Navigating the Future of Meetings: Insights from GDP’s Pulse Survey

Catherine Chaulet, President and CEO of Global DMC Partners, joins Bishop-McCann’s Amber Heintz to discuss the findings from the latest Meetings & Events Pulse survey. This insightful episode highlights how event planners can stay ahead of emerging trends and leverage cutting-edge tools to create exceptional experiences. Topics include: 

• AI adoption and its impact on event planning
• Top challenges faced by event planners and their solutions
• Key strategies for event professionals to utilize in today's environment
• Importance of DEI, wellness, and sustainability in meetings and events

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Transcript

Host: 0:00 

Hi, and welcome to The Events Experience, where we take a deep dive into everything event planning. I work for Bishop-McCann, an agency devoted to creating JOY through meetings, incentives, and events for big name brands. On this podcast, myself and our company's experts will discuss all things events, so keep listening to hear all about the latest tips and trends for virtual, live, and hybrid events.  

Host: 0:27 

Hi everybody! In this episode of The Events Experience, we are going to discuss the findings from the latest Meetings & Events Pulse survey report created by Global DMC Partners. GDP is a leading global network of independently owned DMCs and creative event experts. Joining us to discuss this report is GDP's President and CEO, Catherine Chaulet, and she'll be interviewed by Bishop-McCann's Vice President of Program Operations, Amber Heintz. Thank you both for taking the time to discuss the state of the meetings and events industry! 

Catherine Chaulet: 0:57 

Thank you so much, Brenna. Thank you so much, Amber. 

Amber Heintz: 1:01 

Yeah, thank you! I'm so happy to be here and so happy to chat with you today, Catherine. I think I'd love to talk first about a little bit of the background behind the industry pulse surveys that you all do. 

Catherine Chaulet: 1:12 

So the background is actually quite interesting. We were thinking throughout the years that having a survey would be good, but this survey actually took place just when COVID happened, so we were planning it before. And the reality is it was a wonderful way to actually stay connected with the industry, and that's when we actually launched it. Then we continued throughout the pandemic and obviously after that. So that's the history around the pulse survey. 

Amber Heintz: 1:43 

Oh, I love that. That's excellent. And I'm sure you probably get a lot of really great insights that you get from that. And I'd say one that I would love to hear about, and certainly on everyone's mind, is AI. That's a hot topic now and will be, I'm sure, for many years and for the future. Can you share some of the survey's discoveries around AI adoption in the event industry, and then maybe what tools are most popular? 

Catherine Chaulet: 2:07 

So I'll start first by speaking about who we reach in that pulse survey. So we're a very global company, so the client base that we reach is mostly the Americas and Europe. This is a very strong base for our clients, as well as our partners (although we are all over the world). So yes, AI is one of the top topics in the industry right now. What we have seen in the survey is how quickly the adoption is starting to really catch on. 

Catherine Chaulet: 2:39 

So for instance, in late 2023, we only saw about 30% of the meeting planners adopting AI, but now it's well over 50%. That being said, as we dig a little deeper into the survey, we realized that a lot of people actually use AI without necessarily knowing that it is AI. So the adoption is probably a lot more than that. So now in terms of what tools are mostly used - obviously ChatGPT is probably the one that meeting planners use the most, particularly for content creation and agenda setting. We see a lot of transcripts of sessions that are being used through ChatGPT and other tools. 

Catherine Chaulet: 3:22 

Some of the tools that we love to see that a lot of our clients are using are accessibility tools. So any closed captioning allows people to actually see the text, and for some people, if it's not English as a first language, it helps. But also for people that do not hear necessarily as well, closed captioning tools through AI are something that we're seeing a lot, as well as translation tools. So for instance, 84% of our clients are saying that they use chatbots (ChatGPT, Copilot, etc.), and 44% of them use grammar checkers and rewording tools. So that's the kind of mix that we see. 

Amber Heintz: 4:05 

Yeah, absolutely. You know, it's interesting that you mention that individuals don't necessarily know they're using an AI tool. And I think that that can ring true for any of us. On your daily basis as you're going about your work, you may not even realize it. I think there are some people who are maybe a little nervous about AI or who maybe aren't sure how to use it, but they want to and are interested, and they may be using it without even realizing it at this point. So having that curiosity and kind of looking to see what could be most useful to them in the work that they do - whatever it is - is always a great way to start looking at new technology and new things as well. 

