Changing Faces of the Meeting Industry: The Trends to Watch

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Meeting industry has been undergoing profound changes in the last few years. Some of these changes were brought on by evolving technology or demographic factors. The onslaught of Covid accelerated some of these changes while bringing on new ones. Regardless, one can foresee trends that will likely outlast Covid. Here is our list:

Meetings with a Purpose

Gone are the days of attending a meeting to passively sit idle to listen to a parade of speakers marching on and off the stage. Millennials are now drawn to meetings that offer them a glimpse into “Deeper Meaning, Innovation, & Insight.” The new flock of meeting attendees want to partake at meetings that have direct impact on their lives—i.e., experiences or inspiration than unproven theories. 

Gone are also the days that meeting attendees viewed meetings as valuable platforms for professional development. Today’s attendee seeks meetings that provide opportunities for unique experiences particularly networking and social interaction.

Changing Demographics

As increasing number of baby boomers enter the retirement age, millennials are fast taking their place as meeting attendees—and, of course, organizers. In many respects, millennials march to a different drummer.  Making up more than 35% of the US labor force, millennials are beginning to exert their influence over a wide range of issues including their expectations when attending a meeting. This, in turn, will affect how meetings will be structured.

What makes for unique attributes of the millennials will also affect the production of successful meetings in the future—attributes such as:

  • Millennials’ emphasis on experience than on possessions;

  • Heavy reliance on social media as the dominant means of communication;

  • Above-average literacy in technology as business tools in everyday life; and 

  • Attending meetings as an effective outlet for networking rather than passive participation.

It’s All About Personalization

Gone are the days that meetings were passive experiences. The audience sat motionless while a flock of speakers paraded on and off the stage—some running through antiquated PowerPoints while others just rambled on from a prepared text. The audiences are now keen in taking more active part in shaping the meeting agenda. 

Today’s meeting attendees want to have an active role in influencing meetings’ content. In the days gone by, meeting organizers planned the meeting, chose the agenda and often selected key speakers. Now, the success of a meeting rests with the degree with which the meeting agenda has been developed with high degree of participation by attendees.

The “consultative” process of developing a meeting agenda is not limited to the content. It should also involve all other aspects of a meeting including destination, venue, breakout sessions, food-and-beverage options, etc.

Location, Location, Location

Meeting attendees have always viewed the meeting venue as an opportunity to piggyback a vacation. Meeting destinations have always had a direct effect on active in-person participation. While the onslaught of Covid drastically reduced the number of in-person meetings during the last two years, as we emerge from the pandemic restrictions, potential meeting attendees eagerly view meeting destination as a unique opportunity to plan a vacation on the side. Consequently, the meeting venue gains significantly more importance if attracting the largest attendance is a goal. 

Needless to say, resort venues have greater appeal than the bland airport property, so do sought-after cities compared with less exciting destinations. 

Technology in Hyperdrive

The ease with which millennials have adopted new and emerging technologies has had direct impact on the adoption of state-of-the-art technologies in the planning and production of meetings. Millennial attendees view technology as immersive experiences thereby accelerating the adoption of the new tools in planning connected meetings. 

Technology has also equipped planners with enviable tools whereby to not only improve the attendees’ experiences but also to provide a wide range of analytical capabilities including managing costs for an improved ROI from a meeting.

The Shape of Things to Come

The above trends will only accelerate as increasing number of millennials take the proverbial driver seat in planning successful meetings. Whether the attendee or planner, the millennials will demand new experiences from meetings. Driven by demographic, societal and technological forces, meetings will likely go through exhaustive transformation to be able to keep pace with the new audience demands. To maintain their appeal and relevance, meetings will have to cater to the new audience needs.

To plan your next successful meeting, turn to the professionals at GMSMeetings.