In Case You Missed It
BizBash highlighted some fun things in the past month in the world of meetings and trade shows. The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans showcased its commitment to sustainability by serving a gourmet meal inside a dumpster—using leftover foods. (Read more here.) With the official start of summer this week, we also rounded up water-centric activities for groups and meeting attendees.
In addition, we looked into some fascinating ways event profs can optimize a ballroom for high-traffic events. And just last week, we highlighted 11 different venues offering fun and unique tea experiences for groups.
Here are five more things you should know about this month...
1. Marriott International, with PCMA and CEMA, releases “guiding principles" for meetings and events.
Earlier this month, Marriott teamed up with PCMA and CEMA to release extensive research that identifies evolving behaviors and motivators shaping the future of meetings and events. Their report, Guiding Principles in Experience Design, is the latest in a series of in-depth industry reports between PCMA and Marriott, and it was initially previewed at Marriott’s THE EXCHANGE conference, which took place this year May 30 to June 1 at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown.
“Business event professionals are looking to provide innovative experiences that break the mold for meetings and drive lasting results with their event attendees and clients,” said Tammy Routh, senior vice president of global sales for Marriott International, in a press release. “Consumer patterns, behaviors, and motivators are constantly evolving, and we are excited to provide insights our customers have been asking for through this new research.”
Marriott, PCMA, and CEMA conducted more than 60 one-on-one interviews for this report. Each interview was followed by a series of global roundtables with experts and thought leaders in experience design. The groups assessed how these trends should be integrated into event strategies. The research, conducted by Storycraft Lab, was organized into six guiding principles:
- Exploring identities: Create an environment where people feel open enough to stretch their minds and fully participate.
- Architecting choice: Audiences desire choice and want to be involved in selecting the various pathways available to them. They also want adequate support and resources to make clear and informed choices.
- Designing for belonging: Design events for inclusion, considering different abilities and varying needs related to mental health.
- Value of values: Audiences search for experiences that provide value beyond the dollar, prioritizing elements like sustainability, inclusion, hybrid channels, community engagement, time, and uniqueness.
- Emotional data: Discover how to leverage emotional data, measure it consistently, and analyze it effectively.
- Power of play: Create play-first spaces that celebrate testing and experimentation to help audiences better understand new ideas and synthesize learnings.
Read the full report here.
2. Discover Puerto Rico reports the island's strongest year in MICE in nearly a decade.
Discover Puerto Rico, the island's DMO, said that it closed its fiscal year 2022-2023 with record numbers in the MICE sector. Interesting stats include: The economic impact of the 2022-2023 fiscal year (groups booked July to May) is $129.5 million, 16% higher than the same time frame in fiscal year 21-22, and 57% higher than fiscal year 18-19. Booked group room nights in 2022 also doubled from those in 2021.
Major events on the books for the remainder of 2023 include IGLTA, from the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association, and the annual conference for the Society of American Travel Writers.
"On top of a record-breaking year for Puerto Rico in MICE in 2022, this year is continuing strong, with the Island hosting a wide variety of events and bookings for venues on the rise," said Ed Carey, Discover Puerto Rico's chief sales officer, in a statement. "Our booking statistics in MICE demonstrate that the island's meetings spaces continue to drive record-breaking success. We look forward to keeping the momentum into the next fiscal year and maintaining our presence as a premier hosting destination."
3. A new trade show centered on tasting and taproom management is set to launch next year.
The inaugural Tasting Room Expo, a new trade show and symposium focusing on tasting and taproom management, will take place March 26-27, 2024, in Reno, Nevada. Created by Fast Forward Events (producers of B2B and B2C events in alcoholic beverages including SommCon Conference & Expo), this new show will be "a single resource for everything needed within the tasting room environment—from build and construction to daily business operations," said Michelle Metter, partner at Fast Forward Events, in a press release.
Tasting Room Expo will showcase products and services for the development, expansion, and day-to-day operations of tasting and taprooms across the U.S. The symposium is slated to run concurrent with the exposition and will bring tasting and taproom managers, operators, and owners together for in-depth education and peer-to-peer learning. Within the expo, tasting and taproom managers and buyers can connect with up to 200 brands and suppliers.
Exhibitors include retail and marketing technology, stemware and specialty glassware, indoor and outdoor furnishings, custom packaging, artist wares, apparel, user experience, POS systems, build and construction, and club management solutions for tasting and taprooms within the wine, beer, and spirits industries.
Visit the show's website to register or for more info.
4. Restaurant Events LLC purchases three restaurant trade shows from Clarion Events.
Speaking of the food and beverage industry, Restaurant Events LLC—a new trade show management company formed by industry veterans Tim von Gal and Doug Miller—has announced the purchase of the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York, the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show, and the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo from Clarion Events.
The industry vets are no strangers to these particular shows. In 2014, under the banner of Urban Expositions, they purchased the events from Reed Exhibitions and grew the events until 2016, when they sold them to Clarion Events.
“We are thrilled to be re-acquiring these events, especially as the restaurant and hospitality industries are seeing exponential growth following the challenges during the pandemic,” von Gal said in a statement. “The recent International Restaurant & Foodservice Show, which was held in March, reported a 50% increase in attendance, bringing the audience nearly back up to pre-pandemic levels. The aisles were packed with solutions providers and qualified buyers, and there was an excitement for the industry to be back together. We look forward to building on this momentum for the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo in August and the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show in November.”
5. Freeman releases its latest trends report.
With the end of Q2, global event agency Freeman has unveiled a new trends report titled Exhibitor/Sponsor Intent and Behavior Q2 2023. It shows that event attendee numbers for the first quarter of 2023 reached 103% of pre-pandemic levels. Other key insights include:
- Budgets match pre-COVID allocations but are not aligned with today’s attendee needs: Spending on important factors like social media or exhibit design has not grown, which could mean missed opportunities.
- 9 out of 10 exhibitors plan to use the same amount of space or more compared to 2019 but should plan on activating that space in new ways: Exhibitors need to offer unique experiences for the next generation of attendees.
- 58% are positive toward exhibiting and sponsoring at in-person events: The most frequently mentioned word by far was “excited,” but the secondary sentiments were “expensive” and “necessary,” followed by a close call between “positive” and “exhausting.”
