Tech, Motivational Speakers Are Trends At Biz Events
Advancements in technology have had an impact on every industry. And the local meeting industry is not immune, according to planners at local event venues.
“We work a lot more with our clients’ computers,” said Sharon Onorato, director of sales at Worcester’s Mechanics Hall, adding that she fields a lot of requests to stream music from iPod libraries and upload digital photo albums from laptops.
“They can personalize their meetings even better than they could before,” she said.
Virtual Meetings
Jim Moughan, assistant general manager and director of sales at the DCU Center, says he has yet to see any noteworthy demands for specific technology. As he sees it, a company that wants to host a web conference is going to do that from its own office. But he is surprised that some of the cutting-edge technology is not in greater demand.
“We thought we were going to see video conferencing take off a few years back,” he said. “It’s out there, but it’s not as big a piece of the meeting industry yet.”
That may soon change. According to a National Business Travel Association poll of 230 U.S. travel buyers, 57 percent cited increased use of videoconferencing and more than 80 percent said the technology replaced actual trips.
For now, the in-person business meeting remains king and with it, Onorato sees one specific trend emerging: motivational speakers.
According to Onorato, companies are making employee morale a priority and many of the events recently held at Mechanics Hall have reflected that.
“Employers now have a good understanding of how to approach their employees,” she said. “A good portion of the meetings that are held here are motivational and happy experiences.”
And while the topics and formats may change, Onorato said business isn’t suffering too much due to the larger economic trends.
“The tried and true client we have here is coming back for their usual meetings,” she said. “They’ve continued to book even though the economy may be changing.”
It’s a sentiment echoed by many other meetings facilities throughout Central Massachusetts, though there are some signs that companies are trying to act and plan in a more economical manner.
“With what’s going on right now, a lot are reevaluating how they’re holding their events,” Moughan said. Companies aren’t refusing to plan meetings, he said, but they are cutting back on the length of those meetings and the audio/visual or catering options associated with them.
On the slopes of Wachusett Mountain in Princeton, Melissa Banks, the director of sales, has not seen a change in catering or audio/visual demands, but says companies are changing the way they’re scheduling their meetings.
According to her, companies that would host five smaller meetings in the past are now holding one large meeting. And some companies are foregoing a business meeting in one of the ski area’s slope-side suites for corporate ski passes.
“They’re being a bit more cautious and cost-effective at this point in time,” she said.
Catherine Elliott, director at the Asa Waters Mansion in Millbury has also noted cutbacks. While in the past some meetings might include a full meal, an open bar and “lots of trinkets,” now employers are cutting non-essential spending.
Timing has also shifted, according to Elliott.
“People used to have these off-site meetings during the day, but now I see them doing them either during early morning or around lunchtime, so as not to intrude on the workday. The lavish affairs in the evening are gone,” she said.
Most local meeting facility directors will tell you that the most important thing you can do when planning a corporate event is to know specifically what you want to achieve. But at Wachusett Mountain, Banks takes it one step further, advising that you have to know your employees likes and dislikes.
As a sales director who has organized chairlift rides, scavenger hunts and haunted houses, she said you have to find a facility that works for employees and their various interests and abilities.
“When you’re dealing with adults, you have people who like nature and don’t like nature,” she said. “You have people are athletic and aren’t so athletic, so you have to find something that everyone likes and can do.”
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