2020 started off great. Meeting and event venues were booked solid through the year. Destinations such as Las Vegas and Orlando were more popular — and busy — than ever. Convention and Visitors Bureaus and Destination Marketing Organizations were flush with cash from tourists and convention and event attendees.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit last winter, forcing lockdowns in the spring, and bringing the good times to a screeching halt. Venues were forced to cancel events, and once-packed destinations — think Times Square in New York City — looked like ghost towns.

The meetings and events industry is one of the hardest hit across the globe. But industry leaders, while acknowledging the current state of affairs, are optimistic things will slowly start to improve by mid-2021 and could be on the way to a solid recovery in 2022. We asked several of these leaders for their thoughts on the impact of the pandemic in 2020 and how the industry can begin the recovery in 2021.

Cindy Brewer, Principal, LEO Events; and Michael Dalton, Senior Vice President of Strategy, LEO Events

Q: How, specifically, has the COVID-19 pandemic affected you/the industry in 2020?

A: Michael Dalton: The pandemic has affected us in many of the same ways that it has affected our society. We are at the mercy of necessary safety and health protocols, which has forced us into a digital environment in most aspects of our profession. In a short period, we needed to change directions and refine our capabilities under conditions that no one had faced before. Everything was new, including how we would serve our clients and how we would sustain our business. It was challenging in some ways because everything was changing, but it was also invigorating. It’s times and circumstances like these that allow us to experiment, explore and do new things in ways that old traditions didn’t invite.

Q: How will the pandemic affect the industry in 2021?

A: Cindy Brewer: The pandemic continues to make us stronger as an industry. We have learned to adapt and be nimbler than before. Even though people may be uncomfortable at first, a focus on safely reopening meetings and events is the best thing for the industry. Someone has to step out there and show how to do it. We can make it happen together, and our industry will come out stronger, better and more technologically advanced than before.

Q: When do you see things returning to “normal?”

A: Cindy Brewer: Nothing will ever return to normal as we knew it. We have many hopes and intentions for a return to in-person events, but the reality continues to be that we don’t know when that will happen. As long as we don’t know, we have to balance our optimism and passion with the reality that we can only see a month or two ahead at a time. When we get a vaccine, people will start to feel more comfortable. Planners will need to continue to be mindful of safety and distancing, and the ways we negotiate contracts and determine capacity will be different. We will have to adjust to a new normal based on attendee comfort levels.

Q: Is there room for both virtual/hybrid and face-to-face meetings?

A: Michael Dalton: There is room for both. Events will neither be one nor the other; experiences will be both digital and physical. Whether or not it is a hybrid event will fade away as it becomes standard practice to provide a digital option for physical events. It will be fascinating to see which one drives the other in 2021. The technology needed to offer virtual versions of physical experiences has been there, and now the demand has accelerated.

Q: What other challenges will meeting and planning professionals face in 2021?

A: Michael Dalton: Planners will have to consider the new increase in pressure on the value proposition of events. What are we offering, and how do we ensure that it’s valuable and justifiable? It will be difficult to determine what people are willing to endure to be able to attend events. Before 9/11, there were no restrictions on how much liquid you could travel with, and you weren’t required to take off your shoes in security. It has since been proved that people were easily willing to tolerate the changes, and it became a standard in how we travel.

Q: What can the industry do to better prepare for seismic events such as this pandemic?

A: Michael Dalton: Pandemic planning is its own discipline, and health and safety protocols will be part of standard operating procedures in our industry forever. It’s difficult to measure how much preparation and precaution will remain a visible part of the experiences that we offer once this pandemic is behind us. Having plans to cope with an emergency when it occurs is one thing. Taking precautions in anticipation of an emergency is a more complex matter. We will consult with health experts the same way we consult with safety experts. We have all kinds of safety requirements that we are diligent about — fire marshals, building codes, plans for earthquakes and active shooters. We will likely see new standards and new codes of conduct that relate specifically to the viral transmission of disease.

Q: What encouraging signs do you see ahead for the planners in the meetings industry?

