Introduction & Research Scope Since 2016, the “Meeting Room of the Future” has brought together insights from meeting planners, IACC members and industry experts from around the globe. Conducted by IACC and Development Counsellors International, this research provides first-hand insight from meeting planners into their experiences of the industry over the past three turbulent years and the priorities in their destination and venue selection process moving forward. This report builds on previous surveys of meeting planners from 2017 and 2019 and explores new topics that have emerged in importance. It also highlights some notable differences across global regions.
Some of the key insights of this report include:
• The central importance of “experience” creation in today’s meetings. With many people working remotely, attendees are seeking human connection, meaningful travel, and authentic local experiences. • As part of this emphasis on the “experience”, many planners are looking for “creative” spaces that offer memorable alternatives to traditional conference venues and lecture theatres. Events must be worth making the trip in-person as opposed to attending virtually. • Flexibility of venues in terms of tailoring spaces to events, adapting to F&B requests, and contracts is a top priority for many meeting planners. • Technology is projected to rapidly evolve in the upcoming years adapting to changing demands, including upgrading hybrid capabilities, offering live interaction between audiences and speakers, and upgrading AV offerings. • Physical spaces and design of spaces are important to planners. A lasting impact of the pandemic, planners are looking for larger spaces for attendees to spread out and access to outdoor spaces.
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