKING SMALLER ACTS

Her team’s new approach requires booking a variety of smaller acts. “We do lots of DJs around the spaces, so as you’re walking from session to session or venue to venue, there’s a level of excitement. But when you get to a reception or more of an evening destination, then it becomes a background musician or a comedian for a half hour, something that complements the environment,” she explains. That kind of entertainment does not intrude upon networking, and ends up saving money that will be invested in other aspects of the attendee experience.

To source and negotiate with these entertainers, Bisconti relies on several agencies, although the ideas for entertainment often come from the attendees themselves. Corporate entertainment booking agents can also help a planner brainstorm these ideas. “We always start with the customer to understand the end product they’d like to look for as a result of the entertainment,” says Kerwin Felix, CEO and president of Marietta, Georgia-based KLF Pro Entertainment. “And then once we understand what that is, we talk about the options that would best fit their needs, whether they need a ‘wow’ factor or something a little more subdued. We talk about the demographics of their folks, but we also talk about what they want to see visually and make sure that comes across.” KLF offers entertainers of every stripe, from musicians, comedians and magicians to acrobats, body painters, caricaturists and cigar rollers.

Apart from agents’ savvy in helping to select acts, partnering with them can be advantageous insofar as they also vet those acts. “As a planner your name is on the line, and you want to make sure you know what you’re going to get,” says Felix, who has a 31-year corporate background. “One thing I’m really adamant about as a business owner is that we make sure the artists we represent are reliable. Our name is on the line as well as the client’s.”

Regardless of an agency’s abilities and professionalism, there will inevitably be sourcing challenges when dealing with the big-name acts. “You may not get an answer right away; they have big egos and they don’t need the money. So they might hold you out for two months without giving you an answer,” Bronenkamp says. “The artist’s manager may say, ‘Well, he really wants to do it, he’s really interested, but we have to see what his schedule is. Can we have another week to let you know?’ Everything’s going positive and all of a sudden, ‘He’s not going to be able to make it; he has a personal commitment.’ Then you’re back to square one. You have to go back to your leadership team and say, ‘We thought we had them, but we don’t.’”

Compensating for these frustrations is the satisfaction a planner gets when landing a stellar act, and then watching attendees revel in the experience — or most of them, at least. You can’t please all of the people all of the time, as the old adage goes. But you can strive for that ideal, and doing so requires close attention to shifting attendee demographics that impact tastes in entertainment, particularly music. “In our tech world, it’s always been kind of ’70s and ’80s rock ’n’ roll, but now it’s changing to more of the DJs and ’90s/2000s bands,” Bronenkamp observes. A top-tier DJ, such as Zedd or Marshmello, will certainly be a hit with many younger attendees. But while more millennials are entering Teradata Corporation’s sales force, most of incentive qualifiers are still middle-aged, and so classic rock remains the entertainment focus, he explains.

Bisconti’s team also faces the challenge of appealing to a mixed demographic. “Our demographic is a lot of young techie types, but it’s also men and women in their 40s and 50s that are line-of-business leaders or IT leaders. It seems you need to find something that is appealing to both, but what we found is you don’t,” she says. Whether booking an iconic act like Aerosmith or booking two bands that would appeal to different age groups (e.g., The Chainsmokers and Train, which Bisconti booked for a past meeting), her team has found it hard to captivate attendees across the generational spectrum.

It’s also challenging to find an act that will engage a multicultural audience, such as Teradata Corporation’s incentive participants. “You really need an international name if you want people to stay, but I can tell you the moment dinner’s over and the band steps up on stage, I don’t care who I booked, I probably lose 30 percent either from Asia or from the Middle East,” Bronenkamp says. “They’re just not into the music.”

SEEK AN IMPACTFUL VENUE

For that reason, it can be very effective to combine the entertainment with an impactful venue that will engage attendees who don’t happen to be drawn to the performer. Teradata Corporation had Keith Urban perform at the Louvre in Paris one year, for example. “You can’t go out and buy that,” Bronenkamp says. “We hit two major milestones for people, and they’re just blown away.” He gives a similar example from his time at Anheuser-Busch: The company booked Styx to perform at SeaWorld.

Apart from the venue, the entertainment can also be enhanced with an interactive element. For big-name artists, meet-and-greets are a traditional way to provide added value for attendees, and agents can advise the planner on which artists are inclined to agree to that. Performances that involve the audience are also becoming more popular, Felix observes. “Many corporations spend a lot of money on events, but people tend to check out if you don’t have some kind of connectivity. Whether a band or a magician, they have to have ways to connect with the audience,” he says. “One way is going out into the audience and getting them involved, bringing people on the stage. There are a plethora of ways that you can really entertain folks and keep them involved — obviously singalongs, dance contests, etc.” He adds that Latin dancers tend to be a cost-effective and visually impactful form of entertainment: “People like the high energy, the interaction; the costuming.”

Engagement is also increased when the performer personalizes the act, or at least the onstage remarks, to the host company. “If you have a band that wants to be engaged, that makes all the difference in the world,” Bronenkamp says. “But you have some that don’t even care; they may say your corporate name wrong. But then you have some great guys like Train or Imagine Dragons who are really into the corporate world. And Nickelback was great too; they pulled a guy on the stage that probably knew the words as well as they did.” Bisconti notes that in her experience, bands very rarely go the extra mile and personalize. “We’ve only had one band that’s taken that seriously — Barenaked Ladies. And I know they do this for other IT shows as well. They actually wrote a song about IBM and IBM’s clients. It was a wonderful song about big data, and really pulled the audience in. It sends the message that you’re not just here playing your standard 10 songs; you’re here because you want to be here with IBM. So that completely changed the experience of the attendees versus other groups that you’re lucky if they say anything between songs.”

On occasion, inappropriate things will be said on stage, and unfortunately, there isn’t a recourse apart from not booking that act again. “We’ve had some bad experiences where we’ve put a PG rating on our contract and the guys came out and were cursing,” Bronenkamp says. He doesn’t book comedians as he believes there is a greater chance they will say something objectionable, if not offensive. “It’s very high risk and very low reward,” he says.

Most of the surprises with corporate entertainment are positive, however. The main act itself can be a surprise, which is a traditional way of creating a buzz throughout the event with rumors swirling. And there is nothing quite like the moment when a name act is revealed and takes the stage. Such acts may not be right for every meeting — such as IBM’s conference — but when the environment is right for an enthralling performance, it’s best to put your attendees in the hands of an act with an illustrious career. By the time Foreigner finished playing for Teradata Corporation, many attendees remarked, “I knew every song they played,” Bronenkamp says. “You can’t go wrong with acts that have a lot of major hits; they can light it up for an hour. If you have a big-name act, it’s like going to the Masters. Did you ever hear anybody complain about going to the Masters?” C&IT

DepositPhotos.com

Take this quick ethics quiz: A destination that you have no foreseeable interest in booking offers an exotic familiarization (FAM) trip. Do you go?

The host hotel offers to put its reward points on your personal credit card. Do you accept the points or ask that they be given to the organization?

A supplier offers free tickets to attractions, a free hotel room and a five-star dinner for a relative or friend not involved in making site decisions. Your response?

You receive a ‘swag bag’ that includes an iPad. Do you keep it?

The vast majority of planners make the right decisions when facing tempting and challenging ethical situations. However, some planners cross the line.

Julie Schmidt, CMP, CMM, founder and CEO of Minneapolis-based Lithium Logistics Group, cites an example: “I know of one case where the person in charge of trade show space gave a vendor a free booth for a pair of diamond earrings, and it resulted in her departure from the organization,” Schmidt says. “She was caught doing it by a person in the organization who told me about it when I started working with them.”

“I know of one case where the person in charge of trade show space gave a vendor a free booth for a pair of diamond earrings, and it resulted in her departure from the organization.” Julie Schmidt, CMP, CMM

Experts say planners face ethical challenges as part of their jobs. Planners get offered so much so often that making an ethical decision can be confusing and tempting even for the most seasoned and well-intentioned planners.

Sometimes the right ethical choice is clear, sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes an ethically correct decision can appear unethical or inappropriate. Sometimes a supplier’s incentive looks like a bribe and sometimes it is a bribe.

Christy Lamagna, CMP, CMM, CTSM, a visionary, entrepreneur, master strategist and author with New Jersey-based Strategic Meetings & Events, cites another example: “I know a corporate planner who bills charges on-site to her credit card as I do. One day, I complimented her on her beautiful bag, and she said it was a gift from a supplier. I said, ‘They bought you a handbag?’ She said, ‘They don’t know it, but they did.’”

Lamagna continues, “Her attitude was — she deserves it, because she works very hard. I also have seen people bury a Rolex watch in a meeting budget, because the budget was so huge and easy enough to do.”

Even veteran ethical planners can be tempted. “Regardless of how moral and ethical you are, everybody is human, and there is always the nobody-will-ever-know factor just like nobody knows how hard we really work,” Lamagna says.

Planners who either willfully or unknowingly act unethically can damage their reputations and careers.

According to Catherine Chaulet, president and CEO of Washington, D.C.-based Global DMC Partners, “Let’s face it. This industry is extremely connected. Word-of-mouth spreads very quickly for the bad and the good. A planner showcasing fairness and ethical behavior is highly appreciated and everyone knows them. Unethical ones are also known in the industry. Interestingly enough, they usually do not last in their positions.”

The best approach to unethical temptation — is not yielding to it. That was Chaulet’s approach to an incident she encountered.

“We had a situation a while back where a corporate planner would award a program to the company who would offer her the best personal gifts,” Chaulet says. “It was a very challenging situation as these programs were quite consequential. But we simply decided not to play on that basis and agreed to possibly lose this piece of business.”

Chaulet continues, “We wanted to be selected only on the basis of being the best. In the end, we won the program and the planner was ultimately let go by the company. Most of the time these behaviors are identified within the corporations, who act swiftly and promptly. They do not want to be associated with such unethical behaviors.”

Sometimes planners must determine when, for the good of a client, to take an action that appears unethical, but isn’t.

Says Lamagna, “I found out once that there is a line you need to cross. As a third-party planner, I was in Tahiti on a visit with two other people at a hotel we had chosen for a top-notch incentive program. I was walking through the spa and I was asking some people about their experience. They were polite, but nobody gave a direct answer.”

She adds, “After that, I took advantage of a free spa day for myself and the two others. We agreed that it was the worst massage we ever had. One might think the free spa day was a boondoggle. But had we done that before choosing the property, we would have had a better program.”

The lesson: “Ever since then, whenever I do an incentive trip, somebody on our team gets a free facial and massage to check out the spa,” Lamagna says.

Other planners may have handled the previous situation differently. There are several shades of ethical gray in planning and even veterans don’t see ethical issues precisely the same way. That’s especially true regarding an issue that is rarely discussed openly in the meeting industry – appropriating intellectual property.

‘Borrowing’ and then slightly altering creative ideas is common among planners, DMCs and others in the industry. However, actively soliciting and then copying ideas is another matter.

According to Chaulet, “Our industry is constantly looking for new, more creative ideas and planners bear huge pressure to seek innovative ideas all the time. But a very delicate situation is taking ideas from companies you ultimately will not work with.”

She adds, “Reaching out to third parties and getting ideas through their proposals is a wonderful way to expand creativity. However, it may lead to very sensitive situations where an idea in a proposal is perfect, yet the company proposing it might not be chosen for the meeting, but the planner uses the idea anyway.”

Chaulet offers the following solution: “Be honest with the other party and explain that the idea is terrific, and you wish to replicate it, but will do so separately,” Chaulet says. “Through discussions, find mutually agreeable ways to fairly compensate for access to the idea. Most third parties will appreciate such an ethical approach.”

Handling intellectual property illustrates that it can sometimes be tricky for planners to be ethical while making the best decisions for clients.

Lamagna offers the following advice: “What I preach is that it’s never about you,” Lamagna says. “If what you are doing is, at the end of the day, in the best interests of the client, then gray areas become much easier to decide.”

