Mark Cooper, CEO of IACC, will be sharing his insights at MPI’s European Meetings & Events Conference (EMEC) in Brighton, U.K. (26-28 March) during two key sessions: “Plenary Power Panel I: Renaissance in the Events Sector” and “Sourcing Conference & Meeting Venues Through a Social Lens (in partnership with IACC).”
We spoke with him about how the meeting industry has changed in recent years, meeting professionals being prepared (or equipped) for the future and why venues need to elevate their social responsibility messaging.
Can you tell us about one important way in which the meeting and event industry has changed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic?
There are of course well-documented examples of stuff that we’re doing now that we did not do pre-pandemic, but I am also aware of things that we are not doing now. For example, we are not questioning the value of live in-person business events like we used to. Even though the economic headwinds are placing pressures on corporate finance, this questioning of value is not raising its head as it has done in the past. We are not avoiding radical change like we used to when it comes to the format and design of our events. The freedom to be different in our approach lives on from the dark days of going online in 2020.
Ready to brighten your world in the hippest city in the world? Learn more about the register for EMEC Brighton, 26-28 March.
How can meeting professionals be better prepared for the future in a constantly evolving landscape?
Rather than the word prepared, I prefer to think about how we can be better equipped. We can be better equipped to secure commitment to attend if we elevate the positive attributes of the meeting venue. You know, like we do for the destination region. The venue setting and its rich culinary attributes are just two examples of what you can focus on in your event marketing. As long as your venue has a story to tell, of course, it can be an important part of your marketing proposition.
“Meetings are at the heart of people development, innovation and efficiency strategies.”
Is there an area of social responsibility that meeting professionals don’t pay enough attention to?
I feel both venues and meeting organizers can do a better job of highlighting the importance of the venue having strong social credentials at the venue sourcing stage. Organizers are not specifying requirements for social credentials in their RFPs. By equal measure, often venues simply refer to social responsibility and sustainability policies on the company website, when asked. We have to elevate the importance by evaluating venues based on these attributes through the RFP process and they in turn will invest and improve their offer.
Why are you optimistic about the future of the meeting industry?
My optimism stems from the reality that it will take a number of years to stabilize the workforce after such a sea change. Meetings are at the heart of people development, innovation and efficiency strategies.
