< PreviousEvent Boosters Small, but Impactful Ways to Take Your Next Meeting From Good to Great BY VALENTINA FONSECA KRUG W hat makes a successful meeting? Creating a memorable and enjoyable experience for your attendees. Meetings give your attendees a chance to connect, engage in meaningful conversations, learn and grow, and contribute to the success of a project of cause. However, hosting a successful meeting involves a lot of hard work and planning — from securing a meeting space to organizing cater- ing and inviting guests. If you are planning a meeting — regardless of the type of meeting you are planning to hold — check out these simple ways to take your guests’ experience to the next level. 1. OFFER VIRTUAL & HYBRID MEETING OPTIONS It is no secret that virtual and hybrid meeting options are here to stay. Those attending in-person meetings must weigh the pros and cons of attending, including their travel costs and health risks — among others. To encourage people to attend a meeting in person, your challenge as the meeting planner is to overcome these obstacles while ensuring that your guests have a meaningful experience. During the pandemic, virtual meetings proved to be extremely successful. To continue to connect and meet together, almost every industry, business, event planner, organizer and vendor has to adapt to virtual meeting platforms. By holding a hybrid meeting — one that combines physi- cal and virtual components simultaneously — you can con- nect with attendees from across the globe as well as those present. With hybrid meetings, you can now mix virtual and physical meetings together, instead of being limited by virtual meetings alone. With all that being said, meeting planners have to create strategies that balance in-person, virtual and hybrid meetings for the foreseeable future. 2. CONSIDER NONTRADITIONAL MEETING VENUES The meeting venue is everything. Location, the size of your guest list and access to transportation options are all impor- tant to keep in mind when making a decision on a venue, but consider going one step farther by getting creative. Choosing a visually appealing, unique venue for your professional event or meeting will give your guests an unforgettable experience and offer a breath of fresh air. These meeting venues are becoming more popular: • Co-working spaces • Gardens • Farms • Barns • Warehouses • Art galleries • Museums • Libraries • Local, state or national parks • Rooftops • Conservatories • Vineyards • Botanical gardens • Historical homes • Vacation rentals • Industrial buildings • Breweries or distilleries Don’t be afraid to venture outside of the norm to find a unique venue to host your meeting. 3. INCORPORATE WELLNESS & MINDFULNESS As events and meetings shift from virtual-only to hybrid and in person, keep in mind that guests expect wellness and mindfulness. The creation of a meeting space that is beauti- ful, uncluttered and comfortable is key to creating a wellness- centric event. To help you incorporate mindfulness and wellness into 10 VIEWPOINT themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIESNOVEMBER 2022 London House hotel rooftop in the heart of downtown Chicago. COURTESY OF CHOOSE CHICAGOyour meeting schedule, here are some suggestions: • Dedicated breaks to spark creativity and brainstorming • Movement breaks such as stretching sessions • Outdoor activities that offer fresh air and a change of scenery • Meditation and yoga workshops • Massage stations or chair massages • Technology-free zones to encourage conversation and connection • Quiet areas or rooms to work or relax in • Healthy food and drink options • Natural lighting You can even emanate tranquility and peace with your décor. For exam- ple, instead of displaying a wide array of florals, use only one flower type and one color to create a simple — yet stunning — visual display. You can also set up tables and chairs in a way that promotes small groups, resting and relaxation. 4. GET CREATIVE WITH FOOD, DRINKS & GAMES Whether you are providing meeting attendees with snacks and desserts or catering a sit-down meal, you can get creative with the food, drinks, dishes, glassware and cutlery to add an element of excitement and fun. You can also use unique food displays to attract atten- tion and add an exciting element to your meeting event design. Between snacks or courses, incor- porate games. Everyone loves a little healthy competition — so why not use games to make your meeting more fun? Print ice-breaker questions on napkins, send attendees on a scavenger hunt, or have each table play two truths and a lie to encourage connection and laughter. Remember, people love giveaways. To heighten the competition, consider offering gift cards, branded items such as shirts and bags, or big-ticket items such as tablets and TVs to attendees for winning games or raffles. 