A: Michael Dalton: We can be proud of how we’ve come together as an industry. A lot of the barriers that were constructed for the sake of competition have been torn down by the great equalizer that is the pandemic. We’ve come together as an industry in ways that have produced a sense of community that wasn’t as strong prior to that. It is a more inclusive and welcoming business than it was because of the time we’ve now spent in survival mode. With the hopes of numerous vaccines, we can reasonably expect to have the ability to produce physical events in the second half of 2021. As society copes with and ultimately defeats the disease, we can look forward to having the freedom to use all of our muscles, which will unleash creativity that has been newly generated by the limitations. The benefit of this kind of pressure is that it forces us to think differently.

Q: In your opinion, what are the biggest new trends for the meetings industry in 2021?

A: Cindy Brewer: We will continue to see trends in clauses of contract negotiation. We have begun to see a liability clause that allows an exhibitor at a trade show to cancel bookings at hotels, restaurants, etc. with no penalties if the trade show is canceled. It will be common to see ironclad clauses and new terminology in protections and liabilities. Another trend we are witnessing is a change in the length of events. Typical five-day meetings will be condensed because virtual attention spans are much shorter. In 2021, I would love to see new trends in the future of festivals.

Q: How has technology impacted the meetings industry, and what do you expect 2021 to hold in terms of the use of technology to enhance meetings?

A: Michael Dalton: Event technology drives innovation in our industry, which was true before the pandemic. In 2020, event technology became a weapon against the limitations that the pandemic placed on our way of doing business. It became a tool that we used to work around these new conditions. When the conditions demand it, it becomes a tool because our normal way of doing things was disrupted. The distinction is that when there is not an emergency and conditions aren’t limiting us, technology is a toy that we can use to engage and amuse people, enhance messages, surprise audiences, and enrich experiences. Moving forward, it’s less about the aesthetic appeal or the instant gratification of new technology, and more about new capabilities and functionality. The value of technology in the eyes of attendees will have greater importance. Event technology can sometimes be a distraction, a fun or joyful distraction, but a distraction, nonetheless. Now, technology needs to serve a greater, more explicit purpose that is visible and tangible to create an even greater opportunity to enhance the experience in measurable ways.

Roger Dow, President and CEO, U.S. Travel Association

Q: How, specifically, has the COVID-19 pandemic affected you/the industry in 2020?

A: This has been a total disaster for the meetings and events industry. Economically, estimates are that is has been 10 times worse than 9/11; or about a loss of $510 billion in business. It has been the biggest challenge we have ever seen. Everyone thinks about the big businesses in the industry, but 83% of the travel industry is small businesses.

Q: How will the pandemic affect the industry in 2021?

A: The vaccine announcement is a very important development. We’re starting to see people’s sentiments change toward travel. I think domestic leisure travel is going to open up more quickly than other forms of travel. People who would have gone out of the country are now saying they plan to travel inside the country, so that’s a plus. I see leisure travel coming back in the Q1 in 2021, and business travel in Q2. In recent surveys, 27% of planners say they’re planning events in Q2, and 27% say in Q3. So I split the difference and say it’ll be late spring or early summer when we see in-person meetings again.

Q: When do you see things returning to “normal?”

A: Lots of prognosticators say it’ll be 2024 before we’re back fully, but I disagree. Once people feel safe, things will happen quickly. They’ll see their friends and neighbors traveling, and they’ll want to travel too. After 2008, people said travel will never get back to where it was before, but travel was bigger than ever and increasing every single month for 10 years before the pandemic hit. One big factor is liability protections for corporations. Until that happens, corporations aren’t going to say it’s OK to travel if they think they could get sued if someone gets sick. I think we’ll see the industry come back much faster than people predict.

Q: Will virtual/hybrid meetings replace face-to-face meetings?

A: Virtual/hybrid meetings won’t replace face-to-face meetings, but there will certainly be a continuation of virtual/hybrid meetings into 2021. People have learned that you can get a fairly big audience that way. But they also learned that you can’t keep the attention of the virtual audience for more than an hour before it becomes tedious. I think people who watch virtual meetings end up telling themselves ‘I should have been there.’ For the first quarter of 2021, there will be many virtual/hybrid meetings, but face-to-face meetings will pick up again later in the year when people feel safe.

Q: Is there room for both virtual/hybrid and face-to-face meetings?

