Meetings and Events Industry News

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.

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.

In this Skift report, we examine how Las Vegas is evolving as a hub of creative, cultural, and social innovation, and how meeting planners are going beyond the convention center to tap into local expertise in order to provide more enriching, productive conferences.

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.

Conference organizers are starting to tap into local innovators in their host cities to create more value for event attendees. The relationship between CES and Las Vegas paints an optimistic picture for the future of meetings and destinations, one that shows how communities can collaborate to drive industry and society forward.

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.

Meeting venues are finding the value in flexibility, especially for smaller events that don't want to be stuck with one boring option. Designing a creative experience is easier when the site embraces variety.

Venues are getting smarter about designing space in a more flexible way to enable more creative events. This is a welcome change as companies and groups gravitate away from the tired old meeting concepts and toward more memorable, experiential events.