The Future of Meetings is Here

Posted by: Sara Olbrantz

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

A Summary from the
Engage365 Water Cooler Chat
February 25, 2011
Complete Transcript

Topic: Takeaways from Green Meetings Industry Council (GMIC) Sustainable Meetings Conference

“The industry talks about the future of meetings…  This was it” (@ehenderson).  In our recent Engage365 Watercooler Chat, we discussed our takeaways from the recent GMIC conference, and how their innovative meeting design broke the barrier between live and remote, and allowed them to collaborate (@psalinger).  Listed below are FIVE reasons why GMIC’s Sustainable Meetings Conference was a success, and why you’ll be seeing more sustainable meetings in the future:

• The attendees were open.  They were open to social media and the group activities, and this really made the event viral (@TrevorRoald, @psalinger).
• People are ready for different event formats.  It’s a new way to engage them, and for the GMIC conference, the virtual attendees wanted to interact as much as possible (@JeniseFryatt, @psalinger).
• The virtual experience took on a life of its own, and organizers embraced this (@JeniseFryatt).  Control is overrated, and organizers understood the “art of the possible,” and that sometimes it’s best to let go and enjoy the ride (@ehenderson).
• Sustainability is a journey. Sustainable events are the future and there’s a lot to work on, but we are on our way to finding that balance between economic profitability with environmental sustainability and social equity (@psalinger, @ehenderson).
• Sustainability is a value, and no one wants to be told what to value.  The GMIC Conference was able to show attendees how valuable sustainable meetings are, and how successful they can be (@barbaraconvene).

How do you think sustainable meetings can increase engagement and innovation?