5 ways meetings are bringing a rapid change at events

Since inception, the only constant in the meetings industry is change. From technological advances to attendee experiences to overall ambience, planners are always looking forward to claiming that their attendees rub shoulders with engaging experiences and leisure moments, at once. While there is a boatload of ways in regards to triggering a similar feeling in them, our team observed and segregated 5 of many ways through which meetings are bringing a rapid change in events.

1. Millennials have taken the lead in decision making
The last couple of years have seen the generation of millennials become the major decision-makers in making any event a success. Since they make the major chunk of the attendees, it is very important to understand their needs and preferences and cater to their desires. Moreover, having seen both the worlds i.e. the era of face-to-face interactions and social networking, they certainly stand high in numbers for attending the majority of events and promoting it on their social media handles. This very feeling incites an urge in them to travel more, explore more, create more and share more stories than the generations before them.

2. Orchestrate your meeting’s agenda as per the attendees
Have you ever noticed attendees talking to each other for a longer time rather than listening to your speakers or spending their time on the phone while a very important session is being conducted or, to make matters even worse, take a power nap during the same? If yes, then you seriously need to alter the pattern of your agenda-setting techniques. Be it any messaging, personalization always holds an upper edge. Keep your goals flexible and set your agenda with the active involvement of your audience. Doing so would not only increase attendee engagement in the discussion but also empower you to nurture and channelize the usage of their talent to your advantage. In fact, following this practice across all other factors ensures a lively atmosphere at your event.

3. A meeting without a purpose isn’t a meeting at all
A meeting at events at typical ballrooms is certainly a passé. We are in the generation where brands are connecting with their attendees pan world through live streaming. However, if you are certain about giving a more intimate experience to your attendees, it has to be more purposeful. Your settings should be action-oriented, a setting that has a thought, a motive and most importantly an innovative concept. Understanding behavioural science of your attendees is one of the many ways to come up with an innovative concept. Understand their nature, interests and accordingly set up your meeting, centred on those parameters. Focus more on experience creation for your attendees to eventually making it more interactive and productive for them.

4. ‘Tech’ your meetings to the next level with innovative tools
A rapid increase in technological upgrades has opened doors for many industries and that includes the event industry as well. Be it social feeds or on-spot registrations or even live polling at the events, technology has been the one-stop solution for all your attendee needs. Though, individuals who benefit most from the services are none other than the planners. Providing them everything at the touch of their fingers, technology is helping them manage attendees more efficiently, create a detailed layout plan and make amendments in the same, quick and easy. It ensures you as a planner have a hassle-free experience and spend more time engaging with guests and enjoy massive footfalls too.

5. Bleisure trips are the new leisure
‘Bleisure’ trips are nothing but a mix of business + leisure. As mentioned in the blog earlier, millennials are the decision makers in the majority of meetings and they love to travel. It’s quite evident to select a venue that creates enough room for them to discuss business insights and cherish the beauty of the venue that keeps them rejuvenated. City tours, sightseeing, or even cultural local programmes play a vital role in their decision to attend the meeting. As a planner, it’s very important to maintain the equilibrium, a point where your attendees are motivated enough to attend the meeting for professional as well as personal reasons.

We are in an era of swift transformation where trends come and go at the snap of our fingers. As a planner, you always need to be on your toes in embracing technology and involving attendees. Having said that, it might be difficult to predict the future in events but one thing’s for sure, with more events comes more change.