Meeting spending is expected to increase in 2018, according to a poll from Marriott International’s Convention and Resort Network (CRN) released at IMEX America.
Marriott received responses from 80 of its 100 CRN properties, which represent its largest convention and resort hotels in the Americas and account for 28 percent of room nights for Marriott’s various brands.
Survey highlights include the following:
- 51 percent expect their projected group room nights in 2018 will be “significantly” or “slightly” more vs. 2017.
- 54 percent expect projected group spend to increase in 2018 vs. 2017.
- 26 percent said they have a significant ballroom or meeting room renovation underway.
- 27 percent said they will add new technology for meetings in 2018.
- 55 percent said the top technology trend is “real-time interaction” between presenter and audience.
- 38 percent cited “street/local food” as their No. 1 catering trend, with healthy food in second place (29 percent).
“The meetings industry is looking very, very healthy, in 2018 and beyond,” said Brian King, global officer, digital, distribution, revenue management and sales for Marriott International. “In the short term, association is a strong group. Our resorts next year are on fire. There is much more growing demand in the luxury resorts segment especially.”
King said that input from meeting planners revealed that the trend of “festivalization”—borrowing experiences from large mega-events such as Austin’s South by Southwest (SXSW)—is growing, along with a seemingly insatiable demand for high-bandwidth Wi-Fi, which Marriott is simplifying so planners know the exact cost per attendee. One adorable trend that may or may not have “legs” is puppy breaks, which the Chicago Sheraton began offering for smaller events.
Millennial Moves
According to Marriott, the following are some brand feature news of interest to the meeting planning community, with a major emphasis on the preferences of Millennials.
- Internet of Things Room: In November Marriott International unveiled a guest room designed to test Internet of Things technology to further our understanding of the “hotel room of the future.”
- Meetings App: The App is part of a suite of branded meeting services apps available across six brands, in 860-plus hotels, in 60-plus countries and available in 20 languages, providing planners with a familiar platform yet a distinct brand experience.
- Digital Inspiration: Marriott’s MeetingsImagined.com, the meetings industry’s first digital inspiration board, allows meeting planners to upload, save, sort, share and manage images and other media content (tips, quizzes, trend lists) to spark their imagination.
- Community Minded Programming: A memorable and enriching stay can extend well beyond our hotels. That’s why The Ritz-Carlton proudly offers Impact Experiences, providing inspiring opportunities for our group guests to contribute to the local community. Impact Experiences are compelling social and environmental impact activities that are unique to the destination, and there is one constant—each program makes a lasting and authentic difference.
“With the influx of Millennials holding and attending events of all kinds, today’s planners demand inspirational websites, great apps for booking meetings and monitoring bills, technology that allows real-time interaction between presenters and audiences and so much more,” King said.
