Update Your Stale Seminar Space

December 4, 2018

Traditional seminar spaces are a thing of the past. Replacing them are engaging, tech-enabled, bespoke spaces that are beautiful, functional and sharable. Events should feel tailored to each attendee and excite from start to finish. By rethinking what each attendee needs from your seminar space, utilizing tech-enabled furniture and understanding the need for collaboration, you can create a space that feels daring, yet completely practical. 

Use these tips to create a fresh and engaging space that works for your client and your attendee. 

Connect to Tech: The best technology integrates what’s next into what’s known. Now, event furniture helps make that possible. Tech-enabled chairs and tables mean attendees won’t rush to the sides of the room or fight overchargers, allowing them to choose seats that won’t disrupt their workflow.

Consider Your Audience: Millennials aren’t the only generation glued to their screens. In today’s constantly changing, digitally-minded workplace, employees across all demographics are creating content and connecting online through their laptop or smartphone. Catering to different segments of professionals can be challenging when designing your seminar space. Creating environments that facilitate engagement for each kind of thinker makes for a space that is both productive and inspirational. 

At the Corporate Event Marketing Association’s (CEMA) annual conference, CORT Events created distinct spaces for different thinkers. One catered to professionals who have their phone, laptop and smartwatch keeping them on task and on time and offered powered soft seating, including the Tech Tablet chair, as well as sofas and loveseats for relaxed connection and listening space. Another was a more standard meeting space for those who like to work the old-fashioned way. The last was a space where attendees could claim a seat while sharing a large, powered table to collaborate for breakout sessions.

Cater to Collaboration: We are seeing a huge increase in demand for breakout spaces conducive for networking. Encourage teamwork by offering spaces that feel relaxed. Have your seating mimic the feel of a coffee bar or create a breakout space with reclined seating so people can get comfortable before they get creative. Consider a wider variety of furniture, including sofas, armchairs, communal tables and lightweight furniture for easy mobility, such as ottomans. Allow your attendees to make the room into the space they want. 

For shareable, one-of-a-kind convention spaces, you’ll have to take a new approach. What can be personalized? What can be reimagined? What can be updated? Start with a thoughtful strategy and execute with high-quality, technology-enabled furniture that adds productivity to creativity. When you want your space to feel custom and connected, think about the attendee experience at every stage of event planning.  

 

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Partner Voices
MGM Resorts is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse culture, not just among employees and guests but also within its supply chain. The company prioritizes procuring goods and services from businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans, people with disabilities, LGBTQ individuals and those facing economic disadvantages. This commitment is integral to MGM Resorts' global procurement strategy.    Through its voluntary supplier diversity program, MGM Resorts actively identifies and connects certified diverse-owned suppliers to opportunities within its supply chain. The company is on track to spend at least 15% of its biddable procurement with diverse-owned businesses by 2025, demonstrating that supplier diversity is not only a social responsibility but also a strategic business imperative.    Supplier diversity isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s good for business. A diverse supply chain allows access to a broader range of perspectives and experience, helping to drive innovation, entrepreneurship and resilience, while strengthening communities. At MGM Resorts, engaging diverse suppliers ensures best-in-class experiences for guests and clients. Supplier diversity ensures a more resilient supply chain while supporting economic development in the communities in which it operates.   The impact of MGM Resorts' supplier diversity initiatives is significant. In 2023, these efforts supported over 3,500 jobs across more than 30 states, contributed over $214 million in income for diverse-owned businesses and generated more than $62 million in tax revenue. The story extends beyond the numbers – it reflects the tangible benefits brought to small and diverse-owned businesses, fostering economic empowerment in their communities.    MGM Resorts also supports the development and business skills of diverse-owned businesses through investment, mentorship and education. Through the MGM Resorts Supplier Diversity Mentorship Program, the company identifies, mentors and develops diverse-owned businesses to fill its future pipeline, while providing businesses with tools and resources to empower and uplift. Since 2017, the program has successfully graduated 105 diverse-owned businesses and is on track to achieve its goal of 150 graduates by 2025.     MGM Resorts’ commitment to supplier diversity not only enhances its business operations but also plays a crucial role in uplifting communities and fostering economic development. This approach reinforces the idea that diversity is a powerful driver of innovation and resilience, benefiting both the company and the wider community.