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It might be hard to see past the negative repercussions of the economic downturn.  Between budget cuts, layoffs, and businesses struggling to keep their numbers up, it certainly hasn’t been easy to cope.  However, now that the dark clouds have begun to part and a bit of sunlight is slowly but surely peeking through, several positive outcomes have emerged for meeting planners.

Renewed creativity.  Meeting planners now have to do more with less, which was one of the overall themes of MPI’s 2010 FutureWatch report.  With this being the case, planners have been even more resourceful and creative than ever before to carefully design and plan a meeting on a tighter budget. The result:

Simpler, more effective meetings.  Extravagant affairs are no longer a trend within the meetings and events industry, and therefore planners are focusing on creating events closer to home that zero in on productivity and simplicity.  Planners have ensured that meetings, although leaner, will be stronger and more effective.  This has led them to:

Enhanced performance.  Companies are expecting ROI if they are going to expend on meetings, and therefore planners must absolutely be able to measure and prove that in order to justify the purpose of having a meeting in the first place.  Between economic pressures and the need for measurable ROI, efficient and productive performance is essential for success. The ultimate result:

Emphasis on value.  The value of meetings is now a major trend within the industry, and planners recognize the need for resourceful meetings that will guarantee ROI, with valuable, indispensable meetings being the goal. The positive outcome here is that frivolous meetings can be weeded out and meetings that are absolutely essential can be focused on, saving both time and money for planners and companies. 

So what are we seeing as the overall positive outcome of an otherwise negative situation? Planners are tapping into their creativity and resourcefulness to generate more effective meetings while actually performing better to guarantee value.  And that is certainly not a bad thing.