Greg Oates

CES 2016 shows how conference organizers can reposition an event from a narrow industry focus to a global forum for discussion around larger themes impacting a broader audience.

So far, 2016 is bringing a ton of new event technology, groovy startup culture, and destination data for meeting planners to help inform their business decisions.

Smart hotels are rethinking the most profitable ways to make the most of their spaces, and it is no longer just about heads in beds. Mobile apps and on-demand services are just one piece of this pie, but they are an important piece.

The IMEX startup competition clearly needs a bigger forum, not to promote the event tech companies, but to showcase to more planners the potential hybrid event user experience of the future.

The new Fulcrum report gives tourism bureaus a better idea of the business challenges facing planners, and how they can help planners deliver better business performance without giving them a free handout.

Conference sessions that incorporate a second screen experience not only benefit the user, but the next generation qualitative analytics are now helping event organizers improve content strategy.

The 2016 meetings scene is all about making technology more seamless, user friendly and valuable for a broader spectrum of conference planners and attendees.

The value of this meetings industry trends list over others is that it profiles the major macro level trends, versus all of the ancillary micro trends which stem from them.

It's rare to see an independent B2B travel sales and distribution platform succeed, but Bokun's business model not requiring sales commissions is helping the platform scale across Iceland.

The Intel keynote at CES 2016 last week showed it's possible to keep audiences engaged for long periods of time by blending live experiences and virtual content with next generation technology.