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Tips & Trends

According to <a target="_blank" href="https://ovationdmc.com/__trashed/">research from Ovation Global DMC</a>, chances are you haven’t jumped into artificial intelligence headfirst—yet. Curious about AI’s potential for creating better events, meeting planners are taking tentative steps into AI: 21% say they’ve tried a few tools, and 36% say they’re considering doing so.
Planners report that a lack of understanding and fear of losing the human touch are stopping them from embracing AI. But the heart of the meetings and hospitality industry is built upon that human touch, indicating that AI’s place will be to supplement, not replace, human talent.
“We are in the hospitality industry,” Anthony Capuano, president and CEO of Marriott International, said in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yxC8GVTMR4">an interview with CNBC-TV18</a>. “Of course technology will continue to drive efficiency in the operation of our hotels, but my hope and my expectation is that what technology will also do is create capacity for our associates so that they have more capacity to really engage in a personal way with our guests.”
For proof, look at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pcma.org/humans-versus-ai-event-challenge/">a recent AI-versus-human competition</a>, which showed that human meeting planners retain a strong edge against the machine. As event-specific AI platforms such as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sparkit.ai/">Spark</a> continue to make headway in the industry, human event planners may find that AI cooperation, not competition, will give the best results.
To start bolstering your #teamhuman capabilities with AI, here are three simple ways to deploy this technology.

<h3>Before the Meeting: Marketing</h3>
Creating personas for attendees can drive registrations. It can also be difficult to get it right: Your own preconceived notions about the attendee group may steer you toward or away from certain personas, and even the most savvy marketer might struggle with nailing the right voice to speak to each type of attendee.
When Margaret Launzel-Pennes was developing personas for an event, she used job descriptions as inputs for ChatGPT, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.meetingsnet.com/event-tech-virtual-meetings/ai-power-user-case-study-marketing">she told MeetingsNet</a>. From there, the tool came up with four personas that Launzel-Pennes used to create appropriate marketing content through email and social campaigns—again, with the help of ChatGPT. She then worked with an AI video creation platform to make videos that highlighted aspects of the event that would speak to each persona.
Using AI to augment your approach to understanding your attendees can save you labor. PCMA’s Event Leadership Institute offers <a target="_blank" href="https://eventleadershipinstitute.com/course/social-listening-ai-deep-personalization/">a course on using AI to go further with social listening</a>, for example—something you’re probably already doing, but that takes considerable time to do as thoroughly as AI can do in a snap.

<h3>During the Meeting: Live Summarization</h3>
You may already be familiar with live captioning and auto-transcription, which aren’t yet as accurate as human transcription services but are useful for instant transcription. Live summarization takes it a step further on the intelligence front by using what has been transcribed to craft a meeting narrative, much as a professional note-taker would.
Providing delegates with summarizations for all sessions can help them catch up on content they had to miss in order to attend higher-priority sessions. It can also give them a preview of what to expect before they decide to devote time to watching a recording of the full session, if you’ve made one available.
You can benefit too: If you host summarizations on the event website, you can track which summarizations are most frequently visited. This can give you insight into future planning, illuminating which sessions were popular after the fact versus which sessions were most highly attended in person. (If that sounds daunting, remember that you can lean on ChatGPT to help you out here.)

<h3>After the Meeting: Data Analytics</h3>
Data can reveal undercurrents of your event that aren’t visible just by looking at attendance numbers. But sorting through that data can be time-consuming—except for the robots.
That’s what Heather Munnell found when she shared Excel files and event-app data with ChatGPT. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.meetingsnet.com/event-tech-virtual-meetings/ai-power-user-case-study-data-analysis">According to MeetingsNet</a>, the platform helped her spot unexpected trends, such as a high number of people in sales positions attending technology sessions.
Once AI has helped you see things about your event data that you hadn’t seen before, you can further refine participant personas for your next event and shape your agenda accordingly to avoid competing sessions.

<h3>Proceed With Zest—and Vigilance</h3>
The more you experiment with AI, the more you’ll come to realize its promise. But in doing so, take care to avoid two common pitfalls:
● Use smart inputs. You might have heard the saying “garbage in, garbage out.” Generative AI isn’t actually intelligent—it draws from a vast repository of information, but it needs concise yet thorough direction in order to be helpful. If your initial prompt doesn’t give you what you need, continue to refine your inputs. Spending time on developing the right prompts will still save you time in the long run.
● Always verify. AI can’t distinguish between what’s true and untrue. And in generating output, it might even make up facts or words. Remember that AI is a starting point, not the endpoint. Your events probably aren’t technically subject to President Biden’s <a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/10/30/fact-sheet-president-biden-issues-executive-order-on-safe-secure-and-trustworthy-artificial-intelligence/?utm_campaign=NewsWatch%20Today&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsmi=280528244&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz--535sFzrTslxTozeK689hXb04Sk1uaIC_uBnGpB-p3OO7qDqF66-YmuvQJQCsGQCD2sqGQJ5mfV6in2fnLDVO_-QzEkiw3ujVSXNspWPXv5mE5c8g&amp;utm_content=280528097&amp;utm_source=hs_email">executive order on ethical AI</a>, but it’s a useful standard-bearer to guide your events.
If you’re interested in learning more as you start experimenting, check out the Event Leadership Institute’s <a target="_blank" href="https://eventleadershipinstitute.com/course/webinar-dissecting-the-chat-gpt-generative-ai-disruption-use-cases-concerns-threats-opportunities-for-event-profs-recorded-june-2-2023/">webinar on AI in the events industry</a>. Spoiler alert: It’s led by humans.

Global

AI Has Big Implications. But It’s Smart to Start Small.

Three Ways for Beginners to Try Out AI

When Hillary Clinton told a group of 4,200 meeting professionals that “You make thousands of decisions every day,” she was being conservative. In fact, we make around <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pbsnc.org/blogs/science/how-many-decisions-do-we-make-in-one-day/">35,000 decisions a day</a>, according to some estimates.
But Clinton’s point, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.meetingsnet.com/meeting-planning-toolbox/hillary-clinton-s-decision-making-lessons-meeting-planners">shared at PCMA’s Convening Leaders conference in January</a>, goes deeper than the number of decisions planners make. “You need your energy to be high when making the conscious decisions,” she told attendees. “You have to know yourself.”
The cost of not knowing one’s own capacity for decisions takes a toll: It can lead you to procrastinate decision-making, to reach for the first solution that comes to mind instead of the best solution, or to stay suspended in analysis paralysis, poring over the same information ad nauseam without arriving at a choice.
But <a target="_blank" href="https://www.atlassian.com/blog/productivity/decision-fatigue">decision fatigue</a>—becoming drained in the face of constant choice—can be managed. And for planners, whose decisions affect every aspect of an event, that’s the only way to proceed. Read on for six ways to manage decision fatigue.

<h3>Decision Fatigue-Buster #1: Identify Peak Performance Times</h3>
As Clinton pointed out, you need all your faculties when making the most important decisions. Strategically schedule decision-making sessions—particularly those involving other people’s opinions, which are more cognitively demanding—for a time of day when you’re most alert. Night owls have an added consideration here: Even if you’re most awake later in the day, you may find that your capacity for making decisions is depleted earlier than your energy reserves. Consider trying to schedule meetings involving big decisions for as early in the day as you comfortably can.

<h3>Decision Fatigue-Buster #2: Eliminate Decisions</h3>
You’ve probably heard about people developing a “work uniform” of similar or identical clothes that work well together without requiring much thought—resulting in one less decision to be made each day. Extend that principle to select parts of your work life. That might mean minimizing the number of personal decisions you have to make (such as having the same lunch every day), and it might also mean developing a streamlined list of suppliers so you can devote, say, your big-ticket RFP energy to where it will make the most impact.

