Skift Take

Boom times for event planners have come along with a prolonged period of dysfunction in the sector. And more challenges are yet to come.

Last week in Las Vegas for IMEX America, I detected a whiff of discomfort in the air among meeting planners.

With mounting costs and increased demands, event professionals are time-strapped. Meanwhile, it’s more stressful and challenging than ever to find the right space to hold an event, particularly large ones.

You can check out my report from IMEX below. If you’re a planner feeling the pressure, I’d love to talk.

Meanwhile, we have a new report on the continued success of incentive travel programs in the corporate world and a look inside Washington, D.C.’s quest to remain a popular destination for conventions in the Trump era.

If you have any feedback about the newsletter or news tips, feel free to reach out to me via email at [email protected] or tweet me @sheivach.

— Andrew Sheivachman, Senior Editor

The Future of Events and Meetings

Planners Pressured by Uncertain Future as Meeting Sector Booms: Boom times for the meeting and events sector are disrupting the status quo, putting pressure on planners to do more with less. We are entering a period of unprecedented change for the industry.

Budgets Increase as Businesses Embrace Travel Rewarding Workers: Incentive travel professionals are doing a better job of proving that their sometimes expensive trips have a positive impact on a business’ bottom lines at the end of the day.

D.C. Faces Tall Task of Boosting International Convention Business in Trump Era: D.C.’s convention business projections aren’t looking good. As a political epicenter, dealing with how convention planners respond to politics is not new for the city but the current administration makes it a particularly tough sell.

Around the Industry

Frequent Business Travelers Need More Sleep to Survive: I’m tired, you’re tired, we’re all tired when we travel for work. It’s leading employees to burn out and quit, causing problems for travel managers and companies that push their workers too hard. Some sleep and nicer flights can help.

Hotels Are Discovering Back-of-House Uses for Voice Technology: Will voice control technology hit the mainstream in meetings and events anytime soon? Perhaps the hotel sector will act as a guide forward.

Tourism For Good: How Chiang Mai Is Showing the Way: Tourism isn’t perfect, but sometimes its mission can be. Four projects in northern Thailand are dedicated to creating more sustainable livelihoods for locals, preserving customs and traditions, and developing better conservation efforts for elephants. This is the good that tourism can do.

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

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Tags: meetings, meetingsiq

Photo credit: The crowd at this year's IMEX America in Las Vegas. IMEX Group

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