< PreviousSCENE AT PCMA themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIESJANUARY 2024 Convening Leaders 2024 Snapshots From PCMA’s Event in San Diego, CA 1011 JANUARY 2024 themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIESINDUSTRY OUTLOOK themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIESJANUARY 2024 The Year Ahead Signs point to a positive 2024 A SAE is very optimistic about the health of association meetings in 2024. While virtual and hybrid meetings have become a permanent channel for content delivery, there continues to be high demand for in-person meetings that are experience-based and deliver on attendees’ expectations for connection and collaboration. Rapidly advancing meeting technology is helping associations personalize the experience for meeting attendees and boost engagement. AI, in particular, has limitless potential for associations seeking to enhance their meeting attendees’ experience. Ethical and responsible use of AI will continue to be a focal point for association meeting planners moving for- ward. Associations are also increasingly turning to data and analytics to measure the success of their meetings and identify trends in attendee behavior that can help them plan their next successful meeting. One highly positive trend we expect to continue in 2024 is the prioritization of diversity, equity and inclu- sion in association event planning. More organizations are actively striving to ensure that all attendees at their meetings feel like there’s been thought given to their experience and they can make the connections they need and engage with the content that is most relevant to them. | AC&F | Michelle Mason FASAE, CAE, is president and CEO of ASAE Overall, the meeting industry celebrated a year of incredible growth in 2023, and now it has cast its gaze on 2024, with an optimistic take on the future. Confidence among meeting professionals is notably stron- ger this year than last, according to Michelle Mason, president and CEO, ASAE, the center for association leadership. ASAE is recognized in the industry as the essential organization for association management, representing both organizations and individual association professionals. Join Mason as she shares her insights on the evolving land- scape of association meetings and events, with a focus on the latest key trends, technology and evolutions. Michelle Mason With a vibrant Downtown core to 22 miles of beaches, we’re up for business and down for fun. So pack your flip-flops and start sun-screening your calls because there’s no shortage of affordable and exciting options for your next meeting in Jax, the Flip Side of Florida. BET YOUR JAX YOU NEED TO MEET HERE Learn more at VisitJacksonville.com/meetings AI, in particular, has limitless potential for associations seeking to enhance their meeting attendees’ experience. 12With a vibrant Downtown core to 22 miles of beaches, we’re up for business and down for fun. So pack your flip-flops and start sun-screening your calls because there’s no shortage of affordable and exciting options for your next meeting in Jax, the Flip Side of Florida. BET YOUR JAX YOU NEED TO MEET HERE Learn more at VisitJacksonville.com/meetingsINDUSTRY TRENDS themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIESJANUARY 2024 The Meetings Industry Taking Bold Strides Toward Sustainability By Christine Loomis Those goals have been years in the making and yet another 30-plus centers nationwide have achieved LEED Gold or LEED Silver certification. In a world still bickering over cli- mate change, U.S. convention centers have made giant steps in reducing meetings’ carbon footprint. Turns out that’s important to the events community, and so in ways both small and large, it is taking bold strides toward sustainability. “Sustainability is becoming a major focus within the global meetings industry and is increasingly a decision-making factor in planning and sourcing events,” said Amy Wilkinson, CMP, DES, director of global events and corporate partnerships at the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS). “Planners are being asked to evaluate not only their role as organizers, but each cog in the planning wheel. We’re look- ing beyond single-use plastic water bottles to evaluating how waste is created and managed, what the emission factor of the menu is and how much carbon is produced from traveling to each event.” Event professionals have been given a great task to change how they do things. And sustainability is a group effort and part of the conversation with every event service partner. “Planners are not only asked to produce statistics on their impact but also reduce their impact — both at the same time — and then report their impact and reduction efforts to key stakeholders and decision-makers. Event attendees are being asked to consider sustainable events and some are even being asked to report back their footprint for each event. Think of this like a CO2 budget in addition to a travel- expense budget.” Wilkinson said SLAS has begun educating exhibitors on how to build booths for reuse and ship in one crated shipment rather than multiple skids wrapped in pallet wrap. They also ask exhibitors to bring items that aren’t single-use and that are made with recyclable or compostable material, and to consider items that are donatable post-event. “We work closely with our general services contractor to ensure we’re also using items that can be recycled or re-used and we try to not produce materials that will end up in the landfill. This applies to things like signage, structure builds and carpet. It’s hard because there aren’t good alternatives to many substrates, so we ask ourselves if we really need each piece of signage,” she added. In terms of catering, the goal is to keep choices to those hat do Portland, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Seattle and San Francisco have in common? In addition to being great cities for multiple reasons, they’re also