Many of the nearly 2,000 corporate, association, and independent planners attending Meeting Professionals International’s World Education Congress in mid-June got a quick primer on topics such as the future of room layouts, presentation techniques, F&B offerings, and sustainable event elements, thanks to an engaging gathering space set up smack in the middle of the bustling prefunction area of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
There, IACC (formerly the International Association of Conference Centers) welcomed more than 500 delegates to its inaugural Meeting Room of the Future live showcase to take in 14 mini-sessions as well as informal discussion opportunities across the three days. The sessions included data and trends from the new Meeting Room of the Future report, which Mark Cooper, IACC’s CEO, presented in segments. In addition, a variety of guest speakers participated, including Alan Booth, vice president at Deloitte University; Susan LoCicero, event manager at TD Wealth Management; and Gail McCleese, design director at Gensler.
Attendees of the showcase were also able to taste some exciting “foods of the future,” which were prepared by Murray Hall, executive chef of Bank of Montreal Conference Center in Toronto. Energy-boosting, healthy options that were offered included lemon chia breakfast bread, spirulina goji berry bites, adzuki bean brownies, and hemp hearts.
“This project has been 15 months in the making and gave us a chance to accelerate our Meeting Room of the Future report findings into a live setting,” said Cooper. To read about some of the future trends that were presented at the showcase, click here.