5. USE EYE-CATCHING TABLETOP DÉCOR Impress your attendees with stun- ning tabletop décor that will grab their attention. Whether you decide to cre- ate a floral centerpiece, drape a custom table runner across each table, decorate each chair with a sash, or add a colorful pillow to every place setting, your table decorations will establish the mood for any meeting or meeting event. And don’t be afraid to use bold colors. Bold colors are in, and they aren’t going anywhere. Adding pops of whimsy and fun to your meeting décor can really liven up the energy, look and feel of your meeting space. Choose a vibrant, eye-catching design for your tabletop décor or find colorful glass- ware for your guests to admire. Whatever you choose to do with your tabletop décor, don’t underestimate the power of décor in setting the mood and creating the perfect atmosphere for your meeting or event. 6. ADD ELEMENTS OF YOUR BRANDING Adding company branding colors to the overall color scheme of an event or meeting is an effective way to establish a connection between your company and the meeting. Your brand colors can be used everywhere: • Printed materials such as signs, flyers, schedules and nametags • Food and drink décor (for example, the icing on the cake) • Table linens, place mats and other tabletop décor • Lighting • Flower arrangements, artwork and other decorations Your company logo also goes hand- in-hand with the corporate brand and branding colors. Print the logo on napkins, seating cards, the podium, pens — anything to ensure your com- pany stays at the forefront of your attendees’ minds. But be careful, you don’t want to overdo it. Too many logos scattered about the venue could seem distasteful. Pick a few areas to display the logo and use colors to make up for the rest. And if your company color is bright or loud, consider mixing in some more neutral shades to balance things out. Also, don’t forget that freebies are crowd pleasers. Print your logo on items such as pens, mugs, water bottles, T-shirts, hats and tote bags — all in your company colors, of course — and give them to attendees as take-home gifts. Then, when they see those items in the following days, weeks and months, they will recall your corporate meeting or event and further establish your brand in their memories. | AC&F | 11 Valentina Fonseca Krug is the founder and lead designer of Lola Valentina, an upscale tabletop decor company offering custom and collection-driven designs printed on décor place mats, table linens, runners, napkins and more. The revolutionary design house offers print- on-demand services and original pattern designs, tailored sizing and expansive colors. Visit our design bar and explore countless pattern combinations, or work with our full team to create the perfect custom look for your next meeting. For more information, visit LolaValentina.com. NOVEMBER 2022 themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIES Everyone loves a little healthy competition — so why not use games to make your meeting more fun? Value Add How to Inspire and Motivate Your Employees BY SCOTT STEINBERG S urprise! As surveys of hundreds of the world’s most successful and innovative organizations show, having more time, money or staff isn’t the secret to getting ahead. Instead, as we discovered while researching our recent book “Fast >> Forward: How to Turbo-Charge Business, Sales, and Career Growth,” the world’s most accomplished organizations strive to cre- ate leaders at every level, and constantly give people more opportunities to speak up, share their insights, and experi- ment with creative new solutions. In other words, they con- stantly strive to cultivate entrepreneurial thinking in work- ers, listen more closely to clients and customers, and find better ways to tap into the power of their people. But with employee incentivization every bit as important to driving forward growth and momentum as innovation, what’s the best way to let colleagues know their work is valued — and that they’re No. 1 in your book? And with so many great employee appreciation and recognition ideas to potentially draw upon when doing so, how can you determine which will most resonate with them? Here are five ways you can get workers excited and reengaged, and transform every individual at your organization into a potential change agent. CREATE OPPORTUNITIES TO CONTRIBUTE Sometimes, the simplest employee recognition ideas are the best. For example when one global IT and big data leader we consult with has a huge, hard business problem that it can’t seem to solve, it regularly posts innovation contests on its web- site and invites workers to contribute great ideas, give feed- back to their peers and vote which concepts should be turned into real-world solutions. Similarly, when one of the industry’s largest global finance firms is looking to identify prospective candidates for promotion to leadership roles, even though they may be young and inexperienced on paper, or not have a background managing