The Future of Meetings & Events: 7 Industry Leaders on Hybrid, Technology & Group Business Recovery
Hybrid events combine in-person and virtual attendance on a single platform, enabling venues and planners to expand reach, reduce travel emissions, and deliver personalized experiences to multiple audience tiers. The meetings industry has emerged from the pandemic with higher expectations for technology infrastructure, sustainability, wellness integration, and data-driven group sales—requiring hospitality organizations to automate workflows, unify group data, and support both physical and digital attendees to maximize attendance revenue and account expansion.
Pent-Up Demand Meets Higher Expectations
Chris Meyer, CEO of George P. Johnson Experience Marketing and MPI board member, notes that organizations now recognize the true value of live events after two years without them. However, attendees are more selective—planners must design distinctive physical and digital experiences to justify travel. The traditional hotel ballroom is no longer enough; venues need cinematic broadcasting capabilities, robust bandwidth, and staff with production backgrounds to deliver broadcast-quality hybrid experiences.
Kevin Edmunds, VP of Meeting & Incentive Sales at AIC Hotel Group, observes group travel returning in "massive waves," but with heightened focus on risk management, liability, and force majeure policies. Events now require more space for the same-size group, and attendees expect personalized activities, family-friendly options, and off-property experiences. Multi-tier events—where first-tier participants attend virtually, second-tier locally, and third-tier fully in-person—are becoming the norm, demanding technical capabilities such as virtual packages, Wi-Fi, and VPN setup.
Hybrid Events Are Here to Stay—and They're Complex
Hybrid events are not a temporary response to COVID; they represent a permanent shift driven by flexibility, sustainability, and global reach. Melanie Picard, Senior Director of AppExchange Partner Marketing at Salesforce, emphasizes that every event is now different, requiring careful persona analysis to determine who will travel and who will attend virtually. In-person attendees want connection and networking; virtual attendees want engaging, high-energy content tailored to their medium—not just a live stream of speakers.
Mariela McIlwraith, Chief Sustainability Officer at the Events Industry Council, expects most events to have a hybrid component, with multi-hub meetings (several regional in-person gatherings connected via cloud) gaining popularity to reduce travel emissions while maintaining face-to-face connection. Gareth Bush, Director of Food, Beverage and Events at Royal Lancaster London, confirms that hybrid events are costly—hosting 15,000 virtual attendees can exceed the cost of 500 in-person guests—and venues must scrutinize investments in broadcasting studios, contractor space, and bandwidth infrastructure.
Organizations implementing event management software built on Salesforce can centralize hybrid attendee registration, track engagement across in-person and virtual channels, and measure ROI by source and segment—capabilities that support both revenue optimization and operational efficiency.
Wellness, Sustainability & Inclusivity Take Center Stage
Anne Dimon, Co-Founder/President/CEO of the Wellness Tourism Association, observes that wellness travel is no longer limited to spas and luxury; it's becoming inclusive, accessible, and expected. Attendees want to maintain their health practices on the road, so planners are incorporating nature, outdoor activities, healthy food options, and mental downtime into events. Venues differentiate themselves by sourcing food locally, using locally made amenities, and offering authentic destination experiences that align with corporate travel policy expectations.
Sustainability is equally critical. Planners and clients ask tough questions and expect hard evidence of sustainable practices—venues must walk the walk, not just talk the talk. McIlwraith advocates for an ecosystem approach: consider the climate and social impacts of materials and food, and report regularly on ESG (environmental, social, governance) metrics to secure corporate group business. Diversity, equity, and inclusion also matter—enlist diverse selection committees to choose topics, speakers, and vendors.
Space, Staffing & Flexibility Challenges
While demand surges, venues face staffing shortages, contracted booking windows, and higher attrition as attendees make last-minute changes. Keiko Hosaka, Senior Manager of Corporate Events at QUNIE Corporation and past president of MPI Japan Chapter, describes organizations as "stepping on the gas and the brakes at the same time"—eager to resume events but cautious about risk. In Japan and across Asia, many professionals left the industry during COVID, creating a need to attract and develop younger generations.
Creative use of space is essential: foyers, second lobbies, and outdoor areas for tents are all in play. Bush notes that venues offering one-of-a-kind physical settings and outdoor space will be in high demand, while venues in remote locations must ensure their Wi-Fi and technical support match metropolitan standards. Flexibility in cancellation policies and attrition clauses is also critical, given the speed at which infectious diseases or other factors can change the landscape.
Modern group sales software built on Salesforce enables venues to visualize space inventory in real time, automate room-block pickup tracking, and adjust proposals dynamically—reducing sales cycle length and improving conversion rates for multi-tier hybrid events.
