Electro-Media Design 25 years

Today at the HTNG 2016 North America Conference, a panel of experts will discuss how meeting planner and guest expectations are evolving. In a session titled "Event Space ArchiTechnologySM: Planning for the Future of Meetings," Electro-Media Design Ltd. President Jeff Loether will lead a panel of experts to deliberate how advancing event technologies are impacting today's event spaces. Digital, virtual, and hybrid events will be discussed, along with global trends in meeting styles and event technology, evolving guest demographics, and how these changes impact the spaces being designed, managed and marketed today.

The HTNG 2016 North American Conference will be held March 1 to 3 at the Omni Amelia Island (Florida) Plantation Resort. Participants in the "Event Space ArchiTechnology: Planning for the Future of Meetings" panel discussion, to be held at 11:30 a.m., include: Jeff Loether, President, Electro-Media Design Ltd. (Moderator); Emilie Barta, Emilie Barta Presentations; Eric Bracht, Electro-Media Design Ltd.; Bob Cohen, Riverwater Consulting LLC; and Andrew Moffett, Marriott International.

"While more event technology is being built into today's meeting and conference venues, more self-provisioning must be accommodated as well," Loether said. "Hoteliers need to know how to accommodate all the technologies that meeting and event planners are bringing with them. In addition to technology, environmental conditions also need to be addressed in order to provide the acoustical qualities needed for clear message delivery. This session will identify which facilities are on the leading edge in meetings. While larger hotels continue to set the stage for the presentation-style group events, virtual and quantum meetings are taking shape, including digital and hybrid functions. We will make recommendations on how to be ready for these new types of meetings and the leading-edge technologies required to make them possible."

Emilie Barta, a virtual + hybrid meeting consultant, will speak to the group remotely. "Hotel IT executives must accept that if their facilities are not conducive to producing virtual and hybrid meetings, they will lose revenue to those that are accommodating the needs of today's meeting planner," Barta said.

Andrew Moffett, Marriott global discipline leader, event management, said discovering the trends in how meeting attendees are using and interacting with our hotel event spaces today and in the future is critical to operational success.

"Through this session, attendees will gain a better understanding as to why latest trends in technology, event space design, and food-and-beverage are important to meeting planners and attendees today," Moffett said. "Not only will it help planners to be more effective and productive, but it will help attendees stay more engaged during their meetings and events."

In addition to discussing trends, Eric Bracht, a senior consultant with Electro-Media Design Ltd, said the panel will identify meeting planners' expectations and the technologies required to impact the capabilities and services available in event spaces.

"We will discuss the generational shift that is driving these trends and how the design of the physical space is just as important as the infrastructure required to support advancements in technology," Bracht said. "Attendees will leave the session with an understanding of the possible technologies they will be seeing and supporting in their meeting and event spaces."

Bob Cohen, Director of Business Development for Riverwater Consulting LLC, said he would like attendees to leave this session with a better understanding as to how their facility directly contributes to the overall meeting experience: "The future of meetings will require hoteliers to be technical, creative and sometimes customer-facing. The technology will continue to stretch their resources, but there is a return on investment if done right."

About Electro-Media Design Ltd.

Electro-Media Design, Ltd. (EMD) is an independent consulting and design firm with global experience on more than 1,000 projects since 1990. EMD is the leading industry-recognized global thought leader in in meeting, event, and entertainment technologies for hotels, conference centers, and institutional facilities. EMD are the go-to experts for hotel and facility management brands, as well as technology industry trade associations. EMD provides a full range of services in acoustics and technology consulting, from surveys and master plans to project/procurement management, commissioning, and training. EMD does not sell, install, or represent any manufacturers or products. Visit us at www.electro-media.com or call (301) 355-5050.

Jeff Loether
Electro-Media Design Ltd.
(301) 355-5050 x111

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