January 2020

Our Family of Companies
 
 
 
Greetings all,
 
We hope you are off to a great start in 2020, and wish you all the best for a fabulous year ahead! Following what seemed like a short break for the holidays, our Event Solutions team kicked off the year with United Rentals for their annual supplier trade show at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, MN.
Looking back at 201 9, it was an especially good year for HRG, as we partnered with new clients and expanded our relationships with others to plan and manage memorable events, lead workforce training programs on important initiatives, and delivered innovative marketing and impactful communication solutions .

We also announced a very special strategic partnership with Nonprofit Westchester, and we are excited to be moving forward with NPW Executive Director Jan Fisher on several new initiatives, including our Strategic Event Audit for NPW members. Stay tuned for new developments we are working on together to improve our economy and communities.
As we quickly turn to 2020, we are more excited than ever about our future and prospects, and look forward to working with a group of special people on our team to pursue our goals in the year ahead. In our first HRG N ewsletter of 2020, we review market trends in meetings and events that we hope will help event planners and organization leaders in their efforts to achieve their goals.
 
We hope you enjoy our newsletters, and look forward to hearing from you about topics you are interested in learning more about in future editions. As always, we invite you to review this and other breaking news on our  HRG In the News and HRG LinkedIn Group pages, and on Facebook.
 
Wishing you all the best for a fantastic 2020!

Regards,

Robert O. Sanders Jr., CMP
Partner
Hospitality Resource Group, Inc. 

Michael Lattari 
Partner 
Hospitality Resource Group, Inc.
Planting Seeds for Success in Hudson Valley Hospitality   
There are many reasons for optimism in the Meeting and Events market, based on what we are hearing from our clients, along with industry analysts. As we prepare and plan with our partners to achieve their goals in the year ahead, we have come up with our Top 5 list of trends to watch and plan for, to help us generate a stronger ROI.

As the U.S. economy continues on a roll, the M&E sector has grown by over 6% to become a $840B industry according to a recent forecast, driving the demand and increasing the price for meeting space.
With travel costs relatively low, business leaders will continue to engage their people to cultivate relationships, participate in training, and improve their corporate IQ by attending meetings and events.
 
In a new global survey of more than 700 business executives by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services:  
  • 93% say their organizations place a priority on hosting events
  • 57% give it a high priority
  • 85% say their organizations also prioritize sponsoring events
HRG's Event Solutions 2020 Vision - Meeting and Event Planning Guide   
This booming market sets the stage for tremendous opportunities, but we need to plan to make sure we can take advantage of positive conditions to achieve our potential.  To help you achieve your goals and capitalize on these conditions, we have pulled together top trends to track and prepare for in the year ahead, and beyond.
1. Venues Drive to Support Sustainability
Hospitality venues are moving as fast as possible to provide a more sustainable experience for an increasingly discriminating audience, and savvy event planners are responding to this growing trend.
 
Beyond the value from reducing the growing carbon footprint from hospitality venues, economic factors are also driving sustainability.

2. Market Growth Impact on Sourcing Venues 
The increasing demand for venues and effort to maximize the planning process has led to a dramatic rise in the use of eRFPs, and the offshoot has resulted in 
a tremendous increase in responses from overworked venue staff. This increase in requests has slowed or halted their ability to respond. Over the past 5 years, hotels have seen a 300% increase in RFPs - with little to no growth in staff to respond. This has caused smart planners to engage in new strategies to optimize their outcomes.
Pictured: ZWILLING Cooking Studio, Pleasantville, NY
A recent article in The Aventri 2020 Event Venue Sourcing Guide offers insight into how to develop a more strategic approach, as these new venue sourcing platforms make it easier to find fresh event spaces. According to Social Tables over 90% of event planners say that events are more likely to be booked in non-traditional venues than they were 5 years ago. As planners need to create higher levels of engagement, planners need to offer more creative venues and a fresh experience.
3. Tech Apps Help Drive Audience Engagement
Tech innovations continue to offer new tools to drive attendance and engagement, and many will start to realize their full potential. This presentation by Globant provides a glimpse into the now, and near future on collaboration.
One tech trend to (literally) watch is Virtual Reality. This article The Future Of Communicating With Your Audience Is Here-And It's VR discusses how VR can increase attendance at a nominal cost. Software like MeetInVR allows remote participants to join the event as if they were in the same room, present and review products and 3D models, brainstorm, sketch, and engage in team-building activities. VR meetings minimize distractions and allow participants to be fully focused, and research shows they have 25% higher attention rate vs. standard video conferencing.
According to the Cvent 19 Event Trends That Will Shake Up Meetings & Group Business in 2020, Advanced RFID is probably the most exciting, as this technology will let planners create more personalized experiences, while giving marketers and stakeholders a better sense of ROI. With new data, marketers will be able to craft and personalize more effective communications based on specific attendee interests or activities.

