Andrew Sheivachman

Bringing Social Tables into the fold could be big for Cvent. Their complicated platform desperately needs some streamlining, and Social Tables has been among the best providing web-based solutions for event planners.

Cvent is working methodically to expand its offerings in the small meeting space by acquiring Kapow and now Social Tables. Social Tables found success streamlining obvious pain points for planners, which is something Cvent can learn from.

New research from Cvent shows that group business is declining for U.S. hotels, and planners are booking room blocks closer to the date of their event than before. This is bad news for hotels, which rely on group bookings to boost business.

China continues to grow as a business travel powerhouse despite some economic foibles and trade spats with the U.S. As trade grows, so too does the need for travel management services that span the globe.

There's a glut of information out there about global destinations. Planners, though, really need strong partners to help them craft successful events when the pressure is on.

Destinations need to provide more services to event planners in an extremely competitive marketplace. Despite the proliferation of online destination information, nothing beats a strong relationship between planners and destinations to help ease the stress felt by event professionals.

Expense and travel fraud seems like a bigger deal than it really is, according to experts. Some people are always going to be bad apples, taking on a huge amount of personal risk for just a few extra bucks. Human nature is strange.

Most travel and expense fraud is strictly small-scale stuff, and is hard for companies to catch. New technology tools will make it easier, though, to figure out which employees are routinely ripping them off.

Sustainability is more than a gimmick; the wider meetings and events sector is in the midst of reducing its impact on the environment while providing attendees with a more balanced and less wasteful experience.

As environmental awareness grows, everyone in the meetings supply chain has to demonstrate their green credentials. For now, events with environmental certifications may have an advantage, but as expectations rise, this will soon be a minimum requirement.