Meeting planners weigh in on what their biggest concerns are for 2019.
“Companies taking events in-house and thinking their virtual assistants or administrators can strategically plan and execute successful meetings and events.” —Andrea Cannistraci, president and founder of andgreat
“That we as a country find our civility again. That we learn to agree to disagree politely, that we remember it is okay to think differently, to be different and that acceptance of those different than ourselves is imperative to peace and harmony in our diverse country and communities.” —Tyra Hilliard, Esq, PhD, CMP, attorney college educator and frequent industry speaker
“My biggest concern for the new year is the volatile environment that we have to face as an industry: Brexit, fiscal environment, policymaking, elections with populist threats, etc. I feel that we operate in an ever faster-changing world. Agility, proactiveness, listening and acting skills will be more important than ever.” —Didier Scaillet, CIS, CITP, chief excellence officer, Society for Incentive Travel Excellence
“Agility, proactiveness, listening and acting skills will be more important than ever.”
“[Mine is to concern myself more with] event sustainability. Without becoming too much of a tree hugger and imposing my personal beliefs upon our clients, [we can make] small tweaks. That includes using compostable name-badge materials and recycled office supplies, looking closer at menus (consider the food source and it’s holistic carbon footprint), booking venues that are LEED certified, transportation (utilizing electric or hybrid vehicles) and limiting shipping by using locally sourced resources (and there is so much than some of the obvious items). And it’s all about educating and doing—as we’ve become a society of convenience and everything is so readily available at just a click of a button—but if we take a step back and think about our influence on every item as meeting professionals that align and procure these vendors/services, every little bit helps.” —Agnès Canonica, CMP, CMM, HMCC, global account director, corporate meetings and events, for MCI USA
