Top Hospitality Meeting & Event Trends for 2015
What are the key hotel meeting and events trends, demands, and needs that will be hot in 2015? SkyTouch Technology shares a menu of predictions to help your hotel keep profitability and innovation in mind when planning meetings and events in the new year:
Make it about how you seat (not just how you eat). That’s right; the focus shouldn’t be on the menu alone. Change up perspectives through creative seating arrangements. A theatre-in-the round setup, for example, enables your attendees to be more engaged.
Keep guests caffeinated. Move over OJ. It’s all about the java! Have baristas on-hand during event breaks to help attendees customize drinks to their liking – from flavored lattes, to Chai teas, to custom espressos. Guests will appreciate the extra personal touches as they get their caffeine fixes during a long day of sessions.
Serve up a variety of small bites. Event attendees are showing a preference for mixing and mingling versus sitting over a long banquet meal. Cater to this habit by offering a variety of “tapas” style small dishes that enable them to work the room while working over their taste buds.
Offer healthy fare. Today’s business traveler keeps healthy eating a priority even while on-the-road. Where possible, incorporate nutritious whole grains and antioxidant-rich foods into hotel catering options. This will help keep guests fueled up and also appreciative that your property is sensitive to their wellness.
Infuse local flavor. The “all work and no play mantra” is long gone. Look for opportunities to help mesh local authenticity into the event experience. Transport guests to a favorite local haunt, arrange an outing at a nearby attraction, or bring local flavor to your event via “homegrown” fare or entertainment.
#keepitsocial. Social media will play a big role in helping hotels market their sales, catering and events capabilities in the new year. Create and share custom event hashtags to encourage attendees to post and share event happenings in progress at your property. Share session and event images on hotel social media channels, including images of cuisine and décor, to show other prospective event planners what your property is capable of producing.
Plan, prep, and keep the above hospitality meetings and events trends top-of-mind to help your hotel ensure a profitable start to 2015!
