If you’d like to use your own time to deepen your meeting planning expertise, Skift Meetings offers a variety of free online reports on demand.
Take a look:
Shift Meeting Trends 2025
From AI-driven personalization to a heightened focus on authenticity, sustainability and mental health, the 2025 Megatrends report reveals how the industry is transforming.
Topics include:
- AI-driven event technology: The future of personalized experiences is here.
- Authenticity over aesthetics: Create meaningful events, not just beautiful ones.
- Private equity’s industrial buyouts: What it means for planners.
- Sustainability in action: how EU legislation is fast-tracking green events.
- Make mental health a priority: Incorporate wellbeing into every stage of planning.
- Five generations, one campaign: Strategies for engaging diverse audiences.
- Local Inspiration: How to Seamlessly Incorporate Cultural Authenticity.
Inspiring Change: 5 Strategies for Purpose-Centered Activities
This report, brought to you by Skift Meetings, Business Events Sydney (BESydney) and ICC Sydney (ICC Sydney), explores the changing way purpose-driven thinking is shaping the design and execution of conferences, conferences, trade shows, and event.
You’ll find insights on:
- What it means to use the power of purpose as the North Star for meeting design.
- Why Today’s Real Times Need Commitment helps attendees feel like they’re working towards a brighter future.
- What should be considered when redesigning the RFP process to include care for people and the planet.
- How to integrate local Aboriginal communities into the fabric of the attendee experience.
- Why the events industry as a whole must have a new conversation about what “accessibility” means.
- How to develop a long-term plan to monitor the future impact of meetings.
- Why hands-on volunteering opportunities are an integral part of your plan.
Beyond the environment: putting sustainability at the center of meetings and events
In this report, Skift Meetings and Destination DC collaborate to explore the importance of building a sustainable ecosystem for events from the perspectives of planners, attendees and host destinations.
The report explores sustainable practices including:
- The importance of innovation and sustainability.
- Set sustainability goals from the beginning of the campaign.
- Gain access to top thought leaders.
- Offset attendee travel expenses.
- Promoting accessibility and inclusivity as elements of sustainable development.
- Look for revitalized buildings and venues to showcase the future.
Meaningful Meetings: A Primer’s Guide to Leveraging the Positive Impact of Meetings and Events
This report, a collaboration between Skift Meetings and IMEX Group, Banff Lake Louise Tourism, Tourism Toronto, Hilton, Vienna Convention Destinations, Snoball, Tourism Montreal and Visit Lauderdale, combines insights, strategies and Relevant case studies suggest a starting point for more impactful, targeted meetings and events. This is an ideal entry point for professionals who want to play a key role in shaping the future of the industry and wider society.
The report looks at the following areas:
- Define impactful meetings.
- Discover why influence matters.
- Guidance on where to start and how to take next steps.
- Understand the connection between impact and purpose.
- Demonstrate the impact of actions through case studies.
Intentional serendipity: Event technology and the future of face-to-face networking
In this report, Skift Meetings and Stova explore the critical role technology can play in cultivating connections and provide point-by-point guidance on 5 key topics:
- Collect data to facilitate a more purposeful network.
- Leverage artificial intelligence for personalized online recommendations and curated attendee lists.
- Maximize the convenience and engagement of digital connections.
- Provide tools that enable attendees to customize their online experience.
- Develop multi-event strategies based on data-backed insights.
rightImagining luxury meeting and event venues: new strategies and insights
This report, sponsored by Grand Hotels of America, helps event organizers keep up with changing attendee expectations and industry trends, and explores the changing concept of luxury.
Topics include:
- The importance of working with hotels that are committed to helping attendees immerse themselves in the moment and the destination.
- Personalized service can provide a customized and humanized reception experience.
- Tenured faculty can play an important role in every experience.
- Changing attendees’ attitudes towards culinary sustainability requires a culture of fine dining that focuses on rewarding and respecting the people who make it possible.
- The role art, history and culture play in luxury experiences, and how art inspires the exchange of ideas at meetings and events.
Design Networking: Carefully plan events to create meaningful connections
In this report, sponsored by Cvent, Skift Meetings delves into the nature of the web and guides planners in transforming traditional transactional gatherings into dynamic environments that foster real connections.
Key topics covered in the report include:
- Design activities to foster connection.
- Innovative networking strategies, including activities, spaces, environments, meeting formats, cultivating a sense of belonging, and strategic use of brand names.
- The key role of destinations and venues.
- Leverage technology to support the Internet.
Arizona Conference Guide: Surprises Beyond Expectations
Sponsored by the Arizona Department of Tourism, this guide explains how to surprise and delight small groups with immersive cultural experiences and adventures so extraordinary that attendees will put down their smartphones and lose themselves in the surroundings. environment.
Topics covered:
- Show attendees how to experience, honor and respect Aboriginal culture.
- Find ways to inspire attendees to step outside their comfort zones and challenge themselves.
- Reimagine the concept of team building and create truly transformative activities that create a powerful sense of unity among participants.
- Unlock a new sense of instant magic by helping attendees rethink how they manage their digital devices.
Event Technology Yearbook
In addition to comparing event technology platforms, the 2024 Event Technology Yearbook powered by Bizzabo, RingCentral and Stova provides comprehensive insight into the event technology landscape. It explores how top event technology companies are adapting to the need for more customized solutions and gives readers a look into the future of event technology and its potential impact on the industry.
You will find:
- Details of 85 leading event technology platforms.
- Compare 60 features side by side across four key categories (Marketing and Sales; Experience; Data, Privacy and Security; and Support).
- A data-driven overview of today’s event technology market.
- What planners should know about deal-breaking analysis.
5 Trends in Life Sciences Conferences, Meetings and Events
In this report, brought to you by Skift Meetings and PHL Life Sciences, a division of the Philadelphia CVB, we combine today’s important life sciences industry trends and insights with advice on how to host successful events in this new era of the industry.
Topics include:
- Deep expertise and strong support make meetings meaningful.
- How today’s meetings can drive tomorrow’s breakthroughs.
- New technologies drive life sciences innovation and activity.
- Why venues must meet the needs of life science professionals.
- The importance of a host city as a tourist destination checks all the boxes.
What’s new for meetings and incentive travel?
This guide provides planners with an overview of the latest developments in destinations around the world, including more than 800 product and service updates in more than 200 destinations around the world, including:
- Recently opened hotels and venues.
- Future openings of hotels and venues.
- Destination Grant Program.
- Sustainability and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Measures.
- Added new direct flights.
- New destination marketing and branding campaigns.