She continues, “Do you need to try that fishing excursion that a client wants? You might because you need to know if the DMC recommending it understands your vision of what you need. Will saying ‘Yes’ to an iPad help the client? Not if I keep it.”

There are also instances in which planners face temptation to be unethical to cover mistakes without anybody knowing. Lamagna provides an example from very early in her nearly 30-year career.

“When I was brand new at planning, as a third-party planner, I forgot to add the taxes and service charges to the budget for a large event, and the budget had already been approved,” Lamagna says. “It occurred to me that I could hide at least half of the mistake by moving stuff around and cutting the budget. Instead, I called the client, apologized, and volunteered to eat my fee and make up the difference. But the client decided not to make me pay for it.”

Factors that contribute to ethical lapses among planners include a lack of education on the topic, ethically gray areas and a lack of uniform, defined and enforceable code of ethics, although some companies and individual organizations have their own policies.

For example, the Convention Industry Council (CIC) has an ethics code for planners who earn its Certified Meeting Professional program. The CIC’s CMP Code of Ethics asks planners to avoid using one’s “position for undue personal gain and to promptly disclose to appropriate parties all potential and actual conflicts of interest.” The code’s disciplinary policy can result in certification revocation, but that rarely happens.

Also the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) has a Professional and Ethical Conduct code that calls on members to avoid conflicts of interests or activities that reflect negatively on an organization, industry or person.

The principles ask members to “refuse inappropriate gifts, incentives and/or services in any business dealings that may be offered as a result of my position and could be perceived as personal gain.”

Since there are no uniform industry-wide policies which apply to all meeting and event planners, they are often left to apply their own personal ethics on a case-by-case basis.

Instead, experts say, corporate and independent planners should write and regularly update their own clear and concise ethics policies and procedures that include which gifts and services are acceptable, value limits and accountability measures. Policies should cover areas such as FAM trips, meals and entertainment, gifts, points and other perks.

Says Lamagna, “The better we are with our codes of ethics and conduct, the more respectfully we will be looked at as an industry. We have work to do until we get information out there and the industry adopts a code of ethics or a standard that is known and everyone follows.”

Some of the most common ethical challenges involve the following areas:

FAM TRIPS

Familiarization trips are valued tools planners use to select the right properties and destinations. However, FAM trips are easy and tempting to abuse.

That’s why the meeting industry has a term called ‘FAM scam’ to describe the practice of improperly using expenses-paid trips that hotels, venues and CVBs offer planners to experience properties and destinations. Lamagna refers to planners who routinely abuse FAM trips as “professional Fammers.”

According to Schmidt, “I know there are people in the industry who think FAM trips are giveaways, but I find them to be useful tools for planners to be educated about destinations,” Schmidt says. “The place where there can be conflict is if somebody accepts a trip to someplace that they know they will never sell, or they represent that they will be able to sell a destination knowing they can’t. It’s mostly a combination of people being unethical and suppliers not being good about qualifying people for the trips.”

Schmidt explains why FAM abuse can be tempting. “With FAM trips, the destination is basically rolling out a red carpet to someplace a planner might want to go,” Schmidt says. “Familiarization trips are easy to take advantage of because they are often to fabulous places. So, the temptation is to say, ‘Sure, I’m considering that destination even though there is a very small chance I will choose it.’ It requires ethics and a certain maturity to turn it down.”

AIRLINE & HOTEL POINTS

Hotels and airlines often award points and airline miles to organizations that usually must be credited under a person’s name. The name, in the case of meetings and events, is often that of a planner.

Some planners accept points and miles only if their organizations allow it. But other planners accept the points for their own use.

According to Schmidt, “Travel points is an issue that always comes up in the industry. Companies have very different policies. I never thought it was wrong for a planner to take travel points from hotels. When it comes to flying, it’s the person who is flying that gets the points, so there is no question there.”

“With hotels,” Schmidt continues, “A lot of them give points to the person who pays for the rooms. So, if a company pays for the rooms of 50 people, then the company keeps the points; if a person pays, then the person keeps the points. I think that’s fair.”

GIFTS

Various types of gifts are part of the planner experience, especially when suppliers are trying to land first-time meetings.

Suppliers routinely offer gifts to planners that include iPads, spa treatments, handbags, free hotel nights, five-star dinners, free limousine rides and tickets to sporting and entertainment events.

However, experts say, planners offered expensive gifts should ask themselves the following questions: When is a gift a bribe? Should planners accept or reject a gift based on value alone or should they also consider the perceived intent of the supplier?

Some planners say that gifts are abused less frequently these days.

According to Schmidt, “The whole culture of gifting from vendors, hotels, convention centers and CVBs isn’t there in the same way. With all the issues about gifting, companies have gotten more rigid and it has given vendors and suppliers an excuse to not do it as much and save money.”

Experts say there are several reasons why planners are sometimes ethically challenged. Some planners, particularly novices, may not realize what they did is unethical. In addition, many people who plan meetings aren’t professional planners, don’t do it full time and know little about industry ethics issues.

According to Lamagna, “In many instances planners who plan meetings for companies are those who are interested in taking on the responsibility or are given it, but they have no professional experience or ethics to guide them. So, if a property says come check out a place for free and receive an iPad, they don’t necessarily know that’s not appropriate for the industry as whole and could make a mistake without knowing it.”

In addition, ethics is a topic that planners and others in the meetings industry have traditionally avoided. In recent years, however, some industry organizations and leaders have addressed the topic through seminars, speeches and writings.

Schmidt says the topic of ethics has become more prominent in the industry than when she started 15 years ago. “Planners coming up are in a more ethical environment,” Schmidt notes. “Ethics is a topic that my colleagues and I talk about, and I have a group of colleagues who think that being ethical is a highly important part of the job.”

While planners bear the responsibility to monitor their ethics, suppliers must also police their own actions by, for example, vetting planners for FAM trips. Instead, planners say, suppliers feel compelled to keep up with competitors who offer questionable freebies and get results.

SOLUTIONS

•Address ethics topics head-on to enhance the industry’s reputation and make planners appear more professional.

•Planners, hotels, vendors and suppliers should all disclose their ethics policies to each other.

•Consult with peers, supervisors and stakeholders when faced with ethics challenges, especially those that aren’t clear and cause indecisiveness.

•Be aware of how the acceptance of some technically ethical gifts and favors can be perceived. Ask what you would think if your actions were published on social media.

•Corporate planners should push for the creation of written planner codes for their companies. Experts say that creating policies is especially important for third-party planners because they are perceived to face ethical challenges more often.

•Planners should educate themselves and their staffs on ethics.

Ethical education will eventually expand into new areas. According to Schmidt, “What we are talking about as ethical challenges in the industry will be different in the future. Those areas will probably revolve around technology and how it is used by planners.”

Lamagna offers this basic advice for current and future ethical challenges: “If it feels wrong, then don’t do it.” C&IT

Howard Givner is the founder and CEO of the Event Leadership Institute, which provides professional development resources for the meetings and events industry through a Netflix-style library of micro-learning videos and professional development courses. Previously, he was the founder of an award-winning event agency. Givner is a frequent industry speaker, educator and consultant on business growth, event strategy, innovation, event ROI and other topics. He can be reached at Howard@EventLeadershipInstitute.com.

For a number of years, I’ve been giving a presentation at industry conferences on “Disruptions Facing the Events Industry.” Of all the various potential disruptions – economic, political, technological, social, etc. – gun violence and mass shootings at events is the one I’ve been most worried about. They pose an existential threat to the meetings and events industry: to the safety of our event attendees, the viability of the businesses that produce them and the livelihoods of the people they employ.

As of this writing, the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history – the 2017 Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas, in which 59 people were killed – took place at an event. Other mass shootings in recent years have also occurred at events: a movie premiere, a food festival and an employee gathering.

Recently, 145 CEOs sent a letter to the U.S. Senate, urging them to take action on this issue, including: Uber, Levi Strauss, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Gap, Twitter, Condé Nast and Omnicom. Additionally, event and hospitality industry companies include: Eventbrite, Airbnb, Splash, Royal Caribbean Cruises and Stanlee Gatti Designs. It is long overdue that our industry join this effort.

THE ‘DUTY OF CARE’ PRINCIPLE

At its core, this a safety issue. The ‘duty of care’ principle calls for planners to do whatever is reasonably feasible to safeguard the well-being of event attendees, staff and other stakeholders. When thinking of all the things that could go wrong at an event, surely nothing would be worse than mass murder. This is our responsibility, plain and simple. Just about any other safety risk would galvanize the events industry to action on numerous fronts. Yet the only discussions I’ve seen in the industry have focused on reactive measures, such as increased security and active shooter drills. We can, and must, address both the cause and the symptoms.

THE BUSINESS RISK

One of the 9/11 Commission Report’s most haunting statements is that those attacks could have been prevented. This shouldn’t be a problem for our industry, since there have been shootings at festivals and other events. If, however, you’re thinking, “Yeah, but that’s different; I plan conferences,” let’s paint an image closer to home: Picture someone committing a mass shooting at your most important, high-profile event. What would the fallout be for that event and your organization? What lawsuits would your company be facing? Other companies would likely cancel or dramatically curtail their own events. If a mass shooting occurred at a banking conference, for example, you can bet that executives at the other banks would be re-evaluating their event plans as well. Attendees outside the U.S. will start re-thinking coming to events here. In fact, more countries are issuing advisory warnings about the risks of gun violence when traveling to the U.S. The events industry could take years to recover.

INCREASED COSTS

Further, events would start to incur significantly higher security costs, due to additional guards, metal detectors, physical barriers, surveillance cameras, etc. Registration lists may have to be scrutinized more carefully. Tighter security for vendors at the loading dock would slow the installation process and require longer rental periods. The small armies of catering and event staff may have to go through background checks. Insurance for venues, hosts and vendors would increase.

OPEN CARRY LAWS

While a mass shooting is clearly the worst of the gun scenarios, event attendees openly carrying firearms should also be a cause for concern. Picture the impact of someone with an AR-15 slung over their shoulder walking your show floor, or someone with a holstered handgun arguing with registration personnel.

And even if you’re able to bar firearms at your event, which a number of states won’t allow you to do, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to stop people from being armed in common areas — e.g. convention center or hotel lobbies — or ancillary event sites like restaurants. (See: Can We Keep Guns Out Of Meetings?) Currently 44 states allow open carry of rifles and shotguns. Further, 31 states allow open carry of handguns with no permit required, while another 15 states require some permit or license. (Source: Giffords Law Center)

WHERE IS THE INDUSTRY’S VOICE?

Given the potentially devastating impact of guns and gun violence, it’s surprising, and quite frankly disappointing, that the meetings and events industry hasn’t been more vocal in advocating for sensible gun safety. We have a voice when we want to use it. The movement to fight human trafficking has received broad support at the highest levels. The same can be said of incorporating sustainability and inclusiveness practices.

Ah, but those issues aren’t controversial, some might say. No one is actually in favor of human trafficking, right? Well, look at the industry’s response to recent anti-LGBTQ state laws, which did have strong support in those states. This is not a zero-sum issue. Tackling gun safety at events need not come at the expense of any other worthwhile causes. We can walk and chew gum at the same time. What will it take before we start speaking out on the mortal threat gun violence poses to our businesses and the people we are charged with safeguarding at our events? Where is our outrage?

TAKING A STAND

Now is the time to act. Let’s not wait until yet another atrocity occurs at an event. Let’s start by advocating two policy initiatives already enjoying widespread and bipartisan public support, and can make a huge impact:

1) Institute universal background checks by having the Senate pass the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 (H.R. 8) which passed the House of Representatives early this year.

2) Reinstate the federal assault weapons ban that expired in 2004.

This is the bare minimum our industry should support, and is still a far cry from the regulations in most industrialized countries. Here are a few things you can do:

· Sign the Petition for Gun Safety at Events on behalf of our industry, supporting the two basic gun safety proposals outlined above, which will be delivered to members of Congress and state legislatures, in consultation with the corporate affairs team at Everytown for Gun Safety.

