ATLANTA — IHG Hotels & Resorts has expanded its Meet with Confidence program to include resources, technology and tools for hybrid events.
These hybrid capabilities can simultaneously connect multiple hotel locations to regional and global business and leisure events through live streaming — creating more shared experiences for virtual and in-person attendees.
To further enhance the program, IHG has formed partnerships in the U.S. with Wellness 4 Humanity, Williams-Sonoma, Inc. and weframe. These partners will offer solutions, including rapid onsite COVID-19 testing, customized food-and-beverage experiences and technology to enable digital collaboration.
“There is a strong desire to return to face-to-face meetings and welcoming groups back to our hotels is going to take a team effort from those planning events,” says Derek DeCross, SVP, Global Sales, IHG Hotels & Resorts. “We’re committed to helping provide quality meeting experiences to give the attendees the confidence they need to feel secure attending in-person events, if that’s the option they choose. With our enhanced technology and new partnerships, we’re confident we have the right options in place for virtual attendees to still experience a best-in-class meeting from our hotels.”
Bookers and planners can choose from two hybrid events solutions — Smart and Expert — to plan the right experience for in-person and virtual attendees across one or multiple locations. The Smart Solution focuses on enhanced cleanliness and safety; offers rapid onsite COVID-19 testing provided by Wellness 4 Humanity; and digital-collaboration technology provided by weframe. Weframe One, an interactive 86-inch touch screen, uses cloud-based technology to allow onsite and remote participants to work collaboratively.
The Expert Solution is currently available at close to 100 hotels in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The offering features additional services to the Smart Solution, including a full suite of hybrid-meeting capabilities; and an exclusive catalogue of specialty food, drinks and dessert experiences from Williams Sonoma.
The technology is enabled by IHG’s ‘IHG Connect’ internet solution, which allows for unlimited device connectivity and the ability to manage bandwidth spikes for surge periods during large meetings and corporate events.