A: There is definitely room for both. I was on a meeting this year with 12,000 attendees and I was on one with 1,000 attendees. We can open up to a much larger audience through virtual/hybrid meetings. In 2021, we will see meetings with 50 attendees meeting face-to-face, and 200 meeting virtually. The more we do virtual/hybrid meetings, the more they will grow. However, people want to get together face-to-face. If you’re trying to make a sale and you’re attending virtual meetings, you’ll find out that the people meeting face-to-face get the sale. The pressure to not lose market share will push people back to meeting in person.

Q: What other challenges will meeting planning professionals face in 2021?

A: I think the challenges for meeting planners is really the lack of consistent information. I don’t know today what the travel policies are in California or many other states and cities. And a monster challenge internationally is that there is no consistent information, and there are no consistent policies. When you travel through different airports, you go to TSA in the United States and through Customs in Canada. It’s almost the same no matter where you travel. Can you imagine if every airport in the country and in the world had a different policy? We need to get consistent health and safety protocols, domestically and internationally. Also, I think health and safety will be the new hospitality rating. Travelers will soon look to see which hotels have a higher safety rating and they’ll pick that hotel. This is here to stay. It’s what travelers will demand.

Q: What can the industry do to better prepare for seismic events such as this pandemic?

A: I think we’ve got to increase the relationships and better share knowledge with each other. We’ve got to be able to come together more quickly with a consistent message. We’ve got to be more persistent and understand that when bad stuff happens, we need to be able to come together quickly to deal with it.

Q: What encouraging signs do you see ahead for the planners in the meetings industry?

A: The encouraging thing I see is the sentiment that people really want to travel. The vaccine coming along is extremely encouraging; that’s the game changer. In every bit of research we do, people say they are fed up with being cooped up in their homes. That sentiment will bring back travel much more quickly than anything else. People are getting ‘pandemic fatigue.’ We’ve got to realize the deep desire for people to get things back to normal. The world is ready to get moving again.

Q: In your opinion, what are the biggest new trends for the meetings industry in 2021?

A: One overall trend going into 2021 is going to be the better use of technology. I see hotels using more touchless biometrics. The pandemic has advanced the need for technology, the need for more consistent communicating. All of those things are going to move along much faster because of the pandemic.

Q: How has technology impacted the meetings industry, and what do you expect 2021 to hold in terms of the use of technology to enhance meetings?

A: Technology will allow people to learn the health and safety practices of a certain location. What are the practices and protocols for each? Technology will enhance the whole administrative process. Your iPhone will be your ticket to a smoother admission as everything will be on your phone. You’re going to a meeting, flash your phone and enter. You’ve already answered all the questions and paid your admission fee, so go right in. I think as we’ve been forced to use virtual/hybrid technology, we’re only going to get much better at hosting them.

Joe Fijol, DMCP CEO/President ETHOS Event Collective, LLC (former Managing Partner 360 Destination Group Florida, LLC) 

Q: How, specifically, has the COVID-19 pandemic affected you/the industry in 2020?

A: This year, we’ve been challenged to create and plan virtual experiences that deliver the same impact as in-person events. As a result, we’ve had to rely more heavily on our creative and technical expertise to reach through the screens to create deeper connections.

Q: How will the pandemic affect the industry in 2021?

A: It’s clear we’ll continue to experience a dramatic decrease in live events in 2021. What will be different from the previous year will be the growing fatigue related to screen-based experiences and the desire for personal connection. This will challenge us to find better ways to emulate in-person moments.

Q: When do you see things returning to “normal?”

A: That’s hard to predict with so many unknowns. However, we’ve seen an increase in confidence and planning following announcements of vaccine progress.

Q: Will virtual/hybrid meetings replace face-to-face meetings?

A: In the short-term, yes. However, when a vaccine is in place the demand for in-person meetings will rebound. Anecdotally, planners are struggling to create the same return on experience for virtual meetings, while attendees are growing increasingly tired of screen-based experiences. Therefore, we expect the current restrictions on in-person interaction and travel will fuel a dramatic increase in demand for face-to-face meetings when a vaccine is approved.

Q: Is there room for both virtual/hybrid and face-to-face meetings?

A: Certainly. In fact, we have learned that virtual is an effective platform for meetings that are largely tactical or transactional. However, when it comes to things that involve collaboration, relationship development or recognition, face-to-face meetings are exponentially more productive.