· Join a growing coalition of CEOs, thought leaders, influencers and industry professionals who want to make a difference.

· Contact your elected officials and let them know how this issue affects your events and businesses.

· Speak out. Share your concerns on social media. Email editors at industry publications. Talk to your association leaders.

Stand up and be counted. The current system is unsustainable and we must work toward a solution together. Your event attendees’ safety, and your livelihood, depend on it.C&IT

As the executive editor and producer of “The Luxe List,” Kern is an internationally regarded brand analyst, strategist and futurist. As a prolific branding and marketplace trends pundit, Kern spotlights noteworthy industry innovators, change makers, movers and shakers. Experts, brands, products, services, destinations and events across all categories are spotlighted in her exclusive cross-media platform through print and online publications, TV and radio. Connect with her at www.TheLuxeList.com, Instagram www.Instagram.com/LuxeListReviews, Twitter www.Twitter.com/LuxeListEditor, Facebook www.Facebook.com/TheLuxeList, and LinkedIn www.LinkedIn.com/in/MerileeKern.

Overachievement is a concept that’s seemingly become a gold standard on how to become a ‘superstar’ in business, career goals and life overall. Just Google search ‘how to overachieve’ and the web will dutifully deliver more than 355,000 resources to help propel your prosperity.

In today’s fast-paced business climate, masses have surrendered themselves to overachievement in pursuit of business and career success. Not just ordinary success, but rather, the kind that exceeds expectations courtesy of excessive ‘above and beyond’ effort put forth. Some relent to a life of overachievement willingly and enthusiastically as they yearn to earn, while others grievously succumb to a multitude of pressures — both external and self-inflicted — and work themselves to extremes.

While overachievement certainly has it’s share of virtues, having induced profound innovation, breakthroughs, productivity and abundance for individuals, organizations, industries and economies at large, there’s often a dark side to this extreme approach to advancement. For some, yes, dreams come true, but throngs of others miss the mark despite best efforts. “This often happens because they’re aiming for achievements instead of at a deeper understanding of themselves and of what they want,” says Keren Eldad, a certified business coach, keynote speaker and trusted adviser to industry-leading executives, acclaimed entrepreneurs and premier organizations.

“It’s a silent story shared by many who present a happy, accomplished and enviable image; one of putting on pretenses and internally writhing with angst and anxiety; of never having enough, of insecurity, doubt and dissatisfaction — a state I have coined the ‘Superstar Paradox,’” Eldad says.

Below, Eldad offers the five foundational insights to help ensure some of your overachievement behaviors or mindsets won’t actually undermine your success or your level of life satisfaction even after you’ve actually realized ‘superstar status.’

1. Reframe your success story. Overachievers often believe success only comes from power, money or status. Yes, those things are important benchmarks, but being successful in life overall should be the true Holy Grail. So, if you are a C-suite executive, or aspire to be one, but are riddled with anxiety, stress, pain and dissatisfaction, it’s evident that money and status isn’t proving as worthwhile as it can and should be. To initiate change, be brave enough to reframe your personal story. Life isn’t meant to be one-dimensional or even work-centered, so actually sit down and map out what you would hope for each facet of your life to look like if it were a true success. This can include: marriage, children, extended family, friendships, professional networks, social media/networking, investments, travel, physical fitness, self-care, beauty, fashion and style, transportation, entertainment, hobbies and passions and so on. You’ll soon see that life fulfillment means so much more than what happens on the work front. Once you start mapping it all out, you might come to the realization that you’ve been missing out on quite a lot in your quest for career glory.

2. Get out of your own way. Even ‘superstars’ create self-imposed limitations based on what they originally perceived their goal or benchmark of success to be. Once achieved, it’s instinctive to want to bask in ‘that place,’ both emotionally and physically. After all, you worked to extremes to get there. But, overachievers inevitably will want more, and then other kinds of self-imposed limitations kick in that are often founded on what we perceive our own capabilities and opportunities — or lack thereof — to be. Even the most confident overachievers suffer the ‘can’t rant’ internal dialogue. Take heed that ‘can’t’ usually is not a real thing. From “I can’t afford to do what I really want” to “I can’t start over now,” — this word usually really means “I won’t.” Yes, you worked hard to earn your accolades and are pleased with where you are, but sometimes a hard pivot is needed to get you where you really want to go.

3. Classify and conquer your ‘fatal flaw.’ One definition of a ‘fatal flaw’ is that which causes an otherwise noble or exceptional individual to bring about their own downfall, which can be their own death — whether figuratively or literally. The idea that any particular ‘fatal flaw’ is holding us back is a primary reason why so many overachievers become hooked on their actualized achievements and come to rely on fake confidence and aggrandizement versus operating from a place of vulnerability and authenticity. Sometimes the phrase ‘character flaw’ is synonymous with this notion, revealing a bit more that the flaw is about the person themselves and not really his or her circumstance. So, to achieve ‘superstar status’ while fostering genuine, lasting happiness, it’s imperative to discern if you have a ‘fatal flaw’ and, once identified, work wholeheartedly to resolve it — or learn how to function at a high-level with it.

4. Course-correct crippling self-constructs. A common obstacle to a ‘superstar’ realizing genuine happiness is their own reliance on self-esteem, which is different from self-acceptance. Self-esteem is defined as “a positive or negative orientation toward oneself; an overall evaluation of one’s worth or value” and, for overachievers, depends on external conditions being met and how they then ‘rank’ against others. Self-acceptance, which is a critical factor in genuine happiness and authenticity, is founded on other key self-constructs like self-compassion — a person’s ability to forgive themselves for essentially being human and imperfect. Overachievers and aptly accomplished ‘superstars’ are susceptible to being heavily dependent upon the opinions of others, their corresponding status and their perceived stature versus understanding, and primarily relying on, self-acceptance. In many cases, this feeling of unworthiness is what coaches like me consider fatal flaws for the overachiever. It’s that ‘something’ about themselves they feel makes them ‘less than.’ For overachievers, what becomes fatal flaws are often regular imperfections like weight, assets, health, children, relationships and their home.

5. Pray for a storm. If you didn’t buy all the above points yet and think, “Nah, I got this,” then brace yourself because a curve ball is bound to throw you off your game. But, this unimagined disruption can be a GOOD thing! So many overachievers spend most of their lives working to avoid the pain of uncertainty or problems, assuring themselves with zealous over-confidence that “it’s all going to work out” based on the current approach or way of thinking — and never mind that nagging dissatisfaction and angst. However, I’ve found that when ‘superstars’ are most comfortable and when stress finally boils over, they not only find themselves immersed in a major issue, but often a major ‘storm.’ When this happens — embrace it — open yourself to the series of new possibilities it presents. Yes, it will be uncomfortable and tremendously unsettling. But it can also present an exciting opportunity: the ‘wake-up call’ to finally recognize where you are and what got you there, what weaknesses and threats have gotten the best of you, and work on thoughtfully strategized resolutions that’ll make you emotionally stronger and your circumstances better than before.C&IT

The Washington State Convention Center is undergoing a $1.7 billion expansion.

Hot ‘new’ destinations for meetings and conventions are few and far between. While Seattle has long been utilized for events by Pacific Northwest-based companies such as Amazon and Microsoft, the city’s day in the sunshine may have arrived for meeting planners looking for something fresh and different.

With 431,306 sf of rentable space, the existing Washington State Convention Center (WSCC) — known as the Arch building — has been the smallest meeting facility of any major west coast city, hindering the city’s ability to draw high-profile events. Clearly, Seattle has been ripe for expansion.

“I will say the hills in Seattle are reminiscent of San Francisco. Seattle is a great walking city — especially if you want exercise.” Lynn Stange, RN, BSN, MA, CHC

Last year Seattle approved construction of a second, non-contiguous building for its convention center, the Summit, located two short blocks from the Arch building. The $1.7 billion project will add 570,290 sf of event space to the WSCC, anticipated to be completed in spring 2022. Already, 16 meetings have booked into the new facility, three of which will utilize both the Arch and Summit buildings. Additionally, nine new hotels catering to a divergent audience have opened in Seattle over the past two years, adding 2,500 rooms to the downtown core. The jewel in the crown was the opening of the 1,260-room Hyatt Regency Seattle, the largest hotel in the Pacific Northwest. The year-old hotel is already drawing plaudits from high-profile meeting planners.

“I want to say how impressed I was with the new facility and the team at Hyatt Regency Seattle,” says Mark Schmieding, BILT NA partnership manager at the Digital Built Environment Institute, which operates an annual event series catering to those who design, build, operate and maintain the built environment.

Schmieding adds: “I go to many conferences, and have produced several as a member of the BILT committee. The experience here was my best so far.”

Located in the heart of downtown, the hotel is two blocks from the convention center’s existing Arch building and sits adjacent to the Summit addition. The 45-story Hyatt Regency offers 103,000 sf of flexible meeting and ballroom space and has already enlivened the surrounding pedestrian streetscape and growing convention neighborhood.

Schmieding was particularly impressed by the vertical layout of the building, allowing guests to easily transfer from their hotel room to each conference level. “As an architect, I am particularly critical of design and layout,” he explains. “The design of the conference floors as ‘rings’ with escalators helps with flow and wayfinding. And the location in Seattle is convenient and well located to allow visitors to walk to sites and stores nearby.”

Along with seven other hotel openings, the debut of the Hyatt Regency helped boost the downtown hotel inventory last year by 19%, with an additional 3% increase in rooms projected for this year. Until the new convention center starts to absorb groups, Seattle may be faced with a temporary glut of rooms.

“While demand is increasing, it is not increasing at the same pace as our supply,” says Jena Thornton, a “hotel data junkie” and principal at Seattle real estate firm Kinzer Partners, who adds that local hoteliers are singing the blues. “The years 2019 and 2020 will be tough for occupancies as our hotels absorb the new supply.”

The Hyatt chain holds an enviable position for access to the WSCC. In addition to the Hyatt Regency, the Grand Hyatt Seattle and Hyatt at Olive 8 are also within one block of the existing convention center and the expansion. The Grand Hyatt has a 5,671-sf ballroom, along with a unique indoor amphitheater with raked seating for 159 attendees. Across the street, Hyatt at Olive 8, features a 6,641-sf ballroom. The three hotels work closely to accommodate groups small and large.

Another major meeting hotel is the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, Seattle, which originally opened in 1924 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Fairmont has operated the hotel since 2003 and the hotel underwent an extensive renovation in recent years, updating all guest rooms and meeting facilities, while keeping the hotel’s distinctive character. The hotel has 30,000 sf of meeting space and includes a variety of unique, one-of-a-kind spaces.

SEATTLE’S VARIED MEETING VENUES

This year, Seattle’s landmark Space Needle completed a $100 million renovation that takes the visitor experience to a new level, but also makes the iconic structure a viable option for corporate events. The two-level ‘top house’ can be rented for a memorable event 520 feet above the city, or meeting planners can utilize the SkyLine Level, a private event and banquet space 100 feet off the ground with capacity for 350 guests reception-style or 300 for a banquet. Immediately next door to the Space Needle, the exquisite Chihuly Garden and Glass — under the same management — can be incorporated with the tower for a one-of-a-kind block party for groups of 1,500 or more.

For its sales meeting earlier this year, Cincinnati-based Cintas chose Seattle based on the city’s accessibility to attendees located in the Western U.S. and Canada. “Seattle offered a centralized meeting destination for our teams in Canada, and a short flight from all teams in Oregon and California,” says Brielle Griffin, executive administrator for the vice president of sales at the company’s Northwest Sales Group. “The city is beautiful, and our group really enjoyed being able to walk at night to look at all the good things Seattle had to offer.”

For the 380-attendee gathering, Cintas chose the Sheraton Grand Seattle. “We really enjoyed the fact that the hotel was a short walk from Pike Place, the Waterfront and a short ride from the Space Needle.”

