Dan Berger, CEO of Social Tables, gave a presentation about predictions for the future of the meetings industry in 2025. Some key points from the presentation include: 1. The meetings industry has evolved over the past two decades with the rise of online collaboration, mobile apps for event management, and data to measure event ROI. 2. Predictions for 2025 include virtual and in-person events merging, autonomous vehicles unlocking new event destinations, and artificial intelligence automating administrative planning work and improving event ROI. 3. To stay ahead of these changes, meeting professionals should focus on strategic work instead of tasks that can be automated, get involved in developing new tech tools, and find specialized skills that are

1. Dan Berger
CEO
Social Tables
October 2017
Predictions for the Future of our Industry
Meetings in 2025

2. @danberger | @mpioregon
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Presenter-Audience Agreement

4. I am a participant.
I am a planner.
I am a supplier.

5. 100 employees
Raised $22.6 million
Founded in 2011

6. Social Tables is a turnkey marketing, sales, and
operations platform for venue and hotel events.
Sales
Operations
Your Network Our Network
Marketing
100k+ planners
Execution
Search | Convert
Propose
Diagram
Seat & Check-In
product name category

7. ● Free diagramming for planners
● Free check-in app for planners
(Seating will be free soon, too)
● Free search & discovery
platform with access to
thousands of floor plans at
search.socialtables.com
Free Planner Essentials

8. 4,350 customers creating
2 million events with
250 million participants

9. I am a participant.
I am a planner.
I am a believer.
I am a supplier.

10. We envision a world where face-
to-face events achieve great things
Sample of the 40+ awards Social Tables and its leadership have received.

11. GROUP DISCUSSION
How has meeting planning
changed over the past two
decades?

12. Information Symmetry
Planners rely on their networks and online
research to learn about destinations before
speaking to sales reps.
Information Asymmetry
Planners used to rely on hotel sales
professionals for research and information.
Pre-Event: Destination Sourcing

13. Pre-Event: Event Marketing
Permission Marketing
Marketers deliver anticipated, personal, and
relevant messages to people who actually want
to get them thanks to new advertising
technology.
Traditional Marketing
Marketers used to buy email lists, mail
invitations, and add everyone to their
newsletters.

14. Pre-Event: Networking
Online
Participants have access to fellow attendees and
technology matches people thanks to
algorithms.
On Site
People let serendipity and networking sessions
do all of the work.

15. An Afterthought
There was no real software built for planners or
event goers.
Integrated
Planners think about what objectives they are
trying to achieve and use the technology that fits
best.
Pre-Event: Technology

16. Online Collaboration
Information is centralized online for efficient
stakeholder communication.
Offline Redundancy
Back-and-forth calls, emails, and faxes to
coordinate events and communicate changes.
Pre-Event: Working Together

17. During-Event: Educating Attendees
Participants
Speakers have a dialogue with participants. They
use technology to engage them and apply adult
learning best practices.
Attendees
Presenters spoke at attendees.

18. During-Event: Physically Attending
Attending in the Flesh
The only way to attend an event was to
physically be there.
Virtual Attendance
Live-streaming is free and is used to build future
attendance.

19. During-Event: Disseminating Information
The Mobile App
Real-time information is distributed digitally
through an app, social, and email.
The Event Guide
Information, including the schedule and attendee
list, was distributed through physical collateral.

20. Continuous and Regular Feedback
Attendees provide feedback real-time through
social media channels/surveys and planners
react accordingly.
One-time Evaluations
Attendees would complete a survey at the end
of a meeting.
During-Event: Feedback

21. 1. Describe the way the hospitality industry has evolved
over the past 2 decades.
2. Discover what the future holds for meetings and
events.
3. Examine strategies to manage these changes.
@danberger | @mpioregon
Learning Objectives

22. 1. Describe the way the hospitality industry has evolved
over the past 2 decades.
2. Discover what the future holds for meetings and
events.
3. Examine strategies to manage these changes.
@danberger | @mpioregon
Learning Objectives

23. Post-Event: Event Lifespan
Events were Finite
The life of an event spanned was limited to its
allocated time.
Events are Evergreen
The lifespan of an event extends past its
allocated time. People connect and share online
afterwards.

24. Post-Event: Event ROI
ROI is Measurable
Events are considered a marketing product.
Their impact can be measured thanks to
software and hardware products.
ROI was an Unknown
Event and meeting spending went into a
marketing black hole.

25. Post-Event: Sharing Information
Information is Shared
Content is distributed far and wide by speakers.
It is amplified by participants through live
tweeting, live streaming, and social media
posting.
Information was Withheld
Content was held closely by speakers.

