3. @danberger
1. Data upfront.
2. Trends built off of the data.
3. Predictions built off the trends.
NOTE:
● This is meant to expand your thinking, not to
scare you.
● Some data is global but mostly US.
The Rules of the Road
5. We need to zoom out of our temporary reality
Wave 1
Wave 2
● While COVID-19 is current state, it is still
temporary within a greater context.
● Therefore, we need to look past the next
18+ months (time to vaccine) to
understand where things are going.
● Some earlier signals may be accelerated
and become standards...
● While more traditional ways of doing
business may take longer to change.
Wave 3
9. @danberger
● Hoteliers will continue to be hands-on as they
become more sophisticated and concerned.
● Chains will continue to invest in limited & select
service brands, especially as “MICE as usual”
experiences a 2+ year dip.
● Revenue managers will focus on smaller groups
more than ever.
● 2019 was the last year of global hospitality growth
for the foreseeable future.
Hotel owners are diving into the
details
TRENDING#hotels
15. @danberger
● Lab-grown meats are starting to replace
ingredients, leapfrogging vegetarian/vegan
meals.
● CBD-infused drinks will appear on beverage
menus as an alternative to alcohol.
● Alcohol-free events will cater to the sober and
sober-curious.
● Local fast-casual concepts will take the place of
restaurants in hotels.
Every aspect of F&B is being
challenged
TRENDING
16. @danberger
Most events will be meatless
and many alcohol-free
@danberger
PREDICTION
Food may even be optional.
21. @danberger
● GDPR-inspired regulation will be the global
norm.
● Device-free events will be welcomed and
enforced.
● Virtual events will face new threats from data
breaches to security issues.
● Some attendees will go badgeless and choose to
be anonymous when it comes to face-to-face.
Privacy and safety standards will
be higher
TRENDING#data
23. @danberger
● Events will require more square footage due to
social distancing regulations and on-site testing.
● Public health officers, PPE, disinfectants, and
other health products will add complexity and
cost to events.
● Venue hygiene standards will be part of
contracts; and force majeure will be redefined.
● Large MICE will break up into regions or into
smaller redundant chunks.
Public health is the newest skill
planners will need to study
TRENDING#health
24. @danberger
1. Leisure - people itching to get out and can’t
travel abroad
2. SMERF - smaller size social events (eg weddings)
3. Business Travel (BT) - corporations will trickle
travel in on a needs-basis
4. Small MICE - regional over national meetings
5. Larger MICE - but only in late 21/early 22
Hospitality’s return will be
staggered over two years
TRENDING#health
28. @danberger
● Pop-up coworking spaces will become the norm
in events.
● Hotels will offer coworking amenities as they
transform into lifestyle products.
● Internal events will be seen as a key tool to
engage remote workers.
● New meeting formats will be created to better
include a remote workforce.
● The office will be more important than ever.
Coworking is the new normal
TRENDING#work
30. @danberger
Community events are growing
as people seek connectedness
Total Meetup.com Group joins per week
#event-types DATA
● Meetup hosted 250k meetups/month in 2019.
32. @danberger
Events must balance inclusivity
and exclusivity
● HR is going to devote more resources for
employee events
● Employee events are going to be more important
than sales & marketing events.
● Employers that provide event & meeting
planning training for their employees will do
better.
● Company events will be viewed as perks that win
in the war for talent.
● More platforms will emerge to help people create
face-to-face communities.
TRENDING
35. @danberger
● Third party planners will lose market share.
● Suppliers will proactively reach out to qualified
planners with sales enablement tools.
● Hotels will introduce direct book for small groups.
● Untrained and misaligned hotel sales
professionals will be forced out.
● Hotel sales reps that focus on successful meeting
outcomes and customer retention will win.
● Non-traditional event spaces will compete with
hotels and venues.
● CVBs will focus on economic impact rather than
room nights.
Group business is growing in
complexity
TRENDING
38. @danberger
● The price of event software will drop.
● Workflow automation and emerging technologies
will give planners more time to be creative.
● Hotels and meeting planners will choose
consolidated event management platforms.
● Virtual site visits will augment in-person visits.
● Floor plans will be more effective thanks to machine
learning.
● Robots will replace certain hotel and event staff.
Technology is upgrading every
step in event planning
TRENDING
41. @danberger
● The growing global middle class means more
prospective attendees.
● Home-sharing will add new inventory in areas
with limited hotel supply.
● Driverless vehicles will unlock new destinations.
● Secondary markets will compete with traditional
ones.
● “Last mile” commuting vehicles will ease clogged
arteries during events.
New ways to travel will open up
new possibilities
TRENDING
42. @danberger
Events will be more accessible,
both in terms of attendance
and location
@danberger
PREDICTION
43. @danberger
There is a gap between what
businesses say and what
millennials believe
DATA#values
44. @danberger
● Every event will consider diversity & inclusion
from the planning committee to the program
itself.
● Organizations will take a strong stand on social
justice issues, impacting their everything from
choosing destinations to suppliers.
● Leave no trace (“LNT”) will be an industry
standard.
New voices are entering the
industry
TRENDING
46. @danberger
● Virtual event products will create even more
commodities in the market.
● More last minute purchases means just-in-time
planning and supply chain management.
● Event insurance will be big business.
● Successful events will subcontract content from
specialized frenemies.
● Unconventional organizations will enter the
event planning business (eg LinkedIn).
● Most activations will be roaming, making
experiences less sequential and more fluid.
Staying relevant will be more
difficult
TRENDING#experience-design