The Sheraton Grand completed an extensive refresh of all guest rooms and common spaces last year which led to being re-flagged with the ‘Grand’ designation. Directly across the street from the convention center, every inch of the hotel’s 75,000 sf function space was renovated. The hotel is renowned for having the largest private art collection on display at a Seattle business and features numerous Dale Chihuly glass pieces. “The Sheraton Grand offered one of the best set-up meetings we have had in many years,” Griffin says. “Usually we are in Reno, using one of the casino hotel conference rooms, but we always seem to run into issues with A/V or seating. For this meeting they had a complete set-up that was seamless and wonderful from start to finish.” Griffin noted that Cintas required a runway and high-level A/V equipment, but the hotel provided a four-man A/V team that was “superb and professional. They were knowledgeable and helped us tremendously — everything went so smoothly.”

“The food exceeded our expectations,” Griffin adds. “They met the dietary requirements with ease as well.”

The one challenge Griffin cites was holding one of the receptions at the hotel’s 35th-floor Cirrus Ballroom. “The elevators were not prepared to handle such a large group moving up and down, and it ended up making our team late for the awards banquet,” Griffin explains. “The Cirrus Ballroom was beautiful, and everyone enjoyed it — it was just not easy to get back down. But as soon as we alerted the staff, they opened the service elevator, and got our teams down ASAP. It was, again, a prime example of their great service offered to our group. The staff throughout the entire hotel was attentive and truly understood how to handle a group of our size.”

Griffin recommends planners working with the Sheraton Grand be specific and clear with expectations and needs upfront. “Be sure you review your banquet event orders closely,” Griffin suggests. “Once you do that, it will run without a hitch. We were very clear on the front end, leading to a truly set-and-forget type of meeting with absolutely no hiccups once we were on-site and rolling. We loved it.”

Enthusiasm for Seattle as a host destination was also a factor for Weatherbee Resources, which had a Regulatory Boot Camp for 88 attendees earlier this year. “Seattle offered a wonderful opportunity to have participants from the Pacific Northwest who would not normally attend an event on, say, the East Coast,” explains Lynn Stange, RN, BSN, MA, CHC, president of Weatherbee Resources, who called the city “a natural fit” for her conference, which was held at the Renaissance Seattle Hotel.

“We also knew that travel into Seattle would be easy for those coming from other areas and that the hotel was well-situated — not only easy access to and from the airport or train station, but also to local entertainment and food. The advantages were numerous: many things to do and see, friendly people, great weather and, of course — great seafood.”

Due to the intensity of Weatherbee’s program, no off-site events were scheduled. The Renaissance features a wide variety of smaller meeting rooms, spread on five different floors. The largest space is the 5,225-sf Courtyard Ballroom, sufficient for a banquet seating 380. “We have worked with the Renaissance in the past and they have always treated us well, so it was an easy decision to book,” Stange says. “We were fortunate to be able to have our event in the hotel meeting area. We loved the meeting rooms, as they were spacious and easy to access from the hotel rooms. The catering was very well done and the food was delicious, and the event staff was professional and easy to work with. We made use of their technology, and although I recall there were some issues with the Wi-Fi, we were able to work around that.”

The hotel’s main eatery, The Fig & The Judge Market Restaurant, was open for breakfast and lunch only at the time. “So we went out for meals,” Stange says. “This ended up being fine as we got to experience more of the city. I will say the hills in Seattle are reminiscent of San Francisco. Seattle is a great walking city — especially if you want exercise.” Stange adds that guest rooms were “divine.”

“They were well furnished, quiet, had nice views, were spacious and clean,” Stange says. “I would definitely return to the Renaissance for personal travel.”

TACOMA CLOSE TO SEA-TAC AIRPORT

Just 25 miles from Sea-Tac Airport, Tacoma is Washington’s third-largest city, with a population of 200,000. The Greater Tacoma Convention Center offers 119,000 sf of combined meeting and pre-function space, with floor-to-ceiling views of downtown. Hotel Murano, named after the glass-blowing capital of Italy, currently offers the bulk of rooms adjacent to the convention center, along with more than 30,000 sf of flexible meeting space ranging from classroom to theater-style spaces and a ballroom.

Next year, the number of rooms within walking distance of the convention facility swells as Marriott’s Tacoma Convention Center Hotel nears completion. The four-star property will be the first hotel attached to the convention center, connected on the ballroom level by a grand promenade. When it opens in fall 2020, the 23-story hotel will have a 10,000-sf ballroom plus seven breakout rooms totaling 9,000 sf.

PORTLAND EXPERIENCING HOTEL BOOM

Trading Mt. Rainier views for those of Mt. Hood, Portland, Oregon is also experiencing a hotel boom that is helping to reposition the city as a top meeting and convention destination. The hotel room inventory for the city center is projected to reach 10,000 rooms by spring 2020, an increase of 40 percent since 2015.

While many of the recent hotel openings in Portland target business travelers and the leisure market, the Hyatt Regency Portland at the Oregon Convention Center, opening in December 2019, will help put the city’s convention stature on better footing. The hotel will feature 39,000 sf of meeting and event space, including a 11,822-sf ballroom. The hotel is centrally located in the Lloyd District, with high-end restaurants and breweries nearby, plus ample public transportation access.

The Oregon Convention Center itself is now completing a $40 million, 14-month renovation to update the 30-year-old building, the largest convention center in the Pacific Northwest, sprawling more than 1 million sf. The interior design will bring the aesthetic of Oregon landscapes inside, replete with local accents such as lichen-like carpets and forest-canopy ceilings. The building is now more energy efficient, and the renovations enhance ADA accessibility with the addition of a connector corridor between the original building and the previous expansion. The final phase of the renovation was an extensive update to the 25,000 sf Oregon Ballroom, completed just recently.

Construction software company Viewpoint may have its world headquarters based in Portland, but for its annual Collaborate Conference, the company found hosting the event in its home city meant employees could attend the 2,600-attendee event last year without busting the travel budget.

“Portland is a great city for meetings,” says Scott Sward, CCTE, GLP, GTP, Viewpoint’s global travel and meetings manager. “Attendees really enjoy themselves here, and we have had really good feedback in past years. Many attendees come to Portland the week before to explore the city. We have numerous dinners around the city during the week, and attendees always say they enjoy the food scene in Portland.”

But there’s one other advantage for Viewpoint meeting in Portland: It’s tax-free. “A tax-free city allows us more budget to spend on attendee experience,” Sward says. “Moving to another city would mean we would have to cut some experiences.”

Viewpoint used two hotels for the bulk of its attendees: Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront and the Hilton Portland Downtown. “We needed large blocks and these hotels worked well with us,” Sward says. “Basically, they had to let us block the entire hotel and have space large enough for a large party as well as ample space for pre-conference labs and meetings as well as additional space for receptions during the week. Both are also prominent in the downtown area, and give our attendees not only a good hotel experience but also easy access to all that downtown Portland has to offer.”

Sward continues: “We have our welcome party at the Marriott Waterfront; our final customer appreciation party is at the Hilton. Both hotels have excellent catered food. The service is amazing — they really care about you and your event, and they are great partners.”

Sward lauds the Oregon Convention Center, where sessions and workshops were held. “They are very easy to work with and very accommodating,” he explains. “It’s an excellent facility and you can have a great meeting without feeling lost as you might in a city like Las Vegas or Orlando. And the food is some of the best convention center food I have ever had.”

One challenge Sward notes is the location of the Oregon Convention Center in relation to downtown, where most hotels are found. “Attendees are apprehensive at first when they hear they have to ride the train to the convention center,” he says. “But after they do it they find it easy and convenient.”

BOISE CATERS TO CORPORATE EVENTS

The Pacific Northwest region extends inland to Idaho, and downtown Boise has seen the addition of nearly 600 hotel rooms in recent years, bringing the total to nine properties with 1,275 rooms within walking distance to Boise Centre. Additionally, the long-standing Red Lion Hotel Boise Downtowner is scheduled for a complete overhaul that will include a flag change to Marriott’s Delta Hotels brand. The planned $10 million makeover will include a total renovation of all guest rooms with completion expected in 2021.

Boise Centre has also seen a facelift. Last year a renovation boosted space from 50,000 sf to 86,000 sf, with 31 meeting rooms available. Boise can now accommodate groups up to 1,600 attendees as well as multiple smaller groups at the same time. Although Boise is most commonly linked to events for associations, the city was centrally located for the member companies operating the Western Gas Measurement Short Course, (WGMSC) an educational conference that drew 525 attendees earlier this year.

“All members of the WGMSC are employees of Western U.S. and Canadian natural gas utilities and transportation companies,” explains Tim Wold, 2019 chairman of the WGMSC, an event that provides classes by industry experts for employees of the natural gas industry. “The Boise airport has nonstop travel for many of our member companies and the airport is only minutes from downtown Boise.”

Wold continues, “The Boise Centre had just recently completed an expansion, and the added square footage allowed us to offer more classes and vendor space. We had plenty of space for our group of 525 attendees and for the 103 vendor booths in the main convention hall. The A/V staff set up each classroom with a projector, screen and microphone for the speakers, and I was given a radio to contact A/V, catering or the operation staff if anything was needed or to be changed. I was also given a lapel pin to wear so the staff knew that I was the point person for the convention.”

“Breakfast and lunch buffets at the Boise Centre were well received by the attendees and the prices were very affordable,” Wold adds. “The staff had water and coffee stations by the classrooms and during breaks snacks were available in the main convention hall. Along with our board members, I was very impressed by the professionalism of the entire Boise Centre staff, from front office to wait staff.”

Wold says vendors used downtown restaurants to dine with their customers each night. “One vendor rented the JUMP Center (Jack’s Urban Meeting Place) next to the Boise Centre for dinner and a Japanese drum and dance show,” Wold says. “I attended some of the dinners and had great food and fun, and there were great comments on restaurants from the other attendees that I talked with during the event.”

Wold noted one challenge Boise presented to some attendees: The limited number of nonstop flights from the east. “Several vendors flying in from the East Coast area had a long day,” he explains. But the benefits outweighed the inconveniences. “The main advantage of Boise as a destination is the commitment of the convention center, the hotels, the restaurants and the city to make sure everyone attending is wanting to come back.”C&IT

Amy Durocher, of Global Cynergies LLC, says a charitable activity creates a positive experience for the team and for the community, and is always budget-friendly.

The experiential trend in the meetings industry looks to continue into 2020, and into the foreseeable future. Attendees of all types of meetings, not just incentive programs, seem more than ever to crave engagement beyond run-of-the-mill sessions and meal functions. The budget for the program must therefore support an impactful experience — however it is defined for a given group. A telling statistic comes from the American Express Meetings & Events’ 2020 Global Meetings and Events Forecast: With a 10% budget increase, most respondents said they would invest in an “improved on-site experience.”

Guiding that investment is the corporate culture, notes Amy Durocher, director of global accounts with Scottsdale, Arizona-based Global Cynergies LLC, a venue sourcing company. “More creative companies and those that have a higher percentage of millennial employees are going to be looking to create experiences that are different than perhaps your more traditional Fortune 500 or 100 type of companies,” she observes. Naturally, the type of meeting also informs the ‘design’ of the experience. A unique experience is clearly a high priority for incentive trips, for example, and that can involve a more significant investment. “Every year we have to raise the bar, so they want to qualify and have this experience they couldn’t have on their own,” says Ira Lawrence Almeas, CITE, president of West Orange, New Jersey-based Impact Incentives & Meetings Inc. For example, while a standard city tour at the destination may be more affordable than an exclusive ‘behind the scenes’ tour, the latter is more conducive to the goal of delivering that unique experience.

“I do think that people are a bit more sophisticated in the way they eat, and they want that to be tended to when they’re at a hotel for several days.”
Amy Durocher

The experiential trend even extends to training meetings, which are often stereotyped as a ‘no frills’ kind of event. “We’ve noticed an overall trend in the meeting and training space, in that people are very interested in experience,” says Beth Becker, Global Meeting Services Manager with Downers Grove, Illinois-based MicroTek, a training solutions company. She finds that millennials and Generation Z attendees want training spaces and experiences that are ‘interesting’ and schedules that allow for more networking and impromptu breakouts. In some cases, a little added investment can create a more engaging meeting setup. “If budget allows — rent couches and chairs that create a more casual, comfortable look and feel,” suggests Kim Hentges, CMP, event manager with Flower Mound, Texas-based IntelliCentrics. “For a working breakfast, lunch or dinner, rent unique tables and chairs to create a different vibe that is felt as soon as the attendees walk through the door. Décor adds to transitioning from the normal to the unique or different.”

