New research from Meeting Professionals International (MPI)’s Fall 2018 Outlook Report suggests that individual sessions at conferences will reduce throughout 2019.
MPI is the largest worldwide association for the meetings and events industry, including over 60,000 members across 90 chapters in 19 countries.
Lime Venue Portfolio has been quick to endorse the trends as ‘a good thing for modern events’ following its own Beyond Conference last month, which included a panel on ‘millennial delegates’ and indicated a desire towards more dynamism within traditional event formats.
The global industry has seen average session sizes steadily dropping over the last few years, down from 1 hour to 45 minutes, and now to 20 – 30 minute sessions.
Jenner Carter (pictured), head of marketing at Lime Venue Portfolio and director of marketing, HBAA, commented: “Modern conferences, with modern delegates, are looking for less passive intake of information, delivered in un-interactive, boring lectures.
“They are looking for small blasts of inspiration, delivered dynamically and with the opportunity to discuss and interact with the speaker. This research backs this up and is therefore a good thing for modern events.
“Smaller session size puts pressure on the content to be informative, but also encourages post event discussions and deeper learning. It means the conference can resonate post-event, and subject matter can be taken into specialised focus groups. It makes for a really interesting event for everyone.”
