More meeting and event professionals have been looking to plan hybrid virtual/in-person meetings and 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, physical and social distancing, redesigned food and beverage, contactless check-in, well-being checks, occupancy monitoring, and more. Survey results from this event revealed that 51 percent 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 it were to be designed with the same principles, 95 percent 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.