Top 4 Shareholder Meeting Trends

This article, written just a few days ago, may be of use to many of you out there! Conference centers should see an increase in these types of meetings as the popularity of using resorts for meeting spaces has dwindled. If your conference center will play (or is playing) host to any corporate shareholder meetings, paying mind to these trends will help you stay ahead of the curve and encourage repeat business. Technology and the environment are the main drivers behind these four trends. How can your property help accommodate these needs?

Read on, and if you can add any more thought to this article, please leave a comment!

Top 4 Shareholder Meeting Trends for 2010

I came across this article last week which discusses how businesses need to adjust to managing an aging workforce. I thought it would be interesting to pass along since a large focus of the Emerging Trends committee is the multi-generational workforce and the challenges that come with it.

• Do you agree that many companies have “an antiquated model for dealing with aging, which assumes that people should get pay rises and promotions on the basis of age?” Is this the mindset of your conference center? Of the conference center/meetings industry in general?
  
• For the younger professionals — what difficulties have you faced while managing individuals that are older and more experienced than yourself?
  
• As businesses learn to manage an aging workforce, what must conference centers do to ensure that they accommodate the wide range of needs from different generational groups?

Complete Meeting Experience & Memories -- from former Trendy IACC blog

A couple weeks have passed since I traveled down south for the January BOD meeting. Though it was a quick trip, it was extremely valuable and really made me feel a part of the IACC family. All the board members were extremely welcoming from the moment I arrived to lunch, the board orientation session, and then the BOD meeting. It was a great experience and I can’t wait to see everyone again in March in Chicago at the Eaglewood Resort & Spa for the 2010 IACC Americas Summit!

The couple days spent in Palm Beach were a huge learning experience for me in many different ways. I learned a lot of information about IACC, what’s expected of me as the new Board Associate for the Emerging Trends committee, and yearly goals for the committee and association. One of the highlights was staying at and touring a fellow IACC property — the Doubletree Hotel & Executive Meeting Center Palm Beach Gardens. From the welcome cookie I received at the front desk to playing Guitar Hero after dinner with other board members, I recognized how important it is for conference center professionals to create complete meeting experiences for their clients.

Creating a complete experience means creating memories in the minds of our clients. I will undoubtedly remember the material and discussions within the two-day board meeting, but those moments were enhanced through various other elements (such as food, entertainment options, etc.) that came during the “down time” outside of the meeting room. The memories I have are very positive and prove that IACC conference centers try to anticipate clients want and need from both the professional and leisure aspects of meetings.

Creating fond memories in your customers’ minds will not only lead to positive reviews of your property and staff, but may also generate repeat and new business as word spreads about your work. So I ask you — what new ideas can you implement at your property to enhance the meeting experience and make it more well-rounded? I am certain that every IACC conference center has room for improvement. Investing some time and creative thinking into this topic will pay off when your clients leave with positive and fulfilled memories of their meeting experience.

Palm Beach Bound -- from former TrendyIACC blog in Jan.

I just wanted to say a quick hello and introduce myself! As the new board associate to the Emerging Trends Committee for IACC, I am enroute to Palm Beach to attend the winter Board of Directors meeting. I’m currently in the Charlotte airport watching a beautiful citrus colored sunrise on this lovely morning as I wait for my plane to be towed over from the hanger. I have Starbucks coffee and my laptop, so I’m good to go!

So, what is the purpose of this blog? My goal is for it to be used as an online thought center or think tank. I want to engage the members of the Emerging Trends committee to blog about anything and everything they feel may be useful to fellow IACC members. The focus of the blog will be on introducing new trends and studies involving the conference center industry, trends about younger generations, and also any ideas for how to make IACC an important part of these younger professionals’ lives. Then, IACC members from around the world can refer to this blog if they need any insight on how to better their services to both meeting planners and participants.

I am rather new to the conference center industry, yet understand just how valuable belonging to an association like IACC can be. Besides the networking opportunities, standards, and resources that are now at my fingertips, I now belong to an organization that I can support and try to bring some new ideas to. It’s an exciting opportunity and I am very grateful to have it.
Well, I’m about to board now! Thanks for reading and please check back for new posts. I’ll be posting about my time in Palm Beach and my experience at an IACC property — the Doubletree Hotel and Executive Meeting Center Palm Beach. See ya soon!

- MB