05/16/2019

Daily Buzz: Upcoming Challenges for Meeting Planners

Solid economic growth, increased demand for events has created a boon

If 2019 has felt like a good year for meeting planners, that’s because it has been: Solid economic growth combined with increased demand for events has created a meetings boom.

But looking ahead to 2020, trouble is brewing. Chris Ryall writes on Skift that the upcoming U.S. election and corporations with tighter wallets may put planners in a place of uncertainty.

“Experienced planners take these challenges in stride, but that doesn’t make it any easier dealing with demanding clients as booking windows shorten and the price of meeting spaces rises,” he says.

Lori Heller, one meeting planner who spoke to Ryall and the president of Toronto-based Heller Productions, says one of the biggest challenges is a smaller planning window.

“Traditionally, events are planned three to six months out, but we’re finding that more often than not events are being planned a month out, which isn’t ideal,” she says. “Venues, resources, and suppliers are limited when planning a month out, as is everyone’s time, which can be challenging to say the least.”

Another challenge: hearing back from venues, especially when combined with shorter planning time.

“Planners no doubt have their work cut out for them,” Ryall says. “Time and budget demands and keeping up with the latest technology and software, how they organize and manage their events, make for challenging times indeed.”

Please select this link to read the original article from Associations Now.