<h3>Decision Fatigue-Buster #3: Develop Standardized Evaluation Frameworks</h3>
The outcome of decisions may be unique, but developing a standardized approach to making those decisions is useful. You’re probably already considering similar factors when reviewing your options—budget, past experience, attendee feedback, diversity and inclusion, etc. Codifying these by developing a rubric where each option is evaluated and weighted according to the same criteria can help you take some hemming and hawing out of the equation. These can be particularly effective when collaborating on a decision, thanks to the quantitative factor that makes decisions more objective.

<h3>Decision Fatigue-Buster #4: Prioritize</h3>
Not all decisions need the same level of analysis. Allocate more time and resources to the decisions that are most important, and limit the time you spend on choices whose outcomes have lower stakes. When time is limited, circle back to rule #1 and aim to make critical decisions earlier in the day, before your cognitive overwhelm kicks in.

<h3>Decision Fatigue-Buster #5: Take Breaks</h3>
You already know the role of rest in <a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/news-and-highlights/article/430/tired-of-the-same-old-self-care-tips-read-this">self-care</a>. Taking a break helps you make better decisions too. In <a target="_blank" href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2019-15022-005">a 2019 study of 150 nurses</a> working for a health care helpline, researchers found that the further nurses got from their last break, the more likely they were to make a conservative decision, such as deferring a caller to another practitioner. In fact, proximity to a break was more predictive than overall workload of a person’s likelihood of making an inefficient decision. The takeaway? When you’re faced with making a lot of small decisions, give yourself short, frequent breaks to clear your mind.

<h3>Decision Fatigue-Buster #6: Talk With Other Stakeholders (and Delegate When Appropriate)</h3>
Consider this tip advanced fatigue-busting. The more people you involve in a decision, the more factors you have to consider, ultimately complicating a decision. But as Clinton pointed out about high-stakes decisions like those she faced as United States secretary of state, big decisions require coming together to arrive at the best solution. She stressed the importance of patience even in the face of exhaustion, and pointed out that asking for more information can help inform all parties. And sometimes, depending on the stakeholders involved, you may find that one person is best-equipped to make a decision—and if that’s the case, delegating that choice may be the right path.
If all else fails? Research shows that the coin toss method can help, though not in the way you might think. A <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022103118303950">2019 study</a> showed that people who used a coin toss to make a decision helped them stick to their preliminary choice. Treating the flip of a coin as an aid to making a decision, not as a final verdict, can help you streamline extraneous information and get to the root of what you value in your choices.

Making Decisions Is Your Job. Here’s How to Get Better at It.

6 Ways to Overcome Your Decision Fatigue

Network

Maybe you determined your sustainability goals on your own. Maybe you collaborated on them. Maybe they were handed down to you, and you’re just making the most of them.
But however your sustainability goals came to you, achieving them isn’t a one-person job.

“The reality is that no one can achieve sustainability goals independently. It requires a really deep level of collaboration between event organizers and event suppliers—and I would add in their event participants as well. All of those need to be working together to achieve sustainability goals.”

Here’s how planners can better work with vendors and suppliers so that everyone comes out ahead, Mother Earth included.
<h3>Know what to expect from vendors at various stages.</h3>
A vendor might be just as committed as you are to environmental goals, but their commitment might show up differently than you would expect. “There’s a disconnect between planner and supplier expectations,” says Mariela McIlwraith, president of Meeting Change, a meetings and events consultancy focusing on the strategy of social and environmental sustainability. Buyers often expect to see sustainability information without having to ask for it, but vendors don’t necessarily volunteer that information.
Planners can help close the communication gap by asking for sustainability information instead of assuming that it doesn’t exist unless it’s proactively presented. Suppliers should be able to answer basic questions about energy use, water use, and waste, even if they don’t yet have full-blown reports showcasing that data.
At the same time, meeting planners should also recognize that RFPs can be time-consuming for vendors, and that expecting all sustainability data at once may not be realistic. “You might find that it’s challenging to get the response rates that you want,” McIlwraith says. Consider a two-step process instead. The first step is aimed at eliminating vendors that don't fit general sustainabilty needs. In round two, you can dive into more detail around sustainability goals.
Once you’re past the RFP stage, make sure that the sustainability conversations you’ve had with various players are aligned and reflected in the contract. “Sometimes you’ll go from a conversation with the sales department to the service department, and you want to make sure you’ve created a way for expectations to be communicated all the way through,” McIlwraith says. Embedding them into the contract can help keep sustainability top of mind for all players.
And remember that environmental goals don’t end with the event itself. “It’s really important that communication carries through all the different stages of the relationship with a partner,” McIlwraith says. Post-event data related to sustainability can help you and your vendors understand attendees’ needs as you plan for the next event. Reach out to vendors for any post-event data they may have collected, and share your own.
<h3>Be receptive.</h3>
If there were a singular way to achieve event sustainability, we’d all be doing it. But there isn’t—and that’s a benefit, not a drawback. Keeping your eyes on the goal can be more important than the nitty-gritty of how that goal is executed.
“I think it’s important to find that balance between being overly prescriptive and allowing a little creativity and a bit of latitude in how a goal is achieved,” McIlwraith says. Let’s say one of your goals is reducing food waste. You may believe that using compost bins is the answer, but a vendor might have other established procedures or options to consider like using modified menus or smaller plates. Allowing your partners to be as nimble and flexible as you are lets you learn from one another and find shared opportunities to achieve your mission—and, potentially, new ways to get there that each of you can bring to future partnerships.
<h3>Find the person with passion.</h3>
“One of the things I always look for is somebody within the organization who has a passion for sustainability,” McIlwraith says. “That energy can’t be replaced. Finding somebody who is super excited about this goes a long way toward ensuring that the priorities are being met.”
Everyone you come into contact with as a vendor has a responsibility to live up to their public sustainability claims. But when you’re trying to go deeper, attempting something new, or establishing new protocols, the additional spark brought by a change-maker’s passion can be the catalyst for true change. That person can be the internal driver, watchdog, leader, or liaison, depending on their role within the organization.
Having your eyes open for this type of person may be enough to spot the right candidate. But if no one is emerging, get creative. “I like to ask open-ended questions around sustainability,” McIlwraith says. “Like, ‘Tell us about a time when you engaged in sustainable practices in order to support a client’s event.’ Let them tell you an engaging story, and you can follow their cues from there.”

<h3>Be on greenwashing alert.</h3>
The phrase “We have environmentally friendly practices” sounds nice—but it doesn’t actually mean anything. When you see a vague claim that’s not backed by any sort of certification or third party, or that eschews specific goals in favor of ambiguous language, investigate. It could be that the vendor is not communicating its sustainability practices effectively, or it could mean that the vendor hasn’t yet made the kind of commitments you’re looking for in a partner.
Transparency is also part of the picture. In fact, depending on the goal, transparency may be more important than accomplishments. “I look for what they’re telling us isn’t quite 100% there yet,” McIlwraith says. “What are they working toward? That helps me build confidence in their sustainability practices, because everyone has something that they’re working toward.”
<h3>Remember that we’re all in this together.</h3>
Just like you, your vendors don’t have it all figured out—and that’s OK. It’s an opportunity to work together and problem-solve, which is part of the reward.
“We’re all figuring it out together,” McIlwraith says. “There is this monumental challenge ahead of us to address all aspects of sustainability, whether you’re talking environmental sustainability or social justice sustainability, and I don’t think anyone has all of the answers. So let’s all recognize that we’re on this journey together and share what we know. That’s how we improve.”
One way to do that? Have fun. “So much of what we do is challenging, but sustainability really can be fun,” McIlwraith says. “That ability to do something really fun and creative inspires me to do more. It’s almost like a renewable energy source in and of itself.”

Change-Makers Don’t Work Alone.

How to Talk With Vendors About Your Sustainability Goals

Promote

Flagship events—annual meetings, biannual expos, major conferences—have their place. But a new trend is emerging that amplifies the power of host organizations, and the power of community.
Meet “everyday events”: smaller, more frequent touchpoint meetings. These everyday events—which can be as short as a half-day in duration—are on a smaller scale than what many planners might be used to, and not just in attendance. They have smaller budgets, more focused goals, and more limited time for promotion. But just because they’re smaller doesn’t mean they carry less weight.

