28 minute read
MEET + EAT
L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele
Cantina Frida
A TRIO OF TOP SPOTS
Los Angeles abounds with terrific restaurants. Here are three, with great food and memorable settings, that you’ll want to keep on your radar whether you’re dining with a few colleagues or planning a private event for a few dozen.
BY SHELLEY LEVITT
Bottlefish
The co-founders of California Pizza Kitchen are behind this stylish seafood-centric restaurant in the tony Brentwood neighborhood, so you can count on warm and polished hospitality. The main dining room seats 120 guests, the outdoor patio terrace seats 40 and full and partial buyouts are available. Prix fixe group dining menus served family-style range from $70 to $110 per person, and include delectables like lobster toast, salmon poke, Thai-braised baby back ribs, miso black cod and, for dessert, brioche bread pudding, market berries and cream, and freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Menus can also be customized.
Cantina Frida
If you think Beverly Hills means staid dining, you haven’t been to Cantina Frida, the latest and most upscale outpost of modern Mexican restaurants from the Frimex Hospitality Group. Cantina Frida has been drawing crowds every night since it opened a few months ago. What they find there is the conviviality of a Mexican plaza, complete with olive trees and the buzz that comes from a wide-open space with soaring ceilings. The menu features dishes meant to be shared, like a ceviche tasting and guacamole prepared tableside. A private dining room, with its own entry, is available for parties of 15 to 25 and partial and full buyouts are available for large groups, subject to availability.
L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele
The first U.S. location of the Naples pizzeria made famous in the film “Eat Pray Love” has landed in Hollywood. It’s a pretty, sto-
Bottlefish
rybook location, with brown leather sofas and a white tiled bar in the interior space, and a gorgeous, sprawling outdoor garden with lots of greenery, long communal tables and L’Antica’s signature stone oven. Open for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner, the menu ranges from prosciutto and eggs to classic thin-crust margherita and marinara pizzas, housemade pastas, stellar charcuterie, grilled vegetables and a little gem of a Caesar salad. With its liquor license in place, L’Antica now offers Aperitivo Hour, with an extensive cocktail list and bites that include fried calamari and cavatelli all’Arrabbiata. Partial and full buyouts are available for 50 to 200 guests.
Get Connected
BOTTLEFISH bottlefish.com
CANTINA FRIDA cantinafrida.com
L’ANTICA PIZZERIA DA MICHELE damicheleusa.com
BY SHELLEY LEVITT AND JANET FULLWOOD
New Recipes FOR GROUP DINING
GREEN SALAD, CHICKEN, TWO VEGGIES AND A STARCH—that might have been a reasonable meal to serve group attendees in the last century, but it won’t cut it in 2020. Today, guests expect that a growing range of dietary needs will be accommodated, whether they’re eating keto, vegan, paleo, gluten free or some combination of all four. And, in a time when tech employees enjoy gourmet in-house commissaries on the job, it takes some serious culinary pyrotechnics to impress them. Fortunately, California chefs and food and beverage directors are more than up to these tasks. Here’s how some of our state’s top meeting properties are developing new recipes and stagecraft for feeding groups of all sizes.
LAX MARRIOTT
The Los Angeles Airport Marriott may be less than a mile from the fourth largest international airport in the world, but when it comes to group food and beverage offerings, it keeps things local. The “Culinary Swap Meet” is one option that’s popular with groups. Various interactive stations highlight LA’s diverse food scene and feature regional ingredients. At one recent gathering, the stations included: “Awe Shucks,” with a variety of raw oysters, including the Kumomoto variety from Northern California; “Herbivore—A Vegan Delight,” a stunning display of seasonal greens from Chino Farms in Rancho Santa Fe and fruits like jackfruit, local stone fruit and coconuts that were carved on the spot; the “Boca” station, featuring authentic sandwiches with Latin flavors, like chorizo Pamplona, pan con tomate and jamón serrano; and “Shake It Up Baby,” a dessert and beverage station where guests chose among offerings like horchata milkshakes, Oaxacan chocolate malt, mangonada fizzle, kumquat faux-mosas made with kumquat juice from Fallbrook and hand-pressed Temecula Valley grapes, and cast-iron baked snickerdoodles. Needless to say, attendees were both well fed and very happy. marriott.com
HOTEL INDIGO LOS ANGELES DOWNTOWN
Kevin Harry, Director of Food & Beverage
“From a group perspective, we've always put a large focus on food with a local angle, sourcing most of our ingredients from purveyors very close to the hotel. We’ve partnered with local bakeries and local farmers who come right to our loading dock with their produce. Over the years, we've aimed to evolve that local food experience for groups by not only using neighborhood vendors, but by creating menus that authentically represent the neighborhoods that surround the hotel. We want guests to get a true sense for the diversity that is available in Los Angeles and showcase this from a culinary perspective.
