Meetings & Event Trends Wrap-Up

All across the Asia Pacific, Marriott’s event planners have had a very busy year at their hotels working alongside clients, arranging unique and memorable events that showcased some of the top events and meetings trends of the industry. Let’s take a look at these #MIEVENTS that have put into practice the four key trends of the yearー Personalization, Going Local, Event Tech, and Sustainable Business Operations.

PERSONALIZATION

Personalization is one of the key trends that our event planners leveraged on. Little touches of detail can go a long way in making each event memorable and unique. At Marriott properties across Asia, our event planners offer flexibility and personalized event experiences to their clients.

A replica of local marketplace and representation of the hill-tribe culture

Replica of food stalls commonly found in local food markets

Northern Thai delicacies

The coffee breaks showcase the essence of hill-tribe lifestyle

Bamboo cups with lemongrass straws

Not only is a coffee break an essential to any meeting or event, it also provides a great opportunity for planners to get creative and create a customized experience for their guests. Le Meridien Chiang Rai Resort, Thailand offers three creatively themed coffee breaks inspired by cultural experiences, creating an immersive atmosphere that brings the local flavors of the destination into the meeting venues.

Royal Project Coffee Break
An iconic inspiration derived from the Royal Project commenced in 1969, which was to improve the quality of life of hill-tribe people by supporting more than 39,277 families in 288 villages. The hotel reinterpreted Royal Project in this themed break featuring an assortment of iconic treats, including various food, dessert and beverage options using Royal Project products.

Kad Mua Coffee Break
The hotel’s Kad Mua coffee break is the recreation of the traditional Lanna market full of local cultural heritage and food delicacies. Everywhere you go you will discover freshly-cooked meals to enjoy while perched on a makeshift seat or picnic table. The market offers a variety of authentic Northern Thai dishes such as Mini Sai Oua Crepe – Northern Thai Sausage, Kai Pam – Grilled Eggs, Bua Loy – Taro and Pumpkin Balls in Sweetened Coconut Milk, Kanom Krok – Thai Traditional Sweet Rice Cake and much more.

Hill Tribe Coffee Break
By building a hill-tribe marketplace in the event venue, meeting attendees can experience the traditional Lanna folklifeー taking a step back into the past and learn about the decades-old way of living, history and culture of the Lanna people of northern Thailand. The break celebrates the region’s culture and cuisine by making use of a wide range of local products from the highland area.

At a day conference held at The Westin Kolkata Rajarhat, the event organizer requested for a tea and coffee break for their guests. Exceeding the guests’ expectations, the hotel banquet team went the extra mile to set up a grab-and-go sandwich bar for that added a wow factor!

The sandwich bar resembled a kitchen countertop lined with parchment paper, complete with a scale, sacks of ingredients and scoops of condiments for guests to create their own personalized sandwiches. The setup offered maximum freedom and flexibility, guests were encouraged to move around, grabbing a sandwich and a drink and connect with other guests in a casual environment.

The Annual Partner Summit setup

The event team transformed hotel spaces into the streets of Hanoi

Homemade protein balls specially made for the organizer

“They went above and beyond to make sure our event was successful and our guests were looked after,” said the event organizer of the Annual Partner Summit. “The staff were incredible during my site inspection and even more incredible when our guests arrived for the conference. Our delegates still rave about the property and say it is one of the best hotels they have stayed at.”

It is the little things that make a big difference. Our team at the JW Marriott Hotel Hanoi created an incredible experience by attending to even the smallest needs and preferences of their guests. Upon arriving in her room and throughout her week’s stay, one of the attendees found protein balls made especially for her by the hotel team that found out she prefers healthy food. Knowing a child of one of the delegates had a food allergy, the hotel staff prepared a separate lunch box for him so he and his family would not have to worry.

GOING LOCAL

Events and meetings are great opportunities to showcase local cultures and heritage. From regional cuisine to recreation of local markets and landmarks, you can impress, and at the same time educate your guests with the most authentic cultural experiences

The Rooster of Barcelos is one of the most common symbols of Portugal

A miniature Macau built inside a hotel ballroom

A recreation of the Ruins of St. Paul’s on stage

Famous A-Ma Temple-inspired food station

Buffet booth taking inspiration from the local area Coloane Village

Imagine – the whole city of Macau, complete with all its cultural colors and flavors, coming to life at your meetings held at The St. Regis Macao and the Sheraton Grand Macao Hotel, Cotai Central! 

Exclusively designed to offer a uniquely Macao experience for event guests, the Macau Fiesta banquet is a tribute to the cultural heritage of Macao with a recreation of iconic landmarks like the Ruins of St. Paul’s and A-Ma Temple represented by different food booths. A buffet menu featuring a wide variety of Portuguese and Macanese dishes that reflect the diverse cuisine of Macao with a mix of savory and sweet Macanese dishes, and a variety of beautifully crafted dim sum dishes from bamboo baskets that will not disappoint.

