The Venue’s Role of a Strategic Consultant
While our 2018 study found that venue operators seemingly rely more on meeting planners to provide the experience creation element, this year no operators indicated that their role does NOT involve experience creation. As event budgets stay relatively stagnant while costs are on the rise, meeting professionals are relying more heavily on their venue partners to help make choices that maintain the integrity of their brand experiences and education programs. Venues are responding to these expectations by offering a variety of on- and off-site amenities that help with the experience creation element of meetings. Over the years, team building exercises and ice breakers have grown in popularity while creative meeting rooms and themed food and beverage remain the most common elements. “Venue partners play key roles in the design of experiences that matter,” says Jessie States, CMP, CMM, director of the MPI Academy at Meeting Professionals International. “Our hosts have held thousands of meetings with a variety of business goals and objectives. They know what works and what wows … and what doesn’t. They can advise on what elements need more investment and attention — and which can be side-lined in a pinch. As we seek to create experiences that move people, we need our expert partners’ insights to inform our approach.”
— Chateauform’ Campus St. Just, France
— Jessie States of MPI
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IACConline.org & IACCmeetings.com
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