I was talking to Array’s Ryan Mazon on the trade-show floor at our Pharma Forum conference in September, and he suggested this thought for an article: “The meetings industry has long Covid.”
He and I didn’t get a chance to parse his metaphor, but his comment has stuck with me. Without diminishing the struggle of long-Covid sufferers, plagued by a variety of persistent symptoms such as fatigue, joint pain, “brain fog,” and dizziness, the analogy is apt.
Like long Covid, the meetings industry is living with a complex mix of challenges stemming from the pandemic that are lingering well after acute lockdowns and social-distancing requirements are behind us.
Planners are dealing with staff shortages, both on their own teams and those of the hotels, destination management companies, and other suppliers they work with. They’re facing serious compression in the hotel sector as they try to find space for groups that are eager make up for lost face-to-face time. And they’re also finding an uncomfortable pricing landscape as a result of both the current hotel sellers’ market and widespread inflation driving up the cost of food, transportation, and just about every other budget item.
The industry’s current challenges also parallel long Covid in that it’s unclear when the adversity will stop.
Eventually, the tide will turn for meetings, but right now it’s especially important to keep lines of communication open with supplier partners, and to educate stakeholders on purchasing timelines (slow decision-makers will not get their venue of choice) as well as necessary changes to the budget (or to the program if the budget can’t change).
That budget piece is what cover story for November/December issue of the MeetingsNet magazine can help with. We’ve collected more than 75 tactics for cutting meeting costs across four areas: food and beverage, event technology and audiovisual, ground transportation, and venues. You’ll be reminded of tried-and-true ideas in each category as well as some creative maneuvers that might be new to you (and we’ve thrown in some revenue-driving considerations as well).
Dig into our story to find lots of ways to tactfully chip away at event expenses when you’re caught between the high expectations of stakeholders and a meetings industry trying to right itself after a long and exhausting bout with Covid.