In celebration of Macao’s rich cultural history of traditions, the hotel included a range of entertainment options like Fortune Teller, Calligrapher, Salsa Dance, Portuguese Fado and more. To further elevate the local experience, Portuguese finger food was offered by staff dressed as local fishermen carrying flat baskets on poles on their shoulders, while sangria was served from a terracotta barrel by a staff dressed as a Macao villager riding a trishaw. By transporting the sights and sounds of old Macao into the hotels’ spacious ballrooms in a fun and interactive format, their guests were absolutely enthralled by the sights of what the city was like in the 1960s.

Iconic night market food stalls at the Renaissance Night Market

An elevated version of makeshift chairs and tables at local night markets

The Renaissance Night Market takes inspiration from Thai culture and the local art scene

Traditional handicraft stall

Renaissance Hotels’ signature Evening Bar Ritual

Decorative wall art in the bar area inspired by local traditions

Creative light installations influenced by Thai night markets

Inspired by one of the top things to do for travelers in Bangkokー visiting night markets, Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong Hotel brought their guests an experience of a Thai Night Market, featuring the local arts and culture scene and other discoveries. Guests get to enjoy destination-inspired installation art and setups, complete with an exclusive performance by a Thai celebrity actor, model and famous DJ.

The Renaissance Night Market is a night to remember kicking off with the brand’s signature Evening Bar Ritual, led by the hotel’s mixologist. Guests enjoyed exotic, mouth-watering Thai cuisine with a twist presented by multi-award-winning residence chef, Jack-Prasertchai, who is always in pursuit of creative culinary approaches, experimenting with traditional Thai cuisine and molecular gastronomy. Along with the reinvented delicacies, visitors of this unique night market with a twist can immerse themselves in modern installation art heavily inspired by the local culture.

EVENT TECH

Technology is reshaping the world we are living in, creating endless possibilities in the event planning world. From the event planning stage to the implementation of special effects in events, these technologies are transforming meetings and events in ways beyond imagination.

Transform wall spaces with projection technology

Create an illustrious effect with reflective flooring

Different hues of white and blue for a futuristic and cool ambience

Oblong-shaped tables and transparent replacing regular ballroom furniture

Taking inspiration from the Insta-hot Team Lab in Tokyo, W Suzhou transformed the Great Room, the hotel’s ballroom sprawling 813-square-meter of event space, into an astonishing digital art dining experience. For this other-worldly transformation, the team filled the venue with oblong-shaped tables, reflective surfaces, and neon lights to completely stun the guests.

Digital backdrops can create a set that tells stories

Create a unique ambiance by combing projection technology and lighting effects

LED screens provide flexibility and can continuously transform the space throughout the event

Guests were shown behind-the-scenes videos of dishes they were served

JW Marriott’s global gourmet event ‘Taste of JW’ was held at the JW Marriott Hotel Seoul. The night saw different interactive sessions and guests were fully immersed in the carefully designed dining experience that delighted all senses, including the impressive gala dinner.

The gala dinner used various projection methods intermixed with lighting effects to take its attendees on a sensory journeyー from the decorative light projection on the ballroom walls to a digital backdrop that transformed throughout the night.

To allow event attendees to discover what goes on behind the exquisite taste of the JW experience, our event planning team utilized the Grand Ballroom’s expansive screen to showcase videos of the hotel chefs and beverage experts at work during the gala dinner for each respective course.

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS OPERATIONS

Swap out paper and plastic food labels with banana leaves

Traditional dishes made with locally sourced ingredients

Le Meridien Chiang Mai hosted a board meeting for their client where the team highlighted how Marriott, as a hotel business, supports the community to drive sustainability and promote local resources. The private meeting was organized at one of the hotel’s small meeting rooms and followed by a cocktail dinner.

As planned with the organizer, the hotel culinary team prepared food and beverages in Northern Thai style. Instead of using standard paper labels, the event used banana leaves as food labels to compliment with the event theme. The event received great feedback from the customers for the presentation as well as the sustainable catering and meeting practices.

Meeting rooms at the hotel are energy-efficient

Tailored healthy food options included in event catering menus

Breakout area illuminated by natural daylight

Customizable made-to-order local dishes

Coffee station showcasing local coffee

Our team at Bangkok Marriott Hotel The Surawongse believes meetings and conferences can have a positive impact beyond the meeting room. Implementing sustainability ideals to the best effect in meeting and conference rooms, the hotel is able to minimize the use of electricity as meeting rooms and breakout areas are designed with large windows, providing sufficient natural daylight. When meeting rooms are not in use, the team always ensures that lights are turned off.

To support the local communities and businesses, the hotel is committed to purchasing seasonal ingredients from local producers wherever possible. Chefs also tailor balanced-nutrition menus according to the guests’ preferences and ensure there is a selection of healthy food options.

Keeping up with the ever-evolving meeting and event trends will remain the core of what we do at Marriott and our planners will continue with the effort of helping our clients organize sustainable and tailored events in 2020. Stay ahead of the game and learn more about emerging meeting and event trends in Marriott’s “Future of Meetings & Events” report and see what they mean to you as an event planner.

PLANNING FOR 2020?

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