26. @danberger | @mpioregon
1. Describe the way the hospitality industry has evolved
over the past 2 decades.
2. Discover what the future holds for meetings and
events.
3. Examine strategies to manage these changes.
Learning Objectives

27. GROUP DISCUSSION
What do you think meetings
will look like in 10 years?

28. @danberger | @mpioregon
Current trends &
supporting data
This is the framework
A series of
mini-predictions
Mega prediction

29. TREND ALERT
Hotels are more cognizant
than ever of their cost
structure.

30. New JLL report examines global hotel investment trends

31. @danberger | @mpioregon
The way we book
● Owners will demand even higher profit margins.
● Most group business booking will be automated.
● Most group business will be booked direct thanks to
matching algorithms.
● Supplier pricing power will be even stronger due to
consolidation.

32. Commissions will decrease significantly.

33. TREND ALERT
Predictable physical work is
being replaced by machines.

34. Where machines could replace humans—and where they can’t (yet). McKinsey.

35. Deals To Robotics Startups Drop For Third-Straight Quarter

36. ● The best photographers will know how to fly.
● Robots will replace some security personnel.
● Robot will be used in to setup/teardown events.
● Interacting with robots will be socially acceptable.
● The price of robots will decrease below labor costs.
@danberger | @mpioregon
Our relationship with machines

37. Robots will be used in event operations.

38. TREND ALERT
New ways to travel are
changing our behavior.

39. ● Autonomous vehicles will unlock new destinations.
● Homesharing will add inventory everywhere.
● Events could happen anywhere.
● We will have CVBs for virtual venues.
@danberger | @mpioregon
The destinations we partner with

40. Remote destinations will compete with
traditional ones.

41. TREND ALERT
A new computing platform is
emerging.

42. What’s Next In Computing? Dixon, Chris. | Internet Trends 2017 Report. Meeker, Mary.

43. ● Site visits won’t be as common.
● Telepresence will be hyper-realistic.
● The way we experience events will change.
@danberger | @mpioregon
The technology we experience

44. Virtual and real events will become one.

45. TREND ALERT
We are entering a new
industrial revolution
centered around artificial
intelligence.

46. Sapiens. Hariri, Yuval Noah.

47. The fourth industrial revolution: a primer on Artificial Intelligence. Kelnar, David

48. @danberger | @mpioregon
The work we do
● Administrative planning work will be automated.
● Attendee preferences will follow them around.
● Events will have higher ROI because we will rely less
on serendipity.

49. AI will impact events in many ways.

50. TREND ALERT
A new generation is entering
our industry and bringing its
own set of principles.

51. @danberger | @mpioregon
● Transparency will be one of our core values.
● Trust will be measured digitally.
● We will be more comfortable sharing information
with our industry partners.
● Hotel sales professionals will be measured by the
success of their meetings.
The way we do business

52. There will be a culture shift in our industry.

53. TREND ALERT
Events are getting a facelift
as face-to-face becomes
more coveted.

54. Internet Trends 2017 Report. Meeker, Mary.

55. ● User conferences will replace some traditional
meetings.
● Large meetings will warehouse smaller ones.
● Influencer marketing will play an important role in
driving attendance.
● Influencers will create popup events.
● Festivilized events (“experiences”) will be the norm.
@danberger | @mpioregon
The DNA of events

56. Attention will be a planner’s most
coveted commodity.

57. TREND ALERT
The meeting planning
profession is entering
primetime.

58. ● The value of meetings will be universally understood.
● The meeting planning profession will be more
respected.
● Meeting planners will interact with executives on a
regular basis.
@danberger | @mpioregon
The value we bring

59. The meetings industry will be taken
more seriously.

60. GROUP DISCUSSION
What did I miss? What are
predictions you anticipate?

61. @danberger | @mpioregon
1. Describe the way the hospitality industry has evolved
over the past 2 decades.
2. Discover what the future holds for meetings and
events.
3. Examine strategies to manage these changes.
Learning Objectives

62. @danberger | @mpioregon
Step Up
Let the machine do the things
that are beneath you and be
more strategic.
Step Forward
Take part in constructing the
next generation of computing
and AI tools.
Step In
Monitor and modify the work
of machines.
Step Narrowly
Find a specialty within your
profession that wouldn’t be
economical to automate.
What can you do to stay ahead of the curve?
Step Aside
Put your other intelligences
(e.g. EQ) to work.
Adapted from Beyond Automation, HBR, 2015

63. We’re all born with a natural curiosity. We want to learn.
But the demands of work and personal life often
diminish our time and will to engage that natural
curiosity. Developing specific learning habits can be a
route to both continued professional relevance and
deep personal happiness.
- John Coleman, Passion & Purpose
“
Check out slideshare.net/socialtables for this full presentation

64. ● Free diagramming for planners
● Free check-in app for planners
(Seating will be free soon, too)
● Free search & discovery
platform with access to
thousands of floor plans at
search.socialtables.com
Free Planner Essentials

65. Staying in touch
twitter: @danberger
snapchat: @danjberger
email: dan@socialtables.com
Give your card
to me or Van if
you want the
slides!