people, it holds hackathon (freestyle design) events at which employees from every department are invited to work together to come up with working product prototypes in just 48 hours. Still more clients hold regular breakfasts where senior leaders provide time to sit down and swap ideas with new hires; provide regular conferences, work- shops and strategic retreats where col- leagues spend time sharing ideas and learning from each other; and purpose- fully put employees through a rotation of job roles to help them network and gain new insights and skills. All of these employee rec- ognition ideas help reinforce an important point: Our organi- zation is listening to what you have to say, and every employ- ee’s contributions matter. This kind of recognition can be even more powerful than financial incentives when it comes to promoting an organizational culture of greatness. OFFER UNIQUE UPSIDES AND BENEFITS If you want to create more compelling job offers and attract and retain top performers by keeping your employees happier, it helps to analyze your ideal hires’ needs and cus- tomize benefits to each prospective candidate. For example, one major quick-service restaurant chain not only provides health insurance for employees who work 25 or more hours 12 VIEWPOINT themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIESNOVEMBER 2022 Crowdsourcing creative contributions from your employees — e.g. inviting them to submit ideas and input en masse — can also be a powerful way to reinforce your appreciation for their skills. DEPOSITPHOTOS.COMweekly to reward an older audience of part-time workers looking to supple- ment their retirement income, it also provides college tuition for many can- didates, because an equally large seg- ment of employees are college-bound individuals and 20-somethings. Many leaders in other fields are also following suit, and shifting away from demanding that employees be chained to a desk during daytime hours to operating models which emphasize teleworking opportunities and flex- ible schedules to help attract and keep spirits high amongst workers, espe- cially Gen Xers and baby boomers who may be working parents. Customizing the benefits of being a part of your organization can be one of today’s most effective employee appreciation ideas, and produce big wins when it comes to boosting worker satisfac- tion and morale. REQUEST REGULAR CREATIVE INPUT Crowdsourcing creative contribu- tions from your employees — e.g. invit- ing them to submit ideas and input en masse — can also be a powerful way to reinforce your appreciation for their skills. Whether asking workers to send you their best designs for new logos; inviting them to film videos for possible consideration in online advertisements; or requesting that they share their best stories for inclusion in eBooks, white- papers and brochures, many engaging and dynamic ways exist to get your workforce involved. From photos to podcasts, slideshows to social network posts, these types of user-generated content programs can provide ready opportunities to spotlight key contribu- tors and put a more human face on your organization as well. Not only do these types of programs feel more authentic and genuine for the effort, they also provide added chances to shine the spotlight where it’s rightfully deserved — on the everyday employees who make your organization the wonderful place to work it is — as well. PROMOTE PROFESSIONAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT Ongoing learning and growth is the basic building block of a successful organization and a successful career today. So make a specific point to also help employees pick up in-demand training, experience and skills wher- ever possible as well. This is among the best employee appreciation ideas you can implement. Sometimes, this means setting budgets aside to invest in formal education, training or certifica- tion programs. But just as often, it can include simply providing workers with the access and time that they need to sit down with colleagues from different departments to discuss best practices, or to gain deeper insight into new areas of the business, new technologies and new growth markets. If you’re looking to start simple, remember: Efforts here can be as simple as springing for a pizza night that brings the marketing and software development teams together to learn more about how each other works, and share ideas for improve- ment. The key is to actively connect workers with resources and opportuni- ties that can help them learn, grow and expand their skill set, and become more valuable on the job. HELP COLLEAGUES SHINE Most of tomorrow’s workforce — regardless of age or background — won’t measure success in terms of money, but rather their ability to accomplish goals and make a difference in their organi- zation or community. They’ll also want to work for innovative organizations, and expect to run their own