Dan Berger's presentation at CaterSource 2018

1. Event & Hospitality Industry Trends for
2018
Dan Berger
Founder, CEO
Social Tables
and beyond

2. Audience/Presenter Contract
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3. ● Event planner.
● Event participant.
● Event supplier.
About Me

4. Social Tables at a Glance
Founded: 2011 Headquarters: DC Employees: 100 Funding: $23M
A platform to create and manage outstanding events.
End-to-End Platform
Marketing Sales Operations Execution
Collaborative event planning products for
hotels and venues, planners and vendors
The Industry Leader
4,900+ customer accounts with
tier-1 hotels and venues, planners
and caterers
Suppliers Corporate Planners Vendors

5. Event SalesEvent Distribution Event Services
We Offer 3 Events Platforms

6. Out Now: Free Tools for Planners
● Free diagramming, seating and
check-in products for planners at
socialtables.com/planners
● Free search engine with access to
thousands of floor plans at
search.socialtables.com

7. ● Event planner.
● Event participant.
● Event supplier.
About Me
● Event believer.

8. Sample of the 40+ awards Social Tables and its leadership have received.
We envision a world where
every face-to-face event
achieves great things.

9. ● Hospitality powerhouses are going after the industry’s third rail
○ Marriott to reduce agent commissions on group bookings by 30%
○ Hilton CEO believes direct booking campaign is key to improved guest experience
○ Hyatt plays hardball with Expedia over contract negotiations
● Consolidation continues in every corner of the industry
○ Supply-side: Wyndham to buy La Quinta for $2B
○ Buy-side: AmEx Global Business Travel (#3) agrees to buy Hogg Robinson Group (#6)
○ Vendor-side: PSAV expands into global trade show market with Hargrove acquisition
The Industry is Changing in Front of Our Eyes

10. What macro-trends have you observed?

11. Rules of the Road
● Trends, backed by data.
● Micro-predictions built off of those trends.
● Predictions are generally sorted by happening now to will
happen later.
● Big macro trend.

12. The industry’s power players are more
financially sophisticated than ever.
New JLL report examines global hotel investment trends

13. ● Owners will demand higher profit margins.
● Prices will increase due to consolidation.
● Commissions on group business will drop
significantly.
● Private equity will enter the events
industry.
The industry’s power players are more
financially sophisticated than ever.

14. There will be seismic shifts
to the industry’s structure.

15. ● Remote destinations will compete with
traditional ones.
● Homesharing will add inventory in every
corner of the globe.
● Autonomous vehicles will unlock new
destinations.
● There will be CVBs for virtual destinations
and sales reps for virtual venues.
New ways to travel are changing
our behavior.

16. Events could happen
anywhere (even on a budget).

17. A new computing platform is
emerging.
1981 1994 2007
What’s Next In Computing? Dixon, Chris.

18. A new computing platform is
emerging.
Internet Trends 2017 Report. Meeker, Mary.

19. A new computing platform is
emerging.

20. ● Site visits won’t be necessary.
● Telepresence will be hyper-realistic.
● The way we experience events will change.
● Blockchain will be used to validate industry
supply chains.
A new computing platform is
emerging.

21. The phone won’t be our most
prized accessory.

22. We are entering a new industrial
revolution centered around AI.

23. We are entering a new industrial
revolution centered around AI.
The fourth industrial revolution: a primer on Artificial Intelligence. Kelnar, David

24. We are entering a new industrial
revolution centered around AI.
Investments in Artificial Intelligence

25. We are entering a new industrial
revolution centered around AI.
● Events will have higher ROI for participants
because we will rely less on serendipity.
● Attendee preferences will follow them
around.
● Administrative work will be automated.
● Small-to-medium group booking won’t
require a sales rep.
● RFP volume will decline thanks to matching
algorithms.
● Software will disrupt every legacy industry
system.

26. AI will make planning and
attending events even better.

27. Predictable physical work is being
replaced by machines.
Where machines could replace humans—and where they can’t (yet). McKinsey.

28. Predictable physical work is being
replaced by machines.

29. ● Photographers will be drone operators.
● Robots will replace blue collar labor
(security, banqueting, line cooks).
● Interacting with robots will be socially
acceptable.
● Drone shows will be the new fireworks.
Predictable physical work is being
replaced by machines.

30. Focusing on the customer will be
more important than ever.

31. ● Transparency will be one of our core values.
● Sales professionals will be measured by the
success of their clients.
● Diversity and inclusion will take center
stage.
● Clients will make business decisions
consistent with their social values.
A new generation is entering our
industry, bringing its own values.

32. The industry will go through a
culture shift.

33. The DNA of events is changing as
face-to-face becomes more coveted.
Internet Trends 2017 Report. Meeker, Mary.

34. ● Influencer marketing will play an important
role in driving attendance.
● Festivilized events (“experiences”) will be
the standard.
● Corporate user conferences will replace
association events.
● Similar events will consolidate.
● Large events will warehouse smaller ones.
The DNA of events is changing as
face-to-face becomes more coveted.

35. Participant attention will be a
planner’s most sought-after asset.

36. ● The event planning profession will be more
respected.
● The value of corporate events will be
universally accepted.
● Like word processing, event planning will
be a core skill for many jobs.
● Planners will develop a more
comprehensive understanding of
technology and business.
● Event planners will interact with executives
on a regular basis.
The event planning profession is
entering primetime.

37. The events industry will receive
the attention it deserves.

38. Stay in Touch
socialtables.com/planners
1 (877) 973-2863
dan@socialtables.com
Dan Berger
Founder, CEO
Social Tables