“We also want to shake things up. Traditionally, the evening meal is when group dining is the most creative and when attendees are the most social. We felt there was an opportunity to flip that narrative on its head and offer creative and social experiences in the morning by breaking the mold of the typical breakfast buffet. So, we offer breakfast mix-and-mingle receptions with passed breakfast bites. Instead of traditional seating we have comfortable soft sofas and high-tops. Butlers pass items like cinnamon roll skewers and pigs in a duvet—breakfast sausage in puff pastry. We have candied bacon hanging on a clothesline, oatmeal creme brûlée in espresso cups, and a bar with items like watermelon juice and fresh lemonade with berries that’s mixed up in a cocktail shaker.
“For evenings, guests will walk into a ballroom and there’s no food there. Then we slowly roll in stations on mobile carts, staggering them so guests are waiting for what’s next. These little action stations might include small plates of beef Wellington, tuna and beet tartare, ceviche, or, around holiday time, a mini Thanksgiving feast—a small dish with mashed potatoes, stuffing, caramelized carrots and turkey.
“We’re really having fun in the beverage space. For example, we’ve started providing groups with a ‘craft cocktail crawl,’ where the cocktails come straight to them on a rolling cart and guests never have to lose the social element of an event to line up at a bar. We’ve also hosted group events where we give passwords to guests, allowing a selected few at a time to find us for an exclusive speakeasy experience. We lead guests through the back of the house, onto our freight elevator and into our generator room, where they discover we’ve transformed the room into a secret bar with a variety of cocktails being made.” hotelindigola.com
ANAHEIM MARRIOTT
With nearly 170,000 square feet of venue space that can accommodate more than 3,500 guests, the Anaheim Marriott, which sits just steps from the Anaheim Convention Center, has become deft at feeding large groups with panache. “We have more options than ever before with fresh items prepared à la minute,” says Alex Shotwell, Marriott’s area director of sales for Orange County and San Diego.
Among the property’s innovations is its Farmhouse Table Salad Bar. It’s a gorgeous array of seasonal ingredients: mixed greens; vegetables like charred pencil asparagus, teardrop tomatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, pickled radishes and roasted butternut squash; along with proteins (chicken, skirt steak, shrimp and blackened shrimp) that are grilled on a cooktop; assorted cheeses; toppings like housemade croissant croutons and various nuts; and a variety of flavorful salad dressings, including blackberry balsamic vinaigrette and basil emulsion.
Another option is the Lazy Susan service, which can be thought of as a tabletop buffet. Room temperature, cold items and desserts are preset, and once the guests are seated hot dishes are rolled out. Up to 5,000 people can be served in an hour, with dishes like a seasonal vegetable risotto, seared salmon and spinach with warm Mediterranean vinaigrette, and roasted chicken with kalamata olives and artichokes.
For coffee breaks, giant Lego blocks hold fruit and parfaits, chips and dips, while dessert might include serve-yourself doughnut trees. Did anyone mention conversation starters? marriott.com
PECHANGA RESORT CASINO
Hunter Gonzalez, Catering and Banquet Chef
“At Pechanga our food and beverage group offerings are constantly changing. From set and décor to food preparation and presentation, we’re always looking for new and fresh ideas to bring the ‘wow’ factor to our guests.