ENHANCING THE MEETING EXPERIENCE

Decisions about whether to invest in elevating the meeting experience must be made in the context of impending increases in air and lodging costs, as these may impinge on the budget available for such enhancements. The 2020 Global Meetings and Events Forecast predicts that overall meetings budgets in North America will rise only moderately next year — by 1.8% in the United States — and notes that this budget expansion is “likely not enough to cover the increase in air and hotel rates.” The survey predicts a 4.3% rise in daily hotel rates for the United States and a 2.8% rise in group air rates for North America.

While many corporate meeting and travel departments are surely preparing for such effects of inflation, Durocher observes that other companies may be more focused on the immediate future when it comes to meeting costs. “We at Global Cynergies and myself specifically, are still seeing quite a bit of short-term business, especially when it relates to our corporate clients. So, some of that forecasting can seem a little less top-of-mind, because we’re still working with such short booking windows. Many clients are still booking meetings within 90 days,” she explains. “But when corporate clients are forecasting out for their larger programs that do have a more extended booking window, then certainly the forecast in room rate and air travel increases is something to talk about.”

DEALING WITH RISING COSTS

Rising air travel costs may especially affect incentive programs, which are often taken to exotic destinations to entice potential qualifiers. Planners may wish to look closer at domestic cities that can offer an intriguing experience along with travel savings. “If you have a limited budget, you’re not going to go a far distance where the air might be half your budget,” Almeas says. “Within the U.S., going to a second-tier city such as Charleston, for example, or going to Sedona or even Sonoma/Napa could make for very unique experiences.” Most recently, Almeas planned an incentive trip to Toronto, which boasts attractions such as the Hockey Hall of Fame and is accessible to vineyards in Niagara. The air cost is reasonable and the exchange rate is favorable, he notes.

Another way to reduce air travel costs is to reduce the number of attendees. The savings certainly extend beyond transportation.

According to the 2020 Global Meetings and Events Forecast, the average cost per attendee per day — excluding air travel — in the United States begins at $539 for internal team meetings/training meetings; $632 for product launches; $640 for senior leadership meetings/board meetings; and $685 for incentives/special events. For many companies, a more palatable option along these lines is to reduce the physical attendance. Younger professionals in particular are more receptive to the idea of virtual participation in meetings, Becker observes. “Much of the new generation is very much tied to work/life balance, and they’re very technically adept and used to a virtual learning environment,” she says. “So they don’t feel it necessary to get on a plane and would rather take the eight hours for the event, instead of a day before and after to fly there.” Virtual meeting technology can also assist companies in regionalizing a meeting, i.e., breaking it down into smaller meetings held close to regional offices so as to reduce or eliminate air travel costs. General sessions can then be mediated by videoconferencing, for example.

Apart from rising air and lodging costs, F&B increases from suppliers are also important to factor into the budget. “Certainly, that’s something that can be a percentage increase year over year,” Durocher says. In addition, there is an ongoing trend toward healthy and organic foods, specialty foods and culinary exploration, etc., which tend to carry a higher price tag. “I do think that people are a bit more sophisticated in the way they eat, and they want that to be tended to when they’re at a hotel for several days,” Durocher says. “Hotels may have a special market menu that focuses on local and sustainable, and there can be a higher cost associated.”

BE AWARE OF SURCHARGES AND FEES

As the ideal lodging budget takes into account all of a hotelier’s surcharges and fees, it’s important to be fully aware of these costs. Some planners are seeing familiar fees repackaged or renamed. The resort fee, for example, may be called a facilities fee or a destination fee. “I think hotels are getting very creative with add-on or hidden fees,” Becker says. “You’re also seeing an increase in service charges. There was a recent forum discussion about people adding on to the service fee and they were calling it an event fee. So you may see a 23% service fee and an 8% event fee, which brings them to a 31% service fee, basically. And, they justify it by saying that the event fee is for room setup and teardown, but that’s really just part of the cost of your event. The service fee used to be the tip for the staff, and that’s changed over the years to where now it encompasses a lot of other things and goes more to the hotel than the staff.”

The first step is to secure transparency on such fees. To that end, “We’ve implemented language in all of our Request For Proposals (RFPs) in order to force the hotel to fully disclose any hidden fees that they might have, so we make sure to include those in our total cost,” Becker explains. “And you can put in your contract, that if you didn’t disclose these fees to me, I don’t have to pay them.” The next step is to try to get the fees waived or reduced. Unfortunately, resort fees and service fees will not be open to negotiation in many cases. According to the 2020 Global Meetings and Events Forecast, 83% of responding global hoteliers indicate they are most open to negotiating room rates; 75% say amenities; and 75% say Wi-Fi. But only 27% and 42% were open to negotiating resort fees and service fees, respectively. Becker’s experience reflects this result: “I have not been very successful in negotiating resort fees. Occasionally, I’ve been able to come down a few points on service fees, but even then it’s really difficult. So, it wouldn’t be my first place to go to negotiate, because I don’t think there is a lot of flexibility in those costs.”

“Sometimes we will get RFP responses from the hotel and it will say very clearly, ‘We do not negotiate on our resort fee’ or ‘We do not negotiate on our facilities fee,’” Durocher says. “So at that point, we are very transparent with our client and say, ‘We’re looking at your overall budget and you need to know upfront this is not an area the hotel is going to negotiate on, so to find some additional value for you, we’re going to need to work on the other areas of the program.’” The inflexibility on these fees isn’t “so common that I see it multiple times in any given destination, but common enough that I might see it in one or two hotels in a particular destination,” she adds.

CONSIDER OTHER HOTEL OPTIONS

Planners looking to save on lodging while delivering an engaging on-site experience might look to some of the boutique brands that major chains have introduced. These can be especially appealing to younger attendees, and offer a more modest price point. Along these lines, Almeas suggests Marriott’s Moxy Hotels. “It’s Marriott’s new entry-level, hip hotel. When you check in there’s no registration desk; there’s just a bar at the entrance way. You check in at the bar and get a drink. Their rooms are nothing special, but they’re a little funky and offbeat. If you have a millennial group, they might not need the chocolate on the pillows and the slippers under the bed at night when there is turn-down service. You can then use the savings and do some really cool experiences that are local, such as distillery tastings or a give-back for the community.” Durocher cites Marriott’s AC Hotels as “a more modern, streamlined approach to hotel design, but there are also many independent and smaller brands, especially in the urban centers, that kind of tick those boxes and appeal to the younger clientele. Their focus is on the public spaces of the hotel versus the accommodations, but the accommodations are still very chic and trendy.” The caveat to these properties is that meeting space can be rather limited.

For some groups, opting for a lower-tier hotel, even if it’s part of a trendy brand and has adequate meeting space, will be seen as compromising the experience for the participants. Among the most popular options for reducing costs while preserving upscale lodging, F&B and perhaps off-site events, is to cut the number of nights in the program. This is identified as the primary area to cut costs in the 2020 Global Meetings and Events Forecast. Compared to eliminating events from the annual meeting schedule, holding shorter programs appears to be the best option. Even holding the meeting at a lower-quality venue is arguably preferable to cancelling the event. “When budgets become tighter and/or the economy takes a turn, it is still important for purpose and branding to be present, whether that is having a smaller meeting in a three-star venue, restaurant or even at your office,” Hentges says. “Being visible does add value, versus the alternative of your customers or potential customers wondering why that annual meeting is not taking place.”

The second most-preferred cost-cutting area identified in the American Express Meetings & Events survey is off-site evening events. While eliminating such events may be seen as running counter to the experiential trend, that’s not necessarily so. “You do see corporate clients who are giving their attendees a free evening,” Durocher says. “That limits the expense and might appeal to those attendees who like to have a little more freedom on how they’re spending their time in a particular city. So I think it can tick more than one box.”

Overall, planners budgeting for 2020 will face the typical escalations in air, lodging and F&B costs, together with the challenge of hard-to-negotiate resort and service fees. But thankfully, there are many strategies that can help them offset these costs while ‘ticking the box’ of an engaging experience for attendees. Once the ‘must haves’ for that experience are identified, the most sensible cost-cutting measures will emerge.C&IT

Amberlee Huggins, DMCP, of CSI DMC, says in-person meetings are crucial for networking. Pictured, employees from CSI DMC offices nationwide met for their All Hands Meeting 2019 held in Hollywood, Florida.

Throughout the history of meeting planning, attendees have traveled to gather in one destination.

However, in recent years, advancing technology, the rising cost of air travel and the need to use time more efficiently have prompted some planners and stakeholders to hold more virtual meetings.

Meeting via video conferencing, web conferencing, Skype, FaceTime teleconferencing and by other virtual means are becoming more common because technological meetings are relatively inexpensive, convenient and easy to organize.

“The bottom line is, it’s not about which meetings are best for face-to-face, but rather can you afford not to meet in person?” Beau Ballin

Planners typically use virtual meetings as an add-on to in-person meetings for certain groups and purposes. Indeed, virtual meetings are sometimes necessary depending on a planner’s needs and goals.

Virtual meetings, like those held in person, can allow participants to share content and ideas, make presentations and review documents. But virtual meetings won’t ever replace face-to-face meetings because they best help planners meet all their goals.

Beau Ballin, vice president, commercial leader, North America, CWT Meetings & Events, explains why in-person meetings are best.

MEETING WITH A PURPOSE

“Every meeting has a purpose,” Ballin says. “Most fall into the categories of engaging attendees to sell more, buy more or learn more. Ultimately, these meetings drive bottom-line profitability for their sponsoring organizations. The bottom line: It’s not about which meetings are best for face-to-face, but rather can you afford not to meet in person?”

Surveys generally show that attendees almost always prefer meeting face-to-face to meeting virtually.

“Face-to-face meetings in our experience, as measured by CWT, have a 90% preference,” Ballin says. “Stronger relationship building, less distraction and better decision making are the top reasons for such a strong preference.”

Ballin adds: “In-person meetings create emotional connections to peers, products and corporate visions. While virtual opportunities continue to emerge, they lack the connectivity amongst attendees and the memory recall driven by experience and emotion.”

Paul Axtell, author of the book “Meetings Matter” and corporate trainer and consultant at Contextual Program Designs, specializing in how to run productive and effective corporate meetings, agrees.

“Face-to-face meetings will always be important because they are best at helping planners get results,” Axtell says. “Face-to-face meetings allow relationships to be created and enhanced.”

“If business results are a product of relationships, then results follow,” Axtell adds. “Candid conversations are tied to trust and safety, which are hard to obtain unless a relationship is first established.”

Axtell adds that, while in-person meetings may be more expensive than technologically enabled versions, in-person meetings are more cost-effective in the long run.

Ballin agrees. “In almost all cases, an in-person meeting will pay significant dividends in sales growth compared to meeting cost,” Ballin says.

And, adds Ballin, planners can show that face-to-face meetings are more cost effective.

“There is a myth in the meetings community that ROI is difficult to measure,” Ballin says. “I would submit that for the purpose of sales kickoffs, product launches and user conferences, that it’s quite easy to measure the cost per attendee against incremental sales growth following three months, six months, nine months and 12 months from the meeting date.”

Axtell says that the financial benefits of in-person meetings stem from the ability to better align goals and strategies.

“People need to be heard before they will align with each other,” Axtell says. “Aligning requires eye contact, non-verbal clues, attention and empathy. These rarely happen except when people meet in small groups in the same location.”

Face-to-face meetings also prosper because people have an innate need to see each other in order to cement important business and social relationships. Meeting in person makes it easier to make an impression and build a personal business ‘brand’ based on conduct, speech, intelligence, etc.

