A New Event-Design Blueprint for Attendee Engagement

Before the COVID pandemic, networking was a key element of most business events. But after a nearly two-year shutdown of in-person meetings, the perspectives and priorities of corporate and association event attendees are permanently changed. Specifically, the concept of networking has become dated, replaced by more refined ideas around belonging, engagement, and connection—the desired outcomes of face-to-face interaction as opposed to an activity that often feels shallow and transactional as well as difficult for all but the most socially-adept attendees. 

To promote effective collaboration, knowledge exchange, and relationship building between meeting attendees in the new environment, the Professional Convention Management Association, the Corporate Event Marketing Association, and Marriott International spent more than a year working on a blueprint called “Guiding Principles in Experience Design: Six Truths for Innovative Event Strategies.” It was unveiled during Marriott’s Association Masters customer conference, held in Phoenix from May 31 to June 2 for more than 300 association-event planners. 

Here are the six principles devised to drive innovation in events: 

Read about each of these six principles in the full article on MeetingsNet.