Marriott Expands Connect with Confidence to Include Hybrid Meetings
The program adds technology providers to streamline planning for in-person and virtual events
Marriott International has announced the addition of new hybrid meetings options to its Connect with Confidence program. The company has curated a list of providers, including Encore, Cvent, Convene, MeetingPlay and Hopin, that offer technology solutions for hosting hybrid meetings.
The changes which are being launched this month promise to streamline the planning process for in-person/online events. New resources for hybrid meetings and events, including providers and pricing, will be available at Marriott hotels across the US and Canada, and are slated to be available globally in the near future.
Connect with Confidence, which Marriott launched last August, includes redefined processes and reimagined spaces for planning and operating meetings in the current environment. Beginning in January, the company started offering optional COVID-19 tests for meetings and events at selected US properties.
Tammy Routh, senior vice president-global sales organizations, said meeting and event professionals are currently looking for insights and resources that will help them plan creative and innovative experiences for their customers regardless of whether they are in person at the hotel or logging in from their homes.
Meeting and event professionals can work with these leading technology providers, she said, “to reach a larger audience and incorporate speakers from other locations as they continue to plan future meetings, conferences and events.”
In its latest earnings call with analysts, Marriott made note of the pickup in group bookings, pointing to an earlier than expected recovery in meetings and events. According to Stephanie Linnartz, group president for consumer operations, technology and emerging businesses, January had turned out to be “a very strong month” for group bookings for 2022 and beyond.
