the evolving reality of meetings and hospitality: a deep dive into hospitality and meeting industry...

#MPIMICHAPTER

The Evolving Reality of Meetings and Hospitality

Dan BergerSocial TablesDecember 7, 2016

A deep dive into meeting design and other industry trends

Audience-Presenter Agreement

● Questions are welcome any time.

● Find me on social media: @danberger #MPIMIChapter

● Take as many photos and share as you please.

● You’re free to leave any time.

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Who Am I?

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I am a participant.

I am a planner.

I am a supplier.

Over 1.5 billion sq. ft. of event space

Over 1.3 million events created

Over 150 million attendees impacted

4,300 customers

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I am a participant.

I am a planner.

I am a believer.

I am a supplier.

A world where face-to-face events achieve great things.

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● A Briefer on Meeting Design a. Define meeting design and explain why it’s important to our

profession.b. Learn frameworks to evaluate your current programs.c. Apply new design concepts to transform your experiences.

● A Glimpse Into the Future of Events and Hospitalitya. Visit predictions that will impact our meetings in 2026

2 in 1

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A Briefer on Meeting Design

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Design tellsa story.

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Design sends a message.

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Design changes behavior.

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“If you don’t think about design,someone will think about design for you.”

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● The meaning of “meeting design” is not agreed upon.

● The term “meeting design” is not widely used.

● There is a lack of popularly accepted frameworks and tools.

The Problem with Meeting Design

MPI report on Meeting Design, 2013

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Meeting Design is Everything and Everywhere

● The design of the organization’s overall event strategy.

● The design of your meeting’s theme.

● The design of the attendee journey.

● The design of the program.

● The design of each breakout room.

● The design of each tabletop.

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How do you define meeting design?

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“The purposeful shaping of both the form and the content of a meeting to deliver on crucial business objectives.”MPI report on Meeting Design, 2013

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Manage

Comm.

Plan

Source

Strategize

Data

Mission

TechnologyTech

nolog

yProject

Management

SchedulingTransportation Housing

Surveys

Badges, Check-in, etc

Marketing

Design

Reg Social

Reports

Measure

Logistics

The Meeting Planning Process Pyramid

(c) Social Tables, 2014-2016

Site Selection

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The Opportunity of Meeting Design

“[Meeting design presents] one of the

few opportunities to enable meeting

professionals to do more with less...

to reduce costs and increase value.”

MPI report on Meeting Design, 2013

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The Urgency for Meeting Design

Automation Outsourcing Expectations Competition

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“The meetings manager is now far more than an event planner. She now plays a strategic role in the livelihood of the organization, bolstering its current conferences and other events while finding ways to innovate future ones.

Say hello to the new strategic meetings manager.”

2014

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The Tools

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1. Identify your stakeholders.

2. Map out their influence and interest.

Sta

keho

lder

Ana

lysi

s

Source: http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/participation/encouraging-involvement/identify-stakeholders/main

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Pur

pose

Iden

tific

atio

n

Source: Marriott’s Meeting Imagined

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1. Identify attendee persona.

2. Simulate their experience from cradle to grave or survey them.

Extending

Exiting

Engaging

Experiencing

Entering

Arriving

Anticipating

Attracting

AnnouncingJo

urne

y M

appi

ng

Source: The 8 Phases of a Successful Event, Maritz

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Setting Up a Design Intervention

1. Select a stakeholder (e.g. client).2. Translate stakeholder’s needs into objectives (e.g. connection =>

networking)3. Select a phase (e.g. before, during, or after)4. Select a classification and element...

a. Programmatic - Destination, agenda, time...b. Conceptual - Format, room layout...c. Human - Facilitators, entertainers, emcees, speakers...d. Artistic - Color, decor...e. Technical - A/V, staging, furniture...

5. Develop design interventions.

MPI report on Meeting Design, 2013; The Meeting Architect’s Manifesto; Social Tables

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● Need: Reconnect with old friends.

● Objective: Network

● Phase: During

● Classification: Programmatic

● Element: Initial introductions

● Intervention: Place old yearbooks at each table

Example: Attending a wedding as a childhood friend

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Alternatives and Innovation in Room Layouts

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“Room set is extremely important to the success of a meeting, and a serious responsibility for the meeting professional to manage.

- Convention Industry Council Manual

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The Form:The General Session

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Best Practices for the General Session

Flar

ed A

isle

s

Access Lanes

Long Side Setup

Angled Seats

Curved Rows

45° Aisl

e

Source: Radde, Paul. Seating Matters.

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The Form:Open Spaces

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“Spaces designed to promote

communication increase the likelihood of

collisions... more collisions create

positive outcomes.”