Q: What other challenges will meeting planning professionals face in 2021?

A: Meeting planners are well-equipped to handle changes and respond with solutions. But with so many new and unknown variables, the work to plan and meet their goals is more time-consuming. Add the ongoing changes happening in each destination and reduced budgets — they are being challenged like never before.

Q: What can the industry do to better prepare for seismic events such as this pandemic?

A: Connecting the return on meetings and events to the bottom line is the key to being prepared for future disruption. Planners must to be armed with quantifiable data that demonstrates how their meetings and events are an essential component of an organization’s success.

Q: What encouraging signs do you see ahead for the planners in the meetings industry?

A: Although virtual has filled a vital role during the pandemic, there are limitations that prevent it from replacing face-to-face meetings and events. Over the last several months we’ve seen and experienced the diminished impact when in-person is not an option. Currently, virtual is unable to deliver the same experience and interaction as live meetings and events.

Q: In your opinion, what are the biggest new trends for the meetings industry in 2021?

A: Driving and tracking engagement with content and experiences will be at the forefront of our industry in 2021. The better we understand and improve engagement, the stronger the impact meetings and events have on achieving business objectives.

Q: How has technology impacted the meetings industry, and what do you expect 2021 to hold in terms of the use of technology to enhance meetings?

A: Moving forward, the role of technology will continue to expand. As planners are increasingly pressed to do more with less, they must find efficiencies that streamline planning and the attendee experience. With a growing number of solutions, the challenge will be applying the right technology to fit their specific need.

Michelle J. Heller, HMCC, Senior VP, Strategic Meeting Management, McVeigh Global Meetings and Events 

Q: How, specifically, has the COVID-19 pandemic affected you/the industry in 2020?

A: The live meeting and event industry has clearly been decimated by the COVID-19 global pandemic. As an industry, many of our partners, suppliers and competitors are struggling. When we come out of this, I suspect the industry to look significantly different than it did before. In early February, I remember hearing news about the virus. At the time there was not too much concern. Then, the first week of March, the phone began to ring from our corporate clients and the live meeting cancellations began. That week, it was just a handful, so my original thought was that our health care companies were exercising extreme caution and it would only be a slow-down for a few weeks. However, with our corporate headquarters in New York City, the initial epicenter in the United States, we experienced everything firsthand and immediately. Local businesses shut down, schools closed, and by the end of the month, all our live events were canceled, some staff furloughed and our work environment as we knew it came to a screeching halt. It became clear that this virus was not only going to be a global health crisis, but also a global economic crisis in the hospitality industry. Over 30% of the annual live event business had canceled. Workers across all sectors were furloughed in the industry, and some within our own McVeigh Global Meetings and Events (MGME) family.

Q: How will the pandemic affect the industry in 2021?

A: In 2021, the industry will not be 100% back. We currently forecast a reduction of meeting/event spend in the industry down 20% to 35% in 2021 compared to 2019. Similar trends show across all corporate industries that we serve. Many of our corporate clients have travel restrictions through the end of Q1 of 2021, and some have recently extended this travel restriction through the end of Q2. I envision live events slowly coming back during the summer of 2021 with a significant increase toward the end of the year from September to December. Even with the current excitement of possible vaccines fast tracked for early 2021, it will take significant time for large spread distribution and the full impact to be realized so that our industry can recoup. Even with vaccines, we must work through the economics of people financially and psychologically being able to travel again.

Q: When do you see things returning to “normal?”

A: At MGME, we stopped using the terminology ‘returning to normal.’ Our industry will never be the same. We prefer to say, “When will we get to travel again?” or “When will we host a live meeting again?” We envision part of what we do now, the new services we provide as a meeting management company and the new technology methods we utilize for events, will always be part of events moving forward. So, when do we envision traveling again and the resurgence of live events? 2022. Many of our hotel contracts were moved from 2020 to 2021 and then moved again to 2022. Additionally, our clients have begun requesting MGME to source live events for programs in 2022.

Q: Will virtual/hybrid meetings replace face-to-face meetings?

A: Live meetings will never be replaced by virtual meetings. There is nothing like making human connections, networking in person, learning in person, having fun in person and creating lasting and meaningful relationships with each other. Live events will always be here to stay. However, I do see the process and format for delivery change around events.

