Top 5 Resort Meeting and Event Trends for 2020

In speaking with event planners who have been holding programs at Bellstar properties, the overall trends are shifting towards more authentic experiences for delegates in this new decade.

Cool event swag

Seen in the 2019 Oscars gift bag was PETA’s very own spy pen, helping people blow the whistle on animal abuse. Find it in the PETA Shop.

Chatbots

Chatbots are now being used as a tool for events in helping with event marketing and for on-site delegate concierge services. One of the leaders in this technology is 42Chat.

Small events

Smaller events open up the possibility of using more unique event spaces and venues that in the end are more appealing to attendees. Bellstar has seen an increase in events that have fewer than 50 people.

Inclusive wellness

Bellstar recently introduced Stay® | Well — a program that encourages guests to get out and experience the destination. This offering comes with curated maps, activity discounts and access to all kinds of gear onsite including bikes and snowshoes. Learn more about Stay® | Well.

Fermented foods

The latest menu trend at events is fermented foods that boost the number of beneficial bacteria, or probiotics, found in your gut. Kimchi, sauerkraut’s Korean cousin, is a spicy fermented cabbage dish that will not be forgotten by your event guests. Kombucha is another favourite: a fermented tea that is fizzy, tart and flavourful. It is made from either black or green tea. A perfect choice for meeting breaks.

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Our Bellstar meeting professionals are always ready to help you implement any one of these ideas to produce a truly engaging resort meeting for your team.

Or speak with a Bellstar Meeting Professional:

Alberta Properties

Stacey Mitchell
staceym@bellstar.ca
403.695.3204

BC Properties

Kim Bryceland
kimb@bellstar.ca
250.208.6277

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OUR PORTFOLIO OF RESORTS

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Solara Resort & Spa

Canmore, Alberta

Grande Rockies Resort

Canmore, Alberta

Kicking Horse Lodging

Golden, British Columbia

The Royal Kelowna

Kelowna, British Columbia

The Beach Club Resort

Parksville, British Columbia

Top Resort Meeting Trends for 2019

Wellness continues to be the driving force of many of the emerging trends in meetings. Our Bellstar event planners are seeing some exciting new trends this year.

Brain Food

We encourage planners to consider optimizing attendees memory and focus. Brain foods rich in antioxidants, good fats, vitamins and minerals provide energy and help suppress inflammatory cytokines that may be released during stressful meetings. Planners should focus menu selection around the top brain foods such as avocados, salmon, berries, dark chocolate, broccoli, coffee, whole grains and leafy green vegetables. 

Facial Recognition Check-in

Companies such as Zenus are now using facial recognition to make event check-ins up to five times faster.

Social Media Engagement

Most attendees seek out a caffeine fix on breaks and spend the time scrolling through their phones, but a donut wall is a treat worthy of getting your attendees to tweet or post on Instagram with your event hash tag.

Experiential Meetings

Meetings need to be memorable to drive home a point. In Canmore, Bellstar partners with White Mountain Adventures who offer a Canadian Signature Experience called heli-hiking. Small groups are transported by helicopter to a high alpine meadow. Guides will show you fantastic high alpine hiking and unsurpassed mountain views of the Canadian Rockies,  a perfect venue for a motivational speech.

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Our Bellstar Meeting Professionals are always ready to help you implement any one of these ideas to produce a truly engaging resort meeting for your team.

Or speak with a Bellstar Meeting Professional:

Alberta Properties

Stacey Mitchell
staceym@bellstar.ca
403.695.3204

BC Properties

Kim Bryceland
kimb@bellstar.ca
250.208.6277

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OUR PORTFOLIO OF RESORTS

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Solara Resort & Spa

Canmore, Alberta

Grande Rockies Resort

Canmore, Alberta

Kicking Horse Lodging

Golden, British Columbia

The Royal Kelowna

Kelowna, British Columbia

The Beach Club Resort

Parksville, British Columbia

Our Top 5 Resort Meeting Trends in 2018

Non-traditional Meeting Venues

“More meeting planners are using non-traditional meeting venues and opting out of the conference hotel.”  

Our properties at Kicking Horse Lodging do not offer meeting space but groups are now opting to meet “on-mountain” or in local restaurants to combine work with some incentive R&R.

Security and Privacy

“Meeting planners are now more than ever conscious that hotels meet all necessary technological guidelines to prevent identity theft.”

Sabre’s recent data breach is causing headaches for hotels using their software such as Four Seasons, Trump Hotels, Kimpton Hotels and Red Lion Hotels.
Last year, Bellstar incorporated new technology and strict PCI compliance at all its properties to prevent hacking and to secure guest identities and credit card information both onsite and within the booking process.

Virtual Meetings and Training

“Despite the increased use of video and virtual meeting technology, off site meetings continue to offer a more focused and productive environment.”

Feedback from meeting planners at The Beach Club Resort in 2017 showed that meetings at this property offer a more focused learning experience than nearly any virtual meeting.

Anti-anxiety Trends

“From corporate layoffs to worldwide events the ever connected world
means more stress.”

Organizations' human resources teams are looking at budgeting more events to relieve employee stress.  At Solara Resort and Spa in Canmore there is a continued interest for bookings that combine spafacilities, yoga and other wellness activities to provide a fresh distraction to the stressors of everyday life.

Virtual Travel Companions

“Bellstar and many other hotel brands are looking at introducing this technology into guest rooms for 2018.”

As Amazon’s Echo increases in popularity, more guests will want to begin travelling with their own cloud based personal assistants and will be using them in-room to explore things to do locally, play music, answer questions and just provide companionship while on the road. 

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Or speak with a Bellstar Meeting Professional:

Canmore

Stacey Mitchell
staceym@bellstar.ca
403.695.3204

Vancouver Island & Kicking Horse

Kim Bryceland
kimb@bellstar.ca
250.208.6277

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OUR PORTFOLIO OF RESORTS

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The BEACH CLUB RESORT

Parksville, British Columbia

Solara Resort & Spa

Canmore, Alberta

grande rockies resort

Canmore, Alberta 

kicking horse lodging

Golden, British Columbia