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Changing the Game, by
Timothy Schneider, Publisher, Association News
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Los
Angeles, CA – February 2016 / Newsmaker Alert / For many, the beginning
of the year means reviewing the previous year, looking ahead and creating
a viable plan for growth. While it’s important to examine internal trends—what’s
working for your members and what isn’t—it is also worthwhile to look at
trends on a broader scale, particularly when it comes to the meetings and
events your association plans.
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 Marriott
International, as part of its Meetings
Imagined initiative, recently partnered with the Professional
Convention Management Association to research the trends that are affecting
the way meetings are being held. They assembled a group of experts from
a variety of fields to discuss insights from their respective industries.
Here are the five key trends that they predict will change the meetings
and events industry in the next several years:
1.
Sensory Analytics. Continual advancements in data analytics are simplifying
the ability to take the pulse of an event. Sensors can actually collect
data from attendees while they’re in the room—their interest and engagement,
even whether they’re feeling too hot or too cold. By getting these results
in real time, meeting planners can make minute-to-minute adjustments in
order to enhance the attendee experience.
2.
Tribalization. One of the reasons people attend meetings is to make
valuable connections with others. Attendees want to be part of a community
or “tribe” of likeminded individuals who can push each other toward success.
Often the value of a meeting is less about the content and speakers and
more about the list of fellow attendees. To facilitate networking, venues
will need to provide flexible, adaptable spaces that are conducive to collaboration.
3.
Content Safaris. Attendees want to have the ability to personalize
their meeting experience. Meeting planners will need the appropriate management
systems that will allow for personalization as well as the ability to make
changes to the agenda at a moment’s notice. As content is becoming more
fluid, the means of distributing that content also needs to be more easily
manipulated.
4.
Living 360 Degrees. The definition of wellness has changed to include
the physical, emotional, spiritual and social dimensions that are unique
to each individual. People are becoming more aware of a need to incorporate
wellness into their lives holistically, and the meetings industry will
have to look at how they can meet those demands. Days spent away at meetings
are no longer an excuse to skip one’s fitness and diet routine. Rather,
meeting planners need to devise ways to easily incorporate wellness offerings
into their agendas.
5.
Immersive Telepresence. Content-sharing has moved beyond the standard
PowerPoint presentation and video-conferencing technology to more interactive
experiences. For example, the rise of virtual reality is creating more
immersive experiences for both in-person and remote participants.
Many
of these cutting-edge trends, including the use of drones at events, are
on the agenda at Meetings Quest,
which will be held in Bloomington, Minnesota, July 13–14. For more information,
please see
the ad on page 21, call 877-577-3700 or visit MeetingsQuest.com.
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 Timothy
Schneider is the publisher of Association
News and SportsTravel
magazines, which serve group travel planners responsible for generating
106 million hotel room nights annually. Schneider
Publishing also organizes Meetings
Quest, America's longest-running series of trade shows for meeting
planners, and the TEAMS Conference
& Expo, the world’s largest gathering of sports-event organizers.
TEAMS ’16 will be held September 26–29, 2016, in Atlantic City. For further
information on advertising or sponsorship opportunities, please call toll-free
877-577-3700 or 310-577-3700 if calling from outside the United States.
The
current issue of Association
News can be viewed in digital format online by clicking
here.
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Media
Contact:
Timothy
Schneider
310-577-3700
Schneider
Publishing Company, Inc. |