• Small Events: These types of events are usually internal team events, not customer facing. These have had great success in the virtual world. I see the frequency of these events in a live environment reduced to save on cost and time travel. Now that they have been tested and proven, budget holders might reconsider the live event costs and continue to keep some of them virtual.

• Live Events: I do foresee hybrid events to be an important component of almost all live events moving forward. For certain meeting types, this is a way to obtain a broader audience at an event in cases where the attendees cannot travel due to schedules or budgetary reasons. In the corporate environment, hybrid meetings provide a way for procurement to reduce/control travel expenses moving forward but also provide the ability to increase or at least maintain attendance size.

Q: Is there room for both virtual/hybrid and face-to-face meetings?

A: Yes, virtual, hybrid and face-to-face meetings are all here to stay indefinitely. To compete as a meeting management agency or a corporate/association meeting planner in 2021, you must become an expert in all areas. We need to understand the objectives, goals, financial constraints and opportunities, and provide the stakeholders with the best avenue of meeting delivery there is for that event.

Q: What other challenges will meeting planning professionals face in 2021?

A: Training: For previously furloughed meeting planners returning to work, there will be a learning curve. Employers need to have patience and allow time for their employees to immerse themselves in the new virtual environment and terminologies of meetings and events. Employees need time to review multiple platforms, design, capabilities and types of broadcasting to ensure confidence to their stakeholders. They will also need to understand the creative aspect of virtual events and the nuances of audience engagement in this environment. With the number of events anticipated in 2021 in decline from 2019, I fear a competitive job environment for job seekers looking for full time jobs.

• Zoom Fatigue: Planners need to be on their toes for virtual events in 2021. In 2020, meetings and events in the virtual event space were new, fun and exciting for many attendees. The technology platforms, and the ways to engage, were new and different. Virtual events certainly offered a way to connect with our peers in a learning and networking environment during the pandemic like never seen before. However, as Zoom fatigue kicks in and people feel more isolated at home during the winter months and post-holiday season, we need to be more creative with our content and design new audience engagement activations to remain fresh in 2021. It will be imperative to provide the unexpected delights to our clients and audiences.

• Hotel Availability & Meeting Space: Once the industry hosts live events on a regular basis, (hopefully in Q3/Q4 of next year, if not early 2022) we suspect that hotel availability to be hard to come by and planners will need to be flexible. With many hotel contracts already moved to late 2021/early 2022 due to force majeure, new events being sourced, reduction in hotel beds nationwide due to hotel closings and meeting planners requesting more square footage than in previous years, hotel meeting space will eventually become harder to secure. We suspect sleeping room rates to be subject to significant increases. During contracting, hotels will want to secure stricter cancellation and reduction clauses, and will try to issue contracts heavily in their favor due to the economic crisis during the pandemic.

Q: What can the industry do to better prepare for seismic events such as this pandemic?

A: As leaders of this industry, we must come together to implement collegiate roundtables across competitor lines with meeting management companies, corporate meeting planners, hotels, production teams, destination management and technology companies, and all industry partners, to identify key learnings and innovations, as well as best practices of how we all can have been better prepared for what has happened to the hospitality industry.

• Each company must have an emergency action plan customized for each meeting and a business continuity to continue operations.

• All supplier partnerships and contracts need to be written to allow financial regards and service for all parties involved — both sides of the table.

• Have a back-up plan in place. Many of the meetings and events that needed to happen due to business objectives could still have taken place; however, many of the clients and suppliers were not ready to pivot back in March 2020.

Q: What encouraging signs do you see ahead for the planners in the meetings industry?

A: With the forecast of live events coming back in Q3/Q4 of 2021, there is hope that many furloughed meeting planners in the industry will be recalled back to their position in the second half of 2021. For planners that are on staff right now, the most encouraging news is that the internal stakeholders are starting to look at 2022. Budgets are being approved, and travel is finally being discussed again. We see many furloughed meeting planners utilize their unique skill set to gain new opportunities in the virtual world. The virtual meeting moderator position is an up-and-coming position that many planners pivoted to while live events have been non-existent. A planner’s niche expertise in the client’s industry, coupled with their meeting planning skills and event format knowledge, provide the tools to adapt into a virtual meeting moderator. I suspect this trend and need in the industry to continue in 2021.

