Marriott’s new digital meeting platform, app stir event imagination

MARRIOTT International will roll out its new meetings technology platform and related app in the region next year, said Bart Buiring, senior vice president of lodging services and operations Asia-Pacific.

Asia-Pacific will be the first to see the implementation of MeetingsImagined.com, a digital portal that focuses on visual content and leverages social media to attract meetings clients.

“A picture says more than a thousand words, and Meetings Imagined is an intuitive platform which uses thousands of images of our facilities and events to show planners what we can do,” he said. “Planners and delegates can post pictures of the set-up process or coffee breaks. Our hotel teams can post too, so that helps create some friendly competition between properties to see who gets the most engagement with their content.”

Buiring said the co-created content provides planners with new ideas for events as well as showcasing facilities at various properties. Such technology is key in connecting with Millennials, he pointed out, adding that Asia-Pacific provided a fertile testing ground given the region’s position at the forefront of meetings design.

The hotelier is also set to deploy its Meeting Services App, which provides real-time connectivity for meetings planners and features a wide range of functions, including a chat facility to connect clients with Marriott’s events team throughout the planning and execution process. It also enables clients to immediately respond to issues as and when they arise, he elaborated.

“If you’re in a meeting with 160 people and don’t want to leave, you can use the app to request for the lighting or air conditioning to be adjusted, order more coffee or delay lunch. Our team will respond immediately and inform the planner of how their request is being processed.

“It will soon be able to handle the billing process too, which is a major development as billing is the current pain point for most planners.”

The app was piloted in a six hotels across Asia-Pacific – Thailand, Australia, the Philippines and China. It will be rolled out across all JW Marriott, Marriott, Renaissance, Ritz-Carlton and Autograph properties within next year.

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