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Venues of the Future,
by Timothy Schneider, Publisher, Association News
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 Los
Angeles, CA – June 2016 / Newsmaker Alert / The
past several years have been a time of transition for the meetings and
events industry but, based on both research and anecdotal information,
the future looks bright. The Center for Exhibition Industry Research’s
2015 Index, for example, foresees continued growth and expansion of trade
shows during the next two years. (For detailed information on CEIR’s findings,
please see the “Association Doctor” column, which begins
on page 28.) A recent survey by the Meetings Means Business Coalition
concludes that “face-to-face meetings, conferences and events deliver top-line
growth and bottom-line results for C-suite executives in the United States.”
As
the value of hosting meetings continues to rise, so does the pressure for
meeting planners to produce a positive experience for their attendees.
One of the fundamental ingredients for a good meeting is a good venue.
The International Association of Conference Centres recently surveyed global
meeting planners on the elements that they look for in an event venue.
More than 150 meeting planners from five continents participated in the
survey. Their responses reveal a global consensus on what meeting planners
are looking for in meeting spaces.
Here,
ranked in order, are the top three features the meeting planners surveyed
listed as most critical for a venue:
1.
Flexibility of meeting space. Planners want to be able to configure
a meeting room in many different ways, whether that’s visually, audibly
or physically. The survey also reveals a shift away from banquet and theater
seating in meetings to more informal experiences with different styles
of seating.
2.
Access to interactive technology. More than 77 percent of those surveyed
reported that access to interactive technologies—such as tools to encourage
audience participation and collaborative communication platforms—are more
important now than they were five years ago. The availability of high-quality
broadband is considered the top technological need at meeting venues. Venues
should meet this demand by providing broadband that is strong, fast, secure—and
free.
3.
Availability of networking spaces. Planners are no longer focusing
on the meeting room alone but on the spaces outside of the meeting room
that are used for networking, socializing and dining. Ideally, the networking
spaces should be located adjacent to the meeting space and should create
an atmosphere that is conducive to forging successful business relationships.
When
Meetings Quest—the nation’s longest-running series of educational and networking
events for meeting planners—comes to Bloomington, Minnesota, attendees
will get to experience one of the newest meeting venues in the Twin Cities.
The recently opened JW Marriott Minneapolis Mall of America will serve
as the headquarters hotel for Meetings Quest, July 13–14, and will be the
site of both the Meetings Quest educational sessions and trade show. For
more information or to register, please see the advertisement
on page 31, call 877-577-3700 or visit MeetingsQuest.com.
|
 Timothy
Schneider is the publisher of Association
News and SportsTravel
magazines, which serve group travel planners responsible for generating
106 million hotel room nights annually. Schneider
Publishing also organizes Meetings
Quest, America's longest-running series of trade shows for meeting
planners, and the TEAMS Conference
& Expo, the world’s largest gathering of sports-event organizers.
TEAMS ’16 will be held September 26–29, 2016, in Atlantic City. For further
information on advertising or sponsorship opportunities, please call toll-free
877-577-3700 or 310-577-3700 if calling from outside the United States.
The
current issue of Association
News can be viewed in digital format online by clicking
here.
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Media
Contact:
Timothy
Schneider
310-577-3700
Schneider
Publishing Company, Inc. |