<h2>It’s Time for “Everyday Events” to Shine</h2>
Research from the sales event platform Splash shows that people need to interact with a brand nearly 30 times before actually making a purchase—a number that’s increased more than 60% in just two years.
Regardless of whether your event is sales-focused, this emerging phenomenon has a place in your meeting strategy. There’s more information available than ever before, so to drive loyalty—whether in sales, membership, or attention—purpose-driven frequency is key.
Touchpoint events also have the potential to address one of meeting planners’ 2023 pain points: availability. Finding availability for events was planners’ No. 2 challenge in <a target="_blank" href="https://globaldmcpartners.com/sites/default/files/media/files/GDPPulseSurvey2022Q4/2022_GDP%20Q4%20Pulse%20Survey%20Summary%20Report.pdf">a recent survey</a> by Global DMC Partners. It might seem counterintuitive that more events can help relieve this pressure, but because everyday events are shorter in duration, planners can take advantage of one-day slots at venues and in supplier schedules, which are easier to come by.
Finally, there’s the human factor. The tumult of the past few years has attendees reevaluating the big picture—and yearning for connection. Hosting smaller, more frequent events allows people to nurture that instinct. And if that instinct turns into a loyal attendee for flagship events? All the better.

<h2>Four Principles for Creating Successful Touchpoint Events</h2>
1. Lean into what makes an everyday event special. If you approach a touchpoint meeting as a miniature version of an annual conference, you’ll be overwhelmed and attendees won’t get what they need. Instead, remember your mission for these events.
Intimacy-building. Creating a pipeline of communication. Fostering connections that go beyond networking and into collaboration. Large meetings can achieve these goals, but everyday events are crafted specifically for them. Let that guide your attention and your resources.
2. Frequent meetings require frequent communication. Potential delegates can easily be overwhelmed with emails and text blasts about events, and overdoing it risks drowning out communications about larger, revenue-building events. That said, the nature of everyday events means that attendees who might be interested but can’t make the first few iterations might be able to attend later ones.
Social media can hit the right tone and frequency about touchpoint events without overwhelming attendees. <a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/news-and-highlights/article/422/perfect-the-art-of-the-hashtag">Strategic hashtags</a> can help you subtly avoid confusion among followers about the difference between flagship events and these smaller ones. Also consider a unique branding for these events—an “unplugged” version (softer colors, less flashy typefaces) of your larger event communications can help get the point across.
3. Get experimental. Everyday events aren’t incubators for larger events. That said, their smaller scale allows you to try out new formats and new suppliers with less risk. You can even use everyday events as a pressure test for themes and topics for upcoming conferences and panels, inviting attendees at the smaller events to share their experiences with the “trial-size” version on your social channels to generate excitement for larger meetings. (Who doesn’t love feeling like an insider?)
The smaller format also lets you better connect with attendees to hear their feedback. Post-event surveys are always useful, but these smaller events are also a space for casual feedback, because you’ll have less going on during the event itself. Let attendees tell you what they want to see, what worked, and what didn’t—not just for potential use in upcoming larger events, but to inform your strategy for your next intimate gathering.
4. Choose your team wisely. Touchpoint events are a lighter lift for you and your team, but they still require a good deal of communication. This shows in what marketers report as the No. 1 problem with repeatable events, <a target="_blank" href="https://go.splashthat.com/rs/985-MUN-268/images/2023-events-outlook.pdf">according to Splash</a>: coordinating across departments.
Think of your team as a task force, with each member selected for a specialized skill. When assembling your task force, look for people who are adept at creating systems that can pseudo-automate the logistical planning that goes into these events, people who don’t need a lot of hand-holding, and people who might thrive on having a pet project. Everyday events are an opportunity for early-to-mid-career meeting planners who have enough experience to know what success looks like and how to get there, so keep an eye out for eager employees who are at that point in their careers.

Are More Frequent Meetings the Answer to Planners’ 2023 Woes? Surprisingly, Yes.

Small Meetings, Big Impact: The Power of “Everyday Events”

Meetings are about the future. That doesn’t mean planners should eschew the past. Choosing a host city that’s rich in history can set a theme—and an intriguing backdrop—for an event, and can help drive attendance. These five destinations are natural settings for rooting your meeting in heritage, while still looking toward what’s ahead.

<h2>Baltimore</h2>
If Washington, D.C., is the obvious choice for mid-Atlantic American history, Baltimore is the sleeper hit whose time has come. The city’s history is embedded in American lore—it boasts more statues and monuments per capita than anywhere else in the United States—making the city feel oddly familiar even to the first-time visitor.
Baltimore’s top attraction, Fort McHenry, is impressive both for its size and its history. When an oversized U.S. flag was hung there in 1814 to signify victory in the Battle of Baltimore, a local lawyer named Francis Scott Key was inspired to pen a poem titled “Defence of Fort M’Henry”—which, when set to music, became “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
The city’s familiarity doesn’t stop there. Remember the “B&amp;O Railroad” square on the Monopoly board? That’s the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and visitors can pop into the <a href="https://www.borail.org/">B&amp;O Railroad Museum</a>. And a stroll with the city’s free <a href="https://baltimore.org/bop-pass/">BoP Pass</a> takes visitors through a tour of Baltimore’s rich Black heritage and history, including an <a href="https://baltimore.org/listings/frederick-douglass-isaac-myers-maritime-park-museum/">interactive experience about the life of Frederick Douglass</a>, murals and monuments for Billie Holiday, and discounts on select <a href="https://baltimore.org/what-to-do/black-owned-businesses/">Black-owned businesses</a>.
The city’s 300,000-square-foot convention center is the largest of its gathering spaces, but multiple Marriott properties offer smaller spaces as well, including <a href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/BWIWF">Baltimore Marriott Waterfront</a>—which happens to be in Fell’s Point, one of Baltimore’s most historic neighborhoods.

<h2>Montreal</h2>
One of the largest French-speaking cities in the world, Montreal was centuries ahead of its time in thinking globally. Its early development as a fur trading center positioned it as a major player in everything from international transportation, the westward expansion of the U.S. and Canada, and the development of global finance.
That internationalist tradition continues today. A true melting pot of European and North American cultures, Montreal is considered one of the world’s great cosmopolitan centers. (In fact, it’s the first North American city to be granted the UNESCO City of Design designation.)
Like any citizen of the world, it knows how to play a gracious host when the time comes, as it did for the Summer Olympics in 1976. Its infrastructure for meetings has kept pace since then: The Palais des Congrès de Montréal convention center can support up to 20,000 users on its Wi-Fi network and has more than 500,000 square feet of meeting space—and it’s just steps away from <a href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/YULLE">Le Westin Montreal</a>, which offers an additional 48,276 square feet of meeting space.

<h2>Doha</h2>
Want to watch history being made—and even be a part of it? Host your next event in Doha. The newest city on this list, Doha’s history may be recent, but that doesn’t make it any less rich than its elders. A humble pearling village as late as the 1930s, Doha exploded in size and wealth in the 1950s with the advent of oil drilling, rocketing from 14,000 inhabitants to more than 80,000 in the span of 20 years.
When Qatar declared independence from Britain in 1971, Doha was named its capital. With its international prominence came international design, including the Museum of Islamic Art, designed by I.M. Pei, and the National Museum of Qatar, designed by Jean Nouvel. But if you and your attendees want a taste of the area’s history, head to the city’s souk, which has been restored with an eye toward preserving the original Bedouin style.
The city’s convention center boasts nearly 100,000 pillar-free square feet that can be spatially customized into five halls, in addition to its 18 meeting rooms. It’s surrounded by accommodations including <a href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/DOHMQ">Marriott Marquis City Center Doha Hotel</a>; <a href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/DOHRZ">The Ritz-Carlton, Doha</a>; <a href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/DOHWH">W Doha</a>; and <a href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/DOHSI">Sheraton Grand Doha Resort &amp; Convention Hotel</a> (which in and of itself has 16 meeting rooms and nearly 95,000 square feet of meeting space).

