Andrew Sheivachman

Making money is important for most events, but it isn't everything. Happy attendees and successful business outcomes can help move the needle for companies, even if an event itself isn't a huge moneymaker.

Proving return on investment in the meetings and events space is not for the faint-hearted. It’s a difficult challenge, providing metrics for a host of areas from net revenue to attendee satisfaction. Yet planners are under growing pressure to meet the challenge.

Project-based business trips are more costly than other types of business travel in the U.S., but account for only a small percentage of the overall trips taken each year. This may rise, though, as the manufacturing and construction sectors continue to grow.

Travelport, essentially, wants to integrate blockchain into the platform it is developing without throwing out the existing distribution technology it uses. The technology could find its niche in the company's offerings, even as others develop more disruptive and flexible marketplaces for travel selling using blockchain, too.

Instagram already offers ticketing services in its app, and it seems like Snapchat is well on its way. Beyond selling tickets, though, both platforms are also jockeying to become the premier platform for augmented reality technology and content as the sector develops.

Engagement with social media for planners and marketers is moving beyond hashtags and sponsored posts into a competitive marketplace for digital ticket distribution. This won't really affect associations and B2B conferences immediately, but make sure to track the trend as consumer events experiment with distribution over social networks.

The global distribution systems are finally moving away from the antiquated legacy systems that frustrate travel providers. Will their new cloud-based systems usher in a new era for corporate travel, or help maintain the status quo?

Dining has become an integral part of the travel experience in recent years while remaining somewhat secondary for many meetings and events. Events are now working to leverage quality food and beverage options without breaking the bank.

As social media shines a spotlight on dining experiences, delegate expectations are placing pressure on food and beverage budgets. Meeting organizers don’t just have to deal with allergies and intolerances; they also have to wow attendees while keeping costs under control.

The global distribution systems are each pushing forward in their own unique way. By investing like technology companies in flexible distribution and payment technologies, they hope to provide a better value proposition to travel partners that are keen to cut out the middleman. Decades of bad blood between the two, however, still linger over the conversation.