As the ongoing quest for business efficiency continues, it becomes more important for larger organizations to chart their course to implementing a Strategic Meetings Management Program (SMMP).

The Strategic Meetings Management Program (SMMP) moniker was created by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA). An SMMP is a disciplined approach to managing enterprise-wide meeting and event related processes, activities, metrics, standards and supplier strategies to achieve business objectives, quantitative cost savings, risk mitigation and optimal service levels.

Corporate event planners are looking ahead to what the new year may hold—focusing on the dates saved on their calendars. How can they make these events pop? What trends will impact how they plan memorable experiences for their clients? 

Corporate Event News spoke to expert planners to see what trends they predict will impact the industry in the coming year. 

Karen Shackman of Shackman Associates New York predicts last minute events will demand more luxury.

Rymax Marketing Services, Inc., the largest national manufacturer’s representative in the incentive industry, has added eleven new brands to its portfolio of in-demand rewards products.

Need some high-end gifts for an upcoming event? Event professionals work with Rymax to source the perfect gifts for incentive programs, sales kickoffs, executive events, loyalty programs and more. The company can customize a selection of unique gifts for clients, from bulk orders to the creation of unique merchandise bundles.

Versatility. Flexibility. A blank canvas. Corporate event planners are creative and seek event spaces that can accommodate their visions.

Planners around the country identified key areas where flexibility is an integral feature of the venues they select.

“The more constraints a venue has the harder it is on planners to create the vision the client would like to have for their guests,” said Courtney Lutkus, owner of Simply Radiant Events.

Space

Music is known to bring people together. Studies, including this one, have shown that music increases feelings of inclusion, connectivity, positive affect and also increases endorphin release – adding to those overall positive feelings. Furthermore, the study finds that singing together fosters social closeness, even in large group contexts where participants are strangers to each other.

From building houses through Habitat for Humanity and helping homeless pets at a local animal shelter, to helping victims of natural disasters and building bikes for underprivileged children, volunteer projects are becoming increasingly popular at meetings and conferences as companies look for ways to give back to their host communities.

Corporate event professionals are always looking for new ways to provide attendees with memorable event experiences. We all know how stressful meetings can be and how much people appreciate a break from the crowds.

Two frequent problems at events are never having enough rooms for everyone who wants to book a meeting, and even if attendees have a free hour, rarely is there any place for them to comfortably relax and recharge.

The larger the organization and revenue stream, the more likely it is that the procurement or purchasing group will be involved with event spending. Large corporations typically have policies in place designed to help them save money and minimize both financial and legal risk. Any event with a budget greater than a certain threshold will trigger additional levels of purchasing request review and approval.

Meeting security is at the top of everyone’s minds right now. After the recent incident in Las Vegas, planners need to make sure that they – and their venues – are as prepared as possible to handle any emergency that may take place.

The Exhibitions and Meetings Safety and Security Initiative (EMSSI) was launched in 2016 by the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM), the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) and the Exhibition Services & Contractors Association (ESCA).

Sourcing viable destinations and suppliers for your corporate meetings can be a challenge. It’s time-consuming and difficult to know whether you’re selecting the right venues and getting the best deals. That’s where convention and visitors’ bureaus (CVBs) and destination management organizations (DMOs) come in.