cities with LEED Platinum Certified convention centers — a serious draw for any group that places the highest levels of sustainability among its meeting goals. W 14with a smaller carbon footprint and resource use. “Keeping beef off the menu is one option with a significant impact. We’ll also request that water is not pre-poured and single-use water bottles aren’t made available, and we ask our venues at the time of sourcing if they have refillable water stations available.” Venues also want to reduce energy as much as possible. To help with that goal, SLAS will request that escalators are powered only at needed times and that lighting and heating/ air-conditioning is reduced during setup and breakdown. Naturally, attendees also have a critical role to play in reducing an event’s carbon footprint. “We remind them to bring their refillable water and coffee vessels and to take pub- lic transportation as much as possible. When it’s not possible, we remind them to ride share and do small things such as use a digital key instead of a plastic key and to consider having their towels laundered by the hotel less frequently. Every little bit counts,” Wilkinson noted, “and it starts with being aware and being willing.” SLAS is an organization for which sustainability factors into venue choice. It’s a factor in choosing their event venues across the globe and they have had great response in express- ing this in their RFP. “We look at public transportation to/from the venue and airport and whether the venue uses renewable energy. Waste programs are also important, including composting. We’re clear about our expectations from the start,” Wilkinson said. In general, Wilkinson believes European cities are ahead of U.S. cities and venues when it comes to green meetings. Most recently, they worked with the cities of Barcelona, Spain, and Basel, Switzerland, to develop green procedures. They are also working on a major event in Boston in February and Honeycomb Strategies, a sustainability consulting group, which is helping them make a significant positive impact toward sustainability. Travel, Wilkinson noted, remains a huge challenge. “Most of the emissions come from travel and that’s hard to tackle; the reality is events require people to travel to gather. Spon- sorship is another area of both challenge and opportunity. We love our sponsors and want to sup- port their ROI objectives, yet many times it’s through the use of unsustainable substrates such as window decals.” To planners wanting increased sustainability at their 15 JANUARY 2024 themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIES Amy Wilkinson, CMP, DES Director Global Events and Corporate Partnerships, Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) Event attendees are being asked to consider sustainable events and some are even being asked to report back their footprint for each event. PHOTOS COURTESY OF NANCY REIMER / OREGON COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER The roof on the Oregon Convention Center, pictured on left, has a 2 MW solar array, which powers about 25% of the building’s needs, and water bottle filling stations, as seen above.meetings, Wilkinson said the first step is to hire a sustainability consultant. “They’re experts in this space and can point out areas where we can make better decisions. In addition, they’re an objective third-party advocating for the environment rather than any given profit stakeholder, which is critical. We work with Honeycomb Strategies to great success,” she said. In addition, she said it’s important to look at F&B. Project Drawdown recently published that reducing food waste is the top high-impact action we can take. Planners must be a role model, lead by example and ask partners to help from the start. “It’s not all up to you as the organizer; I bet you’ll find all of your partners are willing,” she said. ASAE is focused on sustainability as well. Amanda Clark, CMP, director, meeting operations and engagement, said sus- tainability remains a focus in the meetings industry, noting that venues, hotels and convention centers continue to “up their game” because the market demands it. For ASAE, reduc- ing waste at all levels is a priority. “We request detailed information from venues regarding their practices when it comes to energy efficiency, recycling, composting and other sustainable practices,” Clark said. “Decisions are intentionally made to avoid disposables or, if that’s not possible, we request that disposables be biodegrad- able, compostable or recyclable. Making sustainability stations readily available and making signage abundantly clear helps attendees practice sustainability.” She suggested planners start by requesting traditional ser- vice ware rather than disposables and plastics, presenting con- diments in bulk rather than individual packaging and avoiding single-use plastic. What makes promoting and practicing sustainability easier for planners and their organizations is a venue as invested in the goals as they are. The country’s LEED certified conven- tion centers certainly help in that regard. Case in point: Ore- gon Convention Center (OCC) in Portland, OR. Not surpris- ing, the convention center perspective is much the same as that of planners. Nancy Reimer, OCC’s sustainability coordinator, said the meetings industry continues to have a strong focus on eco- friendly practices, and planners and attendees want to reduce their environmental footprint and impact the communities in which they meet in positive ways. As more cities and regions set goals related to climate change, there’s an increasing focus on minimizing impacts of events through waste reduction, energy and water con- servation and sustainable, efficient transportation. From the sustainability point of view, planners should do their best to reduce, in total, the need for transportation. With that in mind, venues should be cherrypicked for their proximity to public transport. The LEED Platinum Oregon Convention