This document discusses trends and predictions for the meetings, events, and hospitality industry over the next 20 years. It predicts that the number of event planners will continue to rise significantly and that event planning will become a more common and respected field. It also predicts that technology will become more integrated into events, that content and funding for events will become more crowdsourced, and that face-to-face interactions will remain important despite other changes in the industry. The document suggests the industry will see significant changes over the next 20 years from factors like automation, online booking, and the role of new technologies.

1. Our industry... in 20 years!
Reston Herndon Meeting Planners Group
July 2015
Trends and predictions in events, meetings, and hospitality

2. I am an event
goer.
I am an event
planner.
I am an event
believer.

5. Just how big are meetings and
events?

6. What You’re Going to Learn With Me
1.8 million meetings in the
U.S. per year for a total
direct spend of $280mm.
The U.S. meeting market is large.
The Economic Significance of Meetings to the U.S. Economy, CIC Study, PwC, 2012

8. What You’re Going to Learn With Me
● $565 bn in 2012, including
accommodation, transportation, and
support costs.
● Hotel revenue associated with meetings
and events is $103 bn.
The global meetings and events market is even larger.
Frost and Sullivan, “A Survey of Meeting and Event Planning Professionals and Hotel Operators,” June 2013

9. What You’re Going to Learn With Me
Frost and Sullivan, “A Survey of Meeting and Event Planning Professionals and Hotel Operators,” June 2013
Special Events Magazine
Businesses spend money on events.
● Businesses spend 1% of revenue on meetings/events.
● 25% of corporate planners expect to plan more events this year.
● Millennials value events more than previous generations.

10. What You’re Going to Learn With Me
● Live Nation Concert Revenue was up 29% in Q1 of 2014.
● Google search for sport tickets up 32% from 2 years ago.
Consumers spend more money on events.
"Lifting the Curtain on Live Events," Think with Google, 2014
Brookings Institute

11. Why do meetings and events
matter?

12. ● Meetings and events are a leading
indicator of the economy.
● Meetings and events precede leisure
travel.
● Their true economic significance is
immeasurable.
Meetings and events matter.

13. Predictions for 20 years

14. 94,200 event planners in
the U.S. in 2012
The number of event planners will
continue to rise significantly.

15. Event planners will be more
strategic than ever.

16. Event planning will be a more
respected and common field.
3,000 universities
80 offer meeting planning

17. Turn to a neighbor and
discuss why these trends
are important to you.

18. Comm.
Plan
Source
Strategize
Data
Purpose
Technology
Technology Project Mgt
Scheduling
Transportation
Housing
Surveys
Badges,
Check-in, etc
Marketing
Program Mgt Design
Reg Social
Reports
Measure
CRM
Logistics
The
Event/Meeting
Planning
Process
Pyramid
(c) Social Tables, 2014-2015
Site Selection
Manage

19. The industry as we know it
will be obliterated.

20. The industry will consolidate.
2 firms own 20% of $13bn
23k event firms by 2017

21. Event logistics will be
automated.

22. Group business will be booked
mostly online.

23. Event planning software will
be free and integrated.
There are 200 event registration
software solutions.

24. Custom event apps will
no longer exists.
There are 120 event app
companies

25. Networks at hotels and events
will be a target for hackers.

26. Learning
Zone

27. The industry will continue to
consolidate.
2 firms own 20% of $13bn
23k event firms by 2017

28. Turn to a neighbor and
discuss why these trends
are important to you.

29. 1990s 2010s 2030s
Virtual audiences will be
a basic component of events.

30. Experiences will be more
common and more expensive.

31. Live events will be an
important source of revenue
for most companies

32. There will be no more
weddings.

33. Announcing
How can sponsors help announce the
event? Can sponsors be involved in
promotion, marketing, distribution? The
event branding?
Attracting
Can sponsors be involved in campaigns or
offerings to attract attendees? Giveaways,
raffles, incentives? Content building up to
the event?
Anticipating
Are you using sponsor offers to build
anticipation? Can you include them in social
media campaigns? How can you get your
audience interacting before the event?
Entering
What will each attendees first interaction
with your sponsors be? Is it engaging? What
would make your attendees aware of the
sponsors immediately?
Experiencing
Are sponsors part of the experience? How
can they be involved during the event?
Consider the entertainment, technology,
food, program, etc.
Engaging
How did your sponsors interact with
attendees? What can you as an organizer
do to inspire these interactions? Was
everyone engaged?
Exiting
How could sponsors enhance the exiting of
your event? What utility is needed or could
be provided? Consider transportation,
directions, gifts, etc.
Extending
How was the life of the event prolonged
after it officially ended? Consider post-event
communication, follow-up, sharing content,
etc.
Learning
Zone

34. Discovery will be seamless
and perfect.

35. Turn to a neighbor and
discuss why these trends
are important to you.

36. Event space will be more
commoditized than ever.

37. Hotels will do mostly group
business.

38. Events will mostly be indoors
or under covered structures.

39. Organized labor will be
less of an issue.

40. Everything you will need will
be available on-demand.

41. Learning
Zone

42. Turn to a neighbor and
summarize what you’ve
learned so far.

43. There will be a subscription
model for events.

44. Free events will be expected by
consumers.

45. There will be no cash at
events.

46. Learning
Zone

47. Content will be crowdsourced.

48. Events will be crowdfunded.

49. Education will be the key
component at meetings.

50. Turn to a neighbor and
summarize what you’ve
learned so far.

51. Source: eMarketer, April 2014
Face-to-face interactions will
be even more coveted.

52. Events will be smaller and
more intimate.

53. F&B will be replaced by more
efficient supplements

54. Technology will be more integrated
into our lives, and thus into events.

55. Turn to a neighbor and
summarize what you’ve
learned so far.

56. PocketPlanner by Social Tables is your personal meeting calculator.
#FREE

58. Dan Berger
dan@socialtables.com
917-359-7757
@danberger
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