forward- thinking entrepreneurial ventures at some point. If you’re hoping to boost spirits and employee engagement, it helps to remember that you can do so by providing clear goals, an engaging variety of assignments to tackle and cultivating a go-getting attitude in your organization. Likewise, you’ll further want to provide more mentorship and ongoing feedback in the workplace, as well as more transparency, guidance and honest input about how the orga- nization is evolving — and how they can personally contribute in ways that make a meaningful difference. And remem- ber, it’s common these days for high- performing employees to come and go, as they seek to expand their horizons and take on new challenges and roles. If they choose to move on, stay support- ive. Not only will doing so reinforce to others that you truly care about them. These selfsame individuals may very well may rejoin your team at a later date more experienced and capable for hav- ing done so. | AC&F | 13 Hailed as the world’s leading business strategist, award-winning expert witness, strategic consultant and professional speaker, Scott Steinberg is among today’s best-known trends experts and futurists, and the bestselling author of “Think Like a Futurist;” “Make Change Work for You: 10 Ways to Future-Proof Yourself, Fearlessly Innovate, and Succeed Despite Uncertainty;” and “Fast >> Forward: How to Turbo-Charge Business, Sales, and Career Growth.” The president and CEO of BIZDEV: The International Association for Business Development and Strategic Partnerships, his website is FuturistsSpeakers.com. NOVEMBER 2022 themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIES It’s common these days for high- performing employees to come and go, as they seek to expand their horizons.T his year has shown the steady return of in-person meetings and conferences as noted by both event organizers and destination marketing organizations (DMOs). Destinations across the coun- try are seeing higher meetings and convention business num- bers over last year, and even some nearing 2019 numbers. Just ask Kavin Schieferdecker, chief sales officer for the San Diego Tourism Authority. He says, “From a meetings and con- vention perspective, we’re seeing higher registration and attendance numbers than we were expecting back in January. Our citywide conventions are averag- ing about 80%-90% of pre-pandemic levels, with a number of them meeting or exceeding those marks.” Jeff Hewitt, CDME, executive vice president, sales & services for Visit Savan- nah, confirms his city’s own experience: “Overall, we’re seeing conference atten- dance improve beyond expectations.” PROMISES AND PITFALLS Yet, for many association meeting planners and event organizers, devising a successful strategy for managing budgets after COVID-19 has felt a bit like throw- ing something against the wall to see what sticks. As the industry recovers with live and face-to-face events on the upswing, how best can organizers plan a realis- tic budget that still meets clients,’ attendees’ and host organizations’ expectations? COVID has offered a cautionary tale for the meetings and events industry overall. Consequently, more decisions are being made higher up the C-suite chain. Budgets Will Require Focusing on Meeting Cost Reduction themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIESNOVEMBER 2022 Breaking the Bank INDUSTRYINSIGHT By Nancy Mueller 1415 NOVEMBER 2022 themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIES DEPOSITPHOTOS.COM“We’ve seen a higher level of executive oversight on the decision-making pro- cess for clients,” Schieferdecker says. “Whether it be more legal oversight, risk management or marketing officials.” Hewitt says he has seen planners take a more conservative posture as the industry has emerged from the pan- demic environment. “That caution has its benefits and pitfalls, which has put everyone on a fine line between being too conservative and too aggressive in managing budgets. We have found many planners that have been understandably cautious in their room-block estimates, and then have to add inventory in the 11th hour.” He continues: “While this is a great problem to have, it can be difficult finding rooms at the desired price points or locations. There are also ripple effects on all the required services — food and beverage, housekeeping and transporta- tion, for example. Staffing can be a chal- lenge when the registration or atten- dance estimates are too conservative.” What is one of the greatest challenges in managing budgets post-COVID? “The elephant in the room is inflation,” Hewitt says. “Everything costs signifi- cantly more. Fuel and transportation costs have gone up significantly; the cost of food is up; labor is up. So building a budget that reflects the current eco- nomic conditions is important.” Laura Kesselman, CMM, president of Kesselman-Jones Inc., also cites the increased costs reflected in budget planning. “Basically, F&B has gone up, and depending on the venue, it can be very dramatic. And not only has the price of food gone up, but also the ser- vice charges. Everything has gone up; no less than 20% is what I’m seeing,” she says. “I’m mostly in New Mexico, and we are not as aggressive as are other parts of the country, so it could be going up more in other markets. [I say to the chefs], ‘Tell me what you can get for a reasonable price, and that’s what we’ll be eating.’ And there are still supply-chain issues, so you need to have honest conversations with your clients, because the more flexible they can be, the more we can control the budget.” Schieferdecker says they have heard in San Diego from both clients and hotel partners that forecasting for F&B spend has been challenging due to the last-minute nature of so many meet- ing attendees. And when it comes to budgeting for safety protocols, Schief- erdecker finds that spending on health and safety protocols is declining. “While everyone was focused on protocols dur- ing the days of high infection and low vaccination rates, we are observing a return to pre-pandemic measures for safety intensity,” he says. Hewitt also says it appears that costs devoted to health and safety are declin- ing. “I don’t think safety protocols are having an impact on the budget that they had over the last two years.” However, Kesselman says not so fast. She has noted that, among her clients, “Safety is still very much top of mind, so I need to provide the support clients need. Don’t make the assumption that your venue will be covering the costs,” she says. “In one case, we asked the venue to please have the hand sanitiz- ers out, but were told, ‘We don’t have the inserts anymore. We discontinued the inserts and never replaced them.’ So, you rent them, and renting is never cheap. Two years ago, it wasn’t a line item. Now, it’s a new line item that you need to include in your budget. It’s a variable line item based on your groups, and should be a line item like [making accommodations for complying with the Americans With Disabilities Act].” EMPLOYEE ISSUES Regarding staffing, Schieferdecker says it’s mixed, adding that several cli- ents are not back at full staff, and they’re facing challenges because they have to “do more with less,” adding, “On the hospitality side, San Diego performed incredibly well this year with one of the highest hotel occupancies, and as the pandemic subsided, our amazing weather, great outdoor activities and 70 miles of coastline attracted visitors. That allowed our hotel industry to increase its staffing in comparison to other mar- kets.” Even so, Schieferdecker admits: “We are still not out of the woods, and there is more work to do and staff to bring on board.” Both Kesselman and Hewitt note that hotels are having a hard time find- ing staff, and ground transportation is also an issue with vehicles and drivers in some destinations. “The best strategy then, is to have a Plan B,” Kesselman says. “In case you can’t find [drivers].” In air travel, Hewitt says clients are also having a difficult time finding flights at affordable rates, which add to budgets. “Flights are full — people aren’t always able to find the flights they pre- fer at the price they’re used to paying.” Kesselman echoes Hewitt’s senti- ment, saying, in general, travel has gone up dramatically. “As a result, there needs to be a lot more contingency spaces in your budget. Also, the govern- ment rate for hotels has gone up quite a bit, and it goes up when it wants to. But we are absolutely seeing an increase in hotel rates, and not as much flexibil- ity in space costs,” she says. “Planners have shared instances where hotels are themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIESNOVEMBER 2022 Many attendees and planners agree that air fares are increasing, and they are having a difficult time finding flights at affordable rates, which add costs to budgets. DEPOSITPHOTOS.COM 16even stringing people along, then giving the space to the highest bidder. So, the venue where you think you might host your event might not be what you get. Also, in venues, a lot more fees are being buried everywhere.” Kesselman raises another point that might be overlooked when planning meeting and conference budgets. “When you are hosting a speaker and they get COVID, who pays for the extra hotel room nights? Or what about board mem- bers?” she asks. “These are discussions you need to have ahead of time, i.e. if someone comes down with COVID, who is liable for it?” Her recommenda- tion? “Get the darn insurance. You must pay insurance for everyone. Pay the $100, because the extra $3,000 in hotel costs hurt.” ARE VIRTUAL AND HYBRID THE ANSWER? Schieferdecker sug- gests face-to-face meetings might fully replace hybrid and virtual events. “While much of the thought 18 to 24 months ago was that virtual events would overtake in-person meetings, that was quickly