ConferenceDirect took its annual tentpole client event, the CD+Forum, to the happiest place on earth—Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resorts in Orlando, Fla. From Nov. 13-16, 190 of the California-based meeting and event planning firm’s customers networked and acquired new skills while nestled between Walt Disney World’s Epcot and Magic Kingdom theme parks (talk about a hub of creativity and innovation!). 

Sustainability and wellness as well as cost containment solutions and hotel contracting were two major themes of the latest CD+Forum, according to J.J. Wills, ConferenceDirect’s senior vice president of marketing programs and business development. However, tech tools really took center stage.  

But instead of keeping guests buried in their gadgets for the entire event, a lot of the programming focused on teaching attendees how to incorporate new tech “into conferences to enhance the attendee experience,” Wills told CEN. 

Inspiration abounded everywhere, as ConferenceDirect implemented SnapSight during the CD+Forum, Wills said, an artificial intelligence-powered platform that generated real-time event data (think: trend analysis, sentiment tracking, and audience insights, just to name a few)—though she didn’t divulge what stats ConferenceDirect was keeping its eye on. No doubt, though, networking was a priority. After all, the California-based company also tapped Braindate to foster deeper conversation.  

The tool, although digital, was primarily used to guide one-on-one and small-group discussions throughout the event—even offering up topics in the “Braindate Topic Market” for guests who may have been too shy to strike up conversations. 

And when Wills said that tech touched every point of the onsite experience, she meant it: ConferenceDirect also utilized “smart menu technology enabling attendees to select their own dietary preference or restriction (vegetarian, nut allergy, etc.) and receive a filtered menu of the items they could consume that meet their needs,” she explained. 

Meanwhile, a Zoom link was on offer not for virtual attendees, but for guests who wanted to listen in on live programming and presentations while exploring other parts of the event. Zoom also offered an accessibility feature, which Wills said provided visual and audio support. 

Speaking of live programming, many of the sessions infused trending industry topics with the need for tech as something that can provide necessary data, streamline processes, and help overcome issues more efficiently. A session led by Christopher Baron, Encore’s senior director of innovation, for example, was all about “enhancing event accessibility and engagement using cutting-edge technologies” like the Apple Vision Pro, Wills explained. Wills added that even she learned how the wearable tech can come in handy with captioning "to aid attendees with hearing impairments.”  

Audrey Kallman, a research analyst at hospitality data firm STR, meanwhile, “provided a data-rich analysis of global and US hotel performance,” per Wills. Here are some of the most notable takeaways from Kallman’s session, Wills recalled of the data-forward presentation:  

• There is a softening in occupancy growth, while group demand and rates remained strong in the U.S. hotel market. 
• There is a shift in traveler preferences: STR's data revealed a narrowing gap between transient and group rates, with some markets showing group rates exceeding transient rates. 
• STR’s forecasts for 2024 and 2025 projected upper upscale segments (especially in Orlando and Nashville) to lead RevPAR growth, with labor costs expected to soften, improving profit margins. 

Wills left a slew of additional data exclusively for CD+Forum attendees, though she noted that overall, programming “underscored the recovery of demand to pre-pandemic levels.” 

Tech aside, in the spirit of aiding in recovery, ConferenceDirect also collaborated with the Hope Partnership by rallying attendees at its welcome reception to aid in building 125 stuffed animals that would be distributed as part of the organization’s mission to end homelessness and poverty in Central Florida, Wills noted. 

To give back to its own customers, ConferenceDirect boasts a range of events dubbed “Customer Education” programs that it touts on its website as part of its commitment to providing educational opportunities.  

The next CD+Forum isn’t slated to take place until November 2025 in Tampa, Fla. Before then, a CEO Summit is scheduled for association executives in Maui, Hawaii, in early December 2024 followed by D25, which will host meeting industry professionals with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in Minneapolis in May of next year. 

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