CWT debuts 2014 trends and a Meetings & Events Dashboard
Next year will be an exciting time for event planners, bringing some of the largest events ever: the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, and the Winter Olympic and Paralympics Games in Sochi, Russia.
To help planners prepare for this busy year, Carlson Wagonlit Travel’s CWT Meetings & Events division yesterday announced what it expects to be most significant trends in 2014:
• Focused and bespoke. Despite a global economy, corporate clients will continue to hold more events, though on a smaller scale. Big Data will help planners tailor and adapt events to suit their unique needs, from personalized invitations to mobile itineraries to interactive voting at events.
• Close to home. CWT expects more domestic (read "less expensive"), though the big events in Brazil and Russia will draw large companies "looking to tap in to the halo-effect hospitality surrounding these popular events."
• Strategic Meetings Management. Can it finally be? After more than 10 years of slow growth in meetings consolidation, the trend will continue to pick up steam as companies seek out suppliers who can offer global support and global cost savings.
• Creative twist. Clients will continue to look for creativity, but not at the expense of corporate requirements like safety and security or policy compliance.
• On the spot. Planners will use real-time feedback during events to tailor agendas to attendees’ needs, and social media and apps to engage attendees before, during and after events.
• Every penny counts. Event and marketing managers are increasingly being held accountable for demonstrating the return on meeting investments.
To help, CWT launched the CWT Meetings & Events Dashboard in Europe yesterday, and will bring it to clients in the Americas and Asia-Pacific regions next year.
The dashboard pulls together data to offer planners a holistic view of their meetings and events program, including a destination analysis and breakdowns of their budgets and hotel spend.
By Cheryl Rosen
Cheryl
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