<h2>Kyoto</h2>
To understand Japanese history, there may be no better destination than Kyoto. For more than a thousand years, Kyoto was the capital of the nation. Tokyo took that title in 1868, but today Kyoto’s 2.5 million residents enjoy the cultural wealth that resulted from its centuries as the heart of Japan. For international attendees, Kyoto offers a particularly rich buffet of Japanese icons such as kabuki theater, tea ceremonies, and samurai culture.
But Kyoto holds another, more subtle sense of history for meeting planners in particular. Much of the world knows of Kyoto through a meeting: the gathering that birthed the Kyoto Protocol. Hosting a meeting in Kyoto can lend an event a sense of gravitas—after all, global, even universal, history was made here. <a href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/UKYAK">The Prince Kyoto Takaragaike, Autograph Collection</a>, situated a seven-minute walk from the Kyoto International Conference Center, hosts an additional 27,000 square feet of meeting space over eight meeting areas.

<h2>Bogota</h2>
The capital of Colombia, Bogota has played a key role in South American history for centuries. Pre-colonial Indigenous groups developed sophisticated metallurgy techniques, thousands of which are on display today in the city’s magnificent Museo del Oro, or gold museum. When the Spanish founded the city in 1538, it became a seat of colonial power on the continent; similarly, when colonial rulers were overthrown in the early 19th century, Bogota served as a gathering place for prominent nationalists.
In the 1980s and early 1990s, Bogota’s political turmoil may have made meeting planners question its suitability as a host city. But the city has worked hard to reclaim its spot on the world stage, investing in security, public transportation, and tourism infrastructure. Today, the city of 11 million is known as an Andean jewel filled with world-class restaurants and art. The <a href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/BOGJW">JW Marriott Hotel Bogota</a> is situated in El Chapinero, the city’s hub of dining destinations, and has capacity for intimate meetings and easy public transportation access to Bogota’s convention center.

Anchor Your Events in Heritage and History.

Five Destinations That Will Make Your Meeting Historic

Artificial intelligence (AI) has gone from a buzzword to a real, tangible tool for meeting and event planners. According to research from <a target="_blank" href="https://experience.amexglobalbusinesstravel.com/me-forecast/2025/technology-is-the-enabler">American Express</a>, 50% of them plan to use AI for event planning in 2025. Yet, despite its potential, <a target="_blank" href="https://cdn.encoreglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/20035742/NMG-PULSE-Dec-2024.pdf">data from Northstar/Cvent</a> indicates that many planners haven’t found practical applications for AI in their day-to-day work.
If you’re feeling skeptical or overwhelmed, you’re not alone. Fortunately, more meeting planning app tools are emerging that can be easily adapted for automating tedious tasks, optimizing budgets, and enhancing attendee experiences.
Previously, we’ve covered <a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/news-and-highlights/article/592/three-ways-for-beginners-to-try-out-ai">three simple ways to start using AI</a>, but this time, we’re getting into the nitty-gritty. With insights from Jim Spellos (president and founder of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.meeting-u.com">Meeting U</a>, a technology education company) and Brandt Krueger (senior production manager for <a target="_blank" href="https://eidecom.com">EideCom</a>), we’ll explore specific ways to integrate AI into your workflow. Prepare to be amazed.

<h2>AI for Research and Site Selection</h2>
Traditionally, researching event venues and destinations was time-consuming. You’d sift through websites, request RFPs, and compare locations manually. AI is changing that.
Spellos says that AI-powered research is improving dramatically. Tools like <a target="_blank" href="https://deepmind.google/technologies/gemini/flash/">Gemini 2.0 Flash</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.deepseek.com">DeepSeek </a>can analyze 30-40 websites at once and provide profound insights. Unlike earlier versions of AI, which sometimes made up information, these tools can now cross-reference data to deliver accurate, actionable results. This means that instead of spending hours searching for a venue that meets your requirements, AI can scan multiple sources and identify the best options based on your needs. For example, try asking something like, “Find me a venue with 200 rooms, downtown, with catering options for lunch and dinner.” Instead of sifting through pages of results, you’ll get an informed, realistic answer—fast. Bonus Tip: Upload your responses into AI and ask it to summarize the key differences between vendors. This can speed up decision-making and ensure you don’t miss any details.

<h2>AI for Budgeting and Financial Planning</h2>
AI won’t replace your financial expertise, but it can speed up number crunching and highlight important trends. Event budgets are complex, with shifting costs, last-minute changes, and layers of approvals. AI can streamline this process by handling spreadsheet calculations, predicting cost overruns, and even running sentiment analysis on attendee feedback. Consider using <a target="_blank" href="https://openai.com">Open AI</a> (which created <a target="_blank" href="https://chatop.ai/onboarding?ad_id=723593259760&amp;adgroup_id=172919988364&amp;campaign_id=21966917938&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiAoJC-BhCSARIsAPhdfSiVLMDSRFCUiuNOm-h5N8UsMJBNW3L8Y5_tdH2Q4XCfKd4iibF8_DUaAuLaEALw_wcB&amp;utm_click=Cj0KCQiAoJC-BhCSARIsAPhdfSiVLMDSRFCUiuNOm-h5N8UsMJBNW3L8Y5_tdH2Q4XCfKd4iibF8_DUaAuLaEALw_wcB&amp;utm_device=c&amp;utm_devicemodel=&amp;utm_matchtype=b&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_network=g&amp;utm_source=google&amp;utm_term=chatgpt">ChatGPT</a>) or any large language model to create complex formulas for your budget spreadsheet. For example, calculate exactly how much of your budget is already accounted for by asking, “How many attendees still need to pay for the gala dinner?” AI can also scan your past budgets and suggest where you might be overspending or identify cost-saving opportunities.

<h2>AI for Personalizing Attendee Experiences</h2>
As you already know, <a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/news-and-highlights/article/676/three-ways-tech-helps-personalize-events">personalization is key to engagement</a>, and AI makes it easier than ever. To start with, rather than providing generic recommendations for your group, AI can tailor event content to individual attendees. It can analyze attendee feedback, too: Spellos has used it to scan post-event surveys, match ratings with text comments, and create a word cloud to highlight key themes.
AI planners can and should provide AI-driven networking suggestions to help their attendees, too. For example, they could upload your event agenda into an AI tool, and ask something like, “I’m interested in F&amp;B. Which breakout sessions should I attend?” Attendees can also use AI for networking suggestions, recommending who they should meet based on shared interests or job roles. AI tools like Google’s <a target="_blank" href="https://notebooklm.google.com">NotebookLM</a> (an AI-powered note-taking tool) can even summarize session content for attendees who missed a talk.

<h2>AI for Event Content Creation and Marketing</h2>
Keeping up with social media and promotional content can feel like a full-time job. AI tools can generate, edit, and repurpose content at scale. Some of the best tools for event planners include <a target="_blank" href="https://www.opus.pro/join-opus-clip-now?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=Opus_Clip_Brand_ppc&amp;utm_content=OpusClip_Exact_ad_group&amp;utm_term=opusclip&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiAoJC-BhCSARIsAPhdfShUcRu5JTNo9V9a8E2Cu_2XuyDK1qCrMOSFTtaEsQgUE_ESeDniVpwaAuiIEALw_wcB">OpusClip</a>: Upload an hour-long session video, and this tool will automatically generate short, engaging social media clips formatted for different platforms. Similarly, planners could use this tool to turn last year’s keynote into a series of LinkedIn posts and Instagram Reels without manually editing each piece.
Need a polished post-event report? Upload your notes, and <a target="_blank" href="https://gamma.app">Gamma</a> will &nbsp;turn them into a professional slide deck in minutes. Spellos uses <a target="_blank" href="https://elevenlabs.io">ElevenLabs</a> to improve audio quality for event recordings. Have a session recorded in a noisy environment? The platform can clean up the audio and make it sound professional.

