The Future of Hotel Meetings and Event Tech — Meetings Innovation Report

The Future of Meetings & Events At the sixth annual IMEX America trade show this month in Las Vegas, I spoke with hospitality brand leaders at Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, and MGM, who shared their latest meetings and events initiatives. Even though hotel occupancy is at record levels, they said meeting planners are demanding more personalized and interactive experiences because their delegates are more demanding than ever. "The days of planners booking hotel meetings solely on rates, dates, and space are over," Brian King, global brand and sales officer for Marriott, said. “It’s not just 72-inch rounds and chicken breasts anymore. These are experience-driven consumers, and planners are saying, ‘My attendee base is asking for things that they’ve never asked for before.'" Read the full story here. I also met with the CMOs and founders of several event tech companies, including DoubleDutch, EventMobi, Zenvoy, MeetingsBooker, and Spacebase, for an update on how meeting planners are marrying online and offline event experiences. Read the full story here. — Greg Oates, Senior Ed