Marriott International, Inc., today presents the study "Fundamental Principles in Experience Design" to the Argentine market. This analysis, conducted in collaboration with PCMA and CEMA, the leading global business events associations, provides meeting and event professionals with insight to predict the trends and consumer behaviors that will guide the future of experience design. . The study is the latest in a series of detailed industry reports resulting from a partnership
between PCMA and Marriott International, which began in 2015.
“Business event professionals seek to deliver innovative experiences that break the mold of traditional meetings and generate lasting results for their attendees and clients,” said Tammy Routh, Senior Vice President of Global Sales, Marriott International. “Consumer patterns, behaviors and motivations are constantly evolving, and we are excited to share the insights our customers have been asking for through this new research.”
During the research process, Marriott, PCMA and CEMA conducted more than 60 individual interviews. Each interview was followed by a series of global roundtables with experience design experts and thought leaders, who evaluated how these trends should be integrated into event strategies. The research, conducted by Storycraft Labs, was synthesized into six guiding principles that drive experience innovation in the coming years:
1. Exploring Identities: Humans seek to discover their own unique individuality, but they also long to find similarities with others. These coincidences are essential for connecting with others and highlight the need to establish links with local communities. The role of the Event Designer will be to reinvent the dynamics of networking and generate an environment where people feel comfortable enough to expand their visions and participate fully.
2. Choice of Architectural Design: Audiences want to be able to choose and be considered in selecting the various options available to them. Likewise, they seek adequate support and resources to make clear and informed decisions. These tools, when leveraged effectively, can help audiences reduce complexity and make confident, informed decisions. To elevate the user experience, event strategists must understand the problem they are solving from the audience's perspective. Asking your audience why they are attending an event can be a step in the right direction.
3. Design to foster a Sense of Belonging: The main mission of the experiences generated by event strategists should be to create a sense of belonging among attendees. When all audiences can participate as they are and feel included for who they are, they can have more rewarding and impactful experiences. Event strategists must design with inclusivity in mind, taking into account different abilities and needs related to mental health.
As part of its commitment to belonging, Marriott International has collaborated with the Google Experience Institute (XI) on The Neu Project, to facilitate more neuro-inclusive meetings and events.
4. Value values: Audiences look for experiences that provide value beyond monetary value, prioritizing elements such as sustainability, inclusion, hybrid channels, commitment to the community, use of time and uniqueness. Different offers and value propositions continue to be crucial to meeting audience needs. For those who understand the importance of time, the virtual hybrid experience will continue to be essential to stay connected to their communities wherever they are.
5. Emotional data: Understanding the emotional state of participants is key to fostering loyalty and driving decision making. Event strategists need to figure out how to harness emotional data, measure it consistently, and analyze it effectively. Audience segmentation tools use personalization to encourage dialogue and exchange preferences. When used pre-event as a vehicle for experience design, they can demonstrate how the emotional data collected has been used to elevate experiences for the audience.
6. The Power of Play: The process of playing with something, taking it apart, and putting it back together creates opportunities for idea generation and collaboration. Advances in AI are opening up new possibilities to experiment and play with novel technological tools that can make it easier to connect.
Event designers can create playful spaces that celebrate trying new things and allow audiences to experiment to better understand new ideas and consolidate learning. “Our continued collaboration with Marriott International further underscores our commitment to providing innovative education and resources for business event strategists around the world,” said Sherrif Karamat, CAE, President and CEO of PCMA and CEMA. “We are proud of this work and hope that the insights gathered in the report will help drive engagement, build communities and foster better business relationships.”
Fuente: Marriott International.