Meetings

The PTTOW Summit, held in May at Southern California’s Terranea Resort, encouraged conference attendees to sit with one another and answer some of life's big questions. A spinning wheel positioned adjacent to a seating group offered a series of topics—like "hate," "doubt," and "purpose"—to break the ice and make the exercise more interesting. The coffee table positioned at the seating group offered a workbook that participants could open to find questions or activities to do together, and the event also offered "conversation cookies,” fortune cookies filled with more conversation topics. JOWY Productions was behind the event’s production.

So-called “dine arounds” are hallmarks of the Engage luxury wedding industry summits, offering opportunities for small groups to interact and to give them some intimate time with event speakers. Each speaker plays host to a table of 10 randomly selected attendees, encouraging guests to mix and mingle outside their circle of friends. And to make the experience more fun, table assignments are given in playful ways. For instance, in Las Vegas attendees selected from among personalized playing cards that all bore speaker photos and restaurant names.

Similarly, for Engage at Palm Beach's the Breakers, custom fabric flowers indicated each attendee's designated table number.

At Cisco Live, held in San Francisco in May, attendees ate lunch outside every day, with about 1,500 seats at large round tables—or on blankets available for those who wanted to find friends or experience a more casual setting. In another networking opportunity, Cisco Live attendees were also invited to join peers and Cisco experts in small groups over lunch for a chat about technical topics of the group's choice. The "Table Topics"  discussions offered a fresh perspective on the issues that the masses were talking about at Cisco Live, for instance cloud security. Anyone was also welcome to start a discussion on a new topic and lead the agenda by finding an open table and posting the topic so other interested attendees could find it and join.

Similarly, for the TED Conference's simulcast event, TEDActive, held in the Southern California desert last year, about 700 guests gathered for a picnic lunch. The conversation-facilitating twist was that picnic baskets were available not for individuals, but for groups of seven—so each person had to meet six new attendees with whom to eat and talk.

Sometimes it takes a little break from formal networking talk to get the creative juices flowing—and the personal connections happening. To that end, TEDActive also set up informal game stations on hay bales around the venue as ice breakers for guests.

Some organizers get the networking going before the event doors even open to maximize the opportunities for interaction on site: Metropolitan Events & Production was behind a pre-event networking campaign for the 2012 shows that took place in both Chicago and Orlando. Organizers encouraged attendees to use social media to post selfies they took while holding signs that said "Meet Me at the Makeup Show,” along with their names and the event’s hashtags. The stunt was intended to build community and promote face recognition when the show kicked off. Organizers gathered the images and shared them on the event’s social channels to further build visibility among the participants.

The Exhibitor Show's "Dinner With Strangers” program offered people attending the show solo a chance to maximize meal time for networking, instead of dining in their hotel rooms alone. Attendees could join group reservations arranged by organizers at multiple restaurants for each night of the show. Sign-up sheets in the conference registration area detailed the eatery's name, type of cuisine, approximate cost, and reservation time.

This year's Los Angeles Auto Show will do away with the traditional keynote speeches and add more interactive events and parties, including a third technology-focused press day.

(Pictured, left to right): Christina Goldstein, Darren Kerr, Christopher Delgado

More than 500 people attended Tuesday’s #VegasStrong press conference. IMEX chairman Ray Bloom was joined on stage by Jim Murren, chairman and C.E.O. of MGM Resorts International; Roger Dow, president and C.E.O. of the U.S. Travel Association; Rossi Ralenkotter, president and C.E.O. of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority; and David Peckinpaugh, president of Maritz Global Events. The group discussed the importance of hospitality and tourism in the wake of the city’s mass shooting on October 1, emphasizing that, as Murren said, “People here have a job because of you. Meetings and conventions are the backbone of this city. Without them everything else falls away.”

The show’s education offerings included a major expansion of the “Inspiration Hub” education area and over 250 individual sessions. New this year, sessions took place in inflatable domes designed to spark creativity.

In keeping with the "purposeful meetings" theme, additional education sessions took place in intimate areas called "campfires" that had comfortable seating designed to promote brainstorming and teamwork.

In the Play Room, attendees studied a variety of tools and learning styles designed to make meetings more interactive and creative.

The new “Lunchtime Live Zone” showcased artists, musicians, and games to inspire planners to find creative ideas to bring back to their own meetings. Guests could play with a giant Etch-a-Sketch or take a virtual-reality roller coaster ride, then have their faces depicted in sand and receive a custom song from the team at Song Division.

Throughout the convention, guests could visit the Be Well Lounge for guided meditations from Lee Papa, a mindfulness speaker and trainer and the founder of Lee Papa’s Mindful Makeovers.

At a booth dedicated to C.S.R. and sustainability, attendees could donate books to Spread the Word Nevada, a local children’s literacy nonprofit.

On Smart Monday, Visit Norfolk worked with Michael’s Angel Paws to provide therapy dogs, giving attendees the chance to relax and de-stress between sessions.

The annual #IMEXRun 5K race took place on Wednesday morning, drawing over 450 participants from 50 destinations for the 6 a.m. event.

About 12,000 exhibitors, hosted buyers, and other attendees participated in this year's IMEX. Over 3,300 companies representing 150 countries exhibited, including 64 new booths. In a new sustainability initiative, recyclable carpet was used in the aisles and some of the booths.

Many booths were designed to highlight aspects of the country or city's culture. At the Thailand booth, artists painted on postcards and woven purses for attendees.

Morning workouts can increase productivity throughout the day. IMEX America in Las Vegas has begun offering the IMEXrun, an early-morning 5K along the city's infamous strip. The 2017 run drew 450 conference attendees from 50 countries.