“One group client in real estate had a weeklong company meeting for about 250 attendees. On the final night in our new Summit Ballroom, we provided an immense display of all kinds of offerings from cultures around the world. We had more than 15 Pechanga chefs bringing their talent, ideas and creativity to the event, and had everything from vegan foods and Mediterranean stews to tenderloin carving stations. “We like to get playful. In that vein, we do something I call ‘aroma forks.’ A fork has a circle cutout where we place a small tablet that contains a liquid aroma that goes well with the bite that’s offered. For example, a savory macaroon is paired with a scent tablet of black pepper and parmesan cheese, a mini lamb chop with liquid mint instead of the traditional mint jelly. We present the fork to the guests and ask them to take their time identifying the aroma for a full sensory experience of tasting.
“For our Chocolate Decadence & Wine Festival, we featured chocolate lipstick. That’s exactly what it sounds like—lipstick made out of chocolate—and it was a huge hit. We also had mannequins dressed in chocolate dresses while servers on wheels circulated wearing giant hoop skirts that held small bites that guests could help themselves to.
“For our Sushi & Sake Festival we created a 16-foot sushi roll. It took nine chefs to make that roll, which was a beef roll, spicy tuna roll, salmon and avocado roll, California roll, and yellowtail and jalapeño roll all in one.” pechanga.com
Culina, Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills
Rosewood CordeValle outdoor bar
QUICK BITES
At Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, chef Luca Moriconi leads small groups in pizza making. The amateur chefs gather at the crudo bar at restaurant Culina and in the hour-long session go from tossing dough to spreading toppings that include tomato sauce, various cheeses and fresh herbs. They then place their creations on a pizza stone that’s put into the brand-new Italian rotary pizza oven in the garden just a few feet away. Ninety seconds later—yes, it’s that fast!—guests sit down to enjoy their artisanal pies, along with other offerings from Culina’s menu. fourseasons.com/losangeles
In 2019, THE ROW, Reno, hosted a Magician’s Table for a group of 100. The event featured the cast of the Broadway show “The Illusionist,” which was playing at the mega-resort. “The cast went around a U-shaped table and entertained our guests during dinner, but the real magic was the food,” says executive chef Ivano Centemeri. “The appetizer, ‘Foggy Day at Hog Island,’ was an oyster served in a glass vessel with edible sand and dry ice, so that when the vessel was opened, the oyster slowly appeared through the fog. The main course was a deconstructed beef Wellington, where the meat was caged in a puffed pastry, Houdini-style, instead of baked into it, to make it more elegant and unique.” At another event, “liquid pizza” was served. “It started with a cream of toasted bread as the base,” Centemeri says, “added in highquality ingredients like tomato confit, fresh mozzarella, anchovies and fresh basil. Then guests topped it like a pizza with their favorite ingredients and ate it with a spoon. If you closed your eyes, it tasted exactly like a pizza!” therowreno.com
At Rosewood CordeValle, in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, the Midnight Munchies offering for groups includes food trucks, a chocolate station, petite pastries, donuts, crepes and an ice-cream tricycle dispensing frozen treats. Earlier in the day, activities like bocce ball might be accompanied by a craft cocktail experience, with tastings of infused spirits and specially selected barrels of Jack Daniels and Casa Noble Organic Tequila. rosewoodhotels.com
Liquid pizza at THE ROW, Reno
HYATT REGENCY INDIAN WELLS
Questions and answers with the hotel’s executive chef, Eric LeClair.
HOW HAVE YOUR F&B GROUP OFFERINGS CHANGED OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS AND WHAT’S LED TO THIS CHANGE? We’ve moved toward more fresh and healthy offerings with a heavy focus on buying local and sustainable ingredients. We’re finding that nearly 15 percent of our group guests have some sort of dietary need or preference. When writing menus, we accommodate this by incorporating as many gluten-free, vegetarian, and low-calorie options as possible, while still keeping in mind that sometimes a guest loves a good hamburger. We’ve just reworked the classics to move away from heavy, high-calorie options, carb and starch-heavy sides and large portions. Our goal is to keep all of our offerings clean, energizing and as creative as possible. Beyond the ingredients, we’ve found a great opportunity to provide more sustainable F&B group offerings by eliminating single-use plastics whenever possible and opting for biodegradable flatware and plateware. This has been a huge focus for breaks and receptions.
