The convergence of social media and mobile applications will have a profound impact on corporate meetings and events, but not in the way one might expect, according to a new report from PhoCusWright. Nearly one-third of meetings and events now incorporate some social media component, while 22 percent integrate one or more mobile elements, according to PhoCusWright's Groups and Meetings: Driving Success in Business Travel's Most Complex Segment.
PhoCusWright examines the U.S. corporate groups and meetings market, and how meeting planners, travel companies and technology providers can leverage the mobile-social "sweetspot" to their advantage.
"There is a lot more to social media and group travel than simply tweeting from a meeting. The convergence of social media and rich, always-on mobile applications will play a significant role in reshaping the end-to-end meeting experience," said Susan Steinbrink, senior research and corporate market analyst at PhoCusWright. "Meetings planners can leverage these tools to drive pre-event interest and attendance, foster real-time engagement among attendees, and introduce new marketing and transactional opportunities. The results could directly impact attendance, ROI and meeting productivity. In short, this is not your teenager's social media."
The new study presents a comprehensive picture of the U.S. groups and meetings market, including the potential impact of social media and mobile technologies. The report is based on a survey of more than 600 meeting managers, planners and procurement professionals and interviews with more than 30 travel industry suppliers, intermediaries and technology providers.
On February 9, PhoCusWright will present an Online event, Groups and Meetings: Driving Success in Business Travel's Most Complex Segment. The event will highlight key findings from the new report and explore how mobile and social media technologies can drive meeting attendance, foster attendee engagement and enhance productivity.
The event will discuss some of the following topics:
• Promote pre-event interest and attendance
• Facilitate group travel and other bookings
• Crowd source content and feedback
• Provide a platform for location-based services and merchandising
• Foster attendee engagement with the event and one another
• Promote follow-up events and activities
• Increase meeting effectiveness and productivity
The one-hour event (February 9 at noon) features Susan Steinbrink as presenter and Douglas Quinby, PhoCusWright's senior director, research as moderator. The format consists of a 45-minute presentation, followed by a 15-minute Q&A session. Registration is now open at a cost of $199.
Visit www.phocuswright.com.