Amber Heintz: 4:40 

All of the different tools that you mentioned. That's really interesting to me because, again, they may not even realize that that's something that they're doing. And it's also exciting to see so much of that coming into play and really impacting our community in a positive way. 

Catherine Chaulet: 4:55 

I think a lot of meeting planners were very nervous about AI, thinking that it would replace their job, and what they're seeing is it actually improves their productivity. We have a lot of teams - and I'm sure you can relate to this - and a lot of clients where their team has actually shrunk for budget reasons. So having AI functionality allows them to have a bigger scope of services that they can provide without necessarily the same amount of support. A lot of the challenge for a lot of meeting planners is they know about these tools, but they've never seen how to use them. They haven't seen the real functionality and how easy it is actually. 

Amber Heintz: 5:36 

You are right in that some may know that it's there, but they don't know how to use it. Having opportunities to see it in action and how it works within our environment and our industry really excites people. I think people are super excited - associates and planners are excited to take next steps, especially when they are given opportunities to see how it works. 

Catherine Chaulet: 5:55 

It demystifies it a little. 

Amber Heintz: 5:57 

Absolutely. So let me turn the page a little bit. Let's talk a little bit about challenges. So what were some of the top challenges that event planners voiced when they took the survey? 

Catherine Chaulet: 6:06 So I'm sure you won't be surprised by them. But the biggest and the strongest is budget management and higher cost. I mean, this is really taking the lead of many, many of the answers to the survey. Meeting planners are challenged with it. So budget management, but also senior leadership approval - that is another issue. So delays in getting approval. And when you also have challenges with venue availability, if you add delays, that's a big challenge for meeting planners. 

Catherine Chaulet: 6:41 

Contract negotiation and management is very top of mind. There are a lot of challenges with certain venues, but also with certain services, such as AV and contract negotiation. Reading all of the small details and being able to address some of the asks from venues, AVs, etc. is a big challenge. Availability in general is very high in terms of challenges for meeting planners and is showing from the survey as well. But what is interesting is it's not availability only with venues; it's actually availability with AV services, availability with ground transportation, and availability with services in general. That is creating a lot of additional challenges to meeting planners. 

Amber Heintz: 7:29 

Yeah, absolutely. I can emulate with all of those; those of us who are in the trenches working on it, just like you all and your team. We can absolutely relate to that, and these are similar findings that we have. So knowing, for instance, there's higher costs and budget management as some of the main obstacles, can you dive deeper a little bit in your findings about those challenges? Like what is it that they're finding specifically in that sense? 

Catherine Chaulet: 7:50 

So the biggest finding from the survey is the disconnect between the budget increases and the actual cost increases. So in the survey, we asked, "How much cost increase do you see?" On average it's 30-40%, and again, this is a very general number. Sometimes it's a lot more than that for certain services. But on average 30-40%. And yet - again from the survey - the average increase in budget is around 5-10%. So that disconnect alone makes it so challenging for meeting planners to be able to do the same amount of programs (which is what they're asked in the majority of the instances) with, you know, 30% less to some extent in terms of money. So these are the biggest challenges. Again, in terms of where the costs are the highest, it's venues, F&B, airfare, and AV. Again, big surprise. Probably the biggest surprise for us was to see how AV is an issue for meeting planners right now in terms of cost increase and lack of negotiation opportunities. 

Amber Heintz: 9:02 

Yes, absolutely. Well, and I think you bring up the point between costs and budget management. Certainly, we have seen that there's sometimes a lot of expectations that stay the same, particularly when the end-user has an idea of what they would like to have happen, maybe with a lower budget, but then also costs are higher. So it's kind of that perfect tension of trying to figure out how to provide the same types of services as well, with a similar mindset, but a different budget and different costs that are involved. So it definitely is at the forefront of discussions that are had, particularly when we're planning our programs, for sure. 

Catherine Chaulet: 9:34 

70% of the meeting planners say that they are struggling with higher-than-expected costs in general, and some spend a lot of time educating their higher-ups on the reality of them. Very often they will use actual examples of, "Well, when you do your shopping, have you noticed the price increases?" And that allows sometimes people to adjust their budget a little bit, you know, with a reality check. 

