to other attendees via spontaneous, interactive hybrid sessions. All attend- ees will be instantaneously locatable via GPS badges.
› All-electronic signage, all- electronic program books with voice activation to get attendees from meeting to
meeting. All Internet access will be free, and the capability to do web meet- ings for those that can’t attend will be seamless. All meeting rooms will have technology in them permanently to save on sets and resets. Meeting plan- ners’ specs will be able to be entered right into hotel interface to save time/ errors and duplication of effort. In a nutshell, technology will be embedded in all aspects to allow us all to focus on the education and the attendees.
› As personal time becomes more valuable, ease of access, sophisticated use of technology, high-quality hotels and restaurants will become more important. It’s the why should I travel to this meeting.
› Banquet chairs automati- cally adjust to the right height and support for each individual and won’t be connected to each
other! Lighting will make us all feel good and look even better. Healthy snacks and personalized beverages will be available on demand. Floor surfaces will respond to each person’s step to keep their feet from hurting.
› I think the biggest change will be in session formats and information delivery. I don’t think that technology/ web-based meetings will take the place of face-to-face meetings, but I do think that the focus of attendees when they are at the meeting will be on network- ing and making connections, more than pure content learning, since other sources will exist for this informa- tion. We will be tasked with providing
unique learning opportunities and networking opportunities.
› People will still want to have face-to- face meetings, but technology will be integral to all aspects. The smartframes on your glasses will project program information, where your friends are, local attractions, etc. Blink on an exhibitor ad and you’ll receive their marketing materials instantly. Session evaluations and speaker feedback will occur instantaneously. Because session content will be available electronically and can be viewed when convenient, attendees will spend more time net- working with peers and engaged in social activities. Wi-Fi will be free in all the venues. We won’t need special AV setups in each room, because the speaker notes will be uploaded onto the attendee’s personal digital device (could be a tablet). No more delegate bags. Name badges will have GPS. If you’re not at the meeting, I’ll know. The majority of attendees will be older, so facilities will have people movers and indoor shuttles. There will be hearing-impaired broadcasts of keynote addresses. Shuttles from the hotels will be necessary, not optional. Caterers will only offer a la carte menus to accommodate increasingly fractured dietary requirements.
› I wish I knew, so I could share this incredible wisdom to everyone and then retire early!
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SOURCE: Based on the Watkins Report of the 2012 survey of meeting planners. The copyrighted full report is made available via subscription only to bona fide CVB or DMOs for use within their own organizations for strategic planning and marketing.
Subscribers review strength and weakness profiles for their own city as well as for all of the other cities evaluated in each survey. Cities are included for evaluation in the study either by being a co-sponsor, or by a co-sponsor requesting to have a competitive cities included in the list of cities evaluated.
For information on obtaining a copy of the 2012 report or being a co-sponsor of the next survey and report, contact Curt@ WatkinsResearchGroup.com. A summary of findings of the 2012 report has been provided to all planners who completed the survey.