The agenda at conferences can feel a lot like the Netflix home page: an endless scroll with so many categories and titles that choosing one option feels impossible. For a lot of meetings, that mountain of education sessions has been the primary reason for registration. However, meeting planners are beginning to ditch that thinking. And unlike the Netflix approach of adding 24 more documentaries and 15 binge-worthy thrillers, they’re opting to leave more blank space on the agenda.
How are they planning to use that blank space? And what other changes do they hope to see in meeting design in 2027 (yes, we are already talking about 2027 because time is a runaway train)? Get the story below, along with insights into how artificial intelligence is fueling a surge in San Francisco’s meetings business and MGME’s acquisition of Key Meetings & Events.
DON’T MISS OUT
The planners rethinking the agenda are the ones you'll be sitting next to.
On September 22 at NYC's North Javits Center, event leaders from Salesforce, American Express Global Business Travel, and Rotary International gather to chart what meeting design looks like through 2030, in a room that's 77% director level or above.
FEATURED STORIES
Why Meeting Planners Are Done Chasing More, More, More
by David McMillin
Programming volume is no longer a selling point for registration. The real test ahead next year is whether planners can make blank space feel like a feature, not a cut.
What the AI Boom Means for Trying to Book a Meeting in San Francisco
by Andrea Doyle
The dates planners used to count on aren’t always available. Instead, they’re claimed by AI companies who don't need to ask what the budget is.
MGME Doubles Its Size With Key Meetings & Events Acquisition
by Andrea Doyle
For MGME, this deal isn't solely about scale. It's about buying Heather Keenan's three decades of private equity relationships outright.
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Women power the meetings industry — yet rarely run it. Join Skift Meetings for a candid look at the leadership gap, the barriers behind it, and what's changing. Register for the webinar now.
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ITA Group + Skift Meetings
One of the biggest names in meetings and incentive programs offers a look at why emotional fulfilment should be at the top of a planner’s priority list.
SKIFT PICK: TRANSLATING TRAVEL TRENDS FOR MEETINGS
Smaller World Cup Crowds Showed Up, But Hotels Still Managed to Charge (Way) Higher Prices.
For eight years, the pitch was that the 2026 World Cup would be a windfall. What actually showed up was 494,000 international arrivals — 40% below Deloitte's forecast of 836,000, and even lower than the year before. Hotels still made money, just not the way anyone planned: RevPAR jumped more than 100% on some match days, even as properties slashed rates roughly 30% off their peaks once it became clear the crowds weren't coming.
Here's the part that should catch your attention: Hotels profited by pricing to the hype, not to the actual heads in beds. That's exactly the dynamic you're up against when a "can't miss" mega-event lands anywhere near your dates or your host city. There are some of those mega-events on the horizon, too. LA’s 2028 Olympics and the 2031 Women's World Cup are being financed on the same kind of visitor-volume assumptions. If your event calendar overlaps with either of those, budget now for the possibility that rates spike well ahead of any actual demand.
Great events are built on strategy, innovation, and the right resources. The Skift Meetings Toolkit is your go-to hub for best practices in managing meetings and events.
