Hot from attending global business meeting extravaganza IMEX Americas in Las Vegas, Glass Hue’s Pete & Terrance on 5 things to watch out for into 2025:
AI with a Human Touch
AI tools like Spark are on everyone’s radar, assisting with event planning and attendee services. AI’s growth across meetings and hospitality are set to soar, with the intentions of enhancing customer experiences through connectivity. But we feel in this industry sector the real magic happens in the hands of skilled professionals who are dedicated to the field and its future.
Intentional Food & Drink
Major hotel chains, led by Hyatt with their “Food Thoughtfully Sourced, Carefully Served” program, are responding to attendees sustainability needs with organic, plant-based, and locally sourced menus. During IMEX they were displaying how to have healthy meal options for conference attendees without having to utilize any gas or electricity, reducing the carbon footprint for those meetings. We enjoyed all of the craze of the mocktails through some of the DMC & Destination partners in attendance… plus a few stronger classics by the likes of Visit Louisville!
Digital Innovation
Creative use of video panels is making exhibition booths pop, telling brand stories in new ways. This allows exhibitors to engage with customers more organically and enhance the customer experience with visuals versus only having an iPad to do presentations showcasing their respective locations or services. With Vegas’ Sphere lighting up the skyline, the power of light presentations and digital screens is still heavily underused. Glass Hue is looking forward to working with brands to enhance their exhibit booth experiences. Keep an eye on this trend!
Sneaker Fashion
Call them trainers or sports footwear, sneakers continue to heat up in the business mainstream, blending comfort, sneaker culture with professionalism endorsed by some major players as part of the companies ability to recognize that all customers are different and this small change allows a connection to a broader audience. Glass Hue loves a bold fashion move but draws the line at onesies in the boardroom!
The Year of the Unknown
IMEX broke attendance records, but many venues still face hurdles to keep their bookings consistent with the uncertainty of the economy and election has caused some companies to limit spending for meetings and events or eliminate them altogether. The trend, short term booking window for the corporate market segment with less to spend on F&B. The Association market segment seems to still be recovering from attendees, they’re still booking business but much shorter booking windows. A few years ago they would book a meeting 5yrs out now that same meeting booking window down to 2yrs said by a sales leader with Omni Hotels.