Marriott unveils new hybrid meeting solutions

More meeting professionals have been looking to plan hybrid virtual/in-person events as the meeting industry adapts to new ways of connecting during the global pandemic.

However, meeting and event professionals often require additional information about technology, health protocols, and logistics available to them. Marriott International is offering innovative solutions to help Connect with Confidence and streamline the current planning process.

New resources for hybrid meetings and events, including providers and pricing, will be available next month at Marriott hotels across the United States and Canada, and are slated to be available globally in the near future.

Hybrid meetings have become an essential way for meeting and event professionals to provide an immersive, engaging experience that integrates both virtual participation and in-person experiences through technology. Marriott has curated a list of providers including Encore, Cvent, Convene, MeetingPlay and Hopin that offer technology solutions for hosting hybrid meetings.

These providers offer a range of features and services that allow meeting and event professionals to execute hybrid meetings across the Marriott portfolio of hotels in the United States and Canada.

Marriott has hosted Connect with Confidence meetings for its customers using the latest hybrid meeting technology. The most recent event included 100 in-person attendees and 800 virtual attendees at Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center in January 2021. The attendees were given information about planning and implementing an in-person event incorporating cleanliness protocols, social distancing, redesigned food and beverage, contactless check-in, well-being checks, occupancy monitoring, and more.

Survey results from this event revealed that 51% of meeting and event professionals are planning to host a hybrid event within the next six to 12 months. When attendees were asked if they would attend another event if designed with the same principles, 95% said they would.

Marriott shared insights and best practices from this meeting and others in its Connect with Confidence Hybrid Meetings and Events Insights Guide, which showcases the journey and offers guidance to design and implement hybrid events.

The Connect with Confidence event at Gaylord Rockies was held just weeks after Marriott announced the introduction of optional health protocols for meeting and event professionals, including Covid-19 testing. The event implemented many of the protocols, which meeting and event professionals will be able to incorporate into their own group meetings at Marriott hotels in the US and Canada beginning in March 2021.

"As the industry navigates this evolving meetings environment together, Marriott is proud to offer meeting and event professionals new hybrid meeting and event solutions, as well as our own best practices and learnings from our hybrid events," said Tammy Routh, Senior Vice President, Global Sales Organization for Marriott International.

"We know that meeting and event professionals are currently looking for insights and resources that will help them plan creative and innovative experiences for their customers regardless of whether they are in-person at the hotel or logging in from their home. Meeting and event professionals can work with these leading technology providers to reach a larger audience and incorporate speakers from other locations."

Marriott has shared the Connect with Confidence Hybrid Meetings and Events Insights Guide on the Marriott Bonvoy™ Events website. The resource showcases Marriott’s reimagined processes and meeting spaces, incorporates the learnings from the January 2021 event and the first Connect with Confidence event in November 2020 at The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner in Virginia. It explains some of the practical considerations that are necessary to successfully plan and execute a hybrid meeting.