4. Event Themes - Mindful and Experiential
Over the past 3-4 years we have seen a significant shift in event design based largely on the growing influence of millennials. In the coming year, event planners will need to cater to this discerning population and offer more creative, attractive invites, memorable swag, and personalized post-event offers, according to this BizBash article.

Splash, an event marketing software platform, conducted a study focused on what millennials want from  events to better understand what makes them click, attend, buy, and move through the event lifecycle. Experiential events and "mindfulness" are also on the rise, as companies like Salesforce are partnering with organizations to provide guided meditations and mindfulness sessions during their four-day annual Dreamforce event that also includes yoga sessions and fun runs.
5. Fresh Options On the Menu To Feature Local Fare and Flavors  
Natural, plant-based, organic, CBD.....in the never-ending trend to cater to new tastes, today's event attendees have an insatiable thirst to try new menus and creative combinations of ingredients, as reviewed in this PCMA story What Are the Top F&B Trends for 2020? Plant-based options will make their way onto more plates, presented in brighter colors, as oat milk, "ugly fruit" choices and unique dining options will help satisfy their palates, and grow engagement.
Today's event goer craves unique, local experiences, and event planners need to offer more innovative options and personalized experiences. The Hotels Blog projects that travelers will seek culturally immersive experiences. Cvent reviews the trend to create niche itineraries based on attendee interests or by neighborhood. Food is playing a more prominent role in showcasing regional culture and history, and venues will feature authentic menu options that include locally grown produce and wholesome ingredients, cooking classes and demonstrations.
Meeting & Event Planning and Management - Questions for Event Planners  
Today's event planners have ample options to create memorable, cost effective events, and the outlook from industry experts projects that, with careful, strategic planning, they can achieve a very positive ROI on their meetings and events in the year ahead. Some questions for event planners to contemplate in 2020 include:
  • How do I engage my audience - in-person and virtually - before, during, and after my meeting or event?
  • What tools and technologies can I apply to deliver a better ROI for my events?
  • Who do I know that can help us develop new creative M&E themes, speakers, and F&B options to improve my audience/attendee satisfaction?
What do you need to do to ensure the success of your next event?
With experience managing more than 1,000 successful and engaging meetings and events, HRG's Event Solutions team has earned an industry reputation for unparalleled service. For a no-cost initial consultation and Event Audit to help you maximize your Meetings & Events ROI, give us a call at 914 761-7111 or info@HRGinc.net
About Hospitality Resource Group

Hospitality Resource Group, Inc. (HRG) is a group of vertically integrated companies, with over 20 years of experience developing innovative training, marketing and event programs for businesses, education institutions, not for profit organizations and municipalities. HRG clients benefit from our proven ability to develop effective management solutions to expand their markets and engage their companies to build  brand equity, increase sales and improve productivity. 

The HRG family of companies includes:

HRG has earned widespread recognition from leading industry organizations, including:

 
 



 

Corporate Office: 237 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains, NY - Phone: 914.761.7111 - Fax: 914.761.7854 - info@HRGinc.net


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