At the Global Pharmaceutical and Medical Meetings Summit last February, Compliant Venues Ltd., outlined 10 global trends they see that will affect healthcare meetings and events. What I find interesting about these trends is they are not going to just resonate in the healthcare field; but in the entire industry as a whole.
I have plucked out 5 of the 10 for today's blog post and how they apply in event planning efforts for future meetings.
Global Trend #1: Hybrid meetings, sponsorship of third-party activities and multi-company events will increase.
What does this mean for you? Let's break down each one of these entities for further clarification:
Hybrid meetings have a live and virtual component to them – hence the term hybrid. It should not be a shock to anyone as individuals become busier, technology options improve, and event WiFi solutions present more robust options, that individuals pick and choose which meetings they will travel to and which ones they will view from their laptop.
Sponsorship of activities is not a new concept but is gaining some ground because of third-party activities in the areas of CSR, networking and digital options are expanding. These opportunities will continue to grow as planners implement fun into their meeting through gamification and entertaining speakers.
Multi-company events are similar to the co-location model. Why spend more money on a venue, room block, and audiovisual rentals when two or more organizations can band together and use the same meeting space, hotel, and AV equipment – while harnessing true economic leverage? This is a "win-win" for all parties. Each organization spends less money, the hotel and suppliers more than double their expected revenue.
Global Trend #2: Events for 20 or more people will increase; one-on-one events with healthcare professionals will decrease.
What does this mean for you? This is good news for event planners because you will now be planning and executing more meetings.
Global Trend #3: Meeting-management companies will be central gatekeepers to corporate spend.
What does this mean for you? If you are an independent meeting agency, your client will be looking to you to set the budget, send out the RFPs and manage the event vendors.
Global Trend #4: Sponsored attendance at international events will decrease in favor of attendance at niche events with focused science at a national level.
What does this mean for you? Hosted buyer programs will decrease on the international level and focused, niche events will take precedence here in the US. We are seeing it already because potential attendees are having to justify their reason for going to a conference.
Global Trend #5: Terms and conditions will be increasingly central to meeting-venue choices by corporate buyers.
What does this mean for you? It means that T's and C's will be driving the venue choice, so make certain you understand the contract front and back. The last thing you want to happen is to have the buyer ask you why your meeting incurred a bunch of extra unexpected expenses.
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