Biodegradable meeting spaces, artificial intelligence and serendipity: All will play a significant role in the future of business events and meetings, according to the new “Future of Meetings and Events” study. The findings were released as part of a study supported by the PCMA Foundation and Marriott International, presented during 2019 PCMA Convening Leaders "Disrupt + Deliver" program, held this month in Pittsburgh.
The five trends identified by research firm Fahrenheit 212, which conducted the study, are:
- Emotional intelligence: Designing events with the end user in mind.
- “Orchestrated serendipity”: Engineering unexpected but meaningful moments.
- Multi-modal design: Creating adaptive spaces such as one that is a biodegradable, and 3D-printed.
- “Bigger than oneself”: Considering social impact, sustainability and meaningful.
- Clear sense of place: Leveraging the surroundings where business events are held.
“PCMA's vision is to drive global economic and social progress through business events,” said Sherrif Karamat, PCMA president and CEO. "We want to help our audience stay ahead of the curve and embrace the disruptors that will shape the business events industry."
“The meetings and events industry’s future is being shaped by so many factors--from people’s desire to be part of a broader community to their expectations when they travel,” added Tammy Routh, senior vice president for global sales at Marriott International. “This study brings a real-world and provocative lens to where planners, attendees and suppliers will be heading in the years to come.”
Download the full report here.