The Role of Technology: Salesforce-Native Sales & Catering
Good people and processes remain foundational, but the right technology platform is what enables organizations to manage and grow group business at scale. Bush anticipates that his hotel's upcoming implementation of a Salesforce-native sales and catering system will save time and enhance efficiency through integration with Outlook and other hotel solutions. Edmunds adds that user-friendly, Salesforce-native platforms give sales teams fast access to reports and data, with robust integration for banquet event orders (BEOs), calculations, and space configurations.
How Salesforce-Native Hospitality CRM Drives Hybrid Event Revenue
Thynk is built on Salesforce, delivering a unified platform for multi-channel lead capture, AI-powered sales automation, and integrated group operations across the full hospitality capability stack.
Multi-Channel Lead Capture & AI Automation
Centralize RFPs from email, Cvent, GroupSync, and direct channels into a single system. Thynk uses AI email parsing and Agentforce agents to triage, qualify, and draft proposals—eliminating manual data entry and accelerating sales velocity. For hybrid events, AI can route virtual-only inquiries to digital event coordinators while flagging high-value in-person opportunities for senior sales managers.
Learn more: How to Automate RFP Processing in Hospitality Sales
Single Source of Truth for Group Data
Thynk consolidates account hierarchies (corporate, agency, tour-series), room-block management, pickup tracking, and PACE/GRC reporting in one platform, with PMS parity (Opera, Mews, Stayntouch, Protel) for accurate finance roll-up. Hybrid event planners gain visibility into both physical room consumption and virtual attendee counts, enabling dynamic pricing and capacity planning.
Multi-Property Proposals & GSO Workflows
Generate e-proposals across multiple properties, manage space and meeting-room inventory, and route leads by scoring—empowering global sales offices to collaborate and close group business faster. For hybrid events spanning multiple regions, Thynk's multi-hub capabilities ensure consistent branding, unified reporting, and seamless collaboration between on-site and remote teams.
Planners and venues that invest in Salesforce-native sales and catering technology gain the operational efficiency and data visibility required to deliver flawless hybrid events, measure ROI by source and segment, and adapt to changing customer demands.
Explore: Thynk Alternatives Comparison
Key Takeaways for Meeting & Event Professionals
- Design for two audiences: In-person attendees want networking and interactivity; virtual attendees want broadcast-quality content and studio experiences. Use event management software to segment engagement and track satisfaction by channel.
- Incorporate wellness and nature: Provide outdoor spaces, healthy dining options, mental downtime, and local community support to meet rising wellness expectations and differentiate your venue.
- Prove your sustainability: Report on ESG metrics, source locally, and engage diverse vendors to secure corporate group business and align with corporate travel policy requirements.
- Invest in robust Wi-Fi and technical infrastructure: Hybrid events demand reliable bandwidth, VPN support, and broadcast-quality production capabilities. Ensure your venue's technical readiness matches attendee expectations.
- Use space creatively: Foyers, second lobbies, and outdoor tents can accommodate health-conscious spacing and multi-tier event formats. Real-time space inventory management in your sales and catering system prevents double-booking and optimizes utilization.
- Adopt Salesforce-native hospitality CRM: Unify lead capture, AI-powered RFP triage, multi-property proposals, room-block management, and PMS-integrated finance on a single platform to accelerate group sales and manage complexity. Thynk is built on Salesforce to deliver these capabilities natively.
- Plan for attrition and flexibility: Build in longer lead times, transparent cancellation policies, and real-time inventory visibility to manage attrition and last-minute changes. Automated pickup tracking and dynamic forecasting reduce revenue leakage.
- Collaborate with DMCs and DMOs earlier: Bring destination management companies and marketing organizations into the planning process to manage liability, risk, and local activations. Account hierarchy features in your CRM ensure seamless coordination across partners.
- Support the next generation: Attract and develop younger talent to rebuild the workforce and bring fresh perspectives to hybrid event design. Intuitive, mobile-friendly tools reduce training time and increase adoption.
The Future of Group Business Is Hybrid—and Salesforce-Native
The future of meetings and events offers something for everyone—from fully virtual experiences to on-site visits packed with personalized activities. Organizations that embrace hybrid delivery, prioritize wellness and sustainability, and build their operations on a Salesforce-native platform will be best positioned to deliver memorable events and drive long-term group revenue growth.
Thynk's unified platform for group sales, sales and catering, and event management enables hospitality organizations to:
- Automate multi-channel lead capture and AI-powered triage
- Unify group data across properties and PMS systems (Opera, Mews, Stayntouch, Protel)
- Generate multi-property proposals and manage complex room blocks
- Track hybrid attendee engagement and measure ROI by source
- Leverage Agentforce agents for intelligent sales assistance and digital labor
By consolidating these capabilities on the Salesforce platform, Thynk delivers the operational efficiency, data visibility, and AI-driven automation required to succeed in the hybrid event era—accelerating sales velocity, improving conversion rates, and maximizing group revenue.
Ready to transform your hybrid event strategy? Explore how Thynk's Salesforce-native platform drives group business growth: Compare Thynk to Alternatives
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