Q: In your opinion, what are the biggest new trends for the meetings industry in 2021?

A: • Virtual and Hybrid Meetings.

• Strategic Meeting Management — Companies that were not involved in an SMM program for their corporate travel and meetings/event spend will take a deeper dive into their travel/meetings/events and what those expenditures look liked pre-COVID. They have practically an entire year without travel and will analyze spend, define preferred vendors, and negotiate contracts looking for cost savings, cost avoidance, Service Level Agreements and Key Performance Indicators.

• Corporate meeting and travel policies will be put in place in corporations where they have not existed previously.

• Budget Restrictions due to economics.

Q: How has technology impacted the meetings industry, and what do you expect 2021 to hold in terms of the use of technology to enhance meetings?

A: Technology impacted the meetings industry significantly over the last decade. From the creation of registration websites and attendee registration tools, collection of survey questions, online payments and mobile apps to provide attendee engagement. In all areas of our lives in 2020, we experienced a dramatic increase in the acceptance and usage of technology across the globe. Whether it is “zooming” with your family on the weekend, attending a training event via a webinar or exercising with a virtual trainer on a treadmill. We expect to see an increase in all areas of technology in the meetings industry in 2021 from meeting delivery via virtual platforms to new engaging attendee activities. In the near future, many technology providers will be working hard to take their platforms to the next level. Leading platforms will likely showcase themselves in the early part of 2021, and many others will be left behind.

Renee Radabaugh, CMP, President & CEO - Paragon Events Inc. Copyright Paul McDermott Photography

Q: How, specifically, has the COVID-19 pandemic affected you/the industry in 2020?

A: A better question is ‘How hasn’t it affected us?’ This year has brought this industry to its knees like no other event in my time. We were impacted and affected during 9/11, which was awful for many reasons and we will never forget, but more secure processes for airline travel and flight customer tracking came from it. The 2008 housing bubble impacted all of us, and it took us several years to come out of it, but again, it wasn’t so all encompassing as this pandemic and it wasn’t global in nature.

Q: How will the pandemic affect the industry in 2021?

A: It is our opinion that 2021 will be a year of virtual, hybrid and some live. We feel that Q1 will be mostly virtual, continuing on from Q4 2020 due to those planning events not ‘having the crystal ball’ to anticipate what the transition back to live will look like or when. We are seeing small live events in Q4 2020, events that can be managed in small spaces and more intimately, and that will only slightly expand in Q1 of 2021. We are, at the present, all virtual, with small live and hybrid the first of the year. We are booking live for Q2 and beyond, but with some very flexible attrition and cancellation fees. We often discuss with the hotels and venues the need to ‘get the client comfortable’ with booking live and hybrid by giving them the comfort to ‘take the chance’ to [sign a] contract while they watch the forecast. We are going to be approaching it slowly, but with intention, honing our virtual skills, and hybrid because people are going to have very different approaches.

Q: When do you see things returning to “normal?”

A: It is our opinion that 2022 is going to be the year we see our live events back to “a semblance” of normal, but the new normal will include hybrid to support the variety of learning styles that will develop from this historic event.

Q: Will virtual/hybrid meetings replace face-to-face meetings?

A: They won’t replace them, but they will augment and be a part of our ‘new reality.’ Nothing can take the place of face-to-face, it is in our nature to nurture and connect, to engage and use our senses. We have been using only a few right now, visual and audible, [but I] believe the face-to-face experiences of taste, smell and touch are going to be welcomed back as attendees get more comfortable with face-to-face.

Q: Is there room for both virtual/hybrid and face-to-face meetings?

A: We are going to need to get comfortable and design ‘room’ to include all three, because we believe that all three are here to stay. As I mentioned earlier, attendees are in the process of learning to learn differently, and some are going to remain much more comfortable with virtual; this will be their new norm. We are going to have to create ways to blend the virtual, face-to-face and hybrid, so that it doesn’t feel disruptive, but more organic.

Q: What other challenges will meeting planning professionals face in 2021?