Center has long championed sustainable event practices and building opera- tions. “Our roof has a 2 MW solar array that powers roughly 25% of the building’s energy needs. We participate in Pacific Power’s Blue Sky renewable energy program and NW Natural’s Smart Energy program to offset 100% of our utilities,” Reimer noted. “Our award-winning rain garden filters particulates from water that’s collected from 5.5 acres of OCC’s roof and loading dock before water discharges into the Willamette River, a key part of our salmon-safe building certification.” The building features low-flow water fixtures and water-bottle-refill stations. Additionally, OCC has implemented a waste diversion policy as a part of event contracts, which prevents waste, requires events to recycle materials and provides an avenue for community donation of usable materials. “More recently,” she continued, “we’ve implemented PATH water bottles and piloted reusable containers in our concessions to reduce single-use plastics. We also prioritize sustainability in food through composting, food donation, sustainable and local purchasing and food waste prevention.” One of the biggest challenges, Reimer said, is staying ahead of the curve and continuing to evolve. From materials to con- stantly advancing technology, they have to be ready for what’s next. Part of that is ensuring they’re flexible, adaptive and open to new ideas. They’re continually training staff, collaborating with their community and looking for ways they can inspire and innovate. Like others, Reimer said finding the right partners and col- laborating with attendees and venues are critical to the pro- cess. Among the steps she suggested groups consider: turning off lights and escalators when not needed; using reusable or digital signage; encouraging refillable water bottles and choos- ing durable dishware for all F&B needs. All of these steps and practices benefit organizations, planners and attendees, as well as the venue. “Sustainability is key to how we book business here at the Oregon Conven- tion Center,” Reimer said. “Our trained staff and sustainable practices make it easy for guests to reduce, reuse and recycle. We commonly hear from groups that sustainability is impor- tant to them and was a crucial part of picking OCC for their meeting or event.” themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIESJANUARY 2024 One of the basic things that planners and venues can do to be sustainable is to recycle plastics and re-use containers as much as possible. PHOTO COURTESY OF NANCY REIMER/ OREGON CONVENTION CENTER 16Reimer added her voice to those who counsel starting conversations about sustainability goals at the start of the planning process. “From the very beginning, we communicate with our clients about sustainability and work with them to find creative solutions to challenges. This might mean doing things differently or try- ing something completely new. When those conversations start early, there’s time to consider purchases for your event, create a donation plan for left- over items and develop a communica- tion strategy to ensure sustainability goals can be shared and celebrated.” Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison, Wisconsin, is a LEED Gold facility and the ideal meeting place for Sustain Dane, the city and county’s sustainability organization, which recently held its annual Summit, its largest meeting of the year at Monona Terrace. “While planning for our annual Summit, we make sustain- able choices whenever possible,” said Sustain Dane, Execu- tive Director Claire Oleksiak. “This included highlighting the amazing vegan food options (we’ve done a Mediterranean dish and an enchilada meal), using reusable/washable water cups and dishes and using a walkable location for downtown hotel attendees. The center is also right on a bus route and has BCycle electric bike stations nearby. Also, the building is LEED certified and they donate excess food.” In keeping with best practices, Sustain Dane’s sustain- ability goals were clear from the start of the planning process. “We’ve built a strong relationship with Monona Terrace, they know our sustainability values,” Oleksiak said. “We worked with them early on to enhance our vegan meal option and add a vegan dessert this year. Other options may come up later in the planning process, and the staff was always receptive to our different ideas. They accommodated our requests and helped us put on a large but sustainable gathering.” F&B is a good place for planners to start if they want a greener meeting. Oleksiak suggested planners try to be plant-based whenever possible, or at least limit meats, and use “real” dishes and silver- ware if possible. Sustain Dane takes a broader approach in its efforts to choose venues that value sustainability. “We look at this from the lens of holistic sustainability, which we define as including a healthy environment, a just economy, and equity and social wellbeing,” said Oleksiak. “We recognize that every- one will be at a different spot in their sustainability journey, but the progress and goals have more importance. We try to offer our support with venues that wish to accelerate and act upon their sustain- ability goals.” Among the challenges, Oleksiak noted, is the fact that oftentimes options are not clearly listed or provided. “It takes additional conversations to ask for the options and confirm they work. We’d love to see more venues highlight their sus- tainability ‘package’ upfront to help consumers make that choice easily.” To other planners and associations trying to embrace sus- tainability, Oleksiak suggested offering the sustainable ele- ments of a meeting as a package upfront. “Provide the options for people to consider who are already looking to embrace it and for those who may not have considered it yet,” she said. Sustainable meetings are no longer a trend; they’re a reality across the country and the industry. For some planners, orga- nizations and