Kevin Hinton, CAE, CED + Miguel Neves, CED with Ruud Janssen #DESIGNtoCHANGE #IMEX25

At IMEX Frankfurt 2025, the #DESIGNtoCHANGE #podcast, hosted by Ruud Janssen (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruudwjanssen/ ) brought together industry veterans Kevin Hinton (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinhinton/) of US Travel Association and Miguel Neves ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/miguelseven/ ) from SKIFT Meetings. Both former MPI International Board members, they shared insights on the evolving landscape of events and travel. Kevin Hinton discussed his recent presentation on US travel trends, addressing the new administration's impact and highlighting Rotary International's successful Chicago meeting. He also touched on personal changes, anticipating his "empty nester" status as his daughter prepares to attend the University of Denver. Miguel Neves, once IMEX's social media pioneer, emphasized the value of backstage conversations over press conferences at large events. He shared experiences from his recent IMAX Forest session and outlined plans for the upcoming September Skift Meetings Forum, including innovative ideas like AI prompts with a World Cup style bracket for selection. The conversation explored the Event Canvas tool and its application in designing impactful events, such as the IEEE climate change conference in Glasgow. This led to a discussion of previous PODcast guest Kai Hattendorf's involvement in COP conferences, underlining the events industry's role in addressing global issues. Event sponsorship and financing challenges were a key topic, with Miguel noting the difficulty in balancing creative designs with sponsor expectations. The speakers debated the importance of meal moments in fostering connections, touching on intergenerational communication and the trend of culinary-first properties in hotels. Kevin shared insights from Chicago's The Gage restaurant, while Miguel offered perspectives from his life in Denmark. The evolution of event design was a central theme, with discussions on adapting formats to audience preferences and incorporating innovative approaches like selfie points. Technology's role was highlighted, mentioning Cvent as a booking platform. The concept of "festivalization" was introduced, exploring the trend of combining high-ticket conferences with party-like atmospheres. Throughout the session, the speakers emphasized the importance of intentional conversations and face-to-face interactions in the events industry, while acknowledging the need to adapt to changing trends. This insightful discussion provided a comprehensive look at current industry practices, personal experiences of leaders, and future trends shaping the landscape of meetings and conferences. Speakers Miguel Neves - Editor-in-Chief - Skift Meetings Kevin Hinton - Managing Director Group Travel - US Travel Association Ruud Janssen - Managing Partner / Founder - Event Design Collective GmbH Find the full overview of Key Takeaways, Idea Cloud and Summary into over 70 languages powered by SnapSight AI available here: https://www.snapsight.com/live-channel/a94b3580-5a6a-4d56-973a-6d1fbf998660/ad387ee1-521d-43ca-932c-64921fa6b1a5/attendee?tab=takeaways