Industry journalist and all-around hotshot Jennifer Juergens sent me these trends from her source at Apella, The Event Space at Alexandria Center in New York City. What's really cool is that they coincide with what a lot of MPI's research efforts are finding, specifically our studies into the Future of Meetings and CSR. Anyway, here are the 10 top changes to small events as seen by Arthur Backal and his team, who operate the venue.   

1. Healthier Food and Beverage Offerings. Backal reports an increase in health-conscious catering requests from clients for both daytime meetings and social events. For example, there are more requests for grilled chicken and fish for entrees and nut and fruit requests for snacks. Many clients have eliminated soda from their beverage choices at events altogether; while some have added green tea as an alternative.    
2. Hybrid Events. Offering both in-person and live-streamed content has become a cornerstone of the event industry, saving money on travel expenses, reaching an expansive audience and maintaining human connectivity. Apella is seeing videoconferences and live-streamed events that connect guests from all over the world to one another. 
3. Social Media and Event Application Engagement. Clients across industries are incorporating social media into their programs by way of Q&A through Twitter and contests via Facebook. Event applications on smart phones are becoming more popular for planners, even as guests are still catching on. Some applications allow guests to take real-time surveys and make real-time comments on presentations. Clients are looking to engage their guests not only in person, but also through technology.  
4. Inspiring Meeting Environments. An effective meeting space must foster collaboration, connection, and community. Clients are always looking for non-traditional space to inspire creativity during events. 
5. Green Meetings. Today's meeting professionals are recycling nametags, minimizing the number of handouts they print and requesting water in pitchers rather than individual bottles. They are dedicated to planning meetings with a minimal carbon footprint.  
6. Technology Amenities. Attendees are beginning to expect certain technologies offered at meetings, such as computer access and phone charging stations. Meeting professionals are renting charging lockers and table charging stations for their guests to power up.
7. Philanthropic Spirit. As companies increase their corporate social responsibility efforts, building a philanthropic component into meetings and events when combined with team building exercises, is gaining in popularity.     
8. Mobile Event Planning Tools. There has been an increase in electronic event planning tools to assist with registration and floor plans and seating chart generation. The ease of these programs help the client and venue communicate efficiently. They've also made the registration process seamless for guests when checking in and planners when gathering information post-event.   
9. Unconferences. Clients join casual, breakout conversations and bring takeaways to another conference environment within the same event. This gives the attendees a chance to create their own agenda and participate in relevant sessions. Often, it's the informal conversations that help make changes happen.  
10. Using In-House Technology as Décor. Today's meetings are on a tighter budget and clients are looking for unique, creative and inexpensive ways to customize and decorate event space.