Amber Heintz: 10:01 

Yeah, for sure. I think that runs for us within our industry, trying to really educate and help those that we work with educate the stakeholders or the decision makers that may be unfamiliar with the environment that they're working within and asking within. So definitely empathize and understand that for sure. Now with this information, for instance in mind, are there some cost management strategies that planners are utilizing at all? 

Catherine Chaulet: 10:23 

Yes, and there's a lot of creativity. So again, this survey is so interesting for us because not only do we get a ton of data that either is new - so interesting to share - or tells what the others are also living through, so it kind of reassures them. But it also comes with a lot of good ideas that are shared. So I'm going to share a few of them. 

Catherine Chaulet: 10:45 

So first of all, we're seeing a number of clients because of the challenges with budgets who are now consolidating the number of meetings, as well as the geographical locations. So by being much more efficient in that way, they've been able to reduce the number of meetings and therefore the overall budgets. Early contracting is also (if possible, which again is not always the case) a way to negotiate hotels wanted, venues wanted, vendors as well. And usually, especially if you are able to pay upfront sooner, you are able to negotiate a little bit. 

Catherine Chaulet: 11:21 

There's lots of changes in F&B. The biggest trend we're seeing is no longer having the big breakfast buffets. Many of our clients are actually giving vouchers because a lot of people just want a coffee or something. That's it. 

Amber Heintz: 11:35 

Right. 

Catherine Chaulet: 11:36 

We're also seeing a shift in F&B in general, with a lot more interest in eating more local. So it couples both budgets as well as sustainability in general, so that works hand in hand. The quantity of food is also reduced. So it's interesting because this is something that is happening certainly with budget in mind. But there's also a much more consciousness around health food and quantities. It's been called the Ozempic effect. Whether that is the reason or just an overall, you know, attention to quality versus quantity. We're seeing that, too. 

Catherine Chaulet: 12:15 

AV, as I was mentioning, is very high. So we've seen some clients that are now buying some equipment and using it from event to event because it dramatically reduces the cost and they don't have to rent it. There's some negotiations going on with certain venues and AV. We see some clients selecting venues that will allow more flexibility as it relates to AV versus forcing an in-house that may be too expensive. So again, negotiations are happening. 

Catherine Chaulet: 12:49 

Also on gifting, tchotchkes and so on are dramatically reduced because more often than not, these are not necessarily something people will keep. So the tchotchkes, etc., are very much reduced, if not eliminated altogether. That's also a way to reduce the cost if you want to do in-room gifting, that adds a lot of cost, so this is eliminated with many, many clients. Also the reusing of branded decor elements. A lot of them now when they do programs instead of having dates with the programs in terms of branding, are removing this, so they can reuse the elements from program to program and therefore reduce the costs. These are some ideas and there are many, many more. 

Amber Heintz: 13:35 

Yeah, I was going to say those are amazing ideas, and I think anyone who's listening would definitely take those into consideration when they're planning their next program. Really taking a look at how they can be great stewards of their own money, or if they're working with a client, the client's money, but also providing solutions. So it's nice to hear how other planners are facing the challenges that they're seeing and how that's working. Those are a lot of really great ideas that I hope others will take and use themselves. 

Amber Heintz: 13:59 

You mentioned one of the challenges that we're facing is shorter planning and lead times as well. And can you tell me a little bit more about what planners are facing when it comes to lead time, and how are they adjusting to those shortened time frames? 

Catherine Chaulet: 14:12 

This continues to be a challenge. We were all thinking that this would get much better after COVID. Oh, well it's not. 

Amber Heintz: 14:19 

No. 

Catherine Chaulet: 14:20 

So about 26% of our respondents reported planning events 10 to 12 months. So that is actually pretty good because it used to be 15% last survey, so we're seeing a little more. However, 24% still plan only 4 to 6 months. Amber and Brenna, what is really surprising is these are not necessarily small programs. 

Amber Heintz: 14:43 

Right! 

Catherine Chaulet: 14:44 

They can be large, six-figure programs; still managed within 4 to 6 months. So while it is dropping a little bit (it used to be 29%, now it's 24%), it is still insanely short-term. Some of the trends that we're seeing - specifically for incentives - is that these tend to be longer. So around two years, giving a little more options, but also allowing some of those programs to consider multiple destinations and negotiate better. So it makes more sense to have a little more lead time for these types of programs. 

