Business events professionals from all over the world came together to meet in Malaysia during the Malaysia Business Events Week, which is taking place from 29 August to 2 September 2022 in Kuala Lumpur. Photo Credit: MyCEB
In-person meetings are making a comeback, but that doesn't mean that
delegates are seeking the same cookie-cutter business meeting and event
formats like before.
A new generation of millennials and Gen Z in the workforce are now
setting the tone on how future meetings are executed and designed while
technology becomes the key enabler to pull it off.
The good news is that savvy meeting planners are on board and racing to ensure their programmes are anything but bland.
At the recent Malaysia Business Events Week 2022 (MBEW), four meeting
trends were discussed that could be true game changers for the
industry.
And here are ways that planners conjure up the magic for meetings:
Play up local culture and assets
When everybody is jockeying for the same piece of the pie, focus on
the assets of your location to attract business, says Sheriff Keramat,
president & CEO of the Professional Convention Management
Association (PCMA).
“In anything that you do, use your culture as much as you use the
physical assets of your country to make the case for the attractiveness
of your destination and why business events should choose you,” he said.
Attendees often blend business and leisure. Ultimately, playing up
the attractions of local destinations and the authentic experiences of
the host city appeals to them.
Think metaverse
At any event, some participants come for the experience, some for the
content, and others for networking. Metaverse enables all this.
Speaking in the session on 'Meeting Events Tech Adapt (META)-verse',
Yusno Yunos, CEO and founder of Evenesis said: “To manage the scarcity
of venues, instead of building more convention centres, having an
additional hall for people to experience metaverse could be an option.”
Meetings as 'purposeful’ experiences
Gone are the days where attendees are content to be herded into a
ballroom to listen to boring lectures. Today’s meetings need to have
meaning, innovation and insight.
As an example, at the recent MBEW, MyCEB partnered with Kloth Cares
and Food Aid Foundation to encourage attendees to donate pre-loved
clothing and non-perishable food as part of the event’s sustainable
initiative. This move gave a meaningful touch to the event than just
having attendees simply listening to presentations.
Creating year-round engagement
For attendees who may not be able to attend a business event or
meeting every year, creating year-round engagement and interaction helps
to increase brand awareness and reach more – and often new - people.
David DuBois, president and CEO of the International Association of
Exhibitors and Events, called this the three Cs: captured content,
creating content and curated content.
“This can be done during the show by recording the education
sessions, conducting one-on-one interviews, creating testimonials from
those who attend and finding ways to promote the content – whether on
blogs, videos, podcasts. This all can be pushed out on social media to
get your brand into the marketplace.”
This content enables the brand to connect with the attendees while
maintaining their continuous interest and awareness of the event.