Building for the Future Like New Orleans
There are 2 Tuesdays until Mardi Gras.
My favorite New Orleans local to follow on Instagram and Twitter, @nolamaven, has been filling followers鈥� feeds with visions of glitter in preparation. The lineup was just released and it鈥檚 dynamite. The Saints鈥h, the Saints鈥hat a heartbreaking end to a hard fought football season. Bon Appetit magazine named the New Orleans sandwich shop Turkey and the Wolf the ! A sandwich shop! I could go on and on.
There鈥檚 always a special buzz bubbling below sea level surrounding this treasure of a city. Actor John Goodman once said 鈥淪omeone suggested that there鈥檚 an incomplete part of our chromosomes that gets repaired or found when we hit New Orleans.鈥� Well, that鈥檚 me. Every time. (I fell in love with the city during a humid site visit back in July 2008 and was enchanted). This year though, the city has a little extra, what locals call 鈥t鈥檚 the 300th birthday of the city, its ! Cue the glitter cannons!!!
The city has been preparing and celebrating its 300th birthday in an impressively smart and creative fashion. As a continuous lodestar of resilience, art and passion, this city also means business. At the end of 2017, the and convened representatives in several cities; including Chicago, to conduct focus groups centered on their convention business, the horizon, next steps, and what constitutes 鈥渢he meeting room of the future鈥�.
In my experiences at the Chicago focus group, the conversations centered around two primary ideas: flexibility and options. Sounds pretty simple, right? Maybe, but not always as easy to implement. We live in a world where 鈥渙ne size fits all鈥� no longer exists. Attendees, sponsors, and exhibitors are looking for unique, personalized experiences. Getting specific to the discussions, a few key ideas came forth that are important to keep in our sights as we plan future meetings:
- Enhanced space for Mothers Rooms: With more working mothers in the workforce, flexibility and options while they are away from their babies and young children are a must. More formal and recognized areas with refrigerators and outlets instead of makeshift spaces will make that difference.
- Creative pre-function space: Different groups need space that can accommodate a range of preferences 鈥� some need extra wide hallways to gather or floor-to-ceiling windows to showcase the beauty of the city鈥檚 surroundings.
- Varied transportation: Safety is a top concern 鈥� revive the existing shuttle loading areas and ensure that walkways from the surrounding areas are set-up to create a safe arrival for pedestrians and vehicles.
- Natural light: An environment where attendees feel refreshed, open to learning and exposed to the vibrancy of the city outside the walls create an overall good experience.
- Let attendees plug in: People of all generations now need the ability to have connectivity throughout their conference experience. The space layout should reflect this need.
- Focus on local flavor: Attendees want to gain the full experience of what makes a city unique! Focus on local art in the common spaces and/or culturally significant food and beverage options.
As association professionals, we must continuously think about member experiences. When we meet for our tradeshows and conferences, we plan with the lens of what a special attendee experience could and should look like. What are the new trends? What鈥檚 ahead? How do you keep it fresh and not revert to what has worked for the last 10 years at the risk of being stagnant? Are we meeting the needs of our 鈥渃lassic鈥� members but, at the same time, looking towards the future? Are we attracting the new and 鈥渘ext鈥� member?
If it鈥檚 daunting to think of how to begin or develop those experiences while on site for your annual meeting, be comforted by the surrounding partners that are putting in the work to guide us and provide resources: convention & visitors bureaus, convention centers, destination management companies, and hotels.
The efforts of the New Orleans CVB and convention center to gain the perspectives of meetings and association professional鈥檚 makes me feel good about where we鈥檙e headed. Their planning is purposeful and tuning into their process and learnings will only make our conferences and tradeshows stronger. In a year that New Orleans is celebrating a monumental birthday, they鈥檙e working on changes to the convention center that will continue to make it a destination that can offer a thoughtful, diverse, and unique experience that always has that 鈥渙nly in New Orleans鈥� feel. As associations, we can do the same for our attendees.
In New Orleans鈥� and future meeting planning, I鈥檒l take further inspiration from C.S. Lewis who reflected 鈥淭here are better things ahead than any we leave behind.鈥�
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