WHAT ARE A COUPLE OF THE MOST INVENTIVE THINGS YOU’VE DONE FOR GROUP DINING? We’ve recently done three parties featuring whole pigs cooked in a Caja China roasting barbecue box. The pigs were taken out of the box as the guests were approaching the stations for an extra “wow” factor. We’re able to use the meat for tacos, Cuban sandwiches, bao buns or pulled pork dishes. It has been a huge hit every time.
We also have a “hosted dinner” configuration, which is one of our favorite takes on a plated meal. The setup for this one is a table of 10 people total, which is broken down into groups of two people each who are then assigned to be in charge of a certain part of the meal. The pairs of two are responsible for visiting their assigned station around the room to gather their designated food or drink items. For example, one pair goes to the bar to get a round of drinks for the table, another goes to the carving station for the meat portion of the meal, yet another to the salad bar to make a large salad for the table, and a fourth pair is in charge of the starches and veggies. All of the groups bring their portion back to the table and the meal becomes family style. At the conclusion, the final pair visits the dessert bar and makes dessert platters for the whole table. This configuration is very interactive and unique, which is a big hit for group dining, and it can be arranged in any of our wonderful spaces. From lawns to tennis courts to the pools, if you can get there, we can throw a party.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THE BEVERAGE SPACE THAT’S NEW? We have a proprietary tequila, custom made for the hotel from Herradura tequila. We feature this in our signature tequila cocktails at the bar, and on Thursdays alongside over 50 tequila and mescal drinks paired with our taco menu. hyatt.com
INTERCONTINENTAL LOS ANGELES DOWNTOWN
Daniel Fennessy, Executive Chef
“Over the last few years, we’ve seen an increase in groups moving more toward receptionstyle service as opposed to plated service. We’re seeing that mobility during events is becoming more and more important to groups; it gives them the opportunity to increase networking and interact with different people throughout the experience.
“On the food service side, we’ve increased our offerings to include more creative-themed reception stations, tray-passed offerings and action station buffets. This change helps us embrace more diverse types of cuisine and different lifestyle needs. I’ve created a variety of themed offerings that represent different cuisines and cultures with vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options incorporated as well. For example, instead of serving a standard rack of lamb, we offer a Korean-style baby lamb chop with kimchi risotto and charred petite bok choy from an action station, with the dish finished in front of guests. This gives them a feel for the freshness of what we’re serving and adds an element of interactivity to the experience. We might also have a poke station, where guests can build their own poke in a martini glass; a station devoted to the spicy coconut soup, laksa; perhaps a station with deep-fried Cajun turkey complete with dirty rice and jambalaya; and a street taco station.
“With four to five different themed stations like this, attendees get a wider range of offerings that translates into a full meal while still being able to interact and network with the other attendees.
“We’ve seen an increased demand for dietary-specific offerings at all events and to meet the needs of these guests, we’ve started to incorporate vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free offerings into every area of our banquet and catering menus. To help satisfy the needs of these guests while also keeping things operationally efficient for our staff, I’ve developed offerings that incorporate our three most common requests into one dish. Take, for example, our “Wild Forest Mushroom and Tuscan Kale Ravioli with a Roasted Eggplant Caponata drizzled with White Truffle Oil.” I make the ravioli dough using rice flour, which makes the dish gluten free as well as using all plant-based and vegetarian ingredients. By offering these types of dishes, we help reduce the number of menu items needed for each event, as well as decrease the amount of work for the event planner when it comes to the guaranteed breakdown between the main course and the special dietary requests.” dtla.intercontinental.com
Gluten-free macarons
THE PALACE HOTEL, SAN FRANCISCO
Benjamin Leblond, director of catering and event management at The Palace Hotel, San Francisco, notes that the interest in healthy food at group meetings goes far beyond kale and quinoa. For a large pharmaceutical group, he developed a “Blue Zones” menu, featuring dishes that originated in the five areas of the world where people live the longest. In another twist, this one for a tech group, the culinary team offered a gluten-free purple yam noodle shabu-shabu. Guests cooked the veggies of their choice in cast-iron pots of steaming hot broth, while a hotel chef prepared the purple noodles in front of them.