<h2>AI for Smoother Event Logistics</h2>
AI-powered automation can handle RSVPs, agenda management, and speaker coordination so you don’t have to. Just feed a tool like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mermaidchart.com/mermaid-ai">Mermaid</a> your event details, and it can use them to create a full conference timeline in seconds. AI chatbots, such as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.jasper.ai">Jasper</a>, can handle attendee inquiries, confirmations, and last-minute schedule changes without manual intervention.

<h2>Remember AI Is Here to Help</h2>
AI won’t replace your job, but as Spellos and Krueger both emphasize, planners who embrace AI will have an edge. Think of AI like Excel—once a novelty, now an essential tool. In the near future, knowing how to use AI will be just as expected as knowing how to build an event budget. As Krueger puts it, “AI won’t take your job, but someone who knows AI better than you might.”
The key is not to force AI into your events just because it’s new and trendy. Instead, play with it. Try a $20 ChatGPT subscription for a month. Test an AI-powered site selection tool. Use AI for small, practical tasks like cleaning up event audio, generating a report, or summarizing RFPs. By starting small and learning what works for you, you’ll stay ahead of the curve—and free up time for the creative, human side of event planning.

Apps and Other Ideas to Help You Up Your AI Game in 2025.

How Planners Are Leveraging AI

Large-scale meetings and conferences are a hallmark of the events industry, but a new format has emerged as a valuable option to planners: micro events.
Liz Lathan, CMP, and Nicole Osibodu are big fans of these smaller events. The co-founders of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.weareichi.com">Club Ichi</a>, a membership group for B2B event marketers, often use micro events to connect people within the industry.
“With micro events, you have an opportunity to do things that feel more authentic,” Osibodu says. “You can think through each attendee as individuals. It absolutely <a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/news-and-highlights/article/474/small-meetings-big-impact:-the-power-of-everyday-events">creates the impact</a> that a lot of planners are looking to get.”
She and Lathan consider a micro event to be anything under 150 people, although they frequently focus on 30 or fewer.
“The micro event has a very strong place in the portfolio of events right now,” Lathan says. “It’s very bottom-of-the-funnel. It’s very relationship-building.”

<h2>When a Micro Event Makes Sense</h2>
Micro events make sense “when you have something specific that you need to make happen,” says Osibodu, whose Club Ichi focuses on B2B engagements. For example, micro events are ideal when you’re catering to VIP customers and you’re looking to accelerate the long-sales process.
“If they have a dream client that they’re trying to land, then this is the perfect setting to create an event almost around and for one person, one account,” she says. “That’s the fastest and probably the most cost-effective way to land those target accounts.”
Gathering 10 or 15 influential people from one account allows you to “craft something that’s going to be relevant to their values and their culture, but also bring your sales team together with them,” Lathan adds.
Small-scale events can also be a smart marketing tool. Sonali Nair, CEO of the marketing services firm Segment Agency, explains that micro events can be held in multiple locations ahead of a larger annual event to build excitement, or as a series of follow-ups afterward to maintain engagement. “This varied approach can help broaden the reach of your marketing and events strategy and deepen your relationship with attendees through more continuous, focused interactions,” Nair writes in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinesscouncil/2024/07/17/maximizing-impact-with-micro-events-examining-the-new-trend/">Forbes blog</a>.&nbsp;
Micro events could also take one of these forms, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cvent.com/en/blog/events/micro-events">Cvent</a>:
● Skills workshops. In a smaller group, attendees get more personalized attention from instructors while learning something new.
● Product launches. Planners can host multiple smaller meetings for focused customer groups to introduce products and tailor sales pitches.
● Client meetings. Gathering clients who are facing similar challenges, for example, can ensure that everyone is invested in brainstorming solutions.
● Satellite events. In conjunction with a larger meeting, hold several micro events that are easier to travel to and provide relevant content for the smaller groups.

<h2>Ideas for Micro Events</h2>
When looking for micro event ideas, planners should think outside the playbook. “It’s really easy to be like, oh, we’ll do one of those—meaning they think they have to pick from the menu,” Osibodu says. “If you want to do a micro event, your job is to not order off the menu.”
Club Ichi recently hosted a four-hour micro event for 20 people at Marriott’s research and design lab, Room27. “They came from all over the U.S. to have a facilitated focus group,” Lathan says. “If you have something that is the right message, the right experience, and the right audience, they will fly anywhere for you.”
Lathan describes another micro event in Las Vegas that she orchestrated for planners. “Our entire concept was showing you a Las Vegas that you didn’t know existed,” she says. “We created these experiences that we never would have gotten access to if we were a larger group.”
Attendees went to the Aria uniform control center to see how 9,000 uniforms are cleaned and pressed each day. They toured the Bellagio fountains pump room and watched an exclusive water show aboard the repair barge. At MGM, they visited the prop and decor warehouse and went on a scavenger hunt.

<h2>Tips for Micro Events</h2>
More than ever, people are weighing the value of attending your event with their time away from work and <a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/news-and-highlights/article/356/add-family-time-to-the-agenda">family</a>. To get people to come to your event—especially a micro one—you need to make it impossible to pass up. Here are a few ways to do that.
Create a personal invitation. “The intimacy of a micro event requires a personal invitation,” Lathan says. “It has to be much more high-touch: someone of importance or of value is sending that invitation. Work with the CEO or the CMO. Who is the right person to make that invite?”
Identify your host for the micro event (hint: not you). “As planners, we’re managing the logistics and maybe the experience. Appoint someone whose job it is to be the host,” Lathan says. “You need that role, especially for micro events, to make people feel like they belong.”
Give meaningful gifts. “It doesn’t need to be expensive. It needs to be thoughtful,” Osibodu says. “Think of something you could order from Etsy—handmade, handwritten.” For a micro event on a chartered yacht, Club Ichi created luggage tags. “It was hand-embroidered for each of the 20 people. This cost us maybe $5,” Lathan explains. “It’s not a huge investment, but it was so personal.”

Smaller Is Smarter for Meetings in 2025. Here’s Why.

When to Consider a Micro Event and How to Make It Happen

Channels, frequency, timing, topics—that’s what you expect from a social media strategy. And yes, you need them.
But for any of those decisions to make sense, they need to stem from your driving force: audience and goals.
“For me, content strategy always goes back to: Who’s your audience, and why did they come to your organization?” says Hilary Marsh, founder and chief content and digital strategist of Content Company.
Everything begins with the who and the why. From there, you and your team can figure out the where, when, how often, and what—aka channels, frequency, timing, and topics. Understand your audience and your goals, and you’re positioned to choose the tactics that will reach the right people in the right way. Rush through that foundation, and you’re positioned to … post a lot of tweets.
Here are three principles around audience and goals to keep in mind as you develop your social media strategy.
<h3> </h3>
<h3>Know why your attendees care about the organization in the first place.</h3>
No matter how epic your event, people aren’t showing up for innovative displays and fun cocktails. They’re showing up because they have a connection with the host organization. That connection might be literal (as with an association or corporate event for members or employees only) or figurative (as with a consumer trade show). Whatever that connection is, your social media strategy begins with understanding the bigger picture from your attendees’ perspective.
“Why is the person a member of the association that’s having an annual conference? The reasons they join are the reasons that they would attend,” Marsh says.
Understanding your audience’s motivations lays the framework for every arm of your social media strategy—indeed, for your meeting as a whole. It also has tactical implications: Setting up separate social media accounts for the event might seem like a way to build interest. In practice, it separates the event from the organization as a whole.
“Nobody has subscribed to [a separate meeting account], so then you have a giant challenge of building an audience so that you can engage with them,” Marsh says. “Instead, what a meeting planner might do is weave in information promotions—early bird registrations and such—into the organization’s larger social media channels.” Trust that the content itself, hashtags and all, will be an effective vehicle for what you want to convey without a separate channel.
<h3> </h3>
<h3>Be a translator.</h3>
Learning about your attendees begins with deep engagement with the host organization. Independent meeting planners may have a steeper learning curve here than planners employed by (and therefore immersed in) associations or corporations. For all planners, though, the host organization offers a well of expertise on what matters to you: who the audience is, why they’re invested in the event, and where and how to reach them, in addition to the topic of the meeting at large.
But when you’re crafting a social media strategy, take care not to put the organization’s expertise ahead of your audience. The more of an insider you become, the more information you have—and the higher the risk of being in sync with the organization’s knowledge rather than the attendees’.
For example, branding an event makes sense strategically, but referring to the meeting exclusively in branded terms leaves out attendees and ignores their reasons for wanting to attend.
“Let’s say it’s called the Connections conference,” Marsh says. “Then you see, ‘Connections is happening next week’ or ‘Save $200 if you register for Connections by February.’ Well, if you don’t work there, you’re going to have no idea what ‘Connections’ is, and then it gets overlooked. It’s a matter of not being able to see outside of what you already know. And I see it all the time.” Instead, think of yourself as a translator between the “insider baseball” lingo of the organization and the attendees.
<h3> </h3>
<h3>Think engagement, not marketing.</h3>
You might be marketing an event, but a social media strategy that puts promotion ahead of engagement is likely to be ignored. “Social media is not a one-way channel,” Marsh says. “How do we join in those conversations that the audience is having?”
Think of social media strategy as a microcosm of your meeting. You want the event itself to go off smoothly—and that begins with engaging attendees well before the first keynote, and keeping the event top of mind after everyone is back at home. Social media strategy breaks ground for that ongoing connectivity, lending a layer of continuity to the work you’ve put into the meeting itself.
After all, your meeting exists to help people connect. Why would your social media strategy not do the same? “If you just see social media as a marketing channel, people will tune you out,” Marsh says. “Nobody’s got time for that.”