According to Amberlee Huggins, DMCP, president and chief marketing officer at CSI DMC, “People are social beings, and while social media provides an outlet to engage virtually, face-to-face connection is at the core of how we experience each other in a holistic way. Networking in person allows us to build trust and empathy and an opportunity to bond over a shared moment.”

Huggins adds that in-person meetings provide a multitude of ordinary ways for attendees to meet and bond.

“At its simplest level, take having a meal together, how it feels to share food flavors and talk about it with those around you,” Huggins says. “Over and again it’s been proven that team-building activities or give-back projects yield far greater results and a sense of unity when people gather together in a single place.”

Technology will increasingly enhance, not replace, face-to-face meetings.

According to the American Express 2018 Global Meetings and Events Forecast, “Regional meeting leaders across regions agree that bringing people together virtually may be helpful for smaller meetings or to complement a live, face-to-face meeting, but virtual meetings will not replace face-to-face.”

However, technology will continue to complement and transform meetings and events.

“We expect that technology will continue to make an impact on the overall end-to-end management of the delivery of meetings and events, and on the attendee experience perspective,” according to the American Express report.

The report adds, “Modern attendees expect an online experience will be available to enhance their face-to-face experience and are eager to deploy technologies that facilitate personal event attendance goals, such as networking and interacting more deeply with content.”

Ballin agrees with the American Express report. “In-person meetings are in fact most effective when followed by virtual or remote meetings to reinforce key learnings, conduct knowledge checks or reach those unable to attend in person,” Ballin says.

Ironically, face-to-face meetings grow more important as the world becomes more virtually interconnected. That’s a big reason why in-person meetings are on the rise even as planners selectively use technology-enable meetings.

According to last year’s CWT Meetings & Events Future Trends report, corporations are having more meetings due to the strong economy. In addition, according to the survey, 92 percent of planners think face-to-face meetings have intangible benefits that outweigh any savings through long-distance meetings.

FACING BUDGET CONCERNS

The CWT report also notes that planners continue to juggle face-to-face meetings and budget concerns.

“Budget restrictions were the most commonly cited hurdle, with nearly two in five respondents saying this had prevented them from meeting face-to-face,” according to the report. “Instituting a travel freeze towards the end of the year is an annual ritual at many companies. It’s frequently used as a relatively painless mechanism to save money.”

Despite budget issues, surveys and studies show that in-person meetings are better at fostering engagement, trust, networking brainstorming and strategic thinking.

Research shows that all generations, including millennials and Gen Xers, prefer in-person meetings because they provide many ways for attendees to have the formal and casual interactions necessary to forge business relationships.

Attendees also prefer face-to-face meetings because they are considered more credible.

The expectations and returns are higher with in-person meetings because, more often than not, there is a deeper investment of both time and money, two very valuable commodities for planners.

Here are some other crucial advantages of face-to-face meetings:

In-person meetings provide some flexibility if an issue occurs that threatens the agenda. “Have you ever presented to a new client online only to lose the internet connection?” Huggins says. “The recovery is not always easy. In person, with worst-case scenarios, you can switch gears and improvise if you need to.”

Face-to-face meetings are more likely to get positive feedback from participants. Says Axtell, “If the meeting goes well, planners get high marks. If attendees feel like nothing was accomplished, low marks. One thing that attendees remember is when they really click with someone and that rarely occurs outside of face-to-face meetings.”

Huggins agrees. “Face-to-face meetings are more likely to get both positive and negative feedback from attendees in my experience, and both are important for improvement,” Huggins says. “If attendees find value in the investment, the likelihood of positive feedback increases. Conversely, if attendees don’t find merit, they very quickly become critics.”

One of the biggest advantages in-person meetings provide is the opportunity to read non-verbal communication which, according to research, accounts for most of what attendees really intend to say. Virtual meetings don’t allow attendees to read crucial body language, inflections and tone to determine true intentions.

It’s also easier to control distractions and multitasking during face-to-face meetings. Sure, attendees in meeting rooms may check their mobile devices periodically. However, long-distance meeting participants can mute audio, listen to music, type and view documents on a laptop and more.

Without such distractions, it’s easier for planners to drive attendee attentiveness and participation during sessions, breakouts and workshops. Being in the same room also encourages attendees to participate and get to the point when they talk.

According to Axtell, “Attention is a primary advantage because it is tightly associated with caring, connecting and self- expression. Otherwise, the conversations feel merely like transactions.”

It’s also easier for on-site meetings to create common experiences that are more memorable and impactful than those in virtual meetings.

According to Ballin, “In-person meetings have a way of delivering information through experiences which are personal and meaningful. The emotion, experience and the corresponding memory recall simply can’t be replicated with today’s technology in a virtual environment.”

That’s because memory is driven by emotional cues, Ballin adds.

“Ask someone what they did, who they saw or about their day some time in the past, and they will likely return a blank stare,” Ballin says. Conversely, ask them about what they did, who they saw and about their time at a national sales meeting, and they will likely fill the air with conversation.”

Shared in-person memories are also more effective than remote meetings for creating trust and personal connections essential for following up and getting results from business leads.

According to Huggins, “For driving business outcomes, meeting face-to-face is often key to building rapport, especially in the formative stages of the relationship. The ability to read each other’s body language, correct course and troubleshoot ideas and outcomes in the moment are often better served in person.”

FACE-TO-FACE MEETINGS VERSUS VIRTUAL MEETINGS

Ballin notes some other pluses of in-person meetings compared to virtual versions.

“Additional advantages of face-to-face meetings include access to key executives or business stakeholders that are often difficult to come by for most employees,” Ballin says. “The ability for stakeholders, decision makers or regional leaders to gather in a common place often allows for decisions and timely decision-making.”

In addition, Ballin says, “In-person meetings allow for more complex thinking as technology-enabled meetings are often disrupted by multi-tasking or competing priorities both personal and professional.”

Here’s another key advantage of on-site meetings: Research shows that attendees remember much more of what they experience, see and hear in person. More importantly, attendees are more apt to remember face-to-face meetings and how events made them feel.

Says Huggins, “I do feel that attendees remember how the experience and meeting made them feel, how they could engage, how they could make an impact, what they did, where they laughed, what moved them and, hopefully, the results. That experience and interaction can best be done in person while follow up and further connection is possible remotely.”

Studies and surveys back up the advantages of on-site meetings for emotional engagement.

• According to a poll by Eventbrite, 69% of millennials say live events make them feel more connected to others.

• According to a Meetings Mean Business Coalition report, 91% of business leaders think face-to-face meetings improve engagement, and 94% say that they advance collaboration.

• The Harvard Business Review found that in-person meetings are 34 times more likely to get positive responses than a virtual meeting.

• According to a study from Oxford Economics USA, organizations that cut business travel such as face-to-face meetings experience a 17% drop in profits during the first year following the reduction.

• Oxford Economics also reported that every dollar invested in business travel resulted in $12.50 in incremental revenue.

Given the comparative costs of face-to-face meetings and virtual alternatives, an important question for planners is: Are attendees more likely to value experiences of in-person meetings? “Absolutely,” Axtell says, “unless technology is present at the meeting in ways that take away from conversations. Intimacy requires physical presence. The question is whether attendees leave feeling they were self-expressed, heard and their presence acknowledged.”

While face-to-face meetings may be more expensive than the virtual variety, they continue to be well worth the investment.

According to Huggins, “Cost needs to be viewed in a short- and long-term position. Let’s talk about an organization that is growing. The cost of bringing a group of people together to work through new information, find challenges and solutions, bond in shared outcomes and experience is often less expensive long term than losing attendees because you didn’t take the opportunity to connect them to a sense of unity and fellowship.”

Huggins adds, “Meeting face-to-face with clients better affords attendees the opportunity to learn and understand their individual needs and challenges and offer thoughtful and cost-effective solutions. Remote communications can be lengthier, lead to missed opportunities, and therefore become costlier in the long run.”

Ideally, says Huggins, virtual meetings should only be used to connect those who can’t attend on-site.

“At CSI DMC it costs a considerable sum to bring a team of 140-plus people together each year, and certainly we supplement some regional meetings via video conferencing throughout the year,” Huggins says.

“However, we have learned that even once a year, face-to-face meetings for the whole team is one of the core reasons we continue to retain and grow talent,” Huggins notes.

People typically attend face-to-face meetings because they want to connect with others and are receptive to it. Although many people attend alone, they are primed to establish new relationships with other professionals.

However, even with attendees’ predisposition to network and learn at meetings, they must be well-planned and structured to reap the advantages of face-to-face contact.

Huggins offers the following advice to maximize the advantages of face-to-face meetings:

“Look at the goals of the meeting before deciding whether it should be in person or virtual,” Huggins says. “I do think there will always be certain meetings, with certain goals, where physical synergy and face-to-face interaction and bonding will yield better results.”

In addition, planners and meeting stakeholders should ask the following question, Huggins says:

“Is it important to get an agreement from attendees to move forward with a critical business decision? If so, giving attendees a tangible, human element of interaction can add a level of comfort and ease when moving into uncharted waters.”

In-person meetings are best at networking, creating business relationships, education and training for a range of meeting types. These include sales meetings, product launches, customer events and medical meetings.

That is likely to remain the case even as virtual meeting technology advances. Although it’s becoming easier to have virtual meetings, that doesn’t mean businesses should have them — something that former Apple Inc. president and technology guru Steve Jobs realized.

Jobs once said, “There is a temptation in our networked age to think that ideas can be developed by email and iChat. That’s crazy. Creativity comes from spontaneous meetings; from our random discussions.” C&IT

Dana Graham, CMM, of SAGE Publishing, pictured with Ean Kleiger, DDS, says developing her confidence made her a better leader.

Unlike the high-profile CEO, the head of a company’s meetings department often remains  ‘behind the scenes,’ and only impacts great numbers of employees and clients through the events he or she oversees. Yet, to the meetings department and supporting teams of vendors, that individual is quite visible. Indeed, the meetings director or manager is relied upon to keep many team members with diverse skills moving forward toward the delivery of a successful event. Leadership skills thus become increasingly vital the higher one ascends in the planning profession.

But great leadership is not an exact science. Effective leaders exhibit a variety of skills and qualities in different measures, making for different leadership styles. Certainly, much learning and experience is involved in acquiring these skills and qualities, even if one considers oneself a ‘natural leader’ who has always been comfortable being in charge. Most fundamentally, one has to gain confidence in one’s ability to lead, a factor that was part of Dana Graham’s evolution as a leader. Graham, who holds a CMM and serves as associate director, corporate events & community relations with Thousand Oaks, California-based SAGE Publishing, relates how she grew into her present role: “Without question, my personal growth as a leader was a building process. It resulted directly from my personal satisfaction in meticulously working through event details behind the scenes, coupled with visible, tangible, positive results. By conceiving, designing, planning, orchestrating and ultimately implementing successful events, my confidence increased.” A self-described “former introvert,” Graham credits her supervisors and mentors for offering her “the chance to get up at bat” and demonstrate what she could do as the leader of the events team. “Their belief in me was inspirational, but so too were their own exceptional executive and leadership skills,” she adds.

“Situations might come up where if we stay calm and handle things, we can keep our client calmer as well.”
Teri Abram

On the flip side, a planner can also learn what not to do from experiences with higher-ups. “When I had leaders and supervisors treat me a certain way, I would say to myself, ‘I would never do that to somebody,’” recalls Sharon L. Schenk, CMP, director of conventions and event management with Manchester, New Hampshire-based CCA Global Partners. If she had a positive experience, she would “Remember that if I’m ever in a position of leadership, I will recognize people’s skills and appreciate their contributions to try to get them to grow in their careers. That’s something that some people have done for me.”