Catherine Chaulet: 15:18 

But the internal meetings, these are extremely short - two, three, four months. These are extremely short, so this is definitely not changing. It is still very much a last-minute environment. We are seeing planners looking at options just to check on availability in certain markets to provide more flexibility should the program jump in. So they don't necessarily have the program in hand, they're just checking availability knowing that at some point or another, chances are the demand for a program will come up. So that sometimes is challenging for the venues, the DMCs, etc. So there's some different types of discussions to address the shortness of the leads, but also the lack of availability. There's some creativity around that. 

Amber Heintz: 16:03 

Yes, absolutely, and we've seen that in our business as well. Thinking, again, that the shortened time frame would kind of diminish a little bit, but it really hasn't. In a lot of ways, I think some of our clients are doing it based on still trying to figure out their cadence of their meetings. But also just trying to use a different approach in that they're kind of flowing with the business throughout the year - as opposed to saying, "We do this every year, and this is how we're going to do it." They're really taking a look at what's happening in the moment and what they need to do and how they need to meet. So a good variety of reasons as to why. 

Amber Heintz: 16:34 

Certainly, that doesn't change the challenge we have ahead of us to find those venues, for instance, that are sometimes short in availability and whatnot. But certainly, I don't know that event planners have ever not been creative in our way of trying to figure all of this out. It gives us a good opportunity to meet a good challenge. 

Catherine Chaulet: 16:50 

Exactly. 

Amber Heintz: 16:51 

Yeah, we can understand that. So I know that the survey itself covers DEI, wellness, and also sustainability. Can you tell me anything about those elements when it comes to events - increase in popularity? Or how they're being implemented in any of those events? 

Catherine Chaulet: 17:05 

So definitely very important. But it's interesting, I mentioned at the beginning that our client base is both the Americas as well as Europe. What we're seeing is the adoption in terms of sustainability, particularly with DEI as well, is a lot more in international markets. 76% of international planners incorporate sustainability in their program, as opposed to 47% in the US and Canada. So a big kind of difference here. 

Catherine Chaulet: 17:36 

But that being said, we are seeing the US starting to increase a lot in sustainability. They went from 43% to 47% in 6 months. So that trend is definitely going up. What is interesting is who the demographics are within the programs that in many ways, especially in the US, is going to dictate how much sustainability is included in the program. What we're seeing, especially as it relates to DMC's demand, is the requirement for activities that are very focused on sustainability. So that's a way to incorporate it in the creative and also elements that will particularly attract the audience that is participating. 

Catherine Chaulet: 18:21 

So for instance, the younger the audience is, the more important it is to incorporate sustainability and to report on it. Some organizations mandate reporting. So this will definitely be part of it, and it's going to be different types of sustainability initiatives. You know the use of plastic, the carbon footprint, etc. But others are more interested in the local impact and ways that the corporations and the attendees can support the local economies, which is another way to include sustainability. So we're seeing both initiatives increasing in demand from all of our clients. 

Catherine Chaulet: 19:01 

I want to just emphasize how sustainability is not just carbon footprint. It is a lot more and supporting local economies. You know, we did our conference in Punta Mita, and all of our program was about giving back. Giving back to schools, so everybody came with books. So we were able to give a lot of supplies to the schools. But then another activity was to paint a school and repair some elements, so that was an activity in itself. There are so many diverse ways, and when we look at the survey responses, that's actually what is coming out of it. The creativity as it relates to implementing sustainability in the programs. 

Amber Heintz: 19:42 

Yes, for sure. Well, the nature of what we do, we are temporary by nature in the events world. So therefore, it is important for us as an industry to really ensure that sustainability is at the forefront of educating our clients and educating ourselves, ensuring that we are being good stewards of the places that we visit and the environments that we go into. I think also with regard to the wellness piece, I think certainly trying to ensure that there is a good mix of wellness for our attendees and also getting the messaging across. So trying to do that mix of ensuring that attendees are poised to receive what is going to be provided to them for the week, and make sure that it's a good balance between all of that. 