It starts with the basics—but maybe not the basics you’d expect.

Three Keys to Creating a Social Media Strategy That Works

As a planner, you probably recognize that personalizing your events can deepen engagement, but accommodating a wide variety of attendee needs takes time. Tech can help you with this monumental task—if you know how to use it right.
Custom mobile event apps, artificial intelligence for itinerary assistance, and on-site engagement tools might be familiar technology to you, but they include features that you may not be using to the fullest extent to personalize experiences for attendees. Here’s a look at the possibilities.

<h2>1. Custom Mobile Event Apps</h2>
Attendees are going to have their smartphones with them during events for quick access to everything they need. Mobile apps, a longtime staple of planners, are one way to provide a personalized journey.
You know that event apps show attendees the schedule and can give them the ability to personalize their agenda. Taking it a step further, when users complete their profile and set up notification preferences, it generates valuable data to help you tailor your communications to them, from welcome messages to targeted event reminders and updates.
As you research app developers—including <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cvent.com/en/event-marketing-management/mobile-event-apps">Cvent</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nunify.com/event-app">Nunify</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://swoogo.events/mobile/">Swoogo</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://whova.com/whova-event-app/">Whova</a>—and explore their suite of features, make sure you keep attendee personalization top of mind. Do you want to communicate to attendees or have them chat with each other? What about an interactive map for easier navigation to exhibit floors and meeting rooms? Or <a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/news-and-highlights/article/561/survey-says-three-ways-to-add-polling-to-the-program">polls</a>, Q&amp;A chats, and surveys to boost engagement? Maybe a virtual help desk so people can get their questions answered?
Apps can be branded to include your event name and match your theme (called white-label apps), or they can carry the provider’s branding and direct people to select your event from a list inside the app (referred to as container apps). Branded apps usually cost more but offer a richer, more personalized experience for your event that attendees will appreciate.

<h2>2. Artificial Intelligence for Itinerary Assistance</h2>
Acting as a tireless and talented assistant, AI systems such as ChatGPT can help you develop itineraries—leveraging huge amounts of data and churning out actionable insights—so you are free to be more strategic in your work.
In the early stages of planning, AI tools can be useful in brainstorming. Ask AI to generate options for destinations or themes for your event, and you’ll soon have plenty of information to react to and refine. By adding past attendee data to the search, you’ll get results that are grounded in what people are looking for.
When it comes to content, for example, AI can analyze registration data and past event behaviors, so you’re able to cater to your audience’s interests. For instance, AI might identify a large segment that is interested in <a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/news-and-highlights/article/417/innovative-wellness-strategies-spark-today-s-most-successful-events">wellness</a>, and you can add sessions around those topics.
At an individual level, platforms such as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.glueup.com/features/ai-copilot">Glue Up</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://splashthat.com">Splash</a> use AI algorithms to review people’s profiles and past data and personalize agendas that ensure everyone gets the most relevant content. AI could also recommend that someone attend a one-on-one meeting or a small group session with others who share similar interests.

<h2>3. On-Site Engagement Tools</h2>
Event planners can use various technologies to enhance on-site engagement and create a more personalized experience for attendees.
Mobile apps, mentioned earlier, can get the job done. Poring through attendee data, these platforms offer individualized schedules, session recommendations, targeted content, and personalized navigation.
Using badges or wristbands with radio-frequency identification (RFID) also can help to seamlessly personalize the attendee experience. For example, people can quickly register and check into sessions, and when they do, dynamic displays in the area can show them personalized messages. Also, when their movements are tracked with RFID, they can receive personalized recommendations, such as related sessions or other people they can meet who are nearby.
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.marriottbonvoyevents.com/news-and-highlights/article/421/push-play-on-your-next-meeting-with-games">Gamification</a> elements such as scavenger hunts, point systems, or leaderboards can be personalized based on attendee interests, encouraging participation and interaction as well.
Virtual reality (VR) technology offers many possibilities for customization and interaction that lead to memorable attendee experiences. Whether through personalized tours, virtual training, immersive storytelling, or team-building exercises, VR can transform the way attendees engage with events.

<h2>Tech Solutions for You</h2>
Technology in and of itself is not personal, but solutions such as mobile event apps, AI-powered itinerary assistance, and on-site engagement innovations are effective tools to have within reach. When used optimally in the events landscape, tech can help you create tailored attendee experiences that resonate on an individual level, driving deeper engagement—and lasting impressions.

Drive Engagement by Leveraging These Technology Tools.

Three Ways Tech Helps Personalize Events

Hitting up a new destination and seeing the area’s highlights is part of the fun of meetings for attendees. But increasingly, that alone isn’t enough. Today’s attendees want cultural immersion, with multiple travel trend experts citing travelers’ <a target="_blank" href="https://www.finnpartners.com/news-insights/2024-travel-trends-embracing-culture-culinary-adventures-and-more/">heightened desire</a> to make authentic connections with the communities they visit <a target="_blank" href="https://www.travoh.com/articles/cultural-immersion-future-travel-trends-shaping-authentic-experiences/">rather than treating destinations as places to be checked off a bucket list</a>.
Incorporating local connections into your meeting can help make your event more memorable. It can also help ensure that the meeting is having the right kind of impact on a host community—contributing to it rather than draining or exploiting it.
But to make that happen, cultural immersion can’t be an afterthought. Like inclusion and diversity, cultural authenticity <a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/news-and-highlights/article/410/is-inclusion-part-of-your-organizing-principle">needs to be a part of your organizing principle</a> if it’s going to truly add value to your meeting for all stakeholders. Here are three guidelines to keep in mind as you strive to make your events more culturally immersive.

<h2>Incorporate Local Makers</h2>
Local caterers who can offer attendees a sampling of tastes from the area are just the beginning. Look at every vendor you bring in and ask yourself whether there’s an opportunity to have them contribute to an authentic, local vibe.
Swag is a clear place to start: Partnering with local makers to include their wares in your swag bags or welcome gifts infuses the event with a take-home memory. If your budget allows for generous freebies and you want to include more general items that are branded with the event or client, inquire about local manufacturers that can supply the goods—and then include a note in your swag bag about how all items are local, reinforcing the message you’re after.
But look beyond the showstoppers like swag. At the 2023 iteration of Marriott’s THE EXCHANGE, Travel Partners Conference in Waikiki, Hawai‘i, meeting planners used badge lanyards made of seashells, which were <a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/news-and-highlights/article/463/marriott-s-most-sustainable-meeting-yet">crafted by local artisans</a>.

