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  and upcoming Online Event, 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.

On February 9, PhoCusWright presents a unique Online Event, Groups and Meetings: Driving Success in Business Travel’s Most Complex Segment. The event highlights key findings from the new report, and explores how mobile and social media technologies can drive meeting attendance, foster attendee engagement and enhance productivity. Among other topics, this unique online event reveals how leveraging the mobile/social “sweetspot” in meetings can help:

Promote pre-event interest and attendance
Facilitate group travel and other bookings
Crowdsource content and feedback
Provide a platform for location-based services and merchandising
Foster attendee engagement with the event and one another
Promote follow-up events and activities
Increase meeting effectiveness and productivity
The one-hour event (February 9 at 12:00 pm EST) features Susan Steinbrink  as presenter and Douglas Quinby,  PhoCusWright’s senior director, research as moderator. The format consists of a 45-minute presentation, followed by a 15-minute Q&A session.

ONLINE EVENT: Registration is now open  for this Online Event for US$199 (free/discounted pricing for research seatholders).

REPORT (Save $150 through Feb. 28): Early-bird pricing is available through Feb. 28 to save $150 off the regular price of $995. Order Now

BUY BOTH – SAVE AN ADDITIONAL $99: Increase your savings beyond the report’s early-bird pricing. Register for the Online Event and receive a special code to save $99 off your report purchase… OR… Purchase the report and receive a special code to save $99 off your Online Event registration.