Lime Venue Portfolio’s latest research ‘The Meeting of the Future’, has revealed that meetings and events are looking to “knock down barriers to entry” and create more inclusive spaces for attendees.
The research has been undertaken to help event professionals understand what is coming in the next three to five years for meetings and events.
The Meeting of the Future campaign is a cross industry and collaborative initiative that has included focus groups at International Confex, insight sessions at the ABPCO Festival of Learning, and collaborations with Lime Venue Portfolio’s clients, customers, and venues.
Key findings include:
Accessibility and breakout rooms
More emphasis is being put on sensory accessibility. This will be important in presentation rooms and the entrance to events. According to the research, traditional accessibility will move towards becoming a hygiene factor, rather than a USP.
Breakout areas and syndicate rooms will cater for a ‘new’ delegate, from ‘quiet’ rooms for neurodiverse attendees, to exercise rooms for those looking to incorporate physical activity into their schedule.
Connective workspaces
The Meeting of the Future also showed the inclusion of ‘wework’ style workspaces for companies looking to recreate the office environment during the event, or for individuals looking to connect with their day-to-day responsibilities. It suggests that there will be an increasing move by many organisers to recreate networking and ‘watercooler’ moments within the traditional meeting environment.
Technology and audience reach
Onsite streaming was also signalled as another area of evolution, not just broadcasting to the ‘out-of-room’ audience. This highlights the need to deliver content to guests who may not like large, crowded rooms, and instead look to take in content from central screens, placed in less intimidating, communal areas at the venue.
Commenting on the findings, Jo Austin, sales director, Lime Venue Portfolio, said: “The findings from the Meeting of the Future, while not being rocket science, point towards a really responsible industry that is taking subjects such as sustainability, inclusion, diversity and accessibility seriously.
“If only half of the potential we’ve seen comes true, we’ll be looking at some incredible events to come.”
