From mindful breaks and quiet working areas to yoga and breathwork, wellness continues to be a focus for meetings and events, according to Lauren Harwell (MPI Rocky Mountain Chapter), vice president of sales for Imprint Events Group.

"One of my favorite experiences was doing stand-up paddleboard yoga in the Four Seasons Pool in Vail," she says. "It was a beautiful and unique opportunity to get outside and experience something different!"

A shift away from jam-packed days of education to days filled with white space and emphasis on networking and connecting outside of the classroom is the biggest trend Nikki Bibbero, CMP, HMCC (MPI Rocky Mountain Chapter), CEO of Bibbero Meetings and Events, is seeing.

"Whether it’s through puppy play areas or fancy coffee bars, pre-conference excursions or the evening networking events, people are going to conferences for the human connection more so than education, so events are shifting to have this as a larger part of the overall programing," she says.

Jeremy Parks (MPI Rocky Mountain Chapter), senior event marketing manager for DAT Freight and Analytics, says sessions with interactive components such as time for group discussions are the ones attendees are finding most valuable because they allow people to share their own experiences on specific topics.

Karen Rosen, CMP (MPI Rocky Mountain Chapter), meeting and events planner for the Colorado Municipal League, is seeing the events world move away from hybrid formats.

"Organizations are going back to either purely in-person or purely virtual events because they’ve learned that hybrid events are both costly and logistically challenging to execute well," she says.

Steve Kinsley (MPI Rocky Mountain Chapter), president of Kinsley Meetings, says the biggest trend his organization is focused on is using AI to become better consultants to clients. And how does he stay abreast of the latest trends?

IN THE KNOW

"The Meeting Professional and other industry publications, along with the MPI Academy, have allowed our team to learn about AI and grow," Kinsley says. "The MPI Academy has offerings that have helped our team and these classes, along with articles that our team shares with each other, have really helped us become more efficient. The Wall Street Journal helps me see the bigger business picture as a whole and how our clients might be affected with what is going on in the economy overall."

Attending MPI’s World Education Congress (WEC) has been helpful in Parks’ quest to keep up to date with the latest trends.

"Additionally, many solution providers are offering webinar-based content that includes end user/planner case studies (i.e., how X company solved for Y), and these have been really beneficial for me," he says.

Bibbero agrees that going to industry conferences is key for staying on top of trends.

"Even if I can only attend for a day, I try to make it to a Convening Leaders, WEC, IMEX, etc., at least once a year because that’s where I get so many of my new ideas and inspiration—by seeing what other leaders in our industry are doing," she says.

Harwell loves looking to fashion as well as food and beverage to spark creativity and explore up and coming trends.

"From the newest way to serve dinner to the modern living art in a couture show, current event details can be born from any of these experiences," she says. "Today, guests are focused on the experiential, the core memory, the feeling they get when walking into a space. And being at a company like Imprint Events Group lets our wildest dreams turn into actual events."

TRUST-BUILDING

In-person interaction creates the space for more nuanced discussion, trust-building and collaboration, according to Brenda E. Meidl, manager of the executive director’s office for the Colorado Public Employees’ Retirement Association (PERA). And face-to-face connections are a crucial part of PERA’s Board Planning Session, held at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs, Colo., each September.

"Our three-day Board Planning Session brought together 40 key stakeholders, including board members, senior leadership and strategic advisors," Meidl says. "The agenda was designed to encourage strategic discussion, alignment on long-term goals and team cohesion. In the evenings, we hosted networking dinners with mountain views and informal gatherings to build stronger relationships among board members."

An offsite session at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort allowed the group to work through complex issues, align around a shared vision and re-energize its collective purpose, according to Meidl. 

"Also, bringing our board together at an offsite helps strengthen our organization by creating space to facilitate getting to know each other and spend time having extended conversations away from the demands of daily responsibilities," she says, noting one of the primary challenges in planning the session was balancing a packed strategic agenda with the need for downtime and relationship-building. "We also had board members traveling from across Colorado, so logistics, accessibility and comfort were top priorities. What made it unique was the combination of high-level planning with intentional space for reflection and connection."

A successful session is achieved when the board is able to finalize strategic pillars, revised timelines and key action items, and Meidl also measures success through feedback.

"The overwhelmingly positive feedback, along with a sense of unity among the board, indicated a successful event," she says.

Cheyenne Mountain Resort was an intentional choice, Meidl says, because the host venue needed to offer both state-of-the-art meeting facilities and a serene, inspiring environment.

"The natural beauty of the Colorado Springs backdrop provided the perfect setting for reflection and focus," she says. "The resort staff were exceptional, handling every detail with professionalism, which allowed us to stay focused on our work. From the comfortable accommodations to the solid meeting spaces and outdoor amenities, the venue elevated the entire experience and contributed directly to the success of the sessions."