Meetings

Daily Buzz: Meeting Planners’ Toughest Tasks in 2019

The life of a meeting planner includes a lot of challenges. In 2019, finances, tech, and younger attendees are among the biggest ones. Also: Ready for Global Meetings Industry Day?

What’s on planners’ minds in 2019? Budgets, technology, a new generation of attendees—and all the challenges that come with them, according to Teneo Hospitality Group’s 2019 survey of planners and hoteliers.

And though it might not be surprising that finances are top of mind, the report notes that outside budget increases in various corporate departments are having a big effect on the entire planning process, from training staff to contract negotiations.

Another financial strain: next-fen attendees. “With millennials and Gen Z beginning to take over the industry, event professionals are tasked with creating more engaging and entertaining activities,” writes Tess Dunn on Smart Meetings. “That is a positive trend as the interactive components can help everyone get more out of the experience. The downside: this also increases costs.”

Meanwhile, a younger generation of attendees brings challenges to the tech front, too.

“Hoteliers and planners expressed an inability to keep up with technology, with attendees often more prepared and aware of the newest tech,” Dunn says. “While white boards and LCD media players may still play a role in events, attendees who have grown up with social media and interactive apps will most likely want more. That costs money and brings us back to the budget discussion.”

Celebrate Global Meetings Industry Day

Get ready for Global Meetings Industry Day! Led by the Meetings Mean Business Coalition, GMID (which takes place April 4) started as a way to share the impact meetings have on people, businesses and the economy as a whole—nearly $2.53 trillion in global economic impact, to be exact.

Join the more than 40 countries that participate by registering your event as a GMID meeting, then promote and attend other GMID-related meetings, too.

Other Links of Note

Augmented reality, who? Meetings’ latest tech trend is motion-capture technology, says BizBash.

A well-designed website can be the first step in attracting new members. Rahul Varshneya from Entrepreneur offers five psychology hacks that can increase conversions.

In need of some good reads? The VolunteerMatch blog shares its April reading list.

(Tero Vesalainen/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

Jeff Hsin

By Jeff Hsin

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