dispelled once every- one realized the importance of having people meet face-to-face,” he says. “Despite the fact that many success- ful organizations have found a way to enhance their events with virtual components, we are seeing a higher number of events in the back half of 2022 that are returning to in-person experiences due to the resources required for virtual meetings without a substantial return.” Kesselman agrees, saying in general, technology costs have soared, and many planners initially thought virtual and hybrid events and conferences were a lot cheaper than they actually are. “We think anyone can do Zoom, but the platforms are expensive — Zoom is not free,” she says. “We pay thousands of dollars for Zoom and use a lot of technology. People may like more video production than we did before, but tech has gone up because you’re trying to do more with less. Hybrid programs take A/V, and those costs have gone through the roof.” Another line item in the budget that might come as a surprise to planners is printing, Kesselman says. “I’m putting mailings back into my budgets because I’m not convinced my emails are get- ting to everyone. That’s a budget thing going backwards. We cut out the printing because we want to be green, but I’m put- ting it back in because I want to be seen.” LOOK BACK TO MOVE FORWARD Considering the higher associated costs of hosting meetings and conven- tions, Hewitt says, “I don’t have a crys- tal ball, but it’s not a stretch to think that associations, like everybody else, will have to raise registration fees or look for places to cut their costs sig- nificantly. Maybe the host organization will need to give attendees a free night, so they don’t have to cover the cost of that meal.” What Hewitt does advise planners to do moving forward, is to look to 2019. “Make your future head-count projections based on your 2019 actu- als, because 2020 was a bust, and 2021 was still a mixed bag. In 2022 we began to recover, but the degree of that recovery depended on where you live and where you were meeting. So, I think 2019 is in most cases the best benchmark for now.” Kesselman also thinks looking backward may be the best way to move forward. “We all have to start with the last budget that was functional. So, start with 2019’s line items, however, not the overall budget. Also, do all your research and plan for things to go up, and plan for contingency issues. If you haven’t budgeted for contingencies in the past, you must do so now, because it’s so important.” She adds: “I always have surprise line items, e.g. extra room fees. Start with really good numbers to begin with. The other hard part is, if it’s been a long time since you held a conference, you forget stuff. New essential budget items include: safety, bigger contingen- cies, revisiting printing, travel insur- ance — different kinds of insurance, because COVID is not covered under event insurance.” Schieferdecker suggests event orga- nizers be flexible in dates or desired locations and have — and share — the most relevant data on your event so DMOs and hotel partners can return a bid or contract as soon as possible. “And continue to educate your internal stakeholders.” Hewitt agrees: “Remember the value of local knowledge. Your DMO is there and ready to help. From managing room blocks, venue selection, ground transportation and more, you have local partners that are vested in your success. Use them.” | AC&F | Jeff Hewitt, CDME Executive Vice President Sales & Services Visit Savannah Many planners have been ... cautious in their room-block estimates, and then have to add inventory in the 11th hour. 17 NOVEMBER 2022 themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIES Kavin Schieferdecker, Chief Sales Officer, San Diego Tourism Authority, says the city is seeing meetings numbers exceed projections set at the beginning of the year. COURTESY OF KAVIN SCHIEFERDECKERINDUSTRYINSIGHT Embracing Make Online Events a Success By Maura Keller themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIESNOVEMBER 2022 Hybrid A mere five or so years ago, the concept of a “hybrid” meeting or event simply meant watching recorded talks or presentations that had been uploaded to a website for later viewing. Or, it may have meant having access to presentation materials, including PowerPoint presentations, prior to and immediately after an event. However, these days, hybrid meet- ings and events have taken on a whole new meaning — thanks in part to the COVID-19 pandemic that forced gath- erings to go online, as well as advance- ments in technology that make hybrid meetings truly shine. Kristyn McCauley, CAE, CMP, program manager/meeting planner at Partners in Association Management (PAM), says pre-COVID, there were surely some organizations that hosted hybrid events to reach a larger, more geographically diverse audience. But now that we are post-COVID, there is the expectation that organizations