Why Event Planners Have Warmed to Secondary Cities

Event planners need variety, and they also need to meet increasingly tight budgetary restrictions. Fortunately, a diverse range of global destinations has the potential to provide a more memorable, and affordable, experience to attendees.

We spoke to leaders across the sector about which destinations are doing more to attract planners, and how rising costs are affecting the financial calculus for organizations as we head into 2019.

We also have the latest updates on the continued strength of corporate hotel business in the third quarter and the emergence of tours and activities catering to vegan travelers. As cuisine becomes an even more important part of the event experience, pay attention to the trends explored in the story by Skift Tourism Reporter Dan Peltier.

If you have any feedback about the newsletter or news tips, feel free to reach out to me via email at as@skift.com or tweet me @sheivach. And happy Thanksgiving to all you folks celebrating this week.

— Andrew Sheivachman, Senior Editor

The Future of Events and Meetings

Event Planners Look Outside Major Cities for Savings and Variety: Traditional conference cities are still the default choice for event organizers, but rising costs and strained capacity are making secondary cities more appealing. And some are working hard to show their unique benefits.

Corporate Hotel and Air Business Remains Strong, But for How Long? Corporate business remains strong for both hotels and airlines despite ongoing trade wars around the world. This seems unlikely to hold up in 2019.

Vegans Find New Options as Part of Next Wave of Food Tourism: Tour operators only launch tours that they see demand for, and in Intrepid Travel’s case, there’s no question that vegan travelers appreciate the attention and effort to design food tours that are just as delicious as any other.

Around the Industry

International Visitors to U.S. This Year Expected to Break Record After Data Glitch Fix: After some confusion on visitor counts over a data glitch at airport kiosks across the country, international arrivals in the United States are on track to break a record in 2018. We’ll see if long-term growth ends up being as robust as the federal government is touting.

Why Luxury Companies Need to Pay Attention to the Newly Wealthy: Just as a gold digger goes after an older mate with deep pockets, so the luxury market has traditionally kept a focus on the mature top 5 percent. But as the world of wealth evolves, companies need to broaden their horizons to consider the new and younger groups that are becoming eligible for elite status.

Japan Reduces Number of Incoming Guest Workers Despite Labor Shortage: The hotel and restaurant industries may rely on guest workers, but in Japan, fewer of them will be available and people are watching how companies treat those workers as well.

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Skift Senior Editor Andrew Sheivachman [as@skift.com] curates the Skift Meetings Innovation Report. Skift emails the newsletter every Wednesday.

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