venues, they’re not an option but a mandate. While challenges remain, there are also some amazingly easy steps to take to make meetings greener and healthier for all. As Clark said, “Every small step is a step in the right direction.” | AC&F | JANUARY 2024 themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIES Sustain Dane, the sustainability organization for Madison and Dane County, WI, connects businesses and individuals to the sustainability movement and provides the support and resources to generate change. Claire Oleksiak Executive Director, Sustain Dane We recognize that everyone will be at a different spot in their sustainability journey, but the progress and goals have more importance. PHOTO COURTESY OF CLAIRE OLEKSIAK/ SUSTAIN DANE 17themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIESJANUARY 2024 Users say it reduces the time they spend on administrative tasks and creating written material, allowing them to spend more time on tasks that require deep thinking. That shift is ultimately increasing event organizers’ value proposition. Meeting planners who fear AI seem to worry that it will replace them. But that same concern arose when video con- ferencing emerged and, in both cases, it turns out that the new technologies only enhance the profession’s efficiency. Examples include wearable tech that captures real-time data, revolutionizing how event planners gather insights into attendee behavior; software that automates various aspects of event planning; a service that offers web-based reality activa- tions; super charged mobile event apps that help with person- alization of events and overall event management — registra- tion, data capture and venue booking. All these tools are capable of streamlining event profession- als’ everyday work for organizational efficiency and opening up new possibilities for attendees’ experience. But as we see AI transforming events and gaining a critical role in the industry’s future, can it be trusted? “AI is not replacing event organizers; it’s thinking with you, not for you,” declared technology evangelist Dahlia El Gazzar, CEO, Dahlia+ Agency. “AI platforms help you create content but they can’t exist without your brain.” hough it is a technology praised by some people and feared by others, artificial intelligence, or AI, has been embraced by many meeting planners. T New Tech Tools AI in Meeting Planning By Rayna Katz INDUSTRY TRENDS 18“I don’t think AI will replace as many jobs as it creates,” added Samantha Jordan, a futurist at the Future Today Insti- tute and the keynote speaker at last year’s annual Financial & Insurance Conference Professionals. “But the people who use AI will replace those who do not.” AI Explained Definitions for AI are murky. Computer scientist John McCarthy, of Stanford University, described it last year this way: “It is the science and engineering of making intelli- gent machines, especially intelligent computer programs. It is related to using computers to understand human intelligence.” AI was introduced to the scientific community in the 1950s but it made news last year after a company called Open AI introduced an AI chatbot, called ChatGPT, in late 2022. The user-friendly tool collects information, or “prompts,” from individuals and then provides detailed results, or “outputs,” in seconds. By all accounts, the outputs are thorough and, the more information that’s provided in a prompt — much like using Google or a similar search engine — the better the results are. For those intimidated to write prompts, or not sure what they should include, event organizer Lisa Schulteis, founder, ElectraLime, and an AI user, explained it best, saying, “If I tell my husband, ‘Go to the store and buy me chips,’ God knows what’s coming home. He’s a healthier eater than me so he might get a baked veggie chip, which wasn’t what I wanted. But if I say, ‘Go to the store and get the family size bag of Ruf- fles and the largest of two sizes of Lay’s French Onion Dip with the orange lid,’ I’ll get what I want.” The executive director of the Northwest Event Show, Schulteis added, “When I first started putting questions into AI I was asking basic questions, and getting decent answers, but when I started giving more details and background, the outputs were dramatically different.” Schulteis and several other planners use ChatGPT-4, which costs $20/month, but earlier versions are free to use, while other AI tools also are free of charge or inexpensive. AI Advantages For meeting planner Huong Nguyen, CEO & founder of Shiloh Event Management, using various AI platforms to take notes during client calls provides several advantages over typ- ing or writing notes while also trying to hear requests. “Previously, for every meeting, we had an event coordinator type up the notes and then recap them, which took two to three hours. AI does it in 30 minutes to an hour,” she said. “Now, we have more brain capacity and extra time to elevate content.” That means finding creative ways to present sessions instead of the traditional format of speaker(s) talking to a captive audience, Nguyen said, boosting attendee engage- ment. Alternatives that Shiloh Events now can create include game show formats, debates where attendees can vote or even a “fishbowl” set up where attendees jump in and out of a con- versation spot. Note taking on AI also gives planners the opportunity to more actively listen, and it’s more accurate since humans are more likely to make mistakes or get distracted by emails, calls or other work, Nguyen noted. Another step where AI can be helpful is in site selection, said Sarah Shewey, CEO and founder of Happily, an event production firm. 19 JANUARY 2024 themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIES DEPOSITPHOTOS.COM Huong Nguyen CEO & founder, Shiloh Event Management Previously, for every meeting, we had an event coordinator type up the notes and then recap them, which took two to three hours. AI does it in 30 minutes to an hour.Next >