Filed in: News Tag: MCE Trendspotting
This month, thousands of professionals from the event community gathered virtually and in Las Vegas for the annual PCMA Convening Leaders. To stay abreast of the latest trends and education in the industry, MCE team members Lisa Boyd (Event Program Manager), Jennifer Charnecky (Event Planner), and John Teehan (Senior Meeting & Events Planner), attended both virtually and in-person.
Here are their top takeaways and observations to help you navigate the future of events:
Health & Safety
- Along with offering a virtual attendance option and following local Las Vegas health guidelines, Convening Leaders took added precautions for on-site attendees including partnering with Safe Expo and Clear Health Pass for COVID-19 vaccine verification. They also provided KN95 masks, on-site testing options, and daily communications on COVID cases throughout the event.
Top Content & Recurring Themes
- “The Future of Force Majeure: Negotiating Contracts Amid Uncertainty” discussed how COVID-19 will impact contracts moving forward. Since events have proven they can take place, it will become more difficult to enforce the typical force majeure terms. One tip from this session is to make your contracts as specific as possible. For example, if you specify how many international participants you expect, you may be able to reduce your room block number by this percentage if you experience government-imposed travel restrictions.
- A frequent conversation across sessions included The Great Resignation, a current trend where people are leaving their jobs or reevaluating their careers paths. Since the pandemic, many people are reconsidering how their time is spent and what is valuable to them. From an event perspective, it will be increasingly important to provide worthwhile content that will entice attendees to spend their time and money to participate.
- Convening Leaders used Juno as their virtual platform for the second year in a row. Moving from a fully virtual model in 2021 to a hybrid model in 2022, they offered a mix of content to appeal to both audiences. Some sessions were only available in-person, while they offered “Conversation Starter” networking sessions to the virtual audience. They also showcased innovative technology, where Keynote Speaker Indra Nooyi (Best-Selling Author & Former CEO and Chairman of PepsiCo) appeared as a hologram to both in-person and online audiences.
Overall Takeaway
- PCMA President & CEO Sherrif Karamat stated, “What happens here matters everywhere.” This overarching message throughout the four-day event emphasized how the event industry directly impacts the economy. By creating and adapting ways to safely connect with one another, event organizers can make a positive global impact.
Thank you to Lisa, Jen, and John for attending Convening Leaders and sharing their experiences! If you want to learn more or have any questions about planning your event, reach out to IEEE MCE.
This article was written by:
Lea Provost
Sr. Program Manager, Audience Development Strategy Services
IEEE Meetings, Conferences & Events