Skift Take

The more creative a meeting or event, the more impactful and memorable it is. Why don't more organizations prioritize making the most of their events?

Last week in Montreal, I had the pleasure of chatting with executives from AccorHotels and a variety of event professionals and hoteliers from around the world.

Accor’s luxury executives said they have no plans to follow Marriott’s lead on commission cuts. They’re also uncertain whether creative hotel event spaces will catch on globally, even if the outcome of a meeting in one can be so much more memorable than a traditional boring conference room.

Not every meeting is a festival, it seems, particularly in the luxury space.

Check out my story below on the latest from Accor. We also have the news on shifts in digital advertising, the rise of eSports arenas, and how brands are playing around with augmented reality.

If you have any feedback about the newsletter or news tips, feel free to reach out via email at [email protected] or tweet me @sheivach. A few people sent me angry emails last week for calling virtual reality a gimmick, so feel free to keep them coming.

— Andrew Sheivachman, Business Travel Editor

The Future of Meetings and Events

Accor Won’t Play Marriott’s Game With Meetings Commission Cuts: Accor has no plans to follow Marriott International’s lead with commission cuts for meetings, but then again Accor’s relatively weak presence in North America means it has to focus on drawing in clients instead of pushing them away.

Luxury Travel Is Becoming Even More Specialized: Luxury travel is learning lessons from meetings and events when it comes to designing experiences and memorable moments.

Event Marketing

Facebook Takes On Google With Trip-Planning Ads: Facebook isn’t really in the conversation yet when it comes to competing with Google in travel advertising. But Facebook has the ability to reach travelers at various stages of the trip-planning process so it has the potential to be even more disruptive than it has been.

Brands Embrace Augmented Reality, With Mixed Results: Retailers are figuring out how to sell to consumers using augmented reality. The lessons they’re learning have serious implications for the event sector as well.

Emirates Chatbot Integrates Into Display Ads: Emirates is experimenting with chatbots in its display advertising, and others will soon follow suit. Interactivity is taking on a new importance in online marketing.

Event Industry Technology

What Are the Most Valuable Aspects of a Meeting? Research published in the Harvard Business Review breaks down the subjective and objective facets that bring value to a meeting or event.

Washington, D.C. eSports Arena Sets Debut Event: The next generation of event spaces and entertainment arenas is coming, and it’s geared toward eSports and Generation Z.

UK Meeting Spending Surged in 2017: Spending per attendee, and on meeting production itself, exploded in 2017 according to new research on the UK event sector. What’s most impressive is the spending growth coupled with a slight decrease in actual attendees.

Breakthrough Technology for Meetings: It’s not virtual reality or holograms that will have the most impact on events over the next decade.

Subscribe

Skift Business Travel Editor Andrew Sheivachman [[email protected]] curates the Skift Meetings Innovation Report. Skift emails the newsletter every Wednesday.

Subscribe to the Skift Meetings Innovation Report

Have a confidential tip for Skift? Get in touch

Tags: accor, hotels, marriott, meetings, meetingsiq, mir

Photo credit: Montreal is trying to export its C2 brand, but not everyone wants a meeting that involves more than sitting in a conference room. Ville de Montréal / Flickr

Up Next

Loading next stories