C2 Montreal (Arsenal)

Source: Workspaces That Move People, Harvard Business Review

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The Key Elements of Successful Communication

1. Exploration - Interacting with people in many other social groups.

2. Engagement - Interacting with people within your social group.

3. Energy - Interacting with more people overall.

Source: Workspaces That Move People, Harvard Business Review

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PCMA Convening Leaders 2014 (Navy Pier, Chicago)

Functional Art Installations

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Booths as Art Installations

Freeman booth at IAEE Expo! Expo! 2014

@danberger | #MPIMICHAPTERAmerican Express Global Business Travel booth at GBTA 2015

Booths as Museum Exhibits

@danberger | #MPIMICHAPTERSapphire Now (Orange County Convention Center, Orlando)

The Downtown

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Innovation Zones

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The Campus

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One Takeaway

“If you don’t think about design,

someone will think about design

for you.”

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Reflections on Technology’s Impact

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open_discussionHow has technology changed meetings and events since you first started working in the industry?

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11 ways technology has changed meetings and events.

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Information Symmetry

Planners rely on their networks and online

research to learn about destinations before

speaking to sales reps.

Information Asymmetry

Planners used to rely on hotel sales

professionals for research and information.

Pre-Event: Destination Sourcing

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Pre-Event: Event Marketing

Permission Marketing

Marketers deliver anticipated, personal, and

relevant messages to people who actually want

to get them thanks to new advertising

technology.

Traditional Marketing

Marketers used to buy email lists, mail

invitations, and add everyone to their

newsletters.

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Pre-Event: Networking

Online

Participants have access to fellow attendees and

technology matches people thanks to

algorithms.

On Site

People let serendipity and networking sessions

do all of the work.

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An Afterthought

There was no real software built for planners or

event goers.

Integrated

Planners think about what objectives they are

trying to achieve and use the technology that fits

best.

Pre-Event: Technology

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Online Collaboration

Information is centralized online for efficient

stakeholder communication.

Offline Redundancy

Back-and-forth calls, emails, and faxes to

coordinate events and communicate changes.

Pre-Event: Working Together

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During-Event: Educating Attendees

Participants

Speakers have a dialogue with participants. They

use technology to engage them and apply adult

learning best practices.

Attendees

Presenters spoke at attendees.

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During-Event: Physically Attending

Attending in the Flesh

The only way to attend an event was to

physically be there.

Virtual Attendance

Live-streaming is free and is used to build future

attendance.

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During-Event: Disseminating Information

The Mobile App

Real-time information is distributed digitally

through an app, social, and email.

The Event Guide

Information, including the schedule and attendee

list, was distributed through physical collateral.

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Continuous and Regular Feedback

Attendees provide feedback real-time through

social media channels/surveys and planners

react accordingly.

One-time Evaluations

Attendees would complete a survey at the end

of a meeting.

During-Event: Feedback

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Post-Event: Event Lifespan

Events were Finite

The life of an event spanned was limited to its

allocated time.

Events are Evergreen

The lifespan of an event extends past its

allocated time. People connect and share online

afterwards.

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Post-Event: Event ROI

ROI is Measurable

Events are considered a marketing product.

Their impact can be measured thanks to

software and hardware products.

ROI was an Unknown

Event and meeting spending went into a

marketing black hole.

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Post-Event: Sharing Information

Information is Shared

Content is distributed far and wide by speakers.

It is amplified by participants through live

tweeting, live streaming, and social media

posting.

Information was Withheld

Content was held closely by speakers.

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Industry Predictions for the Next Decade

Disclaimer: Thought-provoking

Slides Ahead!

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1. Software is eating the world.

2. Technology is seamlessly integrating into our lives.

3. Face-to-face is more valuable.

4. Organizations are spending more money on meetings/events.

5. The middle class is growing... from 1.8 billion in 2009 to 4.9 billion by

2030.

6. The hospitality industry is more focused on profits than ever.

The Trends That Feed My Predictions

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“Second tier” cities will become premier destinations.

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The room block will play second fiddle to economic impact.

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The Annual Meeting will become endangered.

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The hospitality industry will be more profitable than ever.

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More events, with bigger budgets.

The industry processes we know today will be obliterated.

Coordinating event logistics will be automated.

Event apps will no longer exists.

Group business will be booked mostly online.

Content will be curated by software.

Our industry will be embrace transparency.

Everything planners need will be available on-demand.

Serendipity will be less successful than algorithms.

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We won’t be able to tell the difference between real and virtual events.

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Robots will setup and teardown rooms.

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Complex productions will be easier to organize.

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A.I. will make events better for everyone.

Technology will be an integrated part of the convention service team’s offerings.

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Hotels will do mostly group business.

Hotel sales people will become meeting consultants.

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More event professionals will report to CEOs

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A governing body for the

meetings industry will emerge.

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The “Golden Age of Travel” will continue.

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Thank you!

email: dan@socialtables.com

twitter: @danberger

snapchat: danjberger

If you want the slides, give me a business card!