Meeting Room of the Future: The collaborative journey continues

News Feed
Friday, 20 September 2019

When IACC set out on its ‘Meeting Room of the Future’ journey some five years ago, it had several specific goals but also an understanding that the project could face criticism for its optimistic aspirations.

While there has been some virtue-signalling and vague prognostications, Meeting Room of the Future is succeeding because IACC has taken a wide-ranging collaborative approach, inviting input from experienced members with the hands-on expertise to assess future needs as well as industry bodies for whom optimum MICE facilities are key.

It also has treated this as a short-term evolving challenge, regarding the future as impending rather than somewhere over the horizon.

There has, too, been an element of ‘the future is now’ which has helped it focus on ‘get-on-with-it’ action.

IACC www.iacconline.org describes itself as ‘a global community that brings together the best and brightest minds in the meetings industry.  A close-knit community of passionate, premier venues and suppliers, IACC exists so that venue leaders can come together to learn and share knowledge with one another.’

Its governance is determinedly inclusive, which has probably set the scene for collaboration in the Meeting Room of the Future.

The latest report is the fourth in the series, constructively combining research and insights into the top issues facing the global meetings and conference industry.

Building on the collaborative ethos, IACC has made it available free of charge on its web site.  All that is required is registration citing some basic industry credentials. 

The report draws on input by 250 meeting planners from several countries, as well as suppliers such as meeting space designers, technology companies, furniture manufacturers and even nutritionists.

A key goal of the latest edition was to achieve an understanding of PCOs’ changing expectations and needs, as identified in last year’s survey of buyers.

“As the industry evolves and expands, just as meeting planners must continually evaluate all elements of the meeting experience, operators and suppliers must also ensure they are meeting and anticipating the changing needs of planners,” said IACC’s chief executive, Mark Cooper. 

“The survey was designed to highlight these growing needs.

“We looked specifically at experience creation, meeting room space and design, technology and internet capabilities as well as culinary trends.”

Among the 2019 edition’s key findings:

Ethical operations and sustainable practices will be  a top priority for meeting planners in the coming years.

Cyber security is a concern for planners and part of their evaluation when considering new technologies.

‘Experience creation’ is important and still growing. Venues are being evaluated more on their contribution to the experience creation.

The belief that more can be done by venues when it comes to ensuring serving staff are briefed on ingredients and potential allergens.

Flexible meeting spaces will continue to grow in popularity.

IACC will continue along the Meeting Room of the Future road and maintain its collaborative strategy.

To further that, the organisation welcomes more contributors and research partners, which IACC refers to rather winningly as ‘other bright minds with a passion for the meetings experience’.

It will also continue to strengthen involvement by other industry bodies.

One of these is Meeting Professionals International, whose manager professional development Jessie States observes:  “We are excited about the possibility of digging deeper into the subject of evolving meeting spaces and studying the impact they have on meeting performance.”

- Kelvin King

 

Meeting Room of the Future: The collaborative journey continues

News Feed
Friday, 20 September 2019

When IACC set out on its ‘Meeting Room of the Future’ journey some five years ago, it had several specific goals but also an understanding that the project could face criticism for its optimistic aspirations.

While there has been some virtue-signalling and vague prognostications, Meeting Room of the Future is succeeding because IACC has taken a wide-ranging collaborative approach, inviting input from experienced members with the hands-on expertise to assess future needs as well as industry bodies for whom optimum MICE facilities are key.

It also has treated this as a short-term evolving challenge, regarding the future as impending rather than somewhere over the horizon.

There has, too, been an element of ‘the future is now’ which has helped it focus on ‘get-on-with-it’ action.

IACC www.iacconline.org describes itself as ‘a global community that brings together the best and brightest minds in the meetings industry.  A close-knit community of passionate, premier venues and suppliers, IACC exists so that venue leaders can come together to learn and share knowledge with one another.’

Its governance is determinedly inclusive, which has probably set the scene for collaboration in the Meeting Room of the Future.

The latest report is the fourth in the series, constructively combining research and insights into the top issues facing the global meetings and conference industry.

Building on the collaborative ethos, IACC has made it available free of charge on its web site.  All that is required is registration citing some basic industry credentials. 

The report draws on input by 250 meeting planners from several countries, as well as suppliers such as meeting space designers, technology companies, furniture manufacturers and even nutritionists.

A key goal of the latest edition was to achieve an understanding of PCOs’ changing expectations and needs, as identified in last year’s survey of buyers.

“As the industry evolves and expands, just as meeting planners must continually evaluate all elements of the meeting experience, operators and suppliers must also ensure they are meeting and anticipating the changing needs of planners,” said IACC’s chief executive, Mark Cooper. 

“The survey was designed to highlight these growing needs.

“We looked specifically at experience creation, meeting room space and design, technology and internet capabilities as well as culinary trends.”

Among the 2019 edition’s key findings:

Ethical operations and sustainable practices will be  a top priority for meeting planners in the coming years.

Cyber security is a concern for planners and part of their evaluation when considering new technologies.

‘Experience creation’ is important and still growing. Venues are being evaluated more on their contribution to the experience creation.

The belief that more can be done by venues when it comes to ensuring serving staff are briefed on ingredients and potential allergens.

Flexible meeting spaces will continue to grow in popularity.

IACC will continue along the Meeting Room of the Future road and maintain its collaborative strategy.

To further that, the organisation welcomes more contributors and research partners, which IACC refers to rather winningly as ‘other bright minds with a passion for the meetings experience’.

It will also continue to strengthen involvement by other industry bodies.

One of these is Meeting Professionals International, whose manager professional development Jessie States observes:  “We are excited about the possibility of digging deeper into the subject of evolving meeting spaces and studying the impact they have on meeting performance.”

- Kelvin King