Many organizations are hosting meetings and events closer to where the bulk of attendees reside to cut down on travel costs, shortening the duration of the event and/or cutting out face to face events all together and opting for the virtual alternative. The current environment has created a new landscape. It's back to basics with sustainability and "back to the future" with technology.
Here's a quick list of what's hot
and what's not in the event and meeting world right now. Of course things
are ever changing and what may be considered in today could be out
tomorrow.
What would you add to this list?
Add your ideas in the comments section below!
Add your ideas in the comments section below!
Registration and On-Site Management
What’s Hot
|
What’s Not
|
Attendee check in with kiosks, mobile apps and QR codes
|
Traditional, manual attendee check in using Microsoft
Excel at a stationary registration desk
|
Eco-friendly thumb drives containing all event/meeting
conference information
|
Tote bags containing printed event/meeting materials
|
Using document readers/editors, note taking apps and cloud-based
storage like Drop Box to access and manipulate meeting files
|
Carrying meeting binders and printed files onsite
|
Coverless eco-friendly name badges with a
recyclable/reusable clip
|
Traditional name badges, plastic holders and lanyards
|
Digital signage
|
Printed signage
|
Food & Beverage
What’s Hot
|
What’s Not
|
Creative twists on every day food – crab and avocado shooters, maple bacon on a stick, fruit salad served in an edible bowl, make
your own trail mix, veggies cut like fries and served in a paper cone
|
Chicken satay, mini crab cakes, crudite, granola bars and
cheese platters
|
Locally sourced and sustainable (so local that some
hotels are sourcing foods from their very own gardens!) and more gluten-free
options
|
Imported food, one size fits all approach
|
Food trucks
|
Off site dinners at restaurants
|
Hydration stations and naturally infused water in
pitchers
|
Bottled water
|
What’s Hot
|
What’s Not
|
Using gamification to turn ordinary traffic building
activities into an interactive, engaging and fun competition
|
Using printed forms for “scavenger hunt” type games
|
Integrated and continuous attendee networking with
social media apps for your event/meeting
|
Specific times set aside for attendee networking and physical
attendee message/communication boards
|
What’s Hot
|
What’s Not
|
Pedestrian friendly cities with lots of options for
eco-friendly transportation (pedestrian pathways, bike lanes, electric
pedicabs, hybrid taxis)
|
Simply put destinations that aren’t!
|
“Green Venues” that have adopted environmentally responsible practices: i.e. LEED certified,
designated hybrid parking spaces, solar panels, recycling and compost program
in place
|
Venues without a sense of environmental responsibility;
no recycling program, energy efficient lighting, etc.
|
Complete meeting package options, customizable to fit
budgets
|
A la carte pricing
|
Using social media and web based event/meeting management
software to source meetings
|
Traditional RFP process
|
Virtual site inspections
|
Traditional in person site inspections
|
What’s Hot
|
What’s Not
|
Charging station for attendee tables, smart phones and
laptops
|
Cyber Café with provided laptops
|
Virtual whiteboards
|
Traditional whiteboards
|
Free Wi-Fi in meeting space
|
Paying for Wi-Fi per connection
|
Hybrid events/meetings
|
Face to face meetings without incorporating some type
of virtual component
|
Presence on social media platforms such as Pinterest, Twitter,
Facebook, Google Plus, and Vine
|
No presence on social media platforms
|
Telepresence and immersive experiences
|
Traditional video conference
|
And for fun…Google Glass
|
Ray-Ban
|
