Planners today face questions such as how to be treated as a brand partner, and how to facilitate multigenerational networking. Photo Credit: iStock/Natalya Kosarevich
At the recent GBTA APAC Conference 2026, discussions around meetings and events reflected shifts in planning priorities and desired outcomes, but also the uncomfortable conversations planners must confront for events to stay relevant today.
Beyond logistics, planners are increasingly having to solve organisational and human challenges, from facilitating connections across age groups, to swaying bosses towards the value of experiences.
1. Breaking through as an equal
Event agencies are having to dig deeper to be competitive in their roles as brand partners rather than any other logistics expert.
“What makes the difference is when clients allow us to become something more than a venue sourcer, logistics provider, or someone connecting to them to audiovisual [requirements],” said Desiree Wu, SVP, director client services, Asia, at Jack Morton.
The real gamechanger is when agencies become real partners that deeply understand brand identity, audience desires and business objectives.
“We need to get under the fabric of what clients actually do and why their guests are showing up at this event. Until we get to the root cause of what clients are trying to achieve, the agency cannot be truly objective. When clients allow us to come into the fabric, that’s when we can advocate… and drive connections between brand and outcome,” Wu said.
2. The silent costs of modest choices
Cost-controlled environments have called for planners to do more with less; often, that involves choosing second-tier cities and opting for low-cost carriers. What goes unaccounted for is the cost of change in an unstable environment.
“When planning for a 1,000-pax event in an emerging destination serviced by LCCs, the question is how do you then plan for this in [the event of a] crisis? We have to [consider the possibility that] we have to make changes to the flight for last-minute rerouting,” said Issac Yeo, senior manager, SEA travel and events, BCG.
While it is easy to prescribe value-for-money buying decisions, it is not quite as easy to match the risk-absorbability of full-service, more predictable options.
“Thinking ahead to mitigate [these risks], it changes what engagement will look like for displaced attendees. How seamlessly we can respond in times of crisis to deliver the same outcomes is more tangible than any ROI,” said Yeo.
3. Generation gaps
Business event planners are facing an unprecedented landscape with five generations in a single workforce. How planners can cater to each and every one is a challenge. Buzzwords like hyperpersonalisation may ring loud. But the concept of hyper-breakouts is arguably at odds with the spirit of events bringing people together.
Related: The age range gets wider in the world of meetings | Meetings & Conventions Asia
Engaging younger attendees will be a major planning consideration, with the World Economic Forum and Deloitte projecting that Millennials and Generation Z would make up 75% of the workforce by 2030.
“There is a return of touch. Gen Z’s are craving human interaction. Statistics show that 69% of Gen Z’s feel that technology is making them feel more isolated,” Yeo observed.
At the same time, many Gen Z attendees are ill-equipped when it comes to networking or reading the room. For those who entered the workforce in the Covid-19 years, there have been limited opportunities for “corridor talk” or “informal discussions with the levels above”, Yeo described.
Internally, Yeo says one way to make up for this is for organisations to create buddy systems where Gen Z’s are partnered with colleagues with stronger networking instincts.
From an agency perspective, Wu spoke about the importance of making attendee choice a larger part of event design. Keeping in mind how younger attendees will talk about the event later on, "we cannot hand [a programme] to them and expect them to do x, y and z". "The attendee should feel like they can choose, and come to their own feelings of being comfortable and accepted," Wu said.
4. When bosses don't buy into experiences
With all the talk about new success metrics beyond ROI, buy-in with higher-ups remains a challenge. ROX may be a trendy term, but how can planners convince bosses or clients to begin thinking beyond traditional ROI?
Internally, planners can share about innovations that have resulted from projects that prioritise experience over conventional success metrics, Yeo said.
To challenge the status quo, Yeo suggested that planners ask the right questions: "Are we doing the event just to tick off the usual boxes with no objective? Are we doing it to reinforce a [less-than-desirable] culture? Are we stifling innovation?"
5. From moments to memories
The more mature business events grow, the more familiar event components can get, and the harder it is to impress attendees with standard programing.
A key marker of success, Wu shared, is when event moments go on to become talking points during a coffee break at a different event.
Planners who create memory and event relevance beyond the two days of a convention are no longer executing on singular events, but building brand recall, community and culture.