<h2>Build on Your Existing Inclusion Principles</h2>
While cultural immersion isn’t the same thing as inclusion, the principles are often related. Examine your current diversity, equity, and inclusion principles and action plan and look for places where you can leverage what you’ve already done to go deeper culturally.
Take <a target="_blank" href="https://www.smartmeetings.com/guides/resource-guide-indigenous-land-acknowledgement">land acknowledgements</a>, an increasingly popular activity at the beginning of meetings that’s meant to honor the original, Native caretakers of the land where the event is taking place. While it’s everyone’s responsibility to honor the land, not just the responsibility of people who identify as Native, bringing in local Native leaders to conduct a short ceremony at the start of the event can help immerse attendees in an area’s culture from the beginning. Take it beyond the first day by working with local Indigenous leaders or reaching out to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.aianta.org/">American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association</a> for ways to deepen attendees’ appreciation of an area’s original inhabitants and how those communities continue to be a part of local culture.
Talk with all types of culturally representative stakeholders to gather their ideas. Think outside the box about what “culturally representative” means—can you source ideas from people who have generational roots in the area, along with newcomers? A born-and-raised resident may know twists on classic local draws that go beyond the expected, while people who chose to move to the destination may add their own cultural flair to the mix.

<h2>Feature the Destination at Every Touchpoint</h2>
Luring attendees with city tours and excursions once the meeting is announced might work, sure. But some attendees might prefer a DIY approach that lets them feel like a local from the get-go. Try rooting attendees in the destination with a mini orientation guide at sign-up that includes pronunciations of local attractions (such as New York City’s “HOW-ston” street or Portland, Oregon’s “will-AM-it river”), tips for fitting in like a local (do people tend to dress up, or is the vibe more relaxed?), ideas for day trips or bleisure opportunities before or after the meeting, and the best selfie spots for showing off on social media.
Integrating the destination into your programming beyond entertainment can pay off too. Bringing in local speakers and panelists won’t add accommodation costs to your budget and can anchor attendees. Again, think beyond the expected: A panel on artificial intelligence would naturally feature experts from the host industry, but if there are local voices who could speak to the issue, all the better—even if that voice is simply a local business owner who has incorporated a chatbot into their website. It may be more legwork up front to spell out the connection for stakeholders and attendees, but going beyond the usual suspects within your programming will help make your meeting unforgettable.

Want to Root Attendees in a Sense of Place? Go Beyond the Expected.

Authentic Local Experiences Are Authentic From the Start

Celebrate

Whether planning a gala for a nonprofit or simply adding a charitable aspect to a corporate event, meeting planners know that a good cause can add a sense of mission to a gathering. But just because there’s an altruistic aim doesn’t mean that planners can overlook one of the tenets of their work: delighting attendees.
In fact, one of the findings of <a target="_blank" href="https://news.marriott.com/news/2023/06/05/marriott-international-pcma-and-cema-release-guiding-principles-in-experience-design-findings-at-the-exchange-association-masters">the joint study from PCMA, CEMA, and Marriott International</a> was that successful meetings lean into “the power of play. ” The idea is that by tapping into playfulness, meeting planners create new avenues for ideation and collaboration. While this has its most obvious benefits in meetings focused on innovation, meetings with a philanthropic bent are similarly enhanced—and made more memorable—by play.
Here are five tactics to balance philanthropy and play in your next charity-oriented meeting.

<h2>Create a Place of Play (Metaphorically)</h2>
If your cause has a physical component, give it some context by bringing it to the event. And if literally bringing it to the event isn’t possible, all the more invitation for you to get creative.
At <a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/news-and-highlights/article/483/hosting-sustainable-events-while-supporting-local-culture-and-communities">Marriott’s The Exchange Australia event in 2023</a>, planners built an interactive zone featuring lush greenery in which participants could donate a tree to be planted in the host country. In the same vein, the Robin Hood Foundation, which aims to eradicate poverty in New York City, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bizbash.com/production-strategy/event-production-fabrication/media-gallery/22862447/robin-hood-benefit-2023">created a candy-themed version of the city for its 2023 gala</a>.&nbsp;
What made both events particularly engaging: a sense of place. As the PCMA report notes, “Creating dedicated spaces that are flexible and without too many rules will encourage play.”

<h2>Involve the Beneficiaries</h2>
If your mission is humanitarian in nature, ask the people who are benefiting what they’d like their supporters to know about playfulness. For example, an event benefiting refugees could feature an interactive opportunity for attendees to sample from cuisines of the part of the world the beneficiaries are from; a gala for people with disabilities could showcase performances or art created by people in the community.
If you’re drawing talent from your pool of beneficiaries, consult them at every step to make sure they’re comfortable with how they’re being presented to attendees and represented in marketing materials.

<h2>Find Creative Partners</h2>
Take inspiration from the stars: The Elton John AIDS Foundation is known for its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.eltonjohnaidsfoundation.org/event/31st-academy-awards-viewing-party/">annual Academy Awards viewing party</a>, which brings a high turnout along with attention and donations to the organization’s mission.
But you don’t have to bring in A-list celebrities to give your fundraising a little glitz. When a Native American youth center in Minneapolis was rendered unusable because of a fire, the organization, MIGIZI, <a target="_blank" href="https://associationsnow.com/2020/11/four-ways-organizations-getting-creative-fundraising/">partnered</a> with the creators of cult favorite TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000. The joint fundraiser benefited MIGIZI while also raising funds to create two new episodes of the long-gone show.
That fundraiser was virtual, but the principle applies to events, too: Working with an entity that brings a spritz of glamour ushers in new attention to your work, and can make for a particularly creative event.

<h2>Gamify It</h2>
There’s a reason fundraising leaderboards are ever-present at charity events: As much as a gathering is about collaboration, a little competition is always fun.
That’s something Second Harvest, a food rescue organization in Toronto, learned when it hosted a “Cake or Fake?” challenge as one of its offerings for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bizbash.com/production-strategy/event-production-fabrication/media-gallery/22578520/top-benefit-galas-for-2022">the 2022 rendition of its annual fundraising event</a>. Chefs crafted cakes designed to look like non-cake items (a loaf of bread, a jar of maple syrup), and guests guessed whether the item was real or made from cake.

<h2>Pick a Theme, Then Play With It</h2>
If your event is an annual or otherwise recurring event, you have an opportunity to build anticipation throughout the year by having a signature theme that varies from year to year.
Take it from the success of the Mad Hatter’s Luncheon, an annual fundraiser for the Women’s Council of the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. Since its inception, the gala has encouraged attendees to don fantastic hats. Each year, the specific theme changes, giving attendees an opportunity to flaunt their finest; the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.papercitymag.com/society/the-seen/mad-hatters-luncheon-2023-arboretum/">2023 theme was “English elegance,”</a> resulting in a crop of fascinators and outlandish garden scenes atop guests’ heads.
Another example from D-Town: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/2023/april/life-jackets/">DIFFA Dallas’ annual jackets auction</a>. Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS has a natural tie-in to a fashion theme; the Dallas event sees designers creating custom jackets that are then auctioned off. Even for attendees who don’t plan to bid, the anticipation built throughout the year about the jackets ensures a high attendance rate.
Solemnity has its place at charitable events, of course. But tapping into the power of play can be another way to underscore the importance—and the humanity—of your event.

Good Works Can Mean Good Play, Too. These Five Tips Show How to Do It.