Importantly, a planner need not wait until he or she is in a formal leadership role to begin exercising the relevant skills. Leadership happens on smaller scales in one’s corporate life — leading a two-person team on a project — as well as in one’s personal life — leading a church group. “There is a distinction between a leadership role and leadership. I think we’re all leaders, and developing our leadership skills can happen no matter where we are within a hierarchy of an organization,” explains Jessie States, CMP, CMM, director, MPI Academy. States, who oversees MPI’s Women in Leadership Certificate Program, advises planners to take stock in their leadership skills. “Look at where you want to go with your career and then look at your current skills and where there might be gaps. You don’t want to enter a leadership role unprepared, so look at where you want to go and map out what skills are going to get you to that point.”

To provide a starting point for that self-reflection, the following is an overview of some of the myriad qualities and skills that go into capable leadership.

LEADERSHIP QUALITIES

Grace Under Pressure: Planners at all levels need the ability to handle the pressure of delivering a live event, but it is especially important for leaders to exhibit a ‘cool head’ when deadlines loom or things go amiss. Their grace under pressure will influence other team members in such situations, and will facilitate quick, rational decision-making. “I think it’s easier to ‘never let them see you sweat’ if you can make quick decisions, especially when you are caught off guard,” Graham says. “For instance, when an award show honoree showed up late with 24 extra guests in tow, I said, ‘Give me a minute’ and sprang into action.” In another case, flowers weren’t delivered as expected, and Graham led her on-site staff in carrying out a backup plan: “The catering staff and I went around with scissors and cut lavender from the bushes and put it down the middle of the table. There was no need to get mad at my colleague who was in charge of ordering the flowers, but instead I handled it with class and grace. Me getting upset wasn’t going to make the flowers appear.”

Not only does this quality influence and maintain good relations with staff, but it also puts clients at ease. “Situations might come up where if we stay calm and handle things, we can keep our client calmer as well,” says Teri Abram, president of Plano, Texas-based EventLink. “Clients get very nervous, and I can understand that because you’re out front and center at an event and you want everything to go perfectly.”

Willingness to Take Risks: Whether it’s a new type of team-building activity or a first foray into virtual meetings, the head of the meetings team is often the one to drive a change that may improve meetings operations or ROI. The key word is ‘may.’ There is the risk that the new ways of team building won’t engage attendees, the virtual meeting will prove less successful than the face-to-face version, and so on. This quality — a willingness to take risks — tends to need development among meeting professionals, States observes. “We’re not necessarily an industry of first adopters. When you’re planning meetings, it’s crucial to have everything buttoned up — and you want to have the perfect experience. And that means sometimes risks aren’t taken,” she explains. “We’re rather risk-averse. And so oftentimes meeting professionals need to practice risk taking.”

Accepting Responsibility: When things don’t go right due to a team member’s negligence or incompetence, great leaders are willing to ‘step up to the plate’ and take responsibility when addressing their internal or external client. “I give my team all the praise they can be given, and if there is a problem or something went wrong I am as responsible as anyone else on the team, and I am willing to say to the client, ‘We made a mistake, I am responsible,’” says Abram, who oversees about 10 staff members and a variety of contractors.

Yet, this overarching responsibility should be accepted because one is the team leader, not because one feels a sense of ownership of the event. No matter how high on the corporate ladder the planner is, he or she should keep the right perspective on whose meeting it is. “I don’t think of it as my event; rather, I produce the event for the stakeholder,” Graham says. “I don’t personalize it, which I think is key, because that way I don’t have an ego about it. Having an ego doesn’t really help you in my position.”

LEADERSHIP SKILLS

Assembling a Capable Team: Hiring great team members, whether staff or contractors, paves the way for successful leadership. The more capable the team is, the easier it is to manage them, and the less management they will need, in fact. “I need someone who’s creative, innovative, enthusiastic, takes direction well and can work independently,” Graham says in summarizing her ideal staff member.

Arguably, ‘enthusiasm’ is the most fundamental trait. “So many different types of people bring so many different types of skills, and so what we try to do is find people that have the right mindset, the right attitude — serving clients is in their DNA,” Abram says. “And then we train from there.”

Along the same lines, Schenk explains that “You can teach many things, but what you can’t teach is attitude and personality. So if you have someone on your team who has the right attitude and the right fit, you can teach them any skill. I’ve been very lucky that I have people with a wonderful attitude, and we’ve been able to grow them professionally.”

Facilitating Communication: The importance of effectively communicating with team members is a platitude in the leadership literature. Without clearly explaining the details of a project and defining expectations, it’s unlikely the team will perform optimally. Somewhat less discussed is the importance of facilitating communication; ensuring team members communicate adequately with each other and with other stakeholders. As Schenk explains, her leadership role includes serving as the “conduit for different teams.” Making sure everyone is on the same page is “almost a full-time job for me,” she says. “For example, I recently sent an email out to three of our presidents because we’re changing the format of our convention next summer, and there are all these side conversations going on. ‘We may be doing this, we may be doing that.’ So I took it upon myself to reach out to the presidents and said, ‘We need direction from you. Let’s assign people to carry out these tasks. Let’s stop the false rumors and start a dialogue.’ The discussion needed to start, so I initiated it.”

Abram also ensures there are open lines of communication among her staff, and that helps in preventing or resolving conflicts. “We have a policy as a small company that we don’t talk about one another if we have a problem. You go straight to the other person, or you come and talk to me about it,” she says. “It has been so successful. We talk about it when we first hire someone and say ‘This is our philosophy.’”

Delegating Tasks: Along with risk taking, States identifies delegation as the area where the meeting professionals likely struggle the most when it comes to leading a team. That’s because planners often have a background of being very hands on and personally involved in all the details of a project. In a leadership position, they must let go of that approach to some extent and trust in the abilities of their team members. Delegation can be a hard skill to learn, and there is always the temptation to micromanage once one has delegated. “I truly believe that when you’re hiring somebody, whether it’s internal or external, you’re hiring them for their skills. So what you don’t want to do is hire somebody and then tell them how to do their job,” Schenk says. “I can lead and direct them in things that I need; however, how they get the job done  is their concern.”

At the same time, a great leader doesn’t just delegate and then remain on a pedestal. He or she will be involved to some degree in the projects that team members are carrying out, even if just as a source of general direction and feedback. This gives staff a sense that the leader is also a team member. “I want them to respect my leadership, because I’m a part of that team,” Abram says. “I’m not just telling them what to do and going off and doing my own thing.”

Motivating Team Members: Effective leaders have always been sources of encouragement, and strive to elevate their team’s morale. Words can always be backed up by tangible morale boosters. “I do try to show appreciation regularly with gifts and dinners to recognize work that has been done,” Schenk says.

Part of motivation is also delegating tasks that help someone grow in their role, so the individual doesn’t feel stagnant. “We have a fairly new hire and she’s come on so strong; she’s better than we ever thought she would be at this point,” Abram says. “And so we’re starting to get her more small programs and guide her through them. I’m boosting her confidence because she has the ability to do everything at this point. I talk with her before a client call and let her know how I would recommend she do it, for example.”

Evaluating Performance: The difficult aspect of this skill is learning how to constructively criticize, and learning not to take a tone of hostility when a team member has dropped the ball. “It’s a tough thing for me personally, but I feel that if I don’t tell them exactly what they haven’t done appropriately and how it could be done better, I really am not doing them justice,” Abram says. She describes her approach as “conversational,” where she engages the person in a dialogue about the poor performance instead of launching into a tirade.

RESOURCES

Developing these qualities and skills as well as others may not be easy, depending on the person. Some are naturally risk-averse, or have a hard time not micromanaging, or find it difficult to criticize another’s performance, for example. But thankfully there is no shortage of resources for leadership development, and plenty of meetings-specific resources. Graham highly recommends MPI’s Certificate in Meeting Management Program, which she completed at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. For women planners in particular, there is the aforementioned Women in Leadership Certificate Program, also offered by MPI. States emphasizes that “Many of the skills, such as strategic problem solving, innovation or creativity, are ones people may or may not innately have, but they’re all skills that can be learned.” Toward developing the leadership skills a given individual needs, the program utilizes tools such as CliftonStrengths at www.gallupstrengthscenter.com, to assess where participants’ strengths lie.

For those who prefer reading their way to becoming better leaders as well as careerists, Graham recommends three titles: “Good to Great,” by Jim Collins; “Grit,” by Angela Duckworth; and “Basic Black,” by Cathie Black.

THE BEST PART OF BEING A LEADER

With all the challenges involved in becoming a great leader and then actually guiding a team on its way to success, what’s the payoff? “The best part is watching my team work together and achieve amazing results and being so proud of them,” Abram says. “I love it when my team knocks it out of the ballpark.” From a career perspective, heading an events department can allow one to directly collaborate with the C-suite. “One of the best parts about leadership is having a seat at the table, being able to be the subject-matter expert with our executives,” Schenk says.

Toward gaining that seat, an aspiring leader should take advantage of any opportunity to demonstrate to upper management that he or she understands the strategic role of meetings in the company, and is not just immersed in logistical details. “Share with senior leaders how you are utilizing meetings to truly drive change and positive growth for the business,” States advises. They’ll see you’re thinking like a leader, and perhaps like someone who deserves a promotion. C&IT

Depositphotos.com

What will meetings look like in 2025? What are the biggest game changers and what new skills might meeting planners need? We asked experts from across the industry. Here’s what they said.

MEETINGS IN 2025

Marissa Torres, CMP, operations manager with COTC Events in South Florida, a Hosts Global member, believes tech’s impact on meetings will lessen. “Tech is reaching its peak in the meetings industry and the focus will be redirected as technology becomes a basic requirement. I think the redirection will be more ‘experiential’ ways of thinking and content will reflect that — no more cookie-cutter session formats.”

Lauren Buffington, CMP, CIS, senior event producer with PRA South Florida, says, “Attendees will have more input and control over the planning of events. The planner’s role will be responsive to the attendee’s wishes rather than determining meals, activities and even destinations from a corporate perspective. From marketing and creative design to the final execution, planners will have to consider every aspect of the event all while responding to attendees’ wants.”

Diversity will be important says Elizabeth Glau, CMP, director of strategy at Oregon-based EGCX Group. “Most events will consider all elements of diversity as basic requirements. Today, that feels like something extra planners must do. In the future, events will make each attendee feel included. We’ll move beyond ‘Who is my audience?’ to designing content that purposefully includes voices not in the room.”

“Attendees will have more input and control over the planning of events.” Lauren Buffington, CMP, CIS

According to Kristi White Cline, creative director with PRA Nashville, the rise in home-based employees will impact meetings. “In the past, meeting goals, objectives and content have been devised to accommodate attendees that worked in an office with their team.” With more employees working from home, she says, that will change.

Didier Scaillet, CEO, SITE, in Chicago, sees four major areas of change. “A more holistic approach with interaction and engagement; more informality, versatility and flexibility; increased use of nontraditional venues, meaning fewer hotel ballrooms and more art galleries, warehouses, car parks and co-working spaces; and shorter sessions.”

Cline’s colleague, Amy Nathanson, senior experience designer at PRA Nashville, believes social media such as Instagram will force changes. “Instagram has empowered clients and others to lean into design trends that go beyond the typical corporate rinse and repeat. They’re all hyper-aware of new developments in fashion, food and play and are willing to take risks and translate those experiences to their attendees,” she says. “Everyone can pull out their phones and instantly be a part of New York Fashion Week, the live feeds of celebrity planners and elaborate brand launches. They know our secrets now. Clients want us to put on our experiential marketing hats these days and I feel like that will intensify leading up to 2025. I can’t tell you how many of my conference calls start off with, ‘…So I saw this new thing on Instagram … ’”

Jessie States, CMP, CMM, director of MPI Academy, in Dallas, Texas, says information will be delivered differently. “Lectures won’t be in our vernacular. They’re a dying knowledge-delivery format that will finally no longer be considered a useful method for conveyance of applicable and actionable learning. In their place will be a burgeoning number of thoughtfully designed and curated educational experiences that encourage learners to practice and apply new knowledge and change behavior in positive ways.”