offer some sort of a virtual attendance option for all of their events, both big and small. “Now, as we plan events, we almost ADOBE STOCK 18have twice the work, because in many instances we must plan both an in-per- son and virtual experience,” McCauley says. “With a larger virtual attendance, we have to work even harder to keep that group engaged so they can feel just as much a part of the event as the in- person attendees feel.” McCauley thinks hybrid events undoubtedly allow meeting and event content to reach further than it would if you were just hosting an in-person event. “There are many things that prevent people from attending your in-person event, be it financial or time constraints, that impact the ability to travel and leave work or family, being ill, etc. Now we have a much larger potential audience,” McCauley says. Tracy Orpin, CMP, senior meet- ing & events planner at the National Association of Insurance Commission- ers (NAIC), says hybrid events have exploded over the last few years due to COVID. “Virtual events took the place of in-person events, and then hybrid came into play,” Orpin says. “A lot of folks still don’t want to travel or meet in person since they are able to be virtual. Plus, it is less time away from home and family.” As stated, there are many people whose budgets also have been tightened since COVID, and they are unable to travel, resulting in those potential in-person attendees fully embrac- ing hybrid options. As Orpin stressed, hybrid meetings, conventions and other events allow many more people to par- ticipate, receive their continuing educa- tion credits, or continue with their cer- tifications without spending the money and time for travel. “I have also experi- enced people who were in the military and unable to travel, but still able to participate because of hybrid options,” Orpin says. “It has opened things up to a whole new audience that was unable to attend in the past.” Annette Suriani, CMP, CFMP, DES, business events strategist with AMS Meetings Solutions, has worked with two internet policy groups for years. Both have always livestreamed their conferences, so that’s what she always referred to as a hybrid event. “Then COVID hit, and there was some con- fusion as to what hybrid was,” Suriani says. “Was it livestreaming with an in-person component, or was it the in- person component with recording all sessions for repurposing later?” With hybrid events, the audience is potentially expanded because some organizations still are banning staff travel. However, many people can attend from their home or their office. Additionally, people who may only be able to attend for a day or two now have the option of attending only for as long as they want, while still being able to catch up later. Another plus is the speaker pool increases because you can also “Zoom” in a speaker from a far away without incurring travel expenses, which sometimes means their fees are cut in half. THINGS ARE EVOLVING Blended meetings, with both virtual and in-person components, also bring together the best qualities of in-person events and the best innovation in virtual event technology. “Hybrid events have a wider reach and allow for fuller interac- tions between online and [in real life] participants, as well as more complete analytics capabilities to gauge the suc- cess of the meetings,” says Lalit Mangal, co-founder & CEO at Airmeet. After two years of virtual meetings and in-person events now beginning to resume, Mangal and his team at Airmeet are seeing a demand for exact virtual/digital replicas of in-person events. For example, Airmeet is set up in a conference-style format with a center stage, as well as meeting rooms, lounge-style spaces and a cafe to allow for breakout sessions, keynote events and speed networking to take place online as if it would in person. Mangal points out that immersive, hyper-personalized experiences are another trend on the rise. Humaniz- ing hybrid meetings using technolo- gies and platforms that can augment the experience will involve mimicking real-life event spaces, adding immer- sive functionalities, hyper-customizing the platform and so forth to maintain prolonged audience engagement. “The true power of hybrid is in its versatility to help you achieve your event objec- tives,” Mangal says. Lauren Tomasetti, director of mar- keting at Perenso, says although hybrid events have been around since before the pandemic, they have evolved a lot in the last two years. Pre-pandemic, hybrid events typically lacked engagement and often felt disjointed. Now, hybrid event planning is streamlined, and hosts are 19 NOVEMBER 2022 themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIES Kristyn McCauley, CAE, CMP Program Manager/Meeting Planner Partners in Association Management With a larger virtual attendance, we have to work even harder to keep that group engaged so they can feel just as much a part of the event.Next >