Meanwhile, a server rolled an elegant food cart among guests and served a luxe take on canapés, scooping honey from a live honeycomb, pouring it over cheesecurd fritters and offering a shave of black truffle. A server on a second cart scooped freshly made tuna tartare onto gluten-free rice chips infused with black garlic.
In the beverage space, the hotel offers an “Extraordinary Gin & Tonic” bar in which potted herbs are brought in. “It looks like a botanical garden, and immediately all five senses are engaged,” says Leblond. “Guests order their drink from a bartender while the scent of fresh herbs and florals wafts through the air. Then they pick their fruits and herbs—mint, basil, whatever—and finish their drinks. It’s a fun and interactive experience.”
Also new at the hotel are healthy gourmet lunch boxes, with options like black sesame seared ahi with beet poke and sambal aioli, and a grilled “carne asada” eggplant steak with chayote squash ceviche and tomatillo pepita salsa, “entirely vegan and gluten-free!” marriott.com
Ontario Convention Center
CONVENING IN CALIFORNIA
New features and fix-ups are afoot in 2020.
Ontario Convention Center–Ontario, California
Meetings are exhausting sometimes, whether you’re working the booth at a trade show, planning all the details or overloading your brain with new information as an attendee. We see so many people in our venue that need a quick break, so we created a perfect space with Café Connect. Ontario Convention Center is located in the center of Southern California where outdoor lifestyles are abundant. Café Connect, with a yummy grab ‘n go menu, includes an outdoor patio and lounge and is located in our main lobby. It is not at all uncommon to find our guests soaking up the sunshine, sipping on a cup of coffee, slipping off their shoes for a minute and just relaxing … in February. With temperatures in the 80s during the winter, our East Coast visitors find the little nature extras make us a wow-venue!
A breathtaking venue with views of the San Gabriel Mountains, Ontario Convention Center is ideally located in Southern California. Contemporary in design and equipped with the latest in technology, it boasts more than 225,000 square feet of flexible exhibit space, 2,600 parking spaces, meeting and function space and is ideal for conventions, trade shows, exhibits and meetings. World-class, award-winning cuisine and excellent guest service is provided by a professional team. Within one mile of Ontario International Airport and over 6,000 full-service and economy hotel rooms, Ontario Convention Center welcomes your visit.
Greater Ontario Convention & Visitors Bureau is here to help–as destination experts we are happy to make recommendations, book your hotel rooms, and set up itineraries customized to provide you with the best possible Southern California experience!
Walnut Creek CVB
Walnut Creek is an ideal lodging location for Bay Area visitors. Located near San Francisco and between two California wine regions, Walnut Creek offers a central location and a dynamic regional urban environment in a scenic setting. Known as the “Jewel of the East Bay,” Walnut Creek is the center
Downtown Walnut Creek
Riverside Convention Center
of commerce, shopping, dining and outdoor exploration in the “Mount Diablo Region” of Northern California.
Downtown Walnut Creek offers a sophisticated Northern California setting. Some of the best shopping and dining in Northern California is found in Broadway Plaza, Walnut Creek’s outdoor shopping destination. And yet, the urban setting is next to a large amount of open space, trails and beautiful Mount Diablo, with abundant opportunity for hiking, biking and enjoyment of nature.
With over 1,100 guest rooms, guests have the opportunity to visit the following hotels: · Walnut Creek Marriott · Renaissance Walnut Creek · Embassy Suites by Hilton Walnut Creek · Diablo Mountain Inn · Motel 6 Walnut Creek · Holiday Inn Express Walnut Creek · Residence Inn Walnut Creek
It’s the right time to meet and stay in Walnut Creek, CA!
Riverside CVB
Roar into 2020! RCVB specializes in hospitality and customized assistance throughout the entire process. Celebrate with a Roaring 20s Garden Party on the outdoor plaza featuring 20s-themed signature beverages, themed hors d'oeuvres, lounge furniture, fire pits, lawn games and big band sound!
Riverside’s boutique convention center offers 68,000 square feet of flexible indoor space, a fully carpeted exhibit hall, 22 breakouts, healthy menu options, complimentary Wi-Fi, and 8,600 square feet of outdoor plaza/greenspace is available for dining, active team-building, themed receptions and entertainment.
