1. THE FUTURE OF MICE
NAVIGATING THE SHIFTING LANDSCAPE: CHANGING WORLD ISSUES AND TRENDS
CHUTA THARACHAI, PH.D.
CIS, CITP, CEM, DES, EMD, SEPC
Director of Corporate Strategy Development Department
Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau

2. BLAZING
A NEW TRAIL
The meetings and events industry is experiencing
an unprecedented recovery, and all signs point
to a busy 2023 and beyond.
Amid all the action, a new focus on partnerships,
sustainability, diversity-equity-inclusion,
and technology is also underway.
Meetings and events are back, and the way
they are planned is evolving.

3. While Asia Pacific expects to
invest the most per attendee
for in-person, internal meetings
On to Statistic
Every region is optimistic about meetings and
events growth in 2023.
REGIONAL TRENDS IN 2023
North America expects to see
the highest rate increases
7.4%
7.8%
Year-over-year expected increase in
average group rates
Cost per attendee per day for in-person, internal meetings
$711
$662
$554
$554
Asia Pacific
Latin America
Europe
North America
European meeting planners
are the most likely to track their
event’s carbon footprint
28%
Percentage who provide
post-event CO2 calculations
Source: North American, European, Latin American, and Asian Pacific Surveys and Interviews from American
Express Meetings & Events, 2022.

4. Aligned with global
responses, meeting
professionals in the
Asia-Pacific region are positive
about the health of the
industry in 2023.
Source: North American, European, Latin American, and Asian Pacific
Surveys and Interviews from American Express Meetings & Events, 2022.

5. EVENT BUDGETS FEEL THE PINCH
Skift Meetings’ State of Business Events 2023
report reveals that 36 percent of
planners have had their 2023 budgets
slashed compared to 2019 budgets due to
high inflation pressures.
BUT...

6. POTENTIAL DRIVERS OF CHANGE THAT MAY SHAPE
THE YEAR 2023 - 2024

7. COPING WITH CHANGE: KEY ENGINES OF ADAPTABILITY IN
EVENT INDUSTRY
TECHNOLOGY
ADVANCEMENT
SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
OF BUSINESS
IN THE FACE OF MODERN UNCERTAINTIES, INDUSTRIES MUST HARNESS THE TWIN ENGINES OF SUSTAINABILITY AND INNOVATION
FOR NOT ONLY THRIVING BUT ALSO SURVIVING UNFORESEEN CHALLENGES, PROVIDING THE ESSENTIAL POWER TO REACH NEW
HEIGHTS OF SUCCESS."

8. On to the Industry

9. EXPERIENCE-FIRST EVENTS
WILL WIN OVER THE ATTENDEES
Today, attendees need a compelling reason to leave the house and get
on a plane to meet in person. Why go to the trouble of traveling if you
can access the information presented from home? Attendees are
demanding to return home inspired and connected.
They are now more intentional with their time and more empowered
about how they spend it.

10. “We used to be able to embrace the
idea that if we build it, they will come.
Now, as event designers, we have to
think of this with a different lens,
with attendees now feeling, ‘If they
build it for me, I will come.”
Greg Bogue
Chief Experience Architect at Maritz Global Design

11. PLANNING
EXPERIENCES
ISN’T ENOUGH
Events that do this well have fluid agendas,
shorter content, frequent breaks, late start times,
long lunches, and more networking
opportunities to allow for self-directed event
experiences.

12. VIV SQUARE
The heart of VIV Asia, the VIV Square, will offer
exciting events, from conferences with eminent
speakers to networking events with country
delegations and happy hour activities to
celebrate the 30th anniversary of the leading
livestock event in the region.
On to case study

13. AUTHENTIC DESTINATIONS
TAKE CENTER STAGE
An experience that they are excited to share on their
social media channels, creating added excitement for
their employees.
They are now more intentional with their time and more
empowered about how they spend it. The bottom line is
that meeting attendees are demanding more profound,
more engaging connections in authentic destinations.

14. ROX - Return on
Experience
has taken on added importance.
Connection is at the core of experience.
Authentic destinations offer the types of experiences today’s
attendees crave. There was a time when the role of a DMC was to
bring conventions to a city, and that was it.

15. FROM EVENT PLANNERS TO
DESIGNERS OF TIME
The added time pressure means planners must create
gatherings that enable participants to participate
actively, interact in sessions, and network with peers.
This means designing less busy meetings, with fewer
sessions squeezed into a shorter period. Ideally, this
enables participants to completely immerse themselves
in the content while having more time to network with
one another and engage in discussions.

16. “Is it really worth my time? We need
to answer
that question for every single
participant.”
Greg Bogue
Chief Experience Architect at Maritz Global Design

17. INCLUSIVITY
IS THE NEW DIVERSITY
Inclusion focuses on treating individuals fairly and
respectfully, having equal access to opportunities and
resources.
Today, inclusivity is no longer a should-have. It’s a
must-have. Not only does it make sense from an
empathetic standpoint, but from a business one as
well.

18. A situation
where an event speaker checked into
a hotel, and there were only male and
female options on the registration form.
“The speaker was non-binary, and this
made the speaker feel unwelcome,”
Ashanti Bentil-Dhue,
Chief Experience Architect at Maritz Global Design

19. DATA-DRIVEN EVENT
PERSONALIZATION
Data-driven technology can now offer pertinent
customized recommendations, aiming to deliver a
more engaging and delightful experience for
everyone involved.
Ultimately, data-driven event personalization is a
powerful way of giving attendees a tailored event
experience. If done correctly, it provides planners
with insightful data that can have a long-term impact
on improving meetings, even as attendee preferences
change.

20. FROM INSPIRATION TO ACTION:
ACCELERATING THE INDUSTRY’S
TRANSFORMATION TO
SUSTAINABILITY
There is no time to waste when it comes to
sustainability. Industry stakeholders, from attendees to
sponsors, are demanding change. Sustainability is no
longer a nice to have — it is a must-have.
Business events focus on bringing people together to
innovate, collaborate, and debate. They have a tangible
impact on individuals, organizations, and even society
at large. Unfortunately, they also impact the planet,
often in a negative way.

21. PREPARING FOR A NEW ERA
OF ACCOUNTABILITY:
THE GLOBAL DESTINATION
SUSTAINABILITY INDEX
(GDS-INDEX)
GDS-Index is an incredibly useful tool when it
comes to providing greater transparency and
standardization in the business events
industry.
This drastically improves the accountability of
destinations which will doubtless lead to a
more sustainable future for our industry.

22. STAY PREPARED,
STAY AHEAD
EMBRACE THE FUTURE
WITH A PROACTIVE
STRATEGIES