As we enter a new year, the mood of optimism is growing and encouraging for the meetings and events industry and meetings professionals. The main expectation for in-person gatherings and internal meetings and events is that they will drive the corporate culture:

“With many companies around the world operating with remote and hybrid workforces, the need to bring employees together has never been greater nor more widely recognized. In-person meetings and events have proven to be the most effective way to drive employee wellness and retention, instill company culture and corporate values, improve team bonding, and increase professional development.”

–Gerardo Tejado, Senior Vice President, Global Value Development
and General Manager, Meetings & Events

According to our global survey and interviews with leaders, shared in our 2023 Global Meetings and Events Forecast, it’s clear the industry is getting serious about sustainability and diversity, equity, and inclusion, with many organizations sharing commitments publicly. Not to mention, companies have been planning for an increase in average rates, investments, and high demand of in-person meetings and events.

In light of these trends, there is a clear opportunity to expand your meeting program’s impact and reach, so here are our top five tips and recommended actions to get you on the right track in 2023:

  1. Increase stakeholder adoption and education of meeting programs and policies: position meetings and events as a solution to meet corporate goals related to employee well-being.
  2. Implement simple meetings booking technologies to empower stakeholders: identify ways to simplify and automate repetitive processes, such as meeting bookings and request for proposal processes.
  3. Help define sustainable meeting program roadmap and deploy available solutions: technology platforms can be essential to provide stakeholders with the emissions data of an event as well as education for meeting planners about available tools.
  4. Evaluate your meeting program for potential synergies with a travel program: getting the holistic experience can help planners across a global organization not only work toward the same goals but also manage suppliers and get spend visibility and savings worldwide.
  5. Survey attendees in advance to learn content desires and how meetings can best accommodate them: this is a best practice to make sure your content and event program align with attendee expectations while making sure you’re being as inclusive as possible from the start. Otherwise, how will you know what your attendees need?

Are you and your team eager to learn more and take charge of your meetings and events in 2023? Download our 2023 Global Meetings and Events Forecast to arm yourself with industry-leading data and a deep dive into global and regional trends.