“Clients’ fear of media and a person filming an event and placing it on YouTube. The people who think they are capturing or telling a juicy story about money being wasted on lavish events have created a real fear in many, leading to scaled-back events purely based on potential media misrepresentation.”
Darren W. Johnson, owner, Darren W. Johnson Productions, Orlando
“Live Twitter falls, walls, streams, or feeds during presentations. At purely social events, where people can tweet up and network, Twitter streams are excellent tools to get people connected. Unfortunately, I have rarely seen them used effectively. There is nothing more distracting than seeing the slow, robotic shift of tweets on a screen during a speaker or panel presentation.”
Kristall Lutz, director of strategic alliances, Opportunity Green, Los Angeles
“Social media engagement. I love Twitter and post there frequently, but I would like to see event guests return to being more present. They are so engaged—and dare I say consumed—by Twitter and other social media tools while at a party that they miss some of the real-life experiences.”
Candice Best, founder, Best PR Boutique, Toronto
“Same as every year: poorly executed gift bags. While I greatly appreciate the thought that goes into it, I think a lot of people’s time would be better utilized dedicating full concentration to the logistics and entertainment value of the event.”
Lindsay Rotundi, deputy team leader, Regan Communications Group Inc., Boston
“The chocolate fountain and the mashed potato-in-martini glass bars of the late 2000s. I also would be positively gleeful to see the doughnuts-as-a-dessert trend give way to beignets or bon-bons or something a little less greasy.”
Shelene Lawrence, director of catering services, the Wit, Chicago
“The lack of pre-planning, which has caused the quality of events to suffer. When we were using slides instead of projections, we really had to think about what we had to do further in advance, but now people have become so accustomed to writing their speeches the night before. If we would just start a week earlier on each event or meeting, the quality of work would go up across the board.”
John P. Marovich, owner, Habitech L.L.C., Las Vegas
“Reduced budgets and increased last-minute decision-making.”
Matthew Glass, president and C.E.O., Grand Central Marketing, New York
“Anything on a stick or with a popsicle attached to it. How about an hors d’oeuvre where someone stands at a target, and the caterer gets to aim and throw toward their mouth? Up to the guest if they can catch it or not.”
Andy Burwell, catering sales manager, Caffe Bacci, Chicago
“Cupcakes. We say bring on a variety of composed mini desserts—they are anything but vanilla.”
Kelly Seizert, co-owner, Ritzy Bee Events, Washington
“Digital invitations. While they can be appropriate in some circumstances, the art of a printed invitation adds tangibility and longevity. Receiving a note in the mail seems extra special, especially in this digital era. If an invite is particularly interesting, I’ll hold onto it for years for inspiration.”
Austin Fremont, event specialist, Missy Farren Associates, New York
“Something different from Delano White. We would like to see more color requested for event furniture.”
Greg Zalkin, general manager, AFR Event Furnishings, Miami
“The over-used and over-priced live cigar roller. A freshly rolled cigar is not always as desirable as an aged one.”
Will Milligan, Will Milligan Events, Washington
“Social media without meaning. It’s time to get creative about how social media can create events that are more interactive, not less. Tweeting is great, but not if it leads to a party with everyone staring at their phones and waiting for their tweet to appear on a wall.”
Misti Yang, senior community manager, Yelp, Las Vegas