Enjoy the walkable downtown Main Street with live entertainment, artisan restaurants, pubs, boutique shopping, museums, specialty coffee shops, Food Lab’s eclectic restaurants, craft breweries, wine and tequila tastings, as well as the new Game Lab, Escape Room, Bloom & Butter Bakery, Slaters 50/50, Donut Bar, Fire Up Grill, and Route 30 Brewery. Explore Riverside’s historic monuments and culture by bicycle for a roaring good time.
Riverside’s downtown hotels include: The Historic Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, Riverside Marriott, Hyatt Place and the new Hampton Inn Downtown Riverside, which are located adjacent to the Convention Center offering a variety of first-class hotel accommodations.
The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, a Historic Landmark Hotel, was newly renovated in 2019. The AAA Four Diamond resort features 238 guest rooms, including 27 suites, Duane’s Prime Steaks and Seafood, The Sushi Bar, Bella Trattoria Italian Bistro, Las Campanas Mexican Cuisine & Cantina, Tequila Tasting Room, The Mission Inn Restaurant, Presidential Lounge, Hi Tea, deluxe sunday brunch, full-service awardwinning Kelly’s Spa, an Olympic-size swimming pool, Casey’s Cupcakes and Mission Inn Docent Tours.
Marriott Riverside at the convention center has just completed a $12 million renovation with an outdoor pool and jacuzzi, fully redesigned guest rooms, luxury suites, fitness center and C3 Restaurant and Lounge.
Just 17 miles away, the Ontario International Airport offers convenience for the business traveler.
Pechanga Resort and Casino
Hosting a meeting or event proves a snap when you have a variety of choices and resources at your fingertips. At Pechanga, playing host to the annual conference has never been easier. Choose from dozens of indoor and outdoor event spaces totaling nearly 275,000 square feet with options designed to accommodate every sized group. Don’t forget about the 20
GO & Plan on meeting here
MEET, EXPLORE, CONNECT GREATER ONTARIO, CALIFORNIA
A breathtaking contemporary state of the art venue with more than 225,000 square feet of flexible column-free exhibit, meeting and function space, the Ontario Convention Center is ideal for conventions, trade shows, exhibits and meetings. Located just 2 miles from Ontario International Airport with access to a variety of hotel and dining options within walking distance, the center is frequently used by filmmakers as an on-site location for movies and commercials.
• 225,000 total square feet with a 70,000 square foot column free exhibition hall • Full range of technology services • Award winning Executive Chef and service excellence • Over 6,000 hotel rooms available in Greater Ontario • Complimentary hotel parking and shuttle service
For meeting needs of all sizes – from a conference room to a citywide convention utilizing the Ontario Convention Center – or for a special exposition or sporting event, the Greater Ontario Convention & Visitors Bureau will provide the necessary destination support tools to execute a successful experience.
For more information on planning your next adventure, visit GOcvb.org
800.455.5755 GOcvb.org
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Pechanga Resort Casino
restaurants, bars and lounges available to you, ranging from casual and fun to sophisticated and upscale.
A rustically chic option is ready to be discovered at Journey’s End, the Journey at Pechanga golf course’s dedicated restaurant, with sweeping views of the greens and mountainside. Or, book the Great Oak Steakhouse’s private dining room to treat your group to an upscale dinner and wine pairing experience.
Does an intimate gathering sound more like it? Take the party under the lights at the Cove event lawn, a gleaming 4.5-acre pool complex that lights up the night, or elevate the party at the rooftop bar, lounge and party venue, The Eagle’s Nest. With expert chefs, customizable menus and amenities for every guest’s desire, planning the perfect meeting combination is made easy at Pechanga.