A: Honestly, anyone in the planning world that was able to adapt is going to be a better planner. We have had to learn new skills, identify new opportunities, and adjust and ‘pivot’ (the word of 2020). We have had to think more strategically and analytically. We have had to assess quantitative and qualitative data. We have been able to really show the value of our careers by honing our skills. The biggest challenge will be reacting to the ‘new norm’ and creating meaningful experiences, as clients and stakeholders assess the spend and the key takeaways.

Q: What can the industry do to better prepare for seismic events such as this pandemic?

A: I am not sure they/we can. This is in the hands of health care workers. What we can do is continue to create, and implement, proper hygiene measures and event ‘tactics’ to protect our attendees’ health, and safety, overall.

Q: What encouraging signs do you see ahead for the planners in the meetings industry?

A: We will be much better planners because we have had to rethink and retool the way we do events. We are seeing ourselves with a larger seat at the table and a more important role in decision making because of the obvious loss of connectivity this year. We have had to pull data and do decision tree modeling and provide quantitative and qualitative data that shows measurement and outcomes. We see that there is a recognition of the importance of in-person and a hunger for face-to-face to return, and we should have our tool box ready.

Q: In your opinion, what are the biggest new trends for the meetings industry in 2021?

A: A redesign of buffets and food service styles; creativity in seating and food services. Weaving technology platforms and data collection are going to be very important for us to show success measurement.

Q: How has technology impacted the meetings industry, and what do you expect 2021 to hold in terms of the use of technology to enhance meetings?

A: Again, a better question is ‘How has it not?’ From the early days of a fax machine and a computer being technology enhancements, we now see mobile apps, virtual platforms and enticing videos trending to provide engagement, and get the attendees’ attention. Gamification in all forms is going to continue to be part of the engagement and measurement.

Brian D. Stevens, Chief Executive Officer ConferenceDirect

Q: How, specifically, has the COVID-19 pandemic affected you/the industry in 2020?

A: 2020 Q1 was actually quite good, a record year. Everything came to a halt around mid March. It seems like we keep kicking the can down the block on our 2020 events to the point of most of them canceling.

Q: How will the pandemic affect the industry in 2021?

A: It’s really hard to determine what the 2021 forecast will look like until there is a clear vaccine in sight.

Q: When do you see things returning to “normal?”

A: Nine months after an approved vaccine. People will start conducting meetings, but they will be smaller in size. A lot of questions around unemployment recovery and organization’s budgets will likely reduce attendance at meetings.

Q: Will virtual/hybrid meetings replace face-to-face meetings?

A: Yes, smaller virtual meetings will replace face-to-face meetings; however, there is a growing fatigue in Zoom meetings that we had previously not seen with face-to-face meetings.

Q: Is there room for both virtual/hybrid and face-to-face meetings?

A: Yes, I think that 25% of our meetings will, going forward, have an extended virtual component forever. [I think] 75%, once we’re allowed to meet safely, will not.

Q: What other challenges will meeting planning professionals face in 2021?

A: Three major challenges: 1) budget cuts, 2) new safety protocols beyond vaccination, and 3) reduced staffing levels at corporate headquarters, and a lot of employees doing multiple jobs for 2021.

Q: What can the industry do to better prepare for seismic events such as this pandemic?

A: Registration for conventions will now require contact tracing and perhaps proof of inoculation dates/renewals. Organizations will have to expand their cash reserves beyond what they originally planned to survive another similar pandemic.

Q: What encouraging signs do you see ahead for the planners in the meetings industry?

A: Those planners who get certified on virtual meetings will have a stronger position inside their organizations. Gone are the days of relegating virtual meetings to another department.

Q: In your opinion, what are the biggest new trends for the meetings industry in 2021?

A: I see planners having to execute meetings with half their previous budgets while maintaining the same level of content. Most of the contracts written pre-COVID are outdated in terms of their room blocks and F&B guarantees. Everything needs to be renegotiated.

Q: How has technology impacted the meetings industry, and what do you expect 2021 to hold in terms of the use of technology to enhance meetings?

A: The virtual meetings have maintained [connections between] communities. We’re seeing a reduced value in belonging to some organizations without a face-to-face component. We’re seeing a rapid testing technology tools to measure hundreds of attendees/minute for body temperature. We’re also seeing a proliferation in virtual platforms depending on your budget. C&IT