March 7, 2018 View in browser
Last week in Montreal, I had the pleasure of chatting with executives from AccorHotels and a variety of event professionals and hoteliers from around the world.

Accor's luxury executives said they have no plans to follow Marriott's lead on commission cuts. They're also uncertain whether creative hotel event spaces will catch on globally, even if the outcome of a meeting in one can be so much more memorable than a traditional boring conference room.

Not every meeting is a festival, it seems, particularly in the luxury space.

Check out my story below on the latest from Accor. We also have the news on shifts in digital advertising, the rise of eSports arenas, and how brands are playing around with augmented reality.

If you have any feedback about the newsletter or news tips, feel free to reach out via email at as@skift.com or tweet me @sheivach. A few people sent me angry emails last week for calling virtual reality a gimmick, so feel free to keep them coming.
New Skift Trends Report!
Meeting planners are looking toward midsize cities to host their programs, meaning that for some destinations, being a midsize city is no longer necessarily a negative for attracting events.
Download Now
THE FUTURE OF MEETINGS AND EVENTS
Accor Won’t Play Marriott’s Game With Meetings Commission Cuts
Accor has no plans to follow Marriott International's lead with commission cuts for meetings, but then again Accor's relatively weak presence in North America means it has to focus on drawing in clients instead of pushing them away.

Luxury Travel Is Becoming Even More Specialized
Luxury travel is learning lessons from meetings and events when it comes to designing experiences and memorable moments.
EVENT MARKETING
Facebook Takes On Google With Trip-Planning Ads
Facebook isn't really in the conversation yet when it comes to competing with Google in travel advertising. But Facebook has the ability to reach travelers at various stages of the trip-planning process so it has the potential to be even more disruptive than it has been.

Brands Embrace Augmented Reality, With Mixed Results
Retailers are figuring out how to sell to consumers using augmented reality. The lessons they're learning have serious implications for the event sector as well.
Emirates Chatbot Integrates Into Display Ads
Emirates is experimenting with chatbots in its display advertising, and others will soon follow suit. Interactivity is taking on a new importance in online marketing.
EVENT INDUSTRY TECHNOLOGY
What Are the Most Valuable Aspects of a Meeting?
Research published in the Harvard Business Review breaks down the subjective and objective facets that bring value to a meeting or event.

Washington, D.C. eSports Arena Sets Debut Event
The next generation of event spaces and entertainment arenas is coming, and it's geared toward eSports and Generation Z.

UK Meeting Spending Surged in 2017
Spending per attendee, and on meeting production itself, exploded in 2017 according to new research on the UK event sector. What's most impressive is the spending growth coupled with a slight decrease in actual attendees.

Breakthrough Technology for Meetings
It's not virtual reality or holograms that will have the most impact on events over the next decade.
Skift Business Travel Editor Andrew Sheivachman [as@skift.com] curates the Skift Meetings Innovation Report. Skift emails the newsletter every Wednesday.
Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on Linked In Send via Email

For Gmail users: If you are using the tabbed inbox, Skift emails may be pushed to the 'Promotions' tab. To get updates from Skift direct to your primary inbox, drag and drop this email to that tab.

You received this email because you are subscribed to Meetings Innovation Report from Skift.

If you'd like to unsubscribe from this email, click here

If you'd like to receive fewer emails, click here

If someone shared this email with you and you would like to subscribe, visit our newsletters page on Skift