Forget about Facebook: Social-Mobile Convergence Will Have a Wide-Ranging Impact on the U.S. Corporate Groups and Meetings Marketplace

The convergence of social media and mobile applications will have a profound impact on corporate meetings and events, but not in the way one might expect. In a new report, Phocuswright examines the U.S. corporate groups and meetings market, and how meeting planners, travel companies and technology providers can leverage the mobile-social "sweetspot" to their advantage. According to Phocuswright's Groups and Meetings: Driving Success in Business Travel's Most Complex Segment, nearly one third of meetings and events now incorporate some social media component, while 22% integrate one or more mobile elements.

"There is a lot more to social media and group travel than simply tweeting from a meeting. The convergence of social media and rich, always-on mobile applications will play a significant role in reshaping the end-to-end meeting experience," says Susan Steinbrink, senior research and corporate market analyst at Phocuswright. "Meetings planners can leverage these tools to drive pre-event interest and attendance, foster real-time engagement among attendees, and introduce new marketing and transactional opportunities. The results could directly impact attendance, ROI and meeting productivity. In short, this is not your teenager's social media."

Phocuswright's Groups and Meetings: Driving Success in Business Travel's Most Complex Segment presents a comprehensive picture of the U.S. groups and meetings market, including the potential impact of social media and mobile technologies. The report is based on a survey of more than 600 meeting managers, planners and procurement professionals and interviews with more than 30 travel industry suppliers, intermediaries and technology providers.

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