Catherine Chaulet: 20:24 

Amber, I love what you say. You know, we were speaking about reducing budgets. Well, a lot of work that is done is actually to have no activity scheduled, more free time. That actually goes also with wellness. So the agendas that we're seeing are a lot more respectful of "me time" in the programs, which is part of wellness as well. 

Catherine Chaulet: 20:48 

You were speaking about DEI, and I just want to point out that what is coming out from the survey is DEI, but included with accessibility. There are a lot more discussions with meeting planners on increasing the accessibility of the programs. Again, when you think about diversity, it's taking into consideration all kinds of diversities - the visible ones and the non-visible ones. We see a lot more education from meeting planners and a lot more care in bringing access to both attendees and speakers, etc., in this regard. 

Amber Heintz: 21:23 

Yeah, absolutely. Even like what you talked about, the ones you see and the ones that you don't see. And ensuring that, again, everyone is put in a position to be able to receive this program and be able to participate in the best way that they can. So it's nice to have that sitting on the forefront and it becoming a little bit more of a topic that is discussed actively and proactively. I would say after reviewing all the data in your survey and analyzing all of the answers, what would you say is the best advice that you could give planners today? 

Catherine Chaulet: 21:53 

I think the most important advice to give today is that you're not alone. 

Amber Heintz: 21:58 

Yes! 

Catherine Chaulet: 21:59 

I think our job is to connect people, and we do a great job at ensuring that everybody is having a great time. But at the same time, it's a very lonely job. There are very few actual resources or opportunities to share best business practices. That's why I love your podcast. I think that this is so important. 

Amber Heintz: 22:21 

Yes, it is. 

Catherine Chaulet: 22:22 

Because many meeting planners don't have the time to meet others. It's through these initiatives that they will hear about new ideas. So you are not alone. The challenges you face are what everybody else is probably facing. If there's one thing that is true about our industry, it's that most people want to share how they dealt with a challenge. So tap into this desire to help that is fundamentally ingrained in us, and reach out to organizations like you, to organizations like us, because we need to help each other. Again, you're not alone. There's a wealth of knowledge out there and a desire to help as well. 

Amber Heintz: 23:03 

Absolutely right, Catherine. I think that we all are in a unique type of industry that excites us to meet challenges, and we all just get fired up around it. So to be able to tap into each other and say, "I haven't faced this before - what have you got? What's happened here?" It is a really great reminder that we are all facing similar things together, so don't hesitate to ever reach out and just ask. Even from a mentorship perspective or whatever it might be. No strings attached. Just as one person in the industry to another, it's always really great to ensure that no one feels alone in the challenges that they're facing, for sure. 

Amber Heintz: 23:40 

Well, I've really enjoyed our conversation together. I have one more thing to close our conversation and maybe tie back to the goals of Bishop-McCann, which is creating JOY. What current trend or practice in the event industry do you think is having the most positive impact and creating the greatest sense of joy? 

Catherine Chaulet: 23:56 

I will say sustainability. 

Amber Heintz: 23:58 

Yeah. 

Catherine Chaulet: 23:59 

When you go and support a school, or you go and clean a beach where you see the turtles that are able to hatch their eggs there. When you support a local economy and you support families that will depend on your tourism, on your group to support their own families, that brings a lot of joy. We live in a world that is very difficult. One of the things I always say is that there's nothing that we love more than when a country is reopening or opening to tourism. Because it means that peace generally has its way in, and it means that us, as meeting planners who can bring groups to destinations, can hopefully have a wonderful impact on those destinations. And it doesn't have to be the big programs. It can be smaller programs, too. Knowing that we impact this way, that we can impact this way is, I think, probably what brings us the most joy. And doing it with you is even better! 

Amber Heintz: 25:04 

Yeah, absolutely! Even making the smallest impact makes a great impact. We're leaving those environments better than we found them, and that's always such a great feeling. I love that answer. That was great. 

Amber Heintz: 25:14 

So thank you again for joining me. I know we had a short time together today, but certainly very impactful and lots of great things that came from the survey. Hopefully those that are listening will take several nuggets from this and use that in their own planning in their own way. But thank you again, Catherine, for your time today! 

Catherine Chaulet: 25:29 

Thank you, Amber. Thank you, Brenna. Thank you so much! 

Host: 25:33 

Thanks for tuning in to this episode of The Events Experience. Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast, and create JOY wherever you go!