The inaugural In Goop Health summit, held in June in Los Angeles, featured collagen martinis, sound bath mediation, crystal therapy, and other unconventional wellness-focused ideas. There were also several workout classes offered to start the day, including a foam-rolling session from popular trainer Lauren Roxburgh.

Use session breaks to energize and refresh guests with options such as Wolfgang Puck Catering's spa-water hydration station. Fresh fruit and herbs can be added to water, and combinations include orange, mint, and lemon for an immunity boost; blueberry, apple, and raspberry for an antioxidant boost; and cinnamon and strawberry for a metabolism boost.

IMEX America has hosted a dedicated meditation room for the last few years. During breaks in the busy three-day conference, guests can step inside for regular sessions on yoga, mindfulness, and meditation run by mindfulness trainer Lee Papa.

Wolfgang Puck Catering also offers a variety of energizing snack options with brain-boosting foods such as almonds, walnuts, and flax seeds. Options include a customizable trail-mix bar, a build-your-own parfait bar, and a build-your-own oatmeal bar (pictured).

Turn up the color in a meeting room with an eye-catching veggie charcuterie, like this one from the Hotel Palomar Los Angeles—Beverly Hills. Brightly colored seasonal vegetables are displayed on a tiered platter and served with herb hummus.

For a healthy, visually appealing cheese board, Tart Restaurant at Farmer’s Daughter Hotel in Los Angeles serves a veggie option featuring green beans, baby carrots, celery sticks, sliced radishes, hummus, and prunes.

A colorful Mediterranean table display from the Hotel Colonnade in Coral Gables, Florida, features red pepper hummus, baba ganoush served with mixed cured olives and baby mozzarella, dates, feta cheese, halloumi, tzatziki, stuffed grape leaves, grilled artichoke hearts, heirloom carrots, pita chips, and grilled bread.

The Forbes Under 30 Summit, held in October in Boston, aimed to create memorable moments within a larger conference. During one session, former N.B.A. player Amare Stoudemire shared tips and led an informal basketball game for attendees at a gym on the campus of Emerson College.

In early December in Los Angeles, AwesomenessTV and Gatorade welcomed local high school women to a motivational workout class led by celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson, actress Lea Michele, World Cup champion Julie Foundy, and TV host Rachel DeMita. The women led a conversation about how playing sports shaped who they are today. A visually appealing workout area featured colorful lockers adorned with the phrase “Sisters in Sweat.”

The workout can continue even while guests are sitting and networking. For Kehoe Designs’ Love Yourself Fitness & Networking Event, held in June in Chicago, decor included orchids anchored to kettlebells as centerpieces. Balance balls set in gilded stands (pictured) made for unexpected, inventive—and healthy—side chairs.

Propel Electrolyte Water recently hosted a series of workout events for consumers across the United States. Known as Propel Co:Labs, the events ended with a two-day festival in Los Angeles in August. Strategic marketing agency Invisible North designed a photo booth set that channeled the color and energy of the brand’s #LetsGetUgly campaign; guests used the vignette’s fitness props while getting snapped by a multi-camera photo system, which captured the moment in a 180-degree GIF.

Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants revealed that 91 percent of the brand’s bartenders plan to use vegetables in cocktails in 2018, including nontraditional options such as beets, carrots, green beans, butternut squash, corn, and radishes. At Firefly in Washington, D.C., the “This Is How We Cass-E-Role” cocktail features El Pelotón de la Muerte mezcal, Green Chartreuse liqueur, Cynar liqueur, salted lime simple syrup, and pureed green beans.

And don't forget dessert, of course. An array of guilt-free options is available at the Westin Galleria Dallas, including dairy-free dark chocolate mousse with blueberry compote (pictured), a fresh fruit martini topped with non-dairy chantilly, honey yogurt with toasted pecans, and dairy-free strawberry mousse with granola crumbles.

The 12th edition of Google I/O was held at the Shoreline Amphitheatre for the third consecutive year, drawing more than 9,000 attendees each day. Organizers expanded the event’s footprint this year, adding a ninth stage in a neighboring parking lot.

A three-dimensional version of the Google I/O logo offered a popular photo op area—and included the event's #IO18 hashtag.

Stage backdrops complemented the year's logo design, with geometric, 3-D lines and circles. Google’s events and experiences team, as well as the developer marketing team, worked with Sparks on the event production.

Organizers drew inspiration from wayfinding and line management tools at well-trafficked theme parks. “Wayfinding was the most obvious and apparent thing from the minute you walked on campus,” explained Google’s Amanda Matuk. “Everyone understood exactly where they were and where they were going at all points in time.”

Colorful signage was displayed prominently throughout the campus. The conference continued last year’s method of a neighborhood-like design, with a single Main Street connecting all areas of the massive event.

Larger-than-life versions of Bugdroid, the Android mascot, marked certain areas of the event—such as the food pavilion—and also provided fun photos ops.

New this year was an increase in information-sharing: Attendees could scan their badges at any session to receive more details on the topic.

The on-site Codelabs allowed attendees to get hands-on coding experience at kiosks. The event also included Sandboxes, which were dedicated spaces to learn about and test Google’s latest products and platforms.

As in previous years, the conference incorporated music-festival-inspired elements, such as oversize Jenga and Checkers games.

Tongue-in-cheek signage on the ground added a fun touch for the crowd of developers, including one that spelled out “I love you” in binary code.

As in years past, organizers provided postcards and invited attendees to write a note to a colleague, friend, or family member and drop it into one of the mailboxes located around the event. The goal was to add an analog touch to a tech-heavy environment.

Another Budgroid photo op area featured a version made from greenery.

Large tents that held sessions during the day were illuminated for the nighttime events, which included an arcade, musical entertainment, magic shows, and more.

One evening event featured a cereal station as an out-of-the-box dessert.

Attendees could also unwind after hours in a moon bounce.