Make Your Meeting’s Charitable Component More Playful

Meeting planners since the dawn of time have had their eye on attracting the next generation of eventgoers: the people who, if planners can catch their attention now, will form their clients’ base now and in the future.
Generation Z is no exception. But what might make Gen Z a little different as far as today’s meeting planners go is their unique spot in the landscape of eventgoers.
They’re digital natives who launched their careers during a time of global upheaval. But those same traits—taking technology as a given, a sensitivity to the world around them—are shared by every single person at your events, to a degree. In other words, if you cater to Gen Z, you’re actually catering to all of your attendees.
Consider it a variant of the <a target="_blank" href="https://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_curb_cut_effect">“curb cut effect,”</a> or the idea that &nbsp;supporting one group supports everyone. When disability activists successfully advocated for wheelchair-accessible curb cuts (small ramps) throughout United States built environments, they learned that they had achieved a victory that went beyond their specific needs. Curb cuts allowed wheelchairs access to the streets—along with parents pushing strollers, travelers hauling wheeled luggage, workers pushing heavy carts, and skateboarders making use of the urban landscape. In fact, one study showed that 9 out of 10 “unencumbered pedestrians” use curb cuts.
A win for one specific demographic became a win for the community at large. In the same way, taking stock of the needs of Gen Z can help you create events that are more meaningful for everyone. Here are four ways to do just that.

<h2>Make Sure Your Meeting Has Community Impact</h2>
Generation Z came of age during the era of “cause marketing,” with brands promoting their value and community impact along with their wares. This has played a role in younger attendees’ expectations that events will do more than just benefit them—they want the events they pour resources into to support a mission.
Making your meetings <a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/news-and-highlights/article/482/how-to-talk-with-vendors-about-your-sustainability-goals">environmentally sustainable</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/news-and-highlights/article/410/is-inclusion-part-of-your-organizing-principle">inclusive</a>, and culturally sensitive goes a long way with this group. Consider adding an explicit charitable aspect to your meetings too, whether that’s highlighting the economic impact your event has to the host organization (if it’s a nonprofit), creating opportunities for attendees to volunteer at the destination, or hosting extracurricular activities with a philanthropic bent.

<h2>Support Attendees’ Mental Health and Well-Being</h2>
Younger attendees began their careers during the pandemic—a time of peak attention to mental health and emotional wellness. The stresses they experienced as students and young adults show up in their <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare/our-insights/addressing-the-unprecedented-behavioral-health-challenges-facing-generation-z">levels of emotional distress</a>, and it takes flight in the form of their resilience, with self-care becoming a pillar of how young attendees make their way through the world.
To support this mission for all attendees, pay particular attention to how you’re constructing your meetings’ time and space. According to research firm Mintel, 38% of Generation Z reports prioritizing time for themselves, compared with just 27% of adults overall. Incorporating downtime into events can help attendees meet their self-care needs without missing out on programming and networking opportunities. Designating spaces as “quiet zones” or sensory rooms can provide eventgoers with a haven during “on” times as well.

<h2>Demonstrate Your Event’s Value</h2>
Generation Z is less willing to spend money on experiences for experiences’ sake than their predecessors, according to research from Mintel. Yet they’re eager to meet in person: The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.freeman.com/resources/freeman-trends-report-q1-2023/">Q1 2023 events report from Freeman</a> shows that 75% of younger attendees say in-person gatherings provide the most trustworthy information. 
 
To keep their trust, let them know what they’ll expect. Focus on the value they’ll get from investing time in your event, not just the “experience.” Knowing specifics about how they’ll be getting hands-on learning and a deeper connection to colleagues will help them—and all attendees—click “Register Now.”

<h2>Artfully Integrate Technology Into Every Part of Your Meeting</h2>
Digital natives value many of the same analog approaches of previous generations; they just see technology as being complementary to those approaches, not separate. It’s easy to see how that comes into play in remote and hybrid meetings. But keeping technology in an active support role in fully in-person meetings can amplify the reasons people gather in the first place.
What this means for meeting planners: Lean into technology for every aspect of your programming, without making it the focus. In-session live polling, interactive displays, tech-enabled accessibility options, LED volumes, <a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/news-and-highlights/article/422/perfect-the-art-of-the-hashtag">skilled use of hashtags</a>—all of these ladder up to an attendee experience that’s amplified by, not dominated by, technology.

Want to Make Your Meetings More Valuable for All Your Attendees? Pay Attention to the Needs of Generation Z.

Win Over Gen Z, Win Over Everyone

You want your event to linger in your attendees’ minds long after they’ve gone home. Here’s a way to do that: Have less content.
That might seem like a paradox. But taking the foot off the gas pedal can help make meetings more memorable—the less jam-packed a schedule is, the better that attendees are able to absorb what they’re learning. Here’s why and how to ensure your attendee experience is richer, not busier.

<h2>Why Less Content Makes a Meeting More Memorable</h2>
Meetings, especially multiday gatherings, require a lot of focus from attendees. They’re in sessions, they’re learning, they’re networking. That’s why they’re there, but their cognitive resources often become overwhelmed anyway, leading them to not retain as much information as they would at a slower pace.
This in turn diminishes the value they derive from attending, rendering your meeting less productive than it could be—and potentially making attendees less likely to sign up for your next event. It can also drive burnout, something that 39% of attendees say is still a top challenge for them, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.freeman.com/resources/freeman-trends-report-q1-2023/">according to research from global events firm Freeman</a>.
This is particularly true of Generation Z and young millennial attendees. Freeman’s 2023 report states, “holding them captive at an event center for four days, feeding them every meal and keeping entertainment on-site, flies directly in the face of their well-researched preferences. Their time is their most valuable asset, and they want to spend it wisely.”
Easing up on a meeting’s agenda also supports <a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/news-and-highlights/article/518/the-form-of-inclusion-your-events-might-be-missing">neurodiversity initiatives</a>. Delegates—both those with specific neurodiversity needs and those who do not require accommodation—may begin the day full of energy and eager to take in a full day of programming. But between being out of their normal cadence, not having control over their diet and environment, enjoying serendipitous encounters with long-lost colleagues, and being “on” for long periods, they may need time to recharge. People with neurodiverse needs have long been accustomed to modulating their energy to accomplish their goals; when you adjust your programming to account for people who explicitly need support in managing their time and energy, you give everyone a boost.
Not yet convinced? Pruning your schedule can translate to spending less, supporting your budget needs—which <a target="_blank" href="https://globaldmcpartners.com/global-dmc-partners-releases-results-and-key-findings-q2q3-2023-meetings-events-survey">75% of planners</a> say is their top challenge right now.

<h2>How to Pare Down Your Agenda</h2>
Given that costs are still a top challenge, lengthening the duration of an event may not be on the table. Instead, find ways to do less in the amount of time you have.
There are two primary ways to do that: Have fewer sessions and activities, and have the sessions themselves be less jam-packed.
If you opt to have fewer sessions overall, consider facilitating transportation to your destination’s attractions—but without planning a full off-site activity. This helps your attendees make the most of your destination without adding another must-do that might make overburdened attendees groan.
As for giving the sessions more air, work with session leaders to ensure they’re not overloading their presentations with information. If speakers are concerned that their presentations won’t deliver unless they’re crammed with information, remind them that details can be circulated after the presentation via a handout or electronic means. That can free up the talk to give their overall message—and their audience—room to breathe.
Consider incorporating Q&amp;A sessions with no set agenda. At October 2023’s CDW Solution Forum on Cybersecurity at the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/satjw-jw-marriott-san-antonio-hill-country-resort-and-spa/overview/">JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort &amp; Spa</a>, one session was a completely freestyle Q&amp;A among panelists from various sessions. Another, dubbed “Hot Topics,” saw two panelists eating progressively hotter salsas while answering audience questions collected throughout the two-day event. The result: a playful, low-cognitive-load session that allowed attendees a chance to relax without worrying about taking notes.
Whether you host fewer sessions or just clean up the ones you have on tap, follow the advice of meetings efficiency expert Philippe Beaudry, who <a target="_blank" href="https://www.meetingcatalyst.co/limit-overload-enhancing-meeting-effectiveness-by-managing-cognitive-load/">recommends</a> scheduling breaks in addition to other tactics that help prevent cognitive overload.
If you find yourself reluctant to pare down on content in order to preserve your event’s value, just remember: When attendees are too drained to enjoy your programming, they’re also too drained to be invigorated by your message. The biggest value-add of all might not be an addition, but a subtraction.

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