Trend A: More value creation
The coronavirus pandemic has confirmed that the physical meeting is still important. But there is a need to develop the traditional formats so that the meetings of the future create even more value.
The majority of recent reports (post Covid-19) indicate that the physical meeting is once again the preferred meeting form, and more valued than ever before. This development should be seen in light of several years of lockdown, when it was not possible to meet, which made visible and underlined all the unique qualities of the physical meeting. Despite the strong demand for meeting in person, more and more customers point out that in the future they will be more selective when it comes to taking part in a physical meeting, weighing up whether the meeting's benefits are worth the time and resources spent. This increased focus on the meeting's benefits can be attributed to a number of factors – for example, new advanced meeting technologies that make it more attractive to participate online, and the fact that more people now work from home, so it takes more to get them out of the house.
Customers' increased focus on the meeting's output and value creation places new demands on the industry, and there is a need for the value chain, from destination companies to venues, to work together to develop new products and services that motivate more people to take part in a physical meeting. The need for fresh thinking is underlined, among other places, in a report from American Express, the 'Global Meetings and Events Forecast 2023':
“In-person meetings and events are roaring back – and at the same time, we can take lessons learned during the last few years to make positive, long-lasting changes to the way we work”.
A number of the other identified trends focus on what customers specifically demand when it comes to creating more rewarding and engaging physical meetings.
- Trend F: Relationship building and networking
- Trend G: Content and format
- Trend K: Local experiences