Meetings

I recently attendeded ConferenceDirect's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Conference (D22) at the Hilton City Center in Denver, CO. This represented the organization’s first annual event bringing together a diverse group of meeting professionals, ConferenceDirect associates, and industry partners to explore a range of DEI topics and how they affect meetings and events.

Make attendees' presence count with thoughtful programming that not only last but lays a great foundation for repeat registrations and engagement.

Meetings with wide appeal should always be on the planner’s agenda, so how do you tick the boxes for attendees whose worldview was shaped by the Great Depression and those who have never known a day without a digital device?

A recent report from Lodging Econometrics found that Dallas’ pipeline of hotel projects is well ahead of every other U.S. metropolitan area. There are plenty of plans afoot in the rest of the Lone Star State as well.

Online networking and hybrid meeting is still a great option for those unable to travel, but keep cybersecurity top of mind with new (and old) tech.

We may still be living in an era of uncertainty around COVID variants, but more than ever before, face-to-face meetings are a part of wellness – including mental health.

Education, networking and growth are the top benefits of association meetings, but people also crave a little leisure time.

Compression, Sustainability & Who’s Traveling in 2022 While all signs point to a slow crawl back to corporate travel – a recent Deloitte survey of 150 travel managers had them predicting we might be back to between 65% and 80% of 2019 levels by year’s end – there are still a lot of things to be excited about as we ...

Smaller meetings – those with attendees who are already working together and fully vaccinated – may be doable. And easier in many ways.

While the return to in-person meetings offers hope of economic recovery, associations should not feel pressured to jump on the bandwagon before they’re ready.