BETHESDA, Md. — Marriott International is launching new resources for hybrid meetings and events in March at its hotels across the U.S. and Canada, with plans to expand availability globally in the near future.

The new offerings expand the company’s Connect with Confidence program and include a curated a list of providers — including Encore, Cvent, Convene, MeetingPlay and Hopin — that offer technology solutions for hosting hybrid meetings. The optional health protocols for meetings and events that the company began rolling out in January, including COVID-19 testing, will also be available in March as part of the expansion.

Survey results Marriott’s most-recent Connect with Confidence even, hosted at Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center in January, revealed that 51 per cent of meeting-and-event professionals are planning to host a hybrid event within the next six to 12 months. When attendees were asked if they would attend another event if it were to be designed with the same principles, 95-per-cent said they would.

Event attendees were given information about planning and implementing an in-person event incorporating cleanliness protocols, physical and social distancing, redesigned food and beverage, contactless check-in, well-being checks, occupancy monitoring and more. Marriott also shared insights and best practices from this meeting, and others, in its Connect with Confidence Hybrid Meetings and Events Insights Guide, which showcases the journey and offers guidance to design and implement hybrid events.

“As the industry navigates this evolving meetings environment together, Marriott is proud to offer meeting-and-event professionals new hybrid meeting and event solutions, as well as our own best practices and learnings from our hybrid events,” says Tammy Routh, SVP, Global Sales Organization, Marriott International. “We know that 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 home. Meeting-and-event professionals can work with these leading technology providers to reach a larger audience and incorporate speakers from other locations as they continue to plan future meetings, conferences and events.”

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