Four Takeaways from 2025 IACC Meeting Room of the Future Report

The fourth edition of “Meeting Room of the Future” is finally out. This collaboration with International Association of Conference Centers (IACC) and DCI has been guiding the event industry since 2016, and the latest report continues that tradition with fresh insight. 

By bringing together insight from more than 200 IACC members and industry experts from North America and Europe, “Meeting Room of the Future” helps destinations and venues understand what today’s planners and decision makers need. 

These four takeaways focus on what planners require regarding experiences, technology, flexibility, and social causes. But they are just some of the valuable information available inside the report, which is available here.

1. Experience-centric Planning

In-person events are returning full force, and planners shared how they are prioritizing the experiential part of their events over everything else. It’s no surprise then that location and time to travel there, food and beverage offerings, and flexibility of rooms are the top three priorities for planners in this edition. They are focusing on what matters: getting attendees to come, engaging them, and wanting them to return for future meetings. Gone are the days when health and security topped the list of priorities.

More than half (55%) of planners are concerned with physical space while 50% are thinking massively about food and beverage. This representation increases in these issues from 2023 when content topics, networking, and business connections were the highest concerns. But now that pandemic-era recovery is behind us, planners are shifting more focus to the experience.

2. Digital and Tech (Still) Matter (Sort of)

Planners still want tech capabilities and surefire internet, even if virtual and hybrid events are no longer a priority.  There is a continued shift, however, away from remote presentations and hybrid participation, which is increasingly considered as hindering communication during events.

Forty-two percent of planners do not plan to stream their events this year, which is twice what planners reported in 2023. Of those who will, 20% of respondents plan to use one-way streaming at their events, but more than one-third will continue to use two-way streaming.

Still, planners prefer venues that have on-site support to facilitate all of their tech needs—like last-minute streaming capabilities in case of unexpected remote participation by a speaker, for example. And 70% of planners are excited to use digital tools for audience participation during in-person events. Cyber security issues are influencing planners less than in 2023, even if just as many reported thinking it will become more important in the future.

3. Flexibility Rules All

The latest edition of “Meeting Room of the Future” shows that planners are looking for flexible layouts and in-between spaces for networking. Things like lighting and acoustics continue to grow in importance as planners seek to provide unique and memorable experiences for attendees. Flexible spaces are the third most valued feature of a meeting venue, ranked by 52% of respondents. And planners overwhelmingly believe that independent venues are the most likely to offer this flexibility.

The same type of flexibility is important in food and beverage formats, where two thirds of respondents want more vegan and vegetarian options. While 96% of planners trust venues to accommodate dietary restrictions and special requests, that doesn’t mean all venues are proactively offering the flexibility that they want. There is an opportunity here for venues to rethink how they approach food and beverage services for the better.

4. Responsible Choices Still Rank High

Being sustainable and inclusive is still important to planners, even if some rankings have shifted. Similar to 2023, planners ranked the accessibility of a venue for disabled attendees and for public transportation as their most-important credentials. Unlike 2023, however, DEI and LGBTQIA+ inclusivity are less important than ever, falling to the bottom of the list. This largely reflects cultural shifts in recent months as many diversity initiatives have been rolled back.

Being green is still a mandate, but only 7% of planners request data on a venue’s carbon footprint before booking. Still, 63% of planners said they will give more priority to venues that boast strong social responsibility credentials. This puts more onus on venues to make their sustainability and social stances clearer than ever before, especially as it relates to working with local communities.

The event industry is always on the move, and DCI is staying ahead of the curve. Get in touch with Robyn Domber at robyn.domber@old.aboutdci.com to learn more about the “Meeting Room of the Future” and how your destination can build it.