GET CONNECTED
GREATER ONTARIO CVB gocvb.org 909.937.3000
PECHANGA RESORT CASINO pechanga.com 877.711.2946
WALNUT CREEK CVB visitwalnutcreek.org 925.934.2007
RIVERSIDE CVB riversidecvb.com 951.335.7040
Industry Update
HOTEL NEWS 28 CVB NEWS 29 PEOPLE NEWS 30 PEOPLE PROFILE 32
OUTLOOK: GOOD
RESEARCH COURTESY OF CWT
“The need for live events is becoming more relevant than ever before,” says Kurt Ekert, president and CEO of CWT, with up to 30 percent of marketing budgets expected to be spent on live events in 2020. “Face-to-face meetings are critical to establishing connections between brands and their customers, and employees and their companies, especially during times of uncertainty. Knowing how to manage risks globally while putting together an authentic and measurable experience for all participants will be key for success in this space in the coming year and beyond.”
In its eighth installment, CWT Meetings & Events’ 2020 Future Trends Report identifies key developments in the industry in 2020, including:
Digitalization: Mobile devices are adding new functionality with apps to create a higher degree of personalization for attendees.
Shifting demographics: Millennials are poised to be the largest group of business travelers from 2024 and onward. Generation Z is right on their heels and can claim to have never known a world without the internet, smartphones and apps. This younger group is all about experience, authenticity and participation.
Authenticity: People are craving experiences that feel authentic, where travelers can immerse themselves in a destination like locals. Growing attraction of off-the-beaten track destinations.
Socially and environmentally responsible incentives also rank high for 2020, fueled by the next generation that views climate change as an increasingly pressing issue.
BY THE NUMBERS
AVERAGE LEAD TIME 59 days
PERCENTAGE OF SPEND ON FOOD & BEVERAGE 42%
AVERAGE MEETING DURATION 3 days
USE OF ATTENDEE REGISTRATION WEBSITES 61%
COST PER ATTENDEE PER DAY 2019: $234 2020: $253
(+8% year-over-year)
AVERAGE GROUP SIZE 73
ATTENDEES
There continues to be a focus on the impact of the millennial generation (aka Generation Y, those born between 1980 and 1995). The influence of this generation will continue to strengthen the industry as they are expected to form the largest group of business travelers across the world from 2024 onward.
Centennials (aka Generation Z, those born from 1996 onward) are starting to enter the workforce. According to Mediakix Research, while their influence, due to their age, is so far limited, this will rapidly change over the next decade as their population reaches 2.56 billion globally by 2020.
GLOBAL
The global meetings and events industry is estimated at $840 billion and growing. “The overall growth trajectory in the meetings and events industry is rising at a steady 8 percent rate, which is encouraging,” says Derek Sharp, senior vice president and managing director, CWT Meetings & Events.
NORTH AMERICA
Demand for meetings and events in North America is continuing to increase, but the pace of growth has fallen. Despite these headwinds, the U.S. economy continues to be strong with event sizes rising, including many companies in the tech sector that have moved to consolidate their smaller meetings into larger events.
“More than ever, political events have a direct impact on companies’ quarterly and annual outlooks. Some industry segments are pulling back, such as agriculture because of the trade situation, and are being a bit more cautious,” says Tony Wagner, vice president, Americas & South Pacific Regions of CWT Meetings & Events.
Top 10 Cities
1. NEW YORK, NY 2. SAN FRANCISCO, CA 3. CHICAGO, IL 4. ATLANTA, GA 5. TORONTO, CANADA 6. SAN DIEGO, CA 7. SEATTLE, WA 8. ORLANDO, FL 9. DALLAS/FORT WORTH, TX 10. LAS VEGAS, NV
Destinations on the Rise
Destinations on the rise are locations offering better value rates than firsttier cities. They are also becoming more attractive due to an increase in facilities including new hotels and venues.
CREATIVE EVENTS
CWT identified 20 microtrends that are set to shape the year ahead when planning an event with a creative twist. Here are 5:
Dating apps for networking: Tinder-style apps will help event attendees break the ice. Diversity: Greater diversity of presenters can bring an inspiring new slant to content and connect with the full range of attendees. Venues that tell a story: Unusual venues that reflect the aims of the event are booming— think spectacular views, historic spaces, or even an underwater event.
First is best in seating: Early arrivals can grab the plush, expansive armchairs close to the speakers, while space at the back is for highboy chairs and stools.
Instagrammable cuisine: Food must be Instagram-worthy— shared in real time to an audience of hundreds or even thousands at once—to pass muster in 2020.
