Meaningful Meetings: 5 Veterans in Event Planning Share Insights and Recommendations

This recent Enterprise Engagement Alliance RRN show on meaningful meetings brings together veteran executive meeting planners, a legendary Las Vegas talent agent, and an individual incentive travel pioneer to discuss the state of motivational events and incentive travel in a climate of economic uncertainty, a generational change in travel preferences, and the ability for people to access on demand the world’s greatest keynote speakers and panel discussions on almost any topic on Youtube.

Click here to subscribe to RRN weekly, and here for an RRN media kit.

Click here to watch or listen to the show.

In the 18 months since the Enterprise Engagement Alliance and its RRN media property began the Meaningful Meetings series, the early forecasts are gradually being fulfilled. The world of motivational events and incentive travel are headed for fundamental change, according to Jaki Baskow, Principal of Las Vegas Speakers Bureau; Greg Bogue, Vice President of Experience at Maritz; Andrea Doyle, Executive Editor of Skift; Marc Matthews, Founder of Pulse Experiential Travel, Melissa Van Dyke, Senior Vice President at Creative Group Inc.

All agree that there is much room for innovation and better measurement, and that only momentum stands in the way of more rapid change; yet, all are optimistic that the motivational event and incentive travel business is poised for meaningful innovation and enhanced impact measurement.

The fundamental drivers of change? Time, money, greater ability to measure, and the desire on the part of attendees for a personal ROI as well. As Doyle of Skift put it, people simply don’t want to leave their families or friends or pile on to their workloads unless the event has meaning.

Here are highlights from the show.

*Expect motivational events to get shorter, with more emphasis on collaboration and innovation than on keynote speakers and panel discussions.
*The best speakers will spend less time on stage and more time mingling with the audience or facilitating collaboration.
*Look for a greater emphasis on the “f” word, feelings and storytelling. The best events leave people emotionally moved.
*Look for opportunities to expand corporate sustainability into the form of short escapes from hotels and convention centers to authentic experiences in the surrounding communities that help reinforce the event story while giving back in terms of increased local commerce.
*Anticipate more desire for “bleisure,” the ability to add a day or two with a loved one or close friends or colleagues to further explore after a group event.
*Expect a greater emphasis on measurement, not only in terms of budget and attendee satisfaction, but impact measured against the purpose, goals, objectives, and values of the event or organization--and over time.
*All agree that motivational events create a unique opportunity to build organizational culture at a time when that is more challenging than ever in this highly mobile and multi-cultural and multi-generational world.
*Another challenge: the desire of many organizations to reduce organizational carbon footprints makes them ever more mindful of which meetings to attend.
*Facing increasing reluctance of people to attend all but critical events, associations are particularly challenged to transform their events from passive to active collaborative programs at which people work together to address industry risks and opportunities. Rather than simply listening to speakers and panelists for 80% of the time and talking at breaks, meals, and events for the remaining 20%, these experts agree it’s time to reconsider that ratio to provide more time for collaboration, problem-solving, innovation, and discovery.

As for the overall event economy, they agree that federal government meetings have effectively cratered for now and association meetings face increasing attendance challenges, especially those that depend on international attendees. Some will hold cross-border hybrid events. On the other hand, they see motivational corporate meetings and incentive travel are holding their own, with the exception of those US events that involve international travelers, particularly from Canada, Latin countries, and Europe. Individual incentive travel is on the uptick as some companies hold back on planning big motivational events, because of the desire to maintain the morale of the top performers who hit their goals.

All this adds up to an environment in which the motivational events field has the opportunity to exercise its creativity to choreograph truly meaningful events that measurably support the organization's purpose, goals, objectives, and values.

Enterprise Engagement Alliance Services

Celebrating our 15^th year, the Enterprise Engagement Alliance helps organizations enhance performance through:

1. Information and marketing opportunities on stakeholder management and total rewards:
ESM Weekly on stakeholder management since 2009; click here for a media kit.
RRN Weekly on total rewards since 1996; click here for a EEA YouTube channel on enterprise engagement, human capital, and total rewards insights and how-to information since 2020.

2. Learning: Purpose Leadership and Stakeholder

Management Academy to enhance future equity value and performance for your organization.

3. Books on implementation: Enterprise Engagement for CEOs and Enterprise Engagement: The Roadmap.

4. Advisory services and research: Strategic guidance, learning and certification on stakeholder management, measurement, metrics, and corporate sustainability reporting.

5. Permission-based targeted business development to identify and build relationships with the people most likely to buy.

6. Public speaking and meeting facilitation on stakeholder management. The world’s leading speakers on all aspects of stakeholder management across the enterprise.