As meetings become more global, States continues, there will be answers to language differences at meetings as well. “Language will no longer be a barrier to entry or engagement for event participants. Artificial intelligence-based (AI) technologies that already exist will experience broad adoption. These will enable participants to communicate freely and in any language with each other via their own mobile devices and hearables.”

Environmentally friendly conferences will be a hallmark of the future says Scott White, global sales director with PRA Inc. in Washington, D.C. “The ability to reduce our carbon footprint is paramount. Everything will ‘go green.’ There will be no handouts, everything will be done in advance, information during meetings will come via apps. Venues, food and food/waste,” he adds, “will need to be eco-friendly. Hiring the right partners to achieve a balance on going green and successful planning will be key. Companies that get in front of this will have an advantage.”

Another change says White: As 3D representations of hotels and destinations gain traction, site visits will decrease.

Hillary Patriquin, DMCP, director of operations with Hosts DC and Hosts Baltimore, also emphasizes sustainability. “The importance of incorporating sustainability will multiply. We should expect a shift from its function as a component to successful events to a paramount role in achieving goals while simultaneously providing a measurement of meeting success. Attendees,” she says, “are expecting planners to integrate sustainable efforts into multiple facets of programming, from elimination of printed materials and bottled water to guarantees that florals are re-distributed or donated to a worthy cause.”

Additionally, Patriquin says, “Expectations will include incorporation of interactive technology and modernization of event spaces purpose-built to allow for flexibility and increased networking. Meetings will evolve to ensure there are multilevel experiences to meet the diverse generations and expectations of modern attendees. Planners will need to ensure they create opportunities of interaction for all — from the tech-savvy to the networking and social-media phobic.”

These issues are global. Padraic Gilligan, CIS, CITP, DMCP, chief marketing officer at SITE and managing partner at SoolNua in Dublin, Ireland, believes online meetings will increase “under pressure from the movement around climate change, and face-to-face meetings will decrease. However, face-to-face will be the preferred default setting where key decisions are made. Extra online connectivity will increase the appetite for face-to-face and render it ever more special and effective. Face-to-face may be less frequent, but infinitely more desired,” he says.

For many, technology is the game changer as use of AI, virtual reality (VR) and holograms ramps up. “Technology will be a large factor in how meetings change,” says Heidi Stevenson, CIS, global sales manager with Utah-based Destinations, Inc. “There will be more technological interaction and interface with social media or networking sites such as LinkedIn.”

New locations also will factor in. “So many businesses are becoming more global,” Stevenson says. “I see meetings shifting to a more global focus, opening up many more locations for meetings.”

Madelyn Marusa, DMCP, CIS, vice president of industry relations for PRA Business Events in Southern California, agrees. “There will be emerging destinations in second- and third-tier U.S. cities and more international choices.”

Anne Marie Rogers, CIS, CITP, director of meetings, incentives and events for Direct Travel in Minneapolis, Minnesota says, “Technology is improving every day and changing how we do business. Meetings are far more interactive now and more customized to the population.”

Wellness, she adds, is also a future factor. “It affects everything from length of sessions to integration of movement into meetings and healthy food options.”

There will be more use of flexible meeting spaces and alternative furniture to make things interesting, she continues, and adds her voice to the sustainability bandwagon. “What we do and how our behavior impacts the world and future generations is of utmost importance and will only get stronger.”

Rebecca Mass, team lead, customer success at Bizzabo, an event software company in New York, New York, underscores the impact of technology. “The future of professional events will rely heavily on technologies such as big data, analytics and AI to help create more personalized experiences for attendees and ultimately drive key business outcomes. While incorporating technology into events isn’t new, the impact it has on attendee experience will be different.”

For example, she says, “By using AI, organizers will see what content each attendee interacts with the most and can recommend sessions and future events based on that data. Technology will allow organizers to be more strategic. At Bizzabo, we raised $27 million after doubling our revenue last year. The new funds are being used to build capabilities in data science and AI, which will make it easier for event organizers to make data-driven decisions and further personalize attendees’ event experience.”

In addition to answering the demand for increased personalization and customization of experiences, Marusa says, technology will enhance security with better background checks and more personal information available on attendees.

Technology will also drive increased interactivity at meetings. “I envision increased use of touch-screen technology, gathering in-the-moment audience feedback or survey results, providing links or portals to more information and allowing attendees to interact directly with presenters and fellow attendees,” says Scott Goss, experience designer with PRA Events Inc., in Washington, D.C. “Imagine presenters not having to select a raised hand and pass the mic during a session. Instead, perhaps, they’ll select a virtually raised hand, allowing that attendee to use the camera feature on a device to project their name, face, company information and a live stream directly from their seat to the stage for questions or comments.”

The industry will see more inventive event apps for presentations and social gatherings, he says. “We’ll see more branded photo and gif apps, interaction with event entertainment — whether musical requests or virtually enhanced décor/lighting elements that change based on attendee activity or input.”

The key to future meetings will be creating ‘experiences,’ White says. “Things like 4D technology, increased car sharing and even hoverboard transport will increase. Large motor coaches will be less prevalent. Meetings will more likely be handled with hotels and venders via apps and online platforms. Few clients will need to access a central call center. Companies that show ease to streamline these new processes will be paramount.”

George Kun, founder and president, George Kun Travel & Incentives, in Dublin, Ohio says the future is already here. “The use of holograms will soon be commonplace. We’ll use them to bring a celebrity or key executive to a meeting, a potential cost savings,” he says. “AI, augmented reality (AR) and VR are all increasing and will be utilized more.”

Driverless buses? They’re coming, too. “We’ll have to determine whether we want to use that technology,” Kun says. “I also think it’s likely that space tourism will become a reality within five years.”

Kun says he’ll consider taking an incentive group on a space trip, “When it’s totally safe and totally incentive worthy. These things carry risks even if they’re cutting edge and that, too, is a factor.”

HOW MEETINGS WILL STAY THE SAME

“You can’t get away from the key building blocks of what a good meeting or education session is about,” Kun says. “But, I think we’ll learn to be more efficient and creative.”

Most of our experts agree that the goals and purposes of meetings, including return on investment (ROI), networking and education, won’t change. Attendees probably won’t change either. They’ll still want something fresh or out-of-the-box, memorable experiences and that ‘wow’ factor. The demand for custom, personal and immersive experiences will remain strong.

In spite of the tech bells and whistles, face-to-face meetings will remain relevant. According to Bizzabo’s data, 85% of business leaders believe in-person events are a critical component of their company’s success. “I foresee change coming in the facilitation of making these meetings happen more frequently, more strategically and more efficiently,” Mass says. “The power of in-person events and experiences will continue far into the future.”

This is a people business, Patriquin says. “Your best ROI is always going to be your investment in the people: the people attending the event and your own team. If you take care of people and remain focused on the true nature of the business, the rest will come together.”

Ironically, according to Scaillet, technology itself will sustain face-to-face meetings. “Evolving technology will cause an equal and opposite reaction. The more high-tech we become, the more we’ll value face-to-face. AI, VR and AR will be important but we’ll appreciate TR even more — tactical reassurance, the unique magic that’s unleashed when real people meet in real places in real time. Only in face-to-face encounters can we trigger the trust component that’s at the heart of how we make decisions about the big things.”

While technology is important, Gilligan says, “Planners will still require the ability to read situations and people and know how to communicate effectively with the full spectrum of personality types.”

For States, it about what meetings are. “Meetings will continue to bring people together … to meet. This will be an ever-more important focal point as digitization, remote work and online networks increasingly drive the need for people to actually come together in a common space to connect.”

By 2025, Nathanson theorizes, “I think sitting down and talking to someone new without the assistance of an app or screen will feel like a retro-style luxury.”

SKILLS FOR THE FUTURE

With increasing specialization and globalization in the industry, planners will have to become competent in multiple areas such as: expertise in emergency preparedness, security and crisis management. “These will become requirements for planners,” Torres says.

Buffington adds, “An ongoing, working knowledge of dietary statistics, social responsibility, wellness and global sustainability will be part of decision-making for events. Planners will need to consider the remote attendee as much as those attending in-person.”

Marusa believes meeting professionals will “need better technology marketing skills, website content development capability and speedy access to information.”

But planners may not be alone in skills acquisitions. “Research, customization and personalization will be needed to draw participation,” Marusa says, “So there may be growth on both the supplier and planner side for this skill set.”

As the planner role evolves, States says some ‘re-skilling’ may be necessary for meeting professionals, putting greater emphasis on graduate-level programs such as those at San Diego State University and MPI’s Certificate in Meetings Management, offered at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. “As we gain access to executive-level roles, greater emphasis will be placed on problem sensitivity and problem solving, change management, persuasion and emotional intelligence — future-ready skills and cross-functional abilities that will ultimately shape the future of what it means to be a meeting professional.”

Stevenson believes certification will be increasingly valued. “As clients become more savvy, they’ll look for planners and third parties to be well qualified and have certification to prove it. We’re seeing a lot of interest from clients in our CIS, CITP and CMP certifications,” she says.

Echoing Stevenson, Rogers notes, “It’s important to stay on the cutting edge of knowledge and change. Certification establishes a benchmark to learn and document this.”

Those who don’t keep up may face consequences. “With new technology, new regulations on data and security, new global requirements,” Kun notes, “if you don’t keep up as a planner, your opportunities will be more limited.”

Nathanson agrees. “If you don’t stay current on technology, trends and experiences you’ll be making yourself obsolete. I look forward to walking into a ballroom in 2025, pulling out my device of choice and projecting my designs across the room from floor to ceiling.”

Certification itself will also evolve. “Certifications may change drastically with old processes and platforms quickly changing or emerging,” Goss says. “With more tech suppliers vying for a seat at the table, it’s likely organizations will have more choice of registration, planning, exhibit, marketing, presentation and content platforms, requiring a mastery or certification in those systems. There could also be an uptick in companies requiring staff who interact with large groups of people to take on more social, interpersonal and diversity training.”

But it’s not just about certification. “The focus may shift to include the significance of education on a broader scale of comprehensive project management,” Patriquin says, “including developing emotional intelligence skills to learn to direct projects with a focus on how to manage the people responsible for deliverables.”

Not surprisingly, expertise in technology will be critical. “Three words,” Cline says. “Technology, technology, technology. In the age of instant gratification, planners will need to have the most up-to-date, most efficient way to build proposals and costing. We’ll need to be fluent in multiple software platforms to accommodate each client and the way they assimilate and communicate information.”

The typical toolbox of the planner, notes Scaillet, will have to include in-depth knowledge of technology and the advanced ability to use it. “This includes tactical matters such as connecting laptops to screens and managing audience engagement platforms. It will also include awareness of ongoing developments in technology, particularly the crunching and interpretation of big data that’ll be available and enable us to personalize the participant experience and make it truly meaningful.”

Planners, Gilligan says, “will need to have agility and nimbleness with technology. They’ll need to acquire the millennial ability to move deftly and efficiently across platforms on a mobile, handheld device. Data will be a mere click away and planners will need to be able to access it in real time.”

On the good news front, planners may already have skills for the future. “I’ve been studying the philosophy behind human-centered design,” Glau says. “I think many planners already have this skill but we’re often derailed by competing priorities from stakeholders and our events end up missing the mark with attendees. As more organizations start to value human-centered design in everything they do, planners will be poised to help facilitate that conversation.”

FUTURE PLANNING

Gilligan believes the movement around climate change will profoundly impact business events, bringing “scrutiny of the entire meetings and events process from the perspectives of sustainability, care for the environment or use of fossil fuels.”

Goss says planning of the future “will be the same — but faster, more tech savvy and more client-competitive.”

For Torres, future planning will require shifting perceptions about the job itself. “As planners, we wear many hats and have to juggle the level of importance each of those hats carry. The job description is going to get larger; key performance indicators will become more detailed. This industry is far behind on transparency and how to convey the value of our services as something greater than commissions on a program,” she says. “We need to equip ourselves with knowledge and research to ensure that the job of planning corporate and incentive events is found worthy and respectable across all levels in the